The second book in the Duke Dynasties series, The Bachelor is a lot of fun. Joshua is the grumpy, grouchy hero, and Gwyn has been obviously attracted to him since the first book. I love that Gwyn doesn’t hide her feelings - but boy, do these two hide a lot of other secrets from each other! It does start to get frustrating after a while. But maybe the sex scenes make up the difference... 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I love Sabrina Jeffries books, but somehow missed the first in this Series. Although I found the book to be an enjoyable read, it wasn't among my favorites. I, personally, don't care for stories full of constant angst by the main characters, which this had. That said, I will look forward to Thorn's story. I was given an ARC by NetGalley for my honest opinion.

Anyone that knows me or has read enough of my reviews knows I love a good grouchy hero. Joshua just didn’t do it for me though, and I wasn’t a huge fan of Gwyn. The issue with the old suitor wasn’t overly enthralling, either. Did feel like I was missing some information, even after reading the first book but it’s been a while. I’ll give the third book a try.

The Bachelor is book two in the Duke Dynasty series by Sabrina Jeffries and tells the story of lady Gwyn Drake and the estates gamekeeper Joshua Wolfe whom we met in book one Project Duchess. Gwyn and Joshua have had interactions in book one which hints at an interest from the both of them. Someone has become a threat to her and in order to protect herself and her family’s reputation due to a rather dire mistake in her youth she must have Joshua be her bodyguard.

The threat comes in the form of a former suitor who is quite nefarious and that we have also encountered in another novel. Gwyn believes of course she is quite able to handle things herself so it’s her twin brother Thorn who disagrees and is the one who actually hires Joshua to keep her safe in London as she attends her debut.

In my opinion this is slower paced book from the first of the series. I think that with Gwyn clearly admitting from the start that she finds Joshua handsome and that he certainly does it for her the romance lacked fire and sparks. Joshua sees her attempts at flirtation, and believes himself beneath her though he is the grandson of a Duke and a decorated officer. With her being in danger on multiple occasions and Joshua literally monitoring her every move, there were plenty of opportunities to kick it up as things was between his sister and the Duke in novel one.. All in all though, because of the myriad of supporting characters and the family dynamics one is drawn in and want to see what else occurs and to see solved the mysterious Ducal murders, as hopefully the plot thickens.

Spoiler-I have to say that Malet the money hungry and traitorous villain meets a nice end though in this book is my view. I received a complimentary download of this book on NetGalley by Kensington Publishing in exchange of my honest review. All opinions expressed here are completely my own and sincerely given.

I love getting immersed into the world that Sabrina Jeffries has created with her Duke Dynasty series. The Bachelor gives you romance and fun with secrets and intrigue.

Joshua is a wounded war hero who is asked to be a bodyguard to Gwyn as she embarks on her “season”. Why she has waited until 30 years of age to “debut” is part of her many secrets. Joshua falls for Gwyn, but knows their social standing discrepancy, his disability and her secrets, will derail any chance at love.

If you are just joining this series, there is a helpful diagram of Lydia’s three ducal husbands and her children by each man. They are a complex family and I love the dynamic between all of the step-siblings.

I cannot wait for the next book. I am most looking forward to Sheridan’s book.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Publishers for the ARC

Lady Gwyn Drake is finally being presented at court although she's 30 years old, definitely older than fresh faced debutantes. Her twin brother, Thorn, is worried about a past foe and enlists the help of Major Joshua Wolfe as her bodyguard. What neither of them know is Gwyn intents to pay off her blackmailer before Thorn and Joshua find out why he's pursuing her. Gwyn and Joshua are both damaged souls--Gwyn hiding a shocking secret and Joshua being a wounded veteran. Can these two move past their injuries and open their hearts to love?

I was looking forward to reading this book since they were introduced in the first book and thoroughly enjoyed it. Joshua dislikes being the gamekeeper on Thorn's estate and jumps at the chance to go to London as Gwyn's bodyguard. He intends to go to the War Office to try and get back on full pay and serve his country. He just has to resist his attraction to Gwyn. Gwyn has always seen Joshua as a handsome and capable man, not as a cripple. She is drawn to him more and more as they spend time with him. I liked that Ms. Jeffries discussed Joshua's wounds openly as they have colored his view of his value. The author does a good job of teasing out Gwyn's secret and Joshua's reaction to it. Can't wait to read Thorn's story in the next book.

This was a thoroughly engaging novel with complex characters and a plot that kept me glued to the pages.

I enjoyed watching Gwyn and Joshua interact with one another throughout this novel. From being friends of a sort who were distrustful of most everyone, to watching as the sparks started to fly these two were a delight. The banter between them, as well as their interactions as he served as her body-guard created several laugh out loud moments. I especially liked the way he managed to give her what she wanted (shooting lessons), without actually giving her what she wanted. The chemistry between these two was palpable, and I for one was pleased with the way the author chose to use and expand on that chemistry instead of having them just rush off to bed together.

I also liked the way the author was able to weave the villainous ex-suitor into the story, and having met him in a prior novella in which he attempted to kidnap another character, getting to learn the extent of his depravity made for a shocking discovery.

The one thing I was a bit disappointed with is the fact that this story does end on a sort of cliff-hanger in regards to something that happened early on in the story. I would have liked to have had all the loose ends tied up, although I can see why the author would choose to leave it the way that they did as it perfectly sets up the next installment of this series.

I believe this story will appeal to fans of historical romance novels with characters that don't like to conform to society thinks they ought to be. I will read more from this author.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Somehow this is the first Sabrina Jeffries book I've read, but it definitely won't be my last! I really enjoyed The Bachelor. It's a great historical bodyguard romance with enough low-key adventure to shake up the standard regency fare. The characters were both compelling and believable in their insecurities. I look forward to more in this series!

When threatened, a lady tries to take matter in hand but must do with her assigned bodyguard, a man who stirs sensations she does not want to feel ...

I do not know if it plays the same for other readers but each time I read a Sabrina Jeffries book, I feel like I hear a different voice from the other historical romances writers.
There are few that have this effect on me and she is.
Don’t get me wrong, I love it but still I need a few pages to adjust, so despite the time setting and the characters and their circumstances, they feel more modern than in most reads.
I enjoyed the first glimpse I was offered last fall, why I was eager to read the full novel.
And entertaining it was.
Between the barbs and quips the heroes and siblings throw at each other, the hunt for the villain and the up and down in the romance, I spend quite enjoyable hours.

Gwyn is haunted by a mistake she made as a young woman, while it is not openly told until later in the story, it is easily guessed. This lapse of judgement in her past suitor’s character is the cause of herself refusing to marry. It hold her back to accept anyone, why she readily dismisses even Joshua because she sees herself as not worthy.
While she is no usual debutante, at thirty, she is well past the age, yet as a Duke’s sister and with the incentive dowry, she enters the marriage mart well provided, but she will have nothing to do with the peers courting herself and her dowry, first her former suitor is lurking in the shadows ready to blackmail her or reveal her past indiscretion if she does not concede to his demands. Plus she is attracted to Joshua but she is very sure he will never be able to forgive her youth mistake.
Joshua suffers from PTSD, crippled during a naval ambush, he came close to loose more than his leg, after months of battle for his life, he retired in the countryside, seing himself as worthless because now he needs a walking stick to keep him upright. So even if he is attracted to Gwyn, he can’t see how they might have a future together, he a soldier on half pay and she a Duke’s daughter and sister.
Their romance is one of winning each other trust, and there lies the main problem, they are wary of others and they not easily confide in others.
Yet trusting the other will have to be followed by having faith in their own value to believe in a future together.

4.5 stars for this fun fast-paced read, I just would have loved the background plot to have a more prominent place in the story, to see Joshua at work.

I was granted an advance copy through Netgalley by the publisher Kensington, I had already preordered my own.
Here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Lady Gwyn has a problem. A big one. A former suitor is threatening to reveal all if she doesn't pay him off. Unfortunately, her altercation with him is witnessed by the gamekeeper at the estate, Joshua Wolfe, and Gwyn is forced to let her overbearing brother, the Duke of Thornstock know.

Thorn hires Joshua to be Gwyn's bodyguard during her season in London, something that Gwyn is frustrated about as it will thwart her attempt to pay off her blackamiler and keep her secrets. But as she begins to grow closer to Joshua, she begins to slowly fall in love with him. Joshua, meanwhile, is determined to keep Gwyn safe at all costs and will risk everything to do so.

It's been a while since I read a historical romance novel, and this was my first book by this author, and it did not disappoint. I'll definitely be returning to read other books in the series by this author, so that I can better understand the family dynamics of the characters (which perhaps was the only negative point). Plus I want to see how the secondary mystery plays out.

As a huge lover of historical romances I am disappointed in myself that I had never read Sabrina Jeffries previously. I started with the second in a the Duke Dynasty series on accident but was able to keep up with the over arching story and didn’t feel I had missed anything.

Lady Gwyn and Major Wolfe have more secrets than most and they are both terrified for the other one to find them out. I was enthralled by the mystery surrounding Gwyn’s brothers and hope for more to be revealed in September when Thorne’s story is released. The slow burn between Josh and Gwyn was really well done. It was alway simmering but allowed just enough of a question to keep the reader entertained and interested. I highly recommend this book and can not wait for the next in the series!!

#TheBachelor #NetGalley

⭐⭐⭐
This the second book in the Duke Dynasty series. I did not read the first one. Typically, it's not a problem, but in this instance I feel like I missed some things by not having read the first one.

This book is about Gwyn and Joshua... Both of them are older (30ish), but Gwyn is just being presented at court and her brother hires Joshua as Gwyns bodyguard because she's being blackmailed by a former suitor. There are some complex family dynamics and everyone in this book is kinda related. The family tree was a big help!

It's a fun story with some suspense built around our blackmailer. I enjoyed the sibling (and step sibling) relationships portrayed in this book. There was a lot of squabbling and teasing and it felt very relatable.

Both MCs are bit of a mess, each feeling unworthy of love and happiness- her because of youthful indiscretions and he because of a war injury. Eventually they figure it out (of course) but the road there is kinda angsty.

They start out not liking each other, but this mostly seems to be based on their perception of being disliked by the other. They move quickly for barely liking one another to naked to discussing marriage, and then back around to the start where this is repeated a few times over.

While there are only heterosexual white people in this book, there is a disabled veteran. His injury and resulting trauma and disability are discussed honestly and with some sensitivity. Good, not great. (I think he needs more therapy than Gwyn's reassuring touch.)

Overall, if you're looking for a quick read that's not to deep but has a good story, this is your book. I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review of this book.

A fun read. I liked Joshua and Gwyn fighting not to be together because of their own issues. Overall it kept nay interest and I can't wait to read about Gwyns brother.

I loved this book! It's rare I will start a review with that simple statement, but it's true. Sabrina Jeffries offers a fantastic balance of feistiness, sexiness, and bittersweet yearning. The adventure and danger add elements to keep things moving and the banter between the leads just thrums with electricity. In my humble opinion, it's everything you could want from this genre - nothing too deep, but a great escape with an engaging storyline and well-penned characters.

This is the second book in Sabrina Jeffries’ Duke Dynasty series. I liked the chemistry between Gwyn and Joshua. He doesn’t think he is good enough for her because of his rank and his war injury. She doesn’t think she is good enough for him because of her past. I did think the pace of the story dragged a bit in places. I look forward to the next book in the series. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Kensington Books for my honest review.

An absolutely magical and addicting historical romance! My goodness, I could not put this book down. After a brief refresher in these siblings—unnecessary for those new to the series as it seems to stand alone well enough, but necessary for me because I hate it when little details slip my mind (and this family has some branches, let me tell you)—I dived into The Bachelor and do not stop until I was finished.

I loved Gwyn and Joshua. Their sarcastic and flirty banter, their chemistry, their insecurities and machinations. Everything about them, to be honest. Including—especially?!—the complicated relationships they each had with the ones closest to them. This family is compelling, guys!

Altogether, The Bachelor was a fun, sexy, and completely charming read with new revelations on the mystery seeded in Project Duchess and its own suspense that highlighted but never overshadowed the romance between the gruff, protective Joshua and the headstrong, kind Gwyn. Can’t wait for Thornhill next!

I really liked the premise of this story because it highlights the inequity of the era. I often think the double standards and the confined lives women had to live are lost in these stories by glossing over what were terribly restrictive rules. Not so in this. The heroine Gwyn made a mistake in trusting the wrong man when she was young. Her twin brother not knowing the full extent of her relationship with the guy pays him off to leave her. He does. Gwyn's secret weighs on her for years, she's no longer a virgin and in a society where that is the only value the woman brings to the table, she's ruined. This jerk comes back in to her life to blackmail her but the hero Joshua comes in to chase the guy away. Gwyn has to find the money to pay this guy off, and she of course, because of the times, doesn't have access to much. Her twin doesn't know what is going on, but thinks she's in danger because this guy is back. I think Gwyn keeping this secret from Joshua went on a little longer than it needed to be, but once it came out, Gwyn's self worth was explored well within the confines of the society she was raised in.

This book reminds us that while it might be fun to read these stories, it couldn't have been very fun to live in the actual time (which is why I can not stand time travel stories that strand women in the past, where are the stories that bring a lady from that time and strand her in the present and watch her blossom with all the freedoms and opportunity she could have).

Great addition to the series. I enjoyed the story very much, though a female character of thirty years old, to me was a bit of a stretch but it was an interesting premise. Will be handselling this one for sure.

I really, really, really wanted to read this. The main reason I gave the prequel Project Duchess 3 stars instead of 2 (or possibly less?) was Major Joshua Wolfe. The second very close runner up? Lady Gwyn Drake. The third reason? The two interacting in any way. "omg Major Joshua Wolfe and Lady Gwyn Drake" was basically my review for the first book.

So did it live up to my expectations?

✓s: Super awesome characters; killer chemistry; I liked the whole concept as a whole and its execution for the most part; I appreciated the disability rep for Joshua for his physical limitations as far as his leg and how he has anger and impulse issues with his PTSD; and as far as the family went, I really enjoyed the dynamics, the Duchess, and (view spoiler).

✘s: I had two main dislikes. On the minor side, I wish the pacing with the romance had been different ((view spoiler)) But mostly, I wish the mystery/blackmail plot(s) had played a larger part in the plot, especially given Joshua's role.

tl;dr: Like a 4-4.25 - I enjoyed this in an awesome, "binge it a night and stay up until 2 AM on a worknight" kind of way. I'll definitely reread it in the future and I'll probably tune in for Book #3 because, hi, Lady Chemist ftw.


Disclaimer: Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for the free ARC, with no incentive or coercion on your parts.

Sabrina Jeffries has written The Bachelor, which is the newest and second book in the Duke Dynasty series. The book follows a mismatched family with three Dukes and their siblings. Some being wealthy and others not so wealthy. The link that ties them all together is Lydia Fletcher who married three times. This book focuses Gwen Drake and Joshua Wolfe.

Gwen is the sister of a duke and is out on the marriage mart at the age of 30. She has many secrets from her past that she has kept from her family. Unfortunately, the secret is enough to have her being blackmailed by a man from her past.

Joshua is the third son of a duke. He was seriously hurt during the war and took a long time to heal. He was offered a job as a gamekeeper on her brother’s estate. He is curt, brusk and usually blunt. He knows that Gwen is keeping secrets and has been offered a job protecting her while she is in London.

Joshua and Gwen have fabulous chemistry and I really enjoyed reading about them in the prior books, so I was quite happy to read this novel. Secrets and lack of honest conversation is almost always the cause of problems. Too bad Joshua and Gwen had to work through all that, but that is what made the book so good. The Bachelor by Sabrina Jeffries was a great read.

I was given the book by Net Galley to read and review with my opinion. I was disappointed that when I first downloaded the book, it was only the first chapter. Especially since it was already offered at the end of the Project Dutchess. Sabrina Jeffries put a link on her website with the entire book once it had been corrected on Net Galley! I was quite happy to redownload and read the entire ARC.