I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

I've read the book prior to this one and thought it was only okay but I wanted to give this a chance too. Unfortunately I was pretty bored and I ended up DNFing around 25% of the way through as it just wasn't holding my interest and I wasn't bothered about how it ended.

It's a real shame though as I've read Sabrina Jeffries for a long time and was a big fan- this series was just a bit of a miss for me.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy.

What good fun. Perfect for fans who have devoured Julia Quinn and now need a new author. Lovely family relationships, simmering passions, misunderstandings, all in all the Perfect summer read. Thank you to Netgalley Sabrina Jeffries and Headline for a transported afternoon. I look forward to reading more about these characters.

I haven't read a Sabrina Jeffries book in years! I used to love her books and had read quite a few of her previous, earlier series.
This is a very entertaining and enjoyable read, I read it in one sitting. This is perfect for readers who enjoy Grace Burrowes.

Sabrina Jeffries is an author that I have heard a lot about but have never actually read before and I'm not sure this was the best choice to start with. I hadn't realised that this was the fourth book in a series, and I think my enjoyment of the book really suffered as I didn't have any of the history that came in previous books.

There are also a number of overlapping plots happening in this book, which possibly seemed more convoluted as I was missing a lot of backstory. Sheridan Wolfe, Duke of Armitage is trying to solve a mystery surrounding the deaths of his mothers' husbands. Meanwhile, in a desperate bid to get Sheridan to notice her romantically, Vanessa Pryde asks him to enter a "fake-courting" situation, supposedly to attract a different suitor. Told you it was complicated!

Honestly, while I enjoyed the writing style and some of the character development in this book, I think my main problem was that with all the other subplots going on, the romance between our hero and heroine kind of took a back seat. I found I wasn't really excited or invested in their relationship.

Having said that, I do think this may have been improved if I had read the previous books and so I am going to go back at some point and read the series from the start, and I would definitely still try something by this author in the future.

Firstly loved the cover reminded me of the Bridgerton series.

Along with his half-siblings, Sheridan Wolfe, Duke of Armitage, is determined to solve the mysteries behind the suspicious deaths of their mother's three husbands. His investigations bring him into dangerous proximity with the captivating Vanessa Pryde, but the duke, still haunted by a tragically lost love, is resolved to resist the attraction. Besides, lovely Miss Pryde seems utterly smitten with a roguish London playwright...

Vanessa's theatrical flirtation is intended only to break through the duke's business-like demeanour and guarded emotions, for it is Sheridan she truly has her sights, and her heart, set on. As the duke's jealousy becomes evident, the two find themselves propelled into a scheme involving a pretend engagement, a secret inquiry - and a perhaps not-so-secret leap into true love...

The chapters flows along beautifully and before you know it your enthralled in the storyline. Looking out for the next in the series

A lighthearted regency romance with plenty of heart! In retrospect I think I’d have enjoyed this even more if I’d read the previous books in the series as there were a number of references to previous characters and events. The story was easy to follow, nonetheless, with the obligatory baddie (who isn’t who you expect it to be!). There are some endearing secondary characters who add gentle humour and interest - I’m really looking forward to reading their stories now.