HFVBT Review: Project Duchess by Sabrina Jeffries

Title: Project Duchess
Author: Sabrina Jeffries
Format: ARC
Publisher: Zebra
Publish Date: June 25, 2019
Source: HFVBT

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "A series of stepfathers and a difficult childhood have left Fletcher “Grey” Pryde, 5th Duke of Greycourt, with a guarded heart, enviable wealth, and the undeserved reputation of a rogue. Grey’s focus on expanding his dukedom allows him little time to find a wife. But when his mother is widowed yet again and he meets the charmingly unconventional woman managing his stepfather’s funeral, he’s shocked to discover how much they have in common. Still, Grey isn’t interested in love, no matter how pretty, or delightfully outspoken, the lady . . .
 
Beatrice Wolfe gave up on romance long ago, and the arrogant Duke of Greycourt with his rakish reputation isn’t exactly changing her mind. Then Grey agrees to assist his grief-stricken mother with her latest “project”: schooling spirited, unfashionable Beatrice for her debut. Now that Beatrice is seeing through Grey’s charms to his wounded heart, she’s having trouble keeping him at arm’s length. But once Grey starts digging into her family’s secrets, she must decide whether her loyalties lie with her family . . . or with the man whose lessons capture her heart . . .  "

My Two Cents:

"Project Duchess" is the first in a new series by Sabrina Jeffries. I have been wanting to read her books and figured this was an excellent opportunity to jump in! Grey has learned to guard his heart and to never show what he's truly feeling. Now he's pulled back into his mother's orbit as his stepfather passes away. It's a reminder of all that he has lost so his feelings are fresh when Beatrice comes into his life. Beatrice is a spinster with a bit of a wild streak and she certainly doesn't care for the trappings of high society. She's not anything that Grey suspected but could they be the perfect match?

When the days get longer and the summer heat seems omnipresent, it makes me yearn for fun read such as this one. I loved the will they or won't they in this book. Grey and Beatrice are initially not particularly attracted to each other at first. As they begin spending more time together sorting Grey's family affairs, both of them realize that there is more than meets the eye. The banter in this book was really wonderful and kept the story flowing. While the story line did feel a bit familiar, it was still a very fun read! 

The mystery at the center of the book definitely takes a back seat to the romance in the book and I wish there had been a bit more focus on it. We don't really get conclusions in this book but there is more to come in this series. I'm interested to see if it is explored any more in the following books. I can't wait to see where this goes in the next installation! This was a solid start.

My Two Cents: