Accidentally His by Sabrina Jeffries

Lady Verity is the last of the three sisters who run Elegant Occasions to find a long-term partner. She assumes that she would never marry but fate may have other plans even as she is sure it will remain true. 

We've met Rafe Wolfford in previous books as a man who is interested in Verity and her family, but not primarily for reasons of marriage. Instead, he is trying to figure out if someone from her family is feeding information to the enemy (France.) This same someone shot the uncle who raised him. Though the man was strict, Rafe still loves him and would like to find the culprit.
The two are brought together in deceit but the attraction that they have is visible to all and, when the chance is offered, the two may decide to stick it out for the long run. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out January 23, 2024

Follows What Happens in the Ballroom

ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

What Happens in the Ballroom by Sabrina Jeffries

I like Sabrina Jeffries but some books more than others. I was looking forward to Eliza's story as she was set up as a widow whose marriage maybe wasn't as perfect as it appeared. In this book, she is hired to find a husband for a young woman whose husband was also in the military. The man hiring her is her dead husband's friend, Nathaniel Stanton, Earl of Foxstead. And he's being squirrely. Because he has a secret. Well, lots of secrets. WAY too many secrets for me when it gets just. so. dramatic. Also just. so. dramatic? Nathaniel and Eliza getting together. I wish we had less back and forth and more after the two are together so we could be better assured of an HEA.

Why three stars when I'm being so snarky? Jeffries is a good writer. I made it through the book and connected with the characters enough not to hate either one. And I'm still looking forward to the next book in the series. 

Three stars

This book came out March 28, 2023

Follows A Duke for Diana

Followed by Accidentally His

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

A Duke for Diana by Sabrina Jeffries

Lady Diana Harper has been left in a hard place. Yes, she's the daughter of an earl but her mother has very publicly run away with another man and her father divorced her. She and her sisters are now highly suspect. Luckily, her oldest sister is married but her younger sister's fiance has unceremoniously cut ties. Their father doesn't seem to care about them at all. It seems it will be up to her sisters to figure out how to save themselves. And an idea, given by a mysterious lady at a ball, has them creating Elegant Occasions, a company that will help usher young debutantes through their season. 

It is that business that brings the Duke of Grenwood, Geoffrey Brookhouse, into her sphere. He has only recently discovered that he is a duke. He really is not happy about it; he has trained to be a civil engineer and that is what he wants to do. But he has a younger sister that he loves and he wants her to be happy. So Elegant Occasions and the infuriating Diana it is. 

The two are immediately at loggerheads but their attraction soon overcomes it. There are a couple more bumps but they most find their way to true love.

This was an okay book but felt sort of shallow, especially in comparison to other Jeffries novels. I suspect it is because there was so much set up with this being the first book of the series.

Three stars

This book came out May 24, 2022

Followed by What Happens in the Ballroom

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

A Yuletide Kiss -- Anthology

When We Finally Kiss Good Night by Sabrina Jeffries 

Konrad Juncker has been introduced in other books of the "Duke Dynasty" as the person posing as a playwright so that one of the dukes can be anonymous. We've also know that he had a romance with Flora Younger when they were in their teens (at least she was) but something happened and they did not marry. 

 In this story, Konrad and Flora are stuck in the same in the same inn during a snowstorm and truths about their past start to come out. Including that she would have waited for him and that he didn't think he was good enough for her. And both have identities they wouldn't want the rest of the world to know about. But they both are still attracted and have hope for a future together. And even though this is a short story, there is still room for a Big Misunderstanding (sigh). 

Fours stars 

The Unexpected Gift by Madeline Hunter 

Overlapping with the previous story, we see the viewpoint of the inn owner. Jenna Waverly is dealing with a snowstorm and is grateful that she doesn't have many mouths to feed when one of her team, Peter, brings in an unconcious man. One who is probably a lord based on his clothing. And this year is already not turning out as she had planned. Instead of her normal routine where she gets to relax with no people, she is forced to share the inn with a group of unexpected travelers. 

Lucas Avonwood is sick and Jenna feels as though she needs to tend him herself. It is his illness that allows them to be vulnerable with each other. He is searching for a broach to make sure that his cousin isn't caught out by a rogue and her brother mortgaged the inn (which is in both their names) without asking her. It may be that their problems are a shared one. Since it is a short story, we don't really get a sense of how the two will really get an HEA but okay nonetheless. 

Three stars 

When Strangers Meet by Mary Jo Putney 

Again overlapping with the other stories, we get the tale of two of the other people caught in the snowstorm at the White Rose, Kate Macleod and Daniel Faringdon. He is in line for a barony and she... she is his wife. 

It seems that seven years ago they were both in Bombay. Her uncle, an unscrupulous man, swooped in to pick at the coffers after her parents died. Since Kate was of a an age, he auctioned her off and Daniel was the lucky recipient of her hand. He never believed the marriage was legal but here she is, stating just the opposite. So he suggests that they use their time snowbound to determine whether or not they should remain married. Again, for a short story, there is not a lot of room to explore why an HEA would work for them but overall a nice story. 

Four stars

Four stars

This book came out September 28th, 2021

Borrowed as ebook from Libby

Opinions are my own

Undercover Duke by Sabrina Jeffries

Sheridan Wolfe, Duke of Armitage, is asked by his half-brother, Grey, to start making into the death of his brother's father. The whole family is worried that it may have been a murder since their mother's second and third husbands died young as well with Sheridan's own father was poisoned. With his brother's wife in labor, Sheridan has been tasked with questioning Lady Cora Eustace who was at the party for Grey's christening the weekend his father died. She is also Grey's aunt who Sheridan barely knows. Besides, she has a daughter, Vanessa, who Sheridan is... well.. prickly about. Sheridan knows that he needs to marry an heiress and doesn't want to drag Vanessa into his quagmire. Besides, she's enamored of a poet, Juncker.

Vanessa has been using Juncker as a reason to make Sheridan jealous. He doesn't seem to realize that she is full grown and she'll use any means she can to make him realize that she is perfect for him.

The ending wrapped up rather quicker than I had hoped especially since it closed out an arc that has been going on for several books. I was at 80% done and it didn't seem like it was getting close. There was also sort of a rush to the "I love you"s that could have been a little longer to feel more like a real HEA, especially after there was so much deception (some of it from themselves) in the rest of the book. I really do like Jeffries' writing though and up to that end was a lovely story.

Three and a half stars
Follows Who Wants to Marry a Duke

This book comes out May 25th, 2021
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Who Wants to Marry a Duke Sabrina Jeffries

Miss Olivia Norley is happy being a wallflower. She loves chemistry and wants nothing more than to work with her great-uncle on his experiments. When she meets Marlowe Drake, the Duke of Thornstock at a ball, she is more bemused by him than anything else. They share a passionate kiss that gets interrupted. And though he doesn't want to actually marry Olivia, Thorn is affronted when she turns down his proposal.
Nine years later, Thorn has become a cynic (after one kiss? Really?) who is astonished to learn that Olivia is going to be the chemist who proves whether or not his half-brother's father was killed by arsenic. He decides that he is going tag along on this research. Even if he is behind on delivering his latest play, the sixth in a series whose most popular and comedic characters are based off of Olivia and her stepmother. Or at least the twisted version he created of them in his own mind.
As he gets to know more about Olivia, Thorn starts to realize that the story he created in his own mind might not actually have been the truth. And when someone starts targeting Olivia for death, Thorn realizes that she actually means quite a bit to him.
The action in this book was a little more dramatic than others in the series. And Thorn was sort of a jerk for a lot of the story but it was a book that most Jeffries readers will find incredibly enjoyable.

Three and a half stars
Follows The Bachelor

Followed by Undercover Duke
This book comes out August 25th
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The Bachelor by Sabrina Jeffries

Lady Gwyn Drake is the twin of a duke and the half-sister of two more (it's complicated) so, even at the ripe old age of thirty, she is considered a catch. So her family is taking her to London for the marriage mart even though she's not exactly excited about it. You see, she has a Secret Past. And while her twin knows part of it, he doesn't know everything. Too bad the Secret part of her Past is threatening to reveal the Super Secret part if Gwyn doesn't pay him off. She decides to threaten the man with a gun (that she doesn't know how to shoot) but ends up being saved by the brother of the woman marrying her twin (who is also her mother's third husband's nephew... it's still complicated).
Joshua Wolfe gives Gwyn all the feels and he feels the same. But he's "damaged" having been hurt in the war to the point that he has to walk with a cane and his injuries (and, tbh general disposition) make him super grumpy. He rescues her from the blackmailer and is asked to come to London to be Gwyn's bodyguard.
So forced proximity ensues as well as a touch continuation of the mystery from the first book (which you don't have to have read but it would make it a lot easier to understand what the heck is going on in this book.) Overall, an okay book with a lot of drama and misunderstandings. Gwyn was a little more "Woe is I" than I expected and the ending was a bit twee but I'm still excited to see the next book go on sale.

Three stars
This book came out February 25th
Follows Project Duchess
Followed by Who Wants to Marry a Duke
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Project Duchess by Sabrina Jeffries

Fletcher "Grey" Pryde, 5th Duke of Greycourt, is trying to avoid a compromising situation with his cousin Vanessa. Her mother's dearest wish is to have the two be married but neither is eager to fall in with her plans. Their excuse to avoid that fate is that Vanessa has just delivered the news to Grey that his stepfather has just died.
Grey is devastated. He may have had conflicting emotions regarding his stepfather Maurice (who sent Grey away when he was 10 to live with his uncle who was then the Duke) but he knows that he has to go be with the family.
Everyone at Armitage Hall is shocked that the Duke is dead. He had only succeeded his brother a few months ago. His son, Sheridan (Grey's half-brother), is suspicious that both deaths may not have been accidental. Sheridan asks Grey to stay and figure out if his cousin Joshua is getting rid of the people who stand before him for the dukedom. Grey is also wondering. But he has a problem. Joshua's sister Beatrice is distracting him.
At 26, Beatrice doesn't necessarily want to be presented to society but her uncle Maurice's family has embraced her and her cousin's half-sister Gwyn really would rather not debut alone. She just wants to find a nice man, maybe a priest or a doctor. Dukes are not on her list. Even though Grey kisses like a fiend. But she knows she's not the type of woman he's going to marry. And worse, he thinks her brother has killed two men.
The first three-quarters of this book were great, setting up the series as well as letting us see Grey and Beatrice falling in love but the last quarter felt rushed and not as well edited. Very loose. This may change before the book comes out but the ARC ended with a whimper.

Three stars
This book comes out June 25th
Followed by The Bachelor
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

The Risk of Rogues by Sabrina Jeffries

House parties are a familiar setting for romance readers. In this one, Lord Hartley Corry runs into the woman who has held his heart since they were young enough for their parents' opinion to make a difference. He immediately decides that he's going to corner her and make her love him again.
Lady Anne isn't going to immediately fold. She wants to know a) why Hartley didn't stick around when they were younger, b) why he never got in touch, and c) how he's going to support them now (her inheritance is not as large as it is rumored to be.)
This was an okay story. If it had been longer I wonder if Hartley's insistence on rekindling the romance wouldn't come off as slightly creepy as it did. And Anne's confrontation with his boss just came off as weird and out of place. Even with those detractions, I don't think regular readers will be disappointed.

Three stars
This novella comes out July 2
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

The Secret of Flirting by Sabrina Jeffries

Monique Servais knows who she is. She's a woman trying to put together a good life for the grandmother who raised her; the grandmother whose mental health is slipping away. She also knows she's a damn fine actress. So when an overbearing pair of gentleman push their way into her dressing room one night and one insults her, she's not taking any bull from him.
Gregory Fulkham is immediately to this actress and also immediately irritated by his attraction. But he sure as heck remembers her, even three years later when she's being passed off as a Belgian princess. Yes, it's a "Prince and the Pauper" type situation (but with more intrigue) and Gregory is Not Amused. But he's still attracted. And he's super-pissed that someone is taking potshots at the Monique, whether she's a fake or not.
This was an okay book but not as good as others in the series. This book also suffered from a surfeit of trying to introduce/catch up with other couples in the series.

Three stars
This book comes out March 27
Follows The Pleasures of Passion

A Talent for Temptation by Sabrina Jeffries

Meriel Vyse isn't sure about the way her life is going. She has been working for her husband's brother as a spy but she hates the work. And getting to know Quinn Raines has really made her long for a normal life.
Quinn Raines is also in love with Meriel which is why he fakes a kidnapping (really?) so that he can "rescue" her. Little does he know she's perfectly capable of rescuing herself. He finds out when she pulls a knife from her reticule and stabs him.
At under 50 pages, that really is pretty much the whole story. It's a nice story though short. Very, very short.

Three stars
This book comes out October 2

The Pleasures of Passion by Sabrina Jeffries

We've heard about Niall Lindsey in all of the other books in this series. He was forced to flee the country after he killed a man in a duel over his sister's honor. But nobody except his sister and her husband know that. Everyone else thinks that it is because he slept with the wrong man's wife. You see, he was a bit of a scoundrel. Or, he had been until he met Brilliana (oh, I had such a hard time with this name) Trevor. But theirs was a secret affection. He tried to get her to come with him, but she stayed to be with her dying mother.
Now it's seven years later and they both have lingering resentments. Bree believes that Niall had another lover while Niall thinks that Bree was just trying to capture a rich husband with the evidence being that she married mere months after he left, rather than waiting for him. The pair will have to work together though to discover who is passing counterfeit bills. Niall owes the man asking them to do this and Bree just wants to clear her father's name since he's the person that they know has been passing around the bills.
A nice addition to the Sinful Suitors series, the romance was a little rushed for me and the Big Misunderstanding a little bit to drawn out. Definitely still looking forward to Ms. Jeffries' next book.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out June 20
Follows The Danger of Desire
Followed by The Secret of Flirting

The Heiress and the Hothead by Sabrina Jeffries

Somehow, I seem to have read this novella before but it wasn't labeled as a re-issue. I kept wondering what happened with Amanda Keane but I apparently knew? This is the novella that is the most danger-boniest of danger-boners.
Stephen is a reporter who is trying to change the world. He knows that the mill situations are dangerous for the workers and he is writing scathing articles. He wants to take some heat off by writing about Amanda Keane, owner of a factory in America but she keeps dodging him. Now he has tracked her down to a house party. And there, he meets a woman who is not at all what he expected. She may be the one person who can tame his fiery articles and teach him a new way to fight.
It's a novella so there's not a huge chance for the romance to develop. Mostly just a fight-fight-kiss.

Three stars

Comes out November 28

The Danger of Desire by Sabrina Jeffries

In The Study of Seduction, Warren Corry, Marquess of Knightford, was trying to protect his cousin Clarissa by asking his best friend Edwin to keep an eye on her. Now Clarissa is asking Warren to help her by keeping an eye on her friend, Miss Delia Trever. It seems Clarissa's brother died and left the family in debt. Now Delia's aunt has given her a dowry in the hopes of finding her a husband but Delia is acting strangely; slipping out of rooms, falling asleep at balls, avoiding house parties. Clarissa wants to see her friend so she wants to know what's going on.
Delia Trevor doesn't want to get married. It might mean saving herself but its not going to save her family. And she wants to make sure that her sister-in-law and nephew are taken care of as well. Then Warren starts getting in her way.
Not my favorite Jeffries book. I thought both Warren and Delia's problems were well-built up and then far to hastily solved. I get the tie-in with Delia's family problems and the banishment of Niall but the way to get them to overlap felt horribly overwrought. An okay addition to the series but I'm much more interested to see what went and will go on with Brilliana (what a name for practically-named-Delia's sister-in-law) and Niall.

Three stars
This book comes out November 22
Followed by The Pleasures of Passion

The Study of Seduction by Sabrina Jeffries

It's time for the man with the crusty exterior and marshmallow insides (Edwin Barlow, the Earl of Blakeborough) to meet his match. Well, technically, he's already met her. Clarissa Lindsey, described on the book cover as his friend Warren's ward, is under Warren's protection, but more because she's being stalked, not really because he's her guardian.
So, while Warren goes to check on Clarissa's exiled brother, Niall, Edwin's going to hang around and make sure that Count Durand (of the French embassy) doesn't get handsy with her again (the Count is obsessed with Clarissa and seems like he will do anything, ANYTHING to get her to marry him, even assault her).
Since they're thrown together, Edwin and Clarissa have no choice but to get to know more about each other. A happenstance that helps them see past the prejudices that they have built up toward each other over the years.
Those that love Sabrina Jeffries will definitely enjoy this book.
I wish I had seen more of their relationship growing and a little more at the end but generally a good book.

Book comes out March 22, 2016
Three and a half stars
Follows The Art of Sinning

The Art of Sinning by Sabrina Jeffries

Jeremy Keane is an artist looking for his lastest muse. And he thinks he's found her in the ravishing Lady Yvette Barlow. So they make an exchange. She'll pose for him if he'll show her some of the seedier sides of London. Of course, the more they learn about each other, they fall a little more in love.
But both have some back stories that make the road to true love less than smooth.
Sabrina Jeffries is a steady author and this book is no different. Interesting characters, a great story. It didn't need the last-minute twist.
I am interested in both the stories of Jeremy's sister, Mercedes, who is running the family business since Jeremy's not interested and Yvette's brother, the prefect alpha hero who hides his soft gooey center.
Coming out on July 21, 2015.
Followed by The Study of Seduction

If the Viscount Falls by Sabrina Jeffries

Image linked from Goodreads

Possibly my favorite story of the series. Dominic Manton arranged it so that he would be jilted by Jane Grey. His brother had disinherited him so Dom knew (oh, you foolhardy male) that Jane would be better off without him. But now George, his brother, is dead, and Dom has ascended into the title. Jane is newly engaged, but she still comes to Dom for help when her cousin disappears. The cousin who was married to Dom's brother. The cousin who helped orchestrate the jilting.

The cousin who might be carrying a baby that will disinherit Dom.

Great character development between these two. No Big Misunderstandings. And, yes, some of these could have been solved if they just talked, but a lot of it was gaining maturity.
This book follows How the Scoundrel Seduces, it comes out on January 27th.

How the Scoundrel Seduces by Sabrina Jeffries

Image linked from Goodreads

I was so unsure of this book, and, a week later, I'm still not sure how I feel. Jeffries writing is fantastic. She took a storyline that I didn't particularly like and created a story that made me finish even though I was having doubts the whole time. If you've read the other two "Duke's Men" stories, I'd definitely read this one as well.
In a previous story, Lady Zoe Keane, daughter of the Duke of Olivier,did a favor for the Duke's Men. And now, she wants to call it in. Specifically, she wants them to investigate who she is.
Tristan Bonnaud wants nothing more in life than to ensure that his titled half-brother doesn't bother him anymore. He just wants to be an investigator and definitely doesn't want to deal with the upper classes. Lady Zoe... she intrigues him. And so does her mysterious background.
If you like Sabrina Jeffries, I think you'll like this book. She's a wonderful writer and this is a series I'll definitely keep reading.