A Duke for Diana

A tad long-winded, but good nonetheless.

I really tried to get into the book. I thought the plot line looked interesting; but the author’s writing style was so formulaic, it left me frustrated. She has a penchant to use unnecessary archaic vocabulary and is slow to develop the characters. However, any development that is done leaves the characters unrealistic, predictable, and flat. The cover was pretty, but the story behind it was not worthy. So don’t bother.

I felt the plot was a little thin and the story was slow. An effort to finish the book. Thumbs up for strong female characters though.

Sabrina Jeffries always brings it with great characters and entertaining dialogue. Geoffrey and Diana quarrel and quip with the best of them! I love intelligent characters.

You just can’t go wrong with a book by this author. The characters in this book are great. Flawed just enough to make them lovable. I always hate to finish a good book and this was no exception.

3.5* I took me a bit to get into this book, it but was a bit slow moving. Halfway through it picked up and the characters started to shine. Diana and Geoffrey were a great pair. They both had secrets and baggage that held them back from the future they both wanted but felt was out of their grasp. The secondary characters are interesting and I’m looking forward to Eliza and Verity getting their HEA.

Lady Diana Harper owns Elegant Occasions with her two sisters Eliza and Verity. Elegant Occasions helps debutantes have a successful debut. Five years ago, her mother scandalized society by running off with her lover. Her father the Earl of Holtbury then proceeded to divorce her mother. Afterwards Diana’s marriage prospects dwindled away. Elegant Occasions saved Diana from having to depend on her father and allowed her and her sisters to be independent. Geoffrey Brookhouse is a civil engineer. He is also the Duke of Grenwood. He never imagined he would inherit a dukedom. His father was the third son of a Viscount. Geoffrey inherited his title from a distant cousin. He has arrived in London with his sister Rosabel. He needs help presenting Rosy to society and finding a husband for her. He hires the ladies of Elegant Occasions. Diana promises they will make Rosy a diamond of the first water. Diana vows that by her debut ball she will be the toast of the ton. Geoffrey is captivated by Diana’s smile. Her beauty unnerves him. They are both drawn to each other. Diana cannot stop thinking about Geoffrey. I enjoyed the interactions between Geoffrey and Diana. Geoffrey and Diana are good together. Will Diana let her guard down and fall in love? Can Geoffrey and Diana overcome the obstacles that prevent them from being together? There are secrets that prohibit Geoffrey from marrying Diana. Can he trust Diana to keep his secret? Can Diana convince Geoffrey that she is trustworthy? You cannot help but hope they will end up together. This is the first book in the Designing Debutantes series. Overall I enjoyed the story. The story flowed and kept you entertained. I look forward to reading the next book in the series about Eliza. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Shunned by Society due to parental misbehavior, Lady Diana Harper and her sisters, Eliza and Verity establish Elegant Occasions. Their business is helping with debutante debuts and other social events. Geoffrey Brookhouse, the new Duke of Grenwood, is a civil engineer, among other business interests. He never expected to be a duke. He comes to Elegant Occasions for help with his sister’s debut. The duke is anything but sophisticated or subtle. Diana decides he needs as much help as his sister. Can she and Elegant Occasions succeed with Duke Grumpy? Geoffrey and Diana are alike is so many ways. They are perfect for each other. They will have to get past some weighty obstacles is they are to have an HEA. They both suffer from parental embarrassment, and both have painful secrets. There are some problems to solve, soul-searching, secrets to share, bickering, and snarky banter. The characters are quite engaging and likeable. This is a very nice beginning for a new series. It is an enjoyable story, typical Sabina Jeffries, full of romance and humor. I look forward to the next story. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

A disgruntled, handsome, never expected to become a Duke, Geoffrey Brookhouse is in need of some Ton polish for his sister Rosy. He hires Elegant Occasions, three Lady sisters that have their own tarnished past. Lady Diana Harper and her sisters have for the last four years weathered the gossip surrounding their divorced parents. Vowing never to marry, but when the secretive Duke hires them for his sister presentation to the Queen and her debutant ball, Diana can’t help but wonder at the mystery of the handsome man. As always the story will keep you turning pages, plus I did learn something new……never heard of ballroom chalking. Great start to a new series. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC and Kensington Publishing for a copy of this book. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #ADukeforDiana #SabrinaJefferies #KensingtonPublishing

4 Stars! I enjoyed this book! It’s the first in a new series, ‘Designing Debutantes’, by Sabrina Jeffries. The main female character, Diana, has dealt with the scandal of her parents making by starting a successful business with her sisters, Eliza and Verity. I felt bad for the sisters since they were basically shunned for no good reason. The main male character, Geoffrey, a newly titled Duke and is dealing with a possible scandal that he also had no say in. Diana and Geoffrey reminded me a bit of an enemies to lovers type of romance. Honestly, I didn’t read a lot of romance from them and the story felt a bit slow going only to speed up towards the end, but I still enjoyed their story. A few times I felt like I was getting hints at some scandal only to never read about it again - maybe it comes up in the next book? Scandal, worry over a possible scandal, “sexy times”, planning parties, following the absurd rules of 19th century society, funny and cute banter and falling in love. I’m always satisfied with a Sabrina Jeffries book! *I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*