Duke with Benefits
-
- £9.99
-
- £9.99
Publisher Description
LADY + DUKE = TRUE LOVE?
Lady Daphne Forsyth is a brilliant mathematician with a burning passion for puzzles. When she learns that the library belonging to her benefactress houses the legendary Cameron Cipher—an encrypted message that, once solved, holds the key to great riches—Daphne is on the case. Unfortunately, her race to unlock the cipher’s code is continually thwarted by a deliciously handsome distraction she hadn’t counted on. . .and cannot resist.
Dalton Beauchamp, the Duke of Maitland, is curious as to why Daphne is spending so much time snooping around his aunt’s bookshelves. He’s even more intrigued by her bold yet calculating manner: She is unapologetic about her secret quest. . .and the fiery attraction that develops between them both. But how can they concentrate on solving a perplexing enigma once the prospect of true love enters the equation?
“Witty, sensual historical romance that will captivate readers.” —Romance Junkies
Duke with Benefits is the second in Manda Collins' Studies in Scandal series set in Regency England.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Collins's enjoyable second Studies in Scandal Regency (after Ready Set Rogue), a handsome duke falls for a brilliant mathematician. Lady Daphne Forsyth is one of four women who have inherited the manor house of Lady Celeste Beauchamp. Only Daphne knows that the library at Beauchamp House contains the famous Cameron Riddle, which points the way to the elusive treasure said to have been hidden by the head of the Cameron clan near the end of the Jacobite rebellion. Though Daphne is initially unable to find the riddle, she does meet the brother of her chaperone: Dalton Beauchamp, the Duke of Maitland. When Daphne reveals her quest to the other residents and to Dalton, they assist her in her search, which becomes more intense when a man is murdered in Beauchamp House. The long arc of the mystery plot complements the intense romance between Dalton and Daphne.
Customer Reviews
Opposites Attract 4.5*
Lady Daphne Forsyth, one of four beneficiaries of Lady Celeste Beauchamp, is an accomplished mathematician but ill equipped to cope with social niceties having never had female companionship (nor any predilection to learn anything outside of her field). She is logical to a fault, blunt and outspoken and often inadvertently upsets those around her; though after four months of living at Beauchamp House with the three other young heiresses, a chaperon and Lady Celeste's two nephews, she is starting to ameliorate her behaviour. The charming Dalton, Duke of Maitland, to whom she is inexplicably drawn, is a force for good in her life and encourages her to be a more understanding person. The love story between the pair of them, interwoven with the quest to find a mysterious cypher and Jacobite gold, make this an absorbing and engaging read. I also liked the fact that the match between them wasn't unequal - she is the daughter of an Earl - rather than her being a seamstress or shopgirl!
I was rather distracted by the use of the title Duke as a way of addressing Maitland but in some of the middle chapters he was addressed (correctly) as your grace, I am therefore hopeful that as I was reading an uncorrected digital galley, that this and other errors (such as boxbox) will have been reviewed and revised prior to publication. Whilst one in a series this can be read as a standalone.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley I was not compensated for my review, and I was not required to write a positive review. The opinion expressed here is my own.