Duchess Material
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
When her student goes missing, an independent bluestocking must seek the help of the arrogant duke who spurned her in this sizzling tale of romance and intrigue, perfect for fans of Netflix's Bridgerton series
Phoebe Atkinson is what society might call unconventional. Instead of marrying well like other women born to wealth, she chose to be a schoolteacher. Not to mention she lives in a leaky flat in an unfashionable part of town rather than stay in her parents’ mansion. But when her most promising pupil goes missing she has only one option: beg her sister’s best friend, the powerful Duke of Ellis, for help.
The last thing William Margrave ever expected was to inherit a dukedom. But now that he has it, he’s determined to act the part perfectly—and that includes marrying the perfect duchess. A bluestocking Bohemian schoolteacher is decidedly not duchess material. But he can’t resist her plea for help regarding her missing student.
As they fall further into the mystery, William discovers that he never got over his childhood crush on Phoebe, and he doesn’t really want to.
A “rising historical romance star.” –Booklist, starred review
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this enchanting Victorian romance, Sullivan (the League of Scoundrels series) delivers sparkling banter, gentle mystery, and plenty of swoonworthy moments. Schoolteacher Phoebe Atkinson has devoted her life to educating working-class girls—and when one of her students, Alice Clarke, goes missing, she's determined to find her. When her sleuthing leads to her getting arrested for trespassing, she turns to Will Margrave, the Duke of Ellis and Phoebe's sister's best friend, to bail her out. Though Will and Phoebe haven't seen each other in years, Will agrees to help her track down Alice. Will's duty-bound to find an appropriate duchess and get an heir, and Phoebe's stubborn independence and scant aristocratic ties make her an unsuitable marriage prospect—but as they work together, he can't help his attraction to her. Career-focused Phoebe, meanwhile, has no interest in matrimony, believing that if she married the duke he would see her as merely one of his possessions. As their investigation heats up, do does their chemistry. The simmering tension between the leads keeps the pages flying and it's gratifying to watch Will go from a stuffy, propriety-minded duke to a man helplessly in love. Sullivan's emphasis on how norm-bucking Victorian women were able to transcend expected roles adds to the appeal. Historical romance fans will eat this up.
