Stepsiblings in search of the truth about their mother’s succession of beloved husbands—and their own surprising identities as eligible young nobles—are the endearing stars of this dazzling series.

A past kiss with adorably bookish Miss Olivia Norley should be barely a memory for Marlowe Drake, the Duke of Thornstock. After all, there are countless debutantes for a handsome rakehell to charm beyond a young lady whose singular passion is chemistry—of the laboratory type. But Thorn has not forgotten—or forgiven—the shocking blackmail scheme sparked by that single kiss, or the damage caused to both their names. Now Thorn’s half-brother, Grey, has hired the brilliant Miss Norley for her scientific expertise in solving a troubling family mystery. And the once-burned Thorn, suspicious of her true motives, vows to follow her every move . . .
 
For Olivia, determining whether arsenic poisoning killed Grey’s father is the pioneering experiment that could make her career—and Thorn’s constant presence is merely a distraction. But someone has explosive plans to derail her search. Soon the most unexpected discovery is the caring nature of the reputed scoundrel beside her—and the electricity it ignites between them.

Titles in the Duke Dynasty series include – Project Duchess – A Perfect Match (in the anthology Seduction on a Snowy Night  – The Bachelor – Who Wants to Marry A Duke –

Title:  Who Wants to Marry A Duke
Series:  Duke Dynasty #3
Author:  Sabrina Jeffries
Genre:  Historical Romance
Published:  August 25, 2020
Publisher:  Kensington Books
My Rating:  4.5 stars

It’s time to return once again to the ‘Duke Dynasty‘ series for another visit with an intriguing family, a murder mystery that has played a part (and continues to) throughout the series, and discover that people aren’t always as we first thought – something that Olivia and Thorn will discover in ‘Who Wants to Marry A Duke‘.

Once upon a time, Olivia’s mother interrupted a kiss between Thorn and Olivia – and as any loving mother would do (yeah, right) set out to force Thorn into an engagement or she would release sensitive information about his family to the gossipmongers of the ton.  To say that kiss changed a lot of things for both Thorn and Olivia would be an understatement – it practically ruined them both and caused a rift within one family, and the constant suspicions of another.

Now, nine years after that kiss, Thorn’s family (Grey in particular) is asking Olivia’s expert opinion about the possibility of arsenic poisoning as the cause of Grey’s father’s death.  Chemistry is a fascination for Olivia and a profession as well, perhaps not many women are in her field (yet) but that’s not going to stop her from following her own path to a career that she loves and could help others.  Unfortunately, Thorn has not lost one bit of his anger nor suspicions about Olivia and has vowed to follow her every move closely to prove she’s out to harm his family.

‘Who Wants to Marry A Duke‘ had me hooked in the opening chapter and never, ever let go of my attention – or my laughter, my heart-felt sighs, or my annoyance at one stubborn man.  I adored Olivia, her passion for her work, her good heart, and her love for a most annoying man all made sure that I was definitely on Team Olivia throughout.  Thorn.  *sigh*  What a pompous, arrogant, stubborn jerk of a man-child he was for a great deal of their romance.  Oh, he’s sex on a stick for certain – but arrogance doesn’t work well with sexy, for me at least.  It took a long time for Thorn to redeem himself in my eyes.  He won me over, eventually, for you could feel the emotional and physical attraction between this couple – even if Thorn was determined to be a  jerk.

I’m enjoying the arch of murder that continues through every story in this series.  There are clues galore, red herrings I’m certain, are tossed about with abandon – and I’m loving it as I try to figure the puzzle out.  I doubt that I will before the series ending, but it’s fun to add new information with each book and ask myself, “I wonder if it’s__”.  In all, I had a blast back in this world once again.  I am a reader who tries to follow a series in order, I know not everyone (including me) can actually do that… but, ‘Duke Dynasty‘ is one of those series that builds somewhat on the previous titles so if you can I’d recommend reading in order – besides, they’re all intense, intriguing romances that you’ll enjoy.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Kensington Books via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story.  It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

This title’s release date is August 25, 2020.

Available in paperback, audio, and for your favorite e-reader, mine is the Kindle