TITLE: Project Duke
AUTHOR: Mariah Stone
SERIES: Dukes and Secrets
SERIES ORDER: 3
RELEASE DATE: 11.07.2023
GENRE: Regency Romance
RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
BLURB:
Overprotective rake. Adventurous bluestocking. Keeping her safe is driving him mad. Loving her could heal his soul.
Adventurous bluestocking Lady Calliope Seaton can solve any mystery—including the disappearance of her brother. All she needs is a little help from naval officer Nathaniel Fitzgerald, the disreputable Duke of Kelford.
Nathaniel is eager to assist the foxy little wallflower right into his bed. And he needs a wife and an heir to claim his vast inheritance. So they strike a deal: a marriage of convenience.
Moving into Nathaniel’s decaying Mayfair mansion and taking on his three untutored sisters would challenge even the bravest new bride. But it’s not long before Calliope is fixing up his home, winning over his sisters and claiming his heart.
Nathaniel will take down every thug in London to protect his daring wife. Especially when he learns there may be a baby on the way—and a threatening stranger sends knife-wielding attackers.
Feeling caged, will Calliope escape her overprotective husband? Or can the towering duke move past his fear and join forces with the wife he has come to cherish?
MY REVIEW:
DISCLAIMER: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I couldn’t get enough of this book! I loved Calliope and Nathaniel’s story! This is the third book in Mariah’s Dukes and Secrets series and the suspense keeps building! Each book is its own standalone, but there is an overarching mystery that encompasses the whole series that will leave you wanting more!
Calliope reminds me a lot of Miss Scarlett from the TV series, Miss Scarlett and the Duke. Actually, when I think about it, Nathaniel reminds me a little of William too. Calliope is an independent, free spirit, and incredibly stubborn. When she makes up her mind on something, she will see it through to the end. When Calliope’s family learns that her brother is missing, she puts it in her mind that she will be the one to find out where he is and bring him back home. When her family begins pressuring her to marry, and the man whom she shared a dance and a connection not only offers her a marriage of convenience, but also could provide her with the resources to find her brother, she accepts.
Both Calliope and Nathaniel are set in their ways. Calliope wants to find her brother, and will do whatever she has to, no matter the danger. Nathaniel suffered an incredible loss as a child and is now terrified of letting someone in and losing them. Will they learn to compromise and let love flourish, or will their stubbornness get in the way?
Thank you Mariah for the advance copy!