Good start to the new series. I am a big fan of Sabrina Jeffries' books, and this one did not disappoint. The book opens with a prologue showing Diana and her sister Verity suffering through the Season. The sisters are considered unmarriageable thanks to their scandalous parents - their mother ran off with another man, and their father pursued a very public and acrimonious divorce. Their older sister, Eliza, is already married, but her husband joined the army and escaped the scandal by going off to war. Determined to get out from under their controlling father's thumb, the three sisters decide to go into business together as party planners. And so Elegant Occasions is born.
Four years later, they have earned an excellent reputation and have their pick of clients. When the new Duke of Grenwood contacts them for help with his sister's debut, they can't resist adding a duke to their client list. But it may be more of a challenge than either side expects.
Geoffrey's father was the son of an earl who was disowned when he married a commoner. Geoffrey grew up in Newcastle, working for a living, and became a well-known civil engineer. He has a low opinion of the nobility because of how his parents were treated. Inheriting the dukedom came as an unpleasant surprise. Geoffrey is handsome, arrogant, and rough around the edges, but his family means everything to him. He's sitting on a secret that could cause a scandal that would destroy their lives. He is determined to see his sister safely married before that can happen. To ensure the best results, he hires Elegant Occasions to handle the whole process.
Things get off to a rough start between Geoffrey and Diana. He is demanding in what he expects the sisters to do, while Diana is equally adamant about her expectations of him. There is quite a bit of sniping back and forth between them until they realize that they both want the same thing. Underneath their antagonism burns an attraction neither knows what to do with. Geoffrey has no immediate plans to marry as he has Rosy to deal with and the possibility of scandal hanging over his head. Diana's exposure to her parents' marriage troubles has left her uninterested in experiencing it. However, the more time they spend together, the harder it is to resist the temptation.
Diana is interested in seeing what all of the fuss is about regarding so-called passion and thinks Geoffrey is the perfect person to show her. For Geoffrey, the flesh is willing, but the spirit is wary. He doesn't want to draw her into his trouble. The more time they spend together, the more they want from each other, but Geoffrey keeps putting distance between them. I got a little frustrated with him because he refused to confide in Diana and get her take on the secret and its implications. By the time he did, it was almost too late. I liked seeing her take him to task and point out the negativity of his thinking. I also liked that she stood up for his family and told him to be honest with them. It takes some serious recalibrating of his thoughts for Geoffrey to finally believe that he and Diana can have a life together.
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the work that the three sisters did to help Geoffrey and his family enter society. His sister Rosy was a sweet girl who was very insecure in her new role as a duke's sister. I loved watching her confidence grow each day as the sisters took her in hand and helped her navigate from her Court presentation to Almack's to her debut ball. There was some drama involving Rosy and a man Geoffrey thought was unsuitable. The twist at the end was unexpected, but I loved how it turned out.
There is a bit of a mystery involving an unknown guest who turns up at several of the Elegant Occasions events. I suspect he will play a part in the next book, and I look forward to seeing if my initial suspicion about him turns out to be true.
#netgalley
Four years later, they have earned an excellent reputation and have their pick of clients. When the new Duke of Grenwood contacts them for help with his sister's debut, they can't resist adding a duke to their client list. But it may be more of a challenge than either side expects.
Geoffrey's father was the son of an earl who was disowned when he married a commoner. Geoffrey grew up in Newcastle, working for a living, and became a well-known civil engineer. He has a low opinion of the nobility because of how his parents were treated. Inheriting the dukedom came as an unpleasant surprise. Geoffrey is handsome, arrogant, and rough around the edges, but his family means everything to him. He's sitting on a secret that could cause a scandal that would destroy their lives. He is determined to see his sister safely married before that can happen. To ensure the best results, he hires Elegant Occasions to handle the whole process.
Things get off to a rough start between Geoffrey and Diana. He is demanding in what he expects the sisters to do, while Diana is equally adamant about her expectations of him. There is quite a bit of sniping back and forth between them until they realize that they both want the same thing. Underneath their antagonism burns an attraction neither knows what to do with. Geoffrey has no immediate plans to marry as he has Rosy to deal with and the possibility of scandal hanging over his head. Diana's exposure to her parents' marriage troubles has left her uninterested in experiencing it. However, the more time they spend together, the harder it is to resist the temptation.
Diana is interested in seeing what all of the fuss is about regarding so-called passion and thinks Geoffrey is the perfect person to show her. For Geoffrey, the flesh is willing, but the spirit is wary. He doesn't want to draw her into his trouble. The more time they spend together, the more they want from each other, but Geoffrey keeps putting distance between them. I got a little frustrated with him because he refused to confide in Diana and get her take on the secret and its implications. By the time he did, it was almost too late. I liked seeing her take him to task and point out the negativity of his thinking. I also liked that she stood up for his family and told him to be honest with them. It takes some serious recalibrating of his thoughts for Geoffrey to finally believe that he and Diana can have a life together.
I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the work that the three sisters did to help Geoffrey and his family enter society. His sister Rosy was a sweet girl who was very insecure in her new role as a duke's sister. I loved watching her confidence grow each day as the sisters took her in hand and helped her navigate from her Court presentation to Almack's to her debut ball. There was some drama involving Rosy and a man Geoffrey thought was unsuitable. The twist at the end was unexpected, but I loved how it turned out.
There is a bit of a mystery involving an unknown guest who turns up at several of the Elegant Occasions events. I suspect he will play a part in the next book, and I look forward to seeing if my initial suspicion about him turns out to be true.
#netgalley
