A successful debut requires a smashing social event, and
the key ingredient is Elegant Occasions -- a talk of the ton trio of creative,
enterprising young ladies who've rejected working as governesses to become
party planners. And if they, and their wealthy clients, happen to find love
along the way, it just makes their efforts more rewarding . . .
Self-made civil engineer Geoffrey Brookhouse has
unexpectedly inherited the dukedom of Grenwood. But he has a secret that could
ruin his family. Hoping to save his timid sister from that fate, he seeks to
marry her off to a respectable, protective gentleman. With the London Season
imminent, Geoffrey hires Elegant Occasions to orchestrate her debut. Yet Lady
Diana Harper, spirited fashion expert, proves more than he bargained for.
Suddenly, Geoffrey's sister is emerging from her shell, and he is beleaguered
with social invitations and gossip! Worse, Diana is attempting to transform him
into a presentable duke -- when all he really wants is to make her his own . .
.
Diana doesn't know what to make of the handsome,
disheveled duke. The man bristles at the very idea that his fashion faux pas
might spoil his sister's chances. Yet Geoffrey's stubbornness simply inspires
Diana to ruffle his feathers -- by setting him on a course of self-improvement.
Although there's something endearing, even irresistible about his flaws, can a
man who hates the ton tolerate a woman who makes her living catering to them?
Little does either know that they have more in common than they suspect -- and
that two can create a society all their own . . .
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.
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