England, 1867: Miss Poppy Delamare is living a lie. To escape an odious betrothal, she fled to London where she’s been hiding as the unassuming secretary Flora Deaver. However, when her beloved sister is accused of murder, Poppy cannot leave her to the wolves. Only a most unexpected—and unwelcome—collision interrupts her journey home . . .
Despite a rather dismal first meeting, Joshua Fielding, the Duke of Langham, has no intention of abandoning a lady in need. But he’s not above asking a favor. A fake betrothal will give Poppy and her sister the power of the dukedom and protect Langham from the society misses intent on becoming his duchess.
Yet the longer the ruse goes on, the more Poppy and Langham realize how false their first impressions were—and the less pretend their engagement feels. But before Langham can propose in truth, their search reveals a tangled web of lies and betrayals. With time running out, can Poppy and Langham find the real culprit—before Poppy becomes the next victim?
A Spinster’s Guide To Danger and Dukes by Manda Collins is an utter delight! I was fortunate to get an early release of this five-star book. Come for the mystery, stay for the romance. There’s a delicious fake engagement between frenemies Miss Poppy Delemere and Joshua Fielding, Duke of Langham. Intrigue in spades! The banter is spot on! The players come to life right off the pages and there is quite a cast of characters!
We met both the Duke and Poppy in Manda Collins’ previous book in this series. There is no love lost between these two although the Duke would like to see what lies beneath Polly’s prickly exterior. They literally run into each other at the train station. Poppy is desperate to get back to her family while Joshua dreads his trip home. Poppy is running back to the very situation that drove her away to London. Joshua is returning to his grandmother’s birthday bash which he knows will only be an opportunity for her to parade blushing debutantes before him.
They strike a bargain to thwart his grandmother and he promises to help Poppy with her family’s problems. Poppy becomes the Duke’s fake fiance. Her sister is accused of killing her betrothed. There are confidence men with nefarious designs. A murder mystery to solve, secret societies resurrected and more twists than the connected chalk caves. And love, always love.
I could not put it down! It is, without a doubt,
the best in this series. I may have said that about every book in this series
but this one hits all the marks! There were moments that were hilarious, as
well as moments that were so poignant. I highly recommend this one and look
forward to more in the series. I’m looking at you Adrian.
Sounds fun!! I haven't read a good historical romance in a bit so I may have to jump into this series. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteDive in! You're gonna love this book and series!
ReplyDeleteLove Manda's books.
ReplyDeleteDenise
Aren't they great!
DeleteI had the good fortune to read this book and I loved it. Ms Collins is a very talented author and this is a funny book with charm and romance.
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review! I have to get to this book and series!
ReplyDeleteSanta, Thank you for the review and recommendation. This sounds like a delightful read. It features many of the plot devices I enjoy. I will have to look for it and hope I can find time to read it.
ReplyDeleteSomehow my sign-in has been dropped. Previous comment by Patricia B.
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