Review & Giveaway: How to Marry a Duke by Vicky Dreiling

Title: How to Marry a Duke
Author: Vicky Dreiling
Available: Now
Genre: Historical Romance
Reading Level: Adult


4 out of 5 Stars












Description via Goodreads:


Tristan, the Duke of Shelbourne is a man with a mission: find a wife he can tolerate as long as they both shall live. Love is not necessary--nor desired. But how to choose among a dizzying array of wealthy-yet-witless candidates? Hire London's infamously prim and proper matchmaker. Then pretend she's not the most captivating woman he's ever met...

Helping a devilish Duke create a contest to pick his perfect mate is the kind of challenge Tessa Mansfield relishes. Her methods may be scandalous, but she's determined to find the notorious bachelor more than a wife--she'll bring him true love. Yet when Tessa watches the women vie for the Duke's affections, she longs to win his heart herself. And after a stolen kiss confirms Tristan's desire, Tessa knows she has broken a matchmaker's number one rule: never fall in love with the groom


My thoughts:


Tristan needs to marry in order to produce an heir. After a chance meeting involving a crushed fan, Tristan finds himself imploring the skills of experienced matchmaker, Tessa. Tessa is a woman locals love to talk about. At the age of 26 she has remained unmarried, and is said to have inherited a huge amount of money from her deceased uncle. When asked to help Tristan find a bride, she sees the chance to further her career as a matchmaker. She quickly sets up a courtship with 24 eligible young women. When Tristan and Tessa begin to have feelings for each other, they know they can never act on them. Think of the scandal! Of course fighting the attraction is always easier said than done. Tessa also has her reasons for avoiding marriage along with many buried secrets. When an unexpected visitor arrives on the scene, Tessa begins to fear those secrets will be revealed, and she finds herself having to make some difficult choices.


This book was so much fun! I loved the historical take on the modern day reality television show The Bachelor. Main characters Tessa and Tristan had an undeniable chemistry. Tessa’s independence was admirable, and Tristan was a great catch once he left his notorious rake lifestyle behind. I enjoyed the sarcastic wit most of the characters seemed to possess. Tristan’s mother was probably my favorite character. She turned out to be not at all like I initially expected. His best friend Hawk was another favorite. I can’t wait to read his story in the next book of this series, How to Seduce a Scoundrel. The mystery involving Tessa’s past added a nice element to the plot, and kept me turning the pages. I found the author’s writing style very engaging. The characters developed nicely as the plot progressed, and even the secondary characters had their chance to shine. 


How to Marry a Duke is a nicely balanced mix of romance, mystery, and snark. I highly recommend it!

Vicky Dreiling on the web:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter 

Author Bio | Five Fun Facts

How to Marry a Duke Trailer:

I also have 3 copies of How to Marry a Duke up for grabs courtesy of Hachette Book Group!


Rules:
Open to residents of the U.S & Canada
No P.O Boxes please
Winners are subject to the one copy per household rule
Please fill out the form to enter
Comments are always appreciated, but will not count as an entry
Giveaway ends February 5th