A Duke Too Far

I loved this delightful romance and mystery! Peter is a nearly-destitute duke whose late sister's friends descend upon his dilapidated ancestral home with a mysterious note and a whole host of ways to upset his desolate life. Ada was closest to Peter's sister, Delia, and is seeking some solace from visiting her friend's home. Accompanying Ada and her three friends is her formidable aunt, Julia, acting as chaperone, and their visit coincides with that of the Earl of Macklin, a friend of Peter's, who has a reputation for surreptitious matchmaking. Peter is a man weighted down by his responsibilities and still grieving for his sister. While he welcomes her friends, he doesn't welcome the questions and possibilities that their visit brings. But he can't help being attracted to Ada, even though there's no way he would ever be considered an acceptable match for her, and barely holds onto his proprieties as she weaves her magic around his heart. Ada is thrilled to discover that Delia, before her passing, was very close to finding a secret treasure trove hidden by her ancestors centuries before. All four of the young ladies work together, with and sometimes without Peter's cooperation, to piece together all the clues of what Peter is convinced is just another flight of fancy that wasted his father's and his sister's time. The writing is especially clever, poignant, humorous, and insightful. The author beautifully brings out each character's heart and soul, making these characters come alive and leave an unforgettable imprint. Each character is developed fully, even those on the periphery, and I was thoroughly enraptured right from the start. The HEA was so sweet and tender, though I would have loved for it to have been drawn out just a little bit longer. This is a clean romance, with our characters sharing only a few steamy kisses. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

An engaging story filled with a mystery and the journey to find the answers of the death of a young woman and much more. Plus as in the other stories, the Earl of Macklin arriving to have dinner with four men, Peter being one of them to help them with their grief. The loss of his sister combined with his crumbling estate was overwhelming to Peter, the Duke of Compton. But it gets more interesting when Ada, who was a close friend of his sisters, arrives with a clue that may help the estate. She also brings some of her friends as they are an amateur sleuthing group and they set out to find the clues that Peter's sister had talked about and left behind. Great characters and I really like seeing Ada, attracted to Peter and determined to help him. The banter, reasoning to solve the mystery and the friendships pulled this story together.. Such a well written series that I have truly enjoy and urge you not to miss! I read this through NetGallery & the Publisher

Lovely story!