ARC Review: Why Dukes Say I Do by Manda Collins

…although Why Dukes Say I Do wasn’t perhaps original in story or characters it had that certain spark that made me unable to put it down as I devoured each page. ~ Under the Covers

 Lady Isabella Wharton, her sister and her best friend all have a secret. The know how the previous Duke of Ormond died, or rather was killed. Unfortunately Lady Isabella’s Godmother, the late Duke’s grandmother, also knows and is using the information to blackmail Isabella into bringing Trevor Casey, the new and estranged Duke of Ormond back into the family fold. But sparks soon start to fly when Isabella meets the maddening new Duke who inflames her lust as much as her anger. Soon, however, threatening notes start to arrive and it is more than her heart that is in danger as she confides in Trevor…her life may well be in peril as well.

What a pleasant surprise this book was! I have been a little underwhelmed by Manda Collins Ugly Ducklings series, which although I enjoyed, it wasn’t anything outstanding. However, although Why Dukes Say I Do wasn’t perhaps original in story or characters it had that certain spark that made me unable to put it down as I devoured each page.

What did stand out for me in this book was how the heroine, Isabella, changed, at first she was a bit of aloof and cold but the more you got to know her and her polite mask dropped the more I liked her and just wanted her to have a HEA. Trevor was also a great hero, I loved how he was with his younger sisters, he was so incredibly sweet and a bit clueless; it was adorable. Together they were great, maybe they didn’t have tear-your-clothes-off chemistry but they complimented each other.

There was also an element of mystery in this book as Isabella is getting threatening notes and attempts on her life. Although I guessed early on whodunit, I liked that the mystery was two fold as we discover there be a mastermind behind the threats. I imagine this plot will follow through into the next book and I can’t wait to see what happens and find out who the ultimate villain is.

I really enjoyed the first book in the Wicked Widows, it has started the series on a high note and I am looking forward to the next book.

*ARC provided by publisher

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[about-author author=”Manda Collins”]