Alex Haversham, the new Duke of Fordham, has a problem. He has the unenviable task of informing Lady Georgiana Fenton that her fiance, Alex’s brother, is now deceased. When Georgiana finds out, she insists on viewing Freddie’s body with her own eyes. As soon as she views his corpse, she deduces that he had been smothered to death, and the duchy’s surgeon concurs with her assessment.
Alex never wanted to become the duke. Now that he is responsible for his family and duchy, he is determined to find out who murdered his brother. However, Georgiana insists on being part of the investigation, partly because of her own suspicions about Alex. In her eyes, he stands to gain the most from Freddie’s death.
As Alex and Georgiana work together to solve the mystery of who killed Freddie, an attraction develops between them. Can Alex overcome Georgiana’s suspicions, and will the two of them be able to find the real culprit?
I did not realize that there would be a mystery in addition to the historical romance that I had expected to read. As a mystery, I didn’t really figure out who was the guilty party until the narrative started dropping a lot of obvious hints about the identity of the villain. Last Duke Standing is mainly a romance that explores the relationship between Alex and Georgiana.
I’ve previously read a title by Cheryl Bolen under the faith-based Love Inspired line (i.e. Marriage of Inconvenience), but I would classify Last Duke Standing as a secular romance. There are no x-rated interactions between the main characters, but there are allusions to the hero’s history as a rake. There are a couple of explicit statements that appear in a letter written by the mistress of the previous duke that might be uncomfortable for a certain audience to read. The couple share a bed, but nothing happens between them beyond heart-felt conversation because the hero is conveniently injured. This is not a steamy romance. Generally, Alex is fairly respectful towards Georgiana.
I’ll admit that the cover of the book appealed to me...Alex’s appearance reminded me of Rupert Penry-Jones' portrayal of Frederick Wentworth in Persuasion (2007).
I miss the Love Inspired Historical line. I tried my best to snap up any Regency or Georgian story that Harlequin put out through that imprint. As I alluded to before, this was how I recognized Cheryl’s name when I was looking through the selections on Net Galley.
Last Duke Standing is the third installment of a series titled The Lords of Eton, which include The Portrait of Lady Wycliff, The Earl, the Vow, and the Plain Jane, and One Room at the Inn.
Disclaimer: I was given an e-copy of Last Duke Standing by Net Galley in exchange for a review. Any opinions stated in this review are mine.
