The Bachelor

by Sabrina Jeffries

Overview

An Amazon Best of the Month Selection
A USA Today Bestseller
A Publishers Weekly Bestseller

New York Times bestselling author Sabrina Jeffries features an irresistible family in a series to savor, as the grown children of a thrice-married dowager duchess piece together the stories of their fathers—while pursuing passions of their own . . .
 
Lady Gwyn Drake has long protected her family’s reputation by hiding an imprudent affair from her youth. But when her former suitor appears at Armitage Hall, manhandling the heiress and threatening to go public with her secrets, it’s Gwyn who needs protecting. Her twin brother, Thorn, hires Joshua Wolfe, the estate’s gamekeeper, to keep her safe in London during her debut. As a war hero, Joshua feels obligated to fulfill the assignment he has accepted. But as a man, it’s torment to be so very close to the beauty he’s fought to ignore . . .
 
With handsome Joshua monitoring her every move, Gwyn would prefer to forget both the past and the parade of money-seeking bachelors at her coming out. But Joshua is unmoved by her attempts at flirtation, and the threat of blackmail still hangs over her. With danger closing in, Gwyn must decide which is the greater risk: deflecting a scoundrel’s attempts to sabotage her—or revealing her whole heart to the rugged bodyguard she can’t resist . . .  

“Anyone who loves romance must read Sabrina Jeffries!”
—Lisa Kleypas, New York Times bestselling author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781420148565
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	02/25/2020
Series:	Duke Dynasty Series , #2
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	41,881
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.60(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

SABRINA JEFFRIES is the New York Times bestselling author of more than fifty novels and works of short fiction (some written under the pseudonyms Deborah Martin and Deborah Nicholas). Whatever time not spent writing in a coffee-fueled haze is spent traveling with her husband and adult autistic son or indulging in one of her passions—jigsaw puzzles, chocolate, and music. With over nine million books in print in more than twenty-one languages, the North Carolina author never regrets tossing aside a budding career in academics for the sheer joy of writing fun fiction, and hopes that one day a book of hers will end up saving the world.

She always dreams big.

Editorial Reviews

01/13/2020

Jeffries’s lackluster second Duke Dynasty Regency romance (after Project Duchess) follows Lady Gwyn Drake, whose youthful indiscretion has blighted much of her adult life. Gwyn is set to make her London debut at the improbable age of 30 when her former flame, the odious Lionel Malet, uses their past relationship to blackmail her. Imprudent Gwyn responds to his threats by confronting him with a gun that she admittedly has “no clue” how to use and has to be rescued by dour war hero Joshua Wolfe, a relative by marriage who is working on Gwyn’s brother’s estate as he recovers from injuries. Wolfe is attracted to Gwyn despite his better judgment and agrees to accompany her to London as her bodyguard at her brother’s insistence. Their inevitable romance encounters very few obstacles, and Malet’s continuing, misguided attempts at coercion, espionage, and rape are easily quashed. Readers new to the series will find it difficult to keep track of the tangled branches of the Drake family tree, and, despite Jeffries’s lively narration, the characters’ banter is oddly wooden. This one’s a disappointment. Agent: Pam Ahearn, Ahearn Agency. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for The Bachelor

“The Bachelor, the second entrancing book in Jeffries’ Duke Dynasty series (Project Duchess, 2019), beautifully showcases the author’s gift for creating vividly etched characters (including a well-matched pair of protagonists) and then expertly placing them within a tautly constructed plot spiced with danger and plenty of red-hot sensuality.” – Booklist 

“Jeffries explores the cultural mores of early Regency London to weave a tale of blackmail, spies, and a Season debut. Joshua is a fascinating hero, the only untitled male among the series’ rather gentried family and always aware of the fact. There is an overarching series mystery developing, but readers yet to pick up the previous title, Project Duchess, shouldn’t be deterred.” – Library Journal

Praise for Sabrina Jeffries' previous romance, Project Duchess

“Jeffries’s riveting first Duke Dynasty regency has a little bit of everything: an independent, forthright woman; a handsome duke with trust issues; and a mystery…Complex, intense characters heat up the pages with scintillating love scenes amid the intrigue. Jeffries continues to impress, and romance fans will eagerly await the next book.”- Publishers Weekly

“Readers will love Grey and Beatrice, and the nicely paced, intriguing plot will keep them engaged…An appealing historical romance from a fan favorite.”– Kirkus Reviews

"Excellent blend of great characters and witty dialogue makes this a delicious first in a new series." —BookPage (Starred Review)

"Best-selling Jeffries brilliantly launches her new Duke Dynasty series with another exemplary Regency-set historical brilliantly sourced from her seemingly endless authorial supply of fascinating characters and compelling storylines." —Booklist

Praise for Sabrina Jeffries’ previous novels

“Anyone who loves romance must read Sabrina Jeffries!”—Lisa Kleypas, New York Times bestselling author

“Quick pacing, witty dialogue, and charmingly original characters set Jeffries’ books apart”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
 
“Master storyteller Jeffries is at the top of her game.” —RT Book Reviews, Top Pick on The Secret of Flirting
 
“Quick wit, lively repartee, and delicious sensuality drive the elaborate plot of this sinfully delightful addition to Jeffries’s latest series.” —Library Journal, starred review on The Pleasures of Passion
 
 “With its irresistible combination of witty banter, well defined characters, and a wonderful surfeit of breathtaking sensuality, the latest in Jeffries’ Sinful Suitors series is a straight flush.” —Booklist, starred review on The Danger of Desire
 
“Lovely, poignant, and powerful.” —Kirkus Reviews on The Study of Seduction

From the Publisher

02/01/2020

Lady Gwyn Drake may pretend not to notice the handsome family estate gameskeeper, Maj. Joshua Wolfe, but she's outraged when her twin brother appoints him her bodyguard for the Season. He doesn't seem to like her, and Gwyn was hoping to spend that time figuring out how to get rid of a previous lover threatening to divulge their past. For Joshua's part, Gwyn is untouchable; the chemistry between them is a curse. As the couple travels to London, the blackmail Gwyn faces becomes more serious. When the War Office sends Joshua on a new assignment to locate a spy in London, he and Gwyn discover they can work well together despite society's views. VERDICT Jeffries ("Sinful Suitors" series) explores the cultural mores of early Regency London to weave a tale of blackmail, spies, and a Season debut. Joshua is a fascinating hero, the only untitled male among the series' rather gentried family and always aware of the fact. There is an overarching series mystery developing, but readers yet to pick up the previous title, Project Duchess, shouldn't be deterred.—Kellie Tilton, Univ. of Cincinnati Blue Ash

Library Journal

2019-12-23
A war veteran and a woman who has suffered a personal betrayal are thrown together during her debut London season in 1809.

Gwyn Drake is a 30-year-old heiress who's been avoiding marriage because of a past liaison that threatens to cloud her future prospects. When her brother asks their cousin by marriage, estate gamekeeper Maj. Joshua Wolfe, to be her bodyguard in London, she worries about keeping her secrets from both and avoiding infamy. Seriously wounded and left with a disability after a naval battle, Joshua just wants to serve his country again, but being forced to spend time with Gwyn is tempting him to risk intimacy and marriage. The novel is concerned with representing veterans' issues, notably PTSD, and with highlighting the unfair and unequal consequences, physical and emotional, that women face in sexual relationships, especially with predatory men. Gwyn's wariness also comes from her wealth (and Joshua's lack thereof) while his stems from his leg impairment and scarring. Though the themes are worthwhile, the romance is uneven in tone, with sudden bouts of passion between the couple interspersed with arguments, doubts, and dishonesty. Most of the episodes, whether in parks, ballrooms, or London streets, feel wooden, never quite allowing readers to identify with the feelings of the characters. The villain does double duty as both Gwyn's ex and the major's professional antagonist but feels like a plot device without substance. A related subplot about espionage is an unnecessary addition meant to pad out the story's drama. The novel also relies a little too much on the reader's prior knowledge of the family—it is the second in Jeffries' Duke Dynasty series (Project Duchess, 2019, etc.)—and some details require a rereading to register.

Standard Regency fare with a cast of gentry who are fairly indistinguishable from many such characters.

Kirkus Reviews

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