Last Duke Standing

Cheryl Bolen

Jan 2019 · The Lords of Eton Book 3 · Harper & Appleton

About this ebook

A Crowned Heart from InD' Tale Magazine

"A wonderful mystery tale in the vein of Agatha Christie. Ms. Bolen does a masterful job creating suspects, then cleverly entwining their motives to keep her readers guessing whodunit. . .A lovingly crafted historical novel with a deeply satisfying mystery!" -- InD' Tale

"An exquisitely written historical romantic suspense with very appealing characters" -- Fresh Fiction

"This book really ticked all the boxes for me and it gripped me from start to finish. " -- Dragonrose Books Galore

"Cheryl Bolen spins a delightful tale of mystery, politics, and (of course) romance " -- IN PRINT

      ***

As the third son of the Duke of Fordham, Alex never thought he'd become a duke. But he's suddenly catapulted to the lofty title after his slightly older brother dies in his sleep. Now Alex has the onerous task of announcing the death to the woman his brother was to wed.

Ever pragmatic, Lady Georgiana Fenton insists on seeing the late duke's body, and when she does, she's convinced he was smothered as he slept. She and the new duke decide to secretly work together to uncover the murderer. But the longer they're together, the harder it becomes to resist the duke's scorching kisses--and even harder to dismiss him from the list of suspects. No one had more to gain by her fiancé's death. . .

Ratings and reviews

As the third son of the Duke of Fordham, Alex never thought he'd become a duke. But he's suddenly catapulted to the lofty title after his slightly older brother Freddie dies in his sleep. Now Alex has the onerous task of announcing the death to the woman his brother was to wed. Ever pragmatic, Lady Georgiana Fenton insists on seeing the late duke's body, and when she does, she's convinced he was smothered as he slept. She and the new duke decide to secretly work together to uncover the murderer. But the longer they're together, the harder it becomes to resist the duke's scorching kisses--and even harder to dismiss him from the list of suspects. No one had more to gain by her fiancé's death. The third book in the series & whilst it could be easily read on its own I think to fully appreciate it reading the previous two books will add to the enjoyment. A well paced book which combined a murder as well as romance. The characters are well fleshed & I loved both Alex & Georgiana. He was never expecting to become a Duke but was perfect for the role. Georgiana was a feisty, opinionated young woman, certainly no giggling debutante. I also loved the way their relationship developed & how their feelings for each other grew. A very enjoyable engrossing read My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

The third book in the Lords of Eton series is a perplexing murder mystery. At least it is for Alex Haversham who has just become the Duke of Fordham and Lady Georgiana Fenton, his recently deceased brother’s betrothed. Once they discover that he did not die of natural causes, they work together to narrow the list of suspects, a list that includes Freddie’s former mistress, one of Georgiana’s former suitors, a neighbor, and to his dismay, Alex. It is a very well written classic ‘who done it’ with lots of clues and leads in many directions that keep the reader speculating. The love story is just as captivating and somewhat complicated. As they spend time together, Alex and Georgiana develop a strong attraction, but she was engaged to his brother, and they don’t agree on anything from the suspect list to politics. It might take more than solving the mystery to bring these two together. Last Duke Standing is an exciting addition to the series. Alex and Georgiana are strong, independent, and intelligent. They are different in some ways, but these differences make them perfect complements. The other characters are terrific. Harry and SinJin and their wives, as well as Alex’s sisters are all here to help. Georgiana’s mother is delightful. The villain is callous and desperate. Murder, mystery, danger, friendship, romance, and the list goes on. It’s all here. I enjoyed and highly recommend the story and the series. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

I enjoyed this book very much, it gave me romance, mystery & suspense as well as being emotional. I got annoyed with Georgiana a few times, she was a bit 'too much' for a lady of her time, sometimes. I loved Alex, he had me chuckling a few times. I do recommend this book, and it can be read as a stand alone, but you meet characters from the previous books in the series, so I would suggest reading from the beginning.

About the author

Cheryl Bolen is a former journalist and English teacher turned author with her first book in 1997, A Duke Deceived. Since then she has published over 20 books. She has made the New York Times and USA Today Best Seller Lists several times. She has earned several awards for her writing such as: Second Place Best Short Historical Novel 2015 International Digital Awards, Winner Best Historical Novel 2012 International Digital Awards, and First Place Best Short Historical, Holt Medallion Contest 2006.