Why Dukes Say I Do by Manda Collins

Lady Isabella Wharton and her friends were part of something they would dearly like to forget but her godmother has other ideas and holds the threat of revealing what really happened to have Isabella do her will.  As such, Isabella finds herself off to the countryside in order to summon home the new Duke of Ormond, a man who seemingly ignores his duties.  Yet when Isabella meets Trevor Carey, she finds the opposite.  Here is a man devoted to caring for his tenants and land.  He never expected to inherit the dukedom and due to some bad blood in the past, he has no desire to go to London and assume the duties.  Spending time with Isabella and seeing how his beloved sisters interact with her, Trevor slowly starts to rethink his decision.  When a threat on Isabella's life becomes known, Trevor takes steps to protect her.  Will he lose his heart in the end as well?

The start of Manda Collins newest series was an enjoyable, easy read and my favorite book by her so far!  Isabella was such a strong woman who has overcome a bad first marriage and somehow still keeping her spirit intact and becoming very resilient.  Trevor quickly notices this along with a sweetness underneath, especially in the way she bonds with his sisters.  Isabella comes off a bit rude in the beginning but she grows into herself with Trevor and together they just fit.  Trevor was a dedicated man and I liked seeing his layers unfold and I really enjoyed his interactions with his sisters.  After all, what man wants his sisters to grow up into ladies?  I was pleased with the mystery aspect of this romance as well.  It does not overpower the story at all and I was surprised at the revelation in this one but the overall arc continues on through the next books while still giving a nice conclusion in this one.  This book had me laughing, smiling and sighing and flipping the pages to find out what would happen next and I eagerly look forward to the friends' upcoming stories.  4 solid stars

eARC provided by St Martins Press via netgalley.com

Wicked Widows series

   Jan 28th 2014