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A lovingly crafted historical novel with a
deeply satisfying mystery!
--
A "Crowned Heart" from InD' Tale Magazine
Lady
Georgiana is engaged to the Duke of Fordham, though she's
not particularly keen on the prospect. She admires him but
doesn't love him-not passionately. She knew she would have
to make an advantageous marriage, so things could be worse.
Unfortunately, worse happens. The Duke's younger brother,
Alex, now the new Duke of Fordham, arrives to give his
brother's Fiancée the news of his death. When she insists on
seeing the body, she recognizes signs that he's been
suffocated. And the chase is on. Several people, including
the new duke, were at the duke's country estate for a
shooting party, and each has a motive for murder. As
Georgiana and Alex try to solve the mystery, she sees the
striking physical resemblance between Alex and his deceased
brother. So why does he stir something in her that his
brother never could? Worse yet, what if she falls for her
Fiancé's killer?
"The Last Duke Standing" is 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.' The chemistry between
the two main characters builds slowly and inevitability,
despite Georgiana's suspicions that Alex has the strongest
motive for killing his brother. The plot whizzes along
building suspense, within the structured, highly-mannerly
world of Regency England, and brings the period to life
without it becoming stale or overly affected. By the end
readers will be rooting for Georgiana and Alex to break
through the social strictures that hold them apart while
unmasking the culprit. A lovingly crafted historical novel
with a deeply satisfying mystery!
"An exquisitely
written historical romantic suspense with very appealing characters"
-- Fresh Fiction
Alexander Haversham had gone to the
family estate to draft a bill for Parliament, with his
friend Lord Slade. During the night, Alex's older brother
Freddie, the Duke of Fordham, died unexpectedly and Alex was
now the new duke. The fourth Duke of Fordham in as many
years -- was the family cursed? Alex faces another daunting
task that to inform Freddie's betrothed, Lady Georgiana
Fenton, that her fiancé is deceased. Instead of being
hysterical, Georgiana insists on seeing Freddie's body and
then proclaims that he had been murdered. Alex and Georgiana
both want to find the killer, and as much as she likes him,
Georgiana cannot help but think that Alex had the most to
gain from his brother's death.
A friend of mine has been a faithful
reader of Cheryl Bolen for a long time, and I surmised there
was nothing like the present to judge for myself. And I was
enchanted by Ms. Bolen from page one. The author's prose is
refined, polished, elegant and very much in tune with the
Regency era. Her vocabulary is as impressive as is her
attention to detail; her descriptions of the surroundings
are crisp and vivid; the characters are carefully drawn, and
her precision extends to the relationships that tie everyone
together. While it's obvious that the two previous books
concern Alex's best friends -- Lord Slade and Lord Wycliff
-- I never felt left out. Alex is a wonderful hero:
charismatic, a charming rake and a gentleman who respects
Georgiana's boundaries and appreciates her intellect.
Georgiana is a superlative heroine: opinionated,
matter-of-fact, practical, and independent in ways that
remain perfectly acceptable in an era that was not too kind
to women. Georgiana's mother, Lady Harworth, is a constant
source of entertainment and humor.
Cheryl Bolen achieves a perfect balance
between the very compelling mystery and a most lovely
romance, highlighted by very witty dialogues. I had decided
to read a few pages for a quick preview, but instead, I kept
on reading. I was completely immersed in LAST DUKE
STANDING because of the exquisite prose and dialogues,
the steady pace that wouldn't let me tear myself away from
the book, and the undeniable chemistry that bound Alex and
Georgiana. I also very much appreciated that no lengthy and
unnecessary sex scenes disrupted the flow and the tone;
there are, but a couple of chaste kisses and everything was
as it should have been. There is nothing quite like
discovering a new author whose work leaves you entirely
satisfied. -- Fresh Fiction
"This
book really ticked all the boxes for me and it gripped me
from start to finish.
"
-- Dragonrose Books
Galore
Last Duke Standing is the third book in
the Lords of Eton series by Cheryl Bolen. It can easily be
read as a standalone book but if you haven't read the first
two you will definitely want to after this one. I have loved
each book including this one.
Alex Fordham is devastated when he is
told that his brother has passed away in his sleep. Not only
is he shocked because his brother was a very healthy man,
but he also never thought as a third son that he would ever
become Duke Fordham! One of his first jobs is the very sad
one of informing his brother’s betrothed that he is dead.
Lady Georgiana Fenton is that woman.
She has had a long engagement to the late duke mainly
because her mother had been very ill and she was helping
nurse her back to health before the marriage could take
place. It had actually been quite some time since she saw
her fiance but she faithfully wrote him letters daily. When
Alex informed her of the bad news, quite unexpectedly she
demanded to be taken to see his body. Until then she would
never believe he was dead. Alex agreed and they travelled to
the Ducal estate where the body was still in bed where it
was recently discovered.
There starts the drama of the
story...after looking at his eyes and also seeing a small
drop of blood on the pillow Georgiana tells Alex that her
fiance had been smothered to death. A doctor's visit
confirmed her statement and everybody was left in shock! Why
would anybody want to kill Alex's brother and who had the
opportunity?
I am not saying anything else because I
don't want to give any spoilers. What I will say is that
early on in the book I was a little disappointed because I
thought I had guessed the murderer. It didn't matter because
it would still be good to see how said person was caught!
But...I was wrong in being so sure of the culprit because it
wasn't too long before I was suspecting at least 3 other
people. I love that I couldn't figure out who it was until
he/she was revealed!
Along with the suspense of searching
for the killer, there was also the budding romance between
Alex and Georgiana to enjoy. There were reasons that they
both weren't happy with the attraction they felt towards
each other. When they would give in and kiss, their relief
was almost palpable. Afterwards, the guilt was crushing and
I had to wonder how they would have their happy ending.
Don't worry, there is one and I was left with a big smile on
my face!
This book really ticked all the boxes
for me and it gripped me from start to finish. There is
nothing like a romance book written by Cheryl Bolen, add to
that the fabulous suspense-filled plot and you really have
an unforgettable book. 5 STARS -- Dragonrose Books Galore
"Cheryl
Bolen spins a delightful tale of mystery, politics, and (of
course) romance
"
-- IN PRINT
Alex Haversham, much to his own
surprise, is the Last Duke Standing in the third tale in
Cheryl Bolen’s Lords of Eton trilogy. Recently returned from
service in the Peninsular War, he is stunned when his
brother Freddie, the eighth Duke of Fordham, dies in his
sleep, leaving Alex as the ninth Duke. As the third son,
Alex never expected—nor wanted—to inherit the title.
Now he is faced with all the responsibilities of his new
position, including breaking the sad news to Freddie’s
fiancée, whom Alex has never met.
Lady Georgiana Fenton can hold her own in any situation,
even the sudden death of the fiancé she was fond of, if not
in love with. But she’s not sure what to think of this new
Duke who looks so much like Freddie—but behaves so
differently. And who seems to be the only person who would
benefit from Freddie’s untimely, and perhaps suspicious,
death.
Despite their prickly relationship—Georgiana is a Tory and
Alex is a Whig—the two team up to discover the truth behind
Freddie’s death, and the even more important matter of their
future.
Cheryl Bolen spins a delightful tale of mystery, politics,
and (of course) romance, in a most satisfying conclusion to
the story of three men who bonded as boys in school and
rushed to one another’s aid as adults. |
