Duke with Benefits by Manda Collins

Duke with Benefits (Studies in Scandal, #2)

by Manda Collins

Duke with Benefits continues the Studies in Scandal series where four women are left with a mysterious inheritance. This time a hidden cipher, a lost treasure, and an unexpected love take residence in Beauchamp House. All Lady Daphne Forsythe wants to do is search the library for clues to the Jacobite Cipher: a mathematical problem that holds the secret to great riches. Unfortunately, her plans to search alone are continually thwarted by the handsome Mr. Dalton Beauchamp, nephew to her benefactress and a distraction she hadn't counted on. Despite Daphne's vows to keep Dalton at arm's length, his knowledge of numbers has Daphne doing something she never calculated - falling in love. But Daphne and Dalton learn that there's more to the puzzle than meets the eye...and someone is willing to kill to keep that secret hidden forever.

Reviewed by Lindsey Gray on

5 of 5 stars

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When Mathematician Lady Daphne Forsyth receives news she has inherited a home and all the contents with three other female scholars, she packs her bags as fast as she can. Her benefactress left her more than a house and friendship with the three other lady scholars. She left her the chance to solve the legendary Cameron Cipher and be rewarded with all the riches to be found upon completion. One hitch Daphne doesn’t expect is her benefactress’ nephew, Dalton Beauchamp, the Duke of Maitland, to help her in the quest.

Dalton is a young, handsome, witty Duke who wants to make sure his aunt’s home is in safe hands. When he meets Daphne, he is immediately struck by her beauty and charmed by her plain and more often than not inappropriate speaking.

Both Daphne and Dalton play a large part in the first novel in the series, Ready Set Rogue. They begin this novel with a shocking proposition. Daphne never intends to marry, but she believes she would enjoy the pleasures of the marriage bed. She therefore asks Dalton to be her lover, what we would now call Friends with Benefits. He refuses to be like his father who had numerous affairs and sullied the dukedom. The rejection seems to sting Dalton more than Daphne. Dalton doesn’t give up hope that she will eventually agree to become his wife.

Daphne’s lack of filter had me both laughing and cringing. Not the sort of lady who should be a duchess, but I’m overjoyed that Dalton never gave up on her. After joining her on the hunt for the Cameron Cipher, he learns more about the reasons why Daphne is the way she is. Along the way, Daphne learns to let her heart led her in a direction her head tells her to never tread. I love how Dalton acknowledges several times that he is not as intelligent as the object of his affection, but it is that humble attitude that helps him win her heart.

With death, danger, and a diabolical villain, Duke with Benefits is more than a romance. It’s a journey into the past with love and iminent peril nipping at your heels.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 16 April, 2017: Finished reading
  • 16 April, 2017: Reviewed