Discovering The Duke By Madeline Martin

Discovering the Duke by Madeline Martin
Series: The Matchmaker of Mayfair Series Book #1
on January 11, 2026
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical / Regency
Pages: 88
Goodreads

A WOMAN WHO THOUGHT SHE LOVED HER HUSBAND...Julia Sinclair is the new Duchess of Stedton after a whirlwind courtship that imbued her with hope for her own happily ever after. However, she hasn't seen her husband since he left immediately following their somewhat awkward wedding night. When they're both invited to a house party on the outskirts of London she intends to tell her husband she'd rather live separate lives than be unhappy, despite having once thought herself in love. A MAN DETERMINED TO WOO BACK HIS WIFE...William Sinclair, the Duke of Stedton, had urgent affairs to see to on his country estate that called him from his beautiful new wife. A timely invite to a house party presents the perfect opportunity to become reacquainted. When his plans for wooing her are interrupted by her disillusionment, he proposes a wager of sorts, something to reignite the flame of their passion. A MARRIAGE THAT BURNS WITH PASSION...When a blizzard strikes and they're forced to remain at a house party longer than expected, Will the sizzling stakes be enough to melt the frost between them, or will it truly remain the coldest winter in London? Previously published in the Dukes by the Dozen anthology

Anthology in 2019. The hero William and the heroine Julia marry and experience an awkward wedding night. When William leaves early the next morning without leaving a note, Julia is plagued by thoughts of her own insecurity. She becomes cold and distant and decides to confront William and demand a permanent separation. Once they are forced back together at a house party, William realizes that he has made a grave mistake in neglecting Julia. So he makes a wager with her of “sizzline stakes” designed to help thaw their relationship. The hero and heroine are well-developed characters with depth. I was initially disenchanted with the story because the plot took an unexpected turn, deviating from where I thought it was going. The romantic tension slipped away, dashing my hopes that it would increase. And I thought the villain should be more of a dastardly influence. But then, halfway through, the pace picked up again, and I couldn’t put it down after that. There are several steamy scenes. It looks like this is going to be the first in a new series by this author. I am looking forward to reading more.