The Bluestocking Duchess: Book 1 (Heirs in Waiting) by Julia Justiss

Her good friend…

Is suddenly a duke’s heir!

In this Heirs in Waiting story, Miss Jocelyn Sudderfeld is working at Edge Hall, indulging her love of translating ancient texts with her librarian father―and evading the need to marry! She’s always enjoyed a teasing friendship with estate manager Mr Alex Cheverton…until he unexpectedly becomes the Duke’s heir. His first duty is to marry a suitable debutante, not consort with an earnest bluestocking like her…so where does that leave their friendship?

Publication date 18/2/2021

My Review…… 

Jocelyn and Alex have been friends for what seems like forever, and Jocelyn has had a crush on Alex for just as long, but all that is coming to an end!! 

Alex is about to become heir to Edge Hall and become Duke of Farisdeen. Well, he’s being groomed to take that position, being estate manager for his cousin the Duke was enough for Alex, and getting to tease Jocelyn is a bonus. 

But being asked (well commanded) to become the heir to the Farisdeen estate and title is a great honour. So why isn’t Alex happier? 

Jocelyn translates manuscripts from Ancient Greek into English. That makes her too smart for this period of time (ladies should be doing needlepoint and taking tea with other ladies) she loves working with her father and brother, but the most frustrating thing about working with her family, is that her brother is being credited with her work! But it’s a work of love for Jocelyn, so she just has to put up with it!

Sharing a chaste kiss changed their friendship, both have agreed that nothing would change, and how can it when Jocelyn is promised to another (a friend of her brother) it’s not a love match, but he’s promised Jocelyn she can continue her “work” of helping her father and brother with the Greek manuscripts. 

So she spoken for, and he is in line to become the next Duke of Farisdeen, but neither can forget the kiss…..

And when his uncle finds out!! Then that’s where the trouble begins, Alex is threatened with being disinherited, and Jocelyn is harassed to give up both her work and her friendship with Alex!! 

Can Alex and Jocelyn really be together? Or will the duties that have been pushed upon Alex break this couple up? 

It’s hard for us to imagine not being able to chose our own life, to find our own path, but women of that era had no such liberties, married off usually not for love, but for political gain! And for a woman to hold an intellectual conversation just wasn’t done!! And sometimes the men of title didn’t have it much better either! Finding the right wife didn’t necessarily mean the best for you, it meant continuing the line with people of the same standing! 

Lots of rules, and tons of etiquette to learn!! 

It’s a lovely book to read if your looking for a gentle romance, a small amount of angst and chaste kisses and smouldering looks. 

🦋

Long before embarking on romantic adventures of her own, Julia Justiss read about them, transporting herself to such favourite venues as ancient Egypt, World War II submarine patrols, the Old South and, of course, Regency England. Soon she was keeping notebooks for jotting down story ideas. When not writing or traveling, she enjoys watching movies, reading and puttering about in the garden trying to kill off more weeds than flowers.