Apparently, this book is the third in a series by Caroline Linden's newest series. I look forward to reading the first 2 of this series in the near future. The series is about three brothers lives, about the women they fall in love with and their destinys.

The three stories weave a tale of the family saga of the three brothers whose ducal father, the Duke of Durham, tells them in a post mortem letter that they may not be legitimate and that he was also being blackmailed before his death. This confession, if true, will ruin not only the three brothers standing in society but also their fortunes.

The first and second story's are about the middle brother Edward and the younger brother Gerard. Edward is the estate business man, while the youngest brother, Gerard, is a soldier, both now settled with the women they love. That leaves the eldest brother Charles de Lacey, Earl of Gresham and heir to the dukedom.

THE WAY TO A DUKE'S HEART is third book of the series and tells the story of Charles de Lacey, the eldest brother. In the previous two stories the brothers try to discover the truth of their legacy without success. In THE WAY TO A DUKE'S HEART, Charles is left to solve the mystery of legitimacy and who the blackmailer is himself. The last clues lead Charlie to Bath where he meets the lovely Tessa Neville. Mrs. Neville is traveling with her cousin on a mission for her brother to discover if an investment in an area coal canal is sound.

Tessa is a woman who is proud of her own intelligence and the ability to survive on her own. After she forsakes her former finance on their wedding day, she shuns the state of matrimony. She goes through the motions of life by becoming an investment "wiz" for her brother at the cost of hiding her feelings and emotions.

Charles, (likes to be called Charlie), meets Tessa at a Bath hotel where he quickly suspects she may be involved in the blackmail. Along the way, Charlie falls in love with Tessa and she he. The story takes off with both becoming more and more involved in each other's lives.

I loved the characters, the spice of life, lust, mystery's to solve. Before this Charlie was the biggest Rakehell in all of London. He's used to easy women, but Tessa is cut from a very different cloth. She's intelligent of matters that he should know by now. But Charlie was out living it up, now he must face the music, be a man and find the truth for him and his brothers.

Meanwhile, Tessa is a sympathetic character who has suffered silently because she was different from a typical society lady.

The mystery of the blackmail and the question of legitimacy are handled with aplomb and skill by Linden. I enjoyed this read very much and look forward to reading the first two of the series....A must read!