Duke and I / Julia Quinn 371 p. Dec challenge 5 gold rings

The first Bridgerton novel features the almost-a-spinster Daphne.   Simon Basset has recently returned to England after spending many years on the continent.  He wants to stay "under the radar" of the marriage minded mothers.  As the Duke, he finds this is impossible.  As a friend of her brother, he frequently encounters Daphne at the London balls.  They agree to a sham courtship that benefits both.  With a duke showing interest, suitors flock to her; for him, the mother's lose interest.  As they spend more time together, she finds herself wanting the impossible...a Duke for a husband.  She has a tough row to hoe as he has a bitter legacy from his father to overcome and feels he cannot provide her what she wants.  This story is humorous.  The situations with her family make you laugh.  And the mother has more on the ball that her children realize.  I hope that her mother turns up again in the series.