Review: Manufacturing a Duchess by Tracy Wise

                                                     

Print Length: 280 pages

Publisher: Type Eighteen Books (September 8, 2026)

From Goodreads.com:  She understood industry. He understood duty. Neither expected love.

When Alec Raeburn, Duke of Selkirk, leaves his faltering estate to seek an heiress on the Marriage Mart, he has no intention of falling in love. What he needs is a mother for his young daughter, Marjorie, and a partner with security to manage affairs at home. He’s accompanied by Finn, his wealthier cousin and the Duke of Galloway, a friend who lends support but also presents competition.

As the London Season begins, Aurora Hardcastle also arrives with a friend, Millicent Wentworth. The sole inheritor of an industrial fortune, Aurora has resigned herself to the process of finding a husband, but her heart remains in the world of her father’s factory, where she learned the business under his guiding hand.

An outing to the Tower of London brings the four together, and Aurora befriends Marjorie. But Millicent’s beauty and charm make her the Season’s Incomparable, and all eyes are on her—including Alec’s and Finn’s.

At a concert event for the Ton, Alec and Aurora begin to see each other in a new light, with Marjorie as the connecting force. As they grow closer and contemplate a match, a devastating discovery threatens everything. Both are forced to reassess their past and especially, the future they envisioned—if they’re to have any chance at happiness together.

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My Rating: DNF WITH CONDITIONS

Yeah, I know my rating just surprised you as I rarely DNF a book, but here is the thing. At the end of the day? Life is short, and when I request an Advanced-Reader-Copy of a book, I expect the book to be readable. Because even with some errors, the book should be one step away from publication right?

Except this one wasn't, and I refuse to try to decipher any more of this drivel, which is a shame as the book itself might be the best one written in 2026. However when my copy is full of things like (yes I'm switching to bullet points to emphasize my point).

• "ames

• "re

• $rst (or !rst)

• !nest

• !ed

• a!ord

• a#ect

• o$

• #oor

• "ght them o!" 

• #eet

I simply cannot justify trying to continue as I was consistently yanked out of the story. As this copy did come from NetGalley, first I looked to see if I could download a fresh copy as maybe it had been updated or maybe my copy had somehow gotten corrupted, but it had already been archived (even though it's not set to be published until September of 2026). I then attempted to read it on the Netgalley reader, but sadly the font was entirely too small for me to read (and I don't even wear glasses, the print was just that small). 

That being said, I have seen a lot of favorable reviews for this story, so if it sounds like your cup of tea, go ahead and give it a shot. You'll know early on if the errors I pointed out made it to the final product. And I may one day, pick this one up again myself after it's been published as the parts that weren't full of weird text were good.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.