Reviews

Kate Bateman is back with a new historical romance series set in a lush English atmosphere following lovable characters as they live their lives among the Ton. The story opens as Tess, our heroine, is forced to marry a Duke much older than her by her father’s hand. Tess experiences a very wild wedding night, but not for good reasons. Her new Duke falls over dead as the wedding night begins and Tess finds herself as a wife and now a widow in charge of a brand new Dukedom.

The story follows Tess navigating her newfound position as Lady of the House and her adventurous job as a private investigator of sorts. Tess decides she wants to experience new things in life and does just that with her best friends and coworkers in tow.

Two years after the Duke’s passing, Justin is discovered to be the long-lost heir to the Dukedom that is now under Tess’s care. This story has many fun tropes including but not limited to marriage of convenience, virgin heroine, masked ball, widow, working heroine, and pining.

I really loved the beginning of the novel. Kate Bateman’s classic witty banter and fun plots were ever present in this book just like her others. The tension between Justin and Tess was palpable on the page during the first half, but I felt that tension begin to dwindle toward the middle. I felt like Tess and Justin were so preoccupied with having sex and the plot wasn’t moving forward at all. I also didn’t like that Tess was so secretive throughout the whole thing. I guess I understand why she made her decisions, but I couldn’t get on board with them.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and it was a promising start to a series I’m very excited to continue!

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

amberreadsalot's review

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4.0

I really enjoyed "Second Duke's the Charm", the first in a new series from Kate Bateman. The three women at the heart of this series are funny and smart, and a great example of a found family. Daisy is a particular favorite and I am already looking forward to her story. But this story belongs to Tess and Justin, and it is a good one.

Tess is a virgin widow, her lecherous ducal husband dropping dead on their wedding night, luckily before she had to shoot him. Justin is the very reluctant new duke who has secretly wanted Tess since seeing her across a ballroom years before. Justin almost immediately proposes a marriage of convenience, Tess resists at first as she does not want to cede control over her own self, and she doesn't want to give up the investigation agency she runs with her two best friends, especially now that they have been hired by the queen. But passion - and a lucrative marriage settlement - get her to the altar.

The love story is steamy and just the right amount of angsty. There are minor issues - the murder attempts feel like they were thrown in a little haphazardly just to create conflict for Tess and Justin; the idea that three ladies of the ton could all gather daily at a residence without gossip about seeing them go in or out seems a little nonsensical. The queen adds both drama but also a bit of farce. But the overall story is good, and this reader at least was thrilled to see Tess and Justin find their HEA.

4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.