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A review by justinkhchen
Second Duke's the Charm by Kate Bateman
4.0
4 stars
An effortlessly readable, charming start to a new historical romance series, Second Duke's the Charm showcases all of Kate Bateman's strength as an author: charming banter, sharp, contemporary writing (I would say her books are a great place to start for readers new to the genre), and a good balance between plot and romance.
I particularly enjoyed the all-females, 'Charlie's Angels', detective agency setup, and the novel actually put this aspect to good use with some decent sleuthing sequences. The arranged marriage trope was also well-executed, even though the resolution to the third act conflict felt abrupt and rather inconclusive (however it was definitely 'grand'), and one could argue this novel leaned into the recent 'spicy romance' preference with its abundance of steam—while I appreciated the variety, it did feel a bit excessive and indulgent at times.
Second Duke's the Charm doesn't break any new ground, and it isn't the most memorable historical romance I've ever read, but it's overall well-crafted (I was hooked from the very first paragraph), lighthearted, and filled with plenty of endearing details—and sometimes that's really all one needs.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
An effortlessly readable, charming start to a new historical romance series, Second Duke's the Charm showcases all of Kate Bateman's strength as an author: charming banter, sharp, contemporary writing (I would say her books are a great place to start for readers new to the genre), and a good balance between plot and romance.
I particularly enjoyed the all-females, 'Charlie's Angels', detective agency setup, and the novel actually put this aspect to good use with some decent sleuthing sequences. The arranged marriage trope was also well-executed, even though the resolution to the third act conflict felt abrupt and rather inconclusive (however it was definitely 'grand'), and one could argue this novel leaned into the recent 'spicy romance' preference with its abundance of steam—while I appreciated the variety, it did feel a bit excessive and indulgent at times.
Second Duke's the Charm doesn't break any new ground, and it isn't the most memorable historical romance I've ever read, but it's overall well-crafted (I was hooked from the very first paragraph), lighthearted, and filled with plenty of endearing details—and sometimes that's really all one needs.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**