Title: Second Duke's the CharmAuthor: Kate Bateman
Series: Her Majesty’s Rebels #1
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin on Dec. 26, 2023
Genres: Historical Romance
Pages: 314
Format: Paperback
Source: St. Martin's Press
Book Rating: 8/10
Meet Her Majesty’s Rebels: three brilliant women who run King & Co., London’s most exclusive investigative agency…
The wedding-night death of her much older husband left Tess Townsend the Dowager Duchess of Wansford—and still a virgin. Now she and her two best friends investigate London’s most scandalous crimes, and while Tess longs to experience physical pleasure for herself, she can’t risk losing her treasured independence…
Cynical shipping magnate Justin Thornton never expected to inherit a dukedom, but he’ll do his duty. When the ravishing woman he kissed at a party turns out to be the Dowager Duchess, Justin sees an obvious solution: a marriage of convenience that will suit them both.
But the passion that sparks between them is anything but convenient. As Tess works on a new case at the request of Queen Charlotte, her increasingly suspicious behavior makes Justin question her motives—and her past. The infuriating woman clearly can’t be trusted, but Justin doesn’t believe in love, so there’s absolutely no danger of him falling for his own wife…is there?
Review:
Enticing, amusing, and entertaining!
Second Duke’s the Charm is a heartwarming, playful romp that sweeps you away to London during 1816 and into the lives of the independent, spirited widow, Tess Townsend and the dashingly handsome, newly appointed Duke of Wansford, Justin Thornton, as they navigate a sensual meeting, undeniable attraction, a marriage of convenience, a mission for the Queen, and strange, suspicious behaviour that could ruin it all.
The prose is smooth and light. The characters are passionate, secretive, and hardworking. And the plot is an enchanting mix of friendship, family, societal expectations, tricky situations, tender moments, desire, and romance.
Overall, Second Duke’s the Charm is a charming, seductive, delightful tale by Bateman that’s without a doubt a promising, enjoyable start for this new Her Majesty’s Rebels series.
This novel is available now.
Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following link.
Thank you to SMP Romance – St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
About Kate Bateman
Kate Bateman, (also writing as K. C. Bateman), is the #1 bestselling author of Regency, Victorian, and Renaissance historical romance. Her Renaissance romp, The Devil To Pay, is a Romance Writer’s of America 2019 RITA® Finalist and her Regency-set A Counterfeit Heart (Secrets & Spies series) won the 2018 Book Buyer’s Best contest for Best Historical Romance.
Kate wrote her first historical romance in response to a $1 bet with her husband who rashly claimed she’d ‘never finish the thing.’ She gleefully proved him wrong. Her books feature her favourite intelligent heroines, (badasses in bodices!) wickedly inappropriate banter, and heroes you want to both strangle and kiss.
When not travelling to exotic locations ‘for research’, Kate leads a not-so-secret double life as a fine art appraiser and on-screen antiques expert for several TV shows in the UK, each of which has up to 2.5 million viewers. Before writing romance, Kate was director and valuer at her own UK Auction House, Batemans in Stamford, Lincolnshire. She currently splits her time between Illinois and her native England and writes despite three inexhaustible children and that husband . . . who still owes her that dollar.
Photograph courtesy of Author's Website.
