A Duke Like No Other by Valerie Bowman is a second chance, historical romance. General Mark Grimaldi has sacrificed everything for his military career, working his way through the ranks without the benefit of a nobleman’s title. Now, his years of dedication are about to pay off—with an offer for a prestigious promotion to Home Secretary. There’s only one condition: Mark must be married. Aside from the small matter of not actually wanting to be wed, Mark faces another troubling problem: he already has a wife. Nicole Huntington Grimaldi has spent ten contented years in France without her husband—and without regret. When Mark asks her to return to London and play the part of his beloved wife, she sees her chance. But neither of them is prepared for news that will throw Mark’s future into chaos…nor the undeniable desire they’ve rekindled. Maybe happily-ever-after can happen the second time around

A Duke Like No Other is an engaging romance with dynamic characters. Nicole s lonely and wants someone to love her completely. Her estranged husband does not seem up to that task- so she tries t protect her heart while aiming for a child that will. Mark is an emotional mess trying to be strong and stoic- denying every attachment and emotion. Together again in order to reach their separate goals they are stuck dancing around family obligations and emotion in order to protect themselves. I liked the mystery aspects, and the combination of Mark and Nicole getting to know each other again and reliving the past was well balanced in the larger story. I greatly enjoyed the banter and the cast of secondary characters. As I was reading I often found myself grinning in the joy of the read and in reaction to some of the character's interactions. The book was simply fun and delightful reading, and I will continue reading books from this author.

A Duke Like No Other is a second chance story that I enjoyed. The trope is not my personal favorite, but it was well done and I loved the characters.

A Duke Like No Other by Valerie Bowman
Series: Playful Brides #9
Subgenre: historical romance
Release date: 1 May 2018
Publisher: St Martin’s Paperbacks
Format: ebook and print
Length: 368 pages
RRP: $6.28 (ebook); $15.99 (print)
He is told he needs a wife for his promotion. So, he goes to France to bring her home.
General Mark Grimaldi is a self-made general which can be a hard feat in Regency England. He does have some relatives in the ton, but he does not want to be associated with them after the way in which they treated his Italian father. And it was Mark’s deathbed promise to his father that has made him the man he is today.
Lady Nicole Huntington is being thrown into the arms of a Marquess. Her mother and grandmother want her to marry the Marquess. She wants to be a Bow Street Runner. She has worked as an associate for the Runners with some success. Nicole agrees to return to England and play the wife while Mark goes for his promotion. She also has a condition. She wants a baby. Then Mark’s cousin, John, the heir to the title, dies.
Mark and Nicole are thrown together to investigate his cousin’s death which turns out to be murder. There are also other characters, Regina and Daffin (who we meet in the next book). As they investigate John’s death, Mark and Nicole are thrown together, and try to learn more about why they didn’t work ten years ago.
Throughout the book, the reader is taken back to Mark and Nicole’s first meeting and their ensuing relationship. There are some interesting twists to the tale and they discover how much they didn’t know each other before their marriage. As they decide to be together, they do learn those important things, especially when it comes to their love.
This story has the back story interwoven into the current. This ensures the reader really understands why they are where they are but also how Mark came to be the self-made soldier in Regency times. I liked that Nicole was able to do some detective work and able to use her intelligence for good.
I also enjoyed the way in which Mark has a beer with his mates, and then races off to find Nicole, and declare his love for her. An all-round satisfying story.
reviewed by Heather

I admit, when I first picked this book up, I thought "oh no, not another spy novel." I was getting tired of the trope. The setup all seemed familiar: the independent woman living on her on in France, left her husband far behind and doesn't miss him. Why should we want him back, then? The battle-hardened, stoic, soldier-turned-spy who pretends he doesn't have feelings and now has to get his wife back for long enough to secure a promotion which--as they always do--depend on the man being able to show he is family-man material, with a softer side, even though his job is intensely demanding and would in all reality lead him to neglect his wife and any children, most likely.

Anyway, I hung in there, and after a while, it stopped feeling familiar. The characters became Marc and Nicole, and I grew to like them once they were revealed in their earlier selves, the youngsters who had enchanted each other, fallen in love, had the world at their feet, for a little while. Bowman navigates quite wonderfully the complex feelings of having two older and mature, independent, strong-minded adults realize that, first, there is still something between them, but, second, they have some work to do to establish trust and intimacy.

Beyond the relationship, there was a fun murder mystery to solve that added some unexpected twists and turns, and some likeable--as well as very unlikeable--characters. In the end, I enjoyed the whole book a lot more than I thought I would. This is my first Valerie Bowman book, but I'll be reading more.

3.5 to 4 stars. I loved the first few books in this series, but lately I've had trouble liking the characters and plot's. I'm not super into the 'spy' parts of the books. Perhaps if it was just a few couples I might not have minded, but one after the other makes them all start to seem the same. I disliked the miscommunication issues because it just seemed so silly, but I did however like the writing and characters.

Mark and Nicole’s story was lovely. The story was well written. I highly recommend. I didn’t like Mark at first but as the story continues he grew on me.

Mark needs his estranged wife to appear happily married so he can get a promotion. Nicole wants something in return. They’re both determined not to let their hearts get involved. This novel could not decide if it was a romance or a murder mystery, and the tone was kind of uneven.

General Mark Grimaldi has sacrificed everything for his military career, working his way through the ranks without the benefit of a nobleman’s title. Now, his years of dedication are about to pay off—with an offer for a prestigious promotion to Home Secretary. There’s only one condition: Mark must be married. Aside from the small matter of not actually wanting to be wed, Mark faces another troubling problem: he already has a wife.
I’m not a huge fan of second-chance but since I liked this author, I decided to try it. It was a fairly quick read. I liked both main characters a lot. The lack of communication and repeated misunderstandings really got on my nerves though.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

The first book I have read by this author. I enjoyed the book and look forward to the next book from her.

An intriguing read that has an edgy bite to it that keeps you needing to turn the pages of strong wills and passionate chemistry that heats up the pages! The characters are likeable. The story is well paced, The romance was sweet. I loved the interplay between Nicole and Mark, I liked that Mark isn't just a stony arrogant duke, but also a conflicted human being with emotions. Her emotions are conflicted but her mind is practical.
An intense nail-biter with engrossing twists that at times make you feel like your there watching with a front row seat. ! An amazing must read!

I received this from NEtgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book 9 in the playful brides but can really be read as a stand alone. Mark is a man with ambition and he wants to be Home Secretary but he needs to be a family man and conventually he has one. He was just a huge jerk and drove me crazy. The mystery was pretty well done but the guy just was such a huge jerk.

General Mark Grimaldi is devoted to his service for the Crown, risking his life and giving up everything for his career. The political promotion he's always wanted is now within his reach, but he needs to convince his estranged wife to return to England and play the role of happy bride in order for him to get the position.

Nicole Huntington Grimaldi has spent the past ten years in France, not having seen her husband since she left England. But now he's on her doorstep, asking her to return with him, and Nicole sees the opportunity to get something out of this deal. So she agrees, on one condition: she wants a baby.

A Duke Like No Other is a Regency spy caper with Valerie Bowman at her best as husband and wife match wits and may just fall in love in the process

My thoughts
rating:4
this is the first time I've ever read anything by this author and i do have to say that while i liked the story i just couldn't stand Nicole at times , love how slow the romance seemed to be , with that said i would like to say thanks to Netgalley for letting me read and review it in a change for my honest opinion

AMAZING!
An intriguing read that has an edgy bite to it that keeps you needing to turn the pages of strong wills and passionate chemistry that heats up the pages! An emotionally charged intense nail-biter with engrossing twists that at times make you feel like your there watching with a front row seat as the drama unfolds around you! An amazing must read!

I have chosen not to read and review this tile. While the blurb drew me to the story, I was not engaged with the characters or the way the story was written.

I appreciate the opportunity to review this early title and am looking forward to the next title through your company.

Thanks,
Laura

Overall it was a decent story. But it always irritates me when these authors write these stories about people who wasted decades because of a refusal to have one honest conversation.

I just love Valerie Bowman, and A Duke Like No Other is a prime example! Mark and Nicole's reconciliation was passionate and sometimes heartbreaking and just full of hope. The reader just can't help but fall in love with the characters and continue with baited breath to see what happens next. The suspense doesn't hurt either. It's the perfect touch to add a little mystery to the plot but not detract from the romance. I just want wait for her next book!

Loved this book! The characters are likeable. The story is well paced, The romance was sweet. It's a keeper.
I'm drawn to books with a strong independent female character, and Nicole is definitely one of those. Her emotions are conflicted but her mind is practical. I loved the interplay between her and Mark, I liked that Mark isn't just a stony arrogant duke, but also a conflicted human being with emotions.
The mystery subplot of the book was also engaging which was a plus. Twist to the mystery was good.
I'm looking forward to reading about Regina and Daffin.

I loved the idea of this synopsis and couldn’t wait to get started on this one.

Nicole and Mark are great MCs. She’s sassy and strong and he’s stubborn and charming. Together they know how to push each other’s buttons and do it frequently. Their beginning banter and strategizing was fantastic. There is a fairly large cast of characters and I wonder if some of them were from other books. I especially loved Regina.

Plot wise, it was okay. I enjoyed the murder mystery plot line, but I was mostly irritated at the ongoing lack of communication. If Nicole and Mark had literally one conversation, the story could have taken an entirely different turn. Instead it was flashbacks of the beginning of their relationship {which I liked} and the rest of their time together was spent in bed {which made sense for the story} or each wondering how the other felt {which was horribly repetitive.}

Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read with characters I really liked. Unfortunately, I wanted more talking and understanding and something more at the end.

This was the first book I've read by Valerie Bowman, but it will not be the last. At first, I was a bit apprehensive about starting a series with book #9, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this book stands very well on its own. I did not feel lost at all because I hadn't read the previous books in the series first. I liked what I learned of the previous heroes and heroines in this story, however, and will probably go back and read at least some of the other books now.

Both Mark, the hero, and Nicole, the heroine, were likeable leads, and I enjoyed getting to know them over the course of the story. As a general rule, I am not a fan of "big misunderstanding" plots, and while this one did have its frustrating moments, the conflict between the two main characters was handled well. I still found myself wishing that they would just have one honest conversation to clear the air long before they finally did, but the author did a good job of explaining each character's feelings/motivations and why they found it difficult to communicate with each other.

I also enjoyed getting to know several of the secondary characters, particularly Lady Regina and Daffin Oakleaf. I am pleased to learn that they will be getting a story of their own in Ms. Bowman's next book.

*ARC provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

A Duke Like No Other by Valerie Bowman was a different take on a Regency Romance. General Mark Grimaldi had advanced in his career...to a point. Unfortunately, for his next promotion, he needed to be married. What his superior did not know, is that he already is married.

Nicole Grimaldi is his not so loving wife, who he hasn't seen in years. However, she has an agenda as well. She would like to have a child. So, can they work together and present a front as a happily married couple so they can each get what they want...she a child and he a promotion?

An enjoyable romance, I recommend it strongly if you enjoy Regency Romances!

A Duke Like No Other was a really great story. I love a good reunion story and seeing Mark and Nicole find each other again was so much fun.

I liked both Mark and Nicole from the moment we met them both. It was obvious they both were still in love with the other and I loved how they negotiated to pretty much get exactly what each of them wanted. I have to say both characters were so strong, it could have ended up being an ugly battle of wills between them, but it felt right to me. I don't think either Mark or Nicole could have been happy with someone who didn't share a common interest in investigations and an unconventional life.

I have to say I thought Mark was a little too hung up on his family on his mother's side. Yes mistakes were made when he was young, but he never tried to see if anyone had changed their mind along the way about what was said and done. I also hated that Nicole knowing who his family was ended up being part of the reason they were apart for so many years. It was almost as if Mark continued to look upon the connection through a child's eyes for way too long. I love when it as pointed out to him how beneficial the connection could be in his chosen profession, something I felt like Nicole kept trying to tell him forever. I loved seeing Nicole help Mark out as they investigated the death of his cousin. I had figured out who was behind it ahead of time and was glad to see it was Nicole who pointed Mark into the same direction.

Mark and Nicole's battle of wills was really fun for me. Especially when I could tell how much each wanted the other. They had super chemistry between them, which only grew stronger the more time they were together. Seriously there were some smoking hot love scenes between the two of them that steamed up my kindle screen.

A Duke Like None Other is the perfect read for anyone who enjoys a sexy historical romance with a bit of mystery to the story. The mystery in no way overshadowed the romance aspects of the book, but added a little something extra. I really enjoy Valerie Bowman's voice and look forward to reading many more books from her in the future.


Rating: 4 Stars (B)