Member Reviews
2 out of 5 stars. Unfortunately, I kept falling asleep or zoning out while trying to read this. I tried to read this book on 4 different occasions, but it did not grab my attention at all. The writing seemed off and I had no idea what I was reading half the time. Luckily, the next book in the series looks so much better! A pining heroine!!
I LOVED this book! I had to read it twice. I will also say that I am a much faster reader than I am at writing book reviews. Yikes. I did not realize it had been so long.
Ash Hawkins is the Duke of Buckley. He is not interested in marriage, but he does have 3 “wards” to raise and these girls are giving him a hard time. They run away from home and Ash has to go to the Isle of Synne to find them and convince them to come back with him. On his journey, he begins to realize that having a wife would be a lot easier in helping him raise the children. Bronwyn Pickering has always been more interested in bugs than marriage. Her parents are beside themselves and are trying all sorts of horrible tactics to force her to find a husband. They want to isolate her from her friend group, The Oddments, because they think her friends are a bad influence on her. They take her lab equipment and journals. With both Ash and Bronwyn in difficult situations, they realize that a marriage of convenience would make life a lot easier for both of them. With fun twists and laugh out loud dialogue, these two set out on negotiating a marriage contract. However, this marriage of convenience starts to turn into something more…
I really loved both of these characters. They were fun, passionate and perfect for each other. Both had to deal with some trauma from their pasts, but they had each other to help them overcome their issues. Nothing better than seeing a duke get in touch with their feelings with a woman. The sex was steamy and romantic. Their chemistry was hot and you could totally see that turning into real love between husband and wife. Swoon. I enjoyed returning to the Isle of Synne, which by the way is the perfect name for this place in the series. I love the acceptance that happens among a lot of the main and secondary characters. I also love how the close group of friends is so supportive of each other. I know this book came out in November, but this is still a perfect time to get this book and read it. It’s a must read for romance lovers.
Christina Britton books always guarantee a good time and Some Dukes Have All the Luck was no exception! I love that we're still in the world of the Isle of Synne (by the way, is it pronounced like "sign" or "sin"?). We got to catch up with some old favorites while getting to know our new characters.
Our romance begins with a marriage of convenience. Brownwyn is trying to avoid a marriage arranged by her parents and Ash needs help with his three young wards. Their marriage allows Bronwyn to continue her scientific research as Ash doesn't plan to be around long. She gets on well with the three young girls in Ash's care, giving Ash peace of mind that they have a maternal, guiding hand. While the two of them don't plan on becoming romantically involved, their attraction makes it inevitable. Their romance was enhanced by how much they cared for the girls in their care. Bronwyn wasn't just making decisions about her own heart, but theirs. And intelligent as she is, she saw that they needed Ash. And maybe Ash needed them too.
Some Dukes Have All the Luck is a great addition to the Christina Britton library and I can't wait to read book two!
Truly I loved this story and Britton really brings the swoon with this one. I could not put it down once I started it. I loved the chemistry between our heroine and hero. This really captured and made me love my historicals all over agin.
This is my first book by Christina Britton and definitely won't be the last. Ash and Bronwyn enter into a marriage of convenience so that Ash can have help with his three wards and so that Bronwyn can escape her insufferable parents.
I loved their banter and chemistry.
I loved their swoon-worthy romance.
I loved their interactions with the other characters. Bronwyn's friends and Ash's wards.
I loved the Isle of Synne
I loved that Bronwyn suggests that in the name of scientific research, that their union should not be in name only.
I loved that they engaged in a lot of satisfying scientific research.
I loved it all and can't wait for more in this series. In the meantime, I will absolutely be reading the prior series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
He is in wont of a wife. She needs to become one so she can continue her life studying bugs. This should be easy! Loved reading these 2 get together!
Ash and Bronwyn made me love them.
Loved this sweet story of Ash & Bronwyn—each rejected by society in their own way—who agree to a marriage of convenience only to catch feelings hard and fast. Ash plays the distant, utterly broken father-figure well, and you know we love to see it. While the women in this book–the duke's young wards as well as Bronwyn's group of friends "The Oddments"–were like a love letter to one of my favorite books Tessa Dare's The Governess Game. The story of acceptance is really what tugs at the heartstrings and sets this one apart though.
Perfect for fans of:
🪲 Women in STEM
🪲 Broody single dad [figure]
🪲 Marriage of Convenience
🪲 Out of Control Children
🪲 Banging en plein air
Thank you so much to Forever, Grand Central Publishing, and netgalley for the arc of this book. All thoughts, feelings, etc. are honest and mine!
Some Dukes Have All the Luck by Christina Britton is the first book in the Synneful Spinsters series.
This was a fantastic Regency History Romance that I really enjoyed.
The Islye of Synne is absolutely fantastic, its such a fun place. I wish I lived during this time period.
I love Ash and Bronwyn.
Looking forward to the next book in the series.
I adore everything about Christina Britton's books and this one was no exception!! Ash is the Duke of Buckley who is raising his nieces and they are exhausting him. He needs help raising them and thinks he must marry to get it. The only problem is that he vowed never to marry. Two of his nieces run away from his London home, so he goes to the Isle of Synne with his oldest niece, a place where his mother was raised and eventually died. The same place Ash swore never to visit again.
Bronwyn is becoming a spinster which doesn't bother her, but her parents can't abide by her fascination with all things related to bugs. Her only goal in life is to become an entomologist.
Her parents throw away Browyn's work she has collected all her life to get her to focus on finding a husband. So, she and Ash devise a pact that will suit both of their purposes. The only thing they don't count on is falling in love with each other.
I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
What started out as a marriage of convenience turned into a love match. Ash and Bronwyn came together of different reasons in their marriage. She needed to leave a situation that was stifling her and he need help with his wards. Slowly they learn that being supportive of each other and being yourself is the pathway to love.
It was a quick read and a lovely book with deep emotions.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. It had a great romance, but also some wonderful friendships.
Some Dukes Have All the Luck was a fantastic read featuring a marriage of convenience romance between a duke and a bluestocking.
Ash Hawkins, Duke of Buckley, has no interest in marriage but raising his three wards has proven to be more than he can handle. After a journey to the Isle of Synne to collect his wayward wards, Ash runs into the perfect woman to fulfill his needs. Miss Bronwyn Pickering has always been more interested in bugs than marriage much to the dismay of her parents. After a recent discovery on the isle, Bronwyn's entomology research is more important to her than ever. But with her parents threatening to find her a husband of their choosing, Ash's offer is the answer to all of her problems. Marriage will give her the freedom to continue her work but she'll have to keep herself from becoming distracted by her handsome new husband.
Bronwyn was a wonderful character and I enjoyed her right from the start. She's incredibly passionate about her work and she really came out of her shell when she talked about it. I felt so bad for her with how dismissive her parents were and how they forcibly tried to stop her from continuing her work. Ash took a little longer to grow on me but I really enjoyed him when he did. He has a lot of trauma in his past centered around how his mother died and listening to him talk about it was heartbreaking. Due to what happened, he holds himself back from others and I liked seeing him open up as the book went on.
Marriage of convenience is one of my favorite romance tropes so I was excited by the premise of this book. Bronwyn and Ash's first meeting was interesting and I liked the spark of interest we saw in both of them. I liked how the marriage of convenience came about and that the two had their own reasons for agreeing to it. As part of their bargain, Bronwyn negotiated spending two weeks together on Synne where they'd live like a normal couple. The pair's relationship develops quite a bit during that time and I loved how they couldn't keep away from each other. The chemistry between them was amazing and I thought the steamy scenes were well done. I also liked how the two dealt with the issues present that were preventing them from having a real relationship.
Overall Some Dukes Have All the Luck was a delightful book and I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series, What’s a Duke Got to Do With It, when it releases later this year.
Spicy! I love historical romance and this book did not disappoint. Very sweet. This is my first read by Christina Britton and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment while reading
Preoccupied with running his gaming hell and raising his three wards, Ash, Duke of Buckley, is not thinking at all about marriage, at least a marriage of love. When two of his wards run away to the Isle of Synne, he chases them down with the intention to bring them home. However, through a series of accidental run-ins, they help him meet Bronwyn, a scientific-minded woman much more interested in researching bugs than husband hunting. Yet, a marriage of convenience could help them both, as long as love is never involved.
Bronwyn was a wonderful heroine, but her group of friends (The Oddments) was one of my favorite parts of the book, and I hope we get much more from them as the series progresses! Marriage of convenience is a favorite trope of mine in historical romances, and this had many of the qualities that make it fun - refusal to fall in love, inability to resist one another, and unwavering support for their partner.
Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book!
Thank you so much to Forever and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of Some Dukes Have All the Luck! Ever since I started working with Forever to review their titles, I’ve gotten more and more into historical romance, and y’all Some Dukes Have All the Luck was one of my favorite reads of 2022!
Some Dukes have All the Luck 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads: Ash Hawkins, Duke of Buckley, no more wants to marry than he wants a stick in his eye. As the owner of a gaming hell, he is all too aware the odds of a happy marriage are against him. But raising his three rebellious wards alone is proving more than he can handle. He needs to find someone who stands to benefit from a marriage of convenience as much as he does. Someone logical, clinical, and rational. And in a stroke of luck, he quite literally stumbles over just such a woman.
After years of ridicule for being more interested in bugs than boys, Bronwyn has accepted that she’ll never marry for love. Her parents, however, are threatening to find her a husband. Bronwyn doesn’t need any scientific research to show her Ash has secrets. But his proposal would give her the freedom to continue her entomology research and perhaps finally get published. Just as long as she can keep her mind on her work and off his piercing eyes, broad shoulders, and wicked, wicked tongue.
Oh man y’all, I loved this book so much! I loved Bronwyn as a main character and I loved Ash as a love interest! I really liked how Bronwyn couldn’t care less about getting married or what her parents wanted for her- she loved her bugs and her research and her friends. I also liked how supportive her friends were- such a great group! I also liked how Ash took guardianship of his three wards and was doing everything he could to keep them safe and healthy, but as soon as Browyn came around, they became a real unit! I loved the three girls so much too- they’d been dealt such a terrible hand in life in general, but they were able to build a relationship with Browyn and ultimately with Ash. Plot and pacing wise, I loved everything about this book! I think it was a great start to this series and I can’t wait to read all of the other ones when they come out! Definitely go pick this one up today!
This was a first for me by this author and what a fun book! Marriage of convenience, Bridgerton vibes, and spicy scenes - sign me up! Would definitely recommend this book for first-time readers of regency romances.
Really a wonderful, heartfelt book! The main characters (and the Duke’s wards, who are quite the characters themselves!) are very well developed. They stay true to themselves throughout the book, and they take your heart on their journey with them! I really enjoyed this!
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. The thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.
I really liked this book and I loved learning about the characters. Bronwyn and Ash worked so well with each other and I loved reading about Bronwyn’s friends. I love reading historical fiction about women who love science; this one was no exception. I loved Bronwyn’s passion for bugs and science was so admirable and made her character so much fun to learn more about in the book. If she was a real person I would like to be friends with her. I loved Ash as an MMC, he was sweet and the perfect guardian to his wards, and how he always wanted what was best for them. I am excited for more from this author and this series. Overall I recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction, fans of the marriage of convenience troupe, and fans of Tessa Dare.
I love Christina Britton's historical romances, and Some Dukes Have All the Luck is another wonderful adventure on the Isle of Synne. This time, we get to know the Oddments better through the delightfully odd Bronwyn Pickering, local entomologist and spinster. Her parents have been gradually stripping her of all her favorite things in order to encourage her to take their search for a husband seriously, but all it's doing is making her miserable and desperate. Desperate enough to accept a proposal of marriage (a marriage of convenience) from a complete stranger--just to escape her parents.
Ash and Bronwyn's connection is instantaneous, from their first literal run-in. I usually don't love insta-love as a trope, but in this case, it works perfectly. They're both so desperate for love and connection, but neither of them realizes it. And the wards! Ash's marriage proposal is prompted by the fact his three young wards need some constancy in their life--and they seemed to forge an instant connection with Miss Pickering. The three girls are each so unique and charming. And I love how Bronwyn is able to connect with even the most reticent of them, the eldest, Regina.
I had forgotten how much I love Britton's books, so I'm exceptionally glad I picked up her latest so that I could be reminded. Thank you to Netgalley for my e-ARC and to Forever for my beautiful finished copy for my shelf.
Ash has three very curious ears. When two of them run away it becomes clear that he needs a wife. Bronwen wants her freedom and it becomes clear the only way to get that is a marriage of convenience. Neither counts on love in the picture.
Readers will enjoy this book very much.