What’s a Duke Got to Do With It? I really enjoyed reading this beautiful story about two souls who are seeking the same ending goal of marriage. Kristina and Sebastian are the main characters in the book. Their goals are the motivating factor the pushes the book to move forward. The goal is very logical to their story during this time period. I have to say that I absolutely loved the humor that transpires in the story. Mouse is my favorite character. He moves through the book causing chaos here and their, but it’s the love that he has for his mama (Katrina) and Sebastian the entertaining and sweet. The background story is very entertaining. The writer has done a wonderful job of telling a story about love and romance. I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

This is a charming story of a second chance at love. Both protagonists are good and honorable yet have been tarred by someone else's actions. There are so many obstacles to this couple finding one another and getting to stay together. Their story is frustrating, worrisome, and satisfying.

Chrinstina Britton writes funny, sexy, romantic historical romances with great characters! The What's a Duke Got to Do WIth It doesn't disappoint. Thank you to net galley and the author for allowing me to read and review. Can t wait to continue to read more by this author.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After being ruined - at least in the eyes of the ton years ago - Katrina Denby retreated to the Isle of Synne to nurse her wounds. It's been four years, and she now has friends who love and care for her, and helping Lady Tesh as her companion is more than she could ever have dreamed. So when the very man who caused her downfall is discovered dead after trying to climb in her bedroom window, the whole island vilify her, and she risks her friend's reputations if she stays close to them. Thinking it'd be best to leave, Lady Tesh will hear nothing of the sort, and when Katrina considers marrying to get people off her back, the only person she has ever loved returns to her life. Sebastian Thorne has never forgotten his time with Katrina Denby, but the actions of his father forced them apart, and he wasn't strong enough to fight it. Seeing her in Synne, when he's now the Duke of Ramsleigh, and needs to marry well to save the duchy, it's both a dream and nightmare. He wants her more than ever, but can he ignore his potential father-in-law's edict, and be with the woman he loves?

I was so glad when I saw that the next Synne book would be Katrina's, as she's always been a secondary character full of potential, and someone whose story I needed to read. She was so strong, though she had suffered so much at the hands of the ton, and those who relished in spreading false gossip. Her friends were her salvation, and she would do anything for them, just as they would do anything for her. After the latest scandal, she couldn't risk her friends, and was willing to sacrifice herself to consider marriage to some truly awful gentlemen. So when Sebastian arrived with Lady Tesh's nephew, all but engaged, it was heartbreaking for her. I loved that both were clearly in love with each other, but they knew that being together would be a struggle, and didn't want to hurt the other person, even if that meant losing their love. Sebastian took a little longer than I wish he had to realise he didn't need to marry for money, but for love, but everything came good in the end. A truly wonderful addition to the series, and I'm dying to get a hold of Christina's next book!

Part of a series, but it's not necessary to read any previous stories. While I know it did not take much to ruin a young woman (at least in the historical romance world), it feels like everyone is super hard in Katrina because of the man who died trying to enter her bedroom. I feel like we never quite got enough of that backstory, but oh well. Overall, it was a sweet historical, but so much judginess!

Katrina's reputation was ruined years ago through no fault of her own. She has found a comfortable life as a companion to Lady Tesh on the Isle of Synne (along with her behemoth of a dog, Mouse). When the same man attempts the same tactic years later and falls out of the window and dies, everyone on the Isle of Synne begins to shun Katrina. She decides the only way to salvage her reputation is to marry one of the men on Synne who may still have her. At the same time, Lady Tesh welcomes two visitors - Sebastian, the Duke of Ramsleigh and his almost fiancee's brother. Sebastian is "the one who got away" and now that they are reunited they try to maintain a friendship. That friendship gets a little too...friendly and Sebastian has to decide what's more important - saving the Dukedom or following his heart.

Just like the first one in this series, this is a pretty straightforward historical romance! It didn't knock my socks off but it was a solid 4 stars. I liked both Katrina and Sebastian. I loved her dog, Mouse too! I liked getting to know the friend group a little more as well as the meddling Lady Tesch.

I think the original "scandal" is a bit....silly if thought about for too long but I did think the conflict at the end made a lot of sense. I LOVED that Katrina got to stand up for herself at the end both to her brother and to the vicar.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the eARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“What’s a Duke Got to Do With It” by Christina Britton
Love on the Isle of Synne
For some life is just one bad event after another, too often too true for too many. But this was a fun Regency romance read, typically frustrating, and typically satisfying, too. I found myself unwilling to put this book down even for necessary reasons. It is a sweet and clean story with a satisfying conclusion. I hope you enjoy your time in this story as much as I did mine. Happy Reading ! !
Note: This review expresses my honest opinion.
I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley.

Katrina has been unlucky in love. She has been pursued by a man she does not want who causes a scandal which ruins her reputation. She cannot have the man she wants, Sebastian, since he must marry for money. They try to deny their mutual attraction. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Forever for my honest review.

Christina Britton delights in What's a Duke Got to Do With It!

Sebastain was the Duke that I was heavily rooting for from the beginning to FINALLY share his feelings with Katrina. As well, I wanted Katrina to drop everything and meet Sebastain in the pouring rain by a carriage. I adored Lady Tesh and how protective she was of Katrina even though she wasn't pen and paper family. This historical romance delighted me and had the regular lines that I expected from a historical romance.

This is the second book in the Synneful Spinsters series. It can be read as a standalone. I liked the first book in this series, but this one was a mixed bag for me. There were some good parts. The opening was wild and interesting. The pining was great. Mouse, the Great Dane, was adorable. I liked the Oddments and Lady Tesh. However, Katrina, the heroine, repeatedly found herself in absurd situations with no fault of her own. Her jerk brother abandoned her. The residents of Synne were cruel to her. Frankly, her misery was too much for me to handle.

Further, while honorable and supportive, I thought Sebastian was a lackluster hero. I wanted him to do more. You’re a duke, buddy. Do something. I don’t know. Like marry her. Hang the consequences. But all he did was apologize excessively and continued to interfere in Katrina’s plans. And then he apologized some more. Young Harlow was more interesting. Sebastian did, however, have good romantic lines.

I was also confused by Lord Landon’s actions. I wanted to know why he was harassing poor Katrina. It was so random for a character who was described as staid and serious. Bronwyn’s parents were despicable in the first book and Katrina’s brother is awful in this book. Going forward, I do hope the remaining Oddments will have supporting family members.

If you love angst and mutual pining, you’ll enjoy this. I adore Christina Britton’s Isle of Synne book world, so I’ll just wait for the next book. Too much angst gives me palpitations. =(

CW: Sexist, regressive language, sexual harassment, insinuation of putting down animal.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It’s always a pleasure to revisit friends on the Isle of Synne. This installment was rather harsh for Katrina. Honestly, her saga is heartbreaking. Good thing this is a second chance love story with the one that got away! And her Sebastian is delightful, as expected. A quick, enjoyable read with an absurdly joyful HEA.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

This is my favorite love story thus far. This author is one of the most talented writers I've ever read. What a ride! Fun people through out. Especially the protagonists. Loved the twists and turns. What a creative story. Recommend this read to anyone, especially if you're a romantic!!

Katrina has a scandal attached to her name when a Lord tries to climb up into her bedroom uninvited, not once but two times. Sebastian is a Duke who needs to marry money, the problem is he sees Katrina again and remembers how much he was falling for her, before his life fell apart. This was a nice love story, but was a little slow at times for me, which is why I gave it a 4-star review, but when it was not moving too slow for me it was great.
I received an ARC from NeGalley and I am leaving my honest opinion.

This is an absolutely lovely book that does longing better than anything I've seen in awhile. Katrina's reputation was ruined years ago after a friend's fiancé who she has no interest in attempts to sneak into her window. Her brother challenges him to a dual and loses his arm, before banishing Katrina from the "ton" who blames her for the, what is clearly an attempted assault. She eventually, after her brother loses their family fortune, becomes a company to Lady Tesh on the Isle of Synne, and becomes as happy as she can in her position but still thinks about the on-who-got away, Sabastian.

Sabastian has his own scandals (a now dead ponzi scheme running father) and has spent years working hard to repay his father's debts, so hard, he hasn't been in society though he does think of Katrina but is too afraid to hear she is married that he doesn't ask after her. So he knows nothing of the scandal, or the second scandal when Lord Landon comes back for a second attempted assault and this time dies falling from the roof. Everyone but Lady Tesh and Katrina's friends blame her and she is virtually shunned when Sabastian shows up with the younger brother of a woman he is courting who he has been instructed to keep from marrying an actress.

What results is a love story between too people who think about others far more than themselves and try so hard to make sure that everyone else isn't hurt that they almost allow their hearts to be broke. As I said before, the longing is exquisite. Part with deep, interesting side characters and a resolution filled with nuance as well as a little lucky, and this is one absolutely fabulous book. Thanks to Forever and NG for allowing me to read an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

during debut. Which gorgeous looks and a fortune she could have her choice of bachelors.

Sebastian Throne was trying to redempt his family fortune. After his father scammed a good portion of London's elite.

Sebastian needed an heiress to save his family.
Courting Katrina was everything he wanted in a wife and love.

While courting Katrina's world was turned upside-down by Lord Landon sneaking into her bedroom convinced he could get Katrina to runaway with him.

Katrina's brother challenged Lord Landon to a duel and lost his arm in the line of duty.

Disgraced and humiliated Katrina took a companion job on the Isle of Synne.

Katrina was rebuilding her life with a close knit group of friends and powerful family connections.

Unfortunately Lord Landon was determine to have Katrina. He tried to sneak into her bedroom a second time only to fell to his death.

Katrina became a scandal a second time and was faced with finding any man who was willing to have her.

Back in London Sebastian was courting a heiress Diana Bridling.
During interview with Lord Cartmel to ask for Diana's hand in marriage. Lord Cartmel had a plan for Sebastian, he wanted help dealing his son Harlow obsession with actress.

Only way Lord Cartmel would allow his daughter to marry Sebastian is if he could take Harlow out of town and find him a new love interest.
Lord Cartmel planned for Sebastian and Harlow to visit his friend Viscoutess Tesh on Isle of Synne for three months.

Arriving on Isle of Synne, Sebastian was shocked to find Katrina Denby was Viscoutess Tesh companion.

Finding out Katrina's troubles Sebastian was determined to help her turn her life around.

Spending days together Katrina and Sebastian found the friendship and love their once had in London.

✔️ Second Chance
✔️ Money Troubles
✔️ Forced Proximity

This was my first Christina Britton book and I liked it! What's a Duke Got to Do with It is about Katrina Denby who has to leave her privileged life because of a scandal that she's involved in but did not cause. She now works as a companion and has resigned herself to a life without love but maybe she can regain respectability if she married someone respectable. Unfortunately, there's a houseguest. And he ends up being Sebastian, a duke she could have loved. Ruh-oh!

It was easy to be sympathetic to Katrina's position and I rooted for her immediately.

The love story worked well here too, though it made me impatient! Sometimes money issues keeping characters apart doesn't feel like a good enough reason to me, so I did get impatient a few times over the course of this read.

My favorite character, however, is her dog, Mouse who ends up being a great plot device as well as the cause for some laugh out loud scenes.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. 4⭐️

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕

I was extremely fortunate to receive an ARC of What's A Duke Got to do With it, written by the incredible Christina Britton from Netgalley. Katrina Denby is a companion to an elderly lady, a result of a scandal four years ago. Sebastián Thorne, Duke of Ramsleigh almost declared his interest in Katrina four years ago before his father's death and before he was left in monetary shambles. The two meet again,  and the sparks that fly are electrifying. Unfortunately,  circumstances prevent either from being together. The author has done a superb job in a very sophisticated style to show a beautiful budding romance.

I am usually very excited about a bonkers historical romance. And when there is a duel and a murder within the first couple chapters, I thought that this was going to check those boxes. However, the plot didn't keep my attention for much longer after that. I think I would have resonated more with it over audiobook, but for now, it is a DNF.

I have enjoyed a few Christina Britton's books in the past (especially a few set on the Isle of Synne), but the main characters felt underdeveloped in this to the point that it felt it a bit flat. I appreciated in A Good Duke is Hard to Find, the characters had a bit more tension and depth, while this one just felt like it went through the motions.

2.75 🌟's

✨ tropes: second chance, forbidden
🌶 spice: 1.5/5
❌ CW: blackmail, verbal abuse

wish i could say i loved this as much as book 1 took me by storm but alas... this was honestly pretty lackluster in terms of the characters...the heroine's entire personality was just internalizing the hate she gets from the rest of society following a scandal and tbh, after Bronwyn, i was expecting more depth and interests from the FMC in this but it didn't play out that way. the hero was fine, also kind of bored me lol - both of them were already in love but bc of life circumstances never got to really act on their feelings so this story plays out as their second chance... not enough to engage me though sadly.. but yea.

we love Mouse and Lady Tesh tho.

would recommend book 1 over this 100%.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the publisher Forever for this e-ARC via Netgalley. Releases July 11, 2023!