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

Roarke Desmond may be related to aristocracy, but he has to beg for an allowance from his cousin's in order to support his ill mother. But when he's asked to spy on his late uncle's widow, Flora, Dowager Duchess of Sidmouth, it's harder than he thought. Flora is now living on Kent's Row, with the other dowagers, and is in mourning. Though her husband was quite a bit older than her, they had a loving relationship. Her step children, however, were the only sore point, and she's more than happy to remain a grieving widow. However, after seeing her friend Valaria find love, and meeting Roarke, she starts to consider a different future.

This book was great. Roarke was such a caring man, for both Flora and his mother, and though he was forced into deception, he hated every moment. Being asked to spy on the woman he was falling in love with, so that his wicked cousins could contest her inheritance. Flora was so sweet. She loved her late husband, and knew that her friends had had different experiences in marriage, but she never gloated about her love. Her and Roarke did have a hard time fully trusting each other, and opening themselves up to love completely, but it was all worth it in the end!

Jess YOU DID IT AGAIN, the love I have for this series is unmatched, I love how these women are given themselves love stories, the passion, everything. Jess is one of the few HR who can balance it between the modern aspects like consent which is usually neglected while writing HR as a cheap excuse of the time, without making it feel so modern.

This series is my favorite and I LOVE ITTTT

Roarke is in a tough spot begging his cousins for money to help take care of his mother. They send him off to spy on Flora, their stepmother, in the hopes of denying her part of their father’s inheritance. Roarke and Flora are attracted to each other, but his lies are revealed and then Flora has to decide if she can forgive or not.

Great romance as always and a bit of mystery and intrigue thrown in as well. Love this series and can’t wait for Bernadette and Theo’s story!

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is Jess Michaels is one of my favorite authors. She writes very intriguing stories. This is the second book in her series. Duchess of Sidmouth has been widowed for many years and she is lonely and never known love. Rouke is a desperate man wanting to provide for his sickly mother. When his cousins propose a horrible plan, he cannot resist. His cousins ask him to seduce their former stepmother Duchess Sidmouth. Once Rouke lays eyes on her, he cannot resist her. He feels that he cannot move forward with his plan. However, his cousins have other ideas. Miss Michaels knows how to write these two characters beautifully. This is a must read.

OMG what an amazing book! I love it! Jess Michaels’s books never disappoints!
After losing everything in a series of bad decisions, Roarke Desmond is dependent on his horrible cousins for an allowance. When they ask him to do something horrible: spy on their stepmother, the Duchess of Sidmouth, he doesn’t want to. But what he could provide to his terribly ill mother with what they’ll pay him is hard to avoid. So he agrees, hating himself all the way. But when he sees the duchess, the beautiful Flora, everything is turned upside down.
Flora loved her late husband, despite the difference in their ages and the contempt of his adult children. When he died, she resigned herself to the life of a young widow, never looking for love again. When Roarke Desmond steps into her life, her thoughts on the subject begin to shift. But when the truth comes out and the lies become danger, they’ll have to overcome the walls between them to save each other and maybe form a life together.
I loved this book sooo much!!! I thought that I wasn’t going to be a fan of Roarke and Flora’s story, but Jess showed me wrong. It’s so good! Full of aghast, but so much romance, forgiveness and hope. He’s so broken, so confused, and Flora is full of love and second chances.
They are perfect together! All their friends are amazing secondary characters. There are great steamy moments, but mostly emotional and sweet ones. I need Etta and Theo’s story ASAP. PLEASE!
I enjoyed this book a lot and I HIGHLY recommend this series!!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book was provided to me via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this novel because I usually like very much Jess Michaels' novels, they are fun and sexy and perfect for escapism.
However, this time, it didn't work. Not because the heroin lacked character, as some people wrote, I think she progressed nicely. Not because the hero was lying - he really had his reasons and they were far from bad. Not, it was all the villains' fault. A family of villains, one more than the others, to the point that they were impossible to believe in, even in a historical romance. The language used ? Nah, even between brothers and sisters. The motive for the revenge ? And wanting to go that far ? I expected at least a crashing revelation, but no, it was a motive that definitely wasn't in proportion. And I didn't believe either the way the villain ended in the story.
It's as if the author had run out of reasons for the hero/heroin to end up together in spite of circumstances.

So no, I won't recommend it. But I still enjoyed several novels by this author, so I'm not giving up on her. I didn't like one of her books ? Well, happens.

Jess Michaels always has intrigue in her books, and this one keeps you guessing. The love between the two characters is steamy and genuine. Fans of dark(er) romance will like the conflicted and immoral actions of the male main character-- personally I couldn't get past deception towards the heroine. There is a happily ever after, so it ends well.

I really enjoyed Roarke and Flora's story. Roarke sure got himself into a pickle with the secrets he was keeping, but it just kept me reading to the very end to see how he would dig himself out. LOL!

Flora is the 2nd dowager duchess to get her HEA. A well written plot where the hero is caught in a villainous situation by his family as he is trying to provide for his mother who has memory issues. So glad he was morally superior to his relatives and didn’t fall for their shenanigans. I wasn't sure how the author was going to write the story so that the H/h could have a HEA given how they met but she did a great job showing that love conquers all and true love forgives the most egregious acts done by someone if they are doing it for the right reasons. I had hoped that Roark would be able to pull himself out of his financial situation without having to go begging to his greedy relatives but thank God for the friends who surrounded both him and Flora. I am waiting with bated breath for the next Duchess to get her HEA.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review

Roarke Desmond, cousin to Duke of Sidmouth, Thomas, Philip and Gertrude the cousins are mean, vindictive and greedy. Roarke was close to his uncle Stuart and aunt Elizabeth.
Francis Desmond had been a kind man, a good man, but he was a dreamer. Hilde, companion to mama Desmond, who has Alzheimer's. Roadie just wants to be a good son and take care of her.


Flora, the second wife of uncle Stuart, The Duchess of Sidmouth. now lives of what is called dowager row. Her friends Valaria, the Dowager Duchess of Gooding, and Bernadette, the Dowager Duchess of Tunbridge. The three are the youngest there. Flora is kind, generous, a good friend, and a loving heart person.

Callum, the Duke of Blackvale, has a thing for Valaria, but she is still in her mourning period.
Theo, Duke of Lightmorrow. Has a thing for Bernadette, but she has issues not fully disclosed.

The vile cousins have put Roadie in a bad situation that either action would hurt someone. However trying to be the best son he can, chose his mother. To protect her he would do the cousins dirty work collect the extra money they are offering and see if he could figure a way out.

Things get more complicated when the cousins threaten everyone involved and more. However, add overprotective friends in the mix and things get creative and secrets come out wrong.

So come explore how greed, vengeance and snob go against good, kind, loving people. See who wins and all the fallout. To give more information would ruin the story. Family drama and angst are the center of this story and how far some go to be just mean and cruel verses good and kind.

Great writing and in-depth characters with great imagery and witty banter fill you with "omg, my" family history. You can put yourself in several of the spits and know what the characters are feeling and hope for the best.

I will say this Flora gets her say in the end and puts them in their place which was so fun to read

Due to poor investments by his father and then later by himself, Roarke Desmond is broke, and with an infirmed mother to care for, he needs funds. He meets with his cousin, the new Duke of Sidmouth hoping to get the money he needs to care for his mom, but as he tries to bring up the subject, his cousins all complain about their father’s widow, their step-mother, and the money their father left for her and the new bequest she is due to get at the third anniversary of the late duke’s death if she hasn’t remarried or taken a lover. The Duke offers to give Roarke the money he needs and then some if he agrees to spy on the widowed Duchess of Sidmouth and report back to him. But Flora is not what Roarke expected and soon he is falling for her, feelings it seems she returns, making it harder to tell her the truth. But when the duke ups the ante, Roarke will have to decide if saving her is worth losing her.

After the death of her beloved Stuart, the late Duke of Sidmouth, Flora moved to Kent’s Row and has lived in quiet mourning ever since. Unlike her friends, Flora actually loved her much older husband and has no desire to remarry, in fact, no other man has even tempted her to take a lover, at least that was true until she met Roarke. Roarke makes her long for things she never thought she would want again. But when she learns the truth, will she be able to forgive him and give love another chance, or will she close her heart and give up on love forever?

This was another well-written, nicely-paced story installment of the Kent’s Row Duchesses. This story features a down-on-his-luck hero who loves his mom, a heroine who never thought she would love again, greedy relatives, good friends, secrets, lies, lots of emotion, evil intentions, and finally a HEA including an epilogue. I liked this story, but it fell a bit short of my expectations, neither Roarke or Flora wowed me, I am hoping that Bernadette and Theo’s story will be the crown jewel of the series. This is the second book in the series and could be read as a standalone title, but I would recommend reading the series in order.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

Not Another Duke by Jess Michaels
The Kent’s Row Duchesses #2

Wicked stepchildren instead of wicked stepmother provide the evil intent and actions in this romantic suspense ~ What a fun addition to this series!

What I liked:
* Flora: dowager duchess of Sidmouth, ousted from her house, hated by her stepchildren, loved her much older husband, good friend to Valaria & Bernadette, rather taken with Roarke
* Roarke: poor relation to the Sidmouth clan, trying to care for his failing mother, blackmailed and bullied, attracted to Flora but in a quandary about the situation he finds himself in
* Seeing how Valaria and Bernadette are doing in their own romances
* The plot, setting, pacing, and writing
* Seeing the thought processes of both Flora and Roarke as they work their way toward a satisfying future
* The reference to the Pembroke paintings and the way it tweaked my memory of THAT rather wonderful steamy book! (Their Duchess)
* The conclusion…impactful in more ways than one
* Looking forward to Theo & Bernadette’s book

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about what could/would create such evil stepchildren…and being glad I won’t ever have anyone hating me THAT much!

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and The Passionate Pen LLC for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

I didn't quite like this BUT not because it's bad, but because Jess Micahels did a very good job at making me as uncomfortable as the hero himself felt with the situation in which he is placed. So that was well done.
Though I felt that too much time was spent on Rourke's problems and not enough ont the relationship development.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Not Another Duke is the second Jess Michaels’ Kent’s Row Duchesses series. It can be read as a stand-alone, although I recommend the first one as well.
The external stakes feel a tad higher in this installment, thanks to both leads not being in the best circumstances. The female lead. Flora is yet another dowager duchess put out to pasture by her husband’s family, and one her stepsons, the current duke, is willing to resort to any means necessary to avoid providing for her. But the male lead, Roarke is a dependent relation of the Duke’s who has fallen on hard times and is tasked with spying on her and reporting her potential bad behavior. While I wasn’t sure how I felt about him keeping her in the dark about this, ultimately I find it much more interesting when neither is able to just throw money at a problem and make it go away.
And the proximity between them, along with these stakes, made me really root for them to figure it out. They have great chemistry together, and I was happy for them to find their way to their HEA.
This is another solid read from Jess Michaels, and I’d recommend it to fans of steamy historical romance. romance.

After losing everything in a series of bad decisions, Roarke Desmond is dependent on his cousins for an allowance. When they ask him to spy on their stepmother, the Duchess of Sidmouth, he doesn’t want to. But what he could provide to his terribly ill mother with what they’ll pay him is hard to avoid. So he agrees, hating himself all the way. But when he sees the duchess, the beautiful Flora, everything is turned upside down. Flora loved her late husband, despite the difference in their ages and the contempt of his adult children. When he died, she resigned herself to the life of a young widow, never looking for love again. When Roarke Desmond steps into her life, her thoughts on the subject begin to shift.
The second of the Duchesses of Kent Row to find love & whilst it’s easily read on its own characters from the first book do feature heavily. I really liked both Roarke & Flora & loved the chemistry between them, he has secrets, which of course are going to cause problems, it's how they handle the revelations that make the book enjoyable. I loved that Flora's close friends were definitely in her corner & I loved how Roarke redeemed himself. A very well written, engrossing romance
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

such a great series. i loved these characters and the trials they went through. I can't wait for the next book in this series.

“Not Another Duke” is the second book in Jess Michaels series, The Kent’s Row Duchesses. Rourke Desmond is in a tough predicament. His dire financial situation has him seeking funds from his dreaded cousins, led by the new Duke of Sidmouth, Thomas. The three cousins have a problem, their former stepmother, Flora, is set to inherit a large sum as part of the former duke’s will. They tempt Rourke with additional funds if he will investigate Flora, begrudgingly, he accepts. After Flora’s husband died, she moved to Kent’s Row and made friends with other widowed duchesses. Farthest from her mind is another man in her life. Farther still, was a man who made her heart flutter, that man was Rourke. Rourke was equally enamored with Flora. The more time they spent together, the deeper the feelings and the closer connection. But Rourke was riddled with guilt and tried to hold back. But his cousins kept upping the ante putting him in a quandary—he needed to protect his mother, he needed the funds, but he also needed Flora and the light she brought into his life. This was definitely an emotional story, Rourke was in a tough spot, he felt he had to do what he could to improve his mother’s housing and care. His greedy cousins took advantage of his dilemma to use him for their own ends against their stepmother. I liked Flora, she definitely came into her own throughout the story and she had a wonderful heart. She didn’t deserve all the hatred her three stepchildren heaped on her just for loving their father. Overall, the story kept me interested, it moved right along and, in spite of many roadblocks the couple reached their happy ever after. Rourke and Flora were a very steamy couple, the heat level increased as the story progressed. Jess Michaels has written another winner worthy of five stars. However, the editing should have been better. I received this book through NetGallery, my thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Between a rock and a hard place...

Roarke Desmond is broke, so poor, he has to beg his wealthy ducal cousins for a hand out to take care of his mother who suffers from dementia. He's tasked with first spying on the dowager duchess, Flora. Flora is young, widowed, beautiful and truly loved her deceased husband, the Duke of Sidmouth, Roarke's uncle. Instead of going to Flora and talking out what he's up to, Roarke continues to make mistake after mistake, with his mother as leverage. First, to spy, then to seduce Flora. Despite his many, many flaws and utter lack of judgement, you like Roarke and Flora does hold him to account, as does her formidable friends. I liked that Roarke had to work his way back into good graces and I liked Flora for being kind and empatheic but still strong. Lot's of danger and drama from Roarke's greedy cousins.
Recommend.

A very emotional story. Damn, Jess, I had to get out the tissues early and continue using them throughout the story. Could Roarke endear himself anymore in a story. The part of his relationship with his mother that we were privileged to see was so thoughtfully written. I fell in love with him during these times. Roarke and Flora’s sweet romance is so worth the read. This story of love and redemption will break your heart and put it back together again.

Not Another Duke is second book in The Kent Row Duchesses series.

Roarke Desmond has lost everything in a series of bad decisions and is dependent on his horrible cousins for an allowance. He sits waiting for them to finally get to the point of why they need him to investigate their former stepmother. He is forced to do their bidding and find out if she has had any other men as lovers in the last three years. If so, she then forfeits the final installment of her inheritance.

Feeling as if he has no choice because he needs the money to help care for his ailing mother. Roarke meets flora and realizes she that she is nothing like his cousins described. Flora is good and kind. He is taken with her and feels guilty about the circumstances of meeting her. Roarke returns to his cousins and discloses that she is not the woman they allege. Thomas the new duke threatens to take matters into his own hands if Roarke does not go back and compromise the woman by hurting his mother and ruining his chances of ever getting a job to be independent from him.

Flora is enamored of Roarke and wants to seduce him. So, when Roarke returns to tell her the truth, she blurts out that she wants him. The next day he returns to tell her the truth but is surprised when another friend of his and Flora's tells of his family connection. He admits that is the truth and he had come to reveal the truth, but it is too late.

When Flora's friends find out the lengths her stepchildren are attempting to go through, they whisk her away to the country to be safe. But the threats follow them to the country and Roarke is injured trying to save Flora from being harmed.

Flora realizes that it is time that she deals with her stepchildren. Will she be able to stand up to them and finally be free from them once and for all.

This was a fun continuation of where the first book left off. The group of friends are wonderful characters with great relationships. This was another fast afternoon read and am looking forward to the next in the series.