This was so much fun! I loved the characters communication most of the time. Tess and her friends were cute as could be. I liked that throughout the book there was also an element of mystery. This was my first historical romance and it may have convinced me to start picking up more of them!

A lively tale that lightens up the page.

Nineteen year old Tess Townsend had been married against her will to a lecherous and decrepit man old enough to be her father, if not her grandfather. Fortunately for her, as the bridegroom came to consummate the marriage he suffered a heart attack and died.
This left Tess as the Duchess of Wansford, still a virgin, and unwilling to trade her freedom for marriage. She’s involved in a detective agency, King & Co., that helps women to right wrongs that have been inflicted upon them. Word of her and her companions has spread by word of mouth. Even Queen Charlotte has asked for their assistance.
Looking for a night of pleasure (not too much) Tess attends a masquerade in a scarlet dress. She attracts the attention of a gorgeous man who kisses her ruthlessly.
Imagine her alarm when the stranger turns out to be Justin Thornton (Thorn), the new Duke of Wansford. They meet at a ball when Tess is wearing that dress!
Justin’s looking for a wife to ease his life, whom he’ll leave after three months to attend his various business interests. To Thorn this seems an ideal plan. No having debutants thrust upon him. A wife dangling on his arm will give him access to important dinners that he is not invited to as a bachelor. This access will increase his business acumen.
Thorn doesn’t believe in love. Or rather he doesn’t want it. When he decides to cut corners and proposes that Tess be his wife, (and lover—oops!) well things take a decided turn.
Of course things don’t run smoothly. Well that’s a given!
A rather delightfully delicious read. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.

A St. Martin’s Press ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Off to a wonderful start on this new series. Has it all, stubborn handsome Justin with the Midas Touch. And beautiful Tess, whose father basically sold her to an ancient Duke. Which now causes her to have secrets, but also the freedom of widowhood. This lasted two years and now the Duke heir had been found. Will it change life as Tess knows it? It certainly does when Justin the new Duke makes an offer that is hard to refuse.
Be forewarned, there are some steamy scenes. The pacing and storyline was spot on. Can’t wait to read the next book. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #SecondDukestheCharm

The characters hit the ground running. First, let me say I love the idea of three women taking charge of their lives and opening an investigative agency. I am sure it was not easy in Regency times for women to take control of their lives. Anyway, back to the story. For the first half or so of the book I really loved it. The witty banter, the dancing around, and the sexiness was off the charts. Then it kind of just flattened off but at the end it picked up again. I have read all of Kate’s books and have loved them all. This is not saying this book was not up to par because it definitely is, it is just that it fell a little short (in the middle) for me. I cannot wait to read about the other women’s lives and am hoping for some pairings but we will see.

Tess Townsend is forced by her father to marry the old and repulsive Duke of Wansford. On her wedding night, the Duke dies and leaves Tess a the Dowager Duchess of Wansford with her virginity still intact. Tess is able to live a life of freedom in high society. She and her two best friends investigate the scandalous crimes committed in London under a false pseudonym. While Tess wishes to experience pleasure for herself, she can’t risk losing her independence.

Shipping magnate, Justin Thornton, never expected to inherit a dukedom, but when he kisses a mysterious masked woman at a house party, who happens to be Tess, he has a brilliant idea: a marriage of convenience.

The attraction between them is undeniable. As Tess works a new case for the Queen, her suspicious behavior causes Justin to question her motives and her past. Justin has sworn that he will never love, so falling for his wife shouldn’t be a problem, right?

I enjoyed everything about this. Both Tess and Justin are infuriating at times, but their chemistry is just so good. Their banter is fun and sweet. We also love it when the man who swears his won’t love his marriage of convenience wife, immediately falls in love with said wife. I loved the group of women working together to take down criminals and blackmailers. The storyline is fast paced and intriguing with mystery and disaster that dares to tear the couple apart. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a free digital copy of this book. This is my honest review. Publication date: December 26, 2023.

Second Duke’s the Charm by Kate Bateman
Content Warnings: sexual content, sexual harassment, sexism, classism, and violence.

Loved the start of this book but once we roughly hit the halfway point I started to get a bit bored. Felt like it should have been a novella because after the halfway point it just felt like unnecessary things were added that weren’t needed.

Overall a cute historical romance. Hoping this is meant to be a series where each of the three bffs fall in love!

I love a Kate Bateman series and this one looks like it's going to be great. It starts with Tess as the main character. She has been basically sold into marriage to an old Duke. Fortunately for her, he keels over on her wedding night. Now she's a widow, which gives her much more freedom as a woman. She is free to continue her investigative work with her best friends, Ellie and Daisy. She manages to keep this role for a couple of years until finally someone is found that can take on the Dukedom. Justin is a shipping magnate that only has interest in physical pleasure and wasn't expecting to become a Duke as he is a distant relative. Justin and Tess have sparks from their first meeting and it's fun to watch their story develop. I also can't wait to read Ellie and Daisy's stories. Highly recommend starting this series.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, and I give my review freely

A fun and sexy historical romance! This is the first book I’ve read from Kate Bateman and the group of girlfriends in this book, makes me want to seek out her backlist.
Tess is a widow - thankfully because her father basically sold her to an aging duke for money. He dies on their wedding night before they can consummate the marriage but luckily for her, no one knows. She’s living her life with her two best friends and the investigative company they created until the new Duke found. One night the girls go to a party in order for test to experience some passion, and she runs into a mysterious and sexy stranger and has some fun. And a twist of fate, he ends up being the new Duke.

This was a fun tale with some mystery, hilarious side characters, and romance. to be honest the central couple kind of bored me. I just didn’t feel the chemistry after their first initial meeting. I will continue the series because I would love to read about Daisy!

A silly, fun book, I enjoyed this start to a new series by Kate Bateman

Though not accurate for the time prod in terms of language, or actions, you expect to suspend belief a bit in rom-coms. This was a sweet and spicy take on regency romance. But I honestly was most invested in the PI agency that's lead by women for women. I'd love to follow more of the mysteries and investigations in the next installment!

What a fantastic book. I had the hardest time putting the book down. It captivated me. I'm really excited to see this is the beginning of a series. We have romance, spice and mystery. I loved Tess, Daisy and Ellie's banter and sarcasm. "Stabby week" and the list of things women can't resist. They had me laughing out loud numerous times. I can't wait to see what other mischief they get into next.

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

This was fun, and the two main characters were so great together. Also, the side characters were great too.

Tess wasn’t looking forward to her marriage to an ancient Duke, one that was many, many years her senior, but when he passed away on her wedding night. She might have dodged a bullet with that one. However, now she is a Duchess and still a virgin but with the help of her closest friends they come up with a plan to make sure that her father can’t rule her life again and she will have the choice to do whatever she would like now.

I loved that this author wrote this book showing that women back in the historical period still wanted some freedom and could get PI work down just as well as men did. I loved that this book was all set around Tess but then it had amazing sub plots throughout the book, but they did not take away from the greatness of the books main plot Tess and trying to convince her independence still but also the fact that she is still a woman that has needs as well. Justin was a great MMC for Tess; he was still caring in his way, but he also wanted the one woman that he thought he would never meet again. He met her at a masquerade one night and had a sizzling kiss that led to a little more but before things went further, she ran away, thinking she would never see him again… Little did they both know that they were going to meet again and what amazing passion they would have blooming.

Tess was a great FMC, she is strong, thoughtful, determined, hiding a few secrets, caring and she has brains. I enjoyed watching Tess’ characters grow throughout the book. She was a PI for King & Co, but really, she was running the business and then she was trying to take care of the issue of her virginity without someone knowing about it. Justin is a handsome man that becomes a Duke and finds out that the woman that he has been thinking about nonstop since that masquerade ball is the one and only Tess. He strikes up a deal with her so they both get what they want. He won’t have to go to balls and marry any woman and she will have a husband and do whatever she would like, but with the feeling of the heart it's never that easy. Justin is faced with his feelings that have grown over the 3 months that they have been married and not knowing how to handle them, Tess is wanting more but scared to ask for it and then the whole part that someone is out there trying to murder Justin and/or Tess together. Will this couple be able to have the peace that they both want? I guess you will have to pick up this great historical romance and find out for yourself.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this book.

Tess & Justin
This is a thoroughly charming love story of a woman who became a widow on her wedding night, and a new Duke who vows to never fall in love because it's not worth the pain. Neither believes that life has given them anything.. Tess now works with her two best friends at a private investigation company they started. Justin took his father's failing company and turned in to an international company that has made him one of the richest men in England. Living in a country where the 'Ton' and it's rules are everything, Tess and Justin decide the takes the best of both worlds and make the best of it for them both. These two are fire and water and the the story is sizzling!
Don't miss this one!

Tess Townsend, the Duchess of Wansford, never forgave her father for forcing her to marry the ancient duke. The duke disgusted her with his leery ways and she got a lucky break when he collasped on their wedding night before he could consummate the marriage and died. Now Tess was free and she planned to enjoy her new independence. No man had tempted her since until she meets Justin Thornton at a masquerade house party. Neither knew each other's names as passion flared between them. Before their encounter led to more than sizzling kisses, Tess ran away. Little did she know that Thornton was the new Duke of Wansford.

Justin had never forgotten the passionate woman he met at the house party and when he finds out that she's the Duchess of Wansford, he proposes a business deal. They marry, and he'll give her freedom and money she'll need to do what she wants and he'll leave her alone after three months, but Tess has a secret. How she can tell him that she's still a virgin. Each of them are hiding secrets and when a series of mishaps nearly kill them, Justin thinks Tess is out to have him killed. Of course, this leads to a series of misunderstandings and hurt feelings. Can these two come clean and build a life together or will their unwillingness to share their true selves force them to part forever?

I really enjoyed this story. Tess was a wonderfully complex character. She was more than her physical beauty. She had brains and wit to match. It was delightful to see her try, and explain away her lack of knowledge of their wedding night. Justin was a sexy, brooding character. He didn't believe in love and always kept his relationships for only 3 months before he ended them. There are no feelings involved, just pleasure. It was great to see him brought to his knees by Tess. There's a mystery running through the book that Tess helps to solve with her friends and that is quite interesting. I can't wait to read more in this series.

The wedding-night death of her repulsive older husband has left Tess Townsend with a title, and her virginity still intact. Shipping magnate Justin Thornton never expected to inherit a dukedom but, when the woman he kissed at a party turns out to be the Duchess, Justin sees a solution: a pleasurable marriage of convenience that will suit them both.

This is the first book in a new series about three close friends who secretly run King & Co., London’s most exclusive investigative agency. First up is Tess, the beauty. Tess was bartered off in marriage by her father, and saved by her husband's timely death. She attends a masked house party, hoping for a little flirty fun, but gets more than she bargained for when her fling turns out to be the new duke. I loved the set up for this story and the execution was great, too. There was wonderful chemistry between Tess and Justin, and just enough of the investigative story to balance the romance. Two thumbs up for the higher steam!

Tropes: Widow, Secret Virgin, Disguised Character/Masquerade, Unexpected Inheritance, Marriage of Convenience, Secret Crush, Working Heroine

Steam: 5

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

Katie Bateman is one of my favorite authors. I have loved every book of hers that I have read. This story reminds me what an amazing writer she is. Her writing always catches me by surprise when I realize I am reading and not actually there. Her attention to detail makes me feel like I am part of the story watching it all unfold. In this charming story a widow who is enjoying her freedom and who helps her friends solve some very scandalous and fun mysteries. When Tess meets Justin things change quickly Justin didn't want his dukedom but knows to follow his duty. Now their passion is breathtaking but they fight falling in love. Can they follow duties, solve mysteries and give into love? You will love this adventure with Tess and Justin and all the characters involved. You won’t be able to put the book down. I received this as an ARC from NetGalley but it will definitely be bought to put on the shelf with my collection. Have a fun steamy adventure.
5 star author for me.

I started this book and couldn't put it down. It is the first book in a new series, so it does introduce a lot of characters. But this story is about Tessa and Justin. There is an immediate connection between the two, a legal one. But there's also an instant attraction.
I will say I found Justin to be a little arrogant and haughty. But as his feelings grew for Tessa and he had to learn how to deal with them, he became more vulnerable and likable.
I loved Tessa's strong character. She has endured so much in her young life but she hasn't let it stop her from doing what she loves (truffle hunting, investigation agency and being with her friends). These are all the things Justin falls in love with.
I really enjoyed it and look forward to the next in the series.
5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Second Duke's the Charm was my first read by Kate Bateman and I must admit that I was charmed. Tess and Justin's story featured one of my favorite tropes in historical romance, marriage of convenience.

Tess was raised by a ruthless father who at age 19 forced her to marry an ancient duke for money, but she plans to escape her impending doom with the help of her two closest friends, Daisy and Ellie. When Tess unexpectedly becomes a widow on her wedding night, she is left with a title and money that give her the freedom to live her life on her own terms. Two years later Tessa has joined forces with her best friends to start a business helping people, specifically women, who may find themselves in similar situations to hers.

It is on one of her work adventures that she meets a handsome stranger who takes her breath away and makes her feel more than any many ever has. After sharing a passionate encounter, Tess never expects to see him again. Fate has other plans; the handsome stranger is Justin Thornton, the heir to her late husband. Justin has not stopped thinking about Tess since their stolen moment and boldly proposes a marriage of convenience meant to benefit both.

There are rules of course; all physical and no feelings and an end date, but Tessa has her own concerns; mainly that Justin will find out that she never consummated her first marriage. Still, she agrees to his proposal and the two embark on a passionate affair. Attraction leads to deeper feelings soon into their new marriage and the two must figure out whether said feelings are worth the risk.

Second Duke's the Charm was a fun and delightful read and I cannot wait to read Daisy and Ellie's books.

Second Duke’s the Charm is a breath of springtime air. It is a book that accomplishes what it sets out to do, and is lovely and enjoyable as it does so. Tess and Justin are interesting characters with foibles and insecurities but who are endeavoring to improve themselves. There is humor and heat and a great trio of female friends. I really liked Second Duke’s the Charm, and look forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for the advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Kate Bateman writes good books! They always have high quality writing and compelling characters.. This book is no exception.

The opening scene is fantastic (won’t spoil it here) and hilarious. Throughout the book, there were a number of times I laughed out loud. While overall I think this book is a light read and low angst, there is depth to the book. I wouldn’t call it a rom com at all. It hits a nice middle point between light and heavy read.

I was very fond of Tess - the female main character- and even more fond of her friends, Daisy and Ellie. (I hope we can expect subsequent books with their stories!). They are really compelling and hilarious women with a beautiful friendship.

I really liked Rowan, but did find him a bit less complex, sometimes not as 3-D as the other characters.

Some small aspects of the plot didn’t fit for me. I wasn’t totally clear on why Tess had to be the one to go meet the blackmailer every time. And Rowan’s grand gesture in the end didn’t make a ton of sense to me.

All considered, this is a very enjoyable historical romance novel and I recommend it !

This had SUCH a strong start! I was so excited after reading the synopsis and I wanted to love this one so bad. Unfortunately, there was (dare I say) too much sex and not enough of character development for me to become invested in them and their relationship.