This is the first in a new series, and as such there's a good deal of set-up involved. Basically, three women - friends since school - band together after one is widowed to create a private investigative firm specializing in helping women or those who have no one else.

Tess Townsend was widowed on her wedding night - before consummation - and is afraid this fact could cause issues should anyone find out. Justin Thornton - the heir to her deceased husband - seems like the perfect man to help solve her 'little problem'. Tess & Justin agree to a marriage of convenience, which ends up becoming more than either of them expected.

It was a fun story, with a good dose of spice. I look forward to reading the rest of the series.

"Second Duke's the Charm" was a fun and flirty romance novel by Kate Bateman. I enjoyed the main character, Tess, but would have liked to see more character development from the main male character, Justin.

After a disastrous wedding night to the aged Duke of Wansford leaves Tess as the Dowager Duchess of Wansford. After an extensive search for the rightful heir, Justin Thornton is named the new duke. Since Tess is so beautiful, Justin proposes a marriage of convenience (and sex). The two marry and the romance begins. There is also a side story with Tess and her two friends running a secret investigation firm. This book was cute and fun and I enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperbacks for a chance to read this book.

Sometimes I read historical romances and I tell myself I am so thankful I was not born in those times. I would definitely be on the naughty list and talked about daily. Having to live up to constant expectations is exhausting.

That is why I am thankful for the stories that Bateman brings to us. She crafts strong characters that live life as they see fit, not for how others see them. In this story, we meet so many wonderful characters that will become the basis of a new series.

The plot is fresh and fun. I love how she develops the main characters to find and fall for each other while adding the marriage of convenience trope to it too. These characters are burning up together and Bateman brings the heat too.

Second Duke’s The Charm is a fun story that is sweet, and romantic, and these two are adorable together! I cannot wait for more in this series.

This book was so much fun! Marriage of convenience is a favorite of mine and this one really hit the spot for me.

Justin and Tess are delightful together. They have wonderful chemistry in the bedroom, but Justin has told her he will not love her. Their marriage is strictly business and pleasure. As you would expect, things get complicated when he realizes he actually likes her.

Other noteworthy things:

- A horse named Fool For Love
- A puppy that will happily pee on your shoes
- A prologue straight out of Weekend At Bernies
- Creative uses for a pearl necklace
- Two wonderful besties
- Truffle hunting

A truly fun read. I will absolutely be continuing the series and checking out Kate Bateman's backlist.

I received an ARC of this book from #Netgalley all opinions are my own.

This was an enjoyable historical romance. Tess Townsend was forced by her father to marry the aged Duke of Wansford who fortuitously died on their wedding night. Her father died shortly after. Leaving Tess as the virginal Duchess of Wansford and a woman with more freedom than most in 1814.

Tess and her two best friends form an investigations agency for problems too small or too delicate for the Bow Street Runners. Even the Queen comes to call when she needs someone to recover some indiscreet letters the princess wrote when she was much younger.

Tess would like to explore her sensual side but her position makes it difficult. She and her friends attend a racy party where she meets the perfect man and the two exchange some kisses and petting. Imagine her surprise when she learns that the man she shared those intimacies with is the new Duke of Wansford.

Justin Thornton never expected or wanted to inherit a dukedom. He's a self-made man who has amassed riches in his shipping business. Nor has he ever expected or wanted to fall in love. But when he discovers that Tess is the woman who rocked his world at the party, he does propose that they marry and become lovers and then part after three months before they can either fall in love or get bored with each other.

Tess demands some concessions which will secure her financial independence but agrees knowing that she is risking her heart.

I liked this first in a series about women working to find their places in society. The characters were well-drawn and interesting. I'll be looking for Tess's best friend's stories.

I chose this from the NetGalley catalog because the cover and synopsis appealed to me greatly. This was my first experience with Kate Bateman and it certainly won't be my last. The chemistry, dialogue, and characterizations were all total bangers. The couple had such magnetism and the writing was very compelling. I had a wonderful time reading this and I didn't want to put this book down. I fell in love with these stellar characters. Although I'm sorry you can't convince me that Justin is a sexy name. It seriously took me out whenever it was moaned in moments of passion.

One of my favorite elements of Second Duke's the Charm was the strong theming. Red was a key motif that was utilized heavily in this book. The heroine wore red clothing at important moments in the novel, the hero called her Scarlet, and I'm pretty sure it was his favorite color by the way he salivated when she wore that particular shade. The book even featured a beautiful crimson dress on the cover. Everything tied in really well together and I was so just enthused over something as simple as color theory. It's a small thing to notice, but I'm a total nerd who overanalyzes everything. When I finished this book, the first thing I thought was, "Man, this guy really liked the color red, huh?"
 
Second Duke's the Charm was a wonderful surprise and I'm so pleased that I gave this book a chance. I definitely want to read more from Kate Bateman and I hope to start exploring her past publications soon. The characters and writing style were incredibly inviting. I certainly hope there isn't any more emphasis on color in future books of the Her Majesty's Rebels series, but Second Duke's the Charm!

I really enjoy Kates Bateman’s strong female characters and this book is no different. In the first book in this series, we meet Tess Townsend and her friends who run King & Co, a detective agency. They use the pseudonym Charles King to hide the fact that they are three women who are doing the work. This reminded me of the 80’s TV show Remington Steele where a woman did the work, and a man was the figurehead. Tess was forced to marry a duke who died on their wedding night before the marriage was consummated. The search for an heir takes several years until a distant relative is found, Justin Thornton. Tess worries about losing her freedom when the new duke steps. Justin is reluctant to step into the roll. They meet and sparks fly. They enter into an agreement and get married. While it is intended as a marriage of convenience, they fall in love. I look forward to seeing what happens with the other ladies of King & Co.

The Second Duke’s the Charm by Kate Bateman grabbed my attention from the first line of the prologue and wouldn’t let me go. The prologue is a great setup for the series, introducing the three ladies of King & Co.: Tess, Ellie, and Daisy.

Bateman writes strong heroines whom I can easily believe are behaving in a way that may have actually happened. Tess is the next heroine who follows in that tradition. My favorite heroines are ones who are willing to do what it takes to look out for themselves and those they love. Tess is a gutsy heroine, and I love that about her. Woe unto those who underestimate her!

Justin is a hero who is capable of matching Tess in more ways than one. Some of my favorite heroes are men who weren’t raised as nobility, but they turned out to be an unexpected heir. Justin fits that description. Of course, it never hurts when they’re tall, dark, and handsome either!

Tess and Justin on their own are impressive, but when they get together the sparks that fly ignite their chemistry. They have some quite steamy encounters! While Bateman can write an incredibly steamy scene, she also excels at writing the emotional and humorous scenes. I particularly enjoyed the scenes in which Tess and Justin were negotiating.

Ellie and Daisy are strong supporting heroines in their own right. I can’t wait to see whose story is told next! I suspect it may be Ellie’s based on the epilogue, but we’ll see. Regardless, I’ll be here for it because Kate Bateman is most definitely on my list of must-read authors!

I received an ARC from the author via NetGalley. The opinions expressed above are mine.

How many tropes can you roll into a single book? We’ve got a virgin widow, female detectives, one-night stand in disguise, widow with her late husband’s heir, and marriage of convenience all in one. Tess becomes a widow to her much older husband on her wedding night and then uses her newfound freedom and independence to open an investigative agency with her two best friends. Two years later, wealthy shipping merchant Justin is identified as the next duke and stops by a scandalous house party on his way to claiming the title. There, he meets Tess is disguise and they have an amorous encounter as strangers, neither realizing that they will soon meet under different circumstances. When they properly meet at a ball, Justin immediately proposes a marriage of convenience to Tess, since it will save Justin the trouble of finding a proper wife and they get to continue their physical relationship. From there, we navigate a relationship where Tess is trying hard not to fall in love, and Justin denying that he has a heart. We also have Tess and her friends working on a case in secret in the background. With all the things going on in this book, it was definitely a page-turner and kept me entertained.

Second Duke’s the Charm by Kate Bateman is enormous fun to read. Tess is a beautiful and smart 21 year-old. Justin is wealthy, well-built, and handsome. This looks like the beginning of a lovely, predictable, 1814 romance. Let the reader beware Kate Bateman creates surprises at every turn. Tess and Justin defied this reader’s expectations at every turn delightfully.

Second time is the charm for Tess. After a disastrous first marriage, she finds love in the most unexpected place. Tess was scared to leave her independence as a widow, to enter into a new agreement of marriage, but she did with Justin.I enjoyed this book they were really funny parts, and the love scenes were fire.

I wished that they would’ve been more transparent with each other from the beginning, but I understand why they weren’t. They use that as a angsty ploy point in their relationship.

If you are a fan of regency/historical romance, you will probably enjoy this. I find this genre to be hit or miss for me but I took a chance on this book as the synopsis suggests there's a heavy mystery element but that ended up being minimal. All in all, I think this was just not a book for me.

I found the marriage of convenience trope enjoyable. While not the best banter I have read, I did find myself enjoying the back and forth between Tess and Justin. I am always a sucker for a sassy best friend type character and Daisy and Ellie had a few lines that had me literally laughing out loud. While I loved that the women were pushing the boundaries of what a "proper lady' was, I just didn't find myself attached to the characters. The mystery I was expecting was lacking and there was a secondary mystery that came out of left field and honestly it just felt clunky. This is the first book in a new series but the storyline wraps up, leaving you with just a little hint of what might come next.

I think I just expected something different. I do love a good romance novel and marriage of convenience trope, but this just didn't quite hit the mark for me.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC.

This is a cute, fast paced and steamy romance. It's the story of Justin and Tess and their marriage of convenience. She needs to ditch her virginity and he wants the job. He also wants to avoid matchmaking of any kind. Tess is the perfect solution to keeping his life simple and getting what he wants.

Their instant lust was so easy to sink into. I felt like the mystery portion of this story was lumped in as needed and didn't flow well with the romance, but it did provide the conflict that lead them apart and together. I like her friends and I liked them as a couple. Bateman writes a historical romance that feels easy to read and is just fun.

Kate Bateman's the Second Duke's the Charm is another wonderful romance from a leader in this field. Kate has the knack of conjuring just the right amount of sexual tension, mystery and romance to keep the reader on the edge of her seat so she'll continue turning pages, and this novel's main characters Tess and Justin are no exception. They exude sexual tension, although they try to ignore it to keep the business side of their deal above board, but it won't be long until we're enjoying all aspects of this wonderful Regency Romance. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars (Round to 4)

This was a cute story with a ML who received a title he wasn't expecting and doesn't believe in love and a FL who is a widow after being forced her first marriage and is hoping to find someone to love her someday.

I do wish we would have gotten to know a bit more about some of the other side characters and a little more overall character development. I'm also a sucker for dramatic moments in a romance, but this book's dramatic moment fell a bit flat for me!

Overall, a cute story and I'm interested to see where the next book goes with her friends.

Second Duke's the Charm is a charming love story between Tess and Justin. Tess is a widow whose first husband (and a duke) who died before they could consummate their marriage. Justin is a wealthy businessman who learns he is distant heir to the dukedom. Between navigating a detective business whose client is Queen Charlotte and hiding her virginity and lack of sexual knowledge, Tess has a lot on her plate. The story is fun, and is the first in a series about the romantic lives of the women who secretly run a detective agency.

I was so pleasantly surprised with this book. I knew I would like it based on the description on the back but I didn’t realize I would like it as much as I did.

The book follows Tess who is able to enjoy her freedom as a young, wealthy widow but one that is still a virgin. She has a meet cute with the new Duke but doesn’t realize it is him as she gives him her first kiss. They meet again at a ball and Justin hatches a plan to have her become his duchess so that he can avoid meddling women trying to marry him and she is financially better off then before. So begins a friends with benefits agreement that is quite spicy.

The chemistry between these two was steamy, their love story is very sweet but also fraught with tension as Justin and Tess resist their growing feelings. Then their is a mystery happening in the background. All my favourite things wrapped into a book, I loved it! So happy it is part of a series as the secondary characters were awesome as well. Looking forward to the next book already.

I would like to send my thanks to NetGalley and the author for the eARC in exchange for my review.

I am a historical romance lover and this was a fascinating and refreshing read. Combining romance and mystery can be difficult but it was done well here. Really enjoyed the friendship between the women being well fleshed out and not just an afterthought!!

"Second Duke's the Charm" the first in the new series '"Her Majesty's Rebels" blends romance, mystery and friendship into a fast-paced engaging read.

I really enjoy reading stories that are centered around strong friendships and this group of women in my opinion really made this book stand out. I loved their dynamic and I'm definitely looking forward to reading future books to see where their storylines go .

The romance between the the FMC Tessa and MMC Justin ticked off everything I would expect in a historical Romance.

I think this book is a great fit for anyone who likes reading about opposites attracting, marriage of convenience, spice and playful banter.

Thank you Net Galley, Kate Bateman and St. Martin's press for providing me with an ARC of this book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an eARC of this book via NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Paperbacks. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 5/5 Stars
Publishing: December 26, 2023
Series: Her Majesty’s Rebels #1
Pages: 320

There is not too much I can say about Kate Bateman except that I truly love her novels that I have read thus far, and the author’s writing style. This new series “Her Majesty’s Rebels” brings a mixture of romance and mystery to the pages that leaves you captivated with all the nuances that draws you into the characters of the story. Heroine, Tess who is widowed, empowered and very much a novice in the ways of intimacy due to her husband dropping dead at her feet on their wedding night embarks on experiencing passion with a total stranger. She ventures to a known club and shares a kiss with a stranger who happens to be Justin Thornton, the next duke in line. The two enter a marriage of convenience that leads to an intimate relationship.

On the flip side, Tess, Daisy, and Ellie own a private investigative agency under the guise of a male proprietor. The plot thickens when they are hired by the Queen to investigate a blackmail scheme that late includes someone trying to kill Justin. I really enjoyed this story from beginning to end. It was fast paced and moved effortless on the pages. I also loved the strong, independent female characters. The hero and heroine are likeable characters and pit against one another well. Looking forward to the next in the series…Daisy or Ellie’s story. Highly recommend the read.