I have enjoyed every Kate Bateman book I've read and this first book in Her Majesty's Rebels series was a solid start to this series. I love that this series is about three women who have been lifelong friends, opening their own detective agency and taking on cases that Bow Street doesn't have time for, and that the cases are mainly women seeking help.

Tess has been thrown into a life she never wanted, being forced by her father to marry a decrepit Duke so that her father could try and get out of the financial ruin he's found himself in. Luckily for her, the old man dies on their wedding night, and she now is a widowed duchess with the means to follow her dreams and help those less fortunate.

Justin was truly the most reluctant duke I've ever seen. He's amassed his own fortune, so he truly doesn't want to take on the responsibilities of the duchy. That is, until he meets the widow of the former duke. Someone who first caught his attention years ago, when he was just an up-and-coming merchant. Now he's got the means to stand toe to toe with her, even without having inherited the duke title.

The attraction between Justin and Tess was tangible, and I loved the interactions they had. I loved how Tess was trying to show him the real her, even when she had SO many secrets she needed to continue hiding. And I loved how Justin, a professed bachelor who swore he'd never fall in love, slowly succumbed to Tess's charms until he couldn't imagine life without her.

This was a fairly fast paced story; the action kept me turning the pages. I was very satisfied with how this story turned out, and I'm excited to see what the stories will be for both Ellie and Daisy.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I’m a fan of Kate Bateman, so I was thrilled to receive an arc of her newest book, Second Duke’s the Charm, the first in her new series, Her Majesty’s Rebels. 🕵️‍♀️

Tess, the Duchess of Wansford, narrowly escaped a miserable life when her elderly husband dies on their wedding night. Tess uses her newfound power and wealth as a widow to create a detective agency with her two best friends, Ellie and Daisy. They work to right wrongs done to women of the ton, and word of mouth keeps them busy. Imagine their surprise when none other than Queen Charlotte herself arrives on their doorstep asking for their help! The ladies quickly come up with a plan to help the Queen using Tess and her status as Duchess to their advantage.

While going about their investigations, the new Duke of Wansford is coming to town and jeopardizes Tess’s standing as an independent woman. Luckily for her, the new Duke is none other than the handsome man she kissed at a country party, Justin Thornton. 😱

Justin, not on the lookout for a wife, but knowing the marriage minded mamas of the town will hound him for his wealth and newfound title, proposes a marriage of convenience with young Duchess, Tess. Assuming Tess is an experienced widow who freely takes lovers, Justin believes three months of parading about town as man and wife and heating up the marriage bed will be enough to satisfy both of their desires so they can then live separate lives. However, unbeknownst to everyone but Tess and her friends, Tess is not an experienced widow. Fearing Justin will take away her independence and her detective agency, Tess is determined to play the lusty widow. This leads to some super steamy scenes! 🔥

My biggest complaint is that Justin often referred to Tess’s experience in a manner most would view as degrading or negative. He always said he was a businessman so he saw her marrying a wealthy old man, and then himself, as her being a shrewd businesswoman, but it still felt a bit icky. I also felt that during the final reveal of the who-done-it, Justin’s actions were more severe than necessary. And his subsequent grovel, haha! I won’t lie, I wanted more, but it was actually really funny, and I can appreciate it! 😂🐎

I’m looking forward to the next book in Bateman’s Her Majesty’s Rebels series. I hope it’s Ellie’s story, but Daisy is a bit of fun, so I’ll be happy with either one!

Thank you to the publisher and the author for the complimentary arc. All opinions are my own.

It's hard for me be to objective about Kate Bateman because she was a love at first read author for me and almost everything I've read by her has been five stars for me. But I think that even if I didn't know who had written this, it would still have been a five star for me. It ticked all of my historical romance boxes - a bit of mystery, a bit of adventure, a mistaken identity romantic interlude, a marriage of convenience between two people who are obviously very into each other, and a group of women secretly running an investigative agency. I found Tess and her friends so delightful, and I enjoyed Justin as the sort of grumpy reluctant Duke of Wansford. I can't wait for more in this series. I tried to savor this but I was having so much fun that I couldn't.

Kate killed this one as always!! Great read. Loved the leading lady and of course her man is swoon worthy as always. Excited for this new series!

It’s an intriguing story with Tess the beautiful young widow and Justin the new Duke. I liked that Tess still believes in love, even though her own father used her for his own gain. I think Justin is perfect for her but there are obstacles, with Justin being the main one. It was great to see that Tess has her own surprises which adds to the story. It is a beautifully written love story that was very entertaining and I enjoyed reading. Bateman is a great writer who has never disappointed me and this story is worth reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.

I had mixed feelings about this book. It started great but I felt it was all over the place and didn’t keep me interested. It was a shame because I have read other books by her and enjoyed reading them.

A quirky and delightful story of independence and love. Tessa and Justin compliment each other in the best sense.

I really like her writing and plotting. Truly, no one else is doing this kind of stuff right now. There was a little too much happening in this one, though. It took me out of the main story. There is a great girl gang of characters, and I laughed out loud several times at their interactions. Good banter between the main characters, and great side characters.

No one is more surprised than I at the fact that I did not devour Kate Bateman's latest. I was so looking forward to Second Duke's the Charm. It sounded absolutely intriguing, and I always tear through this author's stories.

The beginning started off well, but for whatever reason, the story stalled fairly quickly for me. I don't know what it was.....the pacing, the lack of connection between Tess and Justin, their names? (I kid. Sort of. I truly don't care for either of those names though.) Either way, the story kind of dragged for me, and like I said, I did not expect that at all.

I'll still come back for the next one.

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***

Loved it! Big, grumpy, hot hero. A heroine with gumption, grace, and a brain. A marriage of convenience with benefits, and a smattering of jealousy and My Wife (!) feelings. Sigh. Kate Bateman is the Tessa Bailey of historical romance. So, so good.

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin’s Publishing.

Reading a Kate Bateman book, for me, is like settling down with a box of chocolate truffles. I know I'm going to enjoy every minute. This one delivered all the elements I particularly expect from Bateman: a saucy heroine who's a softie on the inside, a grouchy but terrifically handsome hero who melts like butter when he finally falls in love, supporting characters who run off with every scene, fun banter, and love scenes so steamy I get self-conscious if reading in a public place, like the hair salon.

There are a lot of devices in this plot and I admit I was at first worried they might cloud the story. There's the sudden death of Tess's husband, the duke, on their wedding night, leaving her a virgin. Absolutely no consequences to this, as Tess goes on to be an independent widow and start an investigative agency with her funny best friends. Justin Thornton, the new duke through a long series of accidents, is rich, handsome, successful, and lucky. He wants one last fling before he sets out a-wife hunting; she wants one real kiss. So they meet as a riotous house party, leave without knowing one another's names, naturally meet up again in London, and decide a marriage of amorous convenience is their obvious solution. It's all quite fun.

There's a long, passionate interlude as they honeymoon on the estate, with a side of truffle hunting; I love that Bateman always brings in something unique. But they're both still stuck behind their masks: Justin believes it is unwise to fall in love, and Tess is keeping her investigative business from him. Then, quite suddenly, there are threats on their lives that need to resolved.

These two never really worried me that they wouldn't get together; they were essentially together before they even met. Turning pages on this one was having the truffle put in my hands before I even had to reach for it. I enjoyed every bite.

Forced to marry the first time but her gross elderly husband dies of a heartattack when he sees her the first night. Thank goodness. Now 3 or so years later the long lost heir has been found on he wants a ready made duchess. Ready to keep her freedom she reluctantly agrees. Great romance and heat. Wonderful ending.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with guidelines.

I enjoyed the book. The characters I felt are all interesting and bring to the storyline some interesting entertainment to keep busy by reading. The romance starts as a challenge for the two main characters, but as the story progresses things starts to warm up rather quickly. My interpretation of the main character Theo us that he is a Rake personified. The man may have looked like a hot god in my imagination, but he reads like someone who needs to be pulled down from that cloud of his and Tessa is the right woman to do that for him. I will say for Tessa’s character. I would have liked for her age to be a lot older. Perhaps twenty four or older. The writer can also give a guesstimate age range.I found the book a good read.

This book starts off very strong. It has what I want: a likable heroine, an intriguing mystery element, and marriage of convenience trope. The banter of Tess and Justin was enjoyable and the spice was giving but sometimes, was a bit excess on the steam. Justin also isn’t my type of hero so I couldn’t root for the couple as much as I’d hoped. Also, by the half-way-point, my interest in them as a couple peters out. Overall, this is well-crafted and charming book but isn’t the most memorable historical romance I’ve ever read. Yet, I still would read the rest of the series!

There's something about Kate Bateman's writing that will always have me hooked. She has a great sense of humor and her heroines always have a well-rounded, full personality. Plus, the heroes always have me kicking my feet. This one is no different.

Anything and everything Kate Bateman writes gets added to my to be read list. I was fortunate to obtain an advanced copy of this book for my honest review. Run, don’t walk when this book hits the shelves, I finished in one sitting, Tess carves a life for herself following a wedding night disaster with the help of her best friends. Justin inherits the title after a lengthy search and what follows is a meeting for the ages. They have to learn to trust each other while slowly letting go of their insecurities and hidden agendas. Looking forward to the next book in this new series.

I devoured "Second Duke's the Charm" by Kate Bateman, and I can't stop gushing about how much I loved it. The story revolves around Tess Townsend, the Dowager Duchess of Wansford, who unexpectedly finds herself in possession of her newfound freedom and a mystery to solve when her elderly husband dies on their wedding night. Her journey as one of Her Majesty's Rebels, alongside her two closest friends, is both intriguing and empowering.
When Tess encounters Justin Thornton, a cynical shipping magnate who inherits a dukedom, their lives take an unexpected turn. Justin, an unexpectedly endearing and practical character, proposes a marriage of convenience and passion to meet their mutual needs. The chemistry between them is electric, and you can't help but root for this unconventional couple.
The plot is a delightful blend of romance, intrigue, and humor. I couldn't put the book down, and I found myself fully immersed in the charming world Kate Bateman has created. The secondary characters, including Tess's friends, add depth and dimension to the story. If you're a fan of historical romance with strong, independent heroines and witty, lovable heroes, "Second Duke's the Charm" is an absolute must-read.

I'm a bit torn on how to feel about this book. The romance? Great, really enjoyed the interplay between Tess and Justin, they sizzle on the page and I buy what they see in each other. All of the other conflict? It completely petered out.

The first 20% of the book isn't my favorite, it's a lot of set up and it is a definite slow start to the romance until it hits the accelerator big time. Justin is barely in town for a minute before he proposes a marriage of convenience and then the relationship plot is off with a bang. This was the strongest part of the book for me, seeing Tess and Justin interact and play off each other. Tess is a really fun character who has secrets, but she holds firm to who she is at all times. Her friendship with the other girls is great and I loved their dynamic. Justin isn't as full fledged as a character, he feels more like a stock version of a romance hero, who doesn't want to fall in love and is a self-made man, but he sparks when combined with Tess. I am also not immune to the "hardened man discovers jealousy for the first time" trope.

The problem is that I never really cared about the blackmail plot or the "who is trying to kill Justin and/or Tess" plot. It feels like an afterthought in the book with both plots wrapping up relatively easily and without much fanfare. One of them even wraps up entirely off the page and we're just told about it later. It leaves the ending as more of a whimper than a bang.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When Tess's husband dies on her wedding night, it solves all of her problems--she doesn't have to be married to an old man she has no interest in, she's still free from her father, and she has money and a place to live--and she's free to keep running an investigation agency with her two friends. But two years later the next heir to the duke is finally named, and when he shows up, Tess recognizes him as her dalliance from a party she attended in disguise,
Justin Thornton, the new duke, proposes a deal: they'll marry, so neither of them has to worry about finding a new spouse or their place in society; and they'll be lovers, so both of their needs will be satisfied. This deal will last three months, at which time he will retreat to his own residence, leaving Tess with the houses and more than enough money to live on. She agrees, hoping he won't discover that she's completely inexperienced in the bedroom.
Meanwhile, Tess and her friends are investigating a matter for the queen, and Tess is keeping this part of her life secret from her husband. But accidents keep befalling the two of them, and Justin is getting suspicious, thinking she has a lover on the side.

Overall, I found this book very fun. I loved the dynamic between Tess and Justin, and Tess's friends were great, as well. I wish it had been a little longer (I would have loved to see just a little more of Justin falling for Tess) but my only real issue was Tess's preoccupation with not being seen as a prostitute. A line or two about that would have made sense (especially as she reckoned with the fact that she was, in her words, selling herself to Justin) but there was a section of the book that focused on it way too much, which was especially disappointing considering Justin's views on prostitution were actually quite refreshing. Aside from that, I enjoyed the book and will definitely be reading the rest in the series.

This book hooked me from the start. I love a regency romance but I couldn't put this book down. The friend group was exceptional. I loved everything about this book.