I haven’t read anything by this author before but was drawn in by the pretty purple and red cover and the description of three women who run an investigative agency to help people being taken advantage of by those in power. From the very beginning I was drawn in and I zoomed through the book because I was enjoying it so much. The friendship between these women and their cheeky humour, the attraction and flirty banter between Tess and her new Duke… I loved that they had two different meetings under different circumstances and that they just rolled with it.

I did find myself wanting a little more of pretty much everything—the case that the women are working on, the potential murder plot, time between Tess and Justin—and especially towards the ending when it all came together in a bit of a rush. And even though I understood the message behind value and cost, it seemed a little antithetical to who Tess is and where she comes from for Justin to be gambling exorbitant amounts of money away to show his devotion (after all, the value to him isn’t equal to what that kind of money would mean to her or many of the people she’s helping!). But all in all, I really loved all of the characters, particularly the three women who run King & Co., and I can’t wait to read the other stories in this series and delving into the author’s backlist in the meantime.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of Second duke’s the charm.

I found this book really cute! I thought the characters were all really detailed and I felt like I knew them. I loved the growth shown between Tess and Justin. I really enjoyed the detective agency storyline.

This is a great and quick read. I definitely recommend.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
While this was not my favorite Kate Bateman book, it was still a fun and enjoyable read. I'm getting a bit tired of the bunch of women friends, each getting their own story trope, but I guess that's just me reading too much historical romance. What I liked is the writing, the characters, and the heated scenes. What I didn't like was just how much I had to suspend disbelief (like really, the Queen who has an entire army of servants and spies goes to seek the help of a person nobody has ever met, finds out it's actually three socialites running the business and entrusts them with sensitive Crown issues?!?). I think the book would have been better without the mystery subplot.

Second Duke's the Charm was just the read I needed! Charming and seductive, with elements of suspense and mystery... I was turning the pages and finished this story in a day!

This is book one in an all new series about three women who are friends and colleagues of a secretly owned private investigations agency. One that investigates the most scandalous crimes. Secretly, because it's unheard of for women to indulge in such activities. But Tess and her friends break the mold and do it well. Tess was only married for a day when her husband dropped dead. Now the virgin Duchess widow longs to experience physical pleasure herself. Enter Justin, the newly inherited Duke. He's all business and not looking for love. But when he finds that the ravishing woman he kissed at a party turns out to be the Duchess, he figures they can both get what they want with a marriage of convenience.

I really enjoyed this one. It's paced perfectly with all the things I love in a romance story. These two are opposites, and yet their banter and instant chemistry was undeniable. Things certainly heat up between these two quickly and while I would have hoped for a little more development, I wasn't mad about it. I enjoyed the mystery and surprises. And I really enjoyed these bestfriends. Their interactions had me smiling. A great start to a new series that I can't wait to read more of!

What You'll Find:
-Historical Romance
-Marriage of Convenience
-Widow
-Virgin
-Opposites
-Spice
-Dual Third Person POV

*I received an ARC from St. Martins Pub via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and given freely.

This book reminds me why Kate Bateman is one of my go-to historical romance authors. I was in a bit of a slump coming into this book, and thought I just wasn't in the mood to read. But as soon as I picked up this book, I was immediately engrossed. Reading slump broken! Though this was quite a far fetched plot line (realistically aren't all historical romances, I mean how many dukes were running around England back in those days?!), the author sold it well and made me enjoy going along for the ride as Tess and Justin meet, meet again, and eventually fall in love. The mystery plot and strong female friendship added excitement to the story, and I can't wait for the next books in the series, which are sure to revolve around Tess's interesting friends!

I really enjoyed reading Second Dukes the Charm. There was adventure, strong friendship between Tess and her friends and the attraction between Tess and Justin was genuine. The banter between the girlfriends was hilarious, especially Daisy’s jokes. I look forward to experiencing the book in audio on release date.

“You’ve shown me the positives. That there’s passion beyond the physical-passion of the soul. It’s longing for someone when you’re apart. Missing their smile, their presence, their humor. It’s wanting to share more than a bed with them. It’s wanting to stay.”

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Tess is happy to be single. When she meets Justin, she doesn't know what to think. I liked the different characters in this book.

Every day I get a new Kate Bateman is a good day. This series starts out with a lot of potential and I’m excited about it. I loved the concept of this, and as always Bateman draws the characters and their insecurities so well. Justin, the MC was a little pushy, but I thought this was a lot of fun.

new series from kate bateman: three friends tess, ellie and daisy use their widowhood/ family connections to solve crimes that the bow street runners don’t pick up. especially cases that involve women which leads to queen charlotte seeking them out assistance.

our hero justin becomes the duke to tess’s duchess after a series of other would be inheritors meet accidental tragic ends. their first meeting leads to misunderstandings about both of them but mostly from justin not being able to pick up a context clue to save his life.

excited to see how this series unfolds it was a really fun introduction to bateman for me.
thanks to netgalley for the arc

Kate Bateman is such a great historical romance writer, so I was super excited to hear she had a new series in the works. Second Duke’s the Charm is the first book in Her Majesty’s Rebels and follows Tess, the first rebel and one of the owners of King & Co, a private investigation company. Tess was forced into an unwanted marriage with a significantly older man who died on their wedding night before he could consummate the marriage. After two years of mishaps, Justin Thornton, a wealthy shipping magnate, inherits the title, and Tess quickly realizes Justin is the man she had a passionate moment with not long ago.

Tess longs to experience intimacy and passion, and she’s eager to lose her virginity to maintain her reputation as a free and experienced widow. And when Justin offers a marriage of convenience with no emotions attached, she agrees, believing this is her best option for maintaining her freedom. But secrets between them and people with murderous intent put their lives and futures at risk. It’s such an entertaining story with the perfect mix of mystery, drama, and romance, and it’s a great start to Bateman’s new series!

Tess and Justin have an incredible amount of chemistry, but Justin doesn’t believe in love, and Tess wants to keep her independence. They both hold each other at arm’s length, which becomes increasingly more difficult as they spend time together. Both characters also struggle to trust, which makes sense considering their histories. They have compelling stories and arcs, and I loved how they broke down each other’s walls. There were times when I wanted to shake Justin, though. He was a little oblivious and judged Tess harshly even though he was totally smitten with her. I think he did this partly to keep his walls up, much like Tess does when she isn’t completely forthcoming with Justin.

The investigation is intriguing too, and I love the women of King’s & Co. Intelligent and brave, they work really well together and prove that women are as capable as men in a society where women are considered the inferior sex. I’m excited to see who will be the focus of the next story and what kinds of investigations will come their way in future books in the series!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Paperbacks and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

I’m so glad that I got the chance to review this novel. Kate Bateman does not disappoint. From the opening scene to the final scene with the horse race, everything was perfection. I love the friendship between the three female characters and the budding romance between the main characters was great. I really appreciated that The author gave the female characters more independence than we are used to seeing in some of the female characters in historical romance novels. The conversation about contraception was hilarious. Overall five stars and would recommend to anyone who loves this genre.

I loved this story so much!

When Tess's elderly groom dies on their wedding night, she finally experiences the freedom that has eluded her throughout her childhood under her father's thumb. It takes two years to hunt down the eventual successor to the dukedom, during which Tess flourishes and establishes herself as both a duchess of grace and honor as well as a clever, successful private investigator. She and her two best friends operate a private agency that is soon tasked with rescuing Queen Charlotte's daughter from a blackmailer.

Justin is equal parts stunned and appalled to discover that he's the long-lost duke, and it takes a while for him to find his footing in his new role. When he meets the charming, beautiful, and much-younger-than-imagined dowager duchess, he pragmatically proposes a marriage of convenience, where he is rescued from the constant advances of marriage-minded mamas, and Tess is allowed to continue as the duchess without fear of being replaced.

I absolutely adore marriage of convenience stories, and this one is one of the best. Both Justin and Tess have a lot to learn about each other, while their innate chemistry drives their marriage right on past convenient and straight to passionate. Then the attempted murders start, forcing them both to wonder just how much they really know about their partner.

We've got all the secrets, misunderstandings, assumptions, and groveling that a heart wrenching romance needs to take the reader on a wild roller coaster of emotions before finally giving us a showstopping conclusion and a very satisfying HEA. I love this author's writing style and fell in love with her characters right from the very first page. If you love regency romances, it doesn't get any better than this. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I adore Kate Bateman and I am pretty sure I will love anything she shares with us readers. She always has just the right amount of angst and drama and so much chemistry for her characters.

I am super excited for this new series and having had a glance at the characters to come I absolutely can't wait for their stories to arrive!

Thank you for the early copy!

Enjoyable read! I haven't read many historical romances and covers like this don't typical spark my interest. But as soon as I read the description I was intrigued!

Tess's first marriage began with the death of her much older duke husband - before it could be "official". Fast forward and she is running the show like nobody's business and sleuthing on the side with her two best friends. When the long lost relative of her late husband inherits the dukedom, things get complicated as Tess has some secrets to hide. The two decide on a marriage of convenience, but secrets don't stay hidden for long and pretend turns into something more.

The smut was great, but this is a good book if you're wanting some plot to go along with it. I'm assuming Tess's two friends will get their own books and I would continue reading the series.

Thank you NetGalley!

Tess Townsend wasn't looking forward to marrying the ancient Duke of Wansford, so she couldn't be more relieved when he dropped dead on their wedding night. That may have left Tess as the Dowager Duchess, but it also meant she was still a virgin. Determined not to fall back into her father's clutches, Tess played up the ton's gossip, and with her new independence, she and her two best friends opened up an investigations office. It doesn't leave much pleasure in her personal life, but it's still a satisfaction whenever she closes a case.

Justin Thornton is already a shipping magnate, but it turns out he's also a Duke. As the next in line to inherit Wansford, Justin is ready to do his duty, but he can't stand the thought of scheming mamas trying to throw their daughters at him. When he kisses a masked woman at a house party that turns out to be Tess, Justin has a brilliant idea: a marriage of convenience that would suit both their needs. Tess knows she must keep her job a secret, and her latest case for the Queen causes Justin to question his new wife's motives. Justin has always sworn he would never give his heart away, so it's not like he's in danger of falling for his wife, right?

Kate Bateman said, "Let's take Charlie's Angels and make it historical," and I'm a fan. I love picking up her books because I'm guaranteed a fun time, and this fits the bill. I loved the premise of this group of women working to take down criminals. Tess and her friends are a bunch of spitfires, and I loved their dynamic. I wished we got to see more of the case they were working on because I felt like that fell by the wayside in the middle. I liked the relationship between Tess and Justin. Their chemistry was off the charts. They had such playful banter, and I loved how they poked fun at one another. Justin was your stereotypical histrom love interest who swore off love only to find himself head over heels for the main character, but I'll eat that trope up every time. I thought this was a solid start to a new series, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

I’m such a sucker for historical romances. And Kate Bateman’s books are some of the most entertaining. Perfect combination of sweet, fun and romantic.

This was a fun beginning to a new series. The interactions between Justin and Tess were fun to watch. The chemistry was PERFECT. But I wish we got a bit more in that epilogue.

I’m looking forward to the next book. These girls are fun to read about and I can wait til they each find their true loves.

This was a cute story. Tess was forced to marry a Duke who was the age of her grandfather, and on their we night of their wedding consummation he dies right beforehand. She's able to be the dowager duchess through a few more Dukes who all suffer random deaths. Finally, Justin Thornton becomes the newest Duke. He's a businessman who has spent time in Canada and is dragged to England to become the Duke and marry.

Tess is worried about having still been a virgin and attempts to meet someone (since the entire Ton generally believes she had been truly married to the previous Duke) at a party. She meets Justin and they fall in lust.
When Justin discovers she is the dowager duchess, he proposes they have a marriage of convenience and temporarily marry so he can go on with his life and she with hers.

Meanwhile Tess and her friends have been secretly working as private investigators and are currently working for the Queen. While she and Justin start falling in love, she is working to solve this mystery without letting him in on the secret.

Tess and Justin were a cute couple, I enjoyed their relationship progressing. The private investigator portion felt a bit secondary, or maybe the two stories didn't mesh that well. But they were both strong plot lines in their own right and I'd be interested in reading books featuring the other two ladies who work with Tess.

I received an advanced copy and am giving an honest review.

SECOND DUKE'S THE CHARM is the first book in a new series, Her Majesty's Rebels, by author Kate Bateman. Her Majesty's Rebels refers to three smart women who are not only close friends, but the secret owners and investigators of King & Co., one of London's most exclusive investigative agencies. It's unheard of for women to indulge in such brash behavior given the times, but Tess Townsend and her friends are good at what they do, and they enjoy the independence it affords them. After having been forced into marriage by her father to a much older man who died on their wedding night, Tess is now the Dowager Duchess of Wansford . . . and remains a secret virgin. Being a widow gives Tess the freedom to do as she pleases, and she's vowed she'll never marry or give up her independence to anyone again.

Justin Thornton is a self-made rich shipping magnate who's not happy to learn he's inherited the Wansford dukedom, but he'll do his duty to become the overseer of the estate and find a suitable woman to marry. He's certain the present duchess is too old to continue running things so imagine his surprise when he meets the beautiful and deliciously wicked Tess. Soon, the answer is obvious - a marriage of convenience that solves an issue for both. The deed is done. Now all they have to do is figure out how to control the fiery hot chemistry sparking between them. Justin doesn't believe in love and trusts no one. Tess wants to keep her independence and refuses to submit to any man. What will they do?

SECOND DUKE'S THE CHARM is simply irresistible. Kate Bateman has such a talent in gifting readers heroes and heroines that you can't help but love and pull for. The chemistry between opposites always sizzles even as they fight the attraction. The story line is intriguing with a mystery to solve, and the setting is perfect. This one moves at a brisk pace as one disaster after another threatens to derail this couple. I'm looking forward to each of the other women's stories. Highly recommended to fans of historical romance and marriages of convenience tropes.

I loved the trio of women and their investigative agency, I would have loved far more of their adventures. I'm interested in the other two women's stories. The romance started off hot and heavy and then really waned at the end. There was a big element of the plot later in the book that didn't really fit and seemed unnecessary to the story. The last part of the book felt rushed to get to a resolution and I started to lose interest. All in all it was decent but I'm hoping for a bit more out of Daisy and/or Ellie's stories.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this book! I very much enjoy Kate Bateman’s historical romances and this was a delightful introduction to a new series. There’s a big use of the miscommunication trope, I think it was handled well but I know some readers get annoyed with that trope. I feel like the romance could have used a bit more development, the transition from lust to love in their relationship was a bit rushed.