The way I wanted to love this book... I was so excited to pick this one up when St. Martin's Press offered it to me in exchange for an honest review, but unfortunately it fell flat.

The book started with a bang. I immediately fell in love with Tess and her spitfire group of friends. She made the best of a crappy situation and ended out on top. She spent 2 years as a widow, building her career with her best friends and living her best life. One night she seeks some adventure at a scandalous party and meets a mysterious man who woos her thoroughly... turns out he's the new Duke! I normally don't love insta-love (or maybe lust in this case?) but Tess and Justin's chemistry is undeniable, and the spice was definitely spicy!

But here's the catch, I found Justin pushy and annoying most of the time, and after they got married the book just seemed to drag. I felt like it could have been way shorter, or maybe reorganized a little so the big reveal in the plot (outside of the romance) happens before they fell in love? I just wasn't interested anymore after they got married! Also his big romantic gesture just didn't make sense to me???

4.5 Stars! This was such a good book! This is the first book in a new series ‘Her Majesty’s Rebels’ and can be read as a standalone. The main characters are Tess & Justin and I loved both of them! The ‘sexy times’ were hot but not too long, the relationship issues were believable, the HEA ending was goosebump inducing and I found the whole book interesting and entertaining. I’d definitely recommend this book and I can’t wait to read the next in the series.
*I received this book at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book 📖

I loved this book so much - it was the perfect marriage of convenience. I don’t always like second chance romances but this one was definitely worth it and reminds me that just because I don’t like a specific trope - it doesn’t apply to every book with that trope. Tess and Justin had phenomenal banter which was the icing on the cake. (Oh and there is also a masquerade) 🎭 #SecondDukestheCharm #NetGalley

I hate reviews that start with OMG!...but really, OMG! Second Duke's The Charm by Kate Bateman is a phenomenal historical romance. I was hooked on this book by page 2 and couldn't put it down. Tess and friends own King & Co. and secretly run investigations. Justin didn't want to take over as Duke when the solicitor tracked him down, but it was easier to just accept than fight it. Tess and Justin's story is loaded with drama, fantastic characters, humor, sexy bits, action and suspense. I loved this book and look forward to my next book by this talented author. Second Duke's The Charm is book 1 of the Her Majesty's Rebels Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliffhanger.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a fun quick read from a great author. I've read many of Kate Bateman's books and this one was just as expected - heartfelt, fun, and endearing with a touch of adventure. I love that most often her heroes are already besotted with the heroine (even if takes a minute for them to realize that too). Were there a few suspend disbelief moments? Sure - the queen hires them to solve a crime which is convenient, the main characters just happen to be at all the right places at the right times. But was this still fun book, a full of strong characters that I read it all in one sitting? Also yes.

I recommend this author to anyone looking for a fun historical romance, and I feel this one is no different.

It’s Tess’ wedding day to an older man that her father had arranged. On their wedding night, he suddenly dies and Tess is extremely relieved. She gets to keep the house and her Duchess title.
Years later they finally find the next man in line to take the Duke title for the estate. Tess is shocked to find out it’s Justin since she had an intimate moment with him just days before. He offers her a proposal and deal she can’t refuse. They get married a week later. As they are getting to know each other they are targeted in two different attacks. Is someone after Justin or is someone after Tess because of her business?
Justin swears to himself to never fall in love but he’s been thinking about Tess for years. Can he stick to their agreement in this marriage or will he fall in love with Tess?

I enjoyed this book and the story line. I liked hearing both point of views from Justin and Tess. Tess’ friends Ellie and Daisy were funny! This book had some spicy moments for sure!

Tess Townsend, has a drunk for a father who now is broke and selling her to the highest bidder. After trying to run away to get out of the marriage to a decrepit old duke, her father locked her in her room for a week.

Now on her wedding night, armed, she awaits his arrival. Her friends, Ellie Law and Daisy Hamilton whom we met at Miss Honoria Burnett’s Ladies Academy, are there to help protect her. However, she didn't need protecting not since he died of heart failure.

As the solicitor looks for the next in line; Tess, Ellie and Daisy make a plan as to what they will do the rest of their lifes. Two years later they find a gentleman a few generations removed, as the previous five died from excitement extended from being name the next duke.

This one, however, was not in the same category as the others. Justin Trevelyan Thornton took over the family shipping and trading business and grew it to a financial profit and to sustainability beneficial solvency. He is logical, pragmatic, blunt, and very skeptical.

As the new “The Duke of Wansford, Justin is not thrilled since he knows you get nothing for free. Howevsr, once he sees the former Duke's Duchess he devises a plan to kill two birds with one stone.

Meanwhile, Tests and her friends have their lives going the way they want until Justin's proposition. Will she accept or decline? Misconception center around what he believes and what she shows everyone.

So come join in and have a rip roaring good time as secrets and opinions gets mashes, tossed, and shattered. Dive into the lives of the sceptical and gets and education on truffles to boot!

If you like marriage of convenience love stories, you'll be a fan of Second Duke's the Charm.

Luckily I am a fan of this trope so I was a fan of the book. The reason for the main characters marrying makes sense for the characters so I was okay with their marriage of convenience. Plus it turns out they have meet before under disguises which always ups the steamy factor for me. The spice here certainly delivers. This book is hot hot hot!

I liked the friendship between the women. I liked how supportive they were and that they ran their own detective agency. How cool is that? Excited to see more of them in future books.

This is a steamy historical read filled with marriage of convenience, intrigue and female friendship. Recommend for sure!

The beginning of this book was great! Young virgin bride forced in to a wedding not of her choosing, but boy, did she have one heck of a backup plan for her wedding night! Circumstances favored her and she inherits the dukedom as a widow. Two years later, a new duke is declared through the family tree! Once he arrives though…

Overall, I like the general storyline, but I also wanted to feel more more oomph and emotional development between Tess and Justin. Something more than just the obvious attraction/physicality of their relationship. That aside, Daisy, Ellie, and Tess were their own core of entertainment with their side career choice and I do look forward to seeing where the other two girls end up!

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book from the author/Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Totally absorbed in this book from page one. Tess is forced by her father to marry a decrepit Duke who dies on their wedding night leaving her a virgin. She has two best friends who support her and work with her in their investigative business. After a couple years, she ventures out as “Scarlet”, a masked woman in search of a steamy interlude of kissing. She encounters a stranger, Justin, whereupon the fun and games commence. She meets her stranger again in a ballroom, he recognizes her, and she finds out he is the heir to the Dukedom.
The character development with the chemistry and banter between the two, not to mention the steamy scenes makes it hard to put the book down.
Extra stars.

This book was my introduction to Kate Bateman's works, and I must say, I loved her writing style and her ability to weave romance and intrigue into one enrapturing plot! I couldn't put it down!

Tess, the (virginal) dowager duchess, is independent and courageous without being over-the-top or a man-hater. Her friendships with Elle and Daisy are the strong, unbreakable bonds we all strive for with our own relationships, and I am all for it! Their banter was quirky and funny and wonderful!

Justin is a confident but scarred man due to past trauma, and is convinced that all he needs to be happy is someone to warm his bed and, at best, to be a partner in a marriage of convenience. This is my favorite type of brooding hero because we get to follow along on their journey of healing as they fall (suddenly but not really) for the heroine.

The chemistry between Tess and Justin was superb! Add in miscommunications and catching feelings, it was *chef's kiss* amazing and I did not want their story to end.

Kate Bateman is one of my favorite historical romance authors. I enjoyed this book, although I personally prefer her Ruthless Rivals series, which was full of five star reads for me. I liked the spice and romance between the main couple. Marriage of convenience is one of my favorite tropes, and I liked that the characters were “self-made.” One of the highlights of the book was Tess’s strong friendships and her investigative efforts. I was intrigued by a female protagonist owning a business, as this can be rare in a historical romance. However, I wish that mission was explored more deeply. I appreciate how Bateman always adds some danger or intrigue to her novels. While I enjoyed the feminism and easy comraderie between Tess, Ellie, and Daisy, some of what they said didn’t seem to make sense for the historical context and pulled me out of the historical setting. Also, I found the deaths of so many heirs strange, but that was never officially resolved or explained. It felt like a loose end that was forgotten. Even acknowledging that it was a weird coincidence would have enhanced the ending.

title: Second Duke's the Charm

author: Kate Bateman

publisher: St. Martin's Paperback

publication date: December 26, 2023

pages: 320

peppers: 3 (on this scale)

warnings: on-page death, mean people, someone gets drugged to fall asleep, drunkenness, lechery

summary: Tess's greedy father forced her, at nineteen-years-old, to marry an elderly duke, who died on their wedding night. It takes two years for the solicitors to find the duke's successor, Justin, who realizes that it's to his great social advantage to marry the widowed duchess. They create a contract so that they're in no danger of falling in love.

tropes:

marriage of convenience
meeting while masked
virgin who pretends to have experience
rags-to-riches hero
heroine has a secret career

what I liked:

I'm not sure if Bateman based her heroine on Sarah MacLean's Hell's Belle's series, but this book has the same fun vibe. 
The way Bateman introduces the tropes but doesn't drag them out.
The banter between the duke and duchess.
The side plots and characters (*This is the beginning of a series, so that's a bonus.)
The book drew me in quickly and moved along without any backtracking.
Good chemistry.

what I didn’t like: nothing

overall rating: 5 (of 5 stars)

I adored this historical romance so much! It features one of my favorite tropes - marriage of convenience - and Tess and Justin made for such a fun couple. This book made me swoon multiple times (their first meeting! a bathtub scene! Scarlet!) and it also had me laughing out loud to myself too. Justin was such a charming hero and Tess was able to match him wit for wit; I loved their banter. I couldn't help but adore the way these two were determined to keep things business-like but alas, real feelings got in the way. And then the resolution to the third act conflict was absolutely fitting for this couple - a grand gesture that in some ways went slightly awry but all's well it ends well. I just loved these two fools in love.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's for the ARC.

Right off the bat the main characters had me laughing so hard. I was immediately drawn in. Then the Duke was introduced and I couldn’t read fast enough. It took me on an emotional roller coaster and the ending was perfect. It left me sad too, because I didn’t want the book to end. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

This was amazing! Loved the banter, the chemistry, the hero. So sweet. It had all I love in a historical romance. I highly recommend this author

3.5 🌟's

the blurb for this on netgalley immediately hooked me in so i decided to read it -- the beginning was so strong for me and i was loving it!!! but then the middle started dragging with the MC's just sort of having dates and sex (which is fine normally!!) but i didn't see enough character/couple development.. especially when the hero randomly said the ily even tho up until that point, he hated the idea of love??? it just didn't add up so alas :/

strong start but not so much the rest :/

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the publisher St. Martin's for the e-ARC via Netgalley. Releases December 26, 2023.

I pretty much love much everything about this book; from the plot to story, to characters, literally everything. But the thing that I seem to have loved and adored the most? It's the way Bateman has written the character, 'Tess', her arc and the ultimate journey to have her very own and well deserved HEA is commendable!

Female spies, Oh my! What a fun start to a new series. I loved these independent women and I can't wait to read the other stories. This love story was a bit of a slow burn, but once it got going it was good and spicy. I did think the ending was a bit abrupt, the bows were tied a little too neatly. That aside it was a fun book and I really enjoyed getting to know Tess and Justin. They had fabulous banter and were perfect for one another. All in all, it was a great start and I look forward to more in the series.

I enjoy Kate Bateman's books and the "Second Duke's the Charm" is no exception. There was plenty of romance, humor, intrigue and mystery. I particularly enjoyed that Tess, the widowed Duchess of Wansford, unintentionally put herself in a position where Thornton, the unexpected new Duke of Wansford, believes that she is well versed in the intimate arts, even though she has no experience at all. Therefore, during their regular intimate encounters, when Tess is experiencing unknown and unexpected degrees of pleasure, and sometimes engaging in intimate acts she had never previously heard about, she has to find a way to enjoy these new pleasures without letting on that everything is new to her. I also liked that Thornton's grand gesture to prove he was a "fool for love" both spectacularly failed and succeeded. Tess's friends and business partners, Daisy and Ellie, provided a great supporting cast.