The Duchess Takes it All is a fun read. I like a woman who can disrupt a man’s life and Tamsin Palmer is certainly able to do that to Christian August. She can do it with a smile too. Michelle McLean has given us a wonderful escape read for a long winter’s night. Plenty of witty dialogue, two marvelous characters and a story that is a great read. Recommend to all who enjoy Regency Historical Romance books.

Tamsin had always found it difficult to fit in with the ‘ton’ because her father was a jewel merchant. The fact she was now a duchess made little difference, although she did have a group of loyal friends. Christian, Count of Rauchberg came into her life after the death of her husband. Although not exactly enemies, they were not friends as they both had different views on what they wanted. Christian had a strong sense of duty, Tamsin also has a secret that she doesn’t wish Christian to know about. It did take me a while to get into this story but then I really enjoyed it. I did wonder how things might work out for them and there were some heartbreaking moments, before a satisfying ending was achieved. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am certain that other people will really love this one; in fact, early reviews are really positive. Unfortunately, for me, it just didn't work. To be fully transparent, I read about 51% and then skimmed the rest for the major plot points because I was tired of this couple. I immediately disliked the hero, Christian, and nothing he really did made me feel any different about him. He starts off being aggressively overbearing for no discernable reason other than he likes to follow rules? Then he sort of flipflops on his actions a lot, in my opinion. I just didn't care for his attitude at all. The heroine was fine. I liked her spunk for the most part. Her whole side schtick with the art I thought was really going to go somewhere, but it also didn't? There is also a spoiler that I won't say here that really turned me against their "love story" and I was just really done with them. I don't know that this author is for me, but I do know that other people will really enjoy this story, and I hope they find it.

Tasmin Palmer, the Duchess of Clevesly, is approaching a year from being widowed. Her young son, the Duke is almost two and in her care. She has no desire to remarry as she has wealth, title and properties but she does want to be accepted by society. She brought wealth to the elderly Duke she married, as her father was a prosperous jewelry merchant. She does have a couple of close friends and allies who support her so she is not entirely ostracized by the ton.

The arrival of Christian August, the Count of Rauchberg, upsets her plans. Christian is cousin of the dead duke and has been entrusted to oversee the Duchy estate and is co-guardian of the young Duke. Tasmin is happy to have him in charge of the properties but isn’t thrilled when he insists on overseeing her son as well. When he takes them to her country house when she wants to remain in London she pushes back in fun ways.

Of course there is attraction and longing. But both have a lot to lose if they follow their passions. I found the set up very interesting and yet frustrating at times. I was never clear if she wanted personally to be accepted by the ton for herself or for her son’s sake. She was willing to jump through their hoops and yet was always dignified and got a smidge of revenge through her side gig. Usually the man has all the power in these types of books but Christian was bound by German laws which I learned were slightly different from Englands. The heat factor is low. It is open door, but has limited descriptions. Overall I enjoyed the book and was very satisfied with the grand gesture and the HEA.

Wow! I absolutely loved this book. Amazing characters and wonderful plot. Very beautifully written and easy to read.

Tamsin Palmer is a Duchess of Clevesly and is recently widowed. Her late husband assigned a co-guardian for their son, Count of Rauchberg, Christian August.

Their heated arguments quickly grew into heated encounters of the other side. I loved their chemistry and passion. They were made for each other.

Overall I loved this book very much. If you’re looking for an enemies to lovers, single mom, historical romance then you’re going to love it.

I wasn’t a huge fan of historical romances until I found Michelle McLean books. They are well written, fun and very enjoyable. The chemistry between Tamsin and Christian was off the charts. There was humor and lots of heart in this enemies to lovers (my favorite trope) romance. This book had great conflict to keep me reading from start to finish. I loved everything from the fun pranks and even the fact that it’s a slow burn. Great story! Huge thanks to Entangled Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this story.

Never belonging

Tamsin Palmer, the widowed Duchess of Clevesly never belonged.
Not because she didn’t know how to behave, but because she was a rich merchant's get and the ton never let her forget it.
So Tamsin now lives in London, not in the country as her husband had kept her, has a loyal group of friends, was shunned by society, and tried to have the ton reflect on itself by publishing anonymous caricatures of ton behavior.
Into this situation stepped her son’s guardian from a small German satellite state, August Christian, Count of Rauchberg, Prince Heinrich, who was determined to assist the helpless widow.
What August didn’t bank on was falling in love. Then again neither did Tamsin.
Their story has some wonderful twists and quite a few laughs--despite being not quite enemies and a long way to becoming lovers!
Most enjoyable!

An Entangled ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I have mixed feelings about this one. I like Tamsin and Christian. I like their chemistry. I like that he is from a different country with different rules that we could learn about. I did not like that the characters have the same conversations with each other over and over when they should be having those conversations with other people. I also did not care one whit for Tamsin's need for acceptance; it didn't ring true, and she should have talked more about her charities. But the thing that really got to me was the fact that is revealed in the penultimate chapter. Why didn't we know that ages ago? I thought Christian was just being overly cautious (which we have been told that he is). Knowing it would have changed my feelings about several things, but I was already irritated when I found out. Now I am just exasperated. Maybe someday I will reread it and enjoy it more, but today is not that day.

Tamsin Palmer the recently widowed Duchess of Clevesly has almost anything a woman of common birth could want: wealth, title, estate, and even her adored toddler son. But it's not exactly easy. She's been ostracized by the ton as she’s a jewellery merchant’s daughter. And worse still, her dearly departed duke has assigned a co-guardian of their son: the Count of Rauchberg, who seems most insistent on dictating the terms of Tamsin's duchy. Christian August has never been so vexed in his life. He's come to help raise the duchess's son, and in return, she's doing everything she can to destroy his peace of mind.
A well written enjoyable romance. I really liked both Christian & Tamsin, two lonely souls who gradually fall in love. There was lovely chemistry, witty banter, pranks & a slow burn romance. It was different as Christian is a German count. A captivating romance which I thoroughly enjoyed
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

There was a lot that I didn’t buy in this book. It seemed that the author was trying too hard to set up barriers for the couple in this book. The heroine is a duchess, but came from the merchant class so, apparently, she couldn’t be accepted by high society. And he’s from a small German principality who can’t marry someone who isn’t from a sufficiently high enough level in her family. Add in that he made a bad impression on our heroine by seeming critical of her when they first met.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I received The Duchess Takes it All in return for an honest review as part of the tour hosted by TLC book Tours.

Tamsin didn't marry for love but she did for duty and when she ends up a young widow with her son she has no plans to get married again. She has her own plans and agenda's to earn her place in society and raise her son. However fate it not on her side, Christian is duty bound to take care of his cousins young wife and son as well as get his estates in order. Little did he know that Tamsin was going to challenge him every step of the way.

I just love Tamsin she's such a wonderful character and she instantly has me cheering her on in her adventures. I loved that she tormented Christian while they were in the country. They have this sweet snarky connection that I just loved and he's perfect for her even if it wasn't obvious to them right from the start.

I ended up devouring this one almost in one sitting as I started it in the evening and ended up having to stop for bed but I finished it first thing in the morning. I loved the characters they were easy to connect with and it makes it hard to put down. The author has done a beautiful job creating a captivating story. This is my first book by the author but I'm hooked and need to read her backlist. I'm a huge historical romance fan and this one checked all the boxes it even had me giggling out loud which I loved.

This story really holds true to its title. Tamsin, a widowed duchess, was in a perilous position. As the daughter of a wealthy merchant, she was only a noble through marriage. Her late husband's cousin, a German count, had arrived to handle estate matters and to act as guardian for her young son. She feared that he would jeopardize her newly found freedom.
Christian genuinely wanted to help Tamsin and her son. He felt that it would be in Tamsin's best interests to marry again. He never intended to marry her himself because he knew that he had obligations back home. He was an excellent hero in that, by the end of the novel, he was willing to sacrifice everything for his lady. Tamsin did eventually come around, but it felt like her sacrifices were not as extreme.
This book was unique in that the foreign characters were German, and not the usual French. I wish that the author had given Tamsin some knowledge of German--it would have made eavesdropping on private conversations much more believable!
This enemies to lovers story was entertaining and sometimes angsty. Many obstacles needed to be overcome before a happy ending could be reached. There were several supporting characters that will hopefully be getting books of their own. I really hope that Christian's brother Conrad gets his own story.
I received a free ARC from NetGalley and this is my honest review.

I flew through this historical romance, which features a strong-willed Duchess and an overbearing Count who can’t stop pushing each other’s buttons (and who can’t stay away from each other).

THOUGHTS 💭
🐐 Watching Tamsin and Christian’s slow descent into love was funny and full of mischief and frustration; I love when characters fall for each other, despite themselves.
🐐 There is a wonderful, supportive found family component of this book that I adored; despite Tamsin’s tricky relationship with the ton (particularly during her time of mourning after the death of her first husband), she has a group of wonderful people in her corner.
🐐 I love that our FMC, a “common-born” person turned Duchess, is a strong woman who quietly fights for what’s right.
🐐 Christian is, at times, an extremely irksome MMC who exerts his power over Tamsin and her son in the name of what is “right” for him, according to his upbringing and the rules of the ton/his home country.
🐐 I think the forbidden nature of ANY relations outside of marriage is what I love most about historical romances. Though these two have a love that is forbidden and their heartbreak all but assured, I couldn’t help but root for them.

Thanks so much to Michelle McLean and Entangled Publishing for the ARC of this book!

I really enjoyed this romance between a widowed English duchess (born a commoner) and her son's guardian, a German count. It's not quite enemies to lovers, but there's definitely a lot of inherent friction between two individuals who generally respect each other, but think the other is misguided about many, many things.

The romance verges on the forbidden thanks to some fascinating facts about marriage and inheritance in the German nobility. It made me realize that the class difference romance novels set in England that I eat up are made possible by the relative laxness concerning class intermarriage. McLean does a great job of presenting the issue in a way that I could grasp as a reader. And as a romance, it led to a ton of angst and a great grand gesture!

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

The Duchess Takes it All by Michelle McLean is a historical romance. The novel focuses on Tamsin Palmer who is the newly widowed Duchess of Clevesly. Her husband’s death has left her with enough money to live on, her cherished son, James, and a group of friends. The other gift it gave her was she is now able to control her own destiny. The Tonne is not particularly nice to her since she married into the title from a working class family. However, she has taken her artistic talent to making political cartoons to allow the Tonne to see how they are to the regular people, with mixed success.

All that comes to a screeching halt when the Count of Rauchberg, Christian August, shows up as the co-guardian appointed by her deceased husband. The man has some outdated ideas about what is proper for a widow and expects her to fall in line. Tamsin has no intention of falling in line and questions everything that the count tries to do. Certainly, causing no small amount of grief for both of them.

The book is an enemies to lovers trope with lots of longing looks and passionate kisses. The Duchess Takes it All by Michelle McLean is a good read.

I love historical fiction and romance so I was really excited to read this book. This is the first time I have read anything from Michelle McLean and I enjoyed her writing style. This book gives a strong Bridgerton vibe which was enticing. In the beginning, I had a bit of a hard time connecting with the main characters Tamsin and Christian. There were so many moments where the romance between them felt very off-putting and disjointed in the plot line. However, as their story blossoms and they understand eachother’s feelings and view points, their romance blooms and becomes more natural. I did like Tamsin’s fun nature and her little pranks though, they made for so many lighthearted and entertaining moments.

This is my first by this author, so I had no exposure to any of the characters before this. This book made me feel like I was reading a Bridgerton story. The banter was fantastic! This was a quick, fun read.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Michelle McLean and Entangled Publishing for this ARC copy.

Tamsin is Duchess of Clevesly and newly widowed. Christian, her husband’s cousin is appointed as trustee and co-guardian of her son. Right from the start, Tamsin is direct and not afraid to verbally spar with Christian. Unfortunately, in those times, he still has the upper hand and hence off they go to the countryside of Herringbrook, with her young son, James.

Tamsin is desperate to return to London – to her friends and to her “work”. Thus, she kickstarts her plan to convince Christian that London should be where they should be. This causes many funny scenes between them and some totally outrageous ones.

Despite her current status as a duchess, Tamsin is a daughter of a merchant and hence not noble enough. While Christian is attracted to her, he is bound by duty to marry someone of noble blood. Will he choose duty or will he choose Tamsin?

The romance is more of a slow burn as both of them try their best to fight their mutual attraction. Tamsin is also hesitant to commit to any relationship as she has finally obtained her freedom through her status as widow.

I enjoyed the scenes when they discussed the caricatures and I would love to see actual drawings of them as they sound hilarious. The scenes between Frederick and Christian were also lovely and I enjoyed their close friendship and brotherhood.

While this isn't the best from the author, this was still such a good read. It was well paced, with characters that I adored and a plot that I hadn't read in historical romance for quite some time. I LOVED the set up where it is a widowed duchess ready to protect her son and her own newfound freedom.

Tamsin Palmer, the widowed Duchess of Clevesley has never really been accepted by society despite her advantageous marriage to a Duke, in the eyes of the ton, she is nothing more than a wealthy Cit whose father bought her a title, and sadly the duke, while considerate to her physically, did nothing to smooth her entrance into the upper echelons of society, preferring to have her stay in the country with their infant son. But now that her mourning is almost complete, she hopes to finally find her place in the ton, raise her son, continue to use her art to make a difference and live happily independent ever after. And then she met him…

Christian August, Count of Rauchberg, is a German noble and cousin to the late duke. He was named by his cousin as executor of the dukedom and co-guardian to his young son. Christian is all about duty and thanks to his mother being of lower birth than his father, knows firsthand how cruel society can be to those they deem as lesser mortals. He believes he will go to England, set the estate to rights, form a plan for the young duke’s future and then return to Germany, marry an acceptable bride and live dutifully ever after. And then he met her…

This book was entertaining, but not quite the story I was expecting. I was hoping for a light, fun read and it started out that way and then for some unknown reason, the author decided to crank up the angst and made the characters miserable before easily solving the problem and giving them a HEA. Overall, it was an OK read, but not one I would re-read. This book doesn’t appear to be the start of a new series but does have several secondary characters that might get stories of their own.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *