❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋
A sentimental romance , set in England And France .
Mark and Nicole , married for 10 years , living in different countries.
Secretly they still, and have always been in love , but although the feelings are strong they just don’t seem to be able to show their emotions to each other .
When situations arise Mark goes in search of Nicole and returns with her to England, but will they both get what they want this time round ?
A cant put down Novel , love tears and intrigue and a dash of murder , make this book a must read .
I read an advanced copy of this book and chose to submit a review

I made it 31% of the way through this one and realized I probably could have kept reading, but I was going to be sort of "meh" about it and would've rather used my reading time on something I felt more interested in. Things were already playing out in a very stereotypical way, and some of the romantic barriers were already feeling forced and artificial that early in the story. The hero and the heroine didn't engage me enough to set aside my issues with the story, so this one was an abandoned-for-now read for me.

I loved Grim and Nicole! Their bickering was so much fun, and they had so many twisty misunderstandings. The build-up between them was really well done. I could have done without the murder mystery plot-- we never even met the man who was murdered, so it was hard to care who had killed him or why.

Secrets and misunderstandings separate Mark and Nicole. A promotion and a murder bring them back together. Loved the girl spy’s.

A Duke Like No Other (Playful Brides #9) is my first novel by Valerie Bowman. I enjoyed it, because not only is it a steamy romance but a well written one, with a witty sparring-couple that were estranged and reunited for practical reasons, and then things change. The story well thought out which included a murder to solve; secondary characters were filled-out with personalities and just as entertaining as the main characters. I found 350-some page novel quick and easy to read. It was fun and enjoyable.

I was offered an e-ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I really enjoyed Mark and Nicole's story.,,however, Mark was a bit too prideful and stubborn and always wanted his way and never thought he was wrong. That irked me a lot about him. But for the most part, I as adore historical romances, this one was a keeper. Besides the obvious sexual chemistry between the main characters, there was a smidgen of intrigue and mystery. A who dun it so to speak, though I would have never guessed who the real culprit was. I highly recommend this book. I voluntarily read this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A truly delightful story about second chances and learning from our past mistakes. A Duke Like No Other is more than just a historical romance book. It's a story filled with redemption, love lost and gained, and a deep mystery that eventually leads the main characters to band together to solve the crime.
I really enjoyed reading A Duke Like No Other. Nicole was a wife with an estranged husband, Mark. After fleeing to France to escape her failed marriage, she led a somewhat pleasant and calm life running a lavender field and occasionally helping out the police by solving crimes. When her estranged husband finally returned from the war and needed to settle down for a huge promotion, all of her buried anger and hurt resurfaces. With a strange request, Mark finds that he needed his wife back in his life in order to gain a much sought-after position after the war. But Nicole had her own plans as well. She wanted a baby knowing that after she gave Mark what he wanted, she will once again be left alone.
A Duke Like No Other is funny, adorable, and full of miscommunication. The estranged couple obviously still had strong feelings for each other, but a huge misunderstanding drove them apart 10 years ago. The dialogue is cunning and intelligent and I couldn't help but love Mark's personality in the story. While he was stoic and steadfast, he was also putty when it came to his wife.
A Duke Like No Other is a fun story with a mystery towards the end that was also fun to discover along with the main characters.
Thank you for the ARC!

3,5 STARS

This wasn't exactly what I was expected, it wasn't bad but it didn't reach my expectations either.the blurb led me to believe this was an couple, estranged as a result of a misunderstanding, reconnecting to enable the husband to get a prestigious promotion and falling in love. Whilst it was, it was not the main plot, which revolved around solving a murder.Also I found A Duke Like No Other lacked the angst and relationship development I expect from Estranged Spouses despite having a solid premise and strong side characters. Overall, it was a great story but not one I would love to read again!

I really enjoyed this book - I'm not usually a fan of romances where the couples are split because of a (usually fairly pathetic) misunderstanding, but in A Duke Like No Other the overarching storyline and brilliant (if stubborn) characters won me over. Nicole's independence and Mark's ambition are at the same time their greatest assets - and the reason they fell in love with each other - as well as their ultimate downfall.

I wouldn't necessarily describe the book as a "spy caper", when the main plot line was solving a murder close to home, but I did enjoy the added element of Mark's espionage background and Nichole's own working life.

This book was very fun. I love a romance with former lovers reuniting, and one with lots of sexual tension and this one had both. The hero was very swoon-worthy. The end of the novel was a little rushed and kind of weird, but I can forgive that because the romance was so nice.

3.5 stars

"Sometimes life calls upon us to be the things we never thought we were meant to be."

My first Valerie Bowman book, and certainly not my least. Seems I missed out on some pretty fun (if slightly far-fetched if the other books are all like this) stories here! I really liked the writing, it was so easy to keep turning the pages, even if I did roll my eyes quite a bit here and there.

The premise of this was what initially made me request this title: a grumpy spymaster who, in order to get the promotion he wants to become Home Secretary, has to retrieve his long-estranged wife from France and pretend to be a family man, only to realize that the feelings he thought he had long since buried have actually never gone away? A woman who is determined to make the best out of a shitty situation to get what she wants and is not afraid to ask for it? A man who is dead set against reuniting with a ducal family who cut off his mother after she married a lowly Mister only to find himself entangled in a whole lot of family drama, including the murder of the heir? Sign me up!

I actually liked the first half of the story. I liked both Nicole and Mark, I thought they were a really good match, both headstrong and impulsive, neither letting the other, as Nicole out it, "run roughshod" over the other. It was nice. There could've been a whole lot more bitterness between them, and I liked that they accepted their past.

But there were some things I didn't like:
- The murder investigation, in my opinion, overshadowed the reconciliation. And, the reveal of the killer made me roll my eyes. Hard...
- The spy stuff. You have to suspend your belief quite a bit here. Nicole, a wealthy aristocrat, got bored during her first season and started going after criminals whom she then presented to Bow Street. They were so impressed with her, they let her work for them. After her marriage and subsequent move to France, she works for the French police too. Need I say more?
- The frequent misunderstandings. You see, both Mark and Nicole have a tendency to throw in the towel at the first sign of trouble and run away. And, I have to say, for a supposedly clever man, Mark could be really really stupid at times. Just saying. Anyways. So, after a whirlwind romance the unlikely pair (she is a member of the ton, while he is just a Mister) got married. Their first fight after a few weeks of bliss, they have a fight that could've easily been remedied with one very simple conversation, and both just gave up after that. Later on, after they spend some time with each other, solve the murder, and everything, Nicole overhears something Mark says to his uncle, lies to him because she thinks he wants to get rid of her again now that he has gotten his promotion, and runs back to France without talking to him. Call me crazy, but that sort of pattern doesn't really make me believe in their happily ever after.

But even despite all that, I really did enjoy this book!

I am always honest, however, I have decided to be totally honest, no matter how much I like the Author. This is about Extremely Alpha Male, General Mark Grimaldi, a self made man, who did not ever rely on his Aristocratic side of the family. In other words, a real man! Who now has the opportunity to be Head Of The Home Office. Lady Nicole Huntington, young, and in her first season, does not want the ugly, overweight Marquess, she wants handsome Corporal Mark Grimaldi, she finds out that his Grandfather, and now his Uncle, is the powerful Duke of Colchester. This, and her determination, to be a Bow Street Runner, destroys her marriage. They separate for ten years. This is where everything is just too much for me to swallow! Why put a young lady of the Aristocracy into the grimy world of Bow Street, where men had to catch a criminal, in order to be paid? She takes food out the mouths of Children, whose father's had to provide for their families. Bow Street Runners on the whole, were not gentleman in the least! This is all too much for me! It's called pandering to the modern Feminist ideology, and to the devil with History. Of course, even though Mark has given his life to his Country, she finds the killer. I am sorry, however, I will not continue spending my money on books, that make men look ridiculous, in order to use Propaganda for a modern Feminist ideology.
I don't Recommend! If you are a feminist, you will love it!
Carolintallahassee 👒

A Duke Like No Other rates a solid 3.5 stars. The beginning is a little slow to really draw the reader in. Nicole is my favorite kind of heroine, unconventional, strong-willed, and intelligent. I found Mark to be too stubborn to be truly enjoyable. When misunderstandings drive the couple apart, Nicole uses her previous Bowstreet runner experience to become a spy in France. Mark blindly ignores his family out of hatred for anything to do with the aristocracy and is single-mindedly pursuing his military career. The only reason he finally seeks out his wife is to create the appearance of being a family man for a promotion. Nicole agrees to reunite with Mark with conditions of her own. When Mark's cousin is murdered, an investigation ensues. I think the story would have been more enjoyable if the mystery played a bigger element of the plot because at times the plot seems to slow to a snail's pace. The secondary characters are enjoyable and I hope to read about them in their own books. The book has a sweet, little HEA and ends faster-paced than it began. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Mark Grimaldi is related to a duke through his mother and works in intelligence for England. He does not tell people about his ducal family and achieves everything in his career on his own. He is striving to lead the home office but is told he should be married. He is married to Nicole and had not seen her for 10 years. Their intense relationship fell apart because he believed she married him for his family. She also worked as a spy but lived in France to get away from all the memories of Mark. Mark goes to France and they make a deal to act married for a while. Nicole is lonely and wants a child if she goes back with Mark for a bit. Mark agrees with some stipulations. They have both been faithful and still have feelings for each other but they stubbornly won't admit their feelings. It gets a bit frustrating even when they work together to solve a case. If Mark is such a smart spy, why couldn't he figure his feelings out quicker. I like this author a lot. I would have preferred that Mark and Nicole were more forthcoming in their thought and rather work to encourage Regina's emerging relationship with Duffin.

This book was a breath of fresh air. The main characters, Mark and Nicole, were likeable and it was quite a joy to read about them. At times they were clearly a bit to stubborn but I never became too annoyed with them. There was definitely some great steamy scenes between the two of them.

I loved that there was also a mystery in this book and that eventually Nicole and Mark had to work together to solve it. I was satisfied by the revealing of who the murderer was.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the galley.

This story has an H I adored, an h I loved, and a story that I almost gave up on very early in the book. The couple was just too annoying to understand. I cannot comprehend a couple that is in love, madly attracted to one another, separating a few weeks into marriage, and not seeing each other for ten years. Even having finished the book, I find it absurd. I understand he was driven to succeed in his profession, but he cared enough to decorate a bedroom suite in her favorite colors and style, and didn’t see her for ten years? And she was angry with him for catching her in lies, wanted to do investigations with Bow Street Runners and yet took off to France for the next ten years. Though her heart belongs to him? Fortunately they seemed to find themselves closer as the story develops, and both recognize their feelings, BUT STILL DONT TALK? One of my pet peeves...in the end there is a HEA, but if this is typical for this writer I’m not sure I’d read another in the series. Though I liked the people very much. I received a free arc in exchange for an honest review.

Valarie Bowman is a new author for me, and I really enjoyed this story. I’ve already gone back and gotten the other books in the series and I’ve started reading them!

Mark wants a prestigious promotion and in order to get that promotion he needs a wife, lucky for him has one already! Nicole agrees to be his wife on one condition, she wants a baby. A lot of each chapter is their backstory, so we know how they met and married, and how they became estranged.

Throughout the book Mark and Nicole are solving a mystery, someone has killed his cousin making him an eventual Duke, which he adamantly does not want to be. He does not want to use his family to get ahead in his chosen career.

For sure a different sort of historical romance that I would definitely recommend to anyone!

This review is based on a galley copy from netgalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I just didn't really like this, but I think it's mostly a personal preference thing. I like my historical romances to be more true to the time. Meaning, I don't mind the heroine being strong...but I don't want her to be MODERN. I want her to fit the time and be realistic. And Nicole didn't feel authentic. She felt like a 2018 female set in the past and it didn't work for me.

Also, I found the story to be boring and I felt no connection between the Hero and the heroine, which is a shame, because I really liked the potential the story had based on the blurb and based on the heroine wanting a baby in return for pretending to be the loving wife..

Love will always tear down the walls you build around your heart

Mark Grimaldi rose to the position of General without his family’s influence or a wife by his side. Now Mark wants to be the Secretary of the Home Office serving as the head spy to all other spies in England and in order to make that happen he must reconcile with is 10 years estranged wife, Nicole Huntington Grimaldi.

Nicole and Mark separated shortly after their wedding under very heated circumstances and yet after all these years of enjoying her freedom and life in France Mark shows up begging for a reconciliation on paper only. Mark must appear to be a happily, steady married man and only Nicole can accommodate that request. However, Nicole is willing to provide him a wife but she also has a request and one that shocks Mark to the tips of his toes. Nicole wishes to be a mother and the only legitimate way to make that happen is with Mark’s assistance which is readily agrees to but he wants the intimacy to have meaning not be a cold, distant coupling and Nicole fears if they do just that she will be back into the space where her love and obsession for Mark are returned. Nicole cares not for any title, or appointment Mark ever had she just loved him and now in order to have a baby that will be the love she desperately needs right now agreeing to Mark’s terms is a fact and her worst nightmare.

While Mark and Nicole spend days and nights together rekindling their friendship as well as their intimate relationship both are tested to see where they stand with each other when Mark’s cousin and next in line for duchy is murdered. Mark is now the heir apparent to a title and family he has refused to acknowledge his entire life, but they are here now and not going away so Mark does what he does best and finds the murdered. Nicole always had the knack for solving crime which is why the Bow Street Runners always relied on her abilities and Mark pulls her along for the crime solving part of their newly formed life and discovers that she is as smart as she is beautiful. With each night together they are both pulled into a dance neither forgot how to do, but fight to allow their love for one another to show. What has kept them apart can also draw them together and love will seal the deal of commitment.

Valerie Bowman shows readers how book after book a great writer can lay out a story, build characters, and pop the romance between the alpha male and female.

This was my first book in the series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Mark and Nicole were given a second chance at love and I really liked the way the author incorporated their past stories into the present. This book has it all suspense, romance, hotness, loveable characters. I will definitely checked out the other books from the author.
I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review that is all my own.