Yes please! More please! Absolutely adored Katherine and Christian's story. One if my favorites of the year so far. So many mysteries and twists I couldn't put it down. The author has left me wanting more more more. Can't wait to read Constance and Beth's stories!!!

This book opens with a bang, and while the premise was promising, this went south quickly. Yes, it's filled with romance and spicy scenes, but in my opinion, the lead characters weren't THAT convincing and lacked chemistry, the pacing was a little bit slow, and combined with a pairing and plot that didn't live up to its potential, let's say I was underwhelmed at best. I wasn't invested in the HEA, and that's a bad thing when we're talking about a romance novel.

But I'm not saying is a bad book or a bad story, I'm just saying that maybe I wasn't in the mood for this novel, or it wasn't my time to read it... or perhaps I wasn't the right reader for the story, because yes, it's also possible that other people love it and that's fair

I believe this was my first Janna MacGregor book, but it was a great one to start with. I'll be moving on to Rules for Engaging the Earl next!

Katherine Vareck (or is it James, or Greer? She can claim all three!) gets the shock of her life at the reading of her husband, Meriweather Vareck's will. Two other women arrive for the reading, both claiming to be Meri's wife. Everything about her life - her name, her business, and her once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a supplier to the royal bedchamber - hinges on her being able to claim the title of Lady Meriweather. It's bad enough that he left her 6 hours after their wedding (he didn't even consummate it for heaven's sake!) how could he destroy what she has managed to build by being so foolish?

Christian Vareck, Duke of Randford, has been cleaning up his younger half-brother's messes for years. He never understood how his father, step-mother, and half-brother could live from orgy to orgy, concentrating only on their own pleasure without taking any responsibility for the fallout. Since assuming the title of Duke, Christian has been working to bring respectability back to the title but his brother's latest (and last) escapade could once again blacken the family name beyond redemption. Three wives??? Who does that??? Meeting the women, he finds three quite respectable women, not at all what he expected. The more time he spends with them, the more he is drawn to Wife number 1, Katherine. Her head for business has brought her back from the brink of ruin that his brother left her teetering on, and her beauty draws him to her. He has never wanted anything his brother had - until now.

Drawn to Kat, Christian does everything he can to return to her what his brother took. When she comes up with a stellar idea for helping the men from his regiment get back on their feet, he is indebted to her, and their partnership means working closely with the one woman that seems meant for him. But Katherine has a secret, one so big that even a Duke, no matter how in love he is, can't get past.. Or can he?

This was such a fun story to read. Kat and Christian are drawn to each other from the moment they meet, and their eyes don't stray no matter who tries to set them up with someone else. Kat's business prowess is unusual for a woman in her time period, and her strength of character shines through in the way she treats her employees.

Readers looking for a light, steamy read set in the Regency time period, will enjoy A Duke in Time.

My first read from this author. It wasn't a top favorite but I enjoyed the heroine a lot! The romance was cute too.

I really enjoyed Katherine and Christian's story. Watching them fall in love while navigating the mess that Christian's brother brought on them all was pure pleasure!

Si no me equivoco es el segundo libro que intento leer de la autora y no me termino de gustar, aunque me llamó la atención la premisa al principio. Definitivamente no es para mi.

I actually read this book last year, and apparently never reviewed it?!

I really loved it! I liked how the whole end of the story worked out. It was just perfect! I liked that the lead was so take charge and really knew the business. She didn't take crap from anyone! I loved it!

I'm really wanting to the particulars of the other two women's stories, as well!

A Duke in Time by Janna MacGregor is a Regency romance and the first book in her new series called The Widow Rules. This book introduces Katherine one of three widows who were all were married at the same time to Lord Meriwether. “Meri” was a wastrel, gambler, and womanizer. After Meri’s death, his brother Christian, the Duke, returns from battle a hero but is stuck with cleaning up his late brother’s messes including Meri's multiple widows. Katherine was supposedly Meri’s first wife. She has worked hard to become the best luxury linens provider in London and her business provides employment for many women who are the primary support for their family.

I like how Katherine’s relationship with the Duke grows throughout the book as they address issues pertaining to their charitable work, social class differences, and past and present scandals. The lead characters are likeable, and you admire the work they are doing with women and war veterans. Kat doesn’t rely on the Duke to solve her problems – she meets them with a plan of her own. I also love the book’s secondary characters and how the author provides enough of their backstories for you to want to know more about them. I am looking forward to reading their stories in future books in the series. Janna MacGregor’s A Duke in Time is an enjoyable, well-written, historical romance novel with the right amount of steam.

Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥
Humor: A bit
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine (perhaps a bit heavier on the heroine side)

Basic plot:
Three women have been hoodwinked by their trigamist husband. Now Katherine’s security and business are in jeopardy and her dowry gone. She begs her husbands half brother for help. Christian isn’t eager to clean up another one of his brother’s messes but there’s something about Katherine that draws him in...

Give this a try if you want:
- Regency time period (1815)
- London setting
- Ex-soldier/Duke hero, business owner heroine (She sells luxury bedding and pillows)
- Medium steam – 3 full scenes and more kisses
- Celibate hero
- Forbidden love – a touch of class difference and the heroine is the hero’s half brother’s widow

Ages:
- Heroine is 25, hero is 30

My thoughts:
Katherine only spent 6 hours with her husband before she was abandoned. Later, she finds he went off and married two other women after her. Now, struggling with the scandal and the lack of her dowry, she’s asking her husband’s half brother for help. I liked Katherine, I liked that she owned her own business and it was important to her.

Christian initially was resistant to helping his brother’s wives. He comes around though and I thought he was extremely sweet, caring and gentle with Katherine. He also cares deeply about veteran rights and wants to lobby parliament to create better circumstances for returned soldiers.

There was something about this one I generally liked. I thought the plot was pretty unique. It was a little slow. But the sex was really sweet and romantic to me, and I enjoyed their relationship unfolding. Definitely eager to try the second book in the series.

This first book of the series was so good that I want to read the next one in the series. Totally engaging story, nice blend of humor and drama with a good bit of heat. The characters were very interesting and well developed, and the story kept me interested from the first to the last page. This is a good read!

Jenna MacGregor is slowly becoming an autobuy author. I really loved her writing and I am excited to dive into her backlist.

I loved the majority of the characters, the writing style, and the fact that MacGregor doesn't use any weird or cutesy euphemisms for sex or human anatomy. Unfortunately, there was a lack of urgency to the plot, no serious conflict that threatened the HEA. I was bored through most of it and just kept waiting for something, anything to happen. I loved the prequel short story for this series, though, so I'm hopeful for book two.

Part of me enjoyed A Duke in Time, but everything was just a little bit off with the story.

I haven't read Janna MacGregor before, but the premise was just too interesting to pass up. I really couldn't wait to start it, but the momentum petered out pretty quickly.

From the start, I found the chemistry to be lacking. Christian, Duke of Randford was very one-note with his hatred towards his half-brother and his flip-floppy attitude towards Katherine. I found his personality to be too underdeveloped to carry the story, and he was uncharacteristically understanding at times where it didn't quite make sense for him to be and too harsh when I thought he should have given a little.

Katherine also seemed a bit unrealistic. I never quite understood why her first husband married her (was that ever explained? She wasn't wealthy or connected??), and I found her sexual confidence to be a bit out of place with her experience level. I liked her character more, but also found her to be unevenly portrayed.

A regency romance. This is not a clean read. The story and characters are interesting, but I didn’t feel it was true to the time period.

Kat was married to her husband Meri for all of six hours before he took off and never came back. When she is told that he has died and was also married to two other women, chaos ensues as they try to figure out who the legitimate wife was and go through all of his things. When Kat meets Meri's half-brother Christian, sparks fly. But Kat has a tainted past, and Christian shouldn't be falling for one of his brother's widows. Will the two be able to overcome their fears and grow closer to each other?

I am a sucker for historical romances, and this book was a delight to read! I was interested from the start and could not wait to watch Kat and Christian's relationship grow. Both characters were so sweet with each other, and I loved how big their hearts were for other people as well. Historical romances are often full of strong, independent women and men, and Kat and Christian might just be two of my new favorites. I really enjoyed this one and cannot wait to pick up the next in the series.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of A Duke in Time by Janna MacGregor.

A Duke in Time follows Kat as she discovers that her late husband married two other women, and falls for his half-brother Christian in the aftermath.
One of my favorite things about this book was the female friendships— Kat and the two other wives, Beth and Constance, bond over their shared misfortune. What could have easily turned them against each other brings them together instead.
Kat is also a strong businesswoman, and Christian respects that, supporting her throughout the book.
A Duke In Time was an absolutely delightful read.

This is my first read by author Janna MacGregor. I really enjoyed her writing style. A Duke In Time was a real page turner. I couldn't have asked for a better couple than Kat and Christian. I give it 3.5 stars. I can't wait to read Ms. MacGregor's next book, Rules of Engagement.

Janna is a great writer . I happily gobble up her books whenever I can. She keeps
You turning the page over and over long after you should have went to bed! Lol. Great book

I have had the pleasure of reading MacGregor's work before and I was excited to have a chance to read this as an ARC! The plot sounds solid: Christian, Meri's brother, has avoided everything to do with his family. That lasts only until Meri's sudden death forces him to return and clean up the troubles left behind. Troubles like Meri's three wives. Absolutely scandalous and I admit I love a good scandal.

This review is a bit tough because I don't have harbor any strong feelings one way or the other. While the premise was solid, the execution lacked some of the heart and chemistry that I've seen in other MacGregor novels. I struggled with Christian. I enjoyed the camaraderie between Christian and the soldiers he served with that are now employed within his household. Outside of that, his anti-Meri fixation and sudden infatuation with Katherine were off-putting. The romantic overtures and steam I hoped for were present, and yet I didn't feel the least bit swoony. 

Katherine was a bit better; intelligent, determined, and loyalty for women she has just met. I thoroughly enjoyed the linen business part of her story! Together though, Christian and Katherine were missing the spark that I was hoping for. Somehow this was insta-love with the slow pacing I expect from a slow burn romance. I think what it boils down to, I enjoyed their time together as co-workers, but the romance left a lot to be desired.

Overall, A Duke in Time eeks in at a 3 (barely) because there were a few near-DNF moments from lack of care about their HEA. This rating was saved by Katherine's grit and determination to land the royal contract and kindness towards the other widows and Christian's desire to support his comrades.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. The plot was interesting and the characters had good chemistry.