Katherine Vareck has just found out that her late husband had a few secrets, namely, two other wives. If this scandal leaks, not only will Katherine lose her good name, but also her business – right after signing a once-in-a-lifetime contract. So, she turns to her brother-in-law, Christian, the Duke of Randford, for help.
Christian, fed up with his family, has avoided them for years. But the new chaos created by his younger brother drags him right back into the thick of it. He tries his best not to get involved but can he stay away from Katherine?

After I read the description, I was extremely intrigued. It started out great. There were a lot of elements that I liked about it. The mystery of Katherine’s parentage and the reason for marrying the “Trigamist” really had me glued. But that was just the first 35% of it.

Katherine was a very likable heroine; independent, caring, realistic. I was interested to know how she ran and saved her business. In contrast, I really did not connect with Christian. He seemed to be a combination of a brooding alpha duke and an understanding beta hero. This just left me confused as a reader cause his character was not consistent.

The twist at the end was surprising but overall, the chemistry between the leads wasn’t strong enough and I was just pushing through each page rather than devouring it.

I am a sucker for regency romance, and this Janna MacGregor book hit all the right spots for me.

We open in a lawyer’s office with a young widow Lady Meriweather Vareck aka Katherine Greer. Katherine has a successful linens business in Mayfair, and her marriage to Lord Meriweather was only six hours old when he abandoned her. Well…the story gets interesting when two more “widows” are brought into the lawyer’s office, and we meet the Duke of Randford, Christian.

Attraction and hijinks ensue. I really enjoyed Katherine’s independence, and Christian learning to love. There is an appearance by everyone’s favorite Prince Regent, too. This was a fun summer read, and has a very satisfying romance.

I really liked everything about this book. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series and see Constance and Beth’s (Meri’s other widows) stories.

Katherine James married the Duke of Randford's brother and then he was gone. Now he has died and there are three widows. Kat takes the other two into her home while they figure out what to do. She has a bed linen business serving the Ton.
Christian, the Duke of Randford has just returned from war and is trying to settle in with his responsibilities but now has these widows to contend with from a half-brother he disliked. Katherine does most of the speaking for the widows to the Duke. They are going to work on a project to help those returning who have no place to go or work to do. In this process they fall in love. There are problems though that need to be tended to before they can really find love together. Can they find peace and love?

In ‘A Duke In Time’ we meet Katherine. Katherine was married a year ago but her marriage was anything but perfect. But due to her marriage Katherine was able to start her own business and make the best of things. When her husband suddenly dies, Katherine learns her husband married two other woman as well. Her husband having three wives could destroy everything Katherine worked for, so she is determined to find a way to make things better. But when she meets her husband’s brother Christian, the Duke of Randford, things get even more complicated. Because Christian is definitely not someone you can easily forget.

From the moment I started reading ‘A Duke In Time’ I was hooked. I loved the main character Katherine. For a woman living in the regency era she is definitely very tough. She works hard, has her own business and doesn’t rely on her husband for anything but his name. She had a great work ethic which I loved, but she was also really kind. I definitely loved everything about her character.

Christian’s character was also a great one. I loved how enchanted he was with Katherine, and how he acted around her. He definitely was charming, and as a reader he sure charmed me as well. With two of these fun characters, the chemistry was definitely flying of the pages.

I also enjoyed the originality of this story. I definitely haven’t read a book set in the regency era with this kind of love angle. It was fun and I really enjoyed it. Sure there where a few things I wished where a little different. For example the parts about the ‘other’ wives. There where a few moments where we read about how the other wives are doing, and in the end we don’t read about them as much at all in the end. I get why, because we are probably going to read their story in a next book. But it just felled a bit off to me.

‘A Duke In Time’ was definitely a fun read I really enjoyed. I look forward to reading more books in this series.

After reading (and enjoying) wild, wild Rake, I was very happy to see another arc from Janna Macgregor on Net galley. And yes, it is another historical romance. It is about Kat, who learns shortly after her husband's death, that he has left yet two other brides. Afraid for the scandal that will arise, when the ton realizes that Lord men. was a bigamist, Kat takes the two other women under her wing.

Having grown up as the illegimate daughter of an actress, Kat is used to standing up for herself. But both Beth and Constance are not used to provide for themselves. And when the scandal becomes public, the chances of a future are lost forever for all women. Christian has broken all ties with his brother meri years ago. After cleaning up mess after mess, he was done. So he left his country and went to France to serve in the army. A highly unusual move for a duke. But Christian doesn't care for money or wealth. When Kat confronts him with Meri's last antics and she asks him to help find a solution for their predicament, Christian's first reaction is to refuse.

But when he realizes that the ladies are as much a victim as he, he agrees to help. When he finds out that Kat a successful business owner, he proposes a deal: Kat will help him kickstart a venture to provide jobs for returning soldiers and he will sponsor her company so she can expand her business and pr vide for Beth and Constance. The deal is struck and both Kat and Christian learn that there is more than meets the eye. A wonderful story of independent women and love when you least expect it. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

And I'll be looking out for the stories of the other two wives!

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I have read other books by this author in the past and have enjoyed them so I wanted to try this first in a new series. I'm not sure if it's just timing in terms of where I was in life when reading this book (distracted, stressed, cranky) but I found some pieces of the book / plot to be somewhat annoying. Kat was pretty dramatic about everything and (while I did think it was admirable that she wanted to handle things on her own) I didn't like that she just left town without telling Christian what was going on. Christian also was a somewhat "flowery" character for me - he was really in touch with his emotions and waxed poetic a good amount about his love for Kat. It was obviously romantic but it also got to be a bit corny for me. I did really enjoy the little sisterhood created between Kat and the other wives - I thought that was cute. I'm somewhat interested to read the stories of the two other wives (I'm assuming those'll be the next books in the series) but I am not sure if I'll end up reading those or not. Overall this was a good book but definitely not one of my favorites.

This is a wonderful historical romance that finds a hardworking lady the victim of yet another man. Her reluctant rescuer is a duke and the brother of her not quite husband. It’s a complex tale and good one. I recommend it.

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

A Duke in Time by Janna MacGregor is the first in a new series titled 'The Widow Rules'. This story starts off with a bang when Katherine Vareck attends her late husband's will reading and finds out that he was married to two other women, one of them being pregnant. This is a huge scandal because Katherine has her own business and does not need the negative attention this situation would surely bring. Meri, the scoundrel dead husband, has a brother Christian, whom shows up and that is where the fireworks begin. Are they good or bad, you will have to read the book to find out!

Was I hooked by that book? Yes. An intriguing start to a new series. Definitely a must-read for any historical romance lover.

Katherine Vareck is an independent woman. She runs her own business and has made a life for herself after her husband left her before the ink even dried on the marriage certificate. There was no wedding night and no sight of him since then either. You can imagine her shock and surprise when not one, but three, Lady Meriwethers show up at the reading of his will. Who is the real wife? The Duke of Randford had hoped he had seen the last of the dissolute part of his family and he was very ready to wipe his hands of the three widows. But luckily for Katherine, Christian's conscience wouldn't let him.

I loved Katherine's sly sense of humor and all the nicknames she had for everyone. The Duke turned out to be surprisingly sweet and generous. And so romantic. The trigamist was just beyond words. It's hard to imagine someone so completely self-absorbed and selfish. Even after his death, he still managed to make trouble for everyone. Kat was so self-confident all the time, except for her fear that her past would become known and she would be ostracized. She took charge of securing her future herself. And let's not forget her generous heart.

It was so much fun to see the flirting and progressive intimacy between Kat and Christian. They are totally swoony together. The plot flowed well and I feel that everything was resolved sufficiently. The other wives and their potential lives sound super interesting and I can't wait to read their stories.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is an awesome start to a new series. The chemistry between Christian and Katherine was off the charts, and the story line was great. I can't wait to see where the rest of this series goes.

A Duke In Time was my first introduction to the work of Janna MacGregor, and I was thrilled to discover she belongs on the shelf right next to Julie Anne Long and Eloisa James.

When Katherine Vareck arrives at the solicitor's office to hear the reading of her deceased husband's will, she doesn't expect to meet his second wife... or his third. Meriweather's three widows resolve to help one another navigate was is sure to be a disastrous scandal if the truth comes out. And what exactly is the truth, anyway? Who is the legitimate Lady Meriweather, and who is destined for ruin and possible exile from the ton?

Enter Meri's broody, upstanding brother Christian, the Duke of Randford. He wants to wash his hands of his step-brother but can't walk away from the wives he's left in distress. Particularly Katherine, whose tenacity, compassion, beauty, and humor amount to ducal catnip.

A Duke in Time has a lot in common with Long's Palace of Rogues series (enterprising women, found family, outsmarting the patriarchy, social politics, sparkling banter, lots of steamy sex). The writing doesn't necessarily sparkle with the same luminescence as, say, Tessa Dare or Courtney Milan, but this was a solid HistRom from a skillful author I'll look forward to reading again.

Katherine hoped that marriage to Viscount Meriweather Vareck would bring her respectability, but one year into their unconsummated marriage, Meri is dead - and apparently married two other women in the meantime. Now Kat's reputation and textile business are in jeopardy, because the scandal would ruin everything she's worked towards.

Christian wants nothing more to do with his no-good half-brother and his never-ending parade of scandals, but three innocent women are caught up in this one, and the more he gets to know Kat, the more he wishes he had met her before his brother.

There's a lot of things to enjoy in this book. Both Kat and Christian had difficult childhoods that shaped the people they became, including their heart for the less fortunate, and they must face their pasts and learn to open up in order to find lasting love. I especially liked how the author put believable obstacles in their path and then cleverly got past them.

As many others have noted, there was a lot of potential for cattiness and blame among Meri's wives, but instead, they form a sisterhood of sorts, and I can't wait for Constance and Blythe to find their own happy ever afters. I like how Kat stepped up to take these other women into her home and how the other two came into their own once the shock of trigamy wore off.

I was also very much entertained by Christian's increasing exasperation with his brother, even in death. This was a wonderfully entertaining romance and a great start to the series.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

London 1915
A widow finding out her deceased husband had two other wives, both with nowhere to go since their "husband" had left them with no money.

His half brother a Duke, who you could not help but fall in love with. He had such a kind heart and in the end wanted to help the ladies. Well mainly one, who seemed to be claiming his attention.

An engaging story that won me over in the first pages with Janna's characters who seem to walk off the pages! The storyline was definately different and truly fun to see how it turned out!

Excited to see how this series will turn out and waiting for the next!

Katherine’s husband Meri died after they’ve been married less than a year. However,
she last saw her husband on their wedding day, only six hours after the wedding. When she goes for the reading of Meri’s will, Katherine discovers that Meri had married two other wives, with one being pregnant.

Christian, the Duke Randford, plans to wash his hands of his brother’s mess. But when the strong-will Katherine reminds him of his duty to these women, he softens. He’s actually a good man who doesn’t want to see these innocent women ruined. However, the more time he spends with Katherine, the more he is drawn to her.

A Duke in Time is a lovely kick-off to the new Widow Rules series focusing on a trio of women all married to the same, decease man. I love the premise, and I am happy to report that it holds up in the first title. What makes the pairing of Kat and Christian so successful is that both are very forward-thinking individuals who care more about taking care of friends and family than moving up in society. It works because when secrets come out, each is accepting of the other’s perceived flaws. The premise is a bit unrealistic for the time, but that what makes the story so entertaining. I liked that the couple can work things out together, and that their conflicts are minimal.

The supporting characters add a lot of value to the story - both in the ways they support Kat and Christian, but also with their own personal tales. The book sets up the future pairings for the other widows, and I’m excited for both. The group functions like a large family, providing unconditional love and support.

My Rating: B

Let's start by saying I love Janna MacGregor books and this was no exception, however, you need to suspend societal constructs and rules completely to get through this book. If you know that upfront, hopefully you won't be bothered by every rule in the Regency period being ignored. It really bothered me at first because you read Regency for a reason and part of that is the rules and how the H/h get around them, are hurt by them, etc. along with their own issues to get through to the HEA. The heroine was a widow, but very recent, and she and the hero rode in carriages alone, she visited his home by herself regularly as two examples. Once I let that go, then I could enjoy the book.

That being said - I loved Katherine and Christian!!! They were both great and each had a lot of issues to get through before an HEA was possible. I can tell you that I thought I knew what the final issue would before the end and I was kind of right, but not at all in the way I expected which was great. It's nice to have a book surprise you after all I've read. The side characters were all interesting and lovable too. It's clear who will be in the following books and I like that as a sort of preview. I'm kind of hoping for a possible fourth book or at least a continued storyline for Willa and Morgan too.

Katherine, Lady Meriwether, was startled when her husband’s solicitor informed her that not only was Meriwether deceased, but that he had married twice more, and one of the wives was heavily pregnant. Christian, Duke of Randford, was thoroughly sick of cleaning up his half- brother’s messes, and this was the worst one yet. Meeting Katherine, and learning she had developed a successful business creating and selling bed linens, caught his interest, and discovering her generosity in inviting the other wives to stay in her home made him want to know more about her. The Duke, a former military captain, was passionate about assisting men who returned from war with no prospects for employment, and his idea for a charity building and refinishing furniture fit well with Katherine’s business. In securing her help with his charity, he found himself falling in love with her, and then was immediately embarrassed at the thought that he deeply desired his half-brother’s widow.

A Duke in Time is the first installment in Janna McGregor’s new series, The Widow Rules, and I was impressed by Katherine’s courage in overcoming her past and starting a business at a time when women simply did not do such a thing. I could understand Christian’s frustration with Meriwether’s antics, and I laughed when the tigers were delivered to Christian’s London residence. Overall, this is an interesting read, with good, strong female characters, and I am looking forward to learning more about Meriwether’s other wives.

A Duke In Time is a spectacular historical romance by Janna MacGregor. Ms. MacGregor has provided readers with a well-written and tangled web of one husband and multiple wives. Katherine, believed to be the first wife, takes charge of the other women while the mess is being untangled. Christian Vareck, Duke of Randford, doesn't want any involvement in his deceased step-brother's mess. Katherine and Christian's story is loaded with drama, humor, sizzle and a touch of suspense. I loved every page of this book and look forward to my next book by Janna MacGregor. A Duke In Time is book 1 of The Widow Rules Series but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

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

Katherine Vareck is more than shocked that her husband married two other women. He is now deceased and the three of them must figure out what to do with their lives. What is more is that Katherine has a successful business that could be threatened if this news, as well as secrets of her past came to light.

Christian is the Duke of Randford and was Katherine's husband's half-brother. Christian is a war hero, but he is much more than that. He is an upstanding man who will go to any lengths to right the wrongs of his half-brother Meri. The last thing Christian expected was to fall for Katherine.

Katherine's textile business is thriving. What is more is that she has drawn quite close to Meri's other wives, finding friendships with them that she never expected. Katherine is rather surprised when Christian approaches her for a business opportunity and soon finds that she experiences warm feelings towards him.

I loved A Duke in Time and think this book was an exceptional start to what promises to be an enjoyable series. I loved all of the characters, the relationships and the conflicts. And, of course, I enjoyed the happily ever after, all while more than eager to see where this series leads.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

New series with new characters and interesting romance story.
I love when the characters have unusual jobs , especially in historical romance because it gives a better vibe of the times as not al of them are royalties and just go to balls and hunting.
Being a war veteran, the hero is more down to earth and compassionate about people around him and he finds a great partner in our heroine.
Communication is the key in everything even if it’s scary to open up to the other person most of the time, and the non communication thing is not in my liking here.
Chemistry and steamy scenes, great characters and interesting story overall.



Arc review from the publisher through NetGalley

I found this to be a sweet and delightfully easy to read regency romance with an unusual premise. Our heroine Katherine was apparently married to a man who also had two other wives ! As you can well imagine when it comes to the reading of the will things get extremely complicated. Suddenly there’s no money left as the late Meri wasted it all on gambling and bad investments which leads to the three not so merry ( sorry couldn’t resist the pun) wives moving in together. Now Meri has an older half brother Christian, who is recently back from the frontline and has a very different character to his late half brother. Christian is without doubt a hero, an all round good egg who sees injustice and wants to right it. He wasn’t looking for love or indeed any attachment but Meri’s widow Katherine just dazzles him with her beauty, wit, charm and giving disposition. The couple increasingly circle each other as their friendship and mutual attraction blossoms but Katherine has a secret that just might see her world come crashing down !
Ok so if blunt this couple didn’t particularly feel of the time they are supposed to inhabit but that’s a minor quibble . I did like that they engaged with each other in teasing ways although would have preferred Katherine to have been perhaps a little more spunky . However I cannot fault the heroic Christian, full of ideals and trying so hard to save those men forgotten by society. He has his own issues with his family history but opening up to Katherine in many ways heals him. I did say that Katherine harbours a secret and that’s ironically the only teensy bit of tension in this story. I think I personally prefer stories with more angst and danger but this had moments of humour as supporting characters played their part and is genuinely a sweet, feel good romance that should entertain those who enjoy historical romance.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair