What a charming Regency romance. It's filled with likeable characters, a bit of a mystery, and a lovely slow-burn romance. Poppy and Keane seem made for each despite their very different stations in life.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor or expectation.

Regency HEA mystery - This book started off exciting and kept it going throughout the whole story. It was fun, enjoyable, and interesting. It had so many twists and turns. I was entertained all throughout the book. This book was a page turner and fast paced. Basically, Poppy is daughter of a fisherman who find Keane on the shore. There the mystery begins who is trying to hurt Keane (a Duke) and is he really a duke. This book is at times lighthearted and makes you smile and laugh where nothing is what it seems. There is tons of action and drama but sweet romance. They make a good couple and have a great connection. I liked it. It is an easy flowing read. I would recommend this book because this author is keeps you entertained with this enjoyable book. I look forward to her other books.


**I received this book from NetGalley and publisher for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I am an Anna Bennett fan for sure. I love her stories because all the women are strong and independent and the men love them for it.

In this romance we have Andrew who has washed up on Anna's shores and the mystery is who is trying to kill him. Anna is holding her family together while her father is sick and her brother is in London trying to make money for them at the docks - she hopes

What I love about this romance is how deep Anna and Andrews's love for each other is once they got into it. I was also totally invested in the mystery of who was trying to kill him
I was truly shocked by that one and the ending was amazing

loved everything about it. I am ready for more from Anna I Love it

Very sweet book. I loved seeing past characters be part of the story. The story did move a bit slow for me. The mystery was fun for antics, but it all resolved quite easily. I enjoyed the book, but it wasn’t one of the best. Solid 3 stars.


Thank you to Anna Bennett and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

So, this is the second book in the series, but as I almost always do these days, I started this book without reading the first book. Which is totally doable, you don't miss anything from the main story, but I will go back and read the first one, because I want to know more about Poppy and her relationship with her friends.

This book however was so much fun to read, and I devoured it in one sitting after having a reading dry spell. I absolutely loved Poppy and all her sassiness. Some of her story broke my heart, but it also made her the strong character she was, and I loved how she easily wrapped up the duke around her fingers without even trying. I will for sure be on the lookout for the next book in the series.

This is such a an endearing and delightful historical novel. I felt like I was on a mini vacation at the beach with them.
Poppy is such a feisty and strong willed woman who is struggling to help out her father who has fallen ill. She happens to see the Duke washed ashore on the Beas h as she was about to cast the nets. She saves him from drifting back into the ocean. She nurses him back to health discreetly due to finding out who tried to murder the Duke. Both go on a journey of who done it while falling in line be with earth other.

This book can be a stand alone. It can be devoured and leaving you all contented at the end of the story. True rags to riches romance.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Paperback for proving me a digital novel to enjoy!
My review is purely my own opinion after requesting an digital copy to review.

Thank you to NetGalley an SMP for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really cute and low-angst read. I was screaming with all the fairy tale call backs and easter eggs. they were just enough and really added to the story. Just a fun dynamic.

I loved this plot and the sizzling chemistry was a benefit.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoyed revisiting Bellehaven Bay.

What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: Rogues to Lovers
Standalone
HEA

I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

ENTERTAINING ALL THE WAY THROUGH!!
I absolutely LOVED this historical romance!!! It had adventure, steam, along with funny, and touching moments! The story flowed seamlessly and was very entertaining! Poppy & Keane had such great chemistry!! I also loved the side characters! I would be on board for some to get their own books, i.e. Dane as well as Kitty!! This is my 2nd book by this author, & I will definitely jump into more!! In fact, I will be reading the first book in the series soon!

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for an ebook in exchange for an honest review.

FAV QUOTES:
“Life carries us along like we’re fish swept up in a current. But if you keep swimming, eventually you’ll find your way back to the people who matter most.” Poppy

You, he said at last, “are a beam of sunlight. A breath of air. A force of nature.” Keane

“He closed his eyes for a couple of minutes, trying to tattoo the memory on his heart.” Keane

“I’ll wake up every day with the sole purpose of making her smile.” Keane

Keane and Poppy found love on a beach. I truly enjoyed this story. There were so many trials and tribulations that they had to overcome. The biggest one is to trust one another. What I truly loved about this book is the slow building relationship that occurred, not many books take the time to fully delve into it. They were able to communicate effectively and lean on each other.

Poppy, a fisherwoman in a small village, finds a surprise in her nets one morning in the form of an injured nobleman who claims he was attacked and that he’s a duke. Keane begs for her charity until his supposed murderer reveals themself, and he stays in her cove and haven, fixing things and reading and enjoying Poppy’s company immensely. I love their antics with Keane’s valet in searching out who the villain could be, especially as it brings Poppy and Keane closer and closer together. Keane was obsessed with Poppy and her hair and freckles, and we have to love that about him. The other wonderful thing about this story is how Poppy and Keane get to know each other outside the boundaries their stations would normally impose on them. In true historical romance fashion, there is so much locura happening that also makes the entire story a true experience. I also loved that this story didn’t just have them get together and immediately end. We get to live through the whole process of overcoming obstacles all the way to their happy ending! (Were you unsure if there was a HEA?? Of course there is!!)

ONE DUKE DOWN - Anna Bennett

#2 Rogues to Lovers

SWEET - 3 stars

Plot - 3 stars - Under Poppy’s care, Keane regains his strength and a sense of purpose after his near-death experience. As they work together to solve the puzzle of his would-be murderer, he’s dazzled by her rapier wit and adventurous spirit; she’s intrigued by his mysterious air and protective streak. Though Poppy’s past gives her every reason to mistrust someone like Keane, the walls around her heart soon crumble, against her better judgment.

Writing - 3 stars - Bennett grabbed my attention from the first page and created characters who are appealing, drawing me to root for them and hope for their success. However, the story became a bit repetitive, I thought. They'd work a puzzle together, then they'd jump into bed, then he'd face more danger, then they'd jump into bed, etc.

Characters - 4.5 stars - This is where the story shone for me. We've met Poppy before, of course, in the first book of the series, but we really didn't completely understand her independence and resilience until now. She's practical and takes care of her sickly father and wastrel brother, despite having had to delay dreams of her own. Keane, the duke, has unbelievably come into her orbit and has enlisted her help. As a giver, of course she decides to help him, even if a bit of her help is so she can fulfill a couple of her most outlandish dreams of the aristocratic life in London. Together they make a formidable pair, both intelligent, clever, and attractive.

Title - 3 stars - I'm not quite sure what the title means. Does it mean that someone is trying to put the duke down? Or does it mean that Poppy's hoping to build a life with the duke?

Cover - 4 stars - Although the pose and embrace of the main characters is fairly typical of this genre's cover, I love the bright colors and beautiful background.

Overall - 3 stars - Although I very much enjoyed the characters, I wasn't as excited about the romance in this book. It seemed almost unbelievable that Poppy and Keane would/could get together because of the huge differences in their stations (which meant a lot at that time). We don't get much chance to get to know Keane at first, so it's a little hard to conceive that he would "condescend" to be attracted to a fisherwoman, no matter how pretty. Men of that time period would "dally" with one, but definitely not consider marrying one. And I found it hard to believe that Poppy would allow herself to become entranced with him. His lifestyle is stifling and limiting, especially for a woman, so it would be extremely difficult for her to put herself into such a small box, not matter how much she cared about him. And the fact that the ton all smile and thought it was wonderful seemed too good to be true. Putting all that aside, the characters were charming, and the mystery assassin was a big surprise to me.

I usually don’t request a book in the middle of the series. But for Anna Bennett I’ll happily make an exception. Her historical romance stories are usually funny, cozy and full of feisty women who can hold their own.

And usually you can read her stories as a standalone. I enjoy the recognizing of other characters throughout the series though. But, without knowing Hazel’s story, it was very easy to fall into Poppy’s story. In the first chapter she already has a duke in her fishnet. So, we start of with a bang.

Keane doesn’t exactly remember how he ended up in the water. But it is clear to him, that someone has tried to kill him. Therefore, he decides to stay hidden for a while. He only needs to convince the feisty redhead that he is an actual duke. No biggy.

I loved how strong and independent Poppy was and the way Keane and Poppy try to eliminate the potential attackers. A truly wonderful story with unexpected twists and turns. A historical romance with a bite. Loved it. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

Poppy takes control in this one. She is a strong character. There is a bit of a mystery in the story revolving around Keane. They both try to solve it. Story is steady paced.

Well that was just as sweet as salt water taffy! Oh if a Duke would simply wash up on my shores, I too would hide him in my secret reading spot for no one else to find! I loved these MCs individually and they fit so perfectly together, I couldn’t stop smiling. While part of me wished she put him to work on her boat, I had a ton of fun with the adventures they did have. It’s always a good sign when I want to reach through the book and smash their lips together!

The mystery was straightforward but it was entertaining to go along for the ride through the 3rd act conflict—especially considering it did NOT include a breakup!! Woohoo! However, I thought that the 11th hour villain-driven drama was a bit over the top? I was ready to sail off into the sunset with the happy couple so I wasn’t thrilled with the unnecessary (and almost repetitive) antics by then.

Steam: 🔥🔥

Thank you to the publisher for the advance reader copy via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

One Duke Down by Anna Bennett is book Two in the Rogues to Lovers Series. This is the story of Poppy Summers and Andrew Keane, the Duke of Hawking. Poppy happens to find Andrew when she is out fishing and doesn't believe he is a Duke. This starts their story. Enjoyed this book and hope to read more from this author.

This was so adorable! Very low angst but a surprising amount of external plot, and I didn’t see the final twist coming. Perfect for readers who like a relationship that builds slowly but easily, an immediately smitten hero, and an external third act conflict without a breakup. There’s also some really lovely exploration of forgiveness and being willing to give someone a chance.

Poppy finds the Duke of Hawking on the beach tied up in her nets and unconscious. She drags him over to her special place where she can take care of him. When he comes to he wants to stay there and let the person who was trying to kill him think they were successful. Poppy is going to help him. While they are working together they fall in love. They have some adventures while looking for the person. Of course it is the person he doesn't think would do it. Good story.

I absolutely loved this book and the author! I can’t wait to read more from her! This series is so fun and lots of strong women! Poppy and Andrew are such a perfect match. Poppy is a fisherwoman who works hard for her father. She also has a big heart! Andrew, Duke of Hawking, is trying to figure himself out along with the dukedom. So when Poppy finds Andrew washed up on her beach, she’s not sure what to think except to get him out of there! Andrew isn’t sure how he got to the beach, but he knows someone tried to kill him! Andrew and Poppy come up with a plan that he will stay hidden at Poopy’s special place while they try to figure out the person who tried to kill him. So our love story journey really begins! These two had such good build up and chemistry! I loved that we had a fun mystery in the mix of these two falling in love! It was such a fun, steamy read!