A delightful return to Bellehaven Bay, and the colorful cast of characters that live there! This time, Poppy takes the center stage along with a mystery when she finds a half-drowned duke on her beach. Who tried to kill Keane, and why? And do they lie in wait to strike again? And does love, too, lie in wait for the duke and the fisherman's daughter?

I was immediately drawn to that cheesy grin and orange dress on the cover. Anna Bennett's One Duke Down is the second book in the Rogues to Lovers series. I had not read the first in the series and felt like this worked well as a standalone. The previous hero and heroine do make appearances but are not integral to understanding the story.

Poppy Summer is a fisherwoman trying to keep her family's business afloat. Her father's health is failing and her brother has taken off to London to get a job at the docks. Coming back from her latest fishing excursion she spies a man tangled up in her nets. He claims to be a Duke but Poppy just thinks he's confused. Keane, the Duke of Hawking was attacked from behind and left to die in the sleepy seaside town of Bellehaven Bay. Firstly, he needs to convince Poppy of his identity before he can persuade her to help find his attacker. Poppy has so many responsibilities but Keane shows her there is more to life than living it for everyone else.

Poppy was a really fun take charge heroine. She had just the right amount of tenacity and spunk. It's hard for her to relax enough to let someone take care of her and I enjoyed those moments when she could soften her around Keane. The scene where she falls asleep on him in the coach was delightful. Keane is one of my favorite types of heroes. He falls so quickly for Poppy and spends the majority of the book wooing her. The steamy scenes were not super detailed and a little quick. I could have done with a bit more of them. This was my first experience reading a book by Anna Bennett and will definitely pick up more in the future. I appreciate there was no 3rd act breakup. It was a fairly low angst book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Bennett, and St Martin's Press for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
#netgalley #annabennett #stmartinspress #onedukedown #roguestoloversseries

One Duke Down is a sweet, romantic, totally addictive read. I loved coming back to Anna Bennett’s Bellehaven Bay, this time to see fisherwoman Poppy Summers fall in love with injured duke Andrew Keane.

Poppy is hardworking, kind, and secretly yearns for just a bit more. She loves her family, her friends, Bellehaven Bay, and her secret reading nook, but when her life takes an adventurous turn with a mysterious washed-up man claiming to be a duke it’s for the better. Keane is a wealthy, privileged duke but he’s also a good and kind man. That doesn’t stop someone from trying to kill him, though. Safe in Poppy’s cove and hiding from the world while he tries to figure out who wants to kill him, Keane starts to change. He sees the world through Poppy’s eyes and learns to be better. I loved the small changes they made in each other and how they brought their two worlds together to make one that would suit them both.

Poppy and Keane’s romance is easy to become swept away by. Keane is a romantic, eager to prove himself worthy of Poppy’s trust. Poppy has reason to not trust the nobility, but between her friends and Keane she learns to take a risk for a chance of happiness. I absolutely loved everything about Keane and Poppy’s love story. The two of them fit so well and I adored how it wasn’t just attraction turned to deeper feelings but respect and liking as well. There’s a solid foundation to their romance and Bennett eschews false drama in favor of showing how strong Keane and Poppy are as a couple.

One Duke Down is a historical romance that will make you smile and sigh. I adored it from beginning to end and cannot wait to revisit Poppy and Keane in the future. I love Bennett’s Rogues to Lovers series; the strong friendships between the heroines, the picturesque seaside town, and the love stories that remind me why I love this genre all come together beautifully.

I really enjoyed this! I loved how the characters fought to be together, even when things tried to get in their way! Once they realized they liked each other (this admittedly took a minute or two) Poppy and Keane fought for each other. There were moments when the miscommunication trope (my nemesis) could have been deployed and separated them, but they took the time to think things over and ask the other what was going on before jumping to conclusions. Not only are these two characters in love, they are *competent*. Poppy especially is good at what she does. The first thing she does in the book is save Keane's life. She's also managed to run a successful fishing business for years and keep her family afloat.

Along with the great romance, there was a fun plot about figuring out who tried to murder Keane. He and Poppy work well together here as well as in romance, which is part of what makes them a great couple. Poppy was an extra special heroine to me, as she shares a name with my dog, who I obviously adore!

Anna Bennett gives us another charming, sultry, smart historical romance in One Duke Down, where our return to Bellehaven Bay is marked by the appearance of an injured duke washed ashore where our fisherwoman heroine just happens to find him. Poppy and Keane discover a notoriously dissolute duke and a salt-of-the-earth commoner have a lot more in common than either initially thought.

One Duke Down manages to be cozy, cheerful, and heartfelt while delivering a strong central mystery, deep character complexity, and physical intimacy that will make your toes curl. This is a perfectly-paced, well-balanced novel that works as a standalone, and can we just take a moment to appreciate this perfect cover?! The way Poppy and Keane are content to simply smile at one another by the sea... swoon!

One Duke Down is 352 pages of pure serotonin. Big thanks to NetGalley and SMP for the advance copy.

I adored Poppy and Andrew's story! I just had so much fun watching these two come together!! I can't wait to read the next one in the series!

Another solid romance from Anna Bennett. I didn’t love this one as much as Girls Before Earls, but I still enjoyed Keane and Poppy’s low angst romance. Btw, I would recommend Anna Bennett if you prefer low heat romances or less explicit language in steamy scenes. Looking forward to the next book of the series!

PS The cover might be my favorite thing about this book 😍😍😍

**Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**

4 Daring Stars
It was not every day our gal would find a man close to death on the shore. She was used to assisting her father and his fishing business but finding a man like that...not the usual. When he starts to wake when she assists him to the beach, he starts to explain he is a duke and someone tried to kill him.

This causes a few things, her not believing at first his claims of his status, and then a deal is struck.
The tale is full of banter, mystery, and HEA.

Curse you, enchantingly lovely cover art! *shakes fist at sky*

Yes, I picked up One Duke Down for the cover art. It's a SMILING CLINCH COVER. It's gorgeous. Sue me.

The sweet pose is a good representation of the tone the book is shooting for, but I don't think it made it. Other reviewers found the book light and frothy, but for me, there wasn't nearly enough humor or sweetness to do the job. It just felt flimsy. I tried but was never able to feel the butterflies or invest in these characters finding happiness. It all felt static and thin. It also, frankly, made no sense to me a lot of the time. The character's actions in the first few chapters remain completely baffling to me from both practical and characterization standpoints.

The book also manages to feel stuffy, thanks to its unexpectedly old-fashioned outlook on class and sex.

There was a weird discomfort around portraying the character's feelings/experience with sex. We hear about Keane's *Experience* but his dialogue reveals a strangely conservative and shame-filled view of sex. The book seems unsure if Poppy is a blushing virgin or a world-wise girl who knows her way around a... fishing pole? I guess? Sorry, everything in this book comes with a fishing analogy.

In 2023, I'm not sure I have the patience for a Duke/Working Girl romance where they fret about what people will say and will she fit in at the fancy ball and oh they're just so different. Either the class divide is an issue, or it isn't. If we're buying into the fantasy that class doesn't really matter in this world (it never presents a significant issue for the characters understanding each other, forming a bond, or imagining a future) then why is so much page space devoted to this worry? I guess without this as an insecurity, the couple isn't facing any internal or external obstacles to their happiness...

A delightful and entertaining book with low level angst which seems to be trending these days or I've just been lucky enough to read a few and I have to say it's refreshing for a change. Poppy is singlehandedly keeping her family's fishing business going since her brother's off in London and her father is ill. Dragging in her net she catches more than fish as a barely dressed unconscious a man is tangled in it. Poppy takes care of the poor confused man who thinks he's a duke. Andrew Keane, the Duke of Hawking is not confused and knows someone tried to kill him and he begs help from the lovely Poppy who he's instantly smitten with, by buying her time because she won't be beholden to anyone. Another great thing about this book was insta-love on the duke's part and he has a hard road ahead with the likes of Poppy Summers.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author and publisher for this arc!

Can I start by saying how gorgeous this cover is!!!! Poppy is a fisherman's daughter who is taking over her father's job, meaning she is strong and knows the sea and its beaches well so finding a stranger on the beach who is naked is a shock for her. Keane knows something is up when he nearly died and comes to rely on the pretty young woman who is a fisherwoman. The thing is someone is out to kill him and he needs her help to stay safe and unravel the mystery.

Andrew washes up on Poppy’s beach. Someone’s trying to kill him. He is the Duke of Hawking. She is a fisherman. They fall for each other while investigating who is trying to kill him.

The heroine is a tough woman who runs her family’s fishing business. The hero is someone who shirked responsibility but wants to change his ways. The book was well written. I can’t wait for more books by Anna Bennett.

I was extremely fortunate to receive an ARC of One Duke Down from Netgalley. Anna Bennett always amazes me with her beautiful stories. Miss Poppy Sommers, encounters a man tangled in her fishing net along the sea shore. He has a gash on his head and when he awakens, claims to be Andrew Keane, the Duke of Hawking. As they slowly learn about one another, Poppy and Keane begin to understand what it means to have your brain fighting your heart and how important it is to separate a man from his title. This story is so beautifully and poetically written. The adventures the two engage in and the suspense of who attacked Keane play a crucial role in the development of this wonderful historical romance.

I received an advanced reader’s copy of One Duke Down by Anna Bennett.

I really enjoyed how the relationship between Poppy Summers and Andrew Keane the Duke of Hawking developed. They both change as a result of getting to know each other, especially Poppy. There was also the mystery of who tried to harm the Duke which was well done.

The support and loyalty of Poppy’s friends was heartwarming. The setting of Bellehaven Bay was a great setting for this story and I enjoyed reading about the characters that lived within.

Great book all around! Poppy finds Andrew washed up on shore after someone tries to kill him. At first, she doesn’t believe he is a duke, but soon learns the truth and agrees to help keep him hidden while he tries to figure out who did it.

Poppy and Keane are strong main characters and I enjoyed their journey to happy ever after! Great mystery and romance and an enchanting cast of secondary characters all make for a great book! I plan to check out the first in this series and look forward to more.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed Poppy and Keane's story. There was plenty of adventure and it kept the story moving at a good pace. I liked all the moments they get to spend together away from everyone getting to know each other better.

Miss Poppy Summers has kept the family fishing business afloat. Her father has been ill and her brother moved to London. Leaving Poppy with very little time to do the things she loves. While she's out one-morning casting nets, she finds a deliciously attractive man washed up on shore and tangled in her nets. He's wounded and claiming to be a duke.

Andrew Keane is the Duke of Hawking, even if the fiery redhead doesn't believe him. Aware that someone tried to hurt him he convinces Poppy to help him. He wants to remain hidden thinking it will be easier to figure out who wants him dead. At first, Poppy refuses to go along with his scheme but they are finally able to come to an agreement.

Under Poppy's care, Keane is able to regain his strength. As they work together to narrow down who his attacker could be Poppy finds herself drawn to Keane. But the hurt she suffered in the past means it's hard for her to trust him. They belong to different worlds but Keane will do everything he can to make sure Poppy knows how he really feels.

Thank you so much to the author and St. Martins Press for this ARC to review.

I love a good historical romance and this book did not disappoint! Poppy and Keane’s relationship was super sweet and seeing them team up to solve the mystery of Keane’s attack was a delight. If you enjoy low angst romances and no third act breakup (I mean who doesn’t love that?) then this is the book for you.

This book has:
• A meet cute (sort of). He washes up on her beach and she rescues him (this is a reoccurring theme throughout the book and I was HERE for it)
• A cinnamon role hero who would do anything to make the heroine happy
• Tons of forced proximity
• The forbidden romance trope

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars

This was an interesting love story.
The heroine is a fisherperson who catches an unconscious man in her nets. At first, she thinks he could be dead, but after some rest, she is able to help him wake up. She helps him to a sheltered part of the beach while he thinks about how he ended up there. He is convinced that someone is trying to kill him and acts like he isn't sure who he is, but then does tell the heroine that he is a duke. She doesn't believe him until his valet comes to help him. She has a small one room cottage where she spends her alone time away from her family cottage. This is where she let's thw hero stay. She fishes every day so she can make some money to support her father. Her older brother has left the area to work on the docks and she has not heard from him in some time.
This is a story where the heroine is a diamond in the rough. Her mother was raised to be a lady and she did the same to raise the heroine to be a lady. But since her father is ill and her mother has passed, she needs to fish to support the family. The hero, the duke, has promised her money if she helps him find out who is trying to kill him. In the process, he is amazed at her strength and resilience. And she is entranced at his princely demeanor. They fall in love and that seems to bring the killer out in the open.
This story features a strong heroine who is able to overcome her circumstances. She has a few friends in the noble class and they depend upon each other. The hero was an orphan and the only person who actually takes care of him is his older valet. This gentleman raised and nurtured the duke, who only had an uncle and cousin to help him. There were many things I enjoyed about this story and I recommend reading with a 4 star rating.

One Duke Down was such a great romance with a dash of mystery. I actually requested this on NetGalley because @fringebookreviews praised it so much and said there was no third act breakup, so I was sold. The main characters were so cute together and I loved the friendships they each had with their friend groups. Also, when we found out who was trying to kill the Duke, I was very shocked and did not see it coming!

*Thank you to @netgalley for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.*

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the E-Arc for review!

The second book in the Rogues to Lovers series, this story follows Poppy, a fisherman’s daughter struggling to care for her family who gets the shock of her life one morning when she catches a man in her net! And he just so happens to be roguish Andrew Keane, Duke of Hawking - who is pretty certain he was left for dead and that’s how he ended up in Poppy’s ropes. As the two try to figure out who attacked Andrew, sparks fly and Poppy begins to struggle with what society expects of Andrew and what they both truly want. I read the first book in this series, Girls Before Earls and enjoyed it so I was very happy to get a copy of this one.

This was a really cute read - the chemistry between Poppy and Andrew flew off the page and I can honestly say their relationship was the best part of the book - which is very important in a romance novel! It had a lot of witty dialogue between our main leads (another important thing to have in a romance book in my opinion to have crackling chemistry) and utilized one of my favourite tropes - the “oh no there’s one bed at the inn and we have to share it.”

While the romance plot is the biggest (and best written) part of the novel, I did find that there wasn’t much substance to the other side plots (Poppy’s family drama in particular) and I found the ending with the reveal of the attempted murder really really obvious - I had guessed the outcome by the middle of the novel because the villain wasn’t well disguised or written as likeable. I also found the setting was lacking a bit - while it was historical fiction, I really felt like the setting wasn’t distinctly historical and it could’ve easily been placed into modern day if you removed the peerage titles.

Overall, a cute read with two loveable main leads and oozing with charm, great for those who want an enjoyable romance.