Mostly spy novel with a little romance! Of course dressing like a man allows access to so many more areas without causing suspicions.

Kate loses her grandfather and then is essentially left out of the circles having to do with the home office. Henry is brought into a job and has to make choices in how much work on the side he will take on. Kate and Henry are reacquainted and develop a friendship and romance.

I liked the overall plot of this book, but found it harder to follow at times when talking about the undercover tasks. Who was doing what seemed to get a little mixed up for me. I wanted more romance too since those portions seemed a bit abbreviated. I just wanted more Kate and Henry instead of the secondary characters. They were just more interesting.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

Kate Meacham, granddaughter of Sir Michael Meacham, raised by a doting grandfather in a world of diplomatic intrigue and "spying" Kate is lost ad what to do with her life now that he is dead. She still feels she can help in productive ways but keeps getting shut down ad being a rash, impulsive, irrelevant single female.

Jerome Delaroche long time family friend , but pompous idiot. Does not want Kate around or her help in any way and tries his best to shut het out of what she wants.

Henry Deeping, family is in horse breeding, friend of James and Cecelia, the Duke And Duchess of Tereford. Brinsley Gerard, his uncle helped get Henry his position at the Foreign Home office to become a diplomatic representative of sorts.

Miss Daphne Palliser, Oliver Wendell or "Merlin", Tom Jesperson, actor at the Drury Lane Theater, Ned Gardener, who Tereford has seen fit to help is now an apprentice at Weston.

Our group cast of quirky characters are ensembled for the next adventure. You will remember some from the previous book. Thus the intrigue and curiosity have been reopened when Kate spies the villain they captured has been released. So what's a good diplomat to do? Why follow of couse! See what is going on and find out why!

This brings her into Henry's sights, again! Now he can find out who she really is and get her to back off and let the authorities handle it as he has been told to do. Kate does not agree but to gather more information she need access to certain diplomatic parties. As any good sgent, as her grandfather would say, makes a bargain with Henry he can't refuse.

This brings Jerome to warn Henry away from Kate and the damage she will cause him. It also gets back to his mother, who convinces Uncle Brinsley to talk with him and to be practical about any attachment, too.

Kate and Henry agree that without her information no one would have done anything. Now they continue behind uncle Gerard is back with investigating what is going on. When pieces start to fit together and the plot is figured out. They decide to get some advise and see what more they can do to help by telling Gerard what they know, however, he tells them to drop it and all will be taken care of.

Neither agree or like it when they arrive back at Kate's home to discover the final piece. Henry in lists the help of Tereford but can not say more. He agrees with the statement that when all is done Henry would tell him what he can as payment.

So what does or intrepid couple do? Where do they get friendly help from? What is the devilish deed they are trying to stop? Who else do the run into on their journey?

Find out in the tell as good as Agatha Christy would have wrote! Help foil the plot and go sailing on the wild adventure as if you are Kate or Henry in charge. You will laugh, cheer, and yes shed a tear, but more than that get a surprise at the end. I was enchanted and thoroughly engrossed with this next adventure of Kate and Henry just as much as the first one. Can't wait to see what happens next!

I’m in two minds about this book as I found it hard to relate to the heroine, Kate. Whilst I appreciate the portrayal of an intelligent, independent heroine in a time when this would have been unusual, she sometimes comes across as aggressive rather than assertive. Henry is nice enough but a just a little too beta for my liking. The focus of the story is firmly on solving the mystery of the spy and his activities, rather than being a straightforward romance. I enjoyed the secondary character’s involvement and found the story fast paced and exciting, but personally prefer a more traditional Regency romance.

This was a fun historical, I enjoyed both the main characters. I have not read the previous books so I do feel like that was a bit of a disadvantage going into this one. Once I was emerged into this story I was able to understand. There was a lot to this story which made it fun to get into and appreciate the personality and perspectives of the leads. I look forward to reading more by this author. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, engaging, action packed and held my attention. I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

A fun and witty historical romance - complete with a side of mystery!

In the Duke's Best Friend the story is about a woman named Kate whom once had all the freedom, but suddenly upon the loss of her grandfather she discovered that she no longer had the freedom to get by with what she once did. She then meets Henry, whom can provide the freedom to her in exchange for her connections.

I really enjoyed Kate as a character - she is very headstrong, and brash. Henry is young, charming, and oh so smart and together they make quite a pair.

I had not read any of the other books in this series but was able to understand this one just fine, and would be interested to read other books by this author as I do enjoy her writing style. All in all I would recommend this book as it is a quick, easy read, and does have a decent storyline with a beautiful romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Henry Deeping and Kate Meacham seem to clash every time they meet. Kate is frustrated by the change in her status following the death of her grandfather, a legendary figure in diplomatic circles. As a lone single woman, she is now effectively nobody, even though she knows everyone and has made important contributions to diplomacy in the past. Henry, just joining the Foreign Office, is wondering how to make his mark. They agree to an exchange—Henry will serve as Kate's escort to important events to which she is no longer invited, and Kate will introduce him to the important people she knows so well.
The fifth book in the series & it’s easily read on its own. I liked both Henry & Kate & the chemistry between them. I loved the mystery of them chasing a spy & thoroughly enjoyed their banter & how they grew closer. A very enjoyable romance
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

As a series, the Duke’s Estates has had its ups and down, some books and couples stronger than the others, but I really enjoyed this installment. Henry, serious Home Office newbie, and Kate, acerbic, brilliant outsider now that her grandfather has died, are a perfect match – they both want more than they’re told they should expect, and they both want justice. Their wit shines when they’re at odds, but it’s also nice to see them soften toward each other, especially Kate.

The balance between romance and intrigue is really well done here, not too heavy on either one at the expense of the other. I don’t know if I’d call this a true “he falls first” situation, but he definitely acknowledges it first, so we’ll say it still counts. Henry and Kate are just a lot of fun together. There are familiar faces from previous novels in this book, and sometimes that can be heavy-handed, but I think Ashford has found the perfect balance of including them and letting the leads shine.

While I thought the mystery and the pacing of the investigation worked really well, I think the identity of the bad guy left a little to be desired. He’s connected to a previous book in the series, but I don’t necessarily understand why. It felt like he could have been any criminal, so I found myself questioning that when I should have just been enjoying the book. Still, Henry and Kate and their determination to make him see justice were clever and fun.

Kate Meacham, 24, lost her parents in a shipwreck and was raised by her grandfather who has recently passed away. She now lives with just her cook who thinks that it is unseemly that she essentially lives alone.

Kate’s grandfather worked for the Foreign Office and was a well-respected man. Kate was always a part of his dealings and learned so much from him. A rash and impatient woman, she wants to be a spy. To that end, she slips into soirees means for Foreign Service employees listening closely to conversations to glean what she can from them. Her childhood friend, Jerome Delaroche, has told her she should not be doing these things and she needs to stay away from these events.

Henry Deeping works for the Foreign Office and is a friend of the Duke of Tereford. At a dinner party Henry and Kate meet. Taken aback by her abruptness, he is also intrigued by her knowledge of the diplomatic world. They recently met on a clandestine mission and now they have agreed to help one another find out information on someone.

Oh my. Stories about spies is my least favorite trope and I didn’t know that would be the case with this book. I admire Kate’s tenaciousness and Henry’s patience with her. The author certainly stayed true to history and that was interesting. But, spies and working for the Foreign Service is just not my forte.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This wasn't for me, less romance that I had hoped for, but I did likie all the characters so I might try to track down the other books

Kate's status has changed...

With the death of her grandfather, Kate finds herself in a place she doesn't want to be...On the outs of everything. How to get back in the in of things? Have Henry escort her to events.
But Kate is very combative and they keep clashing.
A clean read.

Ashford does an excellent job with her heroines of illustrating the constraints of women during the Regency period.
This book actually takes place at the end of the Regency, 1820, with the death of George III and Prinny finally becoming King George IV.
Kate Meacham, our intrepid heroine, who appeared in the previous book as Kate Brown, is grieving over the death of her grandfather, a famous Foreign Service officer. Without him, her life has no focus, and she still sneaks into diplomatic parties. Henry Deerling, also a character from the previous book and the best friend of the title, sees her at one of the parties. He is a new low-level Foreign Service officer, who becomes involved with Kate and the others who helped catch a spy.
When one day they see that same spy freely walking the streets, they form a pact to find out why. This leads to a very exciting chase and a meeting with the Queen.
There is a particularly happy ending.
I hope this is not the end of the series.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the EARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am obsessed with this cover!

This was a great historical romance that combined a relationship of convince with an air of mystery.

It is book 5 in a series but can be read as a stand-alone. Other couples and events from previous books are mentioned and appeared. So it’s definitely a great series to get into if you’re looking for one.

I think historical romance lovers will really enjoy this quick read.

This is the first book I've read by Jane Ashford but I saw this cover and had to grab it. It also sounded interesting because who doesn't love a historical romance with an independent female main character? The Duke's Best Friend is actually book 5 in the series and I'll admit, there were characters and storylines that appear to have been addressed in prior books. It may have been helpful for me to have those backstories but in the end, I don't know that me not having read those books hurt.

This book picks up by introducing us to Kate Meacham and Henry Deeping (who, as I mentioned, were actually introduced to readers in a prior story). Kate is the daughter and granddaughter of diplomats and with her grandfather recently passing (her parents passed away a while ago), she is on her own. All the doors previously open to her when she had her grandfather backing her up, are now closed - or attempting to be closed. But Kate isn't having it. She wants to have an impact and do the things she loves without having to face the censure of those around her. Unfortunately, as a woman, that's just not as easy as she would hope. Enter Henry Deeping.

Henry is the nephew of a Diplomat who has recently been hired into the Foreign Office. He wants to do more than copy notes and make reports so when he crosses paths with Kate at a party and they both recognize someone they apprehended as a foreign agent on the loose, they make a deal. He will escort her to diplomatic parties and she will introduce him around while they work together to figure out why the man is on the loose and why the people Henry works with at the Foreign Office are being cagey about it.

The relationship developed pretty naturally for these two. They weren't really friends to begin with but as they worked together (and with their friends) to solve the mystery, they became closer and began to understand each other much better. I thought Ashford did a good job of focusing their story around the case and adding in the relationship pieces versus the other way around.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this book. I've been contemplating going back to read the other books in the series as I am curious about the duke and his wife. With that said, I kind of feel like the title of this book does Henry a bit of a disservice as he is more than just a friend of the duke (James) and while there is a thread of that detail throughout, I'm not sure it actually reflects the intent of the story. Regardless, pick this one up if you're looking for a new historical romance.

When Kate’s influential grandfather dies she finds she is no longer needed to gather information about diplomats. Henry hopes to start a career with the Foreign Office but finds himself pushing papers behind a desk. When they overhear information about a major plot they are ignored by the Foreign Office. They embark on a journey together to unravel what is going on only to find themselves growing closer. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for my honest review.

Miss Kate Meacham has been at loose ends since the death of her grandfather, the late Sir Michael Meacham who was a legend in the Foreign Office. Sir Michael had included Kate in his work and she loved it. But since his death, doors are closed to her, and people she once considered friends have turned their backs on her and she has been reduced to sneaking into events. It is at once such an event that she encounters Henry Deeping, a new agent for the FO and nephew of Brinsley Gerard, a high-ranking member of the office. Kate and Henry have met before and unfortunately, it was not a pleasant experience. But when Kate sees a foreign agent she thought had been apprehended, she is hell-bent on getting answers and Henry is her “in”. She proposes a mutually beneficial partnership, she will help him by introducing him to everyone he needs to know and he will be her escort back into the diplomatic circles.

Henry Deeping is a younger son with no real interest in the family’s horse breeding business and takes advantage of his uncle’s connections to join the foreign office, but he has yet to figure out how he will make his mark. So when Kate suggests a partnership, he is happy to oblige, because she might be high-handed, arrogant, and a bit bossy, but she is well-connected and knowledgable about the “game”. Theirs is certainly not a case of love at first sight, but as they work together to uncover the new scheme the foreign agent is up to, Henry begins to realize, there is much more to Kate than he ever imagined and wonders how he can convince her to be his partner for life.

This book was OK. It has a decent mystery and I really liked Henry, and while he might be a bit of a beta hero, I loved that he wasn’t a rake or devastatingly handsome, he was just a decent-looking, smart, nice man who was very supportive of Kate, even when she was being difficult (which was more often than not). The book has a lot going on and a lot of secondary characters and at times that becomes distracting making it hard to really “get into” the story. I also think I might have enjoyed this book more if I had read the previous book where they first met. Overall, it was an okay book, but I wouldn’t read it again. This is the fifth book in the series and could be read as a standalone, but as I mentioned, I think it would be best to read at least the previous book before reading this one.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

Henry and Kate met under different circumstances at the end of Book 4 and reconnect here in London. Henry is the eldest son of a gentleman horse breeder who is starting his new career as a diplomat. He runs into Kate sneaking her way into receptions and events and learns that she is the granddaughter of a well-known diplomat. She offers to introduce him to important people in their field in exchange for his escort at these events. When they spot a villain out in the world and no longer in police custody, they follow the lead and investigate on their own. Kate is resistant to forming any connection to Henry or pursuing marriage of any sort, but Henry is accepting of his growing feelings for Kate. While Henry usually tries to maintain order and propriety, he seizes the opportunity to be daring and go after what he wants.

The romance in this as cute and I wish we got a little bit more of it. The mystery aspect was good too but I just preferred the relationship. I liked that they just saw that they liked each other and went for it.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Such a unique book, I loved the plot, and oh my god the characters were so amazing!! I definitely will be recommending it!!

After her grandfather's death, brash Kate is excluded from diplomatic circles despite her own achievements in uncovering secrets for the Crown. Eager newcomer Henry wants to establish himself in the Foreign Office. They strike an unusual deal: Henry will accompany Kate to exclusive events, and she'll introduce him to her influential contacts. As the attraction between them grows, they uncover a plot close to the king. Can they catch the killer in time?

This romantic romp is entertaining as long as you don't take it too seriously. Kate is a clever spy but a terrible diplomat—she speaks too freely and takes everything too personally. Henry is the opposite. He's just the stabilizing force Kate needs.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.