Second Duke’s the Charm is the latest from hit or miss for me author Kate Bateman. This one was solidly in the middle, it wasn’t a miss but I struggled thru it and was a bit bored.

Tess is a widow whose husband died on their wedding night so she is still a virgin. Two years later Justin inherits the Dukedom that Tess has been managing. In order to keep the peace, they decide for a marriage of convenience, too bad they have lots of chemistry.

I enjoyed Tess’s friends running a detective agency, the spice was totally spicy which I enjoyed, and I liked Justin for his groveling. But the plot was slow and I really couldn’tell you too much about it besides I enjoyed the virgin role play.

Wow. For my first Kate Bateman, I was blown away with everything I’ve been missing in my historical romance reading. I say FIRST Kate Bateman, because this definitely will not be my last.

This book has everything I love in a romance: -solid best friends who are just as lovely as the heroine,
-A++ banter between the hero and heroine, -beautifully intimate and super sexy love scenes, -an original plot (which let’s be honest, is really hard to do!),
-a hero who says what he wants and then acts on it
-top notch chemistry

Need I say more? When we first meet Tess, her husband, the Duke of Wansford, has just dropped dead on their wedding night, no less. If Tess is to reap the benefits of maintaining her status as Duchess of Wansford, it’s important to keep up the appearance that she was intimate with her husband. And of course she’s curious about physical intimacy, so what better way to educate herself than to attend a masquerade? Tess never expects to meet someone as exciting as Justin Thornton at the masquerade. When she encounters him again and he assumes (wrongly so) that she is a woman who takes her pleasures as she wants, it makes sense to enter into a marriage of pleasurable convenience. This book was so good and had the best dialogue. The friends openly discuss sex and ask all the questions you would expect of an accidental virgin. I can’t wait to see if Daisy gets her own story—she always had the best one-liners (so many highlighted sections in my e-reader!). To add to this, there’s a secondary plotline involving stolen love letters from Princess Charlotte, and the three friends have a Charlie’s Angels style agency that helps her get them back. If you like female empowerment written into your romance, I’d highly suggest Second Duke’s the Charm. Trust me, this isn’t one you want to miss! I received an advanced copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Forced to marry a very old duke, Tess is thrilled when he drops dead on their wedding night. She is now free to live life as a widow. She and her friends start an agency to help women out of difficult situations. Sparks fly when she meets Justin and he offers her a marriage of convenience. Can they deny their love for one another? I received an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my honest review.

A new Kate Bateman historical romance series featuring three brilliant woman who run London's most exclusive investigative agency ? Sign me up!! On Tess's wedding night to a much older man (it was a forced marriage in which her father sold her, she was 19 and the duke was about 70+), he suddenly dies and Tess still remains a virgin... but now she has become the Dowager Duchess of Wansford and has set up an investigative agency with her two best friends. Tess knows she can't risk another marriage or getting caught in a scandal with a lover but she wants to experience it just once... so when she goes to a party in a mask the last thing she expects is to share a steamy make out session with the very man who has become the new Duke of Wansford and has come to inspect the home that she lives in. Justin Thornton never expected to inherit a dukedom, but he'll do his duty. In order to get one last hurrah out before he is announced as a duke and swarmed by all the ladies of London he decides to go to a party to find someone to sleep with... but he finds himself wholly captivated by the stunning woman he kisses. Yet when they both meet again he immediately recognizes her as the woman of his fantasy, the woman he's had a crush on since he first saw her all the years ago. Justin isn't looking for love, he doesn't want anything to do with it, however physical lust? He's all for. So when he finds out that Tess is the Duchess to the home he is meant to take he offers her a new deal: a marriage of convenience in which they both sleep with each other for three months and in return she'll maintain her freedom and he'll pay her and allow her to continue doing as she pleases as he just wants everyone to leave him alone when they find out he's married. What started off as just physical lust turns into something more as Justin begins to fall for his mysterious new wife and can't seem to stay away from her. This was an overall cute read and I adore Kate Bateman books, it just kind of fell a bit flat at the end and I was wishing there was more groveling on Justin's part after the big breakup. I actually really loved Tess, my gripe was with Justin. He kind of just irritated me and I was hoping as the book went on I'd like him better, but it wasn't the case unfortunately. I am so interested in the next two books as Tess's two friends are adorable and I am so excited to read this new series that has a touch of mystery and investigation!

*Thanks Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Paperbacks for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

This was so much fun! I loved the characters communication most of the time. Tess and her friends were cute as could be. I liked that throughout the book there was also an element of mystery. This was my first historical romance and it may have convinced me to start picking up more of them!

A lively tale that lightens up the page.

Nineteen year old Tess Townsend had been married against her will to a lecherous and decrepit man old enough to be her father, if not her grandfather. Fortunately for her, as the bridegroom came to consummate the marriage he suffered a heart attack and died.
This left Tess as the Duchess of Wansford, still a virgin, and unwilling to trade her freedom for marriage. She’s involved in a detective agency, King & Co., that helps women to right wrongs that have been inflicted upon them. Word of her and her companions has spread by word of mouth. Even Queen Charlotte has asked for their assistance.
Looking for a night of pleasure (not too much) Tess attends a masquerade in a scarlet dress. She attracts the attention of a gorgeous man who kisses her ruthlessly.
Imagine her alarm when the stranger turns out to be Justin Thornton (Thorn), the new Duke of Wansford. They meet at a ball when Tess is wearing that dress!
Justin’s looking for a wife to ease his life, whom he’ll leave after three months to attend his various business interests. To Thorn this seems an ideal plan. No having debutants thrust upon him. A wife dangling on his arm will give him access to important dinners that he is not invited to as a bachelor. This access will increase his business acumen.
Thorn doesn’t believe in love. Or rather he doesn’t want it. When he decides to cut corners and proposes that Tess be his wife, (and lover—oops!) well things take a decided turn.
Of course things don’t run smoothly. Well that’s a given!
A rather delightfully delicious read. I’m looking forward to the next in the series.

A St. Martin’s Press ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Off to a wonderful start on this new series. Has it all, stubborn handsome Justin with the Midas Touch. And beautiful Tess, whose father basically sold her to an ancient Duke. Which now causes her to have secrets, but also the freedom of widowhood. This lasted two years and now the Duke heir had been found. Will it change life as Tess knows it? It certainly does when Justin the new Duke makes an offer that is hard to refuse.
Be forewarned, there are some steamy scenes. The pacing and storyline was spot on. Can’t wait to read the next book. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #SecondDukestheCharm

The characters hit the ground running. First, let me say I love the idea of three women taking charge of their lives and opening an investigative agency. I am sure it was not easy in Regency times for women to take control of their lives. Anyway, back to the story. For the first half or so of the book I really loved it. The witty banter, the dancing around, and the sexiness was off the charts. Then it kind of just flattened off but at the end it picked up again. I have read all of Kate’s books and have loved them all. This is not saying this book was not up to par because it definitely is, it is just that it fell a little short (in the middle) for me. I cannot wait to read about the other women’s lives and am hoping for some pairings but we will see.

Tess Townsend is forced by her father to marry the old and repulsive Duke of Wansford. On her wedding night, the Duke dies and leaves Tess a the Dowager Duchess of Wansford with her virginity still intact. Tess is able to live a life of freedom in high society. She and her two best friends investigate the scandalous crimes committed in London under a false pseudonym. While Tess wishes to experience pleasure for herself, she can’t risk losing her independence.

Shipping magnate, Justin Thornton, never expected to inherit a dukedom, but when he kisses a mysterious masked woman at a house party, who happens to be Tess, he has a brilliant idea: a marriage of convenience.

The attraction between them is undeniable. As Tess works a new case for the Queen, her suspicious behavior causes Justin to question her motives and her past. Justin has sworn that he will never love, so falling for his wife shouldn’t be a problem, right?

I enjoyed everything about this. Both Tess and Justin are infuriating at times, but their chemistry is just so good. Their banter is fun and sweet. We also love it when the man who swears his won’t love his marriage of convenience wife, immediately falls in love with said wife. I loved the group of women working together to take down criminals and blackmailers. The storyline is fast paced and intriguing with mystery and disaster that dares to tear the couple apart. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a free digital copy of this book. This is my honest review. Publication date: December 26, 2023.

Second Duke’s the Charm by Kate Bateman
Content Warnings: sexual content, sexual harassment, sexism, classism, and violence.

Loved the start of this book but once we roughly hit the halfway point I started to get a bit bored. Felt like it should have been a novella because after the halfway point it just felt like unnecessary things were added that weren’t needed.

Overall a cute historical romance. Hoping this is meant to be a series where each of the three bffs fall in love!

I love a Kate Bateman series and this one looks like it's going to be great. It starts with Tess as the main character. She has been basically sold into marriage to an old Duke. Fortunately for her, he keels over on her wedding night. Now she's a widow, which gives her much more freedom as a woman. She is free to continue her investigative work with her best friends, Ellie and Daisy. She manages to keep this role for a couple of years until finally someone is found that can take on the Dukedom. Justin is a shipping magnate that only has interest in physical pleasure and wasn't expecting to become a Duke as he is a distant relative. Justin and Tess have sparks from their first meeting and it's fun to watch their story develop. I also can't wait to read Ellie and Daisy's stories. Highly recommend starting this series.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, and I give my review freely

A fun and sexy historical romance! This is the first book I’ve read from Kate Bateman and the group of girlfriends in this book, makes me want to seek out her backlist.
Tess is a widow - thankfully because her father basically sold her to an aging duke for money. He dies on their wedding night before they can consummate the marriage but luckily for her, no one knows. She’s living her life with her two best friends and the investigative company they created until the new Duke found. One night the girls go to a party in order for test to experience some passion, and she runs into a mysterious and sexy stranger and has some fun. And a twist of fate, he ends up being the new Duke.

This was a fun tale with some mystery, hilarious side characters, and romance. to be honest the central couple kind of bored me. I just didn’t feel the chemistry after their first initial meeting. I will continue the series because I would love to read about Daisy!

A silly, fun book, I enjoyed this start to a new series by Kate Bateman

Though not accurate for the time prod in terms of language, or actions, you expect to suspend belief a bit in rom-coms. This was a sweet and spicy take on regency romance. But I honestly was most invested in the PI agency that's lead by women for women. I'd love to follow more of the mysteries and investigations in the next installment!

What a fantastic book. I had the hardest time putting the book down. It captivated me. I'm really excited to see this is the beginning of a series. We have romance, spice and mystery. I loved Tess, Daisy and Ellie's banter and sarcasm. "Stabby week" and the list of things women can't resist. They had me laughing out loud numerous times. I can't wait to see what other mischief they get into next.

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

This was fun, and the two main characters were so great together. Also, the side characters were great too.

Tess wasn’t looking forward to her marriage to an ancient Duke, one that was many, many years her senior, but when he passed away on her wedding night. She might have dodged a bullet with that one. However, now she is a Duchess and still a virgin but with the help of her closest friends they come up with a plan to make sure that her father can’t rule her life again and she will have the choice to do whatever she would like now.

I loved that this author wrote this book showing that women back in the historical period still wanted some freedom and could get PI work down just as well as men did. I loved that this book was all set around Tess but then it had amazing sub plots throughout the book, but they did not take away from the greatness of the books main plot Tess and trying to convince her independence still but also the fact that she is still a woman that has needs as well. Justin was a great MMC for Tess; he was still caring in his way, but he also wanted the one woman that he thought he would never meet again. He met her at a masquerade one night and had a sizzling kiss that led to a little more but before things went further, she ran away, thinking she would never see him again… Little did they both know that they were going to meet again and what amazing passion they would have blooming.

Tess was a great FMC, she is strong, thoughtful, determined, hiding a few secrets, caring and she has brains. I enjoyed watching Tess’ characters grow throughout the book. She was a PI for King & Co, but really, she was running the business and then she was trying to take care of the issue of her virginity without someone knowing about it. Justin is a handsome man that becomes a Duke and finds out that the woman that he has been thinking about nonstop since that masquerade ball is the one and only Tess. He strikes up a deal with her so they both get what they want. He won’t have to go to balls and marry any woman and she will have a husband and do whatever she would like, but with the feeling of the heart it's never that easy. Justin is faced with his feelings that have grown over the 3 months that they have been married and not knowing how to handle them, Tess is wanting more but scared to ask for it and then the whole part that someone is out there trying to murder Justin and/or Tess together. Will this couple be able to have the peace that they both want? I guess you will have to pick up this great historical romance and find out for yourself.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review this book.

Tess & Justin
This is a thoroughly charming love story of a woman who became a widow on her wedding night, and a new Duke who vows to never fall in love because it's not worth the pain. Neither believes that life has given them anything.. Tess now works with her two best friends at a private investigation company they started. Justin took his father's failing company and turned in to an international company that has made him one of the richest men in England. Living in a country where the 'Ton' and it's rules are everything, Tess and Justin decide the takes the best of both worlds and make the best of it for them both. These two are fire and water and the the story is sizzling!
Don't miss this one!

Tess Townsend, the Duchess of Wansford, never forgave her father for forcing her to marry the ancient duke. The duke disgusted her with his leery ways and she got a lucky break when he collasped on their wedding night before he could consummate the marriage and died. Now Tess was free and she planned to enjoy her new independence. No man had tempted her since until she meets Justin Thornton at a masquerade house party. Neither knew each other's names as passion flared between them. Before their encounter led to more than sizzling kisses, Tess ran away. Little did she know that Thornton was the new Duke of Wansford.

Justin had never forgotten the passionate woman he met at the house party and when he finds out that she's the Duchess of Wansford, he proposes a business deal. They marry, and he'll give her freedom and money she'll need to do what she wants and he'll leave her alone after three months, but Tess has a secret. How she can tell him that she's still a virgin. Each of them are hiding secrets and when a series of mishaps nearly kill them, Justin thinks Tess is out to have him killed. Of course, this leads to a series of misunderstandings and hurt feelings. Can these two come clean and build a life together or will their unwillingness to share their true selves force them to part forever?

I really enjoyed this story. Tess was a wonderfully complex character. She was more than her physical beauty. She had brains and wit to match. It was delightful to see her try, and explain away her lack of knowledge of their wedding night. Justin was a sexy, brooding character. He didn't believe in love and always kept his relationships for only 3 months before he ended them. There are no feelings involved, just pleasure. It was great to see him brought to his knees by Tess. There's a mystery running through the book that Tess helps to solve with her friends and that is quite interesting. I can't wait to read more in this series.

The wedding-night death of her repulsive older husband has left Tess Townsend with a title, and her virginity still intact. Shipping magnate Justin Thornton never expected to inherit a dukedom but, when the woman he kissed at a party turns out to be the Duchess, Justin sees a solution: a pleasurable marriage of convenience that will suit them both.

This is the first book in a new series about three close friends who secretly run King & Co., London’s most exclusive investigative agency. First up is Tess, the beauty. Tess was bartered off in marriage by her father, and saved by her husband's timely death. She attends a masked house party, hoping for a little flirty fun, but gets more than she bargained for when her fling turns out to be the new duke. I loved the set up for this story and the execution was great, too. There was wonderful chemistry between Tess and Justin, and just enough of the investigative story to balance the romance. Two thumbs up for the higher steam!

Tropes: Widow, Secret Virgin, Disguised Character/Masquerade, Unexpected Inheritance, Marriage of Convenience, Secret Crush, Working Heroine

Steam: 5

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

Katie Bateman is one of my favorite authors. I have loved every book of hers that I have read. This story reminds me what an amazing writer she is. Her writing always catches me by surprise when I realize I am reading and not actually there. Her attention to detail makes me feel like I am part of the story watching it all unfold. In this charming story a widow who is enjoying her freedom and who helps her friends solve some very scandalous and fun mysteries. When Tess meets Justin things change quickly Justin didn't want his dukedom but knows to follow his duty. Now their passion is breathtaking but they fight falling in love. Can they follow duties, solve mysteries and give into love? You will love this adventure with Tess and Justin and all the characters involved. You won’t be able to put the book down. I received this as an ARC from NetGalley but it will definitely be bought to put on the shelf with my collection. Have a fun steamy adventure.
5 star author for me.

I started this book and couldn't put it down. It is the first book in a new series, so it does introduce a lot of characters. But this story is about Tessa and Justin. There is an immediate connection between the two, a legal one. But there's also an instant attraction.
I will say I found Justin to be a little arrogant and haughty. But as his feelings grew for Tessa and he had to learn how to deal with them, he became more vulnerable and likable.
I loved Tessa's strong character. She has endured so much in her young life but she hasn't let it stop her from doing what she loves (truffle hunting, investigation agency and being with her friends). These are all the things Justin falls in love with.
I really enjoyed it and look forward to the next in the series.
5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.