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.

Second Duke's the Charm was my first read by Kate Bateman and I must admit that I was charmed. Tess and Justin's story featured one of my favorite tropes in historical romance, marriage of convenience.

Tess was raised by a ruthless father who at age 19 forced her to marry an ancient duke for money, but she plans to escape her impending doom with the help of her two closest friends, Daisy and Ellie. When Tess unexpectedly becomes a widow on her wedding night, she is left with a title and money that give her the freedom to live her life on her own terms. Two years later Tessa has joined forces with her best friends to start a business helping people, specifically women, who may find themselves in similar situations to hers.

It is on one of her work adventures that she meets a handsome stranger who takes her breath away and makes her feel more than any many ever has. After sharing a passionate encounter, Tess never expects to see him again. Fate has other plans; the handsome stranger is Justin Thornton, the heir to her late husband. Justin has not stopped thinking about Tess since their stolen moment and boldly proposes a marriage of convenience meant to benefit both.

There are rules of course; all physical and no feelings and an end date, but Tessa has her own concerns; mainly that Justin will find out that she never consummated her first marriage. Still, she agrees to his proposal and the two embark on a passionate affair. Attraction leads to deeper feelings soon into their new marriage and the two must figure out whether said feelings are worth the risk.

Second Duke's the Charm was a fun and delightful read and I cannot wait to read Daisy and Ellie's books.

Second Duke’s the Charm is a breath of springtime air. It is a book that accomplishes what it sets out to do, and is lovely and enjoyable as it does so. Tess and Justin are interesting characters with foibles and insecurities but who are endeavoring to improve themselves. There is humor and heat and a great trio of female friends. I really liked Second Duke’s the Charm, and look forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for the advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Kate Bateman writes good books! They always have high quality writing and compelling characters.. This book is no exception.

The opening scene is fantastic (won’t spoil it here) and hilarious. Throughout the book, there were a number of times I laughed out loud. While overall I think this book is a light read and low angst, there is depth to the book. I wouldn’t call it a rom com at all. It hits a nice middle point between light and heavy read.

I was very fond of Tess - the female main character- and even more fond of her friends, Daisy and Ellie. (I hope we can expect subsequent books with their stories!). They are really compelling and hilarious women with a beautiful friendship.

I really liked Rowan, but did find him a bit less complex, sometimes not as 3-D as the other characters.

Some small aspects of the plot didn’t fit for me. I wasn’t totally clear on why Tess had to be the one to go meet the blackmailer every time. And Rowan’s grand gesture in the end didn’t make a ton of sense to me.

All considered, this is a very enjoyable historical romance novel and I recommend it !

This had SUCH a strong start! I was so excited after reading the synopsis and I wanted to love this one so bad. Unfortunately, there was (dare I say) too much sex and not enough of character development for me to become invested in them and their relationship.

Absolutely delightful start to a new series!

I always adore Kate Bateman’s books, since they feature strong female characters, and in this book there was no shortage, as Tess, along with her friends Ellie and Daisy work as private investigators. This creates a little mystery for the reader that I really enjoy.

The chemistry between Tess and Justin is undeniable, and I loved that they decide on a marriage of convenience, with all of the good stuff.

Also shout out to the publisher/author/cover designer. The red dress was spot on. IYKYK.

I am so excited for the remaining two books in this series, this first book really set up the reader, especially with the foreshadowing the author provides!

Tess is engaged to a man old enough to be her grandfather. So after an endless ceremony she’s ready to get the rest of the night over with. To her utter shock and delight, she’s left a widow not a moment too soon. Being a widow she’s afforded a certain amount of freedom with men except this widow’s still a virgin. Determined to turn over a new leaf, she sets her eyes on Justin, a new arrival to town. It’s only after a few sparks fly that Tess learns the real reason behind Justin’s arrival and why that just might complicate things a little.

Our male hero doesn’t think he’s capable of loving anyone, not after watching his parents' love fall apart. She’s happy with her independence and isn’t about to compromise that for any man. They try their best to resist their feelings but as Lord Vader says, “Resistance is Futile.”

This book just had all the right vibes. It’s sexy, scandalous, cheerful while somehow packing a deeper meaning between its many lustful moments. From Tess and Justin’s first meeting (which may I add was not only fun but had me questioning how either of them were able to walk away) until the final pages I was absolutely hooked.

This book will be sure to land you on this year’s naughty list.

This is the second novel of Bateman’s that has me seeing stars, 5 stars in fact, and I’m positive I will be seeing more of them as I delve straight into her backlist.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing an ARC through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

When her first husband, a duke dies on her wedding night, it’s perfect. Tess never wanted to marry him and now she’s free. Her and friends create a detective agency for crimes the Bowstreet runners don’t have time for, mostly helping women. What Tess doesn’t expect is the new duke to be handsome and making her offering to become a duchess, again.

It’s to be a marriage of mutual pleasure and convenience. No feelings. So sets the tale of this fun story by Kate Bateman.

I was all in on this story from the beginning. The fast friendship of the three women. I felt for Tess. I wanted her to get her kiss and more. Justin was handsome and seductive. This book was a quick fun sexy read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a great start to what I hope will be a new series. I love Tess and her friends. What great , strong woman. This is a must read for all those who love historical fiction romance.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really love Kate Bateman books and this first book in a new series did not disappoint. The series is called Her Majesty’s Rebels and after finishing the first book, it is a perfect name!!! This book is a charming balance between romance and mystery. The story revolves around Tess Townsend and Justin Thornton, who is a shipping magnate and just became a duke overnight. He inherited the dukedom from Tess’s husband, who dropped dead the night of their wedding. Tess had been forced to marry someone she did not want to marry and she gained her freedom with the death of her husband. Tess and her friends can now run their business, King & Co as London’s most exclusive investigative agency (and how all the fun happens).

I had to laugh at how practical Tess and Justin’s agreement was. The fun started when they realized they could not control themselves around each other and had some sexy times in unconventional places. *swoon*. Tess is smart, funny and independent. You are really rooting for her to have a happily ever after. If you love historical romance you will love this marriage of convenience, forbidden love, mystery, adventure and great friendships. This book will be out December 26, 2023. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I highly recommend this book.

This was just OK for me. I felt that there was a certain lack of emotion between the main characters. I believed in their attraction to each other, but not their love for each other. Aside from that, I had no interest in the subplot and skimmed through those parts.
It was not bad, just OK.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I honestly couldn’t finish this one, purely because of the way it was written. Nothing about this book felt believable. The dialogue and actions of the characters didn’t feel appropriate to the time, the male lead would say one thing and contradict himself immediately after. This felt like a contemporary romance play acting as a historical romance. If I had been reaching for contemporary, I don’t think I would have minded but I think the author needs to do more research about the time periods she’s writing for and adjust her dialogue and character actions appropriately.

Second Duke's the Charm by Kate Bateman is the first book in the new series.

This book it witty, bawdy, and refreshing to see such a strong female lead.
She may not have been able to prevent her first marriage, but she's certainly embraced her widow status. Now, she finally gets to experience passion and more. Join us as the Duchess meets her match.
Justin never thought he'd be the next Duke, yet here he is. And they perfect plan has fallen into his lap by offering to marry the current Duchess. Of course, he's applying the same rules to his marriage as all his liaisons. If he only knew what he was getting into and the difference he's not prepared for.

Tess didn't want to marry the Duke but she did- and then he dropped dead before the marriage was consummated, making her a Dowager Duchess. Justin didn't know he was going to inherit the title and he didn't know about Tess. These two realize that their goals would be best served if they marry one another but there are so many other things at play here. Most notably, that's the work Tess is doing for the Queen (no spoilers). This has a nice bit of steam along with the intrigue. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Kate Bateman always finds a way to make her historical romances seem very fresh and different. You never know where they mystery is going to go and that's what makes her books such fun to read. I can't wait to read more from this series.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book. Tess ends up widowed on her wedding night, which is a GOOD thing as she was forced into marriage by her father. I loved how her two friends came to rescue her, even though the poor guy was already dead. One of the moments between Tess, her friends, and the dead guy had me laughing out loud.
I loved how independent Tess became, she not only took care of the Dukedom while they were searching for the next in line, she made it thrive. Not only that but she and her friends started their own PI firm, and even got a job from the Queen!
I loved the banter and smexy scenes between Tess and Justin, and while I didn't really get his big gesture to win her back I thought they made a great couple and was happy how it ended. I did wish we got more of the PI stuff involving the blackmail and whatnot, but I'm hopeful that we will get more of that when we get the next book.

This series opener had a lot of potential and started out strong, but fell apart in the second half. I liked Tess as a character -- she took control of her life after being sold off by her father to the first Duke and used her new role as duchess to gain practical skills and improve the estate. I never really warmed up to Justin, though. His big "gesture" to show that he suddenly was capable of love wasn't very satisfying (nor did it make much sense). In some ways I felt like Tess would have been better off as a dowager Duchess and living in her own cottage than marrying him.

A big issue I had with the second part of the story is that, at times, there were too many plot threads introduced, many of which never went anywhere. What appeared to be a major conflict and threat to Tess and Justin was resolved off-page and with no real connection to the main plot. Adding in the intrigue involving Tess and her friends' private investigation business and assignment by Queen Charlotte -- which admittedly was more interesting than anything involving Tess and Justin's trust issues -- the story felt like it was trying to cover too much without doing real justice to anything or anyone.

I normally am a fan of Kate Bateman's books, so I will give the series another shot with book 2 to see if gets better.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

I love KateBateman books and this is no different. I didn't this suffered from the classic 1st book series symptom . The introduction of all characters fit well into the story .
I love the bit about he did fall in love with her before but now was not going to do it conflict . i also liked that Kate didn't spend long time explaining how he made the money .

Tess and Justin's romance is definitely charming, and hopefully the start of a new series involving Tess's co-investigators at King & Company.

This novel meets all my historical romance requirements. Strong characters who don't whine -- Check. A mystery that is at least mildly interesting -- Check. Genuinely funny banter among friends and romantic partners -- Check.

Add in a dead duke and a marriage of convenience to his heir, and this is a complete winner in my book.

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