Second Duke’s the Charm by Kate Bateman
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Calling all “marriage of convenience” fans!

Tess Townsend spent less than 24 hours married before her husband dropped dead, leaving her a widow. Now an heir has been found and when he meets Tess he has a surprising offer for her.
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-This was my second book by Kate and I now know that I have to read everything she has ever written.
-I think my favorite thing about this book was the amount of humor it had. I love a good historical romance but one where I’m laughing out loud, yes please!
-I absolutely adored Tess’s friend group and have been approved to read Ellie’s story next (I am so looking forward to it!).
-The horse race scene at the end was great and I was smiling the whole time.
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5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I just loved every single thing about this story. It was one of my favorite historical romance I’ve read this year so far.

Not my top favorite Kate Bateman novel, but still an enjoyable historical romance! I’m always going to struggle a bit with romances where the hero is emotionally unavailable in one way or another 🤷🏻‍♀️ Looking forward to continuing on with this new series though!

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

This series is about 3 very independent unconventional women who form an investigation business to help women who find themselves bullied, manipulated or mistreated. Because they are women in regency times they create a fictional boss, Charles King who is supposedly in charge of King & Co Investigations. The ladies are Tess Townsend 21, Dowager Duchess Wansford, Ellie Law daughter of a highly respected barrister, and Daisy Hamilton recognized daughter of a duke but probably has a different father. They met at school and became best friends. Queen Charlotte comes to them secretly and asks them to recover some old love letters her granddaughter wrote in her youth. She's been contacted by someone who has threatened to make them public unless he gets ransom money. It would create a scandal before the granddaughter's impending marriage.

Tess was forced by her father to marry the old Duke Wansford to gain money and status for her dad and the duke wanted an heir. The 71 year old man died on their wedding night before it was consummated. She kept that secret so she could hold on to her position in "case she was carrying an heir" and so she couldn't be forced to marry again. The estate was finally settled after several heirs suddenly died, and Justin Thornton, a 30 year old cynical shipping magnet, finds himself the new Duke. He thinks he's much too busy to be a Duke but gives it one year to settle so he can get back to his very profitable business. He's shocked when he meets such a young Dowager Duchess. Tess is the mystery woman he met the night before at his friend's scandalous club. Tess was working undercover in disguise on the investigation but he could tell it was her. He's introduced to the staff and she gives him a tour of the estate as she's been running things for two years. He discovers she was quite efficient and actually improved the estate and made it more profitable under her care. Because Ellie, one of her two best friends and business partners, is the cousin of Justin's best friend from younger days Edward Hussy, they spend quite a bit of time together socially. Things get complicated with the investigation she has to keep secret from him. This was just a fun story of expectantly falling in love complicated by her investigation.

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

If you like mysteries and romance, this may be a book you will enjoy. Tess Townsend married an older gentleman and on their wedding night he dies without the consummation of their marriage. Tess and two of her friends begin solving some London crimes. Then along comes Justin Thornton who never expected to inherit a dukedom. But once he ha, Justin knows he need to marry and he decides Tess Townsend is a woman he can have a marriage of convenience with. Tess is working on a case that Queen Charlotte has asked her to do. However Justin becomes suspicious of her activity and begins to question the woman he has married and his feeling for her. Will this case Tess is working on for the Queen cause problems in her marriage or make Tess and Justin both realize what their relationship is really about?

I love Kate's rebels. She gives the women in her historical romances a voice. And gives them jobs like spies and teachers, Smart and witty women who do as they please. What's not to love? So, totally a recommendation from me and five stars! With a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc and looking forward to the next part in this new series.

Absolutely LOVED this book! I devoured it. Kate Bateman has such a way with words to make the characters come to life. I fell hard for those two and can see myself re-reading this book in the future! 🥰❤️

Loved this one! This was such an enjoyable romance novel with so many great elements that made the romance feel believable and natural! There was such great chemistry between the characters in this book helping make the romance even more enjoyable! Loved the characters personalities and seeing their development as the story progressed. They fit so well into this historical setting! Definitely recommend if you are looking for a fun historical romance to read!

I am so upset this got lost in my Kindle. I loved it! The story is captivating, and the characters are amazing. I couldn't read this fast enough. It was lighthearted, steamy, and entertaining. I cannot wait for the next one!

“I don’t care if it’s a fairy-tale castle made entirely out of gingerbread. I don’t want it. Give it to someone else. Whoever’s next in line.”
Kate Bateman’s newest series “Her Majesty’s Rebels” is sure to win over hearts because she’s already won mine with the first installment: Second Duke’s the Charm. Between the marriage of convenience plot, the mystery to be solved for the Queen by a not-so-secret gang of lady sleuths, Second Duke’s the Charm should easily be at the top of any list for historical romance lovers.

Our intrepid heroine, Tess Townsend is a dowager duchess, widowed on her wedding night before any festivities occurred (luckily for her), she’s left to her own devices and forms an agency that helps correct misfortunes that might befell other members of the ton in a very discretionary way. Unfortunately, Tess’ current way of life might come to a quick stop as she’s informed that—after an extensive search—an heir to the Duke of Wansford has been located.

They’d never met in person, she was sure, but she knew him: he was every wicked fantasy she’d ever dreamed, come to life.
The newly-found Duke of Wansford, Justin Thornton is a successful and prominent fur trader and traveler to the American Continent and in Canada as well. He’s more than reluctant to take up the mantle of a duchy. However, in a chance encounter with a masked woman in a siren’s call of a red dress, who also happens to be the dowager duchess to his title, Justin might make exceptions to the concept of marriage.

While Tess needs to keep her own secrets of what exactly she does with her two friends, Justin has his own secrets as well. Never mind any trivial things such as falling in love with the woman you just married even if the agreement was for a short tryst and then live amicably apart.

“And the way he says my name.” An involuntary sigh escaped Tess. ” As if it’s his dying breath, and it’s the last thing he wants on his lips before he leaves this world. Nobody else says it like that.”
My favorite parts of a marriage of convenience plot are all safely found in Second Duke’s the Charm. Bateman writes both Tess and Justin’s inevitable fall into love with such practiced ease. I adored the fast pace of the plot and the inclusion of the mystery that Tess is attempting to solve. Getting to know her two best friends was half the fun as well.

Second Duke’s the Charm is as charming as it is spicy. I love it when the chemistry between two characters outmatches their stubbornness to follow societal expectations. Trust me when I tell you that Tess and Justin’s chemistry is off the charts! I absolutely cannot wait to see what Kate Bateman has in store for us readers with her next installment of “Her Majesty’s Rebels”! Congrats on a brilliant new series!

This author quickly became an auto-buy for me. I am never disappointed by her storytelling and distinguished characters. The chemistry between the heroine and the hero was sizzling. I couldn't get enough of their romance.

Loved loved loved this amazing Regency Romance book. I am a sucker for a good Regency Romance book and throw in the female is a crime solver and a hot brooding male please take my money! I can't wait to read the next in the series.
5 stars all day long.
I just reviewed Second Duke's the Charm by Kate Bateman. #SecondDukestheCharm #NetGalley
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Another incredibly delightful Kate Bateman book? Yes please!
Ms Bateman excels at writing realistic, funny, emotional characters- and this book was no different. Tess, in particular, was delightful. I loved the side characters, and I hope this turns into a series!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Second Duke's the Charm is a cute romance between a virgin widow Duchess and the Duke who now holds her late husband's title.

Tess Townsend was forced by her father to marry a much older, creepy Duke, who conveniently dropped dead on their wedding night before the marriage was consummated. Now she's an independent woman who, along with her best friends, run an agency that helps women in trouble. Looking for a little adventure, she has a tryst with a handsome stranger at a party. Imagine her surprise when he turns out to be the new Duke.

Justin Thornton only inherited the dukedom because of an absurd amount of unexpected deaths. He's expecting the dowager duchess to be an elderly woman, and he's shocked to find that she's the mystery woman he recently encountered at a party.

I enjoyed this one because the couple have a lot of chemistry, but I did feel that the conflicts were kind of artificial and weren't very high stakes. This. made the romance a bit less interesting to me. I enjoyed the detective agency aspect, and I think that will be a really interesting elements of the next books in the series.

I’m such a big fan of Kate’s romances! They are so wonderful! I really enjoyed this one that’s a first in a new series! The dynamic of the characters was fun! I read this easy too quickly! I can’t wait for the next one!

This was exactly what I needed to read to get me through a reading slump! I loved the banter between characters and the progression of the story. The one thing I have to nitpick is that Justin seemed to flop a little fast on his convictions on love.

This was a unique adult historical romance novel, with great characters and plot!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I love it when convenience turns into romance. A great story with intrigue and spice. Delightful read for historical romance fans!

Maybe I'm partial to heroine's named Tess or maybe I'm just partial to Kate Bateman's work, but this one a hole in one for me. I loved every part of this book, the beginning with it's humor, maybe ill humor at that, down to the storyline and backstory.

Justin and Tess had undeniable chemistry that seemed to light the pages on fire and made reading this a breeze. Truly excited to see what happens next in this series!

⭐ Overall Rating: 4 / 5 stars | 🌶️ Spicy Rating: 3 / 5

📚 Tropes: one night stand, hidden/mistaken identity, marriage of convenience, miscommunication

📖 Format: eARC

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👩🏻FMC: Tess was such a fun heroine! I really enjoyed her strength and independence, especially at a time when those qualities were not expected of women (especially duchesses). She made the most out of her situation, and I admired that she used her good fortune to help others.

👨🏻MMC: Justin is a classic sworn-off-love, playboy character - which I have a definite weakness for. I am an absolute sucker for secret pining/he falls first, so the fact that Justin secretly harbored a thing for Tess from the moment he laid eyes on her made me practically swoon.

⚡CHEMISTRY: Justin & Tess were not lacking in chemistry. You could feel the pull between the two from their first interaction.

🏘️ATMOSPHERE: The story takes place during Regency England, which is one of my favorite settings for historical romance. I loved getting to meet Queen Charlotte and the Princess. Daisy and Ellie were also fun characters. I always love seeing strong female friendships in romances.

📺PLOT: I don’t think I’ve ever read a historical romance quite like this one. There was just as much suspense/mystery as there was romance in this book. While I enjoyed the mystery/suspense aspect, I do wish the romance aspect of the book would have had more room to shine. I started finding myself losing interest towards the middle of the book because I just wanted to see the MCs get their HEA. I’m a romance reader, what can I say!

👍🏻OVERALL: This was a great read! The author definitely set herself apart from the other regency romance authors I have read with her plot-heavy narrative. If you are into romances with a lot of mystery/suspense - you will absolutely love this one!

I loved reading Second Duke's the charm. I wasn't sure if I would like it based on the first chapter and the fact that I did put it down when I first tried reading it.

I picked it up again this week and couldn't stop reading once I started.

I liked Justin and Tess's romance and how he fell first. Or maybe they did at the same time. I liked the spy part of the story, it added more intrigue.

I definitely can't wait for the next book.

Thank you Netgalley and P