Second Duke's the Charm

Kate Bateman

Dec 2023 · Her Majesty’s Rebels Book 1 · Sold by St. Martin's Paperbacks

About this ebook

Meet Her Majesty’s Rebels: three brilliant women who run King & Co., London’s most exclusive investigative agency...

The wedding-night death of her much older husband left Tess Townsend the Dowager Duchess of Wansford—and still a virgin. Now she and her two best friends investigate London’s most scandalous crimes, and while Tess longs to experience physical pleasure for herself, she can’t risk losing her treasured independence...

Cynical shipping magnate Justin Thornton never expected to inherit a dukedom, but he’ll do his duty. When the ravishing woman he kissed at a party turns out to be the Dowager Duchess, Justin sees an obvious solution: a marriage of convenience that will suit them both.

But the passion that sparks between them is anything but convenient. As Tess works on a new case at the request of Queen Charlotte, her increasingly suspicious behavior makes Justin question her motives—and her past. The infuriating woman clearly can’t be trusted, but Justin doesn’t believe in love, so there’s absolutely no danger of him falling for his own wife...is there?

Ratings and reviews

I hate reviews that start with OMG!...but really, OMG! Second Duke's The Charm by Kate Bateman is a phenomenal historical romance. I was hooked on this book by page 2 and couldn't put it down. Tess and friends own King & Co. and secretly run investigations. Justin didn't want to take over as Duke when the solicitor tracked him down, but it was easier to just accept than fight it. Tess and Justin's story is loaded with drama, fantastic characters, humor, sexy bits, action and suspense.

This book is so much fun! I enjoyed how the author incorporated the true story of Princess Charlotte’s love letters to a naval officer into the novel. Sometimes I wanted to slap Justin for the assumptions he made about Tess’s romantic experience, but he gets his comeuppance. Tess does a beautiful job of taming him. Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I just loved this marriage of convenience story. Tess just wanted to be able to live her life on her own terms....and so did Justin. I loved how both of them fell in love and realized that they could still be themselves. This was a great start to a new series.

About the author

Kate Bateman, (also writing as K. C. Bateman), is a bestselling author of historical romances, including her RITA® nominated Renaissance romp, The Devil To Pay, the Bow Street Bachelors series (This Earl of Mine, To Catch an Earl, and The Princess and the Rogue), along with the novels in the Secrets & Spies series (To Steal a Heart, A Raven’s Heart, and A Counterfeit Heart). When not writing novels that feature feisty, intelligent heroines and sexy, snarky heroes you want to both strangle and kiss, Kate works as a fine art appraiser and on-screen antiques expert for several popular TV shows in the UK. She splits her time between Illinois and her native England. Follow her on Twitter to learn more.