Last Duke Standing: A Historical Romance

Julia London

Feb 2022 · A Royal Match Book 1 · Sold by HQN Books

About this eBook

Fans of Bridgerton will love the this sparkling, witty, and sexy new series from New York Times bestselling author Julia London! With a young future queen in the market for a husband, and the charming—and opinionated—Scottish lord tasked to introduce her to the ton’s most eligible bachelors.

Charming. Cheeky. Cunning.

When Crown Princess Justine of Wesloria is sent to England to learn the ropes of royalty, she falls under the tutelage of none other than Queen Victoria herself. Justine’s also in the market for a proper husband—one fit to marry the future queen of Wesloria.

Because he knows simply everyone, William, Lord Douglas (the notoriously rakish heir to the Duke of Hamilton seat in Scotland, and decidedly not husband material), is on hand as an escort of sorts. William has been recruited to keep an eye on the royal matchmaker for the Weslorian prime minister, tasked to ensure the princess is matched with a man of quality…and one who will be sympathetic to the prime minister’s views.

As William and Justine are forced to scrutinize an endless parade of England’s best bachelors, they become friends. But when the crowd of potential grooms is steadily culled, what if William is the last bachelor standing?

Don’t miss The Duke Not Taken from New York Times bestselling author Julia London! A delicious and playful new frenemies-to-lovers romance set in Victorian England.

Ratings and reviews

Deliciously sweet royal romance Justine is the heir to her father's throne, and it looks like his ailing health is going to require her to step up sooner than she'd expected. Still reeling from trusting the wrong man and igniting a minor scandal, she is advised to tread very carefully in selecting her future husband - a selection she needs to make before she ascends to the throne. Set in Queen Victoria's time, she heads to London to see if a suitable husband can be found among the British nobility. William is just enough of a rake to be considered entirely unsuitable for the Weslorian princess, but he's a true gentleman nonetheless and I adored his innate sense of honor. He's asked by the Weslorian prime minister to help Justine find a husband that will work as a conduit so the prime minister can expand his control and influence once the princess becomes the queen. Because this is a royal romance, naturally William and Justine start to get very close despite the inappropriateness of any future romance for them. Just when you think things are going to work out after all, another scandal rears its tawdry head and William and Justine, along with a few of their trusted friends, hatch a plan to bring the truth to light, thus killing the scandal in its tracks. I loved this particular part of the storyline, as it gives us a double dose of romanticism with a separate but equally swoon-worthy HEA. This is my first book by this author, and I was delightfully impressed with the writing style and the vivid characterizations. The story hit all the right notes and kept me captivated from start to finish. Justine and William's HEA was everything a royal fan could hope for. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Last Duke Standing by Julia London, book one in her Royal Match series, is a wonderful, enjoyable, charming, humorous tale of a princess in need of a husband and the opionated Scottish lord tasked to escort her as she is introduced to some of the best and most eligible bachelors. With the impending death of her father and a hint of scandal in her past, Crown Princess Justine of Westloria, accompanied by her younger sister, is sent to England to learn the ropes of royalty, receiving tutelage from none other than Queen Victoria herself. Justine is also in the market for a proper husband; one fit to marry the future queen of Wesloria. William, Lord Douglas, a notoriously rake and heir to the Duke of Hamilton seat in Scotland, who knows simply everyone, while decidedly not husband material, is on hand as an escort of sorts. William has been recruited to keep an eye on the royal matchmaker for the Weslorian prime minister, tasked to ensure the princess is matched with a man of quality, especially, one who will be sympathetic to the prime minister’s views. Also assisting in the search is the celebrated matchmaker, Lila Aleksander. William remembers the princess from her last visit to England eight years ago and is not prepared for the lovely young woman he is introduced to when he calls on her. At first, Justine is annoyed by William’s presence, but as time passes, they form a friendship and she comes to trust him and his insights about her suitors; suitors that are clearly not right for he I loved the friendship that formed between Justine and William as he proves to be most insightful sharing his opinion about the men she is forced to meet, whether she wants it or not. Both characters are competitive, creating bets about the suitors, finding ways to escape the others, as well as spend time together. There is a strong chemistry and attraction between them that Lila, the matchmaker, recognizes early on. Ms. London wrote a wonderful story filled with humor, witty banter, warmish love scenes, wonderful leads, great secondary characters, secrets, scandals, a bit of heartache, and the magic of love that should not to be missed. I highly recommend Last Duke Standing to other readers and look forward to the next book in the series. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

I thought that this was a very fun read. This slow burning romance between Justine and William kept me engaged and invested with its entertaining combination of witty dialog, cuteness, charm, drama, sweetness, humor, twist and heart. I thought William was decidedly swoon worthy and my heart was a bit achy for Justine. I felt they made a really wonderful couple that fit beautifully together. This is my independent, impartial review.

About the author

Julia London is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over fifty novels of historical and contemporary romance. She is the recipient of the RT Bookclub Award for Best Historical Romance and a six-time finalist for the prestigious RITA award. She lives in Austin, Texas. Find her at www.julialondon.com.Or visit Julia online:www.julialondon.com/newsletterwww.facebook.com/julialondonwww.twitter.com/juliaflondonwww.instagram.com/julia_f_london