Series: Her Majesty's Rebels #1
Publisher: St. Martins Press
Release Date: Dec. 26, 2023
Order Link: Amazon
Special thanks to St. Martins Press for an arc.
Meet Her Majesty’s Rebels: three brilliant women who run King & Co., London’s most exclusive investigative agency...
Review:
SECOND DUKE'S THE CHARM is the first book in a new series, Her Majesty's Rebels, by author Kate Bateman. Her Majesty's Rebels refers to three smart women who are not only close friends, but the secret owners and investigators of King & Co., one of London's most exclusive investigative agencies. It's unheard of for women to indulge in such brash behavior given the times, but Tess Townsend and her friends are good at what they do, and they enjoy the independence it affords them. After having been forced into marriage by her father to a much older man who died on their wedding night, Tess is now the Dowager Duchess of Wansford . . . and remains a secret virgin. Being a widow gives Tess the freedom to do as she pleases, and she's vowed she'll never marry or give up her independence to anyone again.
Justin Thornton is a self-made rich shipping magnate who's not happy to learn he's inherited the Wansford dukedom, but he'll do his duty to become the overseer of the estate and find a suitable woman to marry. He's certain the present duchess is too old to continue running things so imagine his surprise when he meets the beautiful and deliciously wicked Tess. Soon, the answer is obvious - a marriage of convenience that solves an issue for both. The deed is done. Now all they have to do is figure out how to control the fiery hot chemistry sparking between them. Justin doesn't believe in love and trusts no one. Tess wants to keep her independence and refuses to submit to any man. What will they do?
SECOND DUKE'S THE CHARM is simply irresistible. Kate Bateman has such a talent in gifting readers heroes and heroines that you can't help but love and pull for. The chemistry between opposites always sizzles even as they fight the attraction. The story line is intriguing with a mystery to solve, and the setting is perfect. This one moves at a brisk pace as one disaster after another threatens to derail this couple. I'm looking forward to each of the other women's stories. Highly recommended to fans of historical romance and marriages of convenience tropes.
Synopsis:
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?
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?
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