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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
I really enjoyed the first 80% of this book. It has a fun back-and-forth between its grumpy, gruff hero and party-girl-turned-ultra-competent heroine that I leaned into hard. Plus, Scotland, sword making, and a fun cast of secondary characters. The unexpected duke stuff was okay too, but I definitely struggled with the romance tropes of both sides assuming the other doesn't want them because neither actually says what they mean, which was a shame because they were both so deliciously forthright up until then. Nevertheless, this was highly satisfying and I slurped it all down in about two sittings!
I will get back to this as soon as I get my current stack of reads out of the way lmao
Loved this! Portia and Tavish made a fun couple and their chemistry was very believable. I liked Portia when I met her in the first book of this series and I liked her even more in this book. I also really appreciated the way the book handled Portia's ADHD and amusing social media stuff.
I wish there had been more sword smithing stuff, I love blacksmithing and blade smithing and it would have been nice to have a bit more of that. I seriously don't know how she forged a longsword in one day. An experienced bladesmith can take several days to forge a sword and she's a totally inexperienced n00b. Plus her arms should have been total jelly, not all ready to grab onto him. Ah well.
The ending was a little bit of a stretch, one too many times of Tavish realizing what a jerk he'd been (again) but I was on board by then so it didn't detract from the book overly much.
The whole bit with Tavish's brother and sister-in-law was great and nicely handled. I liked that they called him out on how his choices had impacted their lives negatively. I think that's too often glossed over in romance books because "love conquers all".
That Cheryl is a huge nerd and a chef and makes Dr. Who themed food made me extremely happy. Though is there very much cannonical food for her to make other than dishes with silly names and fish fingers and custard?
I wish there had been more sword smithing stuff, I love blacksmithing and blade smithing and it would have been nice to have a bit more of that. I seriously don't know how she forged a longsword in one day. An experienced bladesmith can take several days to forge a sword and she's a totally inexperienced n00b. Plus her arms should have been total jelly, not all ready to grab onto him. Ah well.
The ending was a little bit of a stretch, one too many times of Tavish realizing what a jerk he'd been (again) but I was on board by then so it didn't detract from the book overly much.
The whole bit with Tavish's brother and sister-in-law was great and nicely handled. I liked that they called him out on how his choices had impacted their lives negatively. I think that's too often glossed over in romance books because "love conquers all".
That Cheryl is a huge nerd and a chef and makes Dr. Who themed food made me extremely happy. Though is there very much cannonical food for her to make other than dishes with silly names and fish fingers and custard?
Similar thoughts to my review for A Princess in Theory - an excellent romance with great characters set in a vibrant, diverse community, a really interesting storyline and good heat to keep me entertained. I do think that the ending was a bit abrupt and things tied up rather too quickly and neatly, but in the grand scheme, I still enjoyed the hell out of this book. I may write a full review...eventually. But good stuff and I can't wait for the next book. Happily recommend.
We first met Portia Hobbs in A Princess in Theory as Naledi's best friend. She had many personal issues going on and honestly wasn't always the best friend to Naledi, but I just knew there was so much more to Portia and was so excited to see we would get her story in A Duke by Default.
Portia has decided to become new Portia and in doing so, she pretty much is trying to reinvent herself. Portia wasn't super likable in A Princess in Theory, so I was so happy to see Portia try and change parts of herself for the better. Portia has always had so many varied interest yet has never been able to stick with just one thing. I hated she always seemed to compare herself to her super organized twin sister Reggie and always see herself as lacking. I absolutely loved moving to Scotland to be an apprentice to a sword maker was what helped her discover what made her tick and what she loved to do with her life.
Tavish McKenzie was pretty much swoon-worthy from the moment he appeared on the page, yet was a bit of an ass as well. He really did push Portia away pretty much from the moment they met thanks to being so attracted to her. However, Portia being Portia, she set herself to helping every other aspect of Bodotria Armory as well as some of the other businesses in the area. I loved how quickly Portia made friends with the locals and her instinctive need to fix things and how she wanted to learn about her temporary home, which led to discovering Tavish was the legitimate son of a duke.
I loved the fact that the more time Tavish and Portia spent together, the closer they became and the harder it was to avoid their attraction to each other. There was serious chemistry between them that had been there from the moment they met. I loved they seemed to get each other in a way no one else really had before and accepted each other quirks and all. They were very clearly friends first and I loved the pacing of their relationship. The slow build up worked for me as Portia needed to understand more about herself before she was ready to be with anyone. Portia also understood Tavish in a way few others did and used her understanding of him to help him as he navigated the new world he was thrust into.
I loved that Portia was able to figure out she had ADHD thanks to a link sent to her from Reggie. I think it was part of the reason she was able to finally figure out how she need to live her life. It pretty much killed me how her parents treated her, yet I loved once she and Reggie had a real conversation about everything that had gone on, they became even closer than before. I did wonder why Portia never shared her diagnosis with her parents, but also wondered if they would have really listened to her if she had tried.
A Duke by Default was such a fun and emotional read for me. Ms. Cole has quickly become an auto-buy author for me after just 2 books and I absolutely adore her voice. I loved watching Tavish and Portia fall in love, and I absolutely know they are strong enough to manage anything life throws at them in the future.
Rating: 5 Stars (A)
Portia has decided to become new Portia and in doing so, she pretty much is trying to reinvent herself. Portia wasn't super likable in A Princess in Theory, so I was so happy to see Portia try and change parts of herself for the better. Portia has always had so many varied interest yet has never been able to stick with just one thing. I hated she always seemed to compare herself to her super organized twin sister Reggie and always see herself as lacking. I absolutely loved moving to Scotland to be an apprentice to a sword maker was what helped her discover what made her tick and what she loved to do with her life.
Tavish McKenzie was pretty much swoon-worthy from the moment he appeared on the page, yet was a bit of an ass as well. He really did push Portia away pretty much from the moment they met thanks to being so attracted to her. However, Portia being Portia, she set herself to helping every other aspect of Bodotria Armory as well as some of the other businesses in the area. I loved how quickly Portia made friends with the locals and her instinctive need to fix things and how she wanted to learn about her temporary home, which led to discovering Tavish was the legitimate son of a duke.
I loved the fact that the more time Tavish and Portia spent together, the closer they became and the harder it was to avoid their attraction to each other. There was serious chemistry between them that had been there from the moment they met. I loved they seemed to get each other in a way no one else really had before and accepted each other quirks and all. They were very clearly friends first and I loved the pacing of their relationship. The slow build up worked for me as Portia needed to understand more about herself before she was ready to be with anyone. Portia also understood Tavish in a way few others did and used her understanding of him to help him as he navigated the new world he was thrust into.
I loved that Portia was able to figure out she had ADHD thanks to a link sent to her from Reggie. I think it was part of the reason she was able to finally figure out how she need to live her life. It pretty much killed me how her parents treated her, yet I loved once she and Reggie had a real conversation about everything that had gone on, they became even closer than before. I did wonder why Portia never shared her diagnosis with her parents, but also wondered if they would have really listened to her if she had tried.
A Duke by Default was such a fun and emotional read for me. Ms. Cole has quickly become an auto-buy author for me after just 2 books and I absolutely adore her voice. I loved watching Tavish and Portia fall in love, and I absolutely know they are strong enough to manage anything life throws at them in the future.
Rating: 5 Stars (A)
Alyssa Cole continues to deliver the fluffy romance novels I've always wanted in this series. They have the cheesy covers. They have the scheming villains. They are like bubble gum for the brain and they are so much fun. And! They lack a lot of the toxic relationship tropes so prevalent in this genre. And even address them at times.
Are these books perfect? Maybe not. Is A Duke By Default an adorable follow up to A Princess In Theory? Absolutely. Portia was given room to grow and be more than the shitty best friend. It was a redemption arc with a dashing, if occasionally stuck up his own butt, love interest thrown in.
Weird (and slightly spoilery - but only for a minor plot point) side note, I loved theADHD plot line. It reminded me of my own journey with it at the end of college. It was such a weirdly specific plot point that handled that moment of discovery in such a true to life way.
Are these books perfect? Maybe not. Is A Duke By Default an adorable follow up to A Princess In Theory? Absolutely. Portia was given room to grow and be more than the shitty best friend. It was a redemption arc with a dashing, if occasionally stuck up his own butt, love interest thrown in.
Weird (and slightly spoilery - but only for a minor plot point) side note, I loved the
Alyssa Cole has a way of writing the most realistic romances, and I worship her for it. During one of the steamy parts, she wrote something that was so perfectly descriptive, and I wondered why it’s not in every love scene ever. But that’s why she rules. I really loved watching Portia learn to trust herself more and gain confidence, and Tavish was a charming grump, which I enjoy. I felt like there was a little unnecessary miscommunication, and I would have liked to see Portia’s arc fleshed out a little more, but minor complaints!
f I was to be honest, I think I likes this one so much more than the first - and I liked A Princess in Theory a lot. It's quite possibly because this is closer to being an "everyman" kind of story, making it more believable. And that's what I was in the mood for. Portia takes the apprenticeship as a way to reset herself. Tav agrees to the apprenticeship but is irritated by all of the changes that Portia is making. And they keep butting heads. Turns out they're super attracted to each other. Fighting the attraction becomes impossible when they become friends. And things become even more complicated when it's discovered that Tav is the rightful duke. The boundaries are blurred and feelings are denied. Portia struggles because she doesn't want to screw up but believes it is inevitable Tav screws up because he is trying to not lean so much on Portia, while doing his best to protect her This story has a little of everything-self discovery, humor, sexy times. Even though it takes Tav and Portia to to act on their feelings the ending doesn't feel rushed. Tav was really good for Portia. It was just really really nice.
What a way to fuck up the landing.
Up until the last 10% this book managed to be better than the first in the series. Alyssa Cole excels at creating smart, complex, relatable women. They have multilayered problems but the capacity to deal and evolve, even if it takes them a while to recognise that about themselves. In "A Duke by Default" she showed particular skill in articulating what exactly made Tav and Portia right for each and the substantial, credible issues that needed to be acknowledged and worked on if they were ever going to work.
Then she nearly ruined it. Cole seems attached to drugging her heroines. In the first book, "A Princess in Theory", it made sense. Here it only upped the melodramatic stakes causing Tav to retreat into the typical stupid sexist cis het behaviour it had taken me almost the entire book to get over. Granted, we got this passage from Ledi which Portia deserved and needed to hear:
"...you are worth so much more than you were giving yourself credit for. Even if Tav isn’t the one, even if you decide you don’t want to be with anyone long-term ever, it’s not because you’re unworthy.”
But we didn't need the foiled ex Duke to rape drug Portia in order to get to that moment. We *really* didn't. At minimum this scene should have occurred much earlier given the grievous action. Not only on its own merits but because Portia would have found it esp destabilising in light of her past drinking problems. Instead, her private reaction is handled in a few lines right before she runs to Tav. He learns of it right after his public declaration of love in front of journalists beside the queen, and it's (supposed to get lost) among reader joy over this blissful reunion.
No, though.
This gets 3 stars only because everything before that farcical ending was close to wonderful.
This may be my last bout with the Reluctant Royals series. The next is yet another interracial couple. I am bored with the particular strain of interracial romance by AA authors in which the dude is always white. Cole excels at writing women characters so it's a shame we may never get a lesbian romance. The only thing that could reignite my interest is if Reggie, Portia's twin sister, got a book. She is ambitious, outspoken, perceptive, and differently abled.
P.S. Stop drugging your heroines, Alyssa! Just stop.
Up until the last 10% this book managed to be better than the first in the series. Alyssa Cole excels at creating smart, complex, relatable women. They have multilayered problems but the capacity to deal and evolve, even if it takes them a while to recognise that about themselves. In "A Duke by Default" she showed particular skill in articulating what exactly made Tav and Portia right for each and the substantial, credible issues that needed to be acknowledged and worked on if they were ever going to work.
Then she nearly ruined it. Cole seems attached to drugging her heroines. In the first book, "A Princess in Theory", it made sense. Here it only upped the melodramatic stakes causing Tav to retreat into the typical stupid sexist cis het behaviour it had taken me almost the entire book to get over. Granted, we got this passage from Ledi which Portia deserved and needed to hear:
"...you are worth so much more than you were giving yourself credit for. Even if Tav isn’t the one, even if you decide you don’t want to be with anyone long-term ever, it’s not because you’re unworthy.”
But we didn't need the foiled ex Duke to rape drug Portia in order to get to that moment. We *really* didn't. At minimum this scene should have occurred much earlier given the grievous action. Not only on its own merits but because Portia would have found it esp destabilising in light of her past drinking problems. Instead, her private reaction is handled in a few lines right before she runs to Tav. He learns of it right after his public declaration of love in front of journalists beside the queen, and it's (supposed to get lost) among reader joy over this blissful reunion.
No, though.
This gets 3 stars only because everything before that farcical ending was close to wonderful.
This may be my last bout with the Reluctant Royals series. The next is yet another interracial couple. I am bored with the particular strain of interracial romance by AA authors in which the dude is always white. Cole excels at writing women characters so it's a shame we may never get a lesbian romance. The only thing that could reignite my interest is if Reggie, Portia's twin sister, got a book. She is ambitious, outspoken, perceptive, and differently abled.
P.S. Stop drugging your heroines, Alyssa! Just stop.