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cass1699 's review for:
Second Duke's the Charm
by Kate Bateman
3.5 stars ⭐️
this was fun! the premise pulled me in right away: a marriage of convenience between a duke and a dowager duchess? with seemingly no strings attached (though we know that’s sure to change by the end of the book)? i’m sold.
i had a good time with these characters. i was particularly fond of tess, our FMC. she was wonderfully complex, with several layers to peel back and examine. kind and generous, but also willing to put her foot down and stick up for herself when necessary. i also loved her friends, ellie and daisy—i’m looking forward to seeing how their love stories unfold!
i think the author also did a great job of establishing the sexual tension between justin and tess. though it was clear that they were attracted to each other from the beginning—and despite the events that took place at the start of the book—it never felt like they were moving absurdly fast. i think this is because, in their relationship, there was a clear line drawn between the idea of lust versus love. there was plenty of attraction, sure, but the true appeal lay in wanting them to fall head over heels for each other.
the book sort of lost me in the last half—it seemed like justin’s deep feelings for tess kind of came out of left field. first, he was only pursuing something physical, and then suddenly, he was in love with her? i wish we’d gotten a more gradual buildup. i also didn’t really love the resolution at the end, but maybe this is simply because i’m not a huge fan of the whole ~grand gesture~ approach. i much rather prefer small but meaningful acts as opposed to a single, extravagant (and often empty) one.
but overall, i enjoyed this story! and i fully intend to check out more of bateman’s work in the future
this was fun! the premise pulled me in right away: a marriage of convenience between a duke and a dowager duchess? with seemingly no strings attached (though we know that’s sure to change by the end of the book)? i’m sold.
i had a good time with these characters. i was particularly fond of tess, our FMC. she was wonderfully complex, with several layers to peel back and examine. kind and generous, but also willing to put her foot down and stick up for herself when necessary. i also loved her friends, ellie and daisy—i’m looking forward to seeing how their love stories unfold!
i think the author also did a great job of establishing the sexual tension between justin and tess. though it was clear that they were attracted to each other from the beginning—and despite the events that took place at the start of the book—it never felt like they were moving absurdly fast. i think this is because, in their relationship, there was a clear line drawn between the idea of lust versus love. there was plenty of attraction, sure, but the true appeal lay in wanting them to fall head over heels for each other.
the book sort of lost me in the last half—it seemed like justin’s deep feelings for tess kind of came out of left field. first, he was only pursuing something physical, and then suddenly, he was in love with her? i wish we’d gotten a more gradual buildup. i also didn’t really love the resolution at the end, but maybe this is simply because i’m not a huge fan of the whole ~grand gesture~ approach. i much rather prefer small but meaningful acts as opposed to a single, extravagant (and often empty) one.
but overall, i enjoyed this story! and i fully intend to check out more of bateman’s work in the future