rynniereads 's review for:

Second Duke's the Charm by Kate Bateman

5.0

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4.5 Stars. On Tess’s wedding night her ancient husband drops dead at her feet. Two years later, Tess goes to London in search of a kiss and shares a passionate moment with a stranger. A few days later she learns her mystery man, Justin, is a distant relative of her husband and the new duke. Justin propose a marriage of convenience and after weighing here options, Tess agrees. The pair begin a physical relationship that leads to feelings. The B plot involves Tess and her friends trying to stop a blackmailer and someone trying to kill justin.

This is the first book in a new series and I assume that the other two books will be about Tess’s friends. I really liked this book. The plot moved a long quickly and I read the book in a single afternoon and was entertained, but I found the A and B plots a little disjointed and I found myself skimming when we got to the B plot chapters. I would have preferred to have just the main marriage of convenience plot but I also don’t enjoy mysteries. I absolutely love the cover as it so perfectly captures Tess and Justin’s first meeting. I do wish we had gotten more of Justin’s hard shell around his heart shattering because he was so cold at the beginning of the book. I absolutely loved Tess and her friends and am absolutely looking forward to the next books in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.