A review by melodicfate
A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole

4.0

I knew I was going to like this story right away. I mean, Portia starts this out by trying to recover from her old ways of drinking and sticking her head in the sand. She goes to Scotland to apprentice for a swordmaker named Tavish. Tavish was supposed to pick her up, but he forgot. When they finally meet, boy do they clash! Portia's an internet-savvy, social, and meticulous person. Tavish is grumpy, set in his ways, and very loyal to his family and friends.

These two started out quite rocky. It was kind of hate-to-love, because Tavish started out being such a jerk. I found it refreshing, though, that though they were attracted to one another, they resisted it for quite some time. The whole boss/employee dynamic, not to mention the age gap, was something both characters thought about. And then...you have Portia discovering that Tavish is a duke. And Tavish never knew! I was so relieved. It wasn't something Tavish was hiding. Nope. Portia told him. Awesome!

Things did drag there near the end for me. There was a lot of drama, and I really wish I knew what happens next with these two. Still, they're in a great place, and after seeing who the next book is about, I'm excited. Go grab this book for your contemporary grumpy Scotsman meets angsty heroine fix.