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A review by ria_mhrj
A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole
4.0
I was reluctant to read this as a) I did not love A Princess In Theory and b) Portia as a supporting character in that book did not entice me to want to know more, I dismissed her as an irredeemable party girl.
I'm delighted to report I was wrong! Much stronger romance this time, but best of all, I fell absolutely head over heels for Portia herself. Her journey was a joy to watch unfold and I regularly wanted to wrap her in a big hug and give her a pep talk. Alyssa Cole did such a great job of displaying Portia's skills and successes, whilst leaving her plagued with self doubt and convinced of her own ineptitude, it was such a clever depiction of damaged self worth, especially when tied in to her undiagnosed condition. I have a dear friend who is constantly thriving and succeeding academically and professionally yet all the while believing it's a fluke and that she's a fraud and that she can't do the things she's doing every day, so this hit close to home, and was really well conveyed in this book.
As mentioned, I loved the romance too. Tav's grumpiness masking a marshmallow centre is a beloved character trait, and he was a perfect foil for Portia. I also thoroughly enjoyed the story outside of the romance, as businesses are fought for and dukedoms are discovered (even if it was weird to read about the Duke of Edinburgh and not conjure up an image of 99 year old Prince Philip!).
Johan's introduction was excellent and I eagerly look forward to his book - should be a lot of fun based on the glimpse we had here.
I'm delighted to report I was wrong! Much stronger romance this time, but best of all, I fell absolutely head over heels for Portia herself. Her journey was a joy to watch unfold and I regularly wanted to wrap her in a big hug and give her a pep talk. Alyssa Cole did such a great job of displaying Portia's skills and successes, whilst leaving her plagued with self doubt and convinced of her own ineptitude, it was such a clever depiction of damaged self worth, especially when tied in to her undiagnosed condition. I have a dear friend who is constantly thriving and succeeding academically and professionally yet all the while believing it's a fluke and that she's a fraud and that she can't do the things she's doing every day, so this hit close to home, and was really well conveyed in this book.
As mentioned, I loved the romance too. Tav's grumpiness masking a marshmallow centre is a beloved character trait, and he was a perfect foil for Portia. I also thoroughly enjoyed the story outside of the romance, as businesses are fought for and dukedoms are discovered (even if it was weird to read about the Duke of Edinburgh and not conjure up an image of 99 year old Prince Philip!).
Johan's introduction was excellent and I eagerly look forward to his book - should be a lot of fun based on the glimpse we had here.