xanthe 's review for:

A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole
4.0

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!