Second Duke's the Charm
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4.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Meet Her Majesty’s Rebels: three brilliant women who run King & Co., London’s most exclusive investigative agency...
The wedding-night death of her much older husband left Tess Townsend the Dowager Duchess of Wansford—and still a virgin. Now she and her two best friends investigate London’s most scandalous crimes, and while Tess longs to experience physical pleasure for herself, she can’t risk losing her treasured independence...
Cynical shipping magnate Justin Thornton never expected to inherit a dukedom, but he’ll do his duty. When the ravishing woman he kissed at a party turns out to be the Dowager Duchess, Justin sees an obvious solution: a marriage of convenience that will suit them both.
But the passion that sparks between them is anything but convenient. As Tess works on a new case at the request of Queen Charlotte, her increasingly suspicious behavior makes Justin question her motives—and her past. The infuriating woman clearly can’t be trusted, but Justin doesn’t believe in love, so there’s absolutely no danger of him falling for his own wife...is there?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bateman (A Wicked Game) opens the Her Majesty's Rebels series with this suspenseful Regency romance. After being forced to marry a frail older duke who dies on their wedding night, Tess Townsend is left as the new Dowager Duchess of Wansford—and still a virgin. Relishing her independence, she dedicates herself to solving crimes with her friends Ellie Law and Daisy Hamilton as partners in the King & Co detective agency. Though Tess occasionally longs for romantic pleasure, her inexperience holds her back. Enter the magnetic Justin Thornton, the new duke of Wansford, with whom Tess shares a sensual encounter during a masked ball. Though Justin has sworn off love, he can't deny his lust for Tess and, after they discover each other's identities, he proposes a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience that would also advance the dukedom. The lovers' banter crackles and their sexual chemistry burns up the pages, but readers will long for more emotional development as their marriage progresses. More successful is the suspense plot as Tess and friends investigate a case solicited by Queen Charlotte herself. The camaraderie between Tess, Ellie, and Daisy as they flaunt the status quo is delightful and spells good things for future installments. Despite some hiccups, this is sure to appeal to Bateman's fans.
