A Duke by Default (Reluctant Royals #2)

I was really looking forward to this one. I had heard so many good things. And the first third or so I was really enjoying.

But as soon as the Duke revelation came into play, it stopped being the heroine’s journey and became all about him. The book addresses it a little bit which I appreciated, but at the end of the day her journey to learn where she belongs was put in the backseat and her happily ever after was only really about staying with him.

Even the stuff with her family didn’t really get resolved, beyond her communicating with her sister more. The book did such a good job setting up real tension in the heroine’s life and then never paid it off. Maybe the next book will bring us more details about this couple but I’m not inclined to get it.

So, I was able to get my hands on an eARC of this release (big thank you to the publisher!), and I’ve just fallen more in love with this whole series. Alyssa Cole was able to take my love of historicals, titles, peerage and royalty and make it contemporary.

While I really enjoyed A Princess in Theory, I loved this one even more. Portia is more of a hot mess than Ledi was, which makes her a more relatable character. Beyond the romance, I loved the examination of all the relationships in her life. I loved the friendship she had with Nya and Ledi, the conflict she had with her parents and how close she grew with her sister over the course of the book.

Tav was pretty great, too. Silver fox. Good with his hands. Scottish burr. He gruff at the start, but he clearly loves the people he cares for, including his parents, brother and sister-in-law (and eventually, Portia … awwww!). What I most appreciated about Tav’s character, though, is how Alyssa Cole used him to talk about issues including immigration and gentrification. His interactions with the immigrant neighborhood children were just .

Their romance had the best meet-cute you could hope for. They have great tension and banter, and I really appreciated how they both came to respect the skills, talents and passions of the other, especially since Portia doesn’t really feel she has skills or talents in anything. Yay for couples building each other up!

The ending left me wanting a bit more, but I’m sure I’ll get to see both Portia and Tav in the next book. Speaking of, Johan, our next hero, was introduced in this book and he is just amazing. A pretty-boy, almost prince who’s sharper and smarter than his playboy persona may imply falling for our reserved and modest Nya. I needed this yesterday.

I’m loving this series so much and can’t wait to read the next title. 2019 can’t get here fast enough!

Like the first book of the Reluctant Royals series, I loved this story and cannot wait for the next book to come out. Sigh. It’ll be such a long wait until Nya’s story and the little snippet I read was very tantalizing. Johan can be funny and irreverent when he wants to be and his views of his life and the world are completely down to earth.
Besides that, however, Alyssa Cole writes very realistic plots and characters who have flaws, hang-ups, and doubts that any other person would have and can connect with. I love reading about these fictional characters’ lives and Ms. Cole fills the pages with hilarity from beginning to end, even during her characters most desperate times.

If you were here for my over-the-top fangirling about the first book in this series, A Princess in Theory, then you know it was my first Alyssa Cole novel and that I fell madly in love with both the story and the author’s style of writing, basically from page one.

While I was unsure about how Cole would make Portia a heroine I could root for (she was a hot mess in the last title), once I saw that this book was set in Scotland with a ‘didn’t know I was a duke’ swordmaking hero – I was SOLD so fast, I probably broke some land speed records one-clicking this tale.

I was not disappointed, people. Only a truly terrific writer could’ve taken a character as flawed as Portia and made her likable – it would’ve been so easy to make her a one-note rich girl getting over her partying ways. But Portia becomes *lovable*, here. She grows and changes and takes charge of her mess – but you also come to understand all of her complex layers and how she got to this point in life. You appreciate what makes her unique and special, and you totally cheer her on, every step of the way.

I loved that the author gave her a complete cinnamon roll of a hero, too. Tavish is crusty and grouchy on the outside, but that shell is hiding one heck of a sweet and mushy (and deliciously sexy) center. He sees Portia for the magnificent force of nature that she is, and does not countenance a single second of her self-deprecation. He never tries to get her to minimize herself to fit into his life – instead, he expands and grows so he can meet her on her level.

As with book one, I really loved Cole’s smart and funny writing style, her characters’ steamy chemistry, and the way she didn’t shy away from the tough subjects (in this case, racial and economic prejudices) that impact her story. It’s heartwrenching how these two overcome some ugly inner monologues – and even uglier outside forces – to get to their HEA, but you will devour every gorgeous second of the journey. Now, guess who is heading right into book three?

This started really well. I enjoyed the interplay between Tav and Portia, and Portia’s growth. The side characters of Cheryl and Jamie were also amusing.

And then! The Duke part of the plot. Firstly, the title of Duke of Edinburgh is taken by the Queen’s husband, Philip. Every time the title is mentioned, I got thrown right out of the story. Could he not have been Duke of Stirling? Or some other area around Edinburgh?

And secondly, illegitimate sons cannot inherit titles in the peerages of Great Britain. Would it have been too hard to have stuck a secret marriage in to take care of that?

So, the low star rating, and the dnf.

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