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3.5 

A Duke by Default

By Alyssa Cole
A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

An NPR Best Book of the Year - A Bookish Favorite Book of the Year - A Bookpage Best Romance of the Year

Award-winning author Alyssa Cole’s Reluctant Royals series continues with a woman on a quest to be the heroine of her own story and the duke in shining armor she rescues along the way…

New York City socialite and perpetual hot mess Portia Hobbs is tired of disappointing her family, friends, and—most importantly—herself. An apprenticeship with a struggling swordmaker in Scotland is a chance to use her expertise and discover what she’s capable of. Turns out she excels at aggravating her gruff silver fox boss…when she’s not having inappropriate fantasies about his sexy Scottish burr.

Tavish McKenzie doesn’t need a rich, spoiled American telling him how to run his armory…even if she is infuriatingly good at it. Tav tries to rebuff his apprentice—and his attraction to her—but when Portia accidentally discovers that he’s the secret son of a duke, rough-around-the-edges Tav becomes her newest makeover project.  

Forging metal into weapons and armor is one thing, but when desire burns out of control and the media spotlight gets too hot to bear, can a commoner turned duke and his posh apprentice find lasting love?

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A Duke by Default Reviews

3.5
“DNF at 67% Slow to start and while I liked the idea of the book, it moved too slowly for me. I did enjoy Portia's journey of self improvement.”
“I mean this book had so much potential but for me the author got bogged down in two major plot points: the whole secret duke thing which frankly got a bit boring after a while and the FMC’s incessant need to tear herself down. There was no real growth in her self worth or character at all. She just kept thinking she was a piece of shit the whole time and I just wanted to shake her. By the end of the book her personality completely shifted after a two paragraph conversation with her sister…c’mon man. Don’t treat your readers so lazily please! Also I think I would’ve enjoyed the secret duke storyline if the romance progressed a bit but it kind of got stale towards the middle of the book and suffered from the middle school “miscommunication” trope that I hate so much. Again, treat us better please. Conflict can be much more interesting than, “I think he hates me” of “I know she wants to leave”.”

About Alyssa Cole

Alyssa Cole is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers and romance (historical, contemporary, and sci-fi). Her books have received critical acclaim from Library Journal, BuzzFeed, Kirkus, Booklist, Jezebel, Vulture, Book Riot, Entertainment Weekly, and various other outlets. When she’s not working, she can usually be found watching anime or wrangling her many pets.

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