Not Another Duke by Jess Michaels

Tracy’s rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: The Kent’s Row Duchesses, #2

Release Date: September 5, 2023

Due to poor investments by his father and then later by himself, Roarke Desmond is broke, and with an infirmed mother to care for, he needs funds. He meets with his cousin, the new Duke of Sidmouth hoping to get the money he needs to care for his mom, but as he tries to bring up the subject, his cousins all complain about their father’s widow, their step-mother, and the money their father left for her and the new bequest she is due to get at the third anniversary of the late duke’s death if she hasn’t remarried or taken a lover. The Duke offers to give Roarke the money he needs and then some if he agrees to spy on the widowed Duchess of Sidmouth and report back to him. But Flora is not what Roarke expected and soon he is falling for her, feelings it seems she returns, making it harder to tell her the truth. But when the duke ups the ante, Roarke will have to decide if saving her is worth losing her.

After the death of her beloved Stuart, the late Duke of Sidmouth, Flora moved to Kent’s Row and has lived in quiet mourning ever since. Unlike her friends, Flora actually loved her much older husband and has no desire to remarry, in fact, no other man has even tempted her to take a lover, at least that was true until she met Roarke. Roarke makes her long for things she never thought she would want again. But when she learns the truth, will she be able to forgive him and give love another chance, or will she close her heart and give up on love forever?

This was another well-written, nicely-paced story installment of the Kent’s Row Duchesses. This story features a down-on-his-luck hero who loves his mom, a heroine who never thought she would love again, greedy relatives, good friends, secrets, lies, lots of emotion, evil intentions, and finally a HEA including an epilogue. I liked this story, but it fell a bit short of my expectations, neither Roarke or Flora wowed me, I am hoping that Bernadette and Theo’s story will be the crown jewel of the series. This is the second book in the series and could be read as a standalone title, but I would recommend reading the series in order.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

No Dukes Allowed by Jess Michaels

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: The Kent’s Row Duchesses, #1

Release Date: July 11, 2023

Shortly after the death of her husband, Silas, the Duke of Gooding, Valaria St. Clare, the Duchess of Gooding, takes up residence in Kent’s Row and immediately meets two other young widowed duchesses who also live on the street (apparently it is a dumping grounds for widowed duchesses). She longs to befriend the ladies, but Valaria has secrets that are not hers alone and can’t risk getting too close to anyone. Especially her late husband’s best friend, Callum Osgood, the Duke of Blackvale. Unfortunately for her, Callum feels responsible for her and wants to help her (and kiss her), so she tries to keep him at bay, but she feels a desire for him that she had never felt. She decides that it is better to keep your enemies close and a secret affair ensues, but soon she is falling for him and knows that if he ever learns the truth, he will hate her.

At first Callum Osgood’s, the Duke of Blackvale, main concern is ensuring that Valaria is taken care of, he feels that as Silas’ best friend, he would want him to see to her needs, but later he learns from his good friend Theo, the Duke of Lightmorrow, that Silas was not the man Callum believed him to be, that he was cruel and abusive to others and most likely to Valaria. Callum is appalled and though he has tried to stay away from her, he needs to know the truth about her marriage. But the truth just serves to make him feel guilty, for not seeing what was happening and that guilt only gets worse when he finally admits that he has always desired Valaria. But the desire is not as one-sided as he believed and they soon embark on an affair, and tender feelings will blossom into love, can this burgeoning love survive Valaria’s secret?

This was a good story, if somewhat predictable, I knew her secret before the end of the first chapter, but it isn’t revealed “on page” until nearly the end of the book, which I felt caused the story to drag a bit. I am not sure I completely believe that Callum didn’t know Silas’ propensity for abuse, it seems a bit of a stretch considering they were “best friends” since childhood and spent a considerable amount of time together, I don’t see how a person could hide their true nature, especially when drinking or that Callum never heard whispers about him. That issue aside, I did enjoy this book, it is filled with secrets, great characters, steamy love scenes, emotional healing, true love, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. This is the first book in the series and I am already looking forward to the next book in the series.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*