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.*