Name: Caroline Clutterbuck Kapulkin's review of A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole
Item: A Duke by Default
Rating: 4.5
Author: Caroline Clutterbuck Kapulkin

Alyssa Cole

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?

Reluctant Royals

A Duke by Default

Caroline Clutterbuck Kapulkin

The librarian's eyes went wide and she rubbed her hands together with glee. "We have a fantastic romance section," she said. "Do you need recommendations? How do you like your Dukes? Grumpy, tortured, alpha, beta, or alpha in the streets, beta in the sheets?"

"Actually I meant non-fiction," Portia said glumly.

The librarian sighed. "Aye. Just a warning love, the non-fic dukes are not nearly as fun."

Portia sighed. The librarian had no idea.

Compelling, adorable, spicy, and romantic 🩷🩷🩷 I loved this book, Alyssa Cole has me totally smitten and I can't wait to read more of her books!

The audiobook narrator did a fantastic job. I loved all the accents and I loved hearing Portia through her voice, full of emotion and determination. I'll definitely be listening to the other ones in this series~

Compelling, adorable, spicy, and romantic 🩷🩷🩷 I loved this book, Alyssa Cole has me totally smitten and I can't wait to read more of her books!

The audiobook narrator did a fantastic job. I loved all the accents and I loved hearing Portia through her voice, full of emotion and determination. I'll definitely be listening to the other ones in this series~

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance

*May Contain Spoilers*

A Duke By Default is the second book in the reluctant royals series and man this book was just as good as the first one and it kicked butt!! This book was so wonderful and of course, I was expecting it with Alyssa Cole at the helm, but man bring me a sexy scot (no matter the century) and I cave. But it was so much more depth than I was really expecting and I loved getting to see a more personal view to Portia. This is a story that features a heroine that is the "knight in shining armor" for her Duke and seeing Portia being such a strong rock for our hero was so heart felt and really get to your emotions in all the right ways.

Our lovely book starts our when our heroine, Portia Hobbs, accepts an internship in Edinburgh, Scotland to learn to be a swordmaker and work along side the man that started a medieval martial arts center. At first, she is a bit disappointed when he promises to come pick her up from the airport, only to one of his associates pick her up. Portia is wanting a fresh start with this job where she takes a step back from drinking and the one night stands she has made a habit of.

But unfortantely her goal to have this new job start off without a hitch, doesn't exactly go according to plan here.  (view spoiler)[When she arrives, she hears a sound of a woman struggling and sees a tall big man attacking her, and thinking the woman is in danger, she attacks him with her pepper spray--and yeah they were training so no attack :P (hide spoiler)] not exactly the best way to greet your new boss for sure so yeah he isn't happy and now Portia is feeling a bit down with the whole situation but she also refuses to give up and let this ruin her future.

Tavish agrees to give her a chance despite their first meeting, at first Tavish is very resistent to even working with Portia, she seems too clean and put together for what he does. He is 38 years old, the son of Chilean mother and a Scottish birth father, although his step father is his real father. He has always had an interest in historical weaponry, most especially medieval weapons like claymores and swords and the like. Tavish wants to have a place that everyone is welcome, no matter where they come from and that everyone deserves equal opportunities and not to be judged by the color of their skin. He is patient with children and seeks them out to bring them to his classes to "keep them out of trouble". Tavis is a bit grumpy and has an outer gruff layer, but has a vulnerability that appeals to Portia.
"do you have any books about dukes?” The librarian’s eyes went wide and she rubbed her hands together with glee. “We have a fantastic romance section,” she said. “Do you need recommendations? How do you like your dukes? Grumpy? Tortured? Alpha, beta, or alpha in the streets, beta in the sheets?” “Actually, I meant nonfiction,” Portia said glumly. The librarian sighed. “Aye. Just a warning, love—the non-fic dukes are not nearly as fun.” Portia sighed. The librarian had no idea."
Portia has her own vulnerabilities though that she is dealing with. She struggles with ADHD, she suffers guilt from certain circumstances with her sister and her parents. Her parents don't understand Portia, and they don't accept her for who she is. They tend to put her down because she is single and 30 and hasn't decided on what she wants for a career. So she has some personal emotional struggles that she deals with daily and trying not to get back in the rut of "pleasing " her parents that could never be satisfied with who she really is. I really connected with Portia, because I see so much of myself in her. ( I am 31, single and still unsure of the career I want and I don't have the best relationship with my folks so I resonated with her struggles)

The romance begins pretty slowly between Tavish and Portia, I would definitely put this in a slow burn romance column. At first, we have the whole boundary of the fact that these two don't really like each other very much and then we also have a bit of angst between them. Tavish is a grouch at times, doesn't like technology or many people bugging him about things. Portia is quite opposite, she is a social creature, she lives for her phone and the computer and is more upbeat and happy most of the time. But we see how ADHD is a daily struggle for her, and I really liked seeing a more realistic viewpoint of it in a romance, because it is real for many people in the world today, and Alyssa Cole did a great job of implementing it in Portia's personality.

I actually loved the way that Tavish and Portia come together in this story, and seeing how Portia is slowly saving Tavish and his buisiness which sales are really dropping and he doesn't know why. So Portia works are revamping his website, and making the company more presentable. She is very knowledgable when it comes to medieval weaponry and Tavish slowly starts to realize how much she is doing for him. But then there is a kicker, in her research, she stumbles across something that will change Tavish's life forever, of who his birth father is and that he is in line for a title. This is where their relationships connects even more, because Tavish start to rely on Portia but begins to realize he needs to see if he can handle the pressure on his own.
Because if anyone should be worrying about not being good enough, it’s me. I’m a bloody Bodotria geezer who makes swords and has a shite attitude. Christ, what are you even doing standing this close to me? Are you mad?” Her next sob turned into choked laughter, and she looked up at him with a sliver of pleasure in her eyes. “Bodotria Geezer is your new supervillain name.
What I really liked is seeing what a strong pairing these two were. Portia and Tavis are so good for each other and balance each other out just right. Portia is truly remarkable in this book and how she helps Tavis is so many different ways. I admire an author that can make the heroine be the "knight in shining armor" and boy is she ever....he even calls her his "knight"
I wish you could see yourself through someone else’s eyes. Mine. You can think what you want about yourself, but I’ve two eyes and a brain in my head and the view right now? It’s bloody brilliant.
I really liked seeing this close connection form between Tavish and Portia and seeing them come to where they fight for each other and wanting to stay together and what they are both willing to do to make that happen. I would say that this ending is between a HFN and a HEA, it wasn't exactly either one, but I am leaning towards HEA. From beginning to end this romance is engaging, full of laughs and sexual tension to make you swoon!!  A Satisfying romance that keeps you fully engaged in this sweet and loveable pairing.







 



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Becky A

I read this in one sitting and enjoyed it even more than the first book in the series, yay! Can't wait to pick up #3.

Jennifer Eggleston 

‘Twas a Good Read ... 3.5 stars

... but wanted more. Tav and Portia’s love story is a very very slow burn but it gets there. Once it gets there it is great however with communication issues along with what happened at the end and how the book ended ... just had me flipping pages looking for more. I know this is a continuing series but a good epilogue is needed. 

This book has heart and awesome supporting characters. Alyssa Cole has a way with words.

sydney

*4.5

i had such a good time but why did it end like that? i needed an epilogue

Imane

Maybe I've gotten rusty after spending so little time in the company of a romance novel, but I expected to enjoy it more. It wasn't bad or anything, it is in fact a perfectly competent book with touches of humour that I'm sure a lot of people would appreciate. I was just not that interested in the million things that were going on. The sappy ending ruined it for me tho. I'm just happy I finally finished this book after starting it over two months ago lol

Becky

Well... this book made me want to go to Scotland. There must be plenty of sexy Scottish sword makers hanging around, right?

This was another case of me being wary of a second book because I wasn't a fan of the female lead in the previous book. Portia did some questionable things in A Princess in Theory and I wasn't excited about her getting her own book until I read the summary of this one, a grumpy, sexy Scottish boss? I was all over needing this book, I was ready to forgive Portia for her sins. And Portia didn't even need much forgiveness. Once you start reading from her POV and you get her barrelling in with her mace ready to rescue someone she's never met I knew me and her were going to get along just fine.

Portia is an impulsive character. She has a bad reputation for acting first and thinking about the consequences later. This isn't always a bad thing because it means she gets sh*t done but it does mean she ends up acting a little rashly and that gets her in trouble from time to time. It also means folks up making her doubting herself by calling her out on her rash behaviour in the worst possible way. I felt for Portia because she had been drowning herself in alcohol and masking her problems by partying and having meaningless sex. It was messy and she had turned over a new leaf so sparks flying with her new boss were not part of the plan.

And boy was Tav amazing! He had the gruff Scotsman thing going for him. And he was an older grumpkins who was adorable too with his squishy centre he didn't like folks to show. He was adorable... until he was with Portia and then sparks were flying. Those two together! Wow, they were amazing. I loved their snarky banter. And then there gentle teasing. And by the end, I was yelling for both of them to pull their heads out of their arses already.

I admit, the duke element of the story bothered me slightly... but only because they kept saying the Duke of Edinburgh and that's Prince Philip so I was kind of visualising Queenie's husband, you know? But apart from that small element the rest was all kinds of enjoyable. I did get caught up reading other things when reading this book which slowed me down but it was such a good book as a whole. Also, loved all the geeky references.

Grace O'Callaghan

Portia Hobbs’s life is a bit of a mess. Not knowing what she wants for a career and trying hard not to feel like a failure, she takes up an apprenticeship under a sword smith in Scotland. However her boss is not the most friendly and doesn’t seem to want her help at all. Tavish Mackenzie thinks his business is doing just fine. That is, until Portia gives him the facts and aggravates him to no end. Despite how irritating they find each other, they can’t help but feel attracted to each other. But when Portia uncovers something about Tavish, both their lives are headed in a direction neither could’ve planned for.

This was such a tension filled and delicious romance. I definitely prefer it to A Princess in Theory so if you weren’t completely sold on the first one, please check this one out.

What I love about Alyssa Cole’s books is her female characters in particular. She just brings so much life to them. Portia is so smart and competent, but she feels like a disappointment as she’s constantly compared to her sister by her parents. Just because she isn’t building a web empire doesn’t mean that she’s not smart in a different kind of way. We also learn that she probably has ADHD and while she finds it easy to start and try new things, it’s harder to settle down and complete one thing. I absolutely adore the way Portia grows and learns that she is worthy of love and is a lot smarter than she thinks.

Tavish Mackenzie was also quite something. I really do have a soft spot for the heroes that are a bit prickly on the outside but are pure and mushy at heart. Tavish is very set in his ways and when Portia enters his life she changes the pace of it completely. She’s suggesting different ways to market his business and opening him up to new things. He’s also very giving with his community and helps out the kids in the neighbourhood. He’s also very passionate about immigration in Scotland, being Chilean-Scottish himself. 

As I mentioned in my Princess in Theory review, I love how much our hero and heroine bring out the best in each other. Tavish shows her that she is worth something and should never be made to feel like a failure to her family. Whilst Portia allows him to be less stubborn and to be open to change. I also adored the hate to love tension they have with each other. It’s more of antagonisers to lovers, but it still gives me that back and forth that I love. It’s also pretty slow burn if you too like to torture yourself, I know I certainly do.

Let’s just take a second to appreciate the side characters. Cheryl is my everything. She owns a Chinese food stall inspired by Doctor Who. Can we appreciate how nerdy that is, Cheryl is the sweetest. My girl Naledi was also there supporting Portia the whole way and going above and beyond. Basically, I love any female character Alyssa Cole writes.

My biggest complaint about the two Cole books I have read is the pacing/length of the book. For this one then I really enjoyed the pacing up until the middle and then it sort of slowed down and then tied up really quickly at the end. I just wish that it had perhaps been a bit shorter and the ending was a bit more satisfying.

I think if your book is set in Scotland, it has a higher chance of me liking it, these are just facts. I loved the descriptions we did get. I listened to the audiobook and it was really good, except for the Scottish accents. They sounded Nigerian instead of Scottish and it pulled me out of the story a little so I’d recommend physically reading it.

Immigration is also quite a big theme in this book. I love how Alyssa Cole’s books are romance focused but still have a meaty plot outside of it that causes conflict and talks about important issues.

Essentially, you should pick this up if you want sexual tension galore and two well realised protagonists. Can’t wait to pick up the next Reluctant Royals book! I believe it follows an f/f romance, so excited.

Natalie Sypeck 

I picked this up since I enjoyed Alyssa Cole's book When no on is watching so much. I wasn't expecting this to be similar in any way obviously since this is romance and the other was a thriller. I enjoyed the romance to a degree, I think the bad commutation trope was overused since it wasn't just the love interest the MC was miscommunication with. I also thought the ending was kind of rushed, like I would have liked to see a little bit of what happened next. IDK if that will show up in the third book, but I'm honestly not going to read the first or 3rd book of this series. I thought the armory was a cool setting and would have liked to see more of that side of things (they only make one sword!). I did like that there was ADHD rep, always nice to see mental health rep in books. At the end of the day it was a middle of the road romance, something I enjoyed but wouldn't adamantly suggest.

Jill Swan

I liked this way more than A Princess in Theory! I thought the story was more compelling. This makes me more excited for A Prince on Paper, to see if the trend continues!

B. K.

b.andherbooks

**Free copy received in exchange for a fair review**

Portia Hobbs, NYC socialite, is determined to end her reputation as a hot mess. Taking the apprenticeship at a sword smith in Edinburgh is just the first step to #NewPortia. Proving to her friends and family that she has what it takes to focus on a project is the next.

Tavish McKenzie, eternal grump, is flabbergasted by his brother's chosen apprentice. Tavish's sword making business is struggling as he tries to keep the business afloat, the local children fed, and his crumbling inherited building in his possession. Tavish doesn't need the social media obsessed Portia with her newfangled ideas "helping." He also doesn't need to be feeling any feelings for his "intern" because that is just wrong.

But, Portia's persistence and obvious excellence at the job start to win over not only Tavish's family and his neighbors, but also him. As Portia's apprenticeship draws to an end, the only problem with her persistence is that she may have inadvertently discovered a secret about Tavish's heritage that could threaten life as he knows it.

A slow-burn romance to die for and including all of my most favorite tropes turned on their head in the best way, this is a perfect continuation to the Reluctant Royals series. 

The characters also have diverse backgrounds that give them exceptional depth. Tavish's mother was refuge from South America, Portia is working with a recent diagnosis of ADHD.

I arguably love this second book more than A Princess in Theory! Hard to believe but it is true.

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads.


Y'all, if you aren't reading Alyssa Cole's Reluctant Royals, what even are you doing with your life? A Duke by Default was absolutely amazing. I fell in love with the cover far before I even started the story — hello, silver fox... and THAT DRESS — but what's under the cover is just as gorgeous. Alyssa's quickly become one of my new favorite authors this year. I'm dying to devour her backlist.

But, I digress. I should talk about Portia and Tav first, right? I loved these two. Portia was strong, spunky and relatable. I feel like we could be besties in real life. And Tav? Wowza. Who doesn't love a hot and grumpy hero with a heart of gold? Oh, and a Scottish brogue. I say goddamn. There was just so much to love about the two of them — from their working relationship to their somewhat reluctant friendship to the chemistry that just wouldn't stop. Their romance was a little on the slow burn side and I was totally onboard with it.

One of the things I loved most about A Duke by Default was that neither Portia nor Tav were perfect. They both had their flaws and that was totally ok. They both had a journey of sorts in this book. Tav's was probably more exciting — you know, learning he's a duke and all — but Portia's was also so very important. Watching her learn about her ADHD diagnosis and how she handled it was powerful. Seeing her come to understand there's nothing wrong with her was even more so. I got a fair few feels from all of that.

There's nothing I didn't love about A Duke by Default. The characters, setting, writing, overall story and diversity were all fantastic. I listened the audiobook and I'm so glad I did. It straight up made me look forward to being in my car, which is no small feat in this area and in the traffic I deal with. This book would've made a great dual or duet narration, but Karen Chilton did a fantastic job. She pretty much nailed Portia and did a great job voicing Tav as well.

Favorite Quotes:

"Pull out your sword," she commanded and Tav was certain it was the sexiest thing a woman had ever uttered to him.

"... it's just how your brain is wired. And maybe there's nothing wrong with that. Maybe there's nothing wrong with you." 

“How do you like your dukes? Grumpy? Tortured? Alpha, beta, or alpha in the streets, beta in the sheets?” 

"My name is Portia Hobbs, and I'm bloody magnificent," she murmured to herself. "I can do literally anything I put my mind to."

window

Ann-Loy

BRB looking at flights to Scotland. But only if the blacksmiths are like Tavish. Whew lord.

Lacey

Such a fun read! I'm a sucker for the boss/older hero tropes, and add in the fact that the hero is also Scottish, a grump, and a secret son of a duke, and I'm totally sold. This was my first Alyssa Cole read too, and it definitely won't be my last. I can't wait to read the other books in the series!

Full review to come!

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

Caroline Clutterbuck Kapulkin &
A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole

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