A Duke by Default

When life's getting you down, reach for a romance novel. Even better, reach for a romance novel by Alyssa Cole.

A Duke by Default is the second in Cole's Reluctant Royals series. It follows "Hot Mess" Portia as she travels from NYC to Scotland for a 3-month internship with a sword-maker, the latest in a long line of attempts to get her life on track. Approaching thirty and with a bunch of degrees and internships but no real career prospects, Portia is hoping to make a fresh start and discard her worst habits. Those habits include drinking, having sex with random guys, and failing to follow-through on projects she's starting. But her resolve to avoid sex is sorely tested when she meets her new boss and sparks immediately fly.

Said boss, Tavish McKenzie, is a gruff Scotsman with a heart of gold. He's stretched thin, running a community center out of his armory, and he's hoping that an apprentice will ease some of the burden. That all goes out the window when he meets Portia, who accidentally discovers that he's heir to a Dukedom. And all their summer plans suddenly swerve in a very different direction.

Tavish was a perfect mixture of gruff and soft, using his attitude to keep romantic prospects at arm's length after his divorce. But he cares deeply about his community, running free classes for kids and teenagers and doing his best to keep them fed and out of trouble. But it's Portia who really shines here. Portia, who figures out how to save herself (or rather finally embraces an ADHD diagnosis), saves Tavish along the way, and then realizes that she needs to step back and take care of herself before she takes care of all the people around her.

The chemistry between the two is electric. But even more than that, I loved the journey Portia went on in this book. Her arc was a treat to read. And Tavish was really just icing on the cake. I'm chomping at the bit for the next book (featuring Nya from A Princess on Paper and Johan from this book). Luckily there are a couple of novellas to tide me over in the meantime. Not to mention Alyssa Cole's entire backlog, which I need to track down.

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