An NPR Best Book of the Year – A Bookish Favorite Book of the Year – A Bookpage Best Romance of the YearAward-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… 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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I love her writing so much. I love that Portia struggles with ADHD explicitly and learns to value herself and her talents. I love that Tavish is a grumpy badger who lovingly handcrafts medieval swords in modern Edinburgh.
I love that there is so much loving geekery in the page. Alyssa’s contemporary series is basically fairy tales for gigantic dorks, and they could not make me any happier.
Just as good as the first book…this book has all the things we like about historicals (brooding Scottish heroes! Feisty heroines!) with cell phones and social media! Yay! The heroine is just wonderful–I really like her “issues” and how she works through them to become a better person.
This book is dedicated to me (the Bree half of Kit Rocha) so perhaps this is a biased rec, but I feel so strongly about the characters and the story that I have to rec it anyway.
Portia is a hot mess. A trainwreck. Someone who has picked up and abandoned a million hobbies and careers. Portia is me. And Portia has ADHD. Seeing someone who shares my struggles fight through them to learn to love her quirks and find a happily ever after with someone who appreciates them was life-affirming. I love it!
A great addition to the Reluctant Royals series. Loved the family and friendships in this one, with a totally believable friend squad, and realistically fraught parent dynamics. Portia was so human and relatable–I really cheered for her to find her place and her own self-worth.
the 2nd book I’ve read by this author – definitely did not disappoint! Can’t wait for another Reluctant Royals by Ms. Cole!
OMG, I loved this book so much! It is amazing. And Alyssa Cole has officially joined La Nora and Ms. Bev in the group of authors who got me so emotionally invested in their characters that I cried when they were upset. I cried for Portia more than once, because I love her. Really this book had me at “apprentice swordmaker” and never let go.
The grumpy Scot & the girl trying desperately not to be a hot mess. SO MUCH LOVE. My favorite book yet of the Reluctant Royals series!
Give me a silver fox Scotsman, and I am all in!
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.”
If you were here for my over-the-top fangirling about the first book in this series, A Princess in Theory, then you know it was my first Alyssa Cole novel and that I fell madly in love with both the story and the author’s style of writing, basically from page one.
While I was unsure about how Cole would make Portia a heroine I could root for (she was a hot mess in the last title), once I saw that this book was set in Scotland with a ‘didn’t know I was a duke’ swordmaking hero – I was SOLD so fast, I probably broke some land speed records one-clicking this tale.
I was not disappointed, people. Only a truly terrific writer could’ve taken a character as flawed as Portia and made her likable – it would’ve been so easy to make her a one-note rich girl getting over her partying ways. But Portia becomes *lovable*, here. She grows and changes and takes charge of her mess – but you also come to understand all of her complex layers and how she got to this point in life. You appreciate what makes her unique and special, and you totally cheer her on, every step of the way.
I loved that the author gave her a complete cinnamon roll of a hero, too. Tavish is crusty and grouchy on the outside, but that shell is hiding one heck of a sweet and mushy (and deliciously sexy) center. He sees Portia for the magnificent force of nature that she is, and does not countenance a single second of her self-deprecation. He never tries to get her to minimize herself to fit into his life – instead, he expands and grows so he can meet her on her level.
As with book one, I really loved Cole’s smart and funny writing style, her characters’ steamy chemistry, and the way she didn’t shy away from the tough subjects (in this case, racial and economic prejudices) that impact her story. It’s heartwrenching how these two overcome some ugly inner monologues – and even uglier outside forces – to get to their HEA, but you will devour every gorgeous second of the journey. Now, guess who is heading right into book three?
I’ve read several of Alyssa Cole’s reluctant royals series and really struggled to get into them, mostly because they seemed so fantastical, so improbably I just couldn’t relate to the characters. This book, however, turned a corner for me. Sure, the story of a man who finds out he was a duke’s secret love child and is, thus, actually a duke himself, is pretty fantastical, but something about these characters and their emotions seemed so much more REAL to me that I enjoyed this book immensely more. I loved the plucky female protagonist who somehow decided she wanted to be a swordsman’s apprentice (I mean, what??) and ends up falling in love (no kidding). There’s so many fun and unique details that make this book special and with such a fantastical premise, it, of course, feels very unique. My one downside is the ending–it felt almost rushed, like a hurdle thrown in for no reason at all. Sure, most romance novels have a fight due entirely to a lack of communication (please stop this), but this one was so close to the end, and not fleshed out, that it felt thrown in as a last-minute “It can’t be THAT easy for them!” roadblock. I would have liked to have seen a couple more chapters/scenes of dialogue spent on the final hurdle, or it cut entirely. Regardless, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it. I was able to obtain it for free as an ebook from my local public library.
Sword Bae!!!!!! Love the way Cole builds her characters and her worlds.
I loved this book so much. The characters were wonderful and their interactions were great.
Oh my goodness, I LOVED this book! First, I identified so hard with the heroine, who discovers that she’s not a flake, she has attention-deficit disorder. Hey! Me, too! Seeing how she learns to stop beating herself up was so touching. But wait, there’s more! There’s a grumpy, sexy, sword-wielding, reluctant royal hero. There’s amazing banter. Funny secondary characters. And it’s part of a series, so I get to glom onto the rest of the books.
This was exactly the story I wanted to read at this moment in time and it immediately went onto my re-read shelf.
I enjoyed this book, it was entertaining and had some good sex scenes. The only issue I had was with Portia’s crippling self esteem issues. Even at the end when she had accomplished many activities successfully and saw positive results she was second guessing herself and making negative statements about herself. There is some willing suspension of disbelief needed when reading this one and I am sure any Scottish reader will be a little taken aback at what happens in the book concerning nobility but it is lots of fun in the end. I liked this one and recommend it.
I love Alyssa Cole’s work and this book is no exception. It’s a little outside my usual target read (I prefer a more even balance of action to relationship), but her gorgeous prose, evocative descriptions, and amazing characters suck me in every time. This particular title does a wonderful job of combining a smart, capable woman who needs to find her place in the world with a grouchy but deeply compassionate man who has to face his very unexpected place in HIS world. A luxurious read for me!
A Duke By Default hit me right in the feels. I lost track of how many times I teared up, not only for the portions that hit close to home but because of how much I adored the characters. I was rooting for Portia’s quest to turn over a new leaf—if you’ve read A Princess In Theory, you will marvel over her redemption arc. (Portia believing she’s not the kind of person people keep around and that she’s a disappointment to everyone = .) Tavish was a perfect Scottish grump and I loved watching him become captivated by Portia. This was such a wonderful story and I cannot wait to read the third book. Alyssa Cole keeps outdoing herself!
This is absolutely one of my favorite books of the year. Portia and Tav’s relationship and HEA are so modern and real and the issues they face together (the balance of happiness and duty–the good CAN come with privilege–living for yourself while helping someone else) are so well drawn and handled extremely deftly.
And of course, the chemistry between them is totally off the charts. As a reader you want them together so badly. From the first, rather painful but adorable meeting, all the way through the book. You never don’t want them together, even when they mess-up and they are just adorable.
I also really, really appreciated the female ADHD representation. As a mom of a fun, smart, creative little girl whose brain is wired a bit differently I am so thankful for this book and how well it shows how sometimes what people take as flighty and irresponsible behavior is just someone who isn’t exactly like you, operating in a world that wasn’t necessarily built with them in mind
This was such fun to read! I love the way Cole takes two wildly different characters and smashes their worlds together. Tavish was the perfect blend of grumpy exterior and gooey center. As the mother of a smart, talented young woman with ADHD, my heart broke for Portia every time her parents put her down, or she put herself down as a hopeless f***-up. Still, it was an uplifting read that struck just the right note between angst and comedy, with a satisfying ending and a few dangling threads–not doubt to be picked up in the next installment.
This was the first book I’ve read by Alyssa Cole and I LOVED it! Highly recommend, and I’ll be reading the rest of the series for sure!