A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole

A Duke by Default (Reluctant Royals, #2)

by Alyssa Cole

An NPR Best Book of the Year - A Bookish Favorite Book of the Year - A Bookpage Best Romance of the Year

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?

Reviewed by Sam@WLABB on

4 of 5 stars

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If you're not reading this series, you should be.

Once again, Cole has delighted me with a reluctant royal in the form of Tavish. This gruff sword maker had a hidden heart of gold, and I loved getting to know every nook and cranny of him. It took a while for Tav to give into his attraction and admiration for Portia, but once he did, I was all in. But do you want to know what was really delightful about him? He was a silver fox. We don't see too many almost 40-year old heroes in romances, so cheers for us old people!

What a great arc Cole gave to Portia. She always seemed so devil-may-care and confident, but underneath it all, was someone who felt less than, and I loved watching Portia find out how fabulous she was.

Watching the heat and sparks fly between these two was fantastic, but watching them go a little deeper was even better.

I cannot wait for more Reluctant Royals!

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 September, 2018: Finished reading
  • 1 September, 2018: Reviewed