Not Another Duke by Jess Michaels

Tracy

Sep 7

Series: The Kent's Row Duchesses, #2

Release Date: September 5, 2023

Due to poor investments by his father and then later by himself, Roarke Desmond is broke, and with an infirmed mother to care for, he needs funds. He meets with his cousin, the new Duke of Sidmouth hoping to get the money he needs to care for his mom, but as he tries to bring up the subject, his cousins all complain about their father's widow, their step-mother, and the money their father left for her and the new bequest she is due to get at the third anniversary of the late duke's death if she hasn't remarried or taken a lover. The Duke offers to give Roarke the money he needs and then some if he agrees to spy on the widowed Duchess of Sidmouth and report back to him. But Flora is not what Roarke expected and soon he is falling for her, feelings it seems she returns, making it harder to tell her the truth. But when the duke ups the ante, Roarke will have to decide if saving her is worth losing her.

After the death of her beloved Stuart, the late Duke of Sidmouth, Flora moved to Kent's Row and has lived in quiet mourning ever since. Unlike her friends, Flora actually loved her much older husband and has no desire to remarry, in fact, no other man has even tempted her to take a lover, at least that was true until she met Roarke. Roarke makes her long for things she never thought she would want again. But when she learns the truth, will she be able to forgive him and give love another chance, or will she close her heart and give up on love forever?

This was another well-written, nicely-paced story installment of the Kent's Row Duchesses. This story features a down-on-his-luck hero who loves his mom, a heroine who never thought she would love again, greedy relatives, good friends, secrets, lies, lots of emotion, evil intentions, and finally a HEA including an epilogue. I liked this story, but it fell a bit short of my expectations, neither Roarke or Flora wowed me, I am hoping that Bernadette and Theo's story will be the crown jewel of the series. This is the second book in the series and could be read as a standalone title, but I would recommend reading the series in order.

*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.*