From Goodreads: 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?
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?
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My Thoughts: I had a chance to review the second in Ms. Cole's "Reluctant Royals" series and once again, I was thoroughly entertained by the story. Despite the whole marrying into royalty theme, which typically is not my cup of tea, Ms. Cole tells a compelling story that focuses on the people here, more on who they are than what they are. These are definitely imperfect people with individual baggage and attitudes and challenges to overcome. It helps to have friends in high places here, to provide guidance and support and in some cases, security, but the focus remains on the relationship development of Portia (whom we met in Book 1) and Tavish (our reluctant royal).
Portia is much more sympathetic in this book than in the previous, and we learn more about what has made her what she is today. She's someone trying to turn her life around and be proud of herself, while managing to live her real life and not what others (*cough* parents *cough*) think she should do. Tavish on the other hand can be a bit of an a-hole, but manages to pull himself out of true jerk territory by having a hidden softer side. Their coming together and watching them grow as a couple and individually made for a great story and went beyond the typical royal romance trope.
*Preview copy provided by publisher via Edelweiss*
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