This is the first book I've read by Jane Ashford but I saw this cover and had to grab it. It also sounded interesting because who doesn't love a historical romance with an independent female main character? The Duke's Best Friend is actually book 5 in the series and I'll admit, there were characters and storylines that appear to have been addressed in prior books. It may have been helpful for me to have those backstories but in the end, I don't know that me not having read those books hurt.

This book picks up by introducing us to Kate Meacham and Henry Deeping (who, as I mentioned, were actually introduced to readers in a prior story). Kate is the daughter and granddaughter of diplomats and with her grandfather recently passing (her parents passed away a while ago), she is on her own. All the doors previously open to her when she had her grandfather backing her up, are now closed - or attempting to be closed. But Kate isn't having it. She wants to have an impact and do the things she loves without having to face the censure of those around her. Unfortunately, as a woman, that's just not as easy as she would hope. Enter Henry Deeping.

Henry is the nephew of a Diplomat who has recently been hired into the Foreign Office. He wants to do more than copy notes and make reports so when he crosses paths with Kate at a party and they both recognize someone they apprehended as a foreign agent on the loose, they make a deal. He will escort her to diplomatic parties and she will introduce him around while they work together to figure out why the man is on the loose and why the people Henry works with at the Foreign Office are being cagey about it.

The relationship developed pretty naturally for these two. They weren't really friends to begin with but as they worked together (and with their friends) to solve the mystery, they became closer and began to understand each other much better. I thought Ashford did a good job of focusing their story around the case and adding in the relationship pieces versus the other way around.

Ultimately, I enjoyed this book. I've been contemplating going back to read the other books in the series as I am curious about the duke and his wife. With that said, I kind of feel like the title of this book does Henry a bit of a disservice as he is more than just a friend of the duke (James) and while there is a thread of that detail throughout, I'm not sure it actually reflects the intent of the story. Regardless, pick this one up if you're looking for a new historical romance.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy in exchange for an honest review.