A Duke by Default was a fun swoon filled read. I don’t seek out romance often and Alyssa Cole’s stories have been a great entry point into the genre for me. It was an excellent slow burn and its depth and emotional intelligence blew me away.

The story follows Portia Hobb, a socialite and self-proclaimed hot mess. In an attempt to get her life on track she takes on a sword-making apprenticeship with the grouchy Scottish smith and martial artist Tavish McKenzie. While there’s an instant attraction between the two both of their emotional hang-ups leave the two unwilling to take the plunge into a full-blown romance. But after Portia uncovers Tav’s aristocratic lineage they spend more time together than ever and can’t deny their feelings for each other.

While I’m singing its praises now I was very wary of A Duke by Default in the beginning. My biggest hang-up was how much of an asshole Tavish was at the start of the story. Asshole love interests are not for me and every callus remark and offhand dismissal of Portia by Tav had me fuming. But, the development of Tav’s character as the story progressed was so well done and satisfying that Cole brought me completely on board as the story continued. The narrative never excuses Tav’s awful behaviour and his ultimate apology to Portia was so sincere and came from a place of genuine remorse. Cole addresses and picks apart the sexism that was at the heart of a lot of Tav’s behaviour and I appreciated seeing him bluntly called out and change for the better.

Portia was such a rich and nuanced female lead. Portia sees herself as less than and unworthy of love, this constant self-doubt and desire to prove her worth lead to interesting conflict and ultimately a satisfying character arc. The heart of this story is Portia learning to like herself and see herself as worthy of love. That personal journey was as fulfilling as the romance. I loved seeing Portia learn to value herself and navigate a possible ADHD diagnosis. She was a very flawed but very relatable character and seeing her happy ending was incredibly satisfying because of that.

The romance between Tav and Portia was great. I will say, I wasn’t a fan of the insta-lust between them because I’m very put off by the overemphasis of sexual attraction in books. The constant mention of people’s plump lips and smooth skin doesn’t gel well with me. But Cole balanced that with absolutely delightful emotional chemistry between these two. My heart melted as Tav and Portia realized the depth of their feelings for each other and Cole conveyed their emotional compatibility brilliantly. Tav and Portia truly cared about each other. Seeing Portia go above and beyond to make Tav comfortable in his role as a duke, and the genuine sorrow Tav had when he realized all the ways he made Portia feel small were a gut punch to the feels. I’m ‘take it or leave it’ when it comes to sex in books, but I think those looking for that in their romance won’t be disappointed. This novel is a slow burn and Cole built tension between Portia and Tavish excellently.

How this book discussed race, class, and its intersection with the aristocracy was stellar. The romance genre is often uncritical and passively supportive of these ancient seats of political power built off of stolen wealth, and believe me I understand that sometimes books are just fun escapist fantasies, but Cole demonstrates that you can still have that fantasy while challenging these unjust hierarchies. The fact that aristocratic douchebags with an undue amount of influence have sway over public policy is discussed in the narrative and I appreciated that a book about selling the fantasy of dating a sexy Scottish Duke still managed to have class consciousness.

The only flaw in this book to me was its ending. The story felt unfinished because there wasn’t any sort of resolution after the third act break-up. The moment Tav and Portia reunite the story ends and I could’ve done with an epilogue or final chapter that tied everything together. The climax felt very rushed because of it and plot threads like Portia’s relationship with her parents and the fate of Dudgeon didn’t quite feel complete.

A Duke by Default was a fantastic read. Alyssa Cole writes amazing romances that feel fresh, funny, and utterly swoon-worthy. I will be gobbling up the rest of the Reluctant Royals series hopefully in time for the release of How to Catch a Queen in December.