{"id":22129,"date":"2018-07-31T08:22:21","date_gmt":"2018-07-31T12:22:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/?p=22129"},"modified":"2022-10-11T17:19:27","modified_gmt":"2022-10-11T17:19:27","slug":"review-a-duke-by-default-by-alyssa-cole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/31\/review-a-duke-by-default-by-alyssa-cole\/","title":{"rendered":"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--themify_builder_content-->\n<div id=\"themify_builder_content-22129\" data-postid=\"22129\" class=\"themify_builder_content themify_builder_content-22129 themify_builder tf_clear\">\n    \t\t\t<!-- module_row -->\n\t<div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_row themify_builder_row tb_j9iv545 tb_first tf_w tf_clearfix\">\n\t    \t\t\t<div class=\"row_inner gutter-narrow col_align_top tb_col_count_2 tf_box tf_rel\">\n\t\t            <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-1 tb_atk0570 first\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module image -->\n<div  class=\"module module-image tb_nh4z074 rounded drop-shadow customBorderRad_top image-center auto_fullwidth tf_mw\" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div class=\"image-wrap tf_rel tf_mw\">\n\t\t    <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/a-duke-by-default-alyssa-cole.jpeg?w=640\" title=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole\" alt=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole\">\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/image-wrap -->\n    \n    \t<\/div>\n<!-- \/module image --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_r1kg004 customBorderRad_bottom repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">New York City socialite and perpetual hot mess Portia Hobbs is tired of disappointing her family, friends, and\u2014most importantly\u2014herself. An apprenticeship with a struggling swordmaker in Scotland is a chance to use her expertise and discover what she\u2019s capable of. Turns out she excels at aggravating her gruff silver fox boss\u2026when she\u2019s not having inappropriate fantasies about his sexy Scottish burr<strong><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Tavish McKenzie doesn\u2019t need a rich, spoiled American telling him how to run his armory\u2026even if she is infuriatingly good at it. Tav tries to rebuff his apprentice\u2014and his attraction to her\u2014but when Portia accidentally discovers that he\u2019s the secret son of a duke, rough-around-the-edges Tav becomes her newest makeover project.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">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?<\/span><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n                        <div  data-lazy=\"1\" class=\"module_column tb-column col3-2 tb_6gmp604 last\">\n                                                        <div class=\"tb-column-inner tf_box tf_w\">\n                        <!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_w1t8744  repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-16468 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/4-hearts.jpg?resize=170%2C44\" alt=\"\" width=\"170\" height=\"44\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a0Jul 31, 2018<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>Reluctant Royals<br \/><\/em><strong>Book:\u00a0<\/strong>2<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong>\u00a0Hot<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0HarperCollins<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Avon Books<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong>\u00a0$6.99<\/p><hr \/><p>\u00a0<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">So&#8230; as I type this I\u2019m frustrated because my original review went missing. Floated away on some holiday and I had a lot of good things to say about this book in those words. I\u2019m going to do my best to figure those good words out again.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">First and foremost being, this series is not letting me down. It\u2019s exploring tropes and sweeping me off my feet. It makes the idea of being royal, or remotely close to it, exciting again. Add in some humor, unexpected plot twists, a story that\u2019s serious without being too angsty, and Cole has produced another solid read.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Starting with Grumpy<strong> Tavish McKenzie<\/strong>, the sword maker. I was given a hero worth swooning over. The Scottish burr, kilts, armor, and glowering stares *le sigh*. Tavish is an American girl\u2019s dream, except for the excessively grumpy part. He\u2019s all stubborn and a bit of a brute. He\u2019s also our heroine\u2019s employer. Attempting to do good for his neighborhood and keep his business afloat, the heroine is supposed to be there to help as an intern. Though he finds himself attracted to this intern who tries to kill him within seconds of meeting him, of course.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Then there\u2019s our heroine, <strong>Portia<\/strong>. I\u2019ll admit, I didn\u2019t like Portia too much in the first book. I had trouble envisioning her as the heroine in this story. Cole had the Herculean task of making this woman, who I\u2019d come to know as extremely selfish and a drunk, likable. The author pulled it off. I fell for Portia in a big way. She grew up in this story and became so much more. I think her growth was more prominent than the hero\u2019s.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The twists I can\u2019t share. Just know that this story surprised me. Things unfolded in an expected way, which is delightful. I\u2019m a reader and a writer, nothing excites me more than stories that I don\u2019t see coming. The best part about a romance is the journey to the happily ever after, and I loved how this one took me to places I did not expect.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another thing Cole continues to excel at, memorable secondary characters. I hope Cole will get to back track and give us at least a novella for Tavish\u2019s younger brother Jamie and his romance story to the Whovian-loving chef, Cheryl. Plus, the playboy prince Johan made a hefty appearance and I have it on good authority he\u2019ll be playing a big role in book three.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The only thing holding me back&#8230; the overarching storyline felt cut short or rushed. Trust me when I say it took a long time to pin down those words. The book is by no means a small book, but in the grand scheme of things there were elements I believe were wrapped too fast for me personally.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, this book is for those who love modern day royal-style stories. Think <em><strong>Megan Mulry\u2019s<\/strong> Unruly Royal<\/em>\u00a0series.<\/p><p><em>~ Landra<\/em><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text --><!-- module text -->\n<div  class=\"module module-text tb_le18064 customBorderRad repeat \" data-lazy=\"1\">\n        <div  class=\"tb_text_wrap\">\n    <p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2ApjWrs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a><\/span><span class=\"s2\">\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/geo.itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/a-duke-by-default\/id1249970748?mt=11&amp;at=11l88k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">iBooks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/a-duke-by-default-alyssa-cole\/1127330165?ean=9780062685575#\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">B&amp;N<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/a-duke-by-default-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Kobo<\/span><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Alyssa_Cole_A_Duke_by_Default?id=ytU7DwAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"s3\">Google Play<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- \/module text -->                    <\/div>\n                            <\/div>\n            \t    <\/div>\n\t    <!-- \/row_inner -->\n\t<\/div>\n\t<!-- \/module_row -->\n\t<\/div>\n<!--\/themify_builder_content-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New York City socialite and perpetual hot mess Portia Hobbs is tired of disappointing her family, friends, and\u2014most importantly\u2014herself. An apprenticeship with a struggling swordmaker [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,112,48],"tags":[152,183,216,404,405],"class_list":["post-22129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avon-books","category-landra","category-reviews","tag-4-stars","tag-avon","tag-contemporary","tag-recommend","tag-recommended-reads"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Review \u2764\ufe0f A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole - Smitten by Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/31\/review-a-duke-by-default-by-alyssa-cole\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review \u2764\ufe0f A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole - Smitten by Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"New York City socialite and perpetual hot mess Portia Hobbs is tired of disappointing her family, friends, and\u2014most importantly\u2014herself. 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An apprenticeship with a struggling swordmaker in Scotland is a chance to use her expertise and discover what she\u2019s capable of. Turns out she excels at aggravating her gruff silver fox boss\u2026when she\u2019s not having inappropriate fantasies about his sexy Scottish burr<strong><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Tavish McKenzie doesn\u2019t need a rich, spoiled American telling him how to run his armory\u2026even if she is infuriatingly good at it. Tav tries to rebuff his apprentice\u2014and his attraction to her\u2014but when Portia accidentally discovers that he\u2019s the secret son of a duke, rough-around-the-edges Tav becomes her newest makeover project.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">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?<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/4-hearts.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"170\" height=\"44\" \/><\/p><hr \/><p><strong>Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a0Jul 31, 2018<br \/><strong>Series:<\/strong>\u00a0<em>Reluctant Royals<br \/><\/em><strong>Book:\u00a0<\/strong>2<br \/><strong>Heat Level:<\/strong>\u00a0Hot<br \/><strong>Publisher:<\/strong>\u00a0HarperCollins<br \/><strong>Imprint:<\/strong>\u00a0Avon Books<br \/><strong>Price:<\/strong>\u00a0$6.99<\/p><hr \/><p>\u00a0<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">So... as I type this I\u2019m frustrated because my original review went missing. Floated away on some holiday and I had a lot of good things to say about this book in those words. I\u2019m going to do my best to figure those good words out again.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">First and foremost being, this series is not letting me down. It\u2019s exploring tropes and sweeping me off my feet. It makes the idea of being royal, or remotely close to it, exciting again. Add in some humor, unexpected plot twists, a story that\u2019s serious without being too angsty, and Cole has produced another solid read.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Starting with Grumpy<strong> Tavish McKenzie<\/strong>, the sword maker. I was given a hero worth swooning over. The Scottish burr, kilts, armor, and glowering stares *le sigh*. Tavish is an American girl\u2019s dream, except for the excessively grumpy part. He\u2019s all stubborn and a bit of a brute. He\u2019s also our heroine\u2019s employer. Attempting to do good for his neighborhood and keep his business afloat, the heroine is supposed to be there to help as an intern. Though he finds himself attracted to this intern who tries to kill him within seconds of meeting him, of course.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Then there\u2019s our heroine, <strong>Portia<\/strong>. I\u2019ll admit, I didn\u2019t like Portia too much in the first book. I had trouble envisioning her as the heroine in this story. Cole had the Herculean task of making this woman, who I\u2019d come to know as extremely selfish and a drunk, likable. The author pulled it off. I fell for Portia in a big way. She grew up in this story and became so much more. I think her growth was more prominent than the hero\u2019s.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The twists I can\u2019t share. Just know that this story surprised me. Things unfolded in an expected way, which is delightful. I\u2019m a reader and a writer, nothing excites me more than stories that I don\u2019t see coming. The best part about a romance is the journey to the happily ever after, and I loved how this one took me to places I did not expect.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Another thing Cole continues to excel at, memorable secondary characters. I hope Cole will get to back track and give us at least a novella for Tavish\u2019s younger brother Jamie and his romance story to the Whovian-loving chef, Cheryl. Plus, the playboy prince Johan made a hefty appearance and I have it on good authority he\u2019ll be playing a big role in book three.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The only thing holding me back... the overarching storyline felt cut short or rushed. Trust me when I say it took a long time to pin down those words. The book is by no means a small book, but in the grand scheme of things there were elements I believe were wrapped too fast for me personally.<\/p><p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Overall, this book is for those who love modern day royal-style stories. Think <em><strong>Megan Mulry\u2019s<\/strong> Unruly Royal<\/em>\u00a0series.<\/p><p><em>~ Landra<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2ApjWrs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amazon<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/geo.itunes.apple.com\/us\/book\/a-duke-by-default\/id1249970748?mt=11&amp;at=11l88k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iBooks<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/a-duke-by-default-alyssa-cole\/1127330165?ean=9780062685575#\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">B&amp;N<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kobo.com\/us\/en\/ebook\/a-duke-by-default-3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kobo<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details\/Alyssa_Cole_A_Duke_by_Default?id=ytU7DwAAQBAJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google Play<\/a><\/strong><\/p>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22129"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22129\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smittenbybooks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}