A Duke by Default: A Silver Fox Scottish Hero Romance – Book 2 in the Reluctant Royals Series, NPR Best Book

Everyone that I told I was reading this book, said it was their favorite. I can fully understand why, I loved it. Portia ends up in Scotland for an apprenticeship, as she tries to remake her party-girl life. Tavish (Tav) is the unexpected Scotsman-sword maker she works for and the sparks fly immediately. As in, she attacks him with bear spray because she thinks he's attacking someone and doesn't know it's not an attack or that he's her boss. It might be one of my favorite meet-cutes ever! Portia and Tav are both vulnerable people, both feeling like they need to prove themselves, but hiding behind the walls and armor they each have around them. Portia is wealthy and knows how to use that wealth to create an image, both good and bad, while Tavish has the strong guy who works with swords-big tough guy persona on. Portia struggles to not live down to low expectations, not recognizing that her sister and friends really believe in her. Her parents, though, (eye roll), need some serious talking to. Tav wants to save his neighborhood and the kids who need a mentor and hope and help, but doesn't want any kudos for it, and struggles against feelings of inferiority from not knowing his biological father. He's surrounded by his brother, sister-in-law, and a strong relationship with his mother and stepfather, and I loved that none of them was afraid to call his BS. I really loved these two characters, two imperfect people who helped each other bring out the best of each other. They made mistakes, they apologized for them, and they ultimately learned one of the best lines in the book: "What do you think people fall in love for, if not the hand holding?" This is a story about both Portia and Tavish, and I really appreciate the attention to both of their growth, as well as their romance. Then add in the bit of Scotland, a cameo by the Queen and some hot chemistry and really, I can't wait to reread it. This is a great story and I loved it. I recommend it to all romance readers, as well as those who really should pick up a romance book and read a great story with great characters.

This book works best as a fairy tale, and, happily, fairy tales are hot properties these days. This particular fairy tale is expressed in some hella good writing. Cole is an excellent prose stylist; her wit and phrasing are just sheer pleasure to experience. Duke by Default is a worthy successor to A Princess in Theory, and one of this book's major enjoyments is reconnecting with some of the characters from the earlier books--most notably, Portia. Portia and Tav's connection is both improbable and vastly entertaining. Portia has gotten her act together, and is eager to tackle her internship with Bodotria Armory in Edinburgh in spite of the gigantic fissures that her parents and her own bad decisions have gouged into her self-respect,. Portia is sassy, clever, personable, tech savvy, and not at all what Master-at-arms and unashamed Luddite Tavish expects. After an unfortunate first encounter, Tav rapidly establishes himself as a first class d-bag. Yet, d-bag or not, Tav is pretty irresistible as a grump with a slowly revealed heart of gold. The supporting characters are particularly charming and diverse --each a beautifully limned miniature portrait. From Jamie and Cheryl, Tav's brother and his wife, to his long distance parents to "red-headed step-prince" Johan, each is a fully realized and likable character. Only--there are rather a lot of them. Still, solid characterization is at the core of this book. Cole talks about class, race, poverty, and immigration through the believable humanity of her characters. There is also one outstanding exception to the excellence of the characterization, but more of that later. The novel is basically divided in two separate parts--the internship/apprenticeship part transitions pretty abruptly to the Dukey part and changes roles, responsibilities, and relationships among the characters. Tav struggles with the demands of his new personna and the pressure it puts on every aspect of his life including his growing relationship with Portia. I would have liked a lot more about weapon making and defense classes. The fact that Portia gets exactly one chance to work on a sword and they whip it out (hur) in a single afternoon is the first irritant referred to in the review title. This is later blamed on the aristo training, but it's more due to Tav's wrong-headed stalling. Come on--a well-crafted sword in a day with no prior training? Puleeze. . . It's probably kind of obvious that I prefer Tav to Portia. Portia is actually a great character, but it shows mostly in her direct interactions with others--most notably, Tav. Unfortunately, I found myself feeling worn down by Portia's constant self-flagellation. It had such a negative effect on her decisions in spite of her hard work to keep herself on track. I understood it; I sympathized; but it did get old. Another irritant was the lack of explanation of inheritance laws. I admit my entire understanding of said customs comes from romance novels set in the nineteenth century, but the invitation to tea and swabs seemed a mite hard to accept without some background information. I mean would you really do that in a social setting? Is a DNA test all that’s needed to prove one’s right to a title. Also, wouldn’t you need witnesses beyond the current duke, his sister, and a single staff member? Wouldn’t the process be more formal? This info is pretty esoteric and would have enhanced my understanding considerably. I don’t know the answers to these questions and that bothered me a lot as I read this scene. And this scene leads me to the biggest irritant of all This won't be precisely a spoiler, because I'm naming no names, but there is a villain of this piece, and said villain commits alllllllll the crimes. And obvious? Oh yeah, and to a freakishly eye-rolling degree. Personally, I prefer my villains a little more subtle and way more interesting. This is the down side to fairy tales. Too often they require an over-simplified moral and an over-the-top comeuppance to be fully satisfying. People are complex--even haters--and piling all the sins on one individual was overkill. I almost expected the forces of good to nail the evil one into a barrel and roll it down a rocky hill into the ocean. Now that’s a fairy tale ending. Duke by Default was a well-written, fun read about a very engaging couple, but the irritants irritated. Basically there seemed to be a cast of thousands and a whole lot of stuff going on without enough detail to make things quite credible, and a tendency to oversimplify. I really wanted to know about swords and European martial arts and even the modern aristocracy, and the sketchy descriptions disappointed me. Rating this book was not easy. I prefer letter grades to stars because you can plus or minus them. I'm thinking 3.7 (B-) rounded up to 4 stars. And I'm definitely ordering the next in the series.

I’ve been dying to read Portia’s story since “A Princess in Theory” and it didn’t disappoint at all. We are introduced to Portia, in the previous book and she was very easy not to like. I knew there was another side to her and I couldn’t wait to until unravel the many layers that is Portia. On her quest to change herself for the better she applies and is accepted for an apprenticeship in Scotland. I admire Portia’s bravery for leaving everything she knows and going to a new county. I’m a born and raised New Yorker and I’m not sure if I would be able to leave here. I must say her first encounter with Tavish was one for the books!! Tavish. Where do I start with Tavish?? He was brash, dismissive and set in his old ways. Yet, he had a big heart and I loved how he gave back to the community.Tavish and Portia are complete opposites and you know how the old saying goes. I loved the build up and connection between Tavish and Portia. They each made judgments about the other in the beginning but once they got to know each other better they realized how looks can be deceiving. That their opinions were wrong and you shouldn’t be so quick to judge. I have to say I’m a huge fan of character growth and Portia matures so much in this book and I loved it! I knew there was more to her than what was portrayed in the last story. I love reading royal romances and this book didn’t disappoint. I also loved how the story touches on certain issues that are presently going on as well. This is my second book by Alyssa Cole and I have to say I’m really impressed with this author and her writing. The story flows and it’s so refreshing to read about characters that I can identify with and found myself nodding along in agreement with them several times. I can’t not wait to read about Johan as I feel he is going to be so messy!!

This is my favorite in the whole series so far. In large parts due to Portia. She is an amazing character, not perfect but trying, often trying twice as hard as people give her credit for. Her relationship to her family was complicated, and not only did I want to hug her constantly, it also added a layer of depth and emotions to the story for me that I loved. The writing was as perfect as I've come to expect from Alyssa Cole, the voices of these MCs still grabbed me even more than I anticipated and their inner turmoils hit me especially hard in the feels. Additionally, I adored how her relationship with Tav developed. The pacing worked perfectly for me, all the ups and downs and complications felt real and left me so emotionally satisfied, I honest to God swooned. In fact the whole story left me swooning and was definitely one of my favorite reads of the month, possibly even the year.

Oh my goodness this book was the best! I loved A Princess in Theory, but this novel topped it. It had me laughing and tearing up. I now really want to learn European martial arts and take a trip return trip to Scotland. I’ll admit that I didn’t like drunk Portia from Book #1, but New Portia was amazing. The interesting part was that she didn’t know it, and that was part of her journey. She discovered a lot about herself during this story which made her tale more intriguing. Tavish was hilarious, a gruff man for sure, but a sweetheart too. I wouldn’t want to be in his position of finding out his new status of royalty, but with help he handled it well. The way Portia and Tavish’s attraction was described made me want to experience it for myself because it was incredible and consistent. The story kept me on my toes. I almost took a peep at the end of the book in order to find out what would happen. This is a rarity for me. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. A Prince on Paper with Johan – sigh!

My least favorite of the series and it gets 4 stars. That tells you something haha

I loved this book so much. Not only cause Portia has ADHD just like me but everything else to. I love Portia, loved her from the first book. Also Tavish, what a grumpy hunk. Also Jamie and Cheryl are just so cute and I love them. Also as someone with adhd and was always considered the annoying hyper sibling over my younger sister (who i love) i know how Portia feels when not feeling like she is good enough compared to Reggie. Also Leslie struck me as asexual/aromantic (both maybe) cause I am Ace and that's kind of how i feel. Also Tavish's mum and dad r too cute. Also the nail polish confirmed what I suspected happened to portia. I read most of the book while i was on the bus and at work. It was an amazing read, especially when I am waiting for customers to come through my drive thru lol. But i love this book so much. Also oh the steamy bits -fans self-. I can't wait for the next volume.

Another very delightful romance by Alyssa Cole, featuring a grumpy Scotsman who makes swords, and the lovely Portia who has decided to turn her life around by becoming his apprentice.