4.5

This is the second Anna Bennett book I have read that has left me sighing with content. Keeping spots open for more of her books on my tbr.

What a delightful and unique package of all these great tropes- part-mystery, part-masquerade, part- only one bed, part-class difference - all wrapped up in one. Slap on a low-angst swoony romance, and the characters on the cover aren't the only ones who will be smiling!

Thank you to the author/publisher for providing me an e- copy of the Advanced Reader Copy through NetGalley. All opinions in the review are honest and my own. ( )

Fun to read despite being highly improbable. I would read other books by this author. ( )

Zounds! What a book! I absolutely love these historical romance trilogies. A new fun, funny, sweet, sexy romance with characters we know a little from previous books, but we also get to check in on some of the main characters from those previous books and see how their HEA is going. Win-win all around. One Duke Down, the second in the Rogues to Lovers series, can most definitely be placed in that win-win category.

Poppy Summers is one of Hazel’s good friends in the first book in the series, Girls Before Earls. Hazel the schoolmistress who meets the dashing Earl of Bladenton. Hazel, Blade’s teenage ward Kitty and Poppy form a little group, the Belles of Bellehaven. Sadly, that’s about the only place Poppy feels welcome and can be herself. Poppy is ridiculed, excluded, ignored, looked down upon by the town. It’s bad enough that she is a fisherman’s daughter, but she is also a woman who fishes. Ugh. The treasure that is Poppy is so overlooked.

As a fisherman’s daughter Poppy is doomed to a lowly life. Her mother was “connected” as they say but turned away by her family in a time of need. Poppy does love her father and brother, she loves the memories of her mother, and would – and does – do anything for family, but oh, how she wishes life could be easier, exciting, romantic? Even if for just a little while. Then Poppy shakes her head to get that nonsense out and gets back to work.

Andrew Keane, the Duke of Hawking, can’t quite find his place or fit in with the ton. He’s not the rake his reputation says he is, but he was maliciously used and now someone is trying to kill him. He’s come to Bellehaven to escape his troubles in London and to regroup. But he has no firm idea of who wants to harm him, and he sure didn’t expect to find himself washed up on shore with this strong, suspicious, argumentative, disbelieving, beautiful woman gazing down on him. He says he’s a Duke, she thinks he’s delusional and must have hit his head. She agrees to help him when he makes an offer of payment she can’t really refuse if she is to continue to take care of her family, but she continues to be very, very wary Until she’s not. Until like a bonk on the head Poppy realizes she’s not just intrigued, she’s in love. So she shakes head again and thinks, nope, that can’t be. Keane is initially at her mercy and must trust her to keep him and his secret safe, but soon his compassionate nature and inherent protectiveness take over and he becomes the one who wants to keep her safe. No bonk on the head for him, he glides slowly forward as he realizes he’s in love with Poppy: she’s the one, and he determines to make their HEA happen. As readers we kind of fall in love with him from the start, but once “He rubbed an odd ache located in the center of his chest and tried for a light tone.” we were sunk – this happy-ever-after must happen and it must happen now!

Both Poppy and Keane are brave and determined and saddled with burdens – and absolutely appealing. Their adventure is funny, witty, sweet, and scorching, giving you all the danger, mystery and suspense as well as all the sighs you expect from one of Anna Bennett’s charming novels. The sea and the stars combine to give these two lonely people a (large, intense, heated) spark and a sense there could be something deeper. The looks, the subtle touches, sometimes accidental, sometimes not and the explosion of heat. Ummm. And wow.

One Duke Down is another fantastic read by this fantastic author. I couldn’t wait to get to the perfect ending but didn’t want their perfect story to end. Fortunately, I may get another glimpse of them when the certain-to-be-delightful third story in this trilogy is released. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing an advance copy of One Duke Down via NetGalley. I am voluntarily leaving this review; all opinions are my own. Author Bennett is a favorite of mine: short story, standalone, series, all perfect and perfectly entertaining. ( )

The heroine comes upon the unconscious hero when said person ruined her daily fishing. When the hero proclaimed himself as a duke, the heroine doesn't believe him. The hero implores the heroine to hide him as he wants to find his assailant incognito and offers to pay her as he recovers from his ordeal. Not knowing that their mutual agreement will change their lives in many ways that will affect their future.

This is the second book in the Rogues to Lovers series by Anna Bennett. The book was a delightful read. It features a strong heroine and a dashing hero that I found likable and entertaining. I enjoyed the cameo appearances of friends and family that had strong presence in the story. I would have liked some more details in certain areas of the story, especially in those parts that were a bit dragging to read. However, this refreshing book doesn't involve high angst and has a good story vibe. Overall, I look forward to reading more Anna Bennett books in the future.

**Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions and thoughts in the review are my own.** ( )

Barbara’s rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars

Let me start by telling you I absolutely loved both Poppy and Keane. They were two lovely, caring, honest, up-front people who didn’t know how to be anyone other than themselves. There were no false fronts, no pretending – just love and acceptance along with wonderfully refreshing spirits.

Poppy Summers, a fisherman’s daughter, has been shouldering all the responsibilities for the care of her father and the family business for quite some time now. Very early every morning she arises to begin her day – she takes their rowboat out and casts the nets for the day’s catch; she makes breakfast for her ill father and serves him; she cleans and salts the fish, then takes them to town to sell. They are barely scraping by and scarcely know where the next meal will come from. She has one, just one, place to relax from the stress, so imagine her shock when she approaches her beach one day and finds a dark, handsome man lying lifeless in the surf. He insists he is a duke, but she doesn’t believe that for a minute. A pirate? Maybe. Whatever he is, he isn’t a duke!

Andrew Keane, Duke of Hawking, has been avoiding taking on his responsibilities since he inherited the title. Part of that avoidance included escaping to the lovely beach village of Bellehaven – where someone coshed him over the head and tossed him in the water. After being washed up on the beach, he regained consciousness to see a most delightful angel was there with him. Oops – how can she be an angel when she is challenging everything he says and demanding to know how he came to be on her beach? She asked if he was a pirate who’d fallen overboard for goodness’ sake!

Keane finally convinces Poppy to help him find out who tried to murder him – and to let him stay on her beach while they do. I love how they deal with each other – no doubt – no mistrust – no navel-gazing – just straight-up honesty. I also loved the Epilogue.

So, with all of this, why didn’t I give it 5-stars? I definitely could have based on the characters. However, there were so very many anachronisms and improbabilities that I couldn’t get past them – and, there wasn’t any reason for them to be there. A little research would have given the information to avoid them. Just one example: In less than twenty-four hours, they made a round-trip to London (100 miles each way – so 200 miles) in a coach that averages about 7-10 MPH, and that trip included hunting down a witness, a visit to Hyde Park, and attending an evening entertainment. I’m not sure I could do that in one of today’s vehicles, much less a horse-drawn carriage. Still, I can recommend this read if anachronisms and improbabilities don’t bother you.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )