06/11/2018 In Cole’s rollicking second Reluctant Royals contemporary (after A Princess in Theory), Portia Hobbs leaves New York for Scotland and a sword-making apprenticeship, determined to recreate herself and her life. However, “Project New Portia” takes a hit when she finds herself wrong-footed with her new boss, Tavis McKenzie, on the first day. Tavis doesn’t want an apprentice, especially not one whose freckles and curves set his mind to wandering lustfully. But Portia’s talents soon prove to be exactly what Tavis’s business needs, and when Tavis admits there’s more to her than sexy good looks, the smoldering tension between them explodes with a fiery kiss. As Portia slowly begins to see herself as more than a flighty screw-up, she sets in motion events that change Tavis’s future—and that may just push her out of his life for good. Cole includes just the right amount of sass, sex, and heart to satisfy romance readers. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary. (July)
The sexual tension crackles as Portia and Tavish hide their attraction behind sarcasm, but the real emotional punch comes when they admit their feelings but need to decide if each really has a place in the other’s life. With a multicultural cast and delightfully geeky details (Cheryl Hu, Tavish’s sister-in-law, runs a food truck called Doctor Hu’s), Cole’s latest is pretty much perfect.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Cole includes just the right amount of sass, sex, and heart to satisfy romance readers.” — Publishers Weekly
“Multicultural characters, current social issues, a generous helping of Scottish weapons lore, a hero who learns to forgive the past, and a heroine who comes into her own make Cole’s latest a lively, upbeat escapade rich with humor and heart.” — Library Journal
“Cole’s romances are always smart, sexy, captivating reads...” — Entertainment Weekly
“Alyssa Cole has rightfully garnered acclaim from all corners for the impeccable construction and emotional complexity of her romance novels. But her new novel, A Duke by Default, underscored something about her writing that I think deserves to be celebrated just as much—how joyfully and unrepentantly nerdy her work is.” — BookPage
“Alyssa Cole has presented another winner in her acclaimed Reluctant Royals series... A romantic Scottish armory and two unlikely characters with chemistry off the charts makes this book a rapid read.” — BookTrib
“Witty, heartwarming, and super sexy! A charming royal romance.” — Fresh Fiction
“This book not only has one of my favorite meet-cutes ever written, it also features a heroine who is strong and vulnerable in equal measure, a perfect Scottish curmudgeon hero (aka #swordbae), and a supporting cast that celebrates the importance of female friendship. The romance is swoon-worthy, and I particularly loved the thoughtful exploration of the pressures of living up to family legacies (royal or not).” — Bookish (Favorite Books of 2018)
Witty, heartwarming, and super sexy! A charming royal romance.
This book not only has one of my favorite meet-cutes ever written, it also features a heroine who is strong and vulnerable in equal measure, a perfect Scottish curmudgeon hero (aka #swordbae), and a supporting cast that celebrates the importance of female friendship. The romance is swoon-worthy, and I particularly loved the thoughtful exploration of the pressures of living up to family legacies (royal or not).
Bookish (Favorite Books of 2018)
Cole’s romances are always smart, sexy, captivating reads...
Alyssa Cole has rightfully garnered acclaim from all corners for the impeccable construction and emotional complexity of her romance novels. But her new novel, A Duke by Default, underscored something about her writing that I think deserves to be celebrated just as much—how joyfully and unrepentantly nerdy her work is.
The sexual tension crackles as Portia and Tavish hide their attraction behind sarcasm, but the real emotional punch comes when they admit their feelings but need to decide if each really has a place in the other’s life. With a multicultural cast and delightfully geeky details (Cheryl Hu, Tavish’s sister-in-law, runs a food truck called Doctor Hu’s), Cole’s latest is pretty much perfect.
Booklist (starred review)
Alyssa Cole has presented another winner in her acclaimed Reluctant Royals series... A romantic Scottish armory and two unlikely characters with chemistry off the charts makes this book a rapid read.
2018-06-18 A rude sword maker clashes with the spunky socialite who has been sent to drag him into the 21st century.Portia Hobbs' hard-charging parents can't understand why she prefers acquiring graduate degrees and internships to joining the family business in New York. When she wins an internship to work with a master swordsmith in Scotland, Portia knows it's a perfect way to put her art history background to good use. Where her parents see flighty selfishness, Portia sees opportunity and excitement. Her new boss, Tavish McKenzie, is a taciturn silver fox with a healthy skepticism of modernity. He's gruff with Portia, who nevertheless manages to wield her social media and marketing savvy to raise Bodotria Armory's profile. Portia is a charming blend of bravado and insecurity, a woman whose summer in Scotland will reveal her innate worth even if her skills are not the kind her family can appreciate. A brusque British artisan falling for a spoiled, spunky American is a familiar trope, but Cole (A Princess in Theory, 2018, etc.) invests it with complexity by giving Portia not just vulnerability, but a journey of self-discovery that includes strong female friendships. Another well-known romance trope, secret royalty, gets the same treatment. Tav's mother was a Chilean refugee when she began an affair with his biological father, whom she left after he inherited a dukedom. Tav had always known the story, but he thought of his mother as a victim of a powerful man; learning now that she'd made her own choices, he has to make sense of a new origin story while grappling with an abrupt status shift from artisan to aristocrat. While Portia and Tav's characters are irresistible and their culture-clash repartee is genuinely witty, their romance seems abrupt. A continued friendship with benefits seems just as likely as a happy-ever-after for these two, and while their relationship might eventually develop into something lasting, readers might appreciate a cameo by "Maid Freckles" and "#swordbae" in the next installment of the series, just to be sure.An engaging cast of characters grapples with themes from family legacies to social media marketing while the romance between a gruff swordsmith and his unorthodox apprentice is more parry than attack.
Meet the NEW Portia Hobbs! The American screwup is trading in her partying and drinking for a sword-making apprenticeship at a Scottish armory. Narrator Karen Chilton warmly exudes Portia’s newfound confidence and occasional bouts of uncertainty as she tangles with Tavish Mckenzie—the armory's grumpy master swordsmith. Chilton's Scottish accent has a soft lilt but not enough of a brogue to bring the Highland setting to life. But she creates instant chemistry by emphasizing the snappy, flirty dialogue between Tavish and Portia. They battle over bringing the armory into the digital age—until Portia unravels a secret that has her melding Tavish into a duke, and just maybe her knight in shining armor. J.E.C. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine