[ARC Review] What's a Duke Got to Do With It by by Christina Britton

Publisher's synopsis: The last thing Katrina Denby expected to find in her garden is the body of the man who ruined her three seasons ago. No matter that his death is a tragic accident, the rumors are enough to kill any woman’s prospects. With two scandals now hounding her, the best she can hope for is a hasty marriage of convenience—until her first love shows up in her drawing room, reminding her of all the reasons why she wanted a love match. If only he weren’t already engaged. . .

Sebastian Thorne, Duke of Ramsleigh, knows what he has to do to save the dukedom from the crushing debts and scandal his father left: marry and marry well. He’s picked the lady, too—a baron’s daughter who is pleasant, if a little boring. But seeing Katrina again makes him want to throw all those perfectly laid plans out the window. The first chance he had with her, he chose his duty over his heart. Doing so again might prove utterly impossible.  

My thoughts: I love every time I get to return to the Isle of Synne, and this latest adventure to the isle is no different. We've gotten to see Katrina as part of the Oddments and within her position as Lady Tesh's companion in previous books, but What's a Duke Got to Do With It was Katrina's time to shine. I enjoyed getting to explore her character further; it was clear from previous books that Katrina had a story to tell, and Britton's storytelling here did not disappoint. 

The characters in any Isle of Synne/Synneful Spinsters book are definitely worth reading about. I particularly love the Oddments and all their quirks, and I'm loving reading about all of them getting their happily-ever-afters. We've previously gotten to know Katrina through her role at Lady Tesh's side, but this book finally gave her the spotlight and filled readers in on her backstory and how she came to be on Synne and how she found herself as a companion. Lady Tesh is fast becoming one of my favorite supporting characters, and I hope we get to see much more of her throughout future Synneful Spinster stories. 

I both loved and felt for Katrina and Sebastian. Both were in difficult situations at the start of the book, at no fault of their own, but they were both strong in their determination to make things right for those they cared about. Their love and attention for those around them meant this second-chance romance was also a slow burn, but the pay off was definitely worth it. 

I always find Britton's writing easy to get lost in, and this latest novel is no different. Settings and characters are always well done, and action scenes (spicy or otherwise) are always on point. Like pretty much every other main character (or past/future main character), I loved Katrina and Sebastian and loved the slow-burn, second-chance journey they went on together. 

[A huge thank you to Forever/Hachette for providing an advanced copy of What's a Duke Got to Do With It. All opinions are my own!]

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Release date: 7/11/23

Format: eARC

eARC provided via: NetGalley