KJ Charles - The Duke at Hazard

The Duke of Severn is one of the greatest men in Britain.
He's also short, quiet, and unimpressive. And now he's been robbed, after indulging in one rash night with a strange man who stole the heirloom Severn ring from his finger. The Duke has to get it back, and he can't let anyone know how he lost it. So when his cousin bets that he couldn't survive without his privilege and title, the Duke grasps the opportunity to hunt down his ring-incognito.
Life as an ordinary person is terrifying...until the anonymous Duke meets Daizell Charnage, a disgraced gentleman, and hires him to help. Racing across the country in search of the thief, the Duke and Daizell fall into scrapes, into trouble-and in love.
Daizell has been excluded from polite society, his name tainted by his father's crimes and his own misbehaviour. Now he dares to dream of a life somewhere out of sight with the quiet gentleman who's stolen his heart. He doesn't know that his lover is a hugely rich public figure with half a dozen titles. And when he finds out, it will risk everything they have...

Comment: This is the second installment in a series about gentlemen who might have had a bad deal in life and by meeting a special person their fortunes might change. At least that is how I see it, if one bears in mind there is no specific connection between the characters of the first book and this present one.

In this story we meet Cass, the duke of Severn, a mousy type of person who feels if not for his title, others would not even pay attention to him. He also feels his duty is sometimes a weight and he cannot only do as he pleases. One night, while attempting a liaison with a man he believed shared his inclinations, he is robbed, which wouldn't be so bad, considering his power, if he didn't want it to be a secret. Still, he needs to recover his ducal ring and he accepts a bet with a cousin which allows him to travel on his own, and he decides to go look for the thief. Thankfully, he meets Daizell Charnage, a gentlemen down on his luck with a terrible reputation. They join forces but in the midst of adventure and dangers, it seems they are falling in love... but how would it be a future for them, with such different stations in life and when Daizell doesn't even know he's traveling with a duke?

This author is a safe bet for when I want to read a good story. Even the story I've liked less, of the ones I've read by now, was still a good one plot-wise and had a good development. This one certainly maintained by continuous belief this author does know how to write in a way that almost feels easy, the fluid the stories are. I keep thinking that some other authors with bigger names aren't this engaging...

Anyway, this was another cozy type of story, in the sense that I feel the author's romances always feature well developed characters, and one of them always has a slightly higher place in society than the other, or is more knowledgeable about the everyday life somehow, and the two balance each other. It is also a recurring fact that the characters need to admit to themselves they are stronger by having met the other person and that their HEA is an extension of their own self worth, not only because that person loves them. Of course, it's also so sweet they share great moments, more so than just intimate ones.

The duke of Severn is a reserved man who knows he isn't the most effusive or even good looking and his looks and quiet demeanor don't attract others as he sometimes could wish but he feels his duty as the duke means he helps many under his power and he knows he can make a difference in others' lives. The fact he likes men and not women has never been something that bothered him but he recently met someone who made him believe he could have fond memories of being with a man out of the usual business transactions but his naivete caused him to be robbed.

Daizell Charnage was just like any other young gentlemen of the ton when his father lost everything in gambling and he and his mother abandoned him which means he was someone others could blame. Day after day his reputation worsened and he now lives off the generosity of others and of the little talents he has. He also has an enemy, the man who was playing with his father and who became the owner of everything he family had. When he meets the seemingly innocent Cass, he believes helping him for a price is an easy way to do something honestly and they find themselves in many adventures.

Any reader of the author will recognize the "formula" if one wants to use this word. Cass has a secret, yes, but the base of the story is that they are in different moments in life, different places in society and they should not interact otherwise. As they travel looking for ways to locate the thief, they become close, first friends, then more than that but of course we know there will be a time for reckoning and when the truth comes out, that will affect them more than they expected. I think the author writes tension and longing so well... also the romance aspects always feel so poignant and the fact the characters are likable and have an emotional side makes the story sweeter.

If there is one issue - to me - in this novel is the moment between the scene Daizell learns who Cass is and the end. The discovery of who Cass is isn't the big climax of this story, the one leading to the very end. There is a secondary issue happening, which is fine, all plot oriented, but it's a little out of steam at the time it's solved. I was a bit more interested, at that point, to see how Cass and Daizell could work, since being a romantic couple was not possible, but the secondary issue still had to be wrapped up. I think some details were quite interesting and we keep learning new little things, but I wasn't as invested.

I can imagine this made sense in the author's head and it was even a great idea to not be predictable to solve before the HEA, but the way this was done was not as fascinating as it seemed when the characters were planning it. Despite this personal preference, the story offers everything one might wish for the type of story this is. The subtlety and the little things we can infer from this story can be more than just a sweet romance, there's social criticism and power balance notions and everything makes for a more than satisfying read.

Grade: 8/10