A Duke in Time by Janna MacGregor is the first book in the new The Widow Rules series by Janna MacGregor. It 
was fast-paced and drew me in from the beginning. The storyline of a duke’s son marrying three women and them discovering it when he dies was unique. The series is based on the three widows and their rush to save their reputations. It was well written and hard to put down. The characters were charming and lovable. The connection between Katherine and Christian was there at the beginning but the romance between the two was slow-burning.
Katherine Vareck was shocked when she learns Lord Meriwether “Meri”, her husband, had married three women before he died and left them penniless. Katherine and Meri had been married for a year, but he had left right after the wedding dinner and never returned. She was able to use her new name and position to help grow Greer’s Emporium, her boutique. She had a chance at winning the royal contract to outfit the Prince Regent’s bedchambers but the scandal her husband left them in could ruin her chances. She knows they must act fast before the scandal gets out and ruins them all.
Christian Vareck, Duke of Randford, had spent three years fighting the French and had just returned to London to discover his half-brother Meri had married three women before he died. Christian had given up on Meri and his scandals a long time ago and he wanted nothing to do with this newest problem. He had his own duties to take care of now that he is back in London. He wants to help the men he fought with that came home to nothing. As he gets to know Katherine, he realizes how insightful she is about running a business and he asks her for help setting up a business that would help the veterans.
I enjoyed reading this book but there were several things that bothered me and were not believable. I loved how strong the three wives were and how they took everything in stride. But the wives becoming best friends at the beginning with no animosity between them was hard for me to believe. Also, I never felt the grief of any of the wives, they were only worried about their reputations and dowries. There were lots of twists and turns in the book and I was very surprised by the ending. Even though this was not my favorite book by this author, I would love to see what happens with the other two wives. I look forward to the next book and hope to learn a little more about Meri and his reasoning.
Book Info:
Publication: June 29, 2021 | St. Martin’s Paperbacks | The Widow Rules #1
Katherine Vareck is in for the shock of her life when she learns upon her husband Meri’s accidental death that he had married two other women. Her entire business, along with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be a royal supplier, is everything she’s been working for and now could be destroyed if word leaks about the three wives.
Meri’s far more upstanding brother, Christian, Duke of Randford has no earthly clue how to be of assistance. He spent the better part of his adult years avoiding Meri and the rest of his good-for-nothing family, so to be dragged back into the fold is…problematic. Even more so is the intrepid and beautiful Katherine, whom he cannot be falling for because she’s Meri’s widow. Or can he?
With a textile business to run and a strong friendship forming with Meri’s two other wives, Katherine doesn’t have time for much else. But there’s something about the warm, but compellingly taciturn Christian that draws her to him. When an opportunity to partner in a business venture brings them even closer, they’ll have to face their pasts if they want to share each other’s hearts and futures.
