The Duke at Hazard: Gentlemen of Uncertain Fortune, Book 2

Up to this point KJ Charles has very firmly eschewed dukes as protagonists. One might be forgiven for supposing, based upon Regency Romances in general, that Regency Britain was wall-to-wall dukes, and that they were all tall, dark, handsome and buff - but alas, Bridgerton notwithstanding, twas never thus.Instead Charles gives us the Duke of Severn: a small, reticent young gentleman of considerable reserve and extremely forgettable appearance who is brimming with responsibility and disarmingly wet behind the ears. He starts the story by tumbling into a most unfortunate scrape, gamely throws himself into an even greater one, and soon finds himself consorting with persons of very dubious respectability, and finding himself capable of all manner of things he has never tried before - like dressing himself, using public transport, ordering drinks at a public house, facilitating elopements, escaping kidnappings, outwitting scoundrels, falling in love and repairing reputations - and, most unlikely of all, standing up to his family.This is a delight from start to finish: firmly in the Heyer But Gayer camp, without any on-page corpses. There are cameos from characters in The Gentle Art Of Fortune Hunting, but this is very much a standalone.(I know that Cass looks nothing LIKE Stede Bonnet in Our Flag Means Death, and is a very different person too, but from the start of the book I still found myself struck by how much the *vibes* reminded me of that character? Because he’s such a sweetheart, and such a fish out of water, and meeting the right rogue at the right time really allows him to come into his own.)

I enjoyed this book immensely.There is such maturity in this book. Not so much in the characters, but in the author.The way Charles presents the situation, how it develops, both the sex and the intimacy, they are all thought out, and told with an emotional matuity that comes through the page.There is no manufactured drama, the gods below know these two idiots dont need to manufacture any more, but the realities of power, position, society limitations, and instead of providing an emotional bandage of a fairy tale that would give us nothing but fantasy, Charles builds a way forwards that feels authentic, possible, and based on what we all queer people know, friends, comunity and found family.Trully a balm for the soul.I also loved the "closing credits" in this book, where the team involved in getting a book from an authors mind into my hands are credited for, and I think more publishers and authors should consider this. Not in liu of money, pay your people, but appreciation goes a long way.

An enjoyable book. Not one of KJ Charles best works but entirely readable as a good light afternoon or evenings read.I enjoyed the character of Cass a lot, Daizell felt slightly less thoroughly drawn and I prefer KJ Charles when one of the leads is the 'villain' of the piece (Jack daw) or where there much stronger barrier between the two. (Unnatural Vice)Overall Daizell played his part well however and KJ Charles did a good job exploring Sev/Cass character and how his position affected him. I'd have liked more of Martin, but it's likely we may get another book with him as a lead.

Quite possibly the most engaging, better written and tender of all KJ Charles's novels. One I will be rereading soon, I'm certain. Everything is so well developed here and all characters, except the villains of course, are truly endearing and empathetic. Highly recommended.

Another good book from Charles. Cassian and Daizell both very different so good together.

Destined to be re-read many times - just like her (many) other titles . Really enjoyed it. Now waiting for the audio book to be released!

I absolutely adore everything that KJ Charles writes, especially when we get to meet some characters from previous books (don't worry, they are cameos only). I also like when the books involve characters being vulnerable with each other, gentle and funny plots and just enough right of smut. So, The Duke of Hazard ticks all the boxes for me as a light and cheeky sort-of-sequel to The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting in which we meet a very titled and impressive duke (despite nondescriptive looks), who is also very bad at dealing with day to day matters. While hunting for a stolen ring, he meets a disgraced gentleman, who becomes his guide in the ordinary world. The pair throws themselves into a journey across England which features many public carriages, inns, and cathedrals. Altogether, a fun read from a favourite author.

I enjoyed this so much. One of the few authors that I automatically buy!

This is a very enjoyable, at times madcap, tale of two gentlemen who only found each other by bizarre circumstance. Cassian, a Duke, makes a bet with his cousin that he can spend 30 days out in the world without the support of his entourage of servants. He has a secret motive to try to track down a valuable ring that was stolen from him earlier.In his incognito travels, he meets Daizell, a fallen gentleman who lost his wealth and status when his father murdered a man and escaped with his mother. The two strike up an instant friendship and Daizell agrees to travel around the countryside to help Cassian locate the thief. Each man is attracted to the other, but neither initially knows it.This book has a tightly woven story, many historical details, interesting supporting characters, and a beautiful forever love.

KJ Charles is one of my favourite authors. I can honestly say I have enjoyed every one of her books and this, her latest - doesn’t disappoint. Engaging characters, a satisfying adventure and funny moments. If you are new to Ms. Charles sophisticated and intelligent books, you won’t regret diving in. Another one I will read multiple times!

5 stars. haven’t read one book by KJ Charles where I’ve thought that it was a little disappointing. Every one of her books has been well researched in the period in which it is written; the world building, the social norms for that time, the speech used - they all combine to give her books a real sense of the Regency period. Of course, and most importantly, her characters are all wonderfully written and all have heart. Well, apart from the bad apples. They do NOT have heart. Although they are sort of delicious in their evil-ness. And when they’re taken down? Sooo good 😈.Caspian is such a sweetheart, a little naïve in the ways of the world due to him being coddled for most of his life but after an unfortunate incident when he is robbed of everything, and I mean everything he has on him that night, he realises that he must venture out into the world and find the person who robbed him and retrieve a particular item that was stolen. He meets Daizell, clearly a gentleman down on his luck, who agrees to accompany Cassian to help him navigate his way in the real world and to help him in his search for this rogue.Both characters are delightful, with Cassian gradually gaining in confidence in finding his ‘voice’ and Daizell, for the first time in many years, finding someone who likes him and eventually understands just how and why his misfortune led him to where he is now. I so loved these characters.The denouement in the penultimate chapter which takes place in Lady Wintour’s establishment is so satisfying and it’s a happy surprise to be reacquainted with some characters from some of KC’s previous books.I had an absolute blast reading this book, it’s full of adventure, character growth and importantly, it’s a beautiful love story.

This book is so darn cozy, it's basically a prescription for snuggling. I like how the author's characters are pretty average/unremarkable, but still really interesting and relatable. We all just want to be loved by someone we can be our true selves with, and that's really the heart of this novel.It was a little slow to start with, but it's driven heavily by character development & that was refreshing, as opposed to the trend in historical romances nowadays where the plot is based on something wildly improbable & the characters are forgettable once you put the book down. Not so, in this case. It was nice to watch two people fall in love naturally. Spice levels: 🔥🔥🔥. I feel like most romance novels lean really hard on kinks or dominant/submissive roles (especially with same s*x couples), so it was really nice to see the author change that up a bit. But if you're into "cozy, sleepy CNC" & praise kinks, you'll enjoy this novel. Overall, it was a very lovely novel that I definitely would recommend. Can't wait to see what KJ Charles does next!

I finished this and wanted the book to have been longer. The story wasn't missing anything and didn't need anything else in there, but I wanted to stay in there longer....