His Grace, The Duke by Emily Rath

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His Grace, the Duke (Second Sons #2) — ⭐⭐⭐½☆ (3.5/5 Stars)

Author: Emily Rath
Series: Second Sons
Genre: Regency Romance / Why-Choose / Historical Romance

⚠️ TRIGGER WARNINGS

  • Explicit sexual content

  • Strong language

  • Emotional manipulation

  • Power imbalance

  • Jealousy & possessiveness

  • Violence (including gunshot wound)

  • Attempted murder

  • Parental abuse (past)

🚨 FULL SPOILER WARNING 🚨

This review includes a complete plot summary and ending. If spoilers ruin your life, turn back now. 🫣📖

✨ Overview

His Grace, the Duke picks up immediately after Beautiful Things—and somehow manages to be longer, spicier, louder, messier, and more outrageous. Think Regency England…but with modern mouths, maximalist drama, and a love configuration that refuses to color inside the lines.

I had fun. I also thought, “Wow, this did not need to be this long.”
Both things can be true. 😅

🏙️ The Midnight Flight to London

We open with James Corbin (Viscount Finchley) and Rosalie Harrow fleeing Alcott Hall in the dead of night, arriving in London at dawn still dressed for a ball. Scandal? Absolutely. James scrambles to:

  • Invent a respectable cover story

  • Secure Rosalie a full wardrobe (cue the fabulous modiste, Paulette 💃)

  • Emotionally gaslight himself into pretending his kiss with Rosalie “meant nothing”

Rosalie agrees to move forward—but makes it clear she won’t be erased or diminished. Go off, queen.

🔥 Burke, Tom, and the Emotional Traffic Jam

Burke storms in convinced James and Rosalie eloped. Drama ensues.
The core group—James, Burke, and Tom Renley—reunite, and the plan becomes clear:

  • Free Burke from his unwanted engagement to Lady Olivia Rutledge

  • Manipulate the London Season to give Olivia a better option so she jilts him

Meanwhile:

  • Rosalie explores physical and emotional intimacy with Burke and Tom

  • James remains emotionally constipated, insisting he’s “all duty, no softness”

  • Tom finally shuts the door on Marianne Young and her money-fueled strings

🎭 The London Season Turns Nasty

The Dowager Duchess attempts to reclaim control—Rosalie shuts that down with a firm “I am not your ward.” 👏
Gossip explodes. Papers print rumors. Marianne publicly humiliates Rosalie at a concert. George (the Duke) enjoys the chaos far too much.

Enter Captain William Hartington, Lady Olivia’s past suitor, and suddenly:

  • Olivia senses manipulation

  • Threats fly

  • Attraction sparks between Burke and Tom 👀

💣 Secrets, Violence, and Emotional Collapse

James discovers the truth: the Dowager paid £17,000 to control Rosalie via her father’s debts.
James burns the evidence—freeing Rosalie for good. 🔥

At George’s engagement party:

  • Marianne physically attacks Rosalie

  • She’s removed—and later revealed to be far more dangerous than anyone realized

🎶 The Opera, the Break, and the Why-Choose Payoff

At the opera, Burke and Tom provoke James into finally admitting the truth:
He loves Rosalie, Burke, and Tom.

Walls fall.
James and Burke finally kiss.
The trio commits—fully, openly, permanently.

👑 The Wedding, the Abdication, and the Gunshot

During George’s wedding to Piety Nash, chaos reigns:

  • George declares himself unfit and abdicates

  • James becomes the new Duke of Norland (!!!)

  • Marianne attempts to assassinate Rosalie

  • Burke takes a bullet to the shoulder saving her

  • Marianne is arrested (and likely murdered her own husband)

🍼 The Ending (Wrap It Up With a Bow Edition)

Everything resolves—neatly and loudly:

  • Lady Olivia elopes with Hartington

  • Rosalie inherits a fortune from an uncle in India

  • James and Rosalie marry

  • Burke and Tom move with them to Alcott

  • The Dowager Duchess begrudgingly accepts the arrangement

  • Tom chooses family over the navy

  • A son is born: Michael James Corbin 💙

🤔 My Thoughts

This book is fun, ridiculous, and committed to excess.
The spice is high. The drama is unhinged. The emotional arcs hit… eventually.

My biggest issue? The male leads blur together. Once you strip away their titles, they often feel interchangeable—especially for a book this long.

Still, I enjoyed the ride. Just… maybe with fewer pages next time. 😌

⭐ Final Rating

3.5 out of 5 stars ⭐⭐⭐½
Wildly entertaining. Overstuffed. Surprisingly heartfelt. A Regency fever dream in breeches.

📚 If This Was Your Vibe, You Might Also Like

  • Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

  • Neon Gods by Katee Robert

  • A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon

  • The Rakess by Scarlett Peckham

💬 Tell me—did you eat this up, or did it overstay its welcome for you too? 😈📖

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