Set in 1820, when the Prince Regent finally planted his butt on the throne as George IV, The Duke’s Best Friend has a political backdrop that sets it apart. Heroine Kate Meacham was reared by her grandfather, a Foreign Office “legend” who moved in elite diplomatic circles with her at his side. An intelligent woman, she developed a spy’s skillset along with a somewhat inflated sense of her own importance and abilities. She comes down to earth with a thud when her grandfather dies, taking with him the de facto status she took for granted.

When she crosses paths with Henry Deeping, a Foreign Office newbie, it’s clear that they can help each other. Kate offers to share her insider knowledge of who’s who in the Regency ‘intelligence community.’ In exchange, Henry will escort her to the usual balls and receptions, lending legitimacy to her presence. They soon find themselves entangled in an espionage sub-plot, and join forces with sensible thirty-something Daphne Palliser and Oliver Welden to investigate the unfolding mystery.

At times, the mystery aspect of the story feels convoluted and the author squeezes a lot of secondary characters into a fairly short novel, some of whom don’t seem to advance the story. Along with a few go-nowhere plot elements, the reader can’t help wondering why they were included at all when it would have been more satisfying to see the romance remain the firm focus. Redundant recaps and repetition slowed the pace down a bit, but readers who enjoy intrigue romance may appreciate the formula.

The unrealistic abundance of dukes stalking through Regency romances always makes me groan. Fortunately Henry, the hero of this story, is not ‘Your Grace’ but a close friend of the Duke of Tereford and his wife Cecelia, whose story was told in Book 1 of the series. He is an engaging character who feels real and suits the slow-burn romance. He differs from the cliché Regency hero tropes in that he is unexceptional in appearance. He’s well tailored and smart, and the fact that the romance came as a delicious, unsettling surprise for him was one of the charms of this story.

I had mixed feelings about Kate. She is “quite pretty” and “a tall, square-shouldered woman, with honey-colored hair and violet-blue eyes…” (as we are reminded far too often!). She observes herself to be “unconventional” and knows her own mind. Her assertive ways are at times a tad high-handed to endear her to others, yet Henry is smitten. He tolerates her abrasiveness, and often outright disrespect, with puppy-dog equanimity. Kate’s brains and independent spirit reminded me of a Georgette Heyer heroine, but she comes across as having a chip on her shoulder, which is never entirely explained. More insight would have helped.

Although Kate’s stubbornness coupled with occasional stridency and insensitivity to others sometimes had me wondering what Henry saw her in her, their chemistry was interesting and believable. Kate’s lusty dreams about Henry got a bit old as a device to reveal her attraction. I would have preferred to see their deepening dynamic explored in more scenes together; there was some nice banter and chemistry to build on.

Jane Ashford is a polished professional with over 50 titles under her belt. It shows. The Duke’s Best Friend is not her strongest book, but her good quality writing is a cut above average, which draws the reader in and compensates for some plot weaknesses. Overall, the story was enjoyable, and a solid 3.25 stars, with Regency Chronicle endorsement for good writing and an interesting backdrop.

It would have scored higher if Ms. Ashford had made the most of the diplomatic setting. There was a lot going on in 1820, especially involving Russia and Austria and the role the Foreign Office was taking in that power play. Even though Castlereagh is fleetingly mentioned, he seems inert. In reality, his opposition to Troppau-style interventionism was an enormous part of British foreign policy, so it’s hard to imagine people in those circles not even talking about this. A few nuggets of background could have delivered context to certain plot elements that didn’t make a lot of sense.

At a time when AI is invading so many books, including Regency novels, it’s nice to spend an evening reading a well-written book that is not strangely similar to a stack of others in my review pile.

We thank the author, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and NetGalley for an advance copy of The Duke’s Best Friend. Cover image courtesy of © Sourcebooks Casablanca, 2023. Review by Pam Baker © 2023 The Regency Chronicle.