The Duke at Hazard is a fun, fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable historical romance that is, at its heart, a story about growing up, self-discovery and finding that one person who brings out the best in you and helps you to realise your full potential. Being a KJ Charles story there is, of course, plenty of wryly observed social commentary, a dastardly villain who gets his well-deserved comeuppance, a pair of likeable, superbly characterised leads and high-jinks and shenanigans galore.

Vernon Fortesque Cassian George de Vere Crosse, fourth Duke of Severn, has spent his entire life wrapped up in cotton wool. Having inherited his lofty title at the age of six, he was brought up by his uncle Hugo to be fully aware of his responsibilities and his consequence as one of the highest-ranking gentlemen in England. His life is comfortable and he wants for nothing, but he is starting to chafe against the bars of his gilded cage and longs to strike out on his own, to be able throw off the trappings of nobility sometimes and just be… himself, a man and not a duke. Unfortunately however, the one time he does that, it goes horribly wrong. An assignation with a young man who appears to want Severn for himself and not for his title is hugely tempting, and it’s only when he wakes up the next morning to discover that he’s been robbed of absolutely everything, including the Severn Ring, that he realises he was duped.

More than slightly panicked about the loss of such an important family heirloom, Severn comes up with a story about an evening of wine, women and song to account for the loss and insists he will find the ring and ensure its return. His uncle sputters with outrage while his cousin, Leo, is openly sceptical, quite rightly pointing out that as he’s never had to do anything for himself in his entire life, it’s no wonder the effort to look out for himself ended in disaster. “Good Lord, Sev, you’re held up by a scaffolding of service. No wonder you collapse without it.”

Bristling, Severn refutes his cousin’s assertion that he’d be helpless without the “glory of the Duke of Severn” to smooth his way and suggests a wager. He will fend for himself “without all the advantages of Severn” for a month, at the end of which Leo will tender his apology for doubting him; and if he fails, Severn will make a present of his matched greys, animals he bought as foals, trained himself and which are very important to him. It’s possibly the only thing Leo could have asked for that would make him think twice, but Severn needs that time to go out into the world and get the ring back without anyone looking over his shoulder.

So he sets out for Cheltenham, hoping to pick up the trail of his thieving bed partner. After an unpleasant journey on the stage and an equally unpleasant meal and night at an inn, he starts asking around, becoming more despondent as the day wears on when it becomes apparent to him that he’s looking for a needle in a haystack. At his last inn of the day, he meets a young man whose handsome face seems familiar; although the man’s somewhat shabby attire marks him as down-on-his-luck.

Daizell (rhymes with “hazel”) Charnage has lived all his adult life on the very fringes of society thanks to a combination of his own reckless exploits and a notorious family scandal that has ruined him both financially and socially. He’s a professional hanger-on – a kind of nineteenth century couch-surfer – and is well aware that he’s beginning to run out of friends who are prepared to host him in exchange for his good-natured, easy-going ways and entertainment value. He’s surprised when a slight and somewhat nondescript gentleman introduces himself as Mr. Cassian and seems to know who he is – or at least, knows his reputation (maybe not so surprising) – and even moreso when Cassian asks for his help retrieving a stolen item and offers him a large sum of money for doing so. Daizell can’t think of any reason to turn him down.

The story that follows is an entertaining road trip in which nothing goes smoothly, Cassian discovers himself to be far more resourceful than he’d ever thought he could be and Daizell realises it’s time to stop drifting and find some direction and purpose in life. And between dealing with coach accidents, foiling kidnappers and helping runaway heiresses, Cassian and Daizell, two men who are desperately lonely despite often being surrounded by people, find the time to fall deeply in love.

The Duke at Hazard is definitely one of KJ Charles’ gentler books, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a great deal of fun to be had, whether it’s a chuckle at the rather hapless Cassian realising that his clothes don’t miraculously fold themselves away or at the way he and Daizell work together to bring down the bad guys. I imagine writing a super-wealthy and privileged character and making him sympathetic can be difficult (and in KJ Charles’ books, the aristos are usually the villains!), but she does a great job here of showing Cassian as a complex individual, someone whose privilege is something of a double-edged sword. He may have been protected from the world’s hardships and been brought up by family who love him, but he’s nonetheless isolated by his position (nobody has called him by any name other than his title since he was six) and is struggling to carve an identity beyond his title and obligations. Cassian is short, slight and not especially preposessing; his title is lofty, but he isn’t, and it’s easy to understand why he’s begun to feel so suffocated by it and longs to get away from it and all its trappings. His character growth in the story is spectacular, as he discovers a resourcefulness he never knew he had and learns how to wield his ducal power and influence to make things better for others – and for himself in the long run.

Daizell’s story is heartbreaking. For seven years he’s lived as an outcast after his parents caused a massive scandal, fled the country, and left him behind with nothing. The rumours and gossip that continue to dog him have ensured he ‘knows his place’, and life has done such a good job of beating him down that regaining his footing in society as a gentleman seems impossible. Their romance is sweet and lovely and utterly charming as the pair fall into an easy friendship with a simmering undercurrent of attraction that blossoms into more as the days and weeks pass, each giving the other something they’ve badly needed. Daizell sees Cassian as a man, not a title and clearly likes him for himself, while Cassian’s company, friendship, and his unwavering confidence in Daizell and his ability to come up with plans and schemes at last have Daizell realising that it’s time to stop letting life happen to him and face up to the fact that if he doesn’t bring some sort of order to it, then nobody else will.

It’s easy to see the crisis moment coming a mile off, but the important – and illuminating – thing is how the characters respond to it, and KJ Charles is a master at making her characters work for their eventual forgiveness and HEA. We know and understand Cassian’s reasons for not telling Daizell who he really is, but that doesn’t make it any less devastating when Daizell discovers that the man he’s fallen in love with has been lying by omission the whole time they’ve been together, and his hurt and sense of betrayal are palpable.

The sub-plot, wherein Daizell, Cassian, and some familiar faces team up to expose the villain of the piece is tense and brilliant, and I loved watching Cassian working out how to balance the two sides of him – the man and the duke – to create the best version of himself. The Duke at Hazard is another wonderfully engaging read from KJ Charles and earns a strong recommendation.

Note: While The Duke at Hazard is billed as book two in the Gentleman of Uncertain Fortune series, it’s essentially a standalone, so you don’t need to have read The Gentle Art of Fortune Hunting to be able to understand and enjoy it.