The Duke at Hazard

Gentlemen of Uncertain Fortune, Book 2

By: KJ Charles

Narrated by: Cornell Collins

"The Duke at Hazard is my dream historical romance: emotional and intimate, but also full of wit, humor, and a lovable cast of supporting characters. The setting feels so vivid and alive, and every single interaction between the two heroes is pitch perfect. I loved every word of this book' Martha Waters

The Duke of Severn is one of the greatest men in Britain.

He's also short, quiet, and unimpressive. And now he's been robbed, after indulging in one rash night with a strange man who stole the heirloom Severn ring from his finger. The Duke has to get it back, and he can't let anyone know how he lost it. So when his cousin bets that he couldn't survive without his privilege and title, the Duke grasps the opportunity to hunt down his ring-incognito.


Life as an ordinary person is terrifying... until the anonymous Duke meets Daizell Charnage, a disgraced gentleman, and hires him to help. Racing across the country in search of the thief, the Duke and Daizell fall into scrapes, into trouble-and in love.

Daizell has been excluded from polite society, his name tainted by his father's crimes and his own misbehaviour. Now he dares to dream of a life somewhere out of sight with the quiet gentleman who's stolen his heart. He doesn't know that his lover is a hugely rich public figure with half a dozen titles. And when he finds out, it will risk everything they have...

Don't miss the second thrilling standalone Regency romance in the Gentlemen of Uncertain Fortune series by KJ Charles...©2024 KJ Charles (P)2024 Orion Publishing Group Limited

Sweet, Fun, Satisfying

Love love love this one!! Both characters were well developed and the story kept me interested through to the happy end. Another win from KJ Charles - will be listening to this one time and again - instant classic - no edits ♥️

Great tension and plot

I really enjoyed the tension between the two men, and I loved the cast of supporting characters and the plot.

Total perfection!

The combo of KJ Charles’ writing and Cornell Collins’ narration is a winner every time, I can’t get enough! Realistic, deep characters with fun interactions and believable feeling and affection between them.

Satisfying and sweet

Fewer bodies than most KJ Charles joints. A nice, subtle exploration of running from and learning to wield power. Feels like a warm bath, albeit with a rollicking conclusion. Maybe a new favorite.

KJ Charles -- it's a winner every damn time

I do wish more books were as wonderful as KJ Charles' love stories. Charming, healing, and frankly transformative. Also stressfully hottt. Thank you for your service to humanity <3

Trust this author. Have reread/listened several times.

Very satisfying resolution. A grand explanation to Society for why Sev would give a worthless cad the time of day. Better than I could have guessed. Still beaming about it. Read it; if you like HEAs you won’t be sorry.

I’m a sucker for “I was losing myself and you helped me save my core” love interest dynamics and this is a prime example. I also love romances where the characters spend lots of time together. (I don’t much enjoy “apart & pining” or Big Misunderstanding plots.) I also enjoyed having a duke be A Duke, with no “oh I couldn’t possibly” or lack of entitlement, while still making a decent person of the entitled guy. We see him learn better how/when to throw his weight around.

(slightly spoilerish: I don’t usually love a breakup, but this has one that fits and is handled well, explained well, and not left to linger overlong. What a twist on the trope to get truth from an ex instead of malicious lies. /end spoiler)

Nice easter egg for anyone who enjoyed Hartleby’s story, but not necessary to know he’s good at cards to enjoy this tale. Also, the art of silhouette cutting is quite fascinating, I enjoyed seeing it featured and arced. (sidebar for hobbyists- For another bygone memorial hobby displaced by photography check out Leila’s Hair Museum.)

I had a bit of an issue expecting this to play out like a mystery, so I kept expecting more villains and some red herring villains that never materialized, which (a) wasn’t necessary & (b) made my brain antsy on the first read. I have just listened to it for a third time and found it just as enjoyable as before, if not more so, since I wasn’t confusing it with a mystery.

Steam: Med-low. Has some steamy scenes of varying detail throughout but the focus doesn’t revolve around that. Great consent, excepting the opening theft, especially for kink that might not seem, at first blush, to be ok in that regard. It’s very sweet, mostly.

Narration: worked well for me. I find Cornell Collins soothing. My particular copy did not have the production issues I saw mentioned in other reviews.

Another hit

Love KJ Charles. It was fun, sweet, suspenseful, and there were names dropped from other books in the same world which is always fun. I could only wish for an epilogue for full closure but that’s a preference. If totally comes to a natural and satisfying ending I just always want more.

A New Favorite!

A delightful romp from start to finish. Great characters, emotional depth, and top notch voice acting. I will be listening to this one again!

Another fabulous historical m/m romance by KJ Charles

Amazing writing. Steamy forbidden romance. Excellent plot which stands on its on— not as an after thought to pad the sexy romance. Plot and romance are perfectly balanced as always. KJCharles is unquestionably the very best contemporary author of gay historical romance.

Cozy romantic adventure

Peak KJ Charles. Perfect from start to finish. I love the characters and the exploration of vulnerability and trust. Cornell Collins is a great narrator and he brought the story to life. I'll definitely enjoy this one again.