Unfortunately, this novel fell short for me. I never really felt the connection between the hero and heroine as the story progressed. The writing was a little flat, and I wish there had been more danger or excitement.

Great, heart-warming characters. Very interesting plot. Vivid descriptions. I felt every emotion. Just enough romance. Kept me intrigued from the first page to the last. Simply a GREAT read!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

This is probably the longest beginning to a romance novel I’ve ever read (haha!). Seriously, I thought this book was just going to be one long conversation. That aside the book was pretty good. I hadn’t read the other book in the series which didn’t make a difference but I’ll be going back to read them later. I liked Rath but Marlena was the real draw. She’s a very likable female MC if a little quirky. But let’s be real, the reason this book is getting 4 stars is Tut and if I don’t get a Tut spinoff I will be extremely upset.

Perfect historical romance. Low drama, high steam and well written characters. Easy plotline to help keep those pages turning.

Marlena was lovable! A very memorable character, a bit rough about the edges but very well done. The romance itself was believable. The duke was well redeemed which is hard to imagine considering he was a bit of an antagonist previously but the redemption arc was written perfectly, not overblown. A great end to the series!

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE DUKE - Amelia Grey

#3 in The Rakes of St. James Regency romance series

NICE! - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - To make amends (in his own mind) for the wager that caused so many problems in his past, Rath agrees to become the ward for a young lady. However, he finds himself attracted to her wit and charm and wants to make her his own. Surprise, surprise, his ward turns out to be the writer of those articles (not that he knows it yet).

Writing - 4 stars - As with the previous books in this series, I was immediately caught up in the story. It felt comfortable to revisit with the other dukes and their wives and to spend time to get to know Rath better.

Characters - 4 stars - Rath has always been the wildest of the trio and is the last bachelor. He's always been a responsible duke, but his personal escapades have built his reputation as a rake. But he's attractive, very charming, and such a warm and loving character. Marlena, on the other hand, is gutsy and outspoken, at least with the duke. Having grown up with 5 older male cousins, she's able to hold her own. But she also loves when people need her, so she's created a relationship with the two very needy sisters next door. I found her appealing but also sometimes frustrating. She's beginning to discover that her deception is starting to become a problem, and I enjoyed watching her trying to find a solution.

Title - 4 stars - Well, he certainly thinks that it's all about him. And the scandal sheet is all about him, which means that Marlena is always thinking about him.

Cover - 4 stars - Attractive cover--that dress! The colors are beautiful and very eye-catching.

Overall - 4 stars - OK, so it's your typical Regency romance. But I enjoyed it immensely and liked watching the inevitable crash and burn of Marlena's scandal sheet, followed by the solidifying of her and the duke's relationship. It's always interesting to see the intricacies of the interactions of that time period, and this book was well written and enjoyable.

I had received It’s All About The Duke as an ARC to review from St. Martin’s Press prior to its publication in 2018. I did not get the opportunity to read it at that time due to other commitments. Flash forward to 2021 when I’m working on catching up on my Netgalley backlog and I finally read this regency romance by author Amelia Grey.

When I accepted It’s All About The Duke for review, I had thought I had read the other two books in The Rakes Of St. James trilogy but, it turns out I had not. Opps! That being said, it was not difficult to understand the premise of this book, and how the characters from the previous two were connected. I think all of three of them could be read as stand-alones if given the opportunity. Especially if you are familiar with the way Amelia Grey writes as I am from previous reads (Wedding Night With The Duke and The Duke and Miss Christmas).

The basic premise of It’s All About The Duke is the idea that The Duke of Rathburn “Rath” has become the guardian to young orphan Marlena Fast and is determined to be a proper man and find her a husband. He is hopeful that doing this will atone for his previous roguish behaviors; including the time that he and two of his best friends caused scandal to multiple young women during their attempt to find husband. He and his friends received no discipline for their actions; and because of this for the past three years Marlena has secretly been writing a daily scandal sheet about the Rakes of St. James, including Rath.

From the beginning, the two characters are quick to spar words, flirt in close proximity and fight a growing attraction to each other. They had had a previous innocent encounter when she was a mere child but, the woman who he meets as her guardian is no longer such a child; and she is no longer sure what to think of the duke she swore was just a rake. I enjoyed the chemistry between Rath and Marlena throughout It’s All About The Duke but, I did feel like things could get a bit wordy at times. This caused me to want to skim the text more than actually absorb and read it. There was also the under lying secret of Marlena’s other identity which was comical at times how she desperately tried to hide it from him. By the end, everything was wrapped up very nicely, and I found myself enjoying the interactions with the other characters, and the possibility of a future for the Duke and Mrs. Rath.

This was a very easy story. Nothing too splashy or intense. While I often enjoy my romance books with a bit more spark, I did enjoy Rath and Marlena’s story.

Marlena just recently became the Duke of Rathburne’s ward. What Rathburne, Rath, is not aware is that years before he and his group of friends, rakes just like him, delighted in sending letters to debutantes. Asking them to secretly meet, leaking this information and ruining the season for them. These debutantes happened to be Marlena’s friends.

She decides to take matter into her hands, writing a gossip column about these rakes. One of them happen to be Rath. As their attraction develops and they get to know each other more she is left with this secret, of being the gossip columnists that has written all these things about him that she knows he will not be happy about.

This was a pretty steady story. As I mentioned before, no splash or intensity. There was some pretty good banter between Marlena and Rath that was enjoyable. I just wished there was a bit more of a stronger chemistry with our hero and heroine.

In all it was a good story to pick up on a lazy afternoon.

This book was so entertaining. I was drawn into the story from the beginning and was involved until the end. The characters were complex and interesting. I found the story to be well paced and engrossing throughout the whole book. I was invested in the couple throughout the book and felt all the emotions through both the highs and lows of the story.The side characters were such an integral part of this story as well. This is the love story i needed to read at this time. If you want an entertaining and well written book this is it for you

Rath and Marlena had a slow burn but sweet and passionate romance. I enjoyed the moments they were together on the page so much that I read their story in one sitting. You could feel the chemistry and anticipate them falling head over heels in love. I would recommend this book and series.

Duke of Rathburne become guardian to Miss Marlena Fast in order to assuage his guilt over past misdemeanours. When he visits he is stunned to find her much different from the tomboy he remembered from the past. He is instantly drawn to her but finds it strange that her friends appear scared of him or his reputation. Marlena finds herself attracted to the Duke despite despising the effects of his thoughtless actions on her friends’ lives. Tortuous plot where the protagonists dance around each other trying to avoid revealing too much. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The third book in the series. It has a lot of narrative and the story moves slowly.
Duke of Rathburne takes up a ward on his father's friend's request and Marlena Fast has some secrets to keep.

I enjoyed everything up until the ending. Maybe it's just personal preference, but I don't need grovelling or apologies, but I do need to see more from the characters after the ending conflict is resolved. Rath didn't go behind Marlena's back, her friends came to him, but it felt like everything just happened, and it happened too quickly, which was disappointing because of how much I enjoyed the rest of the book.

Full review posted at Reader's Edyn on 020820

Marlena Fast is in a pickle – living with freedoms afforded by a bedridden guardian, she has become accustomed to the independence given while she waits for a season within the ton which should have occurred a few years back. Thrusting her deeper into said pickle is the shocking revelation that her guardianship has been transferred to the Duke of Rathburne – notorious Rake of St. James and current hot topic in the weekly scandal sheets. The more time she spends with Rath, the more she grasps how rakish he can be, but that he truly is an attentive, thoughtful man; not to mention stimulating to the point of distraction. When she falls for him, her gut wrenches knowing she can never have him. Marlena has a secret she can never allow Rath to know because there is no telling what type of retribution he will seek against the one who revived the folly of his youth, breathing life into the scandal sheets each week, possibly exposing innocents to compromising situations in her zeal. Marlena is Miss Honora Truth.

The Duke of Rathburne – Rath – cannot believe what kind of situation he’s gotten himself into following a long night with a bottle of brandy. Now stuck with a ward of his own, he sets out to do his father proud, trying to behave responsibly for once in his life. That description may be a bit harsh, but he is seeking penance for the bet he put his friends up to many years ago and what better way than to suffer the gossips right along with his two best friends as they did when their sisters debuted in Society. What he didn’t count on was the ragamuffin he remembers from several years ago captivating his so thoroughly. He absolutely cannot seduce his ward, but damn if she doesn’t consume his every thought. That settled, he will have her. But the truth she has been protecting and the reason for all of the oddities that seem to surround her might be more than their delicate relationship can rally back from. But like the other Rakes of St, James, Rath isn’t accustomed to losing and despite his startling discovery, he isn’t about the begin now – not with so much on the line. He’s just got to figure out how to tie up all of the loose ends of the tangled web he’s caught up in.

I am beyond pleased to announce that I consider this book the best of the series. If you read my previous reviews for the preceding books in the series, I was a bit worried because they were so much alike that the books came across as a retelling of nearly the same story. While I still enjoyed them quite a lot, I was less than ecstatic at their similarities. The Rakes of St. James still captivated me and while I was a bit let down with the 2nd book, I was still hoping that Rath’s book was quite the thing. He was, after all, the rake I was most looking forward to finding his own HEA. Thankfully, this final book in the trilogy met my expectations. I would have been heartbroken to have said otherwise. However, I am once again mystified as to what Rath's name is. Who was he prior to inheriting his title?

What a clever spin to give Rath a ward to be responsible for since he was the only of the Rakes who did not have a sister that could have been adversely affected by the gossip rags. And not just any ward – the very woman who started the scandal sheet to begin with. Talk about overcoming obstacles – however, I would have argued (and was surprised it wasn’t mentioned) that had Marlena not begun such a potentially ruinous tale, not one of the Dukes would have met their HEAs. While the personalities of Marlena and Rath follow suit to the other MCs in the earlier books, there was the added strife of Marlena carefully guarding her secret identity; Marlena coming to grips with the fact that not one of the Dukes was the cad she had written them to be; and Rath with his keen senses, knowing it was just a scant amount of time before he caught on to the ruse – his well-developed ability to discern having been eluded to in the previous installments. I would go so far as to say that he, if it ever came to it, would easily win as the most rakish of the three Dukes – quite clever was he in obtaining what he was after in several instances. And we find that Marlena – or Miss Truth – has just published a book of how to avoid such outrageous gentlemen as a companion of sorts to her weekly scandal sheet. Of course, as per the theme of this series, we are treated to several of Miss Truth’s tips for avoiding said rogues at the beginning of each chapter.

The introduction of several new characters also helped garner my attention; Ms. Grey going all out and throwing in several irons in the fire with the numerous subplots occurring. For those of you who have read the first two portions of the trilogy and may have been somewhat concerned as I was at their glaring likenesses, no need to worry over this final segment. I am beyond pleased that I did not give in and abandon the series. Despite the slight let down with the middle book, I feel my time with this series was well spent. Having ended the series on such a high note, I plan to seek out further work by Ms. Grey to check for compatibility. I am hopeful. Overall, these books are enjoyable HR stories, each with a beautiful HEA. They should be read in order, but I did not find it absolutely necessary to do so. And at the heart of each book is a dashing rake that needs to be challenged in order to find love – which is what I truly crave within my reads. That said, this trilogy, and most especially this book itself, delivers fully.

Kindle ARC version provided by publisher/St. Martin’s in exchange for an honest review.

In Rathburne and Marlena's story, Amelia Grey brings the life the seductions and the woe's of each of the main characters. I enjoyed this book immensely and will love to continue reading more from this author.

I found this story witty and fun. On the other hand, it was a bit slow-paced. It's great if you want a light read. I had no problems reading as a stand-alone.

Slightly spoilerish.

So, the last of the unmarried Rakes of St. James, the Duke of Rathbourne (Rath) drunkenly agrees to be the guardian to a young lady. He apparently is part of a group of young men who had decided to play a nasty trick on a bunch of young ladies by convincing them they had a secret admirer and then seeing who could get the most ladies to try and meet said secret admirer. But, we are supposed to believe that he is a rake, and a gentleman, and that he feels badly about it, and that is somehow supposed to redeem him.

His ward, is a young lady named Marlena Fast. Marlena has been writing gossip comlumns about him, sight unseen, and based completely on heresay (which, I guess is what gossip essentially is). She continues doing so after she meets him, and we are supposed to think this is ok, because she is using the money to help a friend out.

So, we are starting out with an unlikable hero and heroine. The author tells us a whole lot there there is chemistry between them. He is trying to be e gentleman, but can't keep his hands off of her, etc. For me, the straw that broke the camel's back was then he got everyone out of the house, kissed her passionately, then stated he couldn't take her because she is ward and he is a gentleman, and then allowed her to put the moves on and it took about 3 seconds for his restraint to fly out the window.

Seriously? I have had a really hard time reading this one, and I don't think I will finish it. The characters are not likable or intelligent, the story plods along, and it is just so contrived. I have read other books by this author before and enjoyed them, but not this one. I rally tried but its thumbs down for me.

I received an ARC of this book, but all opinions are my own.

Loved, loved it!!! Swoon worthy protagonist and fast paced plot!!! I thoroughly enjoyed it!!! I recommend it.

I’ve just finished “It’s All About The Duke” by Amelia Grey, a regency romance, and I really enjoyed it! Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read it! Sorry it’s taken me sooooo long to do it. March is my mARCh month so I’m trying to get through as many of the old ARCS that I have. Wish me luck!

4.5 Stars!

“It’s All About The Duke” is about a young girl, Marlena, who is at the age where girls go to dances and become engaged to be married. Marlena, however feels she has responsibilities to her friends and loved ones and so isn’t at all worried about settling down or falling in love. Also, Marlena has a secret that she’s keen to hide from everyone except her best friends. When she meets Rath, the Duke of Rathburne, her new guardian as her old one is ill however, what will she think? She especially wants to keep her secret hidden from the Duke!

I read “It’s All About The Duke” for a few readathons again. They were:

Reading Rivalry - Book with the Main Character on the Cover - Marlena and Duke Rathburne are clearly on the cover on Goodreads.
Popsugar Reading Challenge 2019 - “A book you meant to read in 2018.” It was a 2018 arc that I never got around to in 2018, so it counts!
Fiction Feud Society - for the game of CLUE - as a part of TEAM A (The Library Lurkers)- Mr Green - A book with green on the cover - Marlena’s dress and the title are green - 5 Points!
Litwits - Green Cover - 50% or over of the cover has to be in Green - the title, the authors name, Marlena’s dress and the series title are all green so I think this counts. Also part of the staircase behind Marlena and the Duke is green.
Literary Love Affair - A book with a green cover - most of the cover is green, as I said above!

There are a couple of light sexy scenes in “It’s All About The Duke” so I recommend no one below age 16 reads this.

Spoilers Below

“For some, companionship and gratification were reward enough to keep them sated if not content. And that’s the way Rath wanted it, to.”

This is the romance that “It’s All About The Duke” is based on. Without this romance there wouldn’t be a story, so keep that in mind if you don’t like romance. There are a few other storylines but they’re so minor that they might as well not be there in comparison to the romance.

“She reached for the books already in his hands, and her fingers covered his. A wave of something delicious washed over her. Their eyes met. Her heartbeat surged.”

This is the moment I believe where Marlena falls in love with the Duke. It happens quite early on in the novel but I wouldn’t class it quite as instalove because they’ve known each other for a while before this novel takes place, I believe. I enjoyed the authors writing style in all aspects of “It’s All About The Duke” but especially the romance scenes and anything pertaining to the love story. I thought she accounted the feeling of falling in love well.

As for side characters in “It’s All About The Duke,” Marlena has a cousin, Justine who is annoying beyond anything else. She’s clearly meant to be annoying, though so don’t let that detract you from reading “It’s All About The Duke.” She’s even quite funny in what she says, sometimes. She is just always onto Marlena about finding a man, but that’s not the most exasperating thing about her. That is that Justine actively tries to steal the Duke Of Rathburne from Marlena!

“She had no connections to high society and Justine’s were limited, even though her cousin liked to think otherwise.”

This tells us that Marlena has no links to High Society herself and that even though Justine thinks she does, she doesn’t have many either. Justine, in other words thinks she’s better than she actually is. She therefore thinks that the Duke Of Rathburne is the one for her when he clearly doesn’t want her. He wants her cousin instead. Other side characters, like Eugenia, Marlena’s confidante, for example are present but on a very small scale. Eugenia has a few funny moments in the book, as well as Justine. One of those being how she always seems to faint whenever in the presence of the Duke of Rathburne. She obviously doesn’t know him like Marlena learns to over the space of the book. It would have been nice if Eugenia got her own novel but as this is the last in The Rakes Of St James trilogy that’s unlikely to happen, and the slight romance that she does have is within this book, anyway. It just would have been nice to have her romance as the main plot to a book. Two other side characters are the Ladies that help Marlena become the woman she becomes by the end of the novel. Lady Vera takes her to dances and insists that she meets other men, as her sister does, until she works out she’s only interested in one man!

“He could be a rake if he promises to call on you but never does.”

The most surprising thing about “It’s All About The Duke” for me, was that Marlena writes an anonymous advice column called “Miss Honora Truth’s Words of Wisdom and Warning About Rakes, Scoundrels, Rogues, and Libertines.” At the beginning of each chapter there is a line or two from the gossip sheets that she writes (see example above). A rake is “a fashionable or wealthy man of dissolute or promiscuous habits: a merry Restoration rake,” according to the dictionary, meaning that Marlena sees men that have money and wanton or immoral habits as rakes. Marlena just provides others with a look into society as she sees it. It’s like a blog if you like, in today’s culture and is anonymous, as I said.

Marlena is very independent and new age for this time period.

“Desperate?” The word came out almost as an oath. She was infuriated...I may have lost my parents when I was a babe but I have never been desperate,”

shows just how self-governing Marlena is and how she doesn’t feel the need to rely on anyone but herself. This is refreshing for the time period. We see many girls trying to be independent I feel in historical literature but Marlena seems to outrank most for actually becoming independent.

As the gossip sheets are anonymous, Marlena doesn’t have to be worried about being found out. Or does she? Does she tell Rath, the Rake who becomes the love of her life throughout the novel her secret? She writes about friends of his in her gossip sheets so if she does tell him is he angry about it? Does Rath reciprocate her feelings also? You’ll have to read to find out!

I really enjoyed “It’s All About The Duke” so I’m giving the novel 4 Stars, overall. It was a quick read that I wish had been slightly longer. It felt that we’d only just touched the surface of some of the elements. The relationship was really the only thing expanded on in the book, as it was. I was fine with this because I love romance so much but I wish even that had gone slightly deeper. The comic parts made up for the lack of other plot elements that were missing for me but for others I don’t know if this would make up enough of a story for them. The other elements I don’t believe were expanded upon enough to be mentioned in this review. I’d just be writing them and giving no explanation as to why I was writing them so that’s why they’re not mentioned. If I had read books 1 and 2 to this trilogy first I might have more of an understanding about the other points that I haven’t written about above but I’ve had this arc for ages so as I thought that each book focused on a separate couple, it would be okay to go into blind. It was fine in terms of the relationship, as I’ve stated above. It was just other little things that might have made a little more sense had I read the other novels first. I’ll read them at some point, I expect because the author can clearly write romance well.

Review of “It’s All About The Duke” by Amelia Grey

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars 🌟🌟🌟

I was excited to start this book when I received it as an ARC, as it revolves around a trope I like - that of a guardian and ward, on the basis that the age difference will not be too far apart.

Unfortunately, this book just could not hold my interest. I struggled to finish it, and in order to give a proper review, I felt I ought to, rather than genuinely wanting to finish it.

The h and H - Marlena and Rath - have nothing singularly “wrong” with them. I feel rather weird in saying this, but overall the book was full of characters who were “pleasant”... “amiable”? They did not bring forth any strong feelings or emotions within me - something I am starting to expect more and more from the romance novels I read and end up loving. Nothing satisfies my soul more than angst it seems.

Along with the characters, the plot itself was also once again alright but not gripping enough for me.

I do not want to go too far in depth into scrutinising all that worked or didn’t work for me for this book, because a lot of reviewers loved the story.

I genuinely feel that as a reader if you’re looking for a pleasant enough romance to idle an afternoon or two away, this book should fit your bill nicely enough.

All my reviews can be found on my blog:
https://simzcity.wordpress.com