A Duke Is But A Dream by Anna Bennett is a fast-paced, fun historical romance. Ms. Bennett has provided readers with a well-written book loaded with a stellar cast of characters. Lilly writes The Debutante's Revenge column in secret with her sister and their friend. After a bash on the head and a rescue by Nash, Lilly loses her memory. Nash and Lilly's story is packed with drama, humor, action, spice and suspense. I enjoyed every page of this book and look forward to reading more from Anna Bennett in the future. The Duke Is But a Dream is book 2 of the Debutante Diaries but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a well written story and charming but not very in keeping with the times.

I felt he was a dreadful hypocrite. He was all about his sister’s reputation and worried about chaperones etc but in a day or so of meeting a young woman who was very vulnerable he is making moves on her. That kind of gave me the creeps. And it didn’t ring true at all.

But there’s a bit to like in the story and the debutantes column is good. The female leads are all good, so good fodder for new books.

There’s some kind of weird repetition of the text for two chapters, which must be an editing error.

actually enjoyed this book more than I thought I would.
Yes, it was predictable but in the very best way. The villain was clear from the outset and, although there was mention of previous heroines, it didn't matter that I hadn't read the previous books in the series.
I did call the majority of the "big reveals" before they happened but it didn't take away my enjoyment and I still couldn't put it down.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Duke Is But A Dream was a delightful, quick read. No surprises here though. Predictable but still enjoyable. It’s a light, fun read that could use some surprises and excitement, but still enjoyable for a lazy afternoon's entertainment.

Cheesy.


Lily is a young heiress who writes a scandalous column for the paper - <I> The Debutante’s Revenge </I>.

When her parents go out of town and think she’s staying with her sister, and her sister goes out of town and thinks she’s at home with her parents, Lily gets free reign of town. So she dresses up like a boy and goes to a tavern to see how the other half lives.

When she gets robbed, Nash the duke who was broodily having a pint in the tavern comes to her defense. She gets knocked out in the fight, where Nash discovers that Lily is a girl. He takes her back to his place and when Lily comes to, she has no memory of who she is.


There’s a lot of suspending disbelief in this novel. I think my biggest one was that is not how a duke would behave. I mean, they are all about proprietary and he takes a girl he met dressed up like a boy to meet his sister? If his being a duke had any relevance to the story, fine. But the only purpose it served was to give the title alliteration. If Nash has been a nice guy who wasn’t titled, this would have been a sweet story.

There’s also a lot of modern sensibilities that wouldn’t be accepted. The heroine is unchaperoned for over a week in London, dresses up like a guy without a care for her reputation. She’s also an adopted heiress - unknown parentage was a big big deal back in those days.

I picked up the story because of the amnesia plot line, and that wasn’t too bad. The writing was very good and there weren’t any glaring grammatical errors.

I’d recommend borrowing before buying.

Beautiful cover, fun concept to the story. I like the heroine dressing up like a boy, and writing a column for paper/gossip sheet. I lived that the hero just made you want to hug him. Hoping for a story about Deliha.

The Duke is But a Dream is a charming Regency era story. Lily writes an advice column for young girls. She writes it secretly, of course, and delivers it dressed as a boy. One day, there is an incident, and a handsome Duke, Nash, discovers that Lily is not a boy. Unfortunately, Lily has amnesia at this point. She doesn't remember the advice column. This story has some humor, some romance, and it's a fun read. The characters have good interactions, and you'll want things to work out for them. Everything you would expect in a good historical romance is here. Overall, this is a satisfying read. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The idea of this story is one that I love - proper sucker for an amnesia storyline! However, I feel it could have been so much better than it was.
I wasn't overly attached to either main character and felt that the supposed revelations of the story fell a bit flat.
It wasn't bad enough to put me off this author however, as I have enjoyed several of her books previously, this just wasn't what I expected from this book.
Read this author but if you haven't read her before then I recommend beginning with a different book.
I am quite intrigued to find out more about Delilah, though, and would like to see her get her own story in the future.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

This one started out pretty steamy but it petered out pretty fast, and I struggled to stay engaged. Just ok

Such a sweet sorry between Lily and Nash. I loved the supporting characters too. Delilah was so sweet I hope we’ll have a book for her.

Miss Lily Hartley and her sister are secretly behind a wildly popular advice column, To not be found out, Lily delivers the articles while wearing a disguise of a young man. One evening after delivering her column, she steps into a tavern where
Eric Nash, the Duke of Stonebridge, happens to be be in. After a brawl breaks out, he discovers the young man is a stunning woman. He takes her home to get her medical help and soon learns she has a case on amnesia. The pair quickly grow close but will her discovery of who she really is drive the Duke away?
This was a good story but not my favorite in the series, mainly due to the abrupt transitions that were confusing.

Lily Hartley, her sister Fiona and their best friend Sophie write a column named the 'Debutante's Revenge', favored by young ladies, frowned upon by older family members.
Delivering her column to the paper in disguise, she stops in a disreputable pub on a lark, and ends up losing her memory, when she is injured as collateral damage in a bar fight. Eric Nash, the Duke of Stonebridge, is her rescuer and he feels guilty that she was hurt.
She has no memory of who she is or why she was there. He takes her home and along with his sister, Delilah cares for her until she's better.
Nash has difficulty keeping his lips and hands off her as she tries to recover her memory.
They agree and disagree on many things as they grow closer and closer. She comes to Nash's and Delilah's aid as much as they came to hers.
Her column created a rift between Nash and Delilah, and then bought them back together.
Ms. Bennett's tale is of heartbreak, familial love and true love, and love that conquers all.
I requested and received a NetGalley Arc to peruse and loved every word. I recommend to to all lovers of romance.

A great book with humor and romance. I laughed out loud at some parts, fell in love with the characters and read this in one sitting. The descriptive writing had me feeling like I was part of the story and made it extra enjoyable.

Will Lily find her happily ever after? Can the Duke let her go when the time comes? Fantastic storyline, excellent writing and best of all, this can be read as a standalone. Even though it’s book 2 the series, I did not read book one. Great epilogue too.

A fantastic read!

This was a fun read although it missed that special umph I find the really great historical romances have. The villain was only slightly evil, I truly was hoping for something more from him, such as threatening someone's life. We were left with a few questions. Such as, how old were the characters, why was a matron of society not helping to launch the dukes sister into society, and why would the duke who hates emotion fall so quickly for,someone without a truly big fight. More than anything I found the duke to be a bit over the top gushy. He said all those things women dream about, but that are wholly unrealistic. To be honest it made him a bit too fantasy for my taste. I think with a bit more work this book could be great it just needs to define the plot a bit and add some grit to the men of the story.

Lily is the secret author of the The Debutante's Revenge, a thrilling advice column for young ladies on the marriage mart. While after delivering the column to the publisher, dressed as a chimney sweep, she inadvertently gets mixed up in a tavern brawl. A man comes to her rescue not knowing he's helping a woman. After she gets knocked unconscious, the man, who happens to be Eric Nash, the Duke of Stonebridge, feels responsible for her and takes her back to his home to heal. Unfortunately, when she wakes, she can't remember who she is.
While trying to help her regain her memory and find her family, Nash can't help but feel drawn to her. She is instantly drawn to him as well. Will they fall in love? Will she remember who she is? Will they find her family? Will they be able to continue their relationship after the truth comes out?

I enjoyed this book so much. I absolutely loved Lily's character, Nash's sister and the Duke himself. I don't usually like memory loss stories but this one worked for me. It was wonderful to watch them all grow and become their true selves.

*I received an advance readers copy from NetGalley for an honest review.*
Will post to Goodreads closer to release date.

I zipped through this in no time! it was adorable and delightful! I'm not sure it would appeal to strict Regency fans, as the main characters are a great deal more modern than , but I don't mind, so I absolutely loved it.

This is my first Anna Bennett book...but not my last. Her characters are wonderful. Lily is a modern day young woman, determined to help out the rest of the young debutanets in England by writing a column in the newspaper. The Duke is a sad man, who has lost his father and sister and blames himself. Nash saves Lily one night but doesn't know who she really is... because Lily has amnesia! Their story is filled with smiles, laughter and sadness too. The Duke - Nash - is so troubled by the events of his life that he doesn't think he can love. Lily can't live without his love. Read this adventure!

I started reading this book on a business trip and was unsure of how the story was going to progress as Anna Bennett is a new author and I've had some new author's novels go awry. I was surprising wrong with this one and thought the story was very quite nice and good in parts.

Caroline is hit in the head and has amnesia. She eventually has an affair with the Duke of Nash, who appears to be a very nice person and a very protective person. The story has its emotional twists, turns and unexpect events. There were at times some lull moments for me in the story but the plot did not deter from my interest in continuing to read to the end.

For historical romances, I am big on attraction and intimacy...at least a moderate portion of it in the story and Ms. Bennett fulfilled that aspect with the sexy love scenes between the characters. I look forward to other reads by this author and would love to listen to the story via audiobook depending on narrator.

ARC provided by NetGalley and St. Martins Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

You have to wonder with a title like this if the book is but a dream, or not. Shall we find out?
Lily Hartley a young women writing an advice column, "The Debutante's Revenge" for the newspaper the "London Heresay." She remains anonymous and gives advice to those who are seeking marriage and while doing so has set London ablaze with her column. Not wanting to be found out, she goes about in many disguises, until one day in a London pub she is in the midst of a brawl disguised as a boy. Unfortunately, with a nasty bump on her head, she now suffers from amnesia. Who is she, what is she doing there, and more to the point, who is this dashing, handsome man who came to her rescue? He is the Duke of Stonebridge, Eric Nash who suffers from his own emotional past. But he has no idea who the woman under this disguise is...well she can't tell him, she doesn't know who she is either. Furthermore, does Lily listen to her own advice as written in the column, or does she ignore all that and strike out on her own? And so, the story begins.

Therefore, to answer the question above, this book was a dream, an escape from the realities in which we now live. Filled with adventure, excitement and well written prose, this novel is quite enjoyable. A Regency romance for fans of this genre, and those, like myself, who have tipped their toes into the water, so to speak. I am sure there will be those who will be naysayers, that this isn't truly what Regency stories are meant to be. However, this is a work of fiction and should be taken as such, it is an escape where one can enjoy something "dreamy," from another time, a world long ago gone.

I received this ARC from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and read it in about two nights, really couldn't put it down. It's the kind of book you can't wait to read the ending while all the time you don't really want the book to end. Nash is a Duke, he's handsome, rich and sexy. Lily arrives in his life and all hell breaks loose for him. She makes him face the heartbreak of losing his twin sister and his dad, and makes him be less controlling of his younger sister. When Nash rescues Lily and the two got together it was explosive and so much heat it just jumps off the pages, Not sure if I ever read anything by this author but I'll be sure to look up her other books. The ending was wonderful as I knew it would be, but most of all I found this book very romantic and that's not always the case. I recommend this book highly.