Fun romance with loss of memory, duke and a mystery author telling tales. Love historical romances that dance with the limits of the times. Highly recommend this new to me author.

Thank you St Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

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.

Not having read this author before this was a adventure back in the day for sure. I have a feeling though I should of read the first one but alas this one still was good. A cunning deceit it is that is brought froth in this one. Lily captivates your attention to see where she will go with this. Eric Nash will soon have a surprise with us delighting in him from the get go. Lots of things go on in this one especially for this day and age. Lots of excitement to be had for reading this one with characters that give you a adventure.

It's not often that the heroine has amnesia because of injuries in a bar brawl, but that's what happens to Lily Hartley' in The Duke is But a Dream.
She, her sister and a friend write an anonymous column — the Debutante's Revenge — and has taken to wearing men's clothing as part of her disguise. Delivering the copy isn't enough, Lily has to investigate a tavern, savoring her freedom — which gives a lot of clues to her character. She is bold and curious and not comfortable in the confines to which females are limited. When she becomes injured, our hero takes her home — only to find out Lily doesn't remember who she is. Thrown together without the rules and facades of society, Lily and Eric Nash, the Duke of Stonebridge, see each other for who they are, not who they are pretending to be. What a recipe for love, complicated by Lily's anonymity — she could be anyone, even a married lady — Nash's protective attitude toward his sister and gruff exterior.
Author Anna Bennett has the knack of making her character come alive -- they are real people, with problems and challenges, with a HEA that does not always come easily. But, oh, the journey!
(I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley. Opinions are mine.)

I thought that this book was a good read but not without several annoyances and issues. My most important thought about this book was that I desperately wanted to rip these characters and the storyline out of what is alluded to being a regency historical setting and put them in a modern setting. I felt that this would have made a more realistic and enjoyable read. I found several threads in the storyline and the character's actions to be inaccurate of the era. I feel that the author was striving for light, fun and even madcap. Which would have been delightful. However, in my opinion the plan fell short and instead created an ill-fitting mashup that just tries too hard. I think that this is book could appeal more to someone that is not a huge historical romance fan and as such, is not overly familiar with the customs, moral codes and traditions that were observed at the time.

This book was just ok for me. I had a hard time getting into it because there was so many things that just didn't seem believable to me, especially for the time period it is supposed to be in. There were just a lot of inconsistencies to me. And that very well could be just little things being annoying to me, but when the heroine is doing things that normal women in a historical romance book struggle doing and it is way beyond the norm? Yeah, something just didn't add up to me. The writing itself is decent. I had no problems with the writing, just with the story and the way the main characters are written. Basically their actions don't seem to match up with the time period, or at least I don't think they do. I tried really hard to love this story because I do love a good historical, but there was just too many things that got on my nerves unfortunately.

I'm going to start with the positive. I really enjoyed Bennett's writing style. It was bright and fun and her characters really did seem to come alive. I loved Delilah and actually found myself wishing this was her story and not her brother Nash's. The pace was fast without feeling rushed and I flew through the book.



BUT, unfortunately, I had some issues which overshadowed many of the things I really loved about it. Where to start... I think really it's all wrapped up in one major issue. I just couldn't quite buy Lily's behavior. I get that this is fiction and that this is an amnesia plot with basically comes with a warning to suspend belief but I felt like my belief was so suspended it had gone on vacation. Lily felt like a modern character wedged into a historical setting and frankly I think I would have rolled my eyes even in a modern setting. As well, while I love the title Debutante's Revenge, the content seems unbelievable (especially since it was started by 3 unmarried ladies) and frankly a bit dangerous. I found myself so irritated at Lily that it overshadowed my enjoyment of the book itself.



This isn't the last I'll read of Bennett. Even my favorite authors have a book that just doesn't work for and I feel like I may have started on that book with Bennett. I'm looking forward to reading more from her but I think I'll skip the Debutante Diaries series.

What a quick read! This is the second book in the Debutante Diaries series, but can be read as a stand alone book. I loved the strength Lily (Caroline) has throughout the story, even when she has amnesia. Nash, the crotchety Duke doesn't want to love or even care about anyone except his sister Delilah, comes to care for Lily before he knows who she really is. Interesting twist with Lily's birth mother, can't wait to see if anything more comes from that in future books.

This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions are my own.

First of all I really loved this book. It wasn’t unusual in nature as I have read others that have the same type if scenario where one of the protagonists gets bumped in the head and has amnesia - not knowing who they are! Yes it is definitely a very effective storyline used in so many ways. But author, Anna Bennett, did a masterful job of keeping the story fresh, sensual and totally endearing.

Not only had Miss Lily Hartley lost her memory and didn’t remember that what she did on the side; being a published author of an advice column for debutantes that was quite scandalous; her reputation would be ruined.

Dressed as a lad her savior didn’t realize she was a woman till her hat got knocked off. But seeing the hands of lady he saw no other choice than to bring her home where he and his sister could care for her. Although whether she was a gentlewoman or simply a vagrant he couldn’t discern, but what he felt when she was washed up and clean was attraction; something he, the Duke of Stonebridge , hadn’t felt in some years.

Naturally, not knowing whether Lily had family, a beau, or even a husband wasn’t the main concern. Discovering who she was would be the primary problem to overcome, but the closer they came to uncovering her identity, the realization that he didn’t want to let her go was a problem they would both have to deal with.

Great fleshed out characters, scenarios, and sensuality. The only problem I had with the book – it ended too soon! If I had seen the gorgeous cover before hand, I would have picked it up just for the cover!! Highly recommended!

Marilyn Rondeau

This is a different type story. Miss Lily Hartley anonymously writes an advice column for ladies looking for love and marriage, The Debutante’s Revenge, which has taken the town by storm. To preserve her identity, Lily delivers the rag disguised as a chimney sweep. This is fine until she ends up in the middle of a tavern brawl, with nowhere to run. In comes the handsome Duke of Stonebridge to rescue the damsel. Unfortunately, Lily is in disguise and has suffered a memory loss due to a blow to her head. When the duke finds out the chimney sweep is really a woman in disguise, he wants to escort her home, but Lily cannot remember who she is or where she lives. Thus, the duke is forced to take her in until things can be straightened out. As the tale continues, the duke becomes more attracted and attached to Lily, who keeps trying to figure out who she is and where she lives, all the while risking her reputation as the force behind the rag, all the while becoming more attracted to the duke.

I though it was an interesting turn of events for Lily to have amnesia and for this very handsome man to meet up with her. However, I did not like the idea that there seemed to be no time frame context in which to put the whole story. I figured it was sometimes in the 1800’s like other reviewers but was never quite sure when things were happening. I also found it interesting that Likely went right after the duke after not knowing him for very long—definitely not the sort of thing that respectable women did in that time frame or in her circumstances. There also was not a lot of time spent developing the romance, as it happened quite suddenly. Still, it was a fascinating read. I think readers of romance will enjoy it. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

From the first moment I read about the book - the cover and blurb - I was delighted with the plot.
A lady who behaves like a "naughty girl", first because she is responsible for The Debutante's Revenge (the name of the magazine already shows that it came to something no good). Then when she - Caroline "Lily" Hartley - manages to fool her parents and sister (either side thinks Lily is in the company of the other) and finds herself alone to do her "research."
But Lily's research eventually cost her her memory.

She was the victim of a robbery, and despite being helped by a gentleman, after waking up from a faint it is discovered that Lily has lost her memory.

Eric Nash, Duke of Stonebridge, is the gentleman who helps the injured lad after the robbery.
Only then he realizes that the lad is actually a woman. And discovering that she doesn't even remember her name, Stonebridge decides to help her before a scandal of Homeric proportions sets in.

Obviously, that time they spend together gives birth to such an irresistible attraction that Lily doesn't mind having sex with him.

The book has its highs and lows, sometimes entertaining, sometimes unnerving (especially to readers of historical novels)
Anna Bennett has other very good books and always worth following the author's work.
3 stars

The Duke is But a Dream was a wonderful historical romance with such a cute story line with all the feels! There is nothing more satisfying than a strong female amnesiac looking for true love only to be saved by her prince charming. The story line and writing were very redolent of Lisa Kleypas novels. If you want to read a happy feel good historical romance this is the one for you. Quick, easy to read, and enjoyable. Highly recommend! Thanks to NetGalley for the copy! #NetGalley

What happens when the secret authoress of a scandalous weekly article dressed as scamp ends up in bar fight and loses her memory? What happens when a reluctant duke who has cut off his feelings due to tragedy interferes in said fight? What if the duke with a heart of stone cares for the unknown scamp err woman until she is healed and wants to keep for his own? What if he can't give her what she wants most? To find out the answers to these questions you must read this book. It is a delightful book filled with angst and love.

A lady with a hidden profession as a columnist of an advice column for ladies is involved inadvertently in a brawl and loses her memory. A handsome duke rescues her and sweeps her away to recuperate at his house. Neither has any idea who she is and a mix up with her family ensures that she is not missed right away. Over the course of searching for her true identity they fall in love. An entertaining story for those who enjoy historical romance with a side of amnesia.

Miss Lily Hartley is Fiona's younger sister that we met in First Earl I See Tonight. Lily is smart, strong willed and loves to speak her mind...so much so that she secretly writes the newspaper column The Debutante's Revenge, along with her sister and her best friend, Sophie. After dropping off her latest column to the newspaper, Lily curiosity gets the better of her and she decides to go into a tavern since she is disguised as a young boy. When trouble comes her way, a handsome man comes to her rescue not knowing at first that she really is a female. The bigger problem is is that Lily has lost her memory and has no idea who she is.

Eric Nash, Duke of Stonebridge may have been itching for a fight when he jumped in to the help the young lad, but when he realizes the person who was knocked out is really a lady, he decides to take her to his house to help her. Nash finds himself strangely drawn to her. Even Nash's sister, Delilah has taken a shine to the newcomer whom they name as Caroline. As Nash and Caroline spend more time together, their feelings grow very strong, very fast. While they work on trying to find out who Caroline really is, Nash has to face some real demons from his past. Just when Caroline is figuring out who she really is, Nash will have to do some deep soul searching finally get to his happy ending but in the end it was all worth it!

I really loved Lily and Nash. I loved Lily's sassiness and how she brought out such a good part of Nash's personality. He's such a loyal and loving person deep down, but he just needed the right person to find it! Overall this was a great story with perfect characters!

The Duke Is But a Dream by Anna Bennett is book Two in the Debutante Diaries Series. This is the story of Eric Nash, Duke of Stonebridge and Lily Hartley. I have read the previous book but feel you can make this a standalone book if you wish to do so. Eric has taken over his title at a early age along with his family responsibilities. Lily is a well off debutante who in secret writes a weekly column called The Debutantes Revenge but she has help with it via her sister and friend. When she finds herself unchaperoned she sneaks out to deliver her column along with exploring the other side of life. There she ends up a victim in a brawl that leads her to meet Eric. Of course she has to protect her name and reputation which leads to Eric wanting to help her.
Enjoyed their story.

This was such an entertaining read that moved along at a good pace. Lily was quite a daring character, who definitely liked an adventure. Nash, Duke of Stonebridge has had a troubled background and feels he is incapable of experiencing a deep love. Lily and Nash had an instant connection, that they acted upon quite quickly but unfortunately Lily required his love to take things further. There was also her memory loss which could cause further complications. There are a number of events that kept my interest until the end. A good read. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Miss Lily Hartley and her sister, Fiona Gray, the Countess of Ravenport, write a column along with sketches drawn by Fiona, It is posted in the London Hearsay and is entitled “The Debutante’s Revenge.” As Fiona is a newlywed, her husband wants to take her on a trip. That would leave Lily at home with just the servants but that is fine with her. To maintain total anonymity, Lily dresses as a boy when she delivers the column to the newspaper.

Eric Nash, the Duke of Stonebridge, lives with his younger sister, Delilah. He remains saddened at the death of his twin sister, Emily, and his father.

Today, Eric is in a pub nursing an ale when a young boy comes inside to escape the rain. When several rough men try to take the boy’s bag from him, Eric steps in an fights them off. In the fray, the young boy is knocked to the ground hitting his head and knocking him unconscious. When his hat falls off, it’s very apparent that this is a young woman and not a boy. Eric takes the young woman home with him. There, he enlists Delilah's help as he calls for a doctor. When the young woman awakens, she doesn’t remember who she is.

As she heals from her head wound, she and Delilah become friends and they decide to name her Caroline. Eric puts an ad in the paper trying to find out if someone is missing her.

As they wait for someone to “claim” her, Nash and Caroline spark an attraction that cannot be denied.

This story is a mix wise and mature and totally immature. The advice written to debutantes is well written and quite clever, but it doesn’t seem to come from the sometimes silly Caroline/Lily. The plot is good but both the hero and heroine needed to slow down their impulses.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The characters were easy to relate to and the dialogue wasn’t too weighty. Lily was a strange combination of strong yet fallible and she was a good fit for the dark, brooding Nash. Nash softened toward Lily quicker than I expected, near-instantaneous, and it just seemed a bit underwhelming.
I didn’t care for the heavy reliance on amnesia as a plot point/obstacle and the final obstacle/climax moment was lacking the tension I’ve come to expect.

Final thoughts? If you don’t mind the amnesia trope and are looking for a quick, fluffy romance then definitely give The Duke is but a Dream a chance. The writing is inviting and the characters are lovable. If you do end up picking it up, let me know what you think!

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
**Full Review posted to Dream Come Review (blog)
**Review has been posted on Amazon (pending), Bookbub, and Goodreads

A columnist for a young lady's guide to "how-to-survive" for Debutantes, a fight in a tavern, a lad discovered to be a lass, a brooding stranger, memory loss and safety.
Lily Hartley writer of the gossip column The Debutantes Revenge for London Hearsay delivers her latest work, enjoys a moment of exploring life as a scrawny messenger boy, and then disaster strikes.
Eric Nash, Duke of Stonebridge, has fled his house after a fight with his sister, ends up having a drink in a seedy tavern in an even seedier part of London and steps into assist a youth being set upon. Imagine his surprise when that lad turns out to be a lass! And when that lass/lad is knocked unconscious, then suffers loss of memory.
Nash takes her home, calls the doctor and allows Lily to stay until they can discover who she is.
Unfortunately the alarm won't be sounded as Lily's parents think she's staying with her sister Fiona whilst they go to Bath. Meanwhile Fiona thinks Lily has returned to their parents' house whilst she goes on a sudden trip to Scotland with her husband Grey.
It appears Lily, now called Caroline, won't be missed for a couple of weeks.
Of course the sparks fly between Caroline and the Duke. Of course he has other problems that interfere with his willingness to acknowledge his love for her. But of course there is a HEA. The getting there involves a lot of interplay, and a testing of each other, of the chemistry between them. But really, the storyline becomes somewhat predictable, and even the falling into each other's arms with such frequency becomes a tad ho hum.
After all, this young miss is following her own column's advice even if she doesn't know she's the author.
Nash's sister Delilah is a delightful young woman, guarded closely by her brother. Delilah has a mind of her own who shows Caroline / Lily nothing but kindness. The two for a strong bond, and then Delilah follows her heart but unfortunately she's not been made aware of why she should be cautious. That leads to even more problems. All collides when Lily regains her memory and Nash finds out her columnist activities for a publication he detests.
There are parts, like the beginning, I loved but the resolution for me didn't have the same strength.

A St. Martin's Press ARC via NetGalley