I thought this was an interesting story filled with entertaining characters, romance, and humor, It did start out a bit slow, but it picked up pace nicely and ended well.
This is the second book in the Unlikely Duchesses series. It can be read as a stand-alone.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.

Forever My Duke is the second book in Olivia Drake's Unlikely Duchesses series. Though it is a part of a series it can still be read as a standalone.

The book started off at a rather slow pace, though it did generally pick up after a few chapters. This is however redeemed by the characters. I enjoyed reading Natalie's character immensely, she had a modern and progressive view for a character in that time period. She stood up for herself and wouldn't allow anyone to bully, insult, or degrade, or tell her what to do. She also didn't fit into the conforms of society, she does what she wants and doesn't really case what is expected of her. Clayton was an enjoyable character to read except for the occasions he comes across as a bully.

In the end, this book was an alright read, it wasn't necessarily the best nor was it the worst.

eARC was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Forever My Duke is the second book in Drake’s most current series and boy I am such a fan of this author. She just writes the type of Regency romance that just really works for me. I know her writing style isn’t for everyone, but she definitely is for me and I just love finding a regency author that I adore as much as I love Olivia Drake. This story had so much charm, poise, and swoony moments that I look for in my regency romances and Drake really stepped it up with this book which I am very grateful for.

In our delightful story we have our heroine who hails from America and with her is a little boy whom she is the guardian over when his parents were killed in a brutal attack. Her best friend’s dying wish was that Leo be with his family in England where he will be protected and safe. So she does her duty and puts her plans on building a school on hold to see that Leo is delivered safely. Natalie has such a love for Leo but she wants what is best for him. But while on their way they meet up with the Hadrian, the Duke of Clayton, who at first seems a bit standoffish but when he helps her and Leo go to the country estate where they are headed as he is headed the same place, their interests are co-aligned. But from the very first moment, Hadrian and Natalie meet there is a connection between them. A connection not to be ignored lightly. Even though Hadrian has other duties and is looking for a wife, he also never expected to feel as he does for Natalie or be so charmed by his little cousin. But will Natalie choose Hadrian or go back to the America’s?

Forever My Duke was such a wonderful and heartwarming story and this was exactly what I needed to relax with on an afternoon with. I simply had such a fun time with Natalie, Leo, and Hadrian. There was such chemistry that we see between Hadrian and Natalie and I was hooked on their story. Hadrian is so determined to do the right thing and follow through with the contracts his father set with his friend. But you see how his priorities shift into doing what is right for him, Hadrian and not the Duke of Clayton. How well he and Natalie fit together is just perfection and he knows what he has with her is so special and defining and one he is willing to fight for.

Natalie, even though she has some familial connections in England, her home has always been America. Even though she doesn’t have a family anymore, and even though she loves like as if he is her own flesh and blood, she does have her own dreams. But we see how dreams can change and how one’s priorities in life can change when you have people come into your life. And we see this growth come into Natalie and realize what she is capable of. It takes her a while to find her path and she does hurt Hadrian along the way a bit in finding what she wants but she does find it including her will to fight for the man she loves and the little boy she adores. The romance that builds between these two is simply delectable, there is some chemistry at the beginning, but there is a friendship that builds in the beginning which only cements what they have together. And I simply adored the relationship between Leo and Hadrian, it was so adorable since a grown man and boy become so attached to the hip as they do and seeing this family find their own path….together

Overall I found Forever My Duke to be a sensational romance that will delight the reader within its addicting pages of pose, elegance, and a beautiful love!!

I love this author she writes very good books. I enjoyed it and will read it again..the plot was excellent and involving. I will buy her books in the furture.

I really enjoyed this book.
An American, bringing an orphan boy to England as she promised his dying mother, Natalie Fanshawe doesn't know what to expect. She's always had a dislike for the aristocracy, because of her father's history, so to find herself among them is not to her liking. She is biased and soon learns that they are all not created equal.
Hadrian Ames, the Duke of Clayton, has a bride already picked out when he meets the delightful, hard working American. Now he's not to sure he's made the right choice.
They soon find they are attracted to each other but not sure what to do about it. He wants a wife and she has plans back in America. One thing they both agree on is they want the best for little Leo.
I really like Hadrian and Natalie. They were opposites who attract and what an attraction it was. Little Leo was cute though a bit mischievous at times. Add in a little strife, snooty relatives and a kidnapping and you've got a great story.

Forever My Duke by Olivia Drake
Unlikely Duchesses #2

Mixed feelings on this one...it is well written and characters are developed so I could see and know them but I didn’t feel there was anything new and thus it was rather predictable. The gorgeous duke is off to meet the woman he is supposed to (maybe) marry and meets a beautiful woman on the way. She is taking a young boy to meet his grandfather and the handsome duke provides a ride.

There is the romance, the dastardly bad guy, a young boy that reminded me of the one in O’Henry’s Ransom of Red Chief, a rather dysfunctional family, mention what war was maybe like and a bit more.

What I liked:
* Natlie: good friend to Audrey and unwilling to bow to anyone – she was American to the core and all for equality
* Hadrian: a man I grew to like – he was able to take charge and get things done and was also likable
* Leo: a boy with a lot of heart...but one who liked to disappear a lot
* There was a HEA

What I did not like:
* The uncaring family that were related to Leo
* The predictability

Thank you to NetGalley an dSt. Martin’s Paperbacks for the ARC – This is my honest review.

3-4 Stars

hadrian ames, the duke of clayton, is rather the stuffy sort. raised in that very proper, stiff upper crust sort of britishy way. when natalie fanshawe's young charge stumbles into his sitting room as forever my duke opens, he's not quite sure how to react. it all sort of just happens. and when he realizes that natalie is his long-lost cousin's guardian, he proceeds to help them to their shared destination.

natalie is suspicious of all things noble and british. she has no idea how lofty a personage she is interacting with until she's obviously behaved very inappropriately, but hadrian doesn't seem to mind it.

these two are just so good together. he early on realizes that what he was missing in his life was someone who could challenge his biases and natalie is just that person. i've definitely been more into contemporary romance over historical lately, but this one is very, very good. and i'm glad i had a chance to read it.

**forever my duke will publish on december 31, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley - this is my honest review.

I thought this was a fun read - I always like a twist on a Regency romance and throwing an American in was interesting, especially since she had a very negative impression of the English. I also liked that for once the term “blue stocking” wasn’t continually used. There was definitely chemistry between Hadrian & Natalie and little Leo was truly a delight.

This is part of a series (Unlikely Duchesses), but definitely not a requirement to read the other books

Absolutely breath taking, the read was BEAUTIFUL!!!! I've love this book so much I NEED MORE!!!!! Fantastic read and the author's writing style was beyond incredible!

Natalie Fanshawe is a proud American. She doesn’t care much about the class system in England or the arrogance of the Aristocracy. She is in England because she promised her dying best friend to return her son to his grandfather in England. While traveling, she and Leo meet Hadrian Ames, Duke of Clayton. Hadrian is not at all what she thought an aristocrat would be. They are opposites, to be sure, but they like and respect each other, and Hadrian likes Leo. Their arrival is less than pleasant, and Natalie isn’t sure she and Leo are welcome. What will happen if Leo is not accepted by his grandfather?

This is an entertaining story with healthy doses of drama, humor, and romance. There is some danger, and it is a little unpredictable. It is well-paced and holds your attention. Natalie and Hadrian are fun to watch and perfect for each other. Leo is a delightful little boy. Lady Ellen, who does not want Hadrian to court her (long story) is absolutely charming. I really enjoyed and recommend Forever My Duke.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

This historical romance sets up some interesting contrasts between our hero and heroine. Natalie is a strong-willed American woman and Hadrian is part of the British aristocracy. The idea of social equality is placed against the strict social class hierarchy of Great Britain. I enjoyed the comedic moments and witty banter as well as the development of the romance.

This was an average recency romance book. I did like the story, but the flow of the book was kind of slow at first before it really picked up.
I like it a lot when the story really evolved and got fast paced.

As hard as I have tried, I just can not connect with this book. It’s not a book that I can’t put down, and it is not holding my interest enough that I want to read it daily. I LOVE historical romances, and I have read several romances by Olivia Drake, but this one seems to lack the draw that I found in her other novels. I have managed to get about half way through the book, but I just don’t think I will finish it. It’s not a terrible book, but it’s just not great. I am so disappointed!

Highly entertaining, witty, fun and action packed journey filled with intriguing charters, witty dialog, heart racing excitement and emotionally thrilling adventure. Really enjoyed this excellent read!

I am a fan of regency romance books and Olivia Drake books in this genre are quite enjoyable reads. In this 2nd book in the series, American Natalie Fanshawe is on a mission to deliver her deceased friends’ son to his relatives in England. Along the way she unceremoniously meets the Duke of Clayton, Hadrian Ames., who just so happens to be a relative of the young boy, Leo, and on his way to the same estate to make arrangements for a betrothal of convenience. Sparks fly from the very beginning between the two and the journey for them to find their mutual love for each other is full of pitfalls. While I enjoy the spunky character of Natalie, I feel there are times it is a bit over-done in her judgmental attitude towards the aristocracy, especially as Hadrian attempts to woo her into acceptance of his stature . However, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and read thru it quickly to better follow their path to happiness. I received an ARC of this book from NetGAlley in return for an honest review, which this has been. Thank you to #NetGalley, #StMartinsPress, #ForeverMyDuke.

Natalie is an American who promised to return an orphan to his family in England. Hadrian is a Duke who is looking to marry. On his way to visit a prospective bride, he crosses paths with Natalie. He decides that Natalie would make a wonderful bride. If only he can convince the stubborn American to stay in England and marry him. Along the way we meet Natalie's family, Hadrian's mother and sister, and the awful family who raised Hadrian. Low angst and I thought the Romany descriptions were well-handled. I admit to skimming the description of the attack by British soldiers on American civilians.

3 1/2 stars

Thanks to NetGalley for providing the copy for review.

A promise to her dying best friend has led Natalie Fanshawe to England, in a desperate attempt to reunite an orphaned boy with the only family he has left. An American with no reason at all to respect the English class system, her back is quickly put up by Hadrian, Duke of Clayton, even if he has done her a great service by helping her find Leo when her charge runs away. Finding out that the duke is heading to the same destination, Natalie has little choice but to accept his assistance. Soon, it turns out he might be the only ally she has in the Earl of Godwin’s household… even if he is meant to be marrying the earl’s teenage daughter.

I just want to address that issue briefly; Hadrian is 29 and the Lady Ellen is 18, and that was absolutely a thing that happened in the Regency era regularly, and with much bigger age gaps too, and nobody looked sideways at it at all. Hadrian really didn’t know Ellen at all, hadn’t seen her since she was a child, but his father had wanted a family alliance so he went to meet her to give her consideration. On meeting her, however, especially in comparison with Natalie who’s 25, he realizes she’s far too young for him and quickly backs out, which made me like him a whole lot more than I did at the beginning.

The author does seem a little undecided about what sort of story she wants this to be; Natalie’s quite judgemental, pious and disapproving of the aristocracy’s licentious ways, and then is very much the instigator of an affair with Hadrian. The sex didn’t seem to fit the tone of the characters, and honestly it could have been dispensed with altogether and had no effect on the overall story. I’m not keen on what seems to be the latest trend of compulsory sex scenes in historical novels; this would have been equally as good a read without it.

I wasn’t all that keen on Natalie’s gung-ho Americanism, either; particularly in the immediate aftermath of a war, she seemed intent on burning bridges rather than mending fences. Hadrian practically bent over backwards to accommodate her and she barely seemed able to say thank you., let alone able to make allowances for the differences in his upbringing and position and consider how those affected his actions. I think we were supposed to respect and admire her for her determination and refusal to accept anyone as her ‘betters’, but her sanctimonious and superior attitude made it hard to even like her a lot of the time. Because of this, I’m afraid that despite overall very good writing, I can’t say I really liked this, and therefore I’m giving it three stars.

A delightful story of opposites attracting in the most marvelous of circumstances!
Our hero, Hadrian Ames, the eighth Duke of Clayton was on his way to visit his uncle and the woman he was to marry when he was caught at an inn due to the weather. As he was eating a young lad ran in to hide under his table and then she walked in.
"His heart rocked in his chest. The world faded as he stared at the vision standing before him." Natalie was taking her charge, Leo to his grandfather and would you just know it? It was the same home that Clayton was headed to visit his potential bride. His uncle was grandfather to Leo. Of course she is an American and has a disdain for the entire class distinctions of the elite!
A rocky journey to a happy ending that was engaging and spirited. Clayton seemed really stiff and proper but it was his upbringing that he tried to loosen up with spirited Natalie. She had her own convictions to help others and was independent. Yes, she was an unlikely Duchess, but love always wins in the end!

I enjoyed this book. It is well written and entertaining.

I will be looking for more books by Olivia Drake.

I do recommend this one .

This great Regency romance immediately captivated me and kept me glued to the book until I read the last word with engaging characters and a beautifully written story that included family drama, suspense, and the unlikely romance between an American and a Duke. I loved the instant attraction and sizzling chemistry between Hadrian Ames, the Duke of Clayton, and Natalie Fanshawe, an American trying to reunite six-year-old orphan Leo with his relatives. Ms. Drake blew me away with this well-crafted historical romance and I loved every minute of it. This is a must-read for anyone who enjoys Regency romance. I received an advance reader copy of "Forever My Duke" from the publisher via NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving my review.