This is an entertaining story that ties into some of the author’s other books, but it’s definitely a stand alone. The tie in is familiar characters that play a minor role in here.

I really liked the main characters and their spunk. That’s not too uncommon for a duke, but Susan’s character was delightfully different in many ways. Spinster, intelligent, and content with her situation.

It was a fast and entertaining read.

A proper Regency romance. Susan Jennings is approaching 30 and accepting her spinsterhood. Lady Wamsley invites her to London as a companion for the season. On her first evening she runs into George, the Duke of Aylesham. She met him the year before and he remembers her as the harpy. She thinks of him as his "His Loftiness". When the Prince tries to manipulate the Duke into marriage he claims to already be betrothed to Susan. Now he has less than two weeks to make a marriage happen. I love enemies to lovers and arranged marriage tropes.

The characters were fun. Susan is well educated and confident yet fearful that she can be a duchess. George, starts stuffy but is kind and supportive. I particularly enjoyed them working together without typical miscommunications. I wasn't entirely clear on the background plot of the Dukes secretive work against Napoleon. It kept coming up and didn't seem to resolve. The ending was good but an epilogue could add a little something extra. Overall a sweet, quick, clean romance that left me feeling happy.

Thank you NetGalley, Covenant Communications and the author for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

A witty and fast paced read, The Duke Meets His Match, is a MUST for all readers who love historical romances. Karen Tuft's writing ability shines through her characters, both in their development and their behaviors and attitudes. The witty banter and thoughts of the characters makes this book fun to read and difficult to put down! Both Susan and George, the Duke of Aylesham, had experienced love and lost at young ages that left them both jilted. Susan was content to remain a spinster and enjoy her nieces and nephews. George really didn't understand family relationships, having lost both parents when he was young, but finds himself forced into marriage by non other than the Prince Regent, looking only to further his own needs. Desperate to retain his freedom and get out from under the Prince's requirements, George says he is betrothed to Susan, a woman he despises and has only met a handful of times and now he must secure her hand for real. Susan despises the Duke, but decides she would marry him. Together, they face a formidable foe and a forever love.

This was a fun read with complicated characters. I loved the way the author was able to reference precious novels without making the reader feel as if they were missing something. The description of the story felt a little off. While they may have a few squabbles, the characters got along very well. As with her previous novels, I think the author struggles to end her story. Each of her books feels like the story could end a few times before they do. That's hard for a reader because you prepare yourself for its close, but it doesn't come.

I enjoyed the way this story is reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice, but on fast forward and with royal connections and a dash of Sense and Sensibility thrown in. The author still keeps it unique enough that it simply reminds you of those novels, rather than trying to imitate them in the way that so many have tried (and failed) to do in the past.

Susan is willful, intelligent, and unaware of her own beauty.
George is arrogant, stubborn, and prideful.
Each have met their match in the other.

As I read their first meetings, I wondered how on earth Tuft was going to have the Duke come to a point where he would propose. It was masterfully done, and his actual proposal was even more disastrous than Mr. Darcy's first proposal to Lizzie! Thankfully he recovered quickly, and had the sense to listen to and take onboard Susan's response rather more quickly than Darcy.

It was wonderful to see some recurring characters from Tuft's previous stories.
This book was difficult to put down, and the only disappointing part was that it ended.

The Duke Meets His Match is a sweet story about a marriage-or shall we say betrothal-of convenience. This book is suitable for someone who is in the mood for a light, quick read.
I liked both main characters and spent the first half of the story getting to know them. However, they each had a history of broken hearts that I wanted to know more about. By the time I got to the second half of the story, the romance took on an entirely different pace and some themes, such as George’s job in the war effort, fell from the story line. I wanted to see a more cohesive plot but it did have a sweet ending.

Such a great story! I read it in one sitting!

At thirty, Susan is considered a spinster, but she's not looking to get married for the sake of it. When she meets the Duke of Aylesham, the meeting doesn't go well and they end up with unfavorable opinions of the other.

A year later they meet again at a house party and their opinions don't improve. They strongly dislike each other and don't want to spend time together. That all changes when George unwittingly tells Prinny he's betrothed to Susan.

I really liked the enemy-to-lovers and marriage of convenience tropes in this story. With the characters' ages and their personalities, the development of their relationship was a treat to read.

I also liked the secondary characters and the characters from other books. So fun to see where they are.

A very good read.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

I adored this novel. The standard marriage of convenience was in place but the details were so different than any other novel of this sort. I thoroughly enjoyed the enemies to loves plot as well. It was so fun to see how they came together at the end with such compatibility. Working together as the perfect team. Susan and the Duke really seemed to compliment each other. I would recommend this novel to anyone. On the clean scale there was quite a bit of kissing but nothing I would consider too much.

I received a free copy from NetGally for an honest review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

First book by the author. I thorough enjoyed the story. The characters are full of personality.

It’s the story of a Duke who is not interested in being another himself into the world and would rather search for any heirs scattered around the world. He is not having any luck. That is how he meets the spinster Sister heroine of an Earl while exchanging information in the library and their rocky relationship starts.

My favorite thing about The Duke Meets His Match was the banter between Susan and George. Their relationship starts off on the wrong foot and both would be happy if they never see the other again. A year later, George, the Duke of Aylesham, realizes the harpy, as he's nicknamed Susan, is sister to one of the men he trusts most in his work for the Foreign Office. They meet again, with more sparks as their strong personalities clash.

Then George receives an unwelcome summons from Prinny, the Prince Regent. Looking for an escape from an unwanted marriage arranged for him, George claims he is already betrothed. When pressed for a name, the only one that comes to mind is Susan Jennings.

The Prince Regent wants proof. George wants to survive. Susan, well, she's not too sure she cares what either of the men want, but her heart has different ideas.

Karen Tuft weaves an engaging story with real people and events alongside our fictional characters. I loved it!

This book is somewhere between a three and four star read for me - which is something - because I really started off not liking either Susan or George. Though, I did love that they both had such totally normal simple names - especially for a Duke and daughter of a Viscount.

Susan is a confirmed bluestocking. She is smart, well-read, and essentially resigned to a spinster life. And she's not unhappy about it. George is pretty much the last of his line - his heir is a criminal who was transported to Australia for fraud. He's been working for the foreign office in support of the war and has only half-heartedly been looking for a wife. Even though he says otherwise, it seems like he has been holding out for love and his true match. For both of them it is hate at first sight. Their second meeting doesn't go much better. But there must be something about Susan that George finds compelling, because to get out of a forced marriage to a German princess, George tells the Prince Regent that he is already engaged to Susan. Oops.

In the midst of convincing Susan to marry him, George and Susan are forced to communicate in a truly honest way that few couples ever do. It may have been hate at first sight, but it is clear from their first negotiations how truly perfect they are for each other.

I liked so much about that aspect of their relationship. That was so good - that I am not sure I needed all of the foreign office stuff that was included. I'm not even 100% sure what they were trying to do - but I think I could have skipped like 90% of it and been just fine to understand the story(and I am pretty sure I did actually only skim those parts). I do hope we get stories for Susan's brothers though!

Overall - I recommend this if you like historicals on the more traditional side!

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

The Duke Meets His Match by Karen Tuft, 290 pages. Covenant Communications, 2020. $16.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
When Susan first encounters George, she finds His Loftiness, as she so entitles him, to be arrogant and rude, and Susan hopes to never encounter the man again. Unfortunately, His Loftiness is a friend of her brother, and His Loftiness finds himself in need of Susan’s help. This isn’t a simple favor, and Susan’s response will change both her and His Loftiness’s lives forever.
Susan and George’s story is far-fetched in a way that seems possible when immersed in their story but preposterous once readers step away. In that same regard, I enjoyed the story while I was reading it, though I have a hard time believing the romance because it feels secondary to George’s dilemma, which wasn’t as interesting as the romance. Overall, Tuft’s book makes for a nice afternoon read.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

#TheDukeMeetsHisMatch #NetGalley

⭐⭐
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance readers copy. Opinions are my own.

I am rounding up to 2. This was a 1.5 star book. I think this book was one of those put together to give readers an update on other characters from prior books, with little attention paid to the main storyline, character arcs, or anything related.

In this book, Susan and George encounter one another at a wedding, have a hostile exchange and part ways, despising one another. They meet up about a year later and... Still hate each other. Some nonsense occurs and George pretends he's engaged to Susan. The obvious thing to do is follow through on this.

When George proposes to Susan he includes that he doesn't like her. She agrees. Nope, not that she also dislikes him, but that she'll marry this whole stranger she dislikes. There's some plot, and then HEA.

I did not connect with either character and didn't feel like they made sense. Susan is happily unmarried with no intentions to be a Duchess or live in town. That she would readily agree to marry George is inconsistent with who we are told she is. I guess the author assumes that deep down, every woman wants a husband. Miss me with that BS.

The pacing was both too fast and too slow. How is this possible?! Magic! The entire story takes place over about a week(fast), and yet everything takes forever to happen. They don't even meet for like 4 chapters (ch1 was a prologue if ever I read one). There are so many tangents about hairdressers and dressmakers, we hardly see George and Susan's releationship change.

The "conflict" putting them together and taking them apart was boring and anticlimactic. There are several side plots about... Maybe spies? An odd upstairs downstairs possible relationship. An incredibly generous old lady/fairy godmother. Then a rouge brother who just kinda appears and is totally fine. All of these odd non sequiturs go nowhere. I didn't understand the purpose.

Save your time and energy Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare has a similar plot and is way better. But for that one, start with Say Yes to the Marquess for backstory. Happy Reading!

Cute, clean, simple.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sweet Regency romance... While at first it seems like the two main characters are only compatible as sparring partners, once the plot really got going, I appreciated that they functioned well as a team and weren't subject to the usual misunderstandings and miscommunications that plague many plots. The stakes were interesting in this plot, involving the interference of the Prince Regent himself. I did think that the conclusion of the book was a bit too lengthy. Once the major problems had been cleared up, there wasn't quite enough energy left to sustain the story through to its actual ending. But it was easy reading, and the pages fly by in this one!

I fell head over heels in love with this book! I'm not a big fan of romance novels and I rarely read them, usually only when the romance is combined with historical fiction. I'm so happy I requested this one though, it had me swooning from the first chapter until the last.

We meet George, a handsome duke who should've gotten married a decade ago but after being scorned by a lover he swore of marriage and women for a long time. A run-in with a health scare and with no heir to present, George realizes he has to turn the tables and find himself a bride. When he meets Susan Jennings sparks fly but not in a good way. Where some fall instantly in love, these two loathe each other from first sight. Susan is a young, clever and beautiful woman who has a hard time finding a man that can be her equal on all parts. When a twist of fate and a surprising turn of events puts these two together, they will have to find a way to turn the loathing into loving.

I picked this book up yesterday evening and I read it in one go, I just couldn't put it down. I loved both characters who are both flawed yet have pure hearts. I loved the contrast between them and what I enjoyed most was that these two sought common ground instead of focusing on differences. The author paints a very adult picture of their relationship and she lets it grow naturally. So many authors nowadays use love at first sight, which has always irked me but not Karen Tuft. She has created two very emotionally mature people who are trying to find their way in life together. The only thing I would've appreciated, is a bit more of an elaboration on both Susan and George's past loves. Other than that I truly adored this story and I might just pick up some of Karen's other books.

This is a delightful Regency romance and was different than anything I've ever read. To use Prince George as such a key player in the story was really interesting.

Susan is my kind of woman. Outspoken and blunt. I liked her a lot and appreciated her strength and ability to stand up for herself.

Aylesham (I hate it when authors name their characters with names I'm not sure how to pronounce) is a bit of a Mr. Darcy in that he's arrogant and rude at first but has a heart underneath his rough exterior.

The plot moved along a little slowly at first before the H&h have any interactions of substance but once they did it moved along nicely.

I've read two other books by Karen Tuft and both of the main characters from those books are mentioned in this book as well. She has two other Regency books that I know of that I haven't read that I believe are about characters mentioned in this book as well. Unfortunately both Goodreads and Amazon do not list these books as being part of a series. I think that's on the publisher not the author but I still think it's important. Even though they are stand alone novels I prefer to read them in order, especially if the characters are being mentioned in later books.

My last little complaint, and I'm sorry for how picky this is but to be fair I didn't dock stars for it, is that there are way too many italics used throughout the book. Way too many. I can pick up on the sarcasm and the inflections in a sentence without the italics!

Overall I would say I enjoyed the book very much.

I really enjoyed reading The Duke Meets His Match by Karen Tuft. Very sweet and clean love story.
I really loved that it wasn’t a love at first sight kind of book. It was very realistic. I would definitely recommend this book to read to anyone looking to read a clean regency romance but with depth.

This book was very detailed oriented. In the first 3%, the reader was introduced to 3 different women whose names started with 'L'. So, one would assumed one of these was the heroine? No. The opening scene was at a wedding celebration, where the hero is to make an espionage connection. The heroine, a sister to the groom, was in the library when someone walked in. She continued to read quietly and not announce her presence. Then another person walked in and there commenced a conversation applying to Napoleon. Obviously, the heroine was overhearing two spies meeting. When they were finished she waited for them to leave, then she left. But one of the person's was still there. The hero. They started a little verbal fight and both stalked off. Okay, at this point, the author must has discussed at least 13 different people. So, it is confusing as to who the main people are. As the book moves one, the first half is the beginning of them meeting. Then the second half of the book is the week before the marriage. Nothing in this book is easy to read or very cohesive. I mean how many times can the heroine say I refuse to marry, but the hero is able to convince her to marry him, to save his ass, even though they hate each other!! What? They have nothing in common except they hate each other. Oh, and the attraction to the physical attributes each other has. They eventually acknowledge their love for each other, in the week before their wedding. Again, ther is no build up of any lasting relationship. The duke, the hero, is still a cold, unfeeling block of ice that doesn't ever thaw and the heroine is a smart woman who is making a stupid decision.
I give it 2 stars because there were no grammatical errors and some people might be entertained. I was not.

Susan is the typical wallflower. At the wrong place at the wrong time. Meets George and they instantly dislike each other. A year later they meet again. And a plan starts to hatch. You are taken on a rollercoaster of a ride and I enjoyed the whole time. Great book.