If you want a fun and adorable story, this one is for you.

I absolutely loved Duke Actually. And found it a fresh fun read in the middle of all the fantasy I have been reading lately.

I loved the swoon worthy Max, and thought he was a great character that ticked off all the romance boxes.

I honestly liked Dani a lot too. She was spunky and fun. Albeit infuriating at times. But I still liked her for the most part.

I feel like of you are someone who follows along with a lot of the Royal drama you will love this one a lot.

This is such a fun, cute romance. There is a Duke involved, but it adds to the charm of the story. I was happy with both the hero and heroine and rooted for them throughout the book. Danny and Max start out slowly, but you see the chemistry between them as they start to know when it’s another better. It is a bit of a slow burn romance, but the charming nature both characters makes it worth your while until their relationship actually happens. It’s enjoyable and a fun romance.

Smart and funny. No drama. Super likable MC's.

I hadn't read book one in the series but was able to follow along with this one with no problem. I'll go back and read it. I'm a big fan of this author. Her books never disappoint me.

*ARC provided through Netgalley*

Ohmygoodnessthisbook!

Max and Dani's (sort of, they're not *really* enemies here) enemies-to-lovers-to-friends-to-lovers story is absolutely glorious, and goodness, it had the BEST grand gesture based on a Christmas movie EVER. (I'm not going to tell you which one, but if you're looking at the cover of the book and don't get a clue, then I can't help you ;)) This romance is a fairly slow burn one--quite a bit of time passes between the start of the book and when the two actually begin a friends-with-benefits-but-we're-not-going-to-call-it-that relationship--but the book doesn't drag at all, there's plenty going on on the page but since there's long stretches of time where the two aren't in the same country, let alone together, Ms Holiday lets a bit of time pass between chapters when needed. In between Dani and Max are keeping their friendship going via text and phone calls, we don't see every single one but we can see how they're growing closer as time goes by.

I've seen this book (and its predecessor, A Princess For Christmas billed as "Hallmark movies with steam" and to an extent that's fairly correct--this one definitely has that vibe (I *might* have snort-laughed when Max said something about if he was in a Hallmark holiday movie he'd be a baron from a made-up country...because dude, you are--the latter part, anyway) but ultimately this book has so much more depth to it than that. Dani and Max have real issues and problems to work through during the course of the novel--Max's especially seemed destined to keep them apart for so much of the book--and for the most part they do work very hard to get themselves in the places they want to be by the end. There is one part that kind of feels a little easy way out, but overall I was willing to go with it (I just hope that Max's brother Seb isn't messed up for life over it, because that would be massively unfair).

Overall this is a delightful book with delightful characters that left me with all kinds of feel-good feelings that isn't too Christmas-sy for November, even for someone who is more than happy to subscribe to Dani's "the Christmas season doesn't start until December 11" way of thinking.

(IDK how I missed A Princess for Christmas , but you'd better believe the audiobook is queued up on my Libby app ready for when I finish my current audiobook ;) In the meantime, this one worked just fine as a standalone--yes, it's clear that you missed the Leo/Marie romance and Max and Dani's early days, but trust me, there's plenty of Max/Dani goodness here to make up for it. Not to mention going back and seeing how it all began will be all the sweeter now that I know how they end up... <3)

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

A slow burn romance that burned a little too slowly for my tastes. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes but this took a little too long to materialize.

Absolutely perfect for that sweet holiday rom-com! The story is such a thrilling slow burn, that it has you screaming at the pages for them to get together.

The best and sweetest friends to lovers

Wonderful sequel in this series by Jenny Holiday. A good romantic comedy of a city girl and European royalty coming together. This book has a good juxtaposition of characters with serious and comical put together.

Once I started and realized it was a sequel, I did go back and read A Princess for Christmas. I enjoyed how Max and Dani built a true friendship, which seemed like a much more realistic foundation for a relationship than the previous book.

Immediate "not like the other girls" vibes and I was out. I want girls who are exactly like all the other girls. We are great.

Run of the mill romance. Liked it fine but it didn't wow me. I felt like I was missing some kind of connection to these characters and didn't really care for the second half of the book. Also, this is definitely a slow burn romance and by the time the characters finally got together 300 pages in, I was more annoyed than anything. I really loved the first half and how this was a friends to lovers romance.

Duke, Actually was such a delight to read. I had no idea this was part of a series until after I had started reading. It feels more like an interconnected novel rather than a sequel. It was a great rom-com.

Ohmygoodnessthisbook!

Max and Dani's (sort of, they're not *really* enemies here) enemies-to-lovers-to-friends-to-lovers story is absolutely glorious, and goodness, it had the BEST grand gesture based on a Christmas movie EVER. (I'm not going to tell you which one, but if you're looking at the cover of the book and don't get a clue, then I can't help you ;)) This romance is a fairly slow burn one--quite a bit of time passes between the start of the book and when the two actually begin a friends-with-benefits-but-we're-not-going-to-call-it-that relationship--but the book doesn't drag at all, there's plenty going on on the page but since there's long stretches of time where the two aren't in the same country, let alone together, Ms Holiday lets a bit of time pass between chapters when needed. In between Dani and Max are keeping their friendship going via text and phone calls, we don't see every single one but we can see how they're growing closer as time goes by.

I've seen this book (and its predecessor, A Princess For Christmas billed as "Hallmark movies with steam" and to an extent that's fairly correct--this one definitely has that vibe (I *might* have snort-laughed when Max said something about if he was in a Hallmark holiday movie he'd be a baron from a made-up country...because dude, you are--the latter part, anyway) but ultimately this book has so much more depth to it than that. Dani and Max have real issues and problems to work through during the course of the novel--Max's especially seemed destined to keep them apart for so much of the book--and for the most part they do work very hard to get themselves in the places they want to be by the end. There is one part that kind of feels a little easy way out, but overall I was willing to go with it (I just hope that Max's brother Seb isn't messed up for life over it, because that would be massively unfair).

Overall this is a delightful book with delightful characters that left me with all kinds of feel-good feelings that isn't too Christmas-sy for November, even for someone who is more than happy to subscribe to Dani's "the Christmas season doesn't start until December 11" way of thinking.

(IDK how I missed A Princess for Christmas , but you'd better believe the audiobook is queued up on my Libby app ready for when I finish my current audiobook ;) In the meantime, this one worked just fine as a standalone--yes, it's clear that you missed the Leo/Marie romance and Max and Dani's early days, but trust me, there's plenty of Max/Dani goodness here to make up for it. Not to mention going back and seeing how it all began will be all the sweeter now that I know how they end up... <3)

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Unfortunately this one didn’t work for me.
It’s right up my alley but I couldn’t bond with the characters.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ACR.

I absolutely LOVED A Princess for Christmas, so I was super excited to read Duke, Actually and it did not disappoint! There is something about reading a romance trilogy that includes all the same characters throughout so that we get the chance to learn more about all of them, not just the main characters in each book. I loved reading how Max and Dani started off a reluctant friends and watching that friendship grow into something sweet and funny and full of love. I adore all the characters and I cannot wait to the read the third book in the trilogy!

Duke, Actually is the companion novel to A Princess for Christmas in which we are following the best friends of our original love interests. I think that this one definitely improved on the romance build from the first book. It definitely has a much more believable timeline as far as the characters interacting, becoming friends, and eventually falling for each other.

Thanks to @netgalley and @avonbooks for my gifted copy of Duke, Actually, by Jenny Holiday. This fun holiday romance is out now! It is the second in a series, so expect spoilers for the first one if you haven’t read it.

This romance is so much fun. It makes me wish that Eldovia was a real place to visit, and that these characters were real. Holiday has such a lovely style of writing that jumps off the page, and grabs you in. I love reading her books, and they put me right into the holiday spirit.

A cute, suspension of disbelief, royal Christmas book with some steam thrown in. I wasn't aware that this is book 2 in a series but I felt like it could be read as a stand alone since it follows supporting characters from the first book, even though there are obvious spoilers.

I loved the friendship that the Baron and Dani had and the building tension they shared. Some of the minor storylines could have been fleshed out a little better for me, but overall I enjoyed most of it.

There is a third book in this series now but it's not about a character that I really cared about in this book. I wish it was about the Baron's brother, I would totally read a book following Sebastian.

3.5/5

The romance, chemistry, and banter between the two protagonists, Max and Dani were incredible, which made the book super enjoyable for me. Max truly loves Dani for her, he doesn't care that she was once divorced or that she isn't from a royal family. Meeting Dani was a new and fun experience for Max, he's used to being surrounded by uptight, serious people. Max would do anything for Dani and to make her happy. They build a loving friendship over time, becoming each other's best friend and companion.

I do not have strong feelings about Love, Actually, so the references were lost on me. However, the story shines all on its own. Max and Dani were delightful and their romance was pitch perfect. A must read for those already setting their screens on the Hallmark channel.

I received this book for free through netgalley for an honest review. Going in, I didn’t realize it was a second in a series. This didn’t matter AT ALL because it was a new couple that you could follow without knowing what happened with the couple in the first book. I immediately went to the library and got the first and third book though because I loved it so much! I love the “depraved Duke” who is actually an intellectual and loving guy. Dani, the main woman in the book, sort of annoyed me though, but in the end I liked her. Sticking to her guns for what SHE wants in a relationship and not settling for something that isn’t right for her. Also the love for her dog got to me ;)