THE CUTEST HOLIDAY ROMANCE! The author describes it perfectly, it’s like a Hallmark rom-com with a tinge of spice! 4.5 stars for Dani and Max 🌟

"I'm taking the dog!!!"

Professor Dani Martinez has given up on love. Her sleazy husband cheated on her with someone half his age and now he won't sign the divorce papers... She decides to make a list titled, "Things I Will Never Do for a Man", which includes faking orgasms and pushing away her family and friends. It's her and her Yorkie, Max, against the world. When Max von Hansburg, Baron of Laudon messages her to have drinks, she declines. Her best friend is getting married to the princess of Eldovia, aka Max's best friend, and she has no interest in reuniting with an arrogant playboy. When Dani remembers that she has a work party to attend, she realizes Max could serve as a distraction on her arm. She definitely doesn't want to see Vince and his childbride, alone.

Max von Hansburg is definitely attracted to Dani. He doesn't care that she's a divorcée or not royalty. Her witty personality is a breath of fresh air for the suffocated duke-to-be. His parents expect him to marry a wealthy woman of high status, but none of them spark his interest. With Dani it's different. She intrigues him and he's willing to do anything to get on her good side. After a few negronis and confessions, the pair consider themselves new friends. Being separated by an ocean proves to be easier than Dani thought. They constantly talk on the phone and text whenever they aren't able to see each other. He kindly respects her decisions of finding hook-ups, listens to her dreams, and makes her laugh like no other. Maybe he is different than the way the tabloids describe him.

Max has pretended to be something he isn't his whole life and he's exhausted from pleasing his father in exchange for his freedom and happiness. He's second-best in comparison to his younger brother which has caused a strain in their relationship. Being friends with the beautiful Dani, has completely changed his outlook on life. He admires her passion and strength and realizes his affection for her is deeper than friendship. He's falling for her.

It's time for the royal wedding! Dani and Max haven't seen each other in over a month and are excited to spend more than a few days together. Missing each other and their close proximity fuels their chemistry and lust. What could possibly go wrong with sleeping with your best friend? Dani knows she can never be Max's forever because of his family and Max knows his situationship with Dani can only last so long... She's not in love with him. All she wants is his pleasure and company. Can they sort their true emotions for each other and have the happily ever after they both deserve?

tropes: best friends to lovers, interracial romance, he falls first, & royalty romance

A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read Duke, Actually, in exchange for my honest review! I loved Max! He's so genuine and romantic. He tucks her into bed?! Defends her honor and respects her?! Does the ICONIC Dirty Dancing lift scene? The plot is adorable and Max minimus was my favorite secondary character!

Was this like a cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie in book form? Yes. But, was it also cute, charming, and steamy? Also yes!

After being jilted by Princess Marie in Princess for Christmas, Maximillian von Hansburg, Baron of Louden, feels adrift and trapped by his future as heir to the Duke of Aquilla. Daniela Martinez is also at loose ends, her best friend Leo has moved to Eldovia, she's soon up for tenure and waiting for her divorce to finally go through. When Max comes to New York to meet the socialite his parents want him to marry, he agrees to be Dani's date to her University department's holiday party, to help her show her ex-husband and his new girlfriend how good she's doing without him.

While Max is interested in Dani right away, she is post-love after her failed marriage and is not interested in being his next hook-up, no matter how charming he is. They strike up a friendship, though, and grow closer as the year leading up to their friend's wedding unfolds.

This is the slowest of burns, but their chemistry sizzles on the page. There are so many things to like about this book - Max's journey as he finds purpose and grows close again to his brother Seb, Max the dog, the minimal tongue-in-cheek reference to Hallmark movies (This bothered me in book 1, but I counted only 1 here), and the influence from Love, Actually (yes, including the title). But it's not all about Max! Dani is a great heroine, and her arc is completely relatable, even if her resistance to Max seems puzzling at times (seriously, he's so charming). The banter between Max and Dani is fantastic.

Knowing the book was marketed as a "Hallmark movie with spice", I did expect a fair amount of tropes and cliches. One of these stuck out: the description of Max's brother Seb, who struggled to come out as gay, in childhood is pretty stereotyped, and it's eventually his coming out that causes their father's heart attack (well, a lifetime of heavy drinking, too).

The big conflict did stick out as uncharacteristic of Max, who is unabashedly honest and forthright throughout the book. It did feel a bit rushed at the end, probably because of the slow burn, but the final scene made it well worth it.

All told, this book gave me the warm fuzzies and I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a great holiday romance.

4/5 Stars

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!**

I love reading this book. It was cute and funny and exactly what I wanted. This is absolutely more of a character-based book. I loved the banter between Dani and Max. These two just had overall great chemistry. I would say if you love cute moments and are more based on the character side, this is the perfect book for you. I would highly recommend it. As I said it was super cute and a very fast read!

Maximillian von Hansburg, Baron of Laudon and heir to the Duke of Aquilla and Dr. Daniela Martinez had met through their friends the year before and now those friends are getting married. They are to be in their bridal party which has them contacting eachother to arrange logistics and such and starts a unlikely friendship since they didn't hit it off in the 1st book (which I need to read cause Leo and Marie's reverse Cinderella story sounds great)

As Dani attempts to get a divorce from her fellow academic husband who took off with a former student (creep) and Max looks for meaning in his life other than his title they get really close as friends. He provides commentary as she tries to select guys to hook up with on Tinder cause she feels ready but no one is right 😉.

There were so many different threads going on with his family, a historical component, her career, their friends wedding, I just enjoyed this. And Max her dog kept stealing the show lol

They went from enemies to friends to lovers.

It was so cute with the Love Actually theme in it since they watched it together. 

Thank you avonbooks and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Sugar, Spice, and everything Christmas. Duke, Actually by Jenny Holiday i is the after-dark Hallmark Christmas story you didn't know you needed. A messy divorce, infamous royal, friends to lover, dual POV, snarky, with the best slow burn. It's the second book in the series but could be read as a standalone novel; feel free to check out A Princess for Christmas to be more invested in the characters. All around, a charming, heartwarming, and laugh-out-loud Holiday story that I am pleased to recommend.

Dani has just finalized her divorce from her cheating husband and Max has been dumped by a princess and sent to find a match for himself. Will the wedding of Princess Eldovia will bring these together? The slow burn and character build are everything and the spice is decent but could be lackluster for those who love a spiceeyyyyy novel. This was just a cute and fun Christmas story with the flair of Royals. I will be going to watch the Christmas prince on Netflix and pretend I too could find myself a handsome duke someday.. i mean I wish right?


⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 - Will be re-reading
🔥 Spice

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon for the advance reader copy.

I completely loved this one! This is the sequel in sorts to A Princess for Christmas.
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In this one Max, the almost Baron has been dumped by the Princess. He is thrilled for her, however unsure what to do with his own life.
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Dani’s best friend is marrying Max’s ex-fiancé, the princess. Together they want to make sure they do their part as they stand Up in their wedding but that is just the side story.
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The main event is how they unknowingly fall for each other, as they become best friends. The movie Love, Actually plays a big, part and it had me in tears. I loved this one!
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Thank you #avon and #netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Dani Martinez is an English professor and soon to be divorced from Vince, another professor, as he has been having an affair with a student named Berkeley. Dani has a little Yorkie named Max and lives in New York.

Dani’s best friend, Leo, is engaged to Princess Marie of Eldovia. At their wedding Dani will be Leo’s Best Woman at the event. In addition, Marie’s best friend, Maximillian (Max) Von Hansburg, will be her Man of Honor. Max is Baron Laudon and heir to the Duke of Aquilla.

Max shows up in New York on business and he and Dani spend some time together. They share their life stories and American things vs. things from Eldovia. He has a reputation as a rake and Dani is determined to not fall for it. Nor does Max try to press anything on her. Everything is purely platonic. They begin to text and call one another and become good friends. Dani has a lovely, warm family in New York and Max enjoys being with them. On the other hand, his own parents are cold and his father is a bullying alcoholic. His younger brother, Sebastian, works hard for the family business and tries to avoid their father.

As time for the wedding draws near, Max sends a private plane to bring Dani to Eldovia so Max, a.k.a., Max, Minimus, can fly over too without needing to be locked in a cage on the flight. Maximillian is nicknamed Max Maximus.

Dani and Max are really becoming hooked up by now but their future together is very uncertain. Now, is when readers (like me) are on the edge of their seat rooting for them to become a couple.

I was really drawn into this story and found it delightfully entertaining. There is lots of humor and also lots of food for thought as we see the different characters face uncertain times in their lives. Ah, but the humor is the best. I loved this book!

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

ARC provided by Netgalley.

This is the first book I have read by Jenny Holiday and I will be seeking out her other titles.

The characters in the book were authentic and the slow burn ensured that you didn't want to put the book down.

A great holiday feel to the book

If you are looking for a Christmas romance to read this season Duke, Actually be Jenny Holiday is the book for you. Think of it as a Hallmark holiday romance with some extra spice to make it more interesting and modern. It has lots of great tropes: slow-burn, friends-to-lovers, NYC in Christmas time, and royals. Even though I didn't read the previous book, A Princess for Christmas, I adored Duke, Actually. And now I want to read the first book too!

An absolutely charming Christmas romance with a Hallmark feel... but spicy! Acquaintances to friends to lovers with doses of silliness and seriousness and a faraway European kingdom.

Many holiday romances feel jammed into a week or four around the holidays. This one gets to stretch out in the time between two Christmases, allowing for a real friendship to develop and a slow burn to burn slowly. Which is delicious. And there's the delightful silliness of Dani's dog and the MMC having the same name - Max.

But it's not all sweetness and light - Dani is in a drawn out divorce with her manipulative almost-ex-husband who is in the same academic department as her. Max appears as her knight in a well cut suit to rescue her at not one, but two faculty parties. Max, meanwhile, is grappling with what direction his life will go and the fall out of years of childhood abuse by his alcoholic father, the Duke.

An excellent holiday read all around.

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

Duke, Actually

A Novel

By: Jenny Holiday

Avon and Harper Voyager

Avon

Publish Date 16 November 2021

#DukeActually#NetGalley

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for allowing me to read and review this book.

Good Reads Synopsis:

Maximillian von Hansburg, Baron of Laudon and heir to the Duke of Aquilla, is trapped. Under pressure from his domineering father, he must marry a suitable bride before he inherits a title that feels like a prison sentence. In New York to meet a prospective wife, he ditches his responsibilities and appears on Dani Martinez’s doorstep. He’s been intrigued by the no-nonsense professor since he met her at the Eldovian royal wedding and is determined to befriend her.

Newly single Dani is done with love—she even has a list entitled “Things I Will Never Again Do for a Man”—which is why she hits it off with notorious rake Max. He’s trying to escape relationships, and she’s resolved to avoid them at all costs. All they want from each other is friendship and a distraction from their messy lives.

As their bond begins to deepen, so does their attraction, until they end up in bed together. Falling in love was never part of the plan—Max’s family doesn’t see Dani as a perfect match, even as his heart tells him she’s the one, and Dani isn’t sure she can make it in Max’s world. Can they find the courage to live they life they desire, even if it means risking everything?

Review:

I gave this book 4 stars. I had a great time reading this book. This is a slow burn romance and also a friends to lover romance.

This story is about Dani who is going through a divorce and trying to fix her life. Her best friend is off in another country getting ready to marry a princess. Yes her best friend is a guy. She has met the guy who was suppose to marry the princess and they strike up a friendship. He helps her to finally get her soon to be ex-husband to finally sign the papers.

She is afraid to get into another relationship but finds herself not able to have random sexual encounters with men she has met from an app used that propose. She does tell Max this new friend about all her dates because he worries about her.

When it is time for the wedding he invites her to come to his estate for a prolong vacation to relax and work on her book. No strings or relationship attached just friends. She has a great time until suddenly her ex-husband has signed the papers and she feels that she can get into a sexual relationship.

You will have to read the book to find out what happens.

(3.5/5⭐️) This was cute, but a bit slow to get going. I really liked the characters, and I appreciated the character growth the hero went through specifically. But, I felt like we were to presume a lot of background relationship building we didn’t really see, and it made this slow burn hard for me to get in to. I also hadn’t read book one but I think that may have helped me with the characters more. Overall, cute, but I needed more sooner to get hooked.

This was such a joyous book to read. Especially after reading so many fantasy books to just come back and read a good romance book felt really good. I was really glad to see how the main character was latina and that her background and heritage was shown in the book. Watching the relationship grow between Dani and the Duke was beautiful, especially since I'm a sucker for a good slow burn. I honestly could not put this book down !!!

Normally, slow burns aren’t really my thing, but I truly enjoyed this book.

The main characters were introduced in A Princess for Christmas, and I suppose this could be considered second in the series, but I think it works well as a stand-alone. Of course, I say this because I haven’t read the first one, and I found that Holiday managed to give just enough back story on the previous couple so that the reader knew what was going on, but didn’t get bogged down with it.

As I said, this was a major slow burn. What Max really likes about Dani is that she isn’t really impressed by him, especially that he is titled, and she doesn’t bother to pretend she is simply to be polite. At the beginning of the book, he is in New York and trying to get her to meet with him. After a bit of back and forth, she decides to she decides to let him be her +1 at her department holiday party (she’s a lit professor) so that she doesn’t have to face her soon to be ex-husband and his new, young girlfriend alone.

So, we have these two people, who are tied together because their respective best friends make up the couple from first novel. Much of the beginning of their relationship is text messaging and phone calls, and there’s not so much the romantic feels as it is two people developing a solid friendship. Holiday tracks both of them over the following year as they each grow as individuals, while their friendship becomes stronger. The reader can tell they are falling in love, but these two dummies are so focused on protecting their hearts that they miss it.

Amazingly enough, some of the hottest moments are when the pair are merely touching – recreating the Dirty Dancing lift in the lake scene, for example. Holiday crafts passages with short, but deeply longing glances, burning emotion, and strings the reader along until we are just screaming for these two to kiss already!

Naturally, there is the huge misunderstanding at about three quarters of the way through. Without giving anything away, it’s all about communication, folks! As Max says at one point during what he thinks is his BIG SPEECH declaring his feelings, he didn’t begin with the topic sentence to state his argument. He gave Dani all the supporting statements, but failed to mention the most important part of the argument. Therefore, enraging Dani as she completely misunderstands his intentions, and initiates the subsequent breakup.

It works, though. This was not a novel where I was screaming at him to just talk with her, because he was so far in his own head, he couldn’t see the truth of his feelings for her. To be honest, much of the development of their relationship WAS communication. He just bungled his moment, which meant the miscommunication made sense, so kudos to Ms. Holiday for crafting a truly wonderful story.

4.5 stars - Laugh through the holidays with this romcom! Duke, Actually can be read as a stand alone, but it's more enjoyable if you've read A Princess for Christmas, as the main characters come together due to being the best friends of the pair from the first book.

A delightful friends to more story that you won't want to put down. Newly single Dani Martinez is contacted by royal playboy Max von Hansburg when he's in town. The two of them met through their best friends, and quickly form an acquaintance themselves.

With popular film references throughout, I enjoyed their banter most of all, but I also love when there's a deeper side to a character that they rarely let others see. There's spice in this eggnog, so buckle in and enjoy the ride.

Hallmark step aside, this one is going straight to Netflix, where I'd watch it on repeat!

Maximilian is the heir to the dukedom and Dani is a no nonsense professor who caught his eye at a royal wedding in the recent past. Max ditches his responsibilities to meet a prospective bride and hunts Dani down instead as he can't get her out of his head. Dani is going through a divorce and is carefully guarding her heart from hurt again. The two strike up a deep friendship that slowly develops into love.

This was very sweet and charming. It had great banter and some delicious steam and Max was an AMAZING hero. I loved the tiny dash of holiday time in this too.

Definitely a fun read and I look forward to more from this author.

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

I received Duke, Actually by Jenny Holiday through Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review. This was my first book by Jenny Holiday so I was not really sure what to expect. While the ending was not surprising, it was definitely an enjoyable book. I will definitely read books by Ms. Holiday again in the future.

Dani is an almost-divorced professor and enjoys being solo, unattached, and loves her dog Max. She's even created rules for herself with regard to what she will never do again. Her goals are to make tenure and to write, plus be in her BFF's wedding in Eldovia.
In walks Max, not the dog, but an almost-duke from Eldovia, and the BFF of her best friend's betrothed. He's avoiding his family who wants him to marry a suitable bride. While visiting NY, he accompanies Dani to a work function and manages to charm everyone. He has the reputation of being a rake, but he actually isn't--why fight the rumors?
As they spend time together, Dani and Max become friends. She doesn't care about his title and money, and he enjoys being real with her as he tries to find a purpose in life, other than being a duke. They develop a deep friendship, and then more, which gets complicated, especially when feelings are involved.
If they want to make it work, they need to find a way to bridge their different worlds, and an ocean, for a future. It's a huge risk, is love enough?
With a nod to Love, Actually, this book provides a great escape during the holidays!
**Received an ARC from Netgalley**

Such a fun rom com! Off the charts chemistry with a main character you can’t help rooting for, this is definitely spicy Hallmark movie in book form. I loved how lighthearted and sweet this book was, and the ending was perfect. The banter between Max and Dani was amazing, and I loved how they developed a friendship before taking anything to the next level. Definitely a very slow burn, but so worth it! Perfect holiday read. *I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I read Jenny Holiday's A PRINCESS FOR CHRISTMAS last year and tore through it. It was the perfect Christmas romance in that it was well-paced, with dynamic, well-drawn characters, and balanced the cheesiness of a Hallmark movie with the steam of a romance novel. When I got an ARC of DUKE, ACTUALLY, I was so excited to read it as my first holiday read of 2021.

It got me in the mood for the season. *wink* Returning characters Dani and Max are mutual friends of Marie and Leo, the heroine and hero from the first book. When Max is in New York, he reaches out to Dani, who is going through a divorce. As they begin to spend more time together, they form a friendship that consists of late-night calls, personal story sharing, and vulnerable discussions they haven't had with other people. Time passes and soon, their friendship morphs into something deeper, with an intense attraction to boot.

I read this in two sittings. I enjoyed most the banter between Dani and Max and the execution of the plot, which was a bit of a slow burn that felt authentic to real life. Highly recommend you add this to your holiday/romance reading list!