This was a really promising book. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the holiday vibes. It was also very cute and everything I hope for in a rom com novel. However, things did start to get a little jumbled at the end, and there was a lot of miscommunication with the characters. I loved the characters at the start, but they somewhat took a nosedive towards the end. It was a fun read overall, but there was some confusion there for sure.

This book was so cute! I loved the first book in this series and was so excited to read this one too. I am so glad it lived up to my expectations. It is a slow burn friends to lovers romance, but I found it worked very well. I highly recommend checking this series out!

This was a festive and fun friend's to lovers romance that I absolutely fell for. Max and Dani had great banter that kept me laughing throughout and their slow burn romance had me anticipating the moment when they finally gave in. I highly recommend y'all pick this one up and swoon along with me.

Duke, Actually is a fun contemporary romance novel that combines a holiday and a royal wedding. On a trip to New York to meet a prospective bride, Maximillian von Hansburg an actual baron and heir to a duke, meets Dani Martinez and smart and intriguing college professor. They develop a perfect friendship but when they develop deeper feelings, things become royally complicated.
This is a cute novel that blends its romance tropes well. It is a light, fluffy read and will be enjoyed by fans of Jenny Holiday. If you’re looking for a Christmas romance with a royal twist, this is a great choice. 3.5 stars.

Duke, Actually was frothy and fun and sweet just like a seasonal coffee! It warmed my heart and made me smile even in the heat of summer! If you're a fan of hallmark holiday movies, then this one is for you!

New York City during Christmas is so atmospheric. It's the perfect setting. I didn't read the first in this series but I was able to jump into the plot without missing a beat. But one thing is for sure, if you don't like typical romance tropes you will not like this. This book has a few-friends to lovers, normal person marrying royalty, happily ever after, etc. This book is exactly what you expect. A FEEL GOOD romantic comedy that gives us that perfect warm fuzzy feeling we love around the holidays. The author does a great job of slowly building Dani and Max's relationship. It's a very character driven story so liking and rooting for these characters was key. It was a good mix of family drama and Hallmarky cheesiness for me. Plus, I loved the subtle nods to Love Actually and unexpectedly Dirty Dancing (when you read it, it'll make sense).

This contemporary royalty romance between a biracial American academic and a European baron was the first book I read this year and it was charming. I loved how their relationship became a solid and supportive friendship before it turned romantic. There were a few things at the end that I didn't care for, but overall, this was a delightful book.

The author makes a comment along the lines of "a Hallmark movie but with spice" and that's exactly what this it. It's a really enjoyable slow burn that brings plenty of heat when the couple finally gets together. It was a pleasure to be on the journey with these character, watching how their friendship blossoms and turns to love. Max was a wonderful character. He had great depth and was someone I really wanted to see find happiness. I hadn't read the first book in this series but I had no problem falling in love with these characters. It's a bit of a holiday story without being filled with typical Christmas cliches, so it's easy to pick up and enjoy this novel anytime of the year. I can't wait to read the rest of this series.

This is an excellent novel for those who enjoy Bridgerton but want more wit and fun with their regency book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to delight in this eARC novel.

The best holiday romance I read in 2021. I don’t read much royal romance, but I fell in absolute love with these characters. Cannot recommend strongly enough.

As a sequel to A Princess For Christmas this was definitely a fun jump back into that world. My main drawback was that while the first book took place exclusively at Christmas time this book didn’t, it starts and ends at Christmas with the majority of the book and romance development happening over the course of the year. So as a romance book I definitely enjoyed it but definitely wish it leaned more heavily into the holiday aspect like the first one.

I adored this. Partly, because it contains many of my favorite things:

Christmas romance in a snowy place
A traumatized hero trapped between love and family duty
A brainy, flawed heroine learning to find joy after divorce
Cultural differences that are often hilarious
Chosen family, including a very gay subplot
Sex positivity
A cute dog
An attempt to acknowledge and mitigate the terrible sources of rich people’s money
An understanding that the movie Love Actually is a tragedy with messed up dynamics, not a rom-com

I can’t believe I enjoyed this fantasy of relaxing wealth so much! The only thing I didn’t love was how the tension between their respective jobs in NYC and Europe were handled. Docking it one star for that. We also don’t see much gooeyness from the couple in the first book in the series, but as I hadn’t read it, I didn’t much care.

If you're looking for a book that will give you all of the warm fuzzies of a Hallmark Christmas movie, this is the book for you! I loved watching the friendship develop and chemistry unfold in this slow burn romance.

This is my first Jenny Holiday book and it will not be my last!

Duke Actually was the perfect holiday read in the vein of The Princess Switch and A Prince for Christmas. I loved the big city girl vs prince trope, and thought the romance was bubbly and sweet.

Falling in love may not have been part of Max and Dani's plan, but it was absolutely my plan when picking up this cute holiday romance, and I was not disappointed. A good old enemies (sort of) to lovers romance that incorporates holiday cheer and good tidings -- what more could you ask for to bring a smile to your face as you sit by the tree sipping hot cocoa? I look forward to reading this one again this Christmas -- it is now in my Christmas romances rotation. Cheers, Jenny Holiday.

I enjoyed this fun romance. It had some deeper issues that it also touched on but was lighthearted and a very quick read.

I can't believe that I waited so long to read this book. I loved the romance and slow burn friendship that turned friends to lovers. I loved that he listened to her and accomplished his goals along with her goals. I loved that they fell in love and wanted the best of each other. I loved his brother. Great story.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. However, I feel like I missed a bit of the stuff going on because I never did read the book that came out before this one. There was stuff mentioned that I didn’t really fully grasp but, that’s more on me picking up the second book first instead of it being the books fault. This was quite a slow burn, and by the time they actually got together I was ready to throw my kindle at the wall. But overall, a good romance book and I would recommend.

Jenny Holiday is a new-to-me author and to be honest, I did not expect much from this book. I tend to stay away from holiday or Christmas romances, simply because they feel too cheesy, however, this book was beautifully written and contained the perfect amount of "holiday cheer". Although I haven't read the first book in the series, A Princess for Christmas, I had no probably loving this book. I'm now motivated to go back and read the first that I missed. Even if holiday romances aren't normally your jam I definitely recommend this book.

Jenny Holday can do no wrong. The audio of this book is excellent. I really love this holiday series. Jenny was a guest in the podcast where she promoted this book.