This is my fourth Christmas book of the season, and by far my favorite. I didn't read the first book of the series and I wasn't confused at all. I thought max and Dani were adorable and I loved the slow way they became friends!

I waited until the holidays to read this book to be in the Christmas mood while I read it and I really loved it. I thought I would be getting a generic Christmas story but this book was a lot more than that. I liked that they were genuine friends and their relationship built off that. I really liked it and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun Christmas read.

Great holiday story that doesn't feel like a Hallmark movie-in other words, the story is fully fleshed out and feels more like a modern-day romance set partially at Christmas. (Not that there's anything wrong with Hallmark movies of course-they are just a little more limited in depth than this.)
Dani is a strong Latina professor of literature who is in the middle of divorcing her ex Vince who is also a professor. Vince cheated on her with a student but yet won't sign the divorce papers. Dani realizes that she lost part of herself during the relationship so she makes a list of things that she won't do for a man in the future.
Enter Max-a baron who was supposed to marry the main character in A Princess for Christmas (who instead married Dani's best friend Leo). I didn't read A Princess for Christmas so I didn't feel connected to those characters but I don't know that it was necessary to have read it. Max is suave, sophisticated and a bit of a player.
The chemistry between H/h is great as is the banter. They have a slow burn romance with the steam only developing towards the end of the book. I didn't miss it as the plot moves fine without it.
I loved that Dani was smart and strong and really didn't need a partner. I also loved that Max had a complicated family situation. You don't see heroes with abusive alcoholic fathers too often in contemporary romances like this. It made Max's insecurities more understandable.
I'm not sure if I liked the confusion between them about 3/4 of the way through as it didn't feel true to the characters but it's still a solid 4.5-5 star romance for me.
Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest but late review.

This book started off pretty slow, but about halfway through things started to really pick up. I ended up really loving the characters and the storyline, and it was fun to watch they way they both grew as people and became closer to the people in their lives. I really enjoyed the was that Max and Seb found peace in their relationship at the end. A surprisingly pleasant read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

This book was such a sweet read. I wouldn’t really call this a slow burn, because there was no angst. I don’t think there’s usually a lot of angst when there’s a dual POV. But this definitely had a sweet sweet friends to love aspect that I really enjoyed reading. Seeing these two characters grow individually and as a couple was a great added aspect. The end was a little silly for me, but otherwise this was just a great read !

Let’s make my review short and sweet. Duke, Actually is going to be my favourite holiday read of the year - ever, maybe. It was perfection, everything about it was just perfect. Did I say it was perfect? The best part? That epic, epic tension that builds up to the best steamy scenes. Also, Max Minimus was a huge hit. If you don’t fall in love with Dani and Max, you simply have no soul. (JK but these characters were next to impossible not to love)⁣. This was an excellent 'Hallmark After Dark' novel, except it had such a strong plot, with deeper connections and a deeper dive into real life issues. It was just perfect, so go read it.

Thank you to @avonbooks for a digital ARC and gifted physical book. Thank you @harperaudio for the complimentary audiobook! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Duke, Actually was a fun romcom read! The banter and humor are top notch. It was great to continue in the world of A Princess for Christmas, although I enjoyed this book even more than the first one. The story takes places over a longer time period than just Christmas, but there are some magical holiday moments that would make this a great December read. I enjoyed that Dani is a strong woman who doesn’t disregard her convictions just to have a man. Max (the human) was persistent and upfront and I was all for it. Max (the dog) adds some cuteness and humor to the story as well. The audiobook was great and the narrator did a great job with the various voices and accents. I think my favorite part of the book is the ending, perfect for a movie!

Thank you to the publisher for my review copy.

Be aware. I did not finish this title.

The only reason I did not finish this title is simply....I did not realize it was a series that I had not previously read.
The writing was well done and let's be honest....this premise. Fire. I do not feel comfortable leaving a poor review as I think this would be right up my alley. I am, however a stickler for reading in order so there we have it.

The perfect romance to get into the holiday spirit!
This much anticipated sequel to last years "A Princess for Christmas" does not disappoint. While it contains all of the charm of a Hallmark romance the characters are incredibly well developed and give a refreshing air of realism to the often improbable holiday romance genre.

My Review: I honestly wasn't sure what to expect with this one, sometimes these royal holiday books don't work for me, but this one was everything I ever hoped for in a royal Christmas book! I loved the banter between Max & Dani, the transition from enemies to friends to lovers was so fun to read. I also like that there was a lot of time passing off page so it didn't seem so unbelievable with the sudden rush of romance. I also enjoyed the side characters a lot, turns out that this is the second book in a companion series, but you don't need to read the first one to enjoy it but I will definitely be going back to pick it up! If you are looking for a fun, romantic comedy for the Christmas season, go pick this one up and I highly recommend the audio book version too!

My Rating: This book was so fun to read, it gave me grown up Princess Diaries vibes with a Christmas flair and a lot more banter. It was easy to slip into at the end of a long day and get a good giggle while at it. I give this one a rating of Four Paws and a Stump Wag! This is definitely a contender for top Christmas book this year and maybe even in the top books of the year over all!

I did not realize this was a sequel when I selected it but it is easily read as a stand alone, I am now going to search out the first book, which has both Dani and Max in it as side characters.

Dani is a professor in New York who is exiting a difficult marital situation. .
Max is a baron (Not actually a duke yet, which is a recurrent theme/joke in the book) with a reputation that precedes him.

This was an enjoyable read. The main characters are three dimensional and their interactions were engaging. I liked them both quite a bit. The dialogue was well done as was the developing relationship. It's very much a friends to lovers but starting out with them not even being friends was a great twist! The book showed how the friendship developed and deepened and I thought that was very well done.

This book touches on family dynamics, found family, fraught family relationships, privilege and more. There is character self awareness and significant character growth. The slow reveals were well done.

I think the emotional past they both bring to the relationship was rendered well, as was their support and commitment to their friendship. It kept me interested and involved. It was written in a charming and approachable way.

My one caveat: There is a scene with a side character (Max's brother Sebastien) that is fraught, not due to the reveal itself, but the plot device used in the aftermath of that reveal. Max and his brother both make important revealing statements in that scene and it is unclear which one definitively precipitates the event that follows but as I reader I truly wish it hadn't followed directly after Sebastien's statement.

My thanks to NetGalley and Avon/Avon Harper Voyager for this eARC. This is my honest and unbiased review.

A baron and a woman who has turned her back on love find something magical in Duke, Actually by Jenny Holiday. This delightful book delivered all the feels and trimmings, making it the perfect holiday romance this season.

With a nod to Love, Actually one of my favorite holiday movies, i couldn’t help but read Duke, Actually. Even though I didn’t read A Princess for Christmas book one in the series by the same name, I had no trouble slipping into this one.

Maximillian von Hansburg, Baron of Laudon and heir to the Duke of Aquilla is the ex-fiancée of the princess. Now worries though, the two are best friends. Dani Martinez is best friends to the groom and lives in New York. She has sworn off men, especially rakes like Max…but an unexpected friendship develops when he is sent to NY for family business.

This was such a fun story with a slow-burning romance that begins with doubts, turns into friendship and blossoms into more. I laughed, pulled my hair out, and cheered my way through the story as we traveled back and forth between Aquilla and New York.

A pup, family issues and responsibilities combined with their best friend’s wedding offered a delightful story. Holiday allowed the characters to grow, find themselves and happiness. Her secondary characters addressed serious matters, added humor and enhanced the overall tale.

If you love sweet romances with all the feels of a Hallmark or Netflix original, you’ll want to curl up with Duke, Actually.

Amazon | Aud

Duke, Actually was such a cute romance! I didn’t think I’d like Max as much as I did, but he was so charming and witty, and I totally get why Dani would fall for him!
Though this is a sequel to A Princess for Christmas, you can read it as a standalone! And though there are some holidays mentioned, I don’t know that I would characterize it as a holiday romance as much. However, the story is cute, and I liked the progression. Usually, friends to lovers isn’t my favorite trope, but I loved these characters so much, and seeing them go from friendship to love was highly entertaining.
Dani is great. She’s an intelligent, driven person who has been hurt and thus, has quite a lot of baggage. Max has baggage of his own, and I liked how they each dealt with it in almost completely opposite ways. The two of them together was excellent, and they had so much chemistry. I have to admit that Duke, Actually had me screaming, “oh my god, just kiss already,” but the slow burn made sense. I’ve already mentioned my love for Max and how witty he is. I loved any scene in the book where there was dialogue between him and Dani because I couldn’t wait to see what he would say!
This is a wonderful rom-com with two fantastic characters that I loved reading about.

This was a cute story. Dani and Max were perfect together. He showed her that good men stood up for women (unlike her ex) and she proved to Max that she was the perfect woman for him. I should have read the first book to understand what happened to Max (being dumped for an NYC cab driver...yikes!), but that didn't take away from the story at all. Dani and Max took us on a wonderful journey to their HEA and it was fun to follow.

I think I liked the idea of this book more than I enjoyed the process of reading it.

On paper, this ticks all my boxes. Person of color. Sexually liberated (and liberal) counterpart. Slow burn. Baggage that plays into the relationship in ways that are obvious to the characters <i>and</i> the reader. We even got strong friendships supporting the characters. And even a nerdy subplot/hobby that connects them together too. And yet…

Something just fell flat for me. I feel like a lot of the emotion was told to me rather than shown, so I didn’t completely buy into the connection between the two and the complexities of their characters. But it’s worth mentioning that I might not feel the same if I’d had the pleasure of reading the first book and had some context.

Overall, cute story. I think I just wanted more from it.

Duke, Actually, was actually good. I generally do not read contemporary romance novels, and if I do, I will avoid aristocratic themes. I found both main characters to be enjoyable.

I was very surprised with how the Christmas and the Actually part were executed by the author. You were not beaten over the head with either one, but they were there when useful to the story.

Can Jenny Holiday write a bad book? I think not! This one has everything you want and it went a long way to get me out of a reading funk I thought would never leave!

A Princess for Christmas was one of my favorite holiday reads last year, so when I saw there was a sequel, I was beyond excited. I’m very happy to say Duke, Actually exceeded my expectations and I loved it. I mean with all of the Love, Actually references, how could I not love it?

Max, heir to Duke of Aquilla and Dani’s best friends are getting married… and it’s a royal wedding. They start to form a friendship that is a distraction from their crazy lives. But as an attraction starts to grow things get complicated, their lives aren’t compatible and Dani isn’t sure she can hang in Max’s world.

This series reads like a Hallmark movie with steam and I love it. The banter between Max and Dani was amazing and the humor Max the dog provided made me so happy. I also loved the random pieces of pop culture intertwined throughout the story (especially all the parts Love, Actually played).

This is definitely going to be at the top of my holiday reads of 2021!

Thanks o Avon Romance for the gifted copy.

A great romance in the A Princess For Christmas universe, with fantastic characters! I definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC form the publisher.

I thought that this book was cute and executed the parameters of the romance genre well. I appreciated the plotline about the protagonist's ex. It was able to show her emotional growth. Daring to be happy in the face of someone who hurt you is never easy. This book was entertaining, but didn't really push any boundaries. I think this is a good read for established fans of the genre who want a story about emotional growth and a really idyllic happy ever after.