Well I was very pleased with this story. Martin and Julia shined through the whole book. The writer offered plenty of moments in the book we’re the reader enjoyed the honest humor from some of the characters. Modesty is my favorite character I think. I love some of the characters names, such as Modesty and Patience, Charity.
I also noticed it was the ladies who received these names. I like how the story flowed along. I enjoyed that the story didn’t slow or take a turn on the bland side. The entertainment was splendid and exciting. I give praise to the writer at a great job with this romantic story.

I adore this book. Julia/Jules and Martin (our h and H) are so captivating making them easy to relate to and the storyline is strong and fully formed. You have to set back and chuckle at the antics that Julia gets herself into. The two of them are a perfect match. Now before they can ever find their happily ever after there is deception, family problems, sizzling romance and love. From page one the book is entertaining and a fun read it was as if the pages flew by. I highly recommend this read.

I was gifted this book as an ARC and this is my voluntary and honest review.

A Duke, by Scot has all the elements for a laughable romance. Our sweet heroine, Julia, gains employment with the Duke of Dunscaby as his steward. Julia is trying to pay her father’s debts and keep their family home. The duke, Martin, finds his new steward to be excellent at ‘his’ job, but very effeminate. The duke is adorable perplexed about half the time when with Julia/Jules. There were times I just wanted to laugh at his alpha male personality being confused by his small steward.

Martin’s mother and sister help this romance along as a duke’s family and their expectations. The oldest daughter, Charity, realizing fairly quickly what is going on after a mishap, joins in the fun of ‘besting’ her duke brother. Of course, there is a villain/money lender trying to take the family home away from Julia who causes enormous problems.

Amy Jarecki brings it all together for an adorable beginning of the MacGalloway series. There are some fantastical moments that make this a light-hearted romance any one will enjoy.

This is my first book by this author, and I'm excited to say that I quite enjoyed it! The premise was unique, yet had all of the regency elements that I love. I found it well written, with a good pace that kept me engaged the whole time.

I absolutely adored Julia/Jules - she was a resourceful, intelligent female lead full of grit and determination. Despite her financial situation not being her fault, she took on the responsibility of saving her and her father from ruin by donning men's clothing and taking a job as a steward for the Duke of Dunscaby, Martin. Martin himself took on the burden of responsibility in a different way when his father dies and he has to take on the reigns of dukedom, leaving his bachelor life behind.

Given that Julia is acting as Jules, it's no wonder that this book has a fantastic comedic element to it. There were quite a few scenes that had me laughing out loud, and that can only ever be a good thing. Overall, this was a really enjoyable read, with a unique take on regency romance with a dash of Scottish culture. I recommend giving it a try!

I found this to be very entertaining, a good read but sadly unbelievable and a storyline that was very predictable and overdone by many authors in the past.
Likes- I love Amy Jarecki novels, she is a good writer and will always tell a great story no matter how overdone it may have been.
I like Julia/Jules for being a strong character who took matters into her own hands.
The villain was well done and added the right amount of angst to the heroine.
Martin's sisters were all well done and I cannot wait for their stories.

Dislikes- Martin- for being a typical alpha male and a snobby duke I found him dumb. He just seemed spoiled to me and how he could not figure out that Jules was Julia I'll never know. Now of course this falls back on the author- I could not take Julia seriously when as Jules because of how petite and womanish she was.
The Scottish speak used came off as stereotypical and overdone, I expected better from this author.
Many parts of the book fell flat and were a bit mundane.

As mentioned, I love Amy Jarecki novels but this is not one of her better ones. I would recommend it though just for a lighthearted, entertaining story.
I received an advanced copy in exchange for my review

Book: A Duke by Scot
By Amy Jarecki

Book: A Duke by Scot

Series: The MacGalloways, Book #1

Release Date: October 19, 2021

Publisher: Oliver Heber Books

Overall Rating: 5/5 Stars/Saltire Flags

Musselburgh, Scotland
1811
Martin MacGalloway, Duke of Dunscaby had the reputation of being the most recognized rake in all of Great Britain! Due to his fathers unexpected death he heads to Scotland and also finds his inheritance is in a total mess! Yet all his siblings are depending on him to fix everything like a magician! As his sisters have no luck finding husbands now and his brothers are depending on him os being their backer financially! So this financial headache is huge and he can’t fix it alone!

Lady Julia St.Vincent is poverty stricken and is desperate so she makes the decision to disguise herself as a man to get employment. She is accepts a position as the steward of Duke of Dunscaby. She wasn’t expecting to be immediately attracted to her charming, kind and attractive employer and it’s extremely hard to hide her womanly feelings. Plus the more time in his company the more her feelings grew for his Grace and she has set herself up for an enormous heartbreak. After all no man likes to be lied to or made a fool of. What will happen when this dashing Duke finds out the truth? Will he understand or send Julia out into the cold streets without even a goodbye?

Now Martin takes a liking to the little man and shows him place ladies would never ever . be allowed to step in. For Julia this is total morbid embarrassment and she does not know what to do about it. After these debauchery and wild places which would be normal for two single men but not for lady Julia plus her heart is breaking for a man she can never ever have. Until she finds herself in the perfect situation at a masque where she can finally kiss the Duke with everything in her tender heart. What will happen when the truth comes to the surface? Will the Duke be understanding or feel the ultimate betrayal? Read and find out what the future holds for Martin and Julia.

Another Amy Jarecki phenomenal read which immediately had me swept away in this brand new fun series! I story that will capture any readers romantic heart! It was a fast moving story that I couldn’t put down and especially witty in so many scenes, Of course I was cheering for the heroine and hoping she gets her biggest desire. Does she? Readers will have to read this riveting, fast paced, awe-inspiring, romantic, historical adventure and find out.

Another spectacular Amy Jarecki book that I highly recommend!

Disclaimer: I received an advance reader’s copy from Oliver-Heber publishing. I voluntarily agreed to do an honest, fair review and blog through Netgalley. All thoughts, ideas and words are my own.

Buy Links:
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Lady Julia St. Vincent must save her home and pay off her father's debt. Her only option is to dress as a man for a job as a secretary and steward using the name Jules Smallwood. Located in Scotland, her employer is Martin, Duke of Dunscaby. Smallwood is small and delicate. The Duke only sees a young man who needs to toughen up. Martin does very well taking care of his mother, four brothers, three sisters and various estates, but Julia as a lady upsets his balance.
A lady juggling two lives, makes for complications. Laugh out loud, steamy encounters and a confused Duke determined to catch the lady. Add to your TBR list.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. A Duke By Scot is the first book in Amy Jarecki's new series The MacGalloways. Lady Julia St. Vincent, daughter of the Earl of Brixham, is in a desperate state, her father has become indebted to a scurrilous money lender and in order to pay off the debt, she takes a job as the steward to the Duke of Dunstan, pretending to be a man under the name of Jules Smallwood. The name is appropriate as both a pun and in relation to Julia's stature. She is tiny, barely five tall, and I struggled with my willing suspension of disbelief that anyone would fall for her ruse. Martin MacGalloway, the duke, inherited a dukedom that is in a bit of a mess and spends quite a bit of time with his tiny steward and does his best to make a man out the wee thing, taking him hunting and boxing and the like. At a masquerade ball thrown by Julia's best friend, she meets the duke as herself and juggles being both the steward and the lady, with the help of the duke's sister Charity. The book was a pleasant read, but I found it to be a typical highland lord romance, nothing special, and just a bit bland. Steam Level: Medium. Publishing Date: October 19, 2021. #ADukeByScot #AmyJarecki #HistoricalRomance #HistoricalRomanceSeries #OliverHeberBooks #HistoricalRomanceReader #RomanceReader #bookstagram #bookstagrammer

❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋

Great read from Amy Jarecki.
This was full of amusing moments and details, the poor heroine pulled from pillar to post trying to do the right thing but still have a life and fall in love.

Our Hero Martin was great and his sisters fun and enjoyable to read too.
I look forward to reading Charity’s story soon.

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review

Fast footwork needed!

I really enjoyed Jarecki’s portrayal of a desperate and daring young woman, Lady Julia St. Vincent, being employed as Jules Smallwood, male secretary to Martin MacGalloway the Duke of Dunscaby. Of course this a situation rife with all sorts of comic possibilities. Hilarity follows quite naturally when Jules’ employer the Duke decides his rather effete young secretary needs toughening up. He’d noticed when they first met,
“The man wasn’t only the size of a jockey, he had to be the bonniest fellow Martin had ever seen. Even his hands seemed inordinately small, well-manicured, and feminine.”
Don’t even get me started on the boxing lesson! All efforts add deliciously to the tension. I was exhausted by Julia’s deft footwork needed as she swept from one charged situation to another. Couple that with the need to occasionally revert to female! Well!
When the Duke walks in on Jules / Julia in the bath we can literally see the Duke befuddlement, wondering where his wits had gone, post that moment when he rather delighted in his male secretary’s back. Yoiks! No wonder the Duke thought it was time for he pursued some form of female dalliance!
Laughable as these comedic aspects of the are, there’s Julia’s conundrum over the demands of the sinister Silas Skinner, an unscrupulous moneylender her holds what’s left of her family property in his vice like grip. Her overriding fear is that this scoundrel blackmailer will destroy all she’s working for before she can repay the loan.
The image of Julia and the family butler working together to save the house is wonderful. The idea of Willaby cutting Julia’s hair to ensure her masquerade, demonstrates the sheer weight of the gambling depts incurred by Julia’s father, the Earl of Brixham. It also tell us us something about these old retainers with what’s left of the Household working as one (Upstairs and Downstairs like) to salvage the situation.
My one complaint is that the latter part became just a tad predictable after its brilliant opening first half.
Not enough however to lessen my enjoyment. A witty, ever changing tapestry of delight.

An Xpresso Books ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Martin MacGalloway, Duke of Dunscaby has well-earned the reputation as the most celebrated rake on the entire isle of Britain. But upon his father’s sudden death, he heads for Scotland where he finds his inheritance in a shambles, his sisters without prospects, and his brothers relying on his patronship. Penniless, Lady Julia St. Vincent daughter of the Earl of Brixham has no choice but to dress as a man and accept a position as Jules Smallwood, steward to the Duke of Dunscaby. Martin instantly develops a fondness for the wee man. While they work together to rebuild the Dunscaby dynasty, they travel to London where Martin takes it upon himself to introduce his sheltered steward to the world of manly pursuits. Julia falls from one mortifyingly compromising situation to another as she pines for a duke she can never have until an old friend invites her to a masque. And there, it takes but one kiss for Martin to stop at nothing in his pursuit of the mysterious woman who has captured his very soul.
The first in a new series & what a hugely entertaining read it was. I loved Martin & Julia / Jules & loved their road to a HEA, there were laugh out loud moments, Martin trying to make a man of Jules had me wiping an eye from laughing. The pace was good & the characters had depth, I especially liked Martin’s sisters & hope they have their stories. If you’re looking for a very well written, fun, entertaining heart warming read then look no further. I devoured this lovely book in two sittings & finished it well into the night.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I really liked this book. The premise of it sounded so interesting to me and it definitely delivered. I really liked our two main characters and their dynamics were amazing. Both when Julia is herself and when she's pretending to be a guy. The only note I have for the relationship is just that I feel like Julia fell a bit too quickly. But honestly, in the end that didn't even bother me that much. I really liked their friendship and later relationship. I loved them as seperate characters. I loved the cast of side characters and even besides the romance this had a very compelling plot. However, there lays my biggest problem with this book. The antagonist just felt a bit too cartoonish for me and their whole reasoning just didn't seem right for me. It was all a bit too much and therefore all the scenes with the antagonist in them just made me roll my eyes and therefore I just couldn't give this book a full five stars.

What a lovely story.
I really liked the twist and the characters were well done.
The writing flowed nicely and was well paced.

2.5 Stars

This is my first Amy Jarecki so I essentially went into this blind simply because 1) the title was great, and 2) the premise sounded fun.

I’m sad to say that I found this mediocre and…novice-y.

The story was juxtaposed by a relatively thorough Regency foundation and then lots of colloquial/modern anachronisms. Linguistic anachronism isn’t something that bothers me overmuch as it’s a lot to ask a writer to accomplish and have a reader enjoy. When writers do have a go at emulating period-speak, it almost always fails for me. But here, it just took me out of the story and didn’t make sense considering the level of detail that was put into this?

In addition to that, despite being a rather prolific writer of Scottish Historical Romance—Jarecki seemed to dilute Scottish culture and its society’s upper echelons to ‘wee,’ ‘och,’ and ‘aye.’ Maybe like a kilt is worn a time or two. I always feel like when that is the gist of what is done to convey “Scottish”… it’s very caricature-esque, and increases the sense that one is reading historical pastiche as opposed to something that is meant to feel genuine. It’s a tricky thing to accomplish,, I get it, and I’m not sure where the balance can be found only that in this instance it left me feeling really confused that this very basic stereotype of Scottish-ness was all that was accomplished? [book:A Thimbleful of Honor|54776715] is the best portrayal of Scottish-culture I’ve encountered in a historical in quite some time, so maybe I’m spoiled. But this felt flat, one-dimensional, and lacking nuance—the Regency-Scottish take.

As for the plot and characters, our MCs never felt fully realized. Their characteristics remained elusive to me. I never felt like I understood who Julia or Martin were, what they stood for, or what their arc was supposed to be. A lot of what they did felt like curve balls that didn’t fit any character arc but just help the plot hit a milestone so the a HEA was accomplished. They felt, honestly, aimless. Which means, naturally, that their blossoming love felt the same.

It was enjoyable enough but when ‘I love you’s’ are exchanged and it feels out of place and random, I think something has gone wrong. But maybe this is just a me thing, loads of readers are enjoying it.

Thanks to Oliver Heber Books for this ARC. All thoughts are voluntarily given, honest, and my own.

A Duke by Scot by Amy Jarecki
The MacGalloways #2

Dire straits require ingenious actions so with the help of the family butler Julia becomes Julian and manages to acquire a job as an estate manager for a Scottish duke. Mr. Julian Smallwood is tiny even as a woman, but s/he is profoundly intelligent and capable as she settles into the job. This book begins a new series that could have eight books in it as there are eight MacGalloway siblings that will eventually need to settle down. It should be a fun series to follow and I am glad I came in on book one.

What I liked:
* Julia/Julian: resourceful, savvy, up to date, aware of economics of the land and within a household, educated, petite as a man and a woman, caring, strong, loves her father, and very interested in her boss who likes her as a tiny man and is intrigued by her when she is a woman.
* Martin MacGalloway, Duke of Duscaby: oldest of 8 children, educated, suddenly thrust into taking on the dukedom, wants the best for his family and estates, kind, a bit unaware at times, a good man and able to listen when it is important
* Getting to meet some of the MacGalloway siblings – some are easier and more fun than the others. Perhaps they will grow and become who they are meant to be as the series continues
* The setting – Scotland is always fun…and the time in England was interesting, too.
* Learning why the bad guy had it in for Julia’s father
* That Martin thought of providing for the future of his siblings
* Watching Julia try to be Julian
* Coming into a new series on book one.
* Knowing there are more books to look forward to.

What I didn’t like:
* Julia’s father being so weak and dissolute
* Skinner…odious man indeed

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in the series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley, Oliver-Heber Books, and the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

A Duke by Scot has one of my fav tropes - the female lead disguising as a man to work with the male lead. Unfortunately this book was not one of my favorites.

Here, Julia disguises as a man to work as Martin's steward and of course :), love blooms. The issues I had with this book started from the instant love Julia had to Martin, how long the deception dragged for (honestly it was very unbelievable), but most importantly my disconnect came because I thought Julia acted too silly for words in many places. Sadly that didn't leave me truly rooting for her or her HEA.

Huge thanks to the Publisher, the author, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Martin MacGalloway, the Duke of Dunscaby is determined to rectify his family’s finances, in order to provide for his siblings and mother. To do so, he needs to appoint a new steward to oversee his business and has success with the timid and slight, Jules. Little does he know that Jules is in fact, Lady Julia St. Vincent, who has had to dress as a man in order to save her father and herself from financial ruin. Yet the more time she spends with Martin, the more she finds herself falling in love with him. Martin is completely unaware of the situation, but by accident, both Martin and Julia meet. Martin is captivated by her and will stop at nothing in his pursuit of Julia.
This was a delightful romance with two such admirable characters. Both Martin and Julia, on their own and together are such great individuals and a lovely couple. I found the dilemma that Julia finds herself in, trying to hide her true self from Martin, very entertaining, especially when she must do it through her counterpart “Jules’. This book takes a steady pace, allowing for a friendship to develop between Martin and Jules, that highlighted the kind-hearted nature of Martin. I look forward to reading more in this series, as I found several of the secondary characters, to be quite engaging.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first book I have read by this author and I really liked it.
Julia has no choice but to dress as a mand and become the steward to pay back her father's debts to a moneylender.
Martin has inherited the title of duke with he passing of his father. The new steward he hired is efficient but effeminate.
I liked the relationship between Martin and Jules ( Julia's alterego). It was fun but it got so much better when Julia met Martin.
The only thing I didn't like is the end felt rushed. I really did enjoy that the disguised worked so well for so long and wasn't discarded too soon
I look forward to Charity's story.

A Duke by Scot is another fun read by Amy Jarecki. The first in a new series, it follows Julia, the daughter of an impoverished and indebted earl, as she dons men's clothing and takes a position as a steward in a duke's household. Her intent is to make the funds necessary to pay back the money lender who holds the deed to her father's estate. She doesn't expect to fall in love with her employer or for her employer to become infatuated with her female identity, who he meets quite by happenstance at a masquerade.

It's a little hard to believe that Martin and everyone else in his household don't see that "Jules" is not a man, especially since Julia is excessively petite even for a woman, topping out at just under five feet. I guess that people see what they expect to see though, and Julia's proficiency at the job helps carry the story that she's a man.

Predictably, Julia's two worlds begin to collide, and maintaining her disguise becomes even more difficult. The moneylender--who is creepy and evil in a very Dick-Dastardly, moustache-twirling way--is quick to figure out her deception and uses it to blackmail her.

Julia's interactions with Martin and his family both as Jules and Julia are fun to observe. Martin is a lovely person (with a Scottish burr, yum), and his eldest sister Charity, becomes a great friend for Julia.

Overall, I enjoyed this book very much, and I look forward to reading the next book in the series, which as I understand it, will star Charity.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!

When her father falls ill, Lady Julia St.Vincent, daughter of the Earl of Brixham, has no choice but to seek employment, to save them from ruin, as her father gambled away his fortune and borrowed money from a most unscrupulous fellow named Silas Skinner. Since Julia has worked as her father’s steward for years, she decides to disguise herself as a man and find a position. She transforms herself into Jules Smallwood and takes the position of steward to the Duke of Dunscaby.

Up until now, Martin MacGalloway, the newly titled, Duke of Dunscaby, has been living it up in London as a rake of the first order, but upon the death of his father, Martin accepts his responsibilities and returns home. Once he does he is surprised to find the estate in disarray and his siblings completely dependent on him – he needs help to shore everything up and isn’t sure the new steward his Man of Business sent is up for the task. But Jules surprises him and he soon finds himself not only respecting the little man but actually liking him too. In fact, he likes him so much, he decides to take him to London and help him become more “manly”.

Everything is going smoothly, Julia is excelling at her job and so far her disguise is successful, but everything changes when they go to London and she attends a masquerade ball as herself and encounters none other than Martin – who is captivated by her. Can Julia keep her secrets or will she lose everything, including the man she loves, but can never have?

This was a fun, well-written, lighthearted story with wonderful characters. The book has laugh-out-loud moments, witty banter, fabulous secondary characters, a really nasty villain, a bit of angst, ending with a HEA. Personally, the disguise trope is one of my least favorite tropes, but this one is well done, but I did find the pace of the story a bit slow and found myself skimming on more than one occasion. All in all, this was a good read and I would happily recommend the book and will be looking forward to the next book in the series!

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*