I have been wanting to read Alexis Hall for ages! This was such a wonderful love story and I truly appreciate more diverse representation in a historical romance setting.

How does Alexis Hall do it? He can write contemporary romance, fantasy romance, and now historical romance??? I'm mad jealous. And this is such a painfully poignant/beautiful story. The set-up is SUCH a good one -- they were childhood best friends/partners on the battlefield! She was injured and left for dead at Waterloo, and took the chance to rebuild her life as the woman she's always known she was; he was left broken by her "death", and can only be saved by her returning to his life. They reunite, but he doesn't know the truth of her identity! She has to decide if it's worth the risk of revealing her secret (and chancing the destruction of her new life), risking it all for regaining his love and trust! Godddd, it's SO GOOD. Beautiful, angsty, overflowing with emotion. Hall's writing is often poetic and heart-breaking, and it's just so nice to see a trans romance unfold in a historical setting (since trans folks have always existed!!). I've been selling this to customers left and right, and won't rest until all of my friends have read it, too! Absolutely adored this one.

Oh my this was good! I knew it would be good and yet I was still floored by just how good. Alexis Hall is a hilarious writer and while this book is emotional and full of longing it also is a lot more funny than I thought it would be.

I was so invested in Viola and Gracewood and seeing them work towards an HEA was so heartwarming.

Also that epilogue was so good and killed me in the best way!

I have yet to find a Alexis Hall book I don't like.

Alexis Hall has a way of hitting emotions. I rarely cry in books and now 2 of there books have made some tears.

We need more queer historical romances that give off that Bridgerton/Harlequinn vibes. I like that this book shows a trans women in a historical romance just living her life and having her happily ever after.

Why it is not a 5 star. It took me forever to read. The pacing felt off. there were scenes that keep me interested and entertained and then suddenly it would be a bit boring .

A delightful Regency romance that blends humor, wit, and charm in equal measure. The story follows the unlikely romance between Lady Rebecca and the Duke of Warwick, two characters who couldn't be more different. Rebecca is a spirited and unconventional woman who challenges the norms of society, while the Duke is a brooding and reserved man with a tragic past. As their pasts intertwine their futures do as well. A must-read for fans of Bridgerton and LGBT romance!

This is so late, but this book had EVERYTHING I wanted and more. I originally received an ARC of this and I was so excited for it, but never got around to reading it, unfortunately. I wanted to support the author and the book so I purchased my own copy when it came out (and then promptly made it my pick for book club and had multiple other people buy it as well) to make up for it.
A transgender regency romance at its heart, it also speaks to love and trauma and shame and societal expectations and being a little selfish in order to grow and be happy.
This book had me giggling and kicking my feet and blushing and crying and underlining a million passages. If you aren’t used to regency era books, it might take a bit of getting used to.
But once you do, it takes off like Viola riding a horse (guess you’ll have to read the book to understand my reference—which i do HIGHLY recommend).
The general consensus I and my book club came to was that this book was just so KIND. It felt so special to me.

A sweeping and heartwrenching (yet also heartwarming) historical romance for the ages!

If you've read Alexis' other historical romances, this has a distinctly different tone and is so utterly beautiful and captivating.

I can't believe I missed this on my NetGalley shelf! I really enjoyed this book. I found the friends-to-lovers with a dash of mistaken identity a really interesting way to handle Viola's transition away from Gracewood. I loved that Gracewood wasn't upset to learn that the woman he had feelings for is trans, either. They're both extremely interesting characters, and I loved watching them fall in love. Miranda and the other side characters were extremely well fleshed-out, something Alexis Hall has always been great at. I always enjoy how their found families interact.

I did think it was a bit slow at times, and I found my mind wandering, but never very far, as I was enjoying the romance and the characters so much. I think this is absolutely Alexis Halls's strongest book, I loved it so much!

I dnfd this book, although I have loved other books from this author, this wasn't for me. It's an unnecessarily long book and I lost interest in this relationship

THIS BOOK! It made me laugh and cry and yell and weep! UGHHH So good. As a loose Twelfth Night retelling, it works. As a pining historical romance, it soars! Gracewood's tough outer shell and Viola's gentleness and humor complement each other so well.

I enjoyed this book immensely! I was dubious about reading a book with a transgender heroine when I first started but that fades into the background. It is about being true to yourself, strength, love and joy.

Quaint, happy, and filled with heart, A Lady for a Duke is a shining example of a new type of inclusive historical romance. I think the concepts, representation, and emotional journeys were all top tier. I laughed out loud a lot and absolutely loved the side characters so much! This book had so much potential and lived up to the hype.

I was so destroyed emotionally by Viola and Gracewood's journey that I had to stop reading to get myself together. Really lovely characterization here, the plot ties well with known historical examples so it feels realistic, and the ending delivered precisely the closure needed for readers and the characters.

This book is a game-changer in historical romance, and in the genre as a whole. It is important and beautiful and written with such care. Nothing is immediate, everything takes time and work. It's realistic and will make you rethink your understanding of what can be done and how we love.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this unique historical romance and look forward to seeking others like it out in the future. This story follows Viola who while at war fakes her death so she can live her life as a trans woman. When this occurred her best friend Justin took her death so hard he turned to laudanum. Viola finally able to return to his life gets to know Justin again. I really enjoyed the writing and found myself chuckling out loud in a few places. I just wished it was a little shorter. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

Love Alexis Hall and this was no different. You don’t see a lot of trans love stories in traditional publishing, and this was was fantastically written with great characters and plot.

Best book I've read this year. The author handled so beautifully and respectfully a trans lead character, imbuing the story with all the emotion and sincerity it deserved, while also giving us all the feel-good tropes of a regency romance.

Whenever I finish a book that I love, the very first thing I do is go back and reread passages that really resonated me. When I did that with A Lady for a Duke, I more or less reread the whole thing.

When Viola is injured at Waterloo she takes the opportunity in recovery to recover as the person she’s always known herself to be. The problem is that she is presumed dead and her best friend spirals into a dark and deep depression without her. When she emerges back into his life, it’s not as he suspected, but still who she’s always been.

I absolutely LOVED this. Alexis Hall captured something so so special with this book. I raved about it for weeks. A trans heroine? A love interest who is not only understanding and supporting but fierce about his love for her? I will shout about this book from the rooftops for years to come.

5 full stars.

Alexis Hall is one of the most creative and interesting writers of genre fiction today. It's so interesting to see how they take the traditional genre tropes and turn them into something new and fresh. Can't wait for more!