Wow. Just wow. I knew I would like this book, but I didn't expect to love it so much. The beautiful writing, the yearning, the humor, the amazing trans rep... This is definitely a new favorite, and I highly recommend it to anyone who even remotely likes historical romance.

A Lady for a Duke is a queer historical romance by Alexis Hall. The ebook version is ~480 pages. We follow our two main characters with a third person, omniscient point-of-view.

Viola Carroll was presumed dead at Waterloo. She decided to take that to her advantage and transition in order to live her most authentic life. However, that also meant leaving behind her wealth and title, along with her best friend, Justinian de Vere, the Duke of Gracewood. Years after the war, their worlds collide again and Viola is saddened to see just how lonely and brooding her closest companion has become.

As a whole, this book was delightful! The author did a great job with creating a nuanced transgender character and also with how the other characters around her regarded her. I am very happy to note that the conflicts in this book were not based around Viola being transgender. I really felt the chemistry between our two lead characters, and both of their growth arcs throughout the book were marvelous.

I really appreciated that this book started out with some content guidance, with the author explaining the context behind some dead-naming and ableist language used in the book. This is very important and I am so glad they included this, and especially so at the beginning of the book instead of in the back in the author's acknowledgements. The back of the book does contain the most delightful Questions for Discussion I have ever seen in a historical romance. This is the first book I've read by this author, however thanks to their sensitivity I absolutely plan to read more of their back catalogue.

Tropes in this book include: transgender heroine, disabled hero, secret identity, friends to lovers

CW: dead-naming, misgendering, ableist language, drug abuse, PTSD

Special thanks to Forever, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book for me to review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

We have a presumed dead, best friend romance here with a trans woman who left her previous name and title away after being declared dead in the war. She's now living as a lady's companion to her sister-in-law and visiting her previous best friend, who has been grief-stricken since he believes his friend died. They reconnect with new understanding of each other and their identities but still have to deal with the societal expectations of him being a duke. This was a very sweet story about finding joy and love with the person you've been connected with your entire life.

An amazing and diverse read full of amazing plot and heart. This book proves that any period genre can be made more inclusive.

Alexis Hall graces us with another great read in A Lady for a Duke. This story makes a slight but wonderfully amazing change to the run-of-the-mill regency romance.

Two friends left for the war, only one returned. Duke Gracewood grieved for his lost friend, returning from the war alone and disabled. In the last two years, he has become isolated in his despair. When Lady Marleigh arrives to Morgencald with her companion, Viola. After a rocky introduction, Viola befriends the Duke, helping to ease him from his laudanum stupor and laugh for the first time in a while. The relationship, unexpected as it is, that develops between the Duke and Viola forms with an ease of those who have been previously acquainted. But when secrets come out, how will their friendship fare?

This story packs a combo of friends to lovers, a trans heroine, regency fiction with a twist, while exploring the complexities that bring people together. The Epilogue is just *chef’s kiss*.

A highly recommended read and one of my most anticipated, and favorite, reads of the year!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Forever for a free ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is everything I've been looking for in the future of historical romance novels. Exquisitely written, deeply emotional, at times laugh out loud funny, and swoony in all the best possible ways. I can't wait to read more historical romance from Alexis.

A Lady for A Duke scooped my heart out. This is a must read for queer adult historical fiction romance fans. The war and her supposed death allowed Viola to come into her own. But it left Gracewood deeply mourning his best friend and lead him into isolation and drug abuse after his injury. So when Viola's sister-in-law endeavors to save Gracewood's sister, Viola begrudgingly attends, scared to see Gracewood again. All of their interactions warmed my heart.

To see Viola so torn apart at witnessing her best friend in such pain. But also to see the ways their souls speak to each other. The ways in which she always knows what to say, is able to illicit laughter, and then love. In many ways, A Lady for a Duke feels like friends to lovers and second chance romance all wrapped into one. Being dual POV allows us to see how conflicted Viola is, while also seeing Gracewood fall in love.

Viola and the Duke of Gracewood have been living their lives separately and reunite after the war. Viola has been living her life as a trans woman. I absolutely loved this book and I would love if every trans woman could get their hands on this book. It was a beautiful story. I felt almost every emotion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc to review.

Thank you so, so much to Forever and Netgalley for providing me an e-arc of this! All thoughts and opinions are still my own.

Wow Alexis Hall never ceases to blow me away with their writing. I've read quite a few of their books at this point and I swear they just keep getting better.

This will definitely go down as an all-time favorite historical romance.

If you're new to the genre, this is a super beginner friendly book with a more contemporary style/language.

In this, we're following Violet and Gracewood who have been best friends since childhood. But Violet let everyone believe she'd died in battle in order to live life as herself. But when the two are reunited, memories of who they were compared to who they are, and can be, now sends their lives into a whirlwind.

This book is heart-wrenching, stunningly written, and full of the queer cast I long for in this genre. I fell so in love with both of these characters and their overwhelming love for each other.

Everything about this was beautiful and wonderful and will stick with me forever. Alexis Hall is a must read for any romance lover.

This is, somehow, my first Alexis Hall book, and I feel silly for keeping them in my emergency box for so long because this was so lovely that clearly I need to read all other Alexis Hall books now. ALFAD is very tender, very aching, very romantic, and just so kind and nice to read. Alexis writes that this book is an effort to write a historical romance with a trans woman where the plot is not “this woman is trans,” and I think it mostly succeeds. The book revolves much more around emotions and trust and strength than it does, like, someone shrieking “what if they find out?” and I loved that.

I would say that this book didn’t quite connect all the dots for me - Gracewood in particular felt quite insta-lovey to me, and there are some nuggets of really moving prose that just don’t feel fully integrated into the rest of the book in a way I’m having difficulty explaining, as well as two specific scenes that felt wildly out of place. The second one is the reason this is a 4 star review and not a 5: there’s a scene of violence at the end (not transphobic in origin) that just felt incredibly unnecessary in its intensity that I understand was meant to set up someone as a villain for a redemption arc but just absolutely did not work.

I loved this book, and it’s a book that will do well with the masses and be even more important to people looking for representation of themselves in historical romance. Nobody bother me for the next week, I need to binge all other Alexis Hall books.

I'm a huge fan of historical romance, which is why I was so excited to see one that focused around a trans heroine. It's something we don't see often in romance PERIOD, let alone in historical romance, and I was impressed with Hall's ability to write a story where the main conflict didn't revolve around the heroine's trans identity.

However, I do think the romance fell a little flat for me. For a nearly 450-page book, I expected a painful slow burn or lengthy relationship development, and I felt I had neither. They confessed their feelings about halfway through the story, and then spent the rest of it playing the "We-can't-be-together" game because of the heroine's reluctance (and honestly, it was at that point that I started wishing the story would end).

I was delighted by the side characters. Lady Miranda's entire arc reminded me a lot of the sister's from "A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue", and some elements of the story reminded me of a few of the "Bridgerton" stories, which are some of my favorites!

I would definitely recommend this book for the representation and the clever writing, but I think everyone should be aware that the romance itself drags on for a little while!

If you like messy people who are trying their best A Lady for a Duke is the book for you! It's old skool emotions and tropes without the old skool problems and I love it so.

The good:

- Viola's transness is never in question. A character may be baffled upon learning she's trans and take time to come to terms with it, but they don't negate the fact. There is some deadnaming but it's mentions of the past, never malicious, and in the form of Family Name +/- Title.

- Every scene between Viola and Gracewood is gold. They have quite a history and watching them work through what it means to them and how they can move forward is the interiority I've been craving lately.

- The scenery chewing is nicely balanced with the banter and comic scenes I've come to expect from Hall.

- One could make an argument that the two MCs embody the liberation and compliance spheres of thought in romance, and I'm intrigued.

- While there's conflict all over the place it's mostly outside of the relationship - Gracewood and Viola have to figure out if their relationship can work within the constraints of Regency England. That process is the source of much discontent and angst but under that is knowledge that they love and care for each other in a bone-deep way.

- If you cut your teeth on the old skool romances of the 80s and 90s A Lady for a Duke will bring back familiar feels - over the top emotions! A sudden happening in the last 10% that reinforces their love!


The it-may-not-be-for-you:

- Keeping in the spirit of old skools expect dramatic scenes and purple-ish prose. I love Hall in this mode, but your mileage my vary.


The not-so-great:

- The book could have used tightening to the tune of ~100 pages. A subplot is given too much air and takes away from the awesomeness of of Gracewood and Viola's relationship.

- While Viola's queerness is well-protected I became scared that a questioning, baby queer side character wouldn't have their sexuality validated. I didn't need that stress on top of everything else!

- I received an advance audiobook and the narrator wasn't for me. Hall's humor has a distinct feel, and if the narrator isn't exactly on beat it doesn't come across well. I also wanted more emotion in the voice, considering the emotion in the words, so I ended up sticking with the ebook.


All in all I found A Lady for a Duke to be a transporting, downright enjoyable read with all of the interiority and feels that I've been wanting. A solid four stars!


Content notes: mentions of death and war, deadnaming (in the past, as Family name +/- Title), mentions and reckoning with past abuse, internalized toxic masculinity (challenged), PTSD-esque symptoms on the page, ableist comments, mentions of suicidal ideation, exploration of substance abuse

When I tell you I LOVED every second of this book. It’s not everyday you get a regency romance with a trans main character and Alexis Hall 👏did👏that👏. And he wrote a book where the central conflict has nothing to do with the main character being trans!!! I can tell Alexis Hall put so much love into the characters in this story. I immediately fell in love with Viola and her strength and tenacity and Gracewood is truly the definition of real man. He was secure in his masculinity and his love for Viola through everything. The way Gracewood’s disability, addiction, and PTSD were depicted was also very well done. It is obvious that Alexis Hall really did his homework on this one. I was smiling and giggling through the pages of this book because the romance was just so sweet and pure. I was highlighting like crazy the entire time. I was absolutely swept away by the beautiful writing. Absolutely amazing.

A Lady for a Duke is a queer historical romance that is absolutely breathtaking. Every word spoken by Justin de Vere, the Duke of Gracewood, are like tiny, gentle kisses every time he speaks to Viola. Viola is a women who has forsaken her wealth, her title and her closet friend to be her true self. The romance and the secondary cast of characters will leave a lasting impressions on your heart.

Hall's LGBTQIA and disability representation are so beautifully written bringing depth, joy and all the feels. . This book is truly LOVE.

Thank you Forever and Hachette Audio for the complimentary copy of the e-book and audiobook.

I loved this book so much. I was so happy to get an ARC because this is one of the 2022 releases I was most excited for. We get a trans heroine reuniting with her childhood best friend who thought she had died during the war.

I loved these characters and their story. There were well written and hit all the right notes for me. The PINNING was just *chef’s kiss*. Despite dealing with some heavy topics (see book’s CW), the book never felt heavy. There was the right mix of angst, love, and joy. Viola and Gracewood truly saw each other for who they were, and their transition from friends to lovers was beautiful. Plus I loved how sweet and supportive Viola’s family was. Louise, Badger, and Miranda were hilarious; I laughed every time Louise said anything.

The book did lag a bit in the middle, but then it picked up again.

This book has everything that one could possibly want in a historical romance: witty banter, a dashing Duke suffering in isolation, longing glances, secrets that must be kept, a dash of action, and a gloriously sweet HEA. That it also has what is (to my ignorant eyes) a perfectly written trans heroine is just icing on top of a perfect romance cake.
I knew that Alexis Hall was a master of witty banter, but they have proven that they're also masters of the dramatic tension and longing. The relationship between Viola and Gracewood is full of longing and misunderstanding and the desire to have the courage to go against a society that says a Duke must marry a certain type of woman. But it's also full of witty banter and the easy comradery of a long friendship where friends know everything about each other, even when they're discovering that they didn't truly know each other as well as they thought.
And I'm not going to go into how great the side characters are because it would take way too much time, but trust me when I tell you that there is nothing to find fault within this perfectly sweet and romantic tale.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Forever for this perfect romance read!

I am a big fan of:
1) historical romances
2) queer/trans rep
and 3) Alexis Hall
so imagine my delight when I received an e-ARC for A Lady for a Duke!
This novel centers on Viola, a trans woman who is able to escape her old life and be herself after having been presumed dead at Waterloo. Her childhood best friend, Justin, a.k.a. Gracewood, is overcome with grief and guilt with the belief that she is dead and turns to destructive, reclusive behavior. When they are reunited, a romance blossoms between them that goes beyond the friendship of their youth, but circumstances make it difficult for them to be together.

I loved this novel. It is not often that I see trans characters in historical novels and it was done exceedingly well here. I loved Viola (and I just finished my senior thesis on Twelfth Night so I definitely picked up on the reference!) and I equally loved Gracewood. My heart went out to both of them as they dealt with their inner demons, outward obstacles, and their love for each other despite all of this. They made me feel so mushy inside, and their chemistry was off the charts. I also loved all of the side characters, from Viola's headstrong sister-in-law Lady Marleigh and curious nephew Bartholomew, to Gracewood's imaginative sister Miranda. I would love a sequel based on Miranda (and/or Lady Lillimere). Alexis Hall yet again lived up to my expectations! I highly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Out May 24, 2022 [Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!]

Rating: 5/5 stars

A LADY FOR A DUKE is a friends-to-lovers romance set in Regency-era England and featuring a trans heroine. I could say more, but really you should just read it.

I have been fortunate to be on a 5-star reading streak lately, and this book *still* managed to catapult to the top of a stacked list to become one of my favorites of the year (and maybe ever). I went into this for the trans representation in a historical romance and definitely got that, but also got so much more, including disability rep, a gorgeous friends-to-lovers story, absolutely hilarious banter, incredibly thoughtful and poignant reflections on gender/identity/ableism and more, plus a new favorite book boyfriend in Gracewood.

Without giving away too much of the plot, I also adored that the third act tension was largely external (I wish this were the case in more romances) and the epilogue was the pitch perfect amount of closure while still leaving room for a sequel/spin-off (PLEASE, I need Miranda’s story!) I was also thoroughly entertained from beginning to end, and actively wished the book would just keep going so I didn’t have to leave this world and these characters. In short, this was my first Alexis Hall read but it *definitely* will not be my last.

Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: diverse representation in historical romance; friends-to-lovers; dynamic supporting characters.

CW: Ableism; deadnaming; mental illness/addiction/PTSD; grief; physical disability/war injury; mentions of child abuse; kidnapping.

ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Forever Publishing for the opportunity to do so!

Summary
After nearly dying in the Battle of Waterloo, Viola is given a chance to let who she was die and emerge anew as her true self. However, she finds that her oldest and dearest friend has fallen into the pitfalls of grief thinking that she is dead. Through friendship and love, the two find their way through society and back to one another.

Review (Light spoilers, so be warned)
Overall, I really liked this book. I've rarely come across a romance-never mind a regency era/period piece romance-with a transgender character that doesn't center their trans identity as the main conflict of the story. Viola being a trans woman is a portion of this story, yes, but it is by no means the focal point of the plot or the only defining characteristic she has. I think Hall did an amazing job executing this. Gracewood, Viola's friend and love interest (and other main character), also has an amazing character arc that sings true to the struggles of grief and PTSD. While it does take until the 50-60% mark to begin their relationship, the two of them are absolutely adorable together. All of the main supporting characters are amazing as well, and there is plenty of funny banter to go around.

My only complaint about this book is that it is very slow-paced, and the language tends to drag on from time to time. However, I cannot stress enough that this is merely personal preference-this is very typical for a regency-era romance, and those who are well versed in the genre will likely not bat an eye at it. Nevertheless, I like my romances slightly faster-paced, but that is just me!

Conclusion
I give this book 4/5 stars - the transfeminine representation is absolutely outstanding and unlike anything I have read before. While I do like them from time to time, I've grown weary of reading stories of queer characters being persecuted for or otherwise struggling with their identity. It's so refreshing to have a story where the representation is there but is not a major point of conflict. I want happy LGBTQ+ characters!
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes regency-era romances and/or anyone who is looking for a good queer romance. For the latter, be aware that it is a bit slow/has flowery, period-typical language, but is overall an amazing story!

Heat Factor: A little bit of feisty bedroom action in an otherwise very gentle book
Character Chemistry: So. Much. Angst.
Plot: How to buck oppressive expectations + Interrogating gendered expectations
Overall: I expected this book to make me cry, and it totally did not.

This book is absolutely perfect for a book club. I cannot tell you how much I want to discuss the themes of this book with a group of people who would also be interested in meaningfully discussing them. I want to talk about all of the questions in the book club discussion section at the end of the book. I am very annoyed that I read this book by myself because now I don’t have that.

Did I like the book? Well, that’s an entirely different question, isn’t it?

Before I get started, please just don’t with any “it’s not realistic” because all that’s doing is demonstrating a serious lack of historical understanding, as well as a lack of understanding of how fiction works.

As I was reading this book, I was texting my fellow Smut Reporters for little check-ins because, for one, Ingrid is really good at psychology and for two, Holly read Something Fabulous with me and could understand some of the parallels I was drawing, and finally, we have been discussing gentle romance and emotional responsibility amongst ourselves A LOT lately. This book is throwing a ton of stuff at the reader, so if you’re already interrogating emotional responsibility and gendered expectations in your personal life, you might a) really feel connected to this story or b) really feel like it’s a lot on top of everything else. The fact that I already wanted to discuss some of these things as I was reading is, to me, a great indicator that this would be an excellent discussion book, and honestly, so does the fact that I had big enough feelings while reading to have rationality check-ins with the Smut Reporters. But I also didn’t connect with the book emotionally in a swoony or heart-eyes way because I was very busy having my brain process all the arguments being thrown at me.

I usually devour an Alexis Hall book, but this one was slower-paced and a slow read for me. In the first third or so, we’re focused on Viola hiding her identity from Gracewood, who has been depressed and suffering from PTSD since Waterloo and the loss of his best friend there. This section was too much for me. The level of “I have no right to ask this of you, but still I want to” was exceptionally frustrating, and I wanted to yell, “JFC, just own your damn feelings already, not everything needs to be an emotional burden!” For example, the following conversation might not be at all objectionable on its own, but what if nearly every conversation the protagonists had up to this point had almost all the same emotional beats?

“I would have said I was proud of you too, but it seemed presumptuous.”
“And now I feel I fished for your praise.”
“Not at all— I wanted to tell you how... how I admire what you’re doing. I just couldn’t find the words.”

In fairness to the characters, Viola is struggling with keeping secret the fact that she has a whole history with Gracewood as her former identity, and Gracewood is struggling with his perceived weakness in showing his emotional hurts to Viola. It makes sense that they’re dancing around each other a little bit, but also, it’s kind of like being on the Twitter TL where someone is clearly trying to put every imaginable caveat out up front so they don’t get pilloried for making a simple statement. Which is exhausting.

In the second third of the book, we’ve got the fallout from Gracewood’s discovery of the entirety of Viola’s identity. I found this section to be extremely engaging, not least because Viola and Gracewood finally stopped dancing around each other and just started talking to each other. After having a big fight. I read Gracewood’s side of that argument differently than Hall envisioned it (and I believe this because of the way the argument pans out, and who takes responsibility for what, and who is expected to take responsibility for what), which caused a whole other conversation with the Smut Reporters about emotional responsibility and how we should or shouldn’t take ownership of emotional hurts. But the characters were able to move forward, so I did, too, and the way they negotiated a new relationship had me on the edge of my seat.

Then came the final third of the book, and, you know, characters had been introduced, and I knew that something was coming, but what actually came was something of a surprise. A little bit bananas, but then it’s Alexis Hall, so why shouldn’t it be a little bananas? The resolution of Gracewood’s and Viola’s relationship was also really lovely. (With the added benefit of not belaboring and angsting over their options or lack thereof in the latter half of the book.) And Hall actually included an epilogue, which is very unusual for him, but which I really appreciated in view of all of the hopes these two had for their future in a space where achieving those hopes was not necessarily assured, even as we could see the possibilities before us.

If you want to read a deliberately progressive historical romance novel, I think I really would recommend reading this one. I still have very mixed feelings about the book for myself, but I absolutely do not regret reading it, and I only wish I had read it with friends so I could hash out all my thoughts and process all these ideas running through my head.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.