This was a very nice novella. I liked both of the characters. I didn’t feel much chemistry between the characters but it was a believable match.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Well, this is going to be a short review. Designing His Duchess is a short book, which was both a good and bad thing. The main characters had a history, as when they were children they had grown up together, and had planned to elope to Gretna Green to marry. But the hero never turned up, and later enlisted and fought at Waterloo. Now that he’s returned, and found himself duke following the deaths of his father and elder brother, he asks for forgiveness from the heroine. She has been told she needs to marry by the season’s end, or she will be kicked out of her uncle’s home. However, this part of the plot was never really explored. She hated the hero, but then forgave him in the next chapter. It was a book that may have had potential, but there was so little substance to it, that I couldn’t honestly rate it as any more than 2 stars. And to be honest, I’m not interested in reading anything from this author again.

First, Designing His Duchess is a short historical romance novel. We follow Colin, a young duke, as he navigates society with the goal of finding a wife. But he encounters Juliana, a young lady who doesn't have a lot of options since he let her down years ago. Colin makes a proposition to Juliana to help her find a husband.
Secondly, I enjoyed this story despite its shortness. The characters were great and you could really get into their story. As well as that, the plot was addictive and it was a quick read.
Overall, a great historical novella with a Bridgerton vibe.

Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥
Humor: Just a bit
Perspective: Third person perspective from both the hero and the heroine

Should I read in order?
You don’t have to – but the series has 7 lovely novellas featuring diverse characters so I highly recommend picking them all up!

Basic plot:
Juliana is told by her guardians she must choose a husband herself by the end of the season, or marry a distasteful man 3 times her age. Colin, the man who broke her heart 4 years ago, champions to help her find a husband.

Give this a try if you want:
- London setting
- Regency (1817)
- Second chance romance
- Novella length
- Diversity featured – black heroine (British father/free woman of color from Jamaica mother) with a hearing impairment
- Bargain/repentance – hero wants to atone for his actions to he says he will help her find a husband
- Lower steam – 1 full scene
-Prodigal hero returns after 4 years away


My thoughts:
I really enjoyed a lot about this story and I would definitely try more from Gabrielle Carr, as this was my first by her. I loved the Juliana and was really rooting for her happiness throughout the story. Colin, well, I enjoyed him but we’ll say that I thought his reasoning for doing what he did was bologna and I wouldn’t have forgiven him nearly as easy!

I do wish a bit more had been spent on featuring Juliana’s deafness as it kind of stopped being mentioned half way through the book or so (I have a son with speech apraxia and we are learning sign language and I have a friend with a deaf son and I just love seeing that featured in HR!)

Overall, a pleasant little novella!

The whole book felt extremely rushed - there wasn’t any room for character introspection or growth, so I didn’t really connect.

this book was ok but it was really short. Juliana Drake is told either find her a man to marry or risk marry an old man that her uncle will force her to marry. Colin Latham, Duke of Herstshire broke Juliana's heart four years ago. He promise to help her find a husband but he still has feelings for her. this book would have been a lot better if it had more chapters and a little more history on the two characters. I just reviewed Designing His Duchess by Gabrielle Carr. #DesigningHisDuchess #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

After reading this I will definitely be checking out more books by this author. The romance was believable, fun and the characters charming.

The main concept of this book is an old love teaching our main character how to find a husband while at the same time the reader knows that neither party has got over their love of the other.

This book felt a little rushed, I didn't feel like I got a chance to really get to know the main characters or side characters. This was a shame as what I did get I loved.

All in all I think this book could have benefitted from being longer, I wouldn't change the plot but give it longer to develop and give the reader more time to get to know characters.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review. Thank you

A short second chance romance story with believable characters and dashes of humour thrown in. I would recommend this book.

Designing His Duchess is a novella by Gabrielle Carr. Julianna Drake is being forced to find a marriage to prevent herself from being left penniless. She is determined to find someone who will marry her and not some dodgy old man who may or may not have killed his first wife.

But how… She does not know how to move forward. Colin Lewis Francis Latham, Duke of Herstshire was her first love and when asked agrees to help her find a proper match. The problem… They still have feelings for each other. Is it possible that they will lose their second chance at love?

Designing his Duchess by Gabrielle Carr is a fun, fast read.

I have read several books by Ms. Carr and loved every one of them. She has such a creative writing style and I love the way she brings diversity into the Regency world. It is a charming second chance romance that will sweep you away. After Juliana's parents died two years ago, she has been living with her aunt and uncle. She is being forced to either find a husband or be thrown out. In her quest to find a husband, she encounters Colin, the new Duke of Herstshire. Colin had proposed to her four years ago and left and broke her heart. As he regrets and feels guilty at betraying her trust and leaving her without a word, he offers to help her with lessons on how to attract a husband. Juliana is insulted, but desperate enough to accept his help. She is wiser and stronger now than she was in her youth, and is confident she will not succumb to his charms again. But her heart says something else as she spends more time with him, both of them realize those feelings have not gone away. Will Juliana be able to forgive Colin and give him a second chance?
Though a short story, Ms. Carr does a beautiful job of creating an entertaining and well-developed story that captured my attention from the start and kept my interest till the end, and great characters that had me rooting for them the whole time.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

4 stars. I love unique points of view in historical romances. This was a great example of this. Is was amazing reading about a Black, hearing impaired heroine. I also loved that the story didn’t focus on Black trauma. I quickly felt connected to the characters, and felt their chemistry. I wish we could’ve seen some of their flashback time together, to full understand the travesty of them no longer being together.

Something I noticed as the book went on, we stopped hearing about how she navigated her hearing impairment, I wish there was more about that. I also wish I was able to read about some of the signaling language that was mentioned they they created together.

3.6/5

🌱THE EXCELLENT
~ IR romance with a heroine of English + Jamaican descent
~ Reforming the rake trope
~ HEA
~ Regency in color (I liked this)

Colin, the once 2nd son, now Duke, is a rake of the first order, and a man drowning in sadness, alcohol and skirts, after his return from the war. He has finally decided to look for a wife, but this does not mean that he has to give up his heart - since it already belongs to someone he hurt terribly. Instead, he can go about his merry way, or so he thinks. Enter Juliana, the young lady he promised himself to and who now desperately needs a husband or her uncle will give her to the highest bidder. Colin plans to teach Juliana how to attract other men, but for how long can he resist the charms of the one he still loves?

✨Give it a read.

🌱THE MEH
~ I have an issue with alcoholism/alcohol being used as a crutch, it’s such a terrible and insidious addiction and few people take it as seriously as they should
~ Some of the actions taken in public for the time are BEYOND THE PALE
~ Things progress very quickly and superficially
~ After we are introduced to some of characters they go poof :(

♡🌱 But that’s just me ;)

After the death of her parents two years ago, Juliana is living with her aunt and uncle who demand she come out during the season or be cut off financially. At her first ball Juliana encounters the man she loved, the same man who abandoned her four years ago.

I enjoyed Juliana’s character. She is an artist and pays attention to the details others might overlook. She is kind, loving, and entirely too quick to forgive. I wish this story was longer so that we could see her developed even further.

Colin is a second son who inherited the title after his father and brother passed away. Colin is also a war veteran and struggles with post-traumatic stress. He realizes too late that he should have faced Juliana instead of running away.

Due to the length of the novel the resolution happened in one giant leap. I wanted so much more for Juliana in terms of the resolution. I found Colin’s reasoning plausible, but still thin for all that he did during those in between years. I believe Juliana deserved better.

Overall, I enjoyed Gabrielle Carr’s writing and look forward to seeing more stories from her in the future.

Thank you to Brown Lady Publishing via NetGalley and Gabrielle Carr for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Marry or find herself penniless and ousted from her aunt and uncle's home. Those are Miss Juliana Drake's current options. Having never felt the need to know how long she could survive without basic provisions, she chooses the latter. Only she knows as much about charming a suitor as she does about charming a snake.
Nothing.
The solution? Colin Lewis Francis Latham, Duke of Herstshire. The man who offered her marriage years ago, then vanished without as much as a by your leave. When he returns to London and offers to instruct her in the art of husband hunting, Juliana is both insulted and desperate enough to accept his offer.
She's no longer the gullible young woman of her youth. She can handle being near him without losing her head. Although, it would be much easier if she could finally expel him from her heart.
Colin is in love with her but he can't admit it. Juliana finds herself in desperate straits but is Colin the answer to her problem?
This book is a second chance at love story. I have never read a book by Gabrielle Carr before although I own one, The Regency in Color Collection has a story by her. This is an awesome book which I loved from the first chapter.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Colin Latham, Duke of Herstshire, deserted the lady he loves and joined the army. .Now back in London to take his place as the duke, can he ask for her forgiveness? Miss Juliana Drake does not see herself forgiving Colin for leaving her without an explanation four years ago, What seemed. ludicrous when he first offers to help her catch a husband, becomes her only option, If she does not find a husband, the alternative is marrying some one picked out by her uncle. How ridiculous can it be when they both still love each other and have no desire to be with anyone else. A very short second chance romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
A short novella, so there is quick plot.
A second chance at love for Colin. Colin abandoned Juliana on the day they were to elope. Colin knows he will never be able win her love again but as a new duke he can help her find a husband. Juliana needs a husband now or her uncle will marry her off to a horrible man at the end of the season. Seeing Colin breaks her heart but what other choice does she have.
I liked this short novella. A quick romance.

Delightful! I liked Colin and Juliana a lot, partly because of their utter devotion for each other. It's a very sweet story about "the one who got away", only to return in the end.

I love historical romances! And what I love even more is when there are black female leads in these historical romances. So with that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed Juliana and Colin's second chance at romance. It seems as if there was a back story with these. I wish I could have read it. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author. This was my honest opinion in exchange for reading this book via NetGalley.

I'd like to thank the publisher for sending me an arc of this book through NetGalley

Designing his duchess is a historical second chance romance novel that somehow severely lacked in the romance department. I got into this book excited to read a romance novel after bouncing around a few YA books for a bit and this was disappointing, to say the least.

The main issue with the book was that there was no real tension between the characters and I just couldn't believe the fact that this seemingly strong woman who in the first chapter would rather live in the French countryside than marry a man is so quick to forgive Colin for what he did and marries his without reservations. Don't even get me started on the sex scene.

Overall I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone and did not enjoy this in the least.

A cute second-chance historical romance.

Juliana Drake is about to be kicked out of her uncle's house and left penniless if she doesn't marry by the end of the season. Colin Lewis Francis Latham, Duke of Herstshire might be able to help her out with some instruction on catching a husband. But Colin broke Juliana's heart in the past and she's not sure she's ready to risk that experience again...

Overall, this was a really cute, quick story. I think the biggest struggle was the pacing. It seemed to draft quite a bit at the beginning and then wrap up really quickly at the end. I enjoyed the diversity introduced in this book (Juliana is half-black and hearing impaired) and that it was present but wasn't the defining feature of conflict in the story. I think if you enjoy fun historical romance novellas, this one is worth giving a try.