This was a sweet historical romance with a good side of spice! Neve is a ballerina down on her luck in London who meets the Duke of Montcroix on an unusual evening out. He's immediately intrigued by her spunk and offers her a new kind of role, being his paid fake fiance.

I really enjoyed the character of Neve, who has so much sass and a real backbone which is sometimes lacking from historical romance FMCs. Her dedication to her sister was cute, and I loved how she found out more about herself as she went through the book. The Duke Lysander was also unusual for MMCs, the author says in the note at the end that he is neurodivergent and it plays a factor into how he thinks and carries himself throughout the world. I really appreciated this insight into his world and way of thinking and I think it was really nice representation.

The book has a lot of great parts, including great steam, grumpy vs sunshine, ballet, and lots of pining. I felt like it lost some steam in the middle, but the ending definitely made up for it. A solid historical romance read!

Lord Lysander Blackstone, Duke of Montcroix, his father was an abusive and cruel man. The father had some serious issues. He makes the son appear cold and uncaring. His father left him with money but thanks to his intelligence, he increases his wealth. Just to show you how evil his father is, he steals Stone's fiancée and marries her. Stone has been out drinking with his friend and he is on the way home until he gets lost. He is concerned he may get robbed and runs into a ballerina who aids him. He proposes that she help him, and he will pay her. She can send the money to her sister. She is still in France after being injured.
Genevieve Valery was a dancer and has been blackballed and could not get a job. She was outside a theater crying angry tears when approached by Stone. They were about to get attacked. Off they ran, thank heavens, she knew where they were and where to hide.
I love this story. It is lighthearted in most places and the banter between the two of them is great.
She is sweet, endearing, and a wonderful dancer. Their sex reaches amazing heights. Her friends
are quite wonderful and so supportive. They are honest and try to be as upfront as possible.
It kept my interest, and I was so glad I had the chance to read it.
I received this ARC from Net Galley and voluntarily reviewed it.
1 like

Period | Regency

Tropes | Fake Fiancee, the movie remake

Pretty women meet Regency. I enjoyed it and read it in one day. But I can't tell you anything special about it.

I liked The Everliegh Sisters series and think about them often; this one seems to be trying to go for the Bridgerton appeal and to the masses.

I got an ARC from NetGalley and Forever.

Stop what you're doing and read this book.

Always Be My Duchess is sweet and sexy and filled from cover to cover with drama and raw passion. Lysander and Nève are amongst my favorite of the couples I've read recently. They are truly so well suited to one another.

Lysander needs to convince a potential business partner of his character. Nève needs money to care for her injured sister and secure a future for them both. They come to an arrangement in which Nève will act as his fiancé for a the season in exchange for a large sum of money.

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes, and this book nailed it. The set up was believable and the two had such great chemistry. I loved every bit of time they spent together.

My other favorite thing about Always Be My Duchess was the portrayal of the friendships Nève formed over the course of the novel. I absolutely love romance novels that follow a friend group because this gives the author an opportunity to build other, platonic, relationships in addition to the couple's and I simply cannot wait to see what happens next with the hell fire kitties.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was so much fun! It's opposites, pretend relationship and damsel in distress. I loved how strong Neve was against his hardened exterior. She managed to worm her way into his heart. This man is so hurt by his father and can't see that he doesn't have to be the man his father molded him to be until her. It's about a desperate French ballerina, daughter of a disowned English Viscount trying to earn money so she and her sister can survive. It's well written, full of humor and touching moments. His Aunt Millicent is a fabulous voice of reason on occasion. She's not as doddering as she leads others to believe.

Lord Lysander Blackstone, Duke of Montcroix is foxed and lost in London one night. He spots a beautiful young woman fuming on the street in front of the Theater swearing a blue streak! They are set upon by thugs and she saves his life and helps him escape. During the adventure he formulates a plan to solve his current dilemma. He is trying to purchase an unentailed estate from Earl of Bolden and needs to appear a family man. He proposes she pretend to be his fiancé for the upcoming ball so appear serious about settling down and keep all the single women at arms length. In exchange he'll pay her. She's been black balled by a Lord who wants her favors that she refuses. Her sister in France is recovering from an accident caused by a rich patron she refused. Her feet were injured and she may never dance again so Neve is her only support. She ends up spending the rest of the season pretending and making friends with the Hell-Kitties aka Queen's Club. These women are rather independent and rebellious although one has found love and a Marquess.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader's copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 Delightful Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free-A Quick Review
As someone who loves anything that has to do with Ballet, Always Be My Duchess by Amalie Howard had me at hello. The idea of using that, what those during the era of the book were accused of being, and then having a man who had a need to clean up his ruthless image come together was perfect.

Then mix in the Hint-Hint of Pretty Woman with these times and Ms. Howard had an idea to run with... and run she did. This had lots for all to enjoy.

"i have it on impeccable authority that a body can't survive without its heart, and you've had mine in your keeping since the day we met." he met her melting green eyes that were filled with so much love he could hardly imagine it was all for him. "where you go. i go"

we stan men of poetry.

nah cause i cant even explain how good this was. LYSANDER WAS SO HOT ITS NOT EVEN FUNNY. fell in love with him the minute i started reading. AND NÉVE?? HOLY HELL. LOVED HER. such a powerful main character and the author did such an amazing way of shaping her.

also, might i add that this book has dual pov 🌝. and in certain scenes we get both there point of views.. do as you will with that information.

the side characters have such a special piece in my heart, love all of them. the author did such an amazing way of shaping them like they did with shaping néve and the rest of the whole ass story.

i was starting to give up on netgalley and arcs all together because i was reading all ones that were either bad or problematic so i was kinda giving up on them but this raised my spirts so high it's not even funny.

this was my first historical romance and i was kinda scared but excited going into it, and let me just say i was not disappointed. the author shaped the women in such a good way, which i can see a lot of authors can go wrong in since it's an older era where women obviously didn't have rights, but it was portrayed so well in this. this books makes me want to read such historical romances from now on, im not even lying.

i so so so recommend this. it was so good. even if you don't read it for the book itself, lysander will fill all your needs well enough that you will be filled for a whole ass feast at the end of the book (i don't know if that made sense but i hope it did)

*thank you netgalley for giving me permission to read this lovely piece of art ❤️❤️*

Thank you NetGalley, Forever Publishing, and Amalie Howard for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This is a fun and charming historical romance novel with plenty of tropes. It’s sort of a mixture between Bridgerton and Pretty Woman as well, which I really enjoyed. It follows Lord Lysander Blackstone and Miss Geneviève Valery as they plan to work together for their own reasons. However, as the story progresses, they begin to fall for one another more and more… The chemistry in this one is great and I enjoyed the evolution of their relationship! The side characters were also amazing and really unique. I think the pacing was a bit slow in the middle, but it picked back up for the ending! I think historical romance fans will enjoy this one.

I DNF this book. I tried several times to set it down and try again but I could not get into it. I don't know if it's because it felt too modern or what. I'm sure there are lots of people who will love it but it just wasn't for me unfortunately

I love Amalie Howard! This is a wonderful book. Kind of a historical rom-com with a neurodiverse hero who comes to terms with his ableist view his father forced on him when he falls for a beautiful spirited ballerina. A fake romance/engagement and a found family, with a Pretty Woman vibe.

Lord Lysander Blackstone, the stern Duke of Montcroix, has only one interest: increasing his considerable fortune. After a series of betrayals, he keeps his emotions buried deep. Money, after all, can’t break a man’s heart—or make promises it can’t keep. But when his reputation for being heartless jeopardizes a new business deal, he finds himself seeking a most unusual—and alluring—solution . . .

Once an up-and-coming ballerina, Miss Geneviève Valery is now hopelessly out of work. After refusing to become a wealthy patron’s mistress, Nève was promptly shown the door to the streets. When she accidentally saves the life of a handsome duke, she doubts the encounter will go any better than her last brush with nobility. But instead of propositioning her, Montcroix makes Nève an offer she would be a fool to refuse: act as his fake fiancée in exchange for fortune enough to start over.

Only neither is prepared when very real feelings begin to grow between them. They both stand to win . . . but only if they’re willing to risk their hearts.

MY THOUGHTS
Always Be My Duchess by Amalie Howard was such an enjoyable book, it is the perfect mix of Pretty Woman and Bridgerton. Geneviève Valery and her sister are down on their luck and money is running out quick. While born the daughters of a noble man their lives are not exactly filled with luxury. Their mother passed and letters sent to their fathers family have gone unanswered so they turned to ballet to support themselves. Unfortunately her sister was injured and when Geneviève refused her assailant’s advances he ensured she would never work in Paris again. So she set off for London where she has been auditioning for various ballet roles when one evening she randomly bumps in to Lord Lysander Blackstone, the Duke of Montcroix who is trying to escape the attention of some unsightly characters.

Lord Lysander Blackstone, the Duke of Montcroix or Stone as he has been nicknamed by his friends is a no-nonsense, matter of fact business man. He was brought up by his father to never appear weak and as such has put his full attention into his work. Currently he is trying to buy a piece of land for his railway project. Unfortunately the seller isn’t willing to sell to just anyone. You see the land happens to be the childhood home of his late wife and he is adamant he will only sell to someone who will raise a family in the home. Lysander has no plans to marry but as this land is integral to his project he sees and opportunity when he meets Nève and makes her an offer which is impossible to refuse – pretend to be his fiancée for a night to help seal the deal in exchange for enough money to help her and her sister start over.

"She was the fraud the counterfeit duchess. She was nothing but a placeholder for the real thing. That hurt much more than it should, when it had no reason to."

I am a big fan of both Downton Abbey and Bridgerton so I was really excited to dive into Always Be My Duchess and it did not disappoint. Nève may be a ballerina and appear delicate and sweet but those who are familiar with ballet will tell you behind the facade you will find women who are determined, hard working and anything but delicate. I loved that Nève knew her worth and lived by her morals despite the hardships she had been dealt. She doesn’t back down and will tell anyone what she thinks.

Lysander didn’t see Nève coming, she completely turned his world upside down and made him question what he really wanted out of life. It was really interesting to follow his development. He seems like a straight laced businessman who has little to no regard for love and romance. We see some of his softer side in flashback moments with his mother who loved the arts and music and taught him to use music as a way to express himself. However, his father saw this as a weakness and would stop at nothing to put his son in his place and humiliate him. He went so far as to marry Lysander’s fiancée while he was still grieving the loss of his mother, resulting in Lysander closing off his heart to future suiters. That is until Nève comes along.

"I have it on impeccable authority that a body can’t survive without its heart, and you’ve had mine in your keeping since the day we met…where you go, I go."

This is definitely an insta kind of love. Right off the bat the chemistry is undeniable despite their best effort to resist. I loved the supporting characters. Lysander’s aunt, the staffers to too fell for Nève and conspired against their Lord to protect her but most of all the friends who were all unique in their own way. I am very much looking forward to reading future books in this series.

Content warnings: loss of parents, parental abuse, fertility problems

This was the most unique, fun, engaging historical romance I have ever read. I loved it, and with a tag line "Pretty Woman meets the Bridgertons in this witty, vivacious historical take on 90s romcoms" how can it not be an absolute hit. With a neuro-divergent, grumpy hero, and a feisty independent heroine, fake dating, banter, spice, and a fun cast of characters there is no where to go wrong.

Lysander Blackstone known socially as Stone, and Geneviève Valery, Neve for short, have a chance encounter, where Neve saves Stone, and they get a little 'close' and share details of their lives. Stone decides to hire Neve to fake date him order to land a client and secure a deal for his business endeavours. Hijinks, steam, and the thawing of an ice cold head ensues.

3.75 stars
This book was interesting, though I will say the neurodivergence rep was not great. The hero is only made neurodivergent it seems in a way to alienate him from others? His actions only seem to appear “different” with other people if that makes sense?

Its a nice forced proximity fake dating romance with characters where you can feel the chemistry. Overall the book was good, and a quick read, but I just think the neurodivergence rep could have been done better.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever for the opportunity to read! All thoughts are my own.

I received an e-galley of Always Be My Duchess by Amalie Howard from Forever Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Things I liked:
- strong female lead - Nève - is not your typical historical romance heroine; I love that she's got a past and a drive. She literally saves our duke within the first chapters of the story
- the typical brooding nobleman - in this case, the duke, that needs to learn what love is
- the steamy romance and attraction between these two characters

This book is the perfect mix of ingredients. It takes one hero who has trust issues, adds in a heroine who has money issues and is determined not to fall for said man, then mixes in some side characters that are determined to add seasoning to the mixture by keeping the characters confused as to the other person's true intentions. All of this gives the reader a wonderful story. One where the hero asks the heroine to be his pretend fiancee and then ....just maybe....falls for her. Of course, things are never that simple. So, add in some complications.

Lysander and Genevieve were so fun together. Initially they both wanted to deny their attraction even though it was so evident that they were over the moon for each other. Even once they succumbed to their attraction, they still thought they could pretend it never happened and move on. They both were strong-willed and were easily injured emotionally. Lysander had difficulty understanding what Genevieve wanted and she didn't want to have to spell it out for him. But the two of them together were lovely when it worked. And they had some fabulous chemistry.

I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. I really enjoyed this one and like the author's writing style a great deal. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! At times it felt a little long and rambly but I loved the main character, Neve and enjoyed her love story. Sometimes it’s hard for me to get into historical fiction but I’ll definitely read more from this author in the future.

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. I loved our stone-cold duke and our bright sunshiny ballerina. Everything about the story was wonderful, from the pacing and events to the personalities and growth they both went through to find a happily ever after.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the ARC.

Always Be My Duchess is a delightful start from a new series from Amalie Howard! I really enjoyed this novel, the characters, the romance, and am looking forward to watching this series grow. Amalie Howard's writing is easily accessible, well paced and a lovely exploration of two people bargaining and tempting each other every step of the way. This novel is reckoned to Pretty Woman and it definitely has some light touches and inspiration from that movie, because our heroine and hero are both from different classes and decide to help each other to advance their current standings.

Geneviève Valery, is a ballerina who is currently down on her luck, after refusing to become a wealthy man's mistress she has found that she has been labeled as un-hirable. One night after accidentally saving the live of Lysander Blackstone, a handsome duke, she is faced with an offer she can not refuse to act as his fake fiancee.

I really found the step up/meet cute for these two to be charming and fun and the perfect way to create interest between them. They are both instantly attracted and intrigued by the other and they have a truly delightful banter that keeps them both on their toes. I love that Geneviève is smart and strong and is more than capable of taking care of herself, but she is also not too proud to take chances to improve her situation when the opportunity arrives. Lysander is logical, straight-laced and money focused, so watching Geneviève test him and challenge him is so much fun. Lysander learns to loosen up with Geneviève which show a level of trust between them which is wonderful. This novel is also full of steam, it definitely borders on a higher level than the typical historical romance. I love that Geneviève and Lysander really find understanding, trust and consent in their physical relationship. Howard does a lovely job building their chemistry to the point that becoming more physical in their relationship makes great sense and is definitely the next step they need to take in order to really understand that they love each other and what they might want for the rest of their future.

I would recommend this novel if you love Amalie Howard or if you want to give her a try. Charming, delightful and full of antics that give a nice lightness and comedy to the piece while developing a lovely romance between the hero and heroine.

After a chance meeting, Miss Valery and Lord Lysander strike a partnership that suits them both - she will pretend to be his betrothed so he can close a business deal in exchange for payment to nurse her sister to health and open a dance studio. Can they keep their deal strictly business?

A must read for anyone who loves the Bridgerton series! This steamy novel will have you falling for the Lord and Lady as they discover what is truly important.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the ARC in exchange for a fair review.

This was so good!! I really loved the writing, characters, and romance. The concept was simple but really well done I will definitely be checking out more by this author while I wait for more in this series!