Amalie Howard is a talented writer! I loved the hero and heroine. The dialogue was spot on and a pleasure to read.

"Pretty Woman" meets Bridgerton was the perfect description for this delightful historical romance from author Amalie Howard! I simply could not put this book down. Everything from the author's writing style to the swoon-worthy romance -- it was perfection!

I loved this book from page one until the last page. It is well written. It is worth reading and savoring. I highly recommend reading it. Both of the characters are incredibly interesting people. She is vivacious and he is hard but their mutual connection makes this book so appealing and uniquely enjoyable. Their conversations are truly what kept me riveted. I read a lot of historical romance books and find many are ok but not original or sexy or funny and intriguing. This one had it all.

This book was pitched at Pretty Woman meets Bridgerton and that is the PERFECT comparison! Also this cover is such a fun nod to Pretty Woman!

I think maybe Pretty Woman retellings aren't for me. They mostly seem to skip over the why between the two main characters -- why do they love each other? What do they want besides to bang?

Amalie Howard is one of my favorite historical romance authors which makes this book better than it would have been in less capable hands. However, I think the missing pieces really brought me out of the story. I just didn't get the romance between them, and would have loved an additional Lysander POV to explain how he went from wanting to build a railroad over the land to saving the castle for his future family.

That said, I think if anyone else were to have written this, I would have given up a lot sooner. And I'm very intrigued by the set up that was done to put the other books in the series in motion, so I'm very excited to get to those!

Such a fun and humorous historical romance! I loved the witty banter between Stone and Neve. I'm a big fan of the fake dating and grumpy/sunshine tropes, and I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Looking forward to reading more from this author.

Pretty Woman meets Bridgerton is a perfect comparison for this book. It does follow the Pretty Woman storyline. Pretty Woman was one of my favorite movies as a kid. So I know the story line very well. I wasn't sure how this book would play out. But I continued and ended up really liking it. They describe Lysander as a gargoyle and unfeeling. Which as a fellow Neurodivergent person. I thought it was kind of mean. 🤷‍♀️ Neve is a feisty ballerina who knows how to take care of herself. My favorite parts are the Hell Kitties and the Music room scene 🔥.

This is not a book I was super drawn to but looked interesting. I just don't think it's for me and that's okay.

I gave this book a chance. It was not for me. I will not be reviewing it on my bookstagram account or goodread page. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it.

This was so much fun!! While I don't think it was very Pretty Woman-esque like the blurb leads you to believe, it was still pretty enjoyable and the audio was fantastic (the inflection and salty attitude had me laughing out loud numerous times). These characters were a treat, truly. Nève was a JOY and Stone was a dumbass, and it was just honestly so much fun. I had a great time. I love the Hellfire Kitties, I love Stone's bestie, and I just love love love how dumb Stone was, and I just had fun, okay?

IT WAS FUN.

Was I let down the Pretty Woman vibes were small? Sure. Did I care by the end? Not at all.

I loved this. It was fun and even if the relationship conflict was built on stubbornness and assumptions made me want to smack them for not speaking, I still had fun. Moral of the story: I HAD FUN.

Thank you to forever for the review copy that I read an entire year after publication I'm sorry it took me so long WHAT WAS I WAITING FOR

Amalie Howard can write no wrong so of course I loved her historical play on Pretty Woman! Neve and Lysander were so good together and loved reading their HEA. It was fun and sexy, everything I have come to expect from Howard. Cannot wait for book 2!

I read this book thinking it was going to be just another regency romance (which I absolutely love by the way) but it exceeded my expectations tenfold. I thought that in addition to the fluffy elements that are always loved in a romance this book also just had a great plot and emotional depth - something I can certainly appreciate and admire. I feel like I could relate to our MC Miss Valery in so many different ways which si sort of uncommon for me particualry with victorian or historically-oriented novels. This book was also just a breeze to get through, I thought Howard incorporated just the right amount of regency-esque verbage where you could really picture yourself in the time period while also fully understanding what was happening around you. Overall, I thought this was na excellent read and I will be looking forward to what is to come next from this outstanding author!

“Always Be My Duchess” by Amalie Howard is the first in her new Taming of the Dukes series. Lord Lysander Blackstone and unemployed ballerina Neve Valery find themselves teaming up in a fake engagement- him to secure a very profitable parcel of land and her to earn some money for her injured sister. BUT when they both begin to have real feelings for each other, the charade seems to fall apart. Will they risk it all for love? Or run back to the lives they’re comfortable with?

Fake dating. Fake fiancé. Fake love. Definitely one of my favorite romance tropes. Especially if both characters have big personalities that make them butt heads. Enter Lysander and Neve. These two were perfect for this trope and their banter was so addicting. I knew from the very beginning that I was going to find myself rooting for them!

In the end, I gave this book a solid 4 stars. It was fairly predictable (which I was okay with), but I would have enjoyed a little twist or something just to keep the pacing. If you’re looking for romance, this book definitely packed some steam (maybe a little too much for me at times). Overall, a fun summer romance read!

Thanks to Forever Pub and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review! Definitely regretting that I waited so long on this one, but thankful for #NetGalleyBacklist reading and finally checking it out!

This was a unique historical fiction but it just didn’t click for me. This book follows Neve a ballerina who finds herself indebted to Duke Lysander in order to pay him back and a large sum of money Neve agrees to play Lysander’s fiancé throughout the season. This book is suppose to be Pretty Woman meets Bridgeton but didn’t really feel the Pretty Woman vibe. For me personally I just had such a hard time keeping focused on this book I would get into it for a few chapters and just could not pick it back up. I thought some of the scenes were pretty funny and had me chuckling and I enjoyed a different POV for historical romance. I haven’t read to many books with a ballerina as the main character and thought that was pretty interesting. Lysander just rubbed me the wrong way I get that he is suppose to be grumpy but I just didn’t like him. I would say that I think a lot of people will enjoy this story especially if you like arrogant grumpy hero’s. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

I will be honest - I struggled with this book. I like the writing style but I couldn't get interested in what happened to the characters especially Lysander who just grated on my nerves. The book was surprisingly graphic which normally doesn't bother me but it just didn't seem to work in this book.

SO CUTE!! A neurodivergent male lead was amazing and I loved how it was very 90s rom com in a historical setting. It killed me and brought me back to life 🥹🫶🏼 THE PINING. THE BANTER. THE SPICE. It all had me in a chokehold. Such an addictive and fun read!!

Lysander is sees the world in a very black and white way and I loved how it clashed with Genevieve’s character. She always said what she felt and I applaud her. She was the sunshine to his grumpiness and she melted him like a popsicle in the dead of summer. I LOVED IT

Where are my Pretty Woman fans at? This book is for you! Lysander, Duke of Montcroix, has been trying to close a business deal but needs to present a different image to do so. What he needs is a wife....or at least the impression of the possibility. Along comes Genevieve. She is a ballerina who has been passed over for parts due to her values. She helps protect Lysander one night and their meeting turn into more when he offers to pay her a sum to pose as his fiancé for a time.

I enjoyed so many things about this book. We have a straight-laced Duke and a free, independent heroine. There's a Duke who loves bareknuckle boxing, which will get me every single time. There's found family in the friendships that Lysander has as well as the ones that Genevieve makes. There is real, potent chemistry. And, of course, there's all the nuggets from Pretty Woman that were so fun to find and see.

This is a well-written historical full of tropey romance. I enjoy a re-telling and this one did not disappoint. I look forward to reading more of this super fun series from Howard in the future.

This book was fine. Like everyone else, I've found myself drawn to period romances post-Bridgerton and some are better than others. Thank you Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity.

A laugh-out-loud historical take on Pretty Woman! I loved this unique take on a classic trope and will definitely keep an eye out for more from Amalie Howard.

An interesting and fun romance between ballerina Genevieve Valery and Lysander, the Duke of Montcroix. Although the plot was light and the conclusion predictable, both Genevieve and Lysander were well developed characters and unusual enough to make the romance exciting. Lysander’s difficulties reading emotions and social cues made for a refreshing hero and a different type of challenge for the heroine to overcome. Very enjoyable!