Always Be My Duchess by Amalie Howard is a Bridgerton-esque fake dating slow burn. Neve is an out-of-work ballerina who is struggling to support her sister, and Lysander is a duke whose nickname is ‘Stone’ because of his seemingly cold manner. Neve and Lysander agree to fake date so that she can look after her sister and so Lysander can secure a business deal.

What I liked: I thought the slow burn was well done and the banter, in the beginning, was excellent. In true Victorian fashion, the romantic tension was high, and it was fairly spicy.

What could be better: I felt that the book was a bit too drawn out with miscommunications and I was just ready for it to be done.

While I liked the book, there are certainly other historical romance books that I like more. I would give it three out of five stars because it was enjoyable, but not overly memorable. If you are looking for another Victorian-era historical romance with fake dating and tension out the wazoo, you should read this book!

*Please note that the ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book!

Now I must preface my review with saying that while I’m an avid romance reader I don’t often read historical romance but I couldn’t pass up a book about a down her luck ballerina and her effect on a stone hearted duke. Always Be My Duchess was a good read; the spice was enjoyable, there were moments that made me laugh, a few tense scenes that made me think “mon dieu” but overall it was just good for me. If you’re a big historical romance reader I do recommend it but if contemporary romance is your area this is not the book that will change that

This book was hot! Bridgerton vibes and setting with a Pretty Woman plot. The characters were delightfully endearing. And the pacing was, honestly, perfect. A quick and fun read for a bit of escapism.

Another fun read from Amalie Howard!

Always Be My Duchess is the story of Lysander, Duke of Montcroix, and the ballerina fallen on hard times Genevieve (Neve). Lysander is a Duke with daddy issues who is committed to proving his worth/being successful. Neve is in London desperate to find work as a ballerina to support her sister who is recovering from foot injuries caused by a sleazy viscount after he would not take no for an answer. Lysander and Neve’s meeting is cute and it is clear he falls for her hard and fast (if not necessarily clear to himself).

I loved Neve, she was a dedicated heroine who was determined to help herself. Her found family in London was fun to read (and setting up for next books in series). However this book lost me a bit with the inevitable 3rd act drama (miscommunication/misunderstanding) that dragged on.


Amalie Howard is a Must Buy author for me, but this one fell a little flat for me. 3.5 ⭐️

Y’all I am deep in my Historical Romance Era, and nothing brought me more joy than to be approved for Amalie Howard’s newest romance Always Be My Duchess. I read The Beast of Beswick earlier this year and fell in LOVE with Howard’s wit, charm and deeply fun way she crafts her love stories. So obviously I am SUPER excited to be sharing my early review of the ARC for Always Be My Duchess.
As always, as a disclaimer I’ve been provided an ARC for a fair and unbiased review.

When I first found out about this book, being pitched as Pretty Woman meets The Bridgertons, y’all I was SOLD. The premise is a classic and one that my lil trope loving heart can’t get enough of. We have Lysander, the Duke of Montcroix who has been treated abominably by so many people, and been taught to deny himself anything that might bring him a modicum of joy. And Geneviève Valery, a impoverished french woman who has taken to ballet to care for herself and her sister.

THE WAY THESE TWO MEET, IS RIFE WITH HUMOR, SPARKLING WIT, A TOUCH OF DANGER, AND SCORCHING SEXUAL TENSION. AFTER THAT FIRST CHAPTER IT WAS SAFE TO SAY I WAS HOOKED.

Lysander and Néve quickly come to an agreement and we’re off to the delicious forced proximity races. But there are a few things that make this outing from Howard, a real joy to read. First, the cast of secondary characters that I PRAY we are going to get to read about in successive stories. Especially Lushing and Briar. They stole scenes, I mean: “Miss me Prickles?” 🤣. I need their book like yesterday.

Second, the plotting of this book was just fantastic. We have have the core love story, the business deal Lysander is trying to close, Néve becoming friends with her fellow Queens, and finally finding joy in something that had been forced into a commodity. And then redefining what that joy looks like as she has begun to change.

The sex positivity, the consent, the way in which Amalie writes Stone’s clear neuro-diversity is so impactful and will have you completely carried away while you watch these two hurt souls do their best to not fall head over heels in love with each other. These two have SO many moments throughout this story that will have your heart clenching, butterflies in your stomach flapping away and your brain screaming at them to FIGURE IT OUT AND BE IN LOVE ALREADY! Oh and that scene in the music room, where he plays her like a cello was H-O-T. God bless Amalie Howard.

I loved this book, and can’t wait for the rest of the romance loving world to get their hands on this. Howards Historical Romances are easily a must buy and are perfect for fans of Sarah MacLean, Christy Carlyle, Tessa Dare, and Stacy Reid, . Be sure to grab your copy of Always be my Duchess wherever you get your books, July 12, 2022

This book was precious!! As someone who loves Bridgerton and Pretty woman knew this would be just my cup of tea! This was a cute fluffy one-day read for me, absolutely loved the characters and cannot wait for the other books in this series.

Special Thanks to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Amalie Howard for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review!

A pretend match leads to love in this historical romance. Lysander, the Duke of Montcroix, is decidedly against the idea of falling in love, but needs to give the appearance of stability and family-mindedness for a business deal. Neve, a down-on-her-luck ballerina freshly in London from Paris, needs money to support her injured sister. Together they forge an unlikely alliance, and fall in love (obviously!) as they do so.

Lysander isn't my kind of man, but I loved Neve. She was dedicated, determined, loyal, and wasn't going to let anything get in her way. I also loved the rest of the cast of characters and am looking forward to hearing more from them in coming books.

While it took me a little while to get into this book (and I could have done with a few fewer descriptions of her eye colour), I'm glad I did, and am looking forward to any sequels.

This is the first book in ‘Taming of The Dukes’ series. The first book is about Lysander Blackstone, the Duke of Montcroix, and Geneviève Valery, a ballerina. They met during an encounter in the street and Nève basically helped the duke. After that encounter, Lysander makes Nève an offer to act as his fake fiancée in exchange for fortune enough to save her sister (she’s sick) and start their own ballerina studio. Of course, Nève can’t help but accept his offer. Only neither of them is prepared when very real feelings begin to grow between them.

This is a slow-burn romance so all the smuts are after 50%. The smut scenes are very hot and detailed. The main characters' attraction started from the first chapter. It's a pretty much inta-lust but then they start to feel the 'other feeling' too.I like Geneviève very much. She’s a very likable main character and I can’t help but like her, even more, when I read the book. Lysander, he’s just normal as the other male main characters. I don’t like him but also don’t hate him. What I like is the friendship of Nève and her new friends. They’re very very supportive. I like them. I can’t wait to see their own stories in the future.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!

Super amazing idea and thought! Wasn’t my cup of tea but lovers of royal romance will love this feisty protagonist and her loving duke!

Thank you to @netgalley, @readforeverpub and @amaliehoward for this eARC in exchange for my honest opionion.

This is most definitely Bridgerton meets Pretty Woman and it was so well done!

Genevieve Valery is a down on her luck ballerina who is desperately trying to find work. She lost her last job when she refused to become a wealthy patron’s mistress, and is almost out of options when she inadvertently saves a wealthy duke’s life.

Lord Lysander Blackstone, Duke of Montcroix, is anything but a romantic. His singular interest in life is success. Unfortunately, his bachelorhood is currently standing in his way of his latest venture. Inspiration strikes when a beautiful woman rescues him late one night after she finds him wandering drunk and lost on the wrong side of town. Why not just hire a fiancée to get the deal done?

I absolutely loved the chemistry between the two main characters. Neve is this strong force who knows her self worth, while Lysander is this broken man who’s desperately in need of saving. I also love that he is so for women’s rights and considers her an equal partner even when their relationship is all for sure.

This is definitely one to pick up!

This one gets 4.5⭐️‘s from me!

Amalie Howard's first in a new series, Always Be My Duchess, is a delightful historical romance loosely inspired by Pretty Woman. Lysander, Duke of Montcroix, meets Nève Valery in less than ideal circumstances. Immediately taken with her, Lysander devises a plan to help him close a business dealing while also being able to spend time with the intriguing woman. Nève is a ballet dancer who has recently been blacklisted due to her refusal to become mistress to a powerful man. Lysander is offering Nève a way to take care of herself and sister long term, and she heartily accepts. VERDICT Howard is a fantastic author with great characters, and dialogue. With her likeable characters, and familiar inspiration, readers cannot help but enjoy their time with Lysander and Nève. The start of this series ensures readers are in for a real treat for what's to come.

Lysander, Duke of Montcroix needs to convince a business associate that he is looking to settle down in order to buy a castle that’s in the way or his budding railroad. Nève, an out of work ballerina, needs funds to support her and her injured sister. The two stumble upon each other in an alley and the chemistry is there immediately. Lysander proposes a scheme, one night a surprising price Nève cannot refuse. When his business associate doesn’t seem to be convinced Lysander announces he and Nève are engaged, much to her surprise. But when he offers more funds for her to continue to pose as his fake fiancé, Nève must grapple with how much of herself is really for sale.

I don’t tend to read a lot of Victorian era books but I was hungover from Bridgerton and when I saw this was proposed as “Bridgerton meets Pretty Woman” - UM, YES PLEASE.

This book was a steamy, fake engagement, slow burn with a neurodiverse leading man and I could not get enough. The chemistry and dialogue between these two was absolutely swoon-worthy, and Lysander was a “stone” on the outside but an absolute gooey teddy bear who just didn’t understand himself on the inside.

On her journey Nève also meets a girl gang of Victorian-era “feminists” who were an absolute joy to read. I loved the way their friendship bloomed throughout.

On my personal preference scale, this only gets 2 stars, but I’m trying to be objective in the rating so I gave it 3. You could tell the author did her research, particularly with the ballet, although so much of it was so technical it had me skimming through to get to the next scene. Even taking that into consideration, though, the storyline dragged and the characters didn’t really seem that compatible. The chemistry was very much missing for me.

Neve is a ballerina who is down on her luck (due to an Evil Man) and desperate for employment to save her sister’s and her financial future. Enter an In Touch With His Feminine Side duke, who hires her to appear for one night as his fiance to convince a Family Man to sell a piece of land vital to his railway expansion plans. Family Man wants to preserve his late wife’s memory (they lived there, I think), while the duke wants to tear it down for his railway (because sexism and environmental rape). Naturally, one night is not enough, and he offers to hire her for the rest of the season, which she agrees to, even though she is an Independent Woman. As the season unfolds, they fall into love until he’s a Stupid Man and doesn’t say the Right Thing when she wants him to, and she leaves the country because his apology is not good enough. But then it ends up okay, because he follows her home (and everything’s better? Even though he really doesn’t resolve any of their issues. She left because he Didn’t Understand, but then fell into his arms just because he showed up and looked pretty?

Unfortunately, for me, it was trying too hard to be a modern feminist story in a historical setting. I felt like I was being beaten over the head with girl power, consent issues, and I’m-an-independent-woman-who-doesn’t-need-a-man. Obviously feminism and non-sexist men existed in those times, but there it was too much at the forefront, in too many characters, and it just got to be preachy. Much of it did not feel organic to the story or situation. It made the book lose most of its believability and appeal for me. Too many “issues” shoved into the book for me to actually enjoy the story. I felt like the characters were a prop to showcase how advanced they were with their Proper Point Of View. I had to force myself to finish it and it would take some convincing for me to try this author again.

However, if you like modern romance, and just want a different setting, it’s a 3 star. As a historical romance, for me it was a 2 star.

A fake dating regency romance? Yes, please!

I don't think I've read many romance books where I was equally obsessed with both love interests. However, I loved both Lysander and Genevieve SO much. They both had layers to their character and were interesting to read about. I wanted success and happiness for both of them. Lysander was an amazing book boyfriend. He showed his love and care for Genevieve through so many actions, and I loved the joy she had every time. Genevieve was a refreshing female love interest for a regency romance because she wasn't from high class, "good society", and she also wasn't entirely innocent and naive. She was smart and direct with what she wanted. The relationship progressed well, and I enjoyed the spicy scenes in this book. I also love the female friend group in this book, the dynamics were funny and entertaining!

While I loved the story itself, sometimes I felt it was dragging. Certain situations and scenarios had a bit too much detailing which made the pacing slow.

Overall, I loved the romance and relationship in this book, and I recommend it!

I have been devouring any and every historical romance I can get my hands on recently and this book did not disappoint me in the slightest!

Nève and Lysander had such great chemistry from the first moment they met and they had such great development throughout the whole story! The mutual pining that no one will admit to, the fake engagement that neither wants to be fake, the man who is soft for no one but her, the groveling, the SPICE. Everything about this book ticked off all of my go-to boxes when it comes to enjoying a book for me.

I’ve never read anything by Amalie Howard before but I think I’m going to have to check out her backlist now 👀

A very cute historical romance. Pretty woman meets Bridgerton. It’s fun read with a strong female protagonist. It’s a fast read. I really liked it.

A fairly quick, fluffy read.
Most of the novel is an example of writing what one knows. I enjoyed the dating as a cover story and the ballet parts.
Hoping the "manor" in Grosvenor Square gets fixed.

A great start of a new series! The upcoming ballerina, Miss Geneviève Valery, has lost her career and in the wake she is offered a new opportunity with Lord Lysander Blackstone. She is to act as his fake fiancée and in return she will receive enough to start over. They are both jaded from love and want to keep their hearts out of this fake relationship, but lines begin to blur as they continue. I loved these characters and watching them fall for one another. Such a fun, delightful read with some spice sprinkled in!

This book is a wonderful grumpy/sunshine historical romance. I think the author did a pretty great job of balancing the historical tone and modern values and ethics. That can be a hard line to walk and I actually think this book does an excellent job. I also didn’t know going in but loved that this book featured and neuro diverse (authors term I identified him as autistic) hero. This book is a lot of fun and the spice is fun and well done.

If I had one complaint about this book it’s that the third act conflict felt a little overblown in the heroines head, and honestly as an autistic reader it felt like the neuro divergent male lead was asked to compromise and change too much to archive the HEA. Maybe it’s just me but I was with him and didn’t get what the big deal was.

I am looking forward to reading more in this series as they come out.

Thank you to Forever and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc of this book! Unfortunately, this fell flat for me. I had trouble getting into it and I just didn't enjoy the writing. I didn't connect with the characters or the setting. This one just wasn't for me.