I am ALWAYS a sucker for a Pretty Woman rendition. Both main characters are amazing. Neve is the strong female main character I love to see, especially in historical romances. And of course the Duke is taciturn. Watching these two fall in love was so much fun. I've read it once, and I can't wait to read it again.

It’s the cover first that captures my attention, that same cover (and subsequent movie) I remember seeing at our town’s local movie theater when I wasn’t yet old enough to drive. The characters are in the same pose as on that 1990 movie poster and wow, what a genius idea on the part of Amalie Howard! Because this is the book I didn’t know I needed to read. And it’s the beginning of a brand new series to boot 😍

By 5% of the way in I have a smile on my face… I am adoring this book so far. The Pretty Woman / Pygmalion aspects of this story are definitely there and is it just me who feels like watching 90’s rom-coms now?

. . .


100% finished and I’m already desperate for book two in this brand new series that I can’t wait to read more of! This was an utterly terrific start to a new series.

This title was a joy to read. Recommended for those who like/love the following tropes
* Historical romance
* Virgin heroines
* Instant attraction
* Opposites attract
* Class difference
* Sunshine/Grump

After watching bridgerton I have been on a kick of all things duchess and dukes! This book was such a pleasant experience! The banter, the pining, the amazing tropes!! I am so here for this book! The characters were relatable which is amazing considering the time period in which is was taken place! I loved it. Highly recommend

Sadly, was just not into this one.

A loose retelling of Pretty Woman, this book follows Neve and Lysander, a ballerina and a duke respectively, who meet when Lysander is lost in the wrong part of town. Neve helps him find his way, and when he learns that she's an out of work actress and dancer, he hires her to accompany him to a party the next night. He needs her on his arm both to secure a business scheme and to avoid the pursuits of ton women, and she needs the money.

Unfortunately, the pacing and the relationship were both off to me. They're instantly attracted to each other, and that somehow becomes love without much else happening. I didn't like the way they interacted and I found I wasn't ever really rooting for them. The side characters also felt a little flat to me. There were times when I almost DNF but I pushed through.

Really wanted to like this because I love historical romance, but it was not for me.

2.5 stars
DNF @ ~ 65%
--
There are part of this book that I really enjoyed, but overall, something about this just didn't click for me. Enemies-to-lovers, fake relationships, and starchy man gets unstarched are some of my favorite tropes, but something about the execution here fell very flat for me. I've been having a really hard time getting through this book because I just can't seem to pay attention, and every time I pick it up, I put it down almost immediately after. If I have some more free time down the line, I might pick this back up, but for now, I'm retiring this book.

Lysander is a very disciplined man. The author establishes that he has a mental and behavioral disorder prior to the beginning of the book, and keeping this in mind, this does contextualize a lot of his stiffness. However, I still struggled a lot with some of the ways he treated Neve. In the beginning, he frequently was cruel to her just to be cruel, and while I get that he doesn't understand a lot of these social nuances or process emotions the same way as Neve does, I just couldn't really get over how he could treat her so meanly while inwardly he was simping after her.

In terms of plot, it does follow Pretty Woman, as indicated by the cover (gorgeous!) and description. And while I used to really enjoy Pretty Woman, lately that story has been a lot less appealing to me. This book did do a great job of addressing some of my biggest problems with Pretty Woman, particularly the savior complex, but a lot of issues still remain. For example, the power imbalance is less pronounced considering how Neve was born into well-bred society and they meet on the even playing field of music and arts. But the inherent conflict of him being a Duke and hiring her to pretend to be his partner. While sex is not part of the agreement, it's definitely an underlying issue they think about frequently. Even though Genevieve personally makes it very clear she does not want to exchange sexual favors for money, there is no shaming of sex workers, which I really appreciated.

I also found some of the dialogue (both inner monologues and conversations) to seem really anachronistic. While it's clear that the author put a lot of research into this book, idk why but some of the phrasing felt really jarring. Like we're in Regency Era but then some turn of phrases just sound super modern.

Overall, this book did a great job in translating Pretty Woman into more socially acceptable standards. However, it just wasn't my personal cup of tea.

As historical romance goes, Neve is a refreshingly unique heroine! She’s a smart, witty, strong woman who was a pleasure to root for. Lysander (woof, that name though), despite is extremely unsexy name, checks all the yummy duke-isms we love. The beginning half was well paced, charming and I breezed happily on through it. Unfortunately I hit a wall near the end where I wanted certain outcomes that didn’t quite happen. It got a little convoluted for me and the ending felt messy. I would have been very happy with a cliché ending. When I’m reading historical romance, I want that. Overall I enjoyed the characters and can’t wait for more! 3.75 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley & the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my review!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. A fun, witty, fake engagement romance with excellent usage of music and dance. Ballet and piano (amongst a couple of other instruments) get their time in the spotlight, and as a former professional dancer, it's well done. The passion is obvious and the descriptions are lovely. Who doesn't love a hard-hearted businessman (slash closet musician and supporter of the arts) Duke who tries not to fall in love with a ballerina, who agrees to be his fake fiance?

I found the female protagonist to be a little inconsistent in her feelings about her self-worth, what she wanted out of a partner, and the things that she let bother her. But honestly, that is a little realistic for someone pushed into a new place and out of their comfort zone, so I look past it. I also thought the ultimate conflict was a smidge underdeveloped. It felt like it had been 100 pages since it was last addressed when everything came to a head. But nit-picking aside, I love the characters, I like the premise and story, and I would recommend it to any dance, music, and period romance lovers. I hope we get more books about each of her friends, who are headstrong, clever, funny, and loyal women.

*Formal review will be up on blog in 4 days

Oh this book was such a delight! When I saw the description as "Pretty Woman meets Bridgerton"...sign me up! At first I was a bit hesitant this would read like many other books set in the regency and Victorian era, but I was so wrong. This was a unique story that was set in the past but flirted with modern ideas and points of view. The main character had strong feelings about womens rights and expressed consent. This book was a slow burn with some very steamy scenes towards the end. What a great summer reading book! I can't say thank you enough to #Netgalley and #Foreverpublishing for gifting me a copy of this ebook to read and review!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a requested review copy. All opinions are my own.

This was cute, fun, and fairly light! I could very much see the influence of Pretty Woman on the story. I can’t decide whether that ended up being an enhancement or a distraction. The chemistry between Nève and Lysander was hot from the beginning. I loved how strong Nève was and the friends she made with the other strong women in the Ton.
There was something I can’t put my finger on that kept me from loving this as much as her other books. But the end was perfect and I definitely enjoyed the read!

3.5 stars

As a fan of Eloisa James and Julia Quinn, I was excited to give this book a try. I have been reading more and more historical Romance thanks to Bridgeton. This one was cute. Everything I saw about it called it a Pretty Woman retelling but I don’t feel like that is exactly true. The main character was in dire straits because she refused to be a mistress, and sure there was a fake engagement but there are so many better references in literature and movies that follow this trope close to this plot. It was funny but not quite historically accurate. The language is a little modern but it did not detract from the story. It is a quite fun summer read.

I'm a sucker for fake relationships and Pretty Woman AUs so this book was right up my alley. I don't usually like books set in this era, but this one pulled me in and kept my interest.

Lysander and Neve have such a great connection/chemistry.

Okay, I'll be honest, I'm not usually into the old Victorian Era books. However, This one!!! This oneeeee!!! It was beautifully written. Such relatable characters. The terminology didn't completely lose me and alot of it made me chuckle as I knew exactly what it meant. I loved the premise and the 2 main characters just make you relate to them so much. It's such a flawlessly written book that you'll easily lose yourself in. I read in one sitting and couldnt put it down. Tons of laughs and relateable moments, some teary moments too.

This ARC was given to me by NetGalley and the publishers for me to read and review. All statements above are my own opinions after reading this book.

The best historical romance!! I loved the relationship, side characters and the constant banter. There was such good dialogue and it was just so perfectly witty and casual. I will for sure buy a copy when this come out!!!

Maybe I'm a sucker for Pretty Woman remakes, because I didn't think I was going to like this as much as I did. I had read some reviews from bloggers I generally agree with and I think that might have contributed to my low expectations of this book. SOOOOOO lets get to the good stuff:

Lysander Blackstone can only be described as the Gargoyle Duke, cold and heartless. He is single-minded in his desire to increase his fortune. That is until an out-of-work and on-hard-times ballerina, Neve Valery, saves him- literary and figuratively. Neve agrees to a role of a lifetime- as his fiancée for the season and until he can secure a very lucrative business deal. What they both don't expect is to fall in love. Surprise: They do!

Things I loved:
* Neve is clever and with a razor sharp tongue
* The scenes with musical instruments
* The ending is **chef's kiss**
* All of the supporting characters. I mean a super shout out to Vesper and her Hellsfire Kittens
* Briar and Lushing need their own bullet because they cracked me up and I cant wait for their book...it's happening right?!?

Things that were meh:
* Sometimes it was too overtly Pretty Woman. I mean there was even a necklace scene tied to going to the theatre.
* I don't think the author needed to mention that Lysander was neurodivergent. If I had not read that before starting the story I wouldn't have know. It kind of back fired because I kept trying to find the instances that would make him neurodivergent instead of enjoying the story.
*I could have used a tad-bit more steam....but whatever floats your boat.

I will FOR SURE read this series.

Thank you to the publisher (Forever) for an e-ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own.

This was a DNF for me. It was a little challenging for me to get into the story. I tried to give it some time, but I had a hard time connecting with the characters and finding them entertaining. The main character's romance didn't quite have enough tension or emotional connection for me.

I received this book as an advanced reader copy from NetGalley and exchange for an honest review. If you are a fan of light reads and Bridgerton then this is a great novel for you. The chemistry between the Duke and the ballerina is perfect and I enjoyed the strength of her character. I recommend this for a fun read!

A duke and a ballerina meet in the street of London, what could happen?

I felt like the fake dating trope met the 18-19 century. It was funny to read. Genevieve is a badass ballerina. She speaks her mind and does what she wants. Lysander describes himself as completely cold, but I would rather say he is hot and knows what he wants. We could feel the sexual tension between them. I won’t see a cello/maestro the same way. I would recommend the book if you are looking for fun, sexy and light reading.

Thank you to Forever publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley, but the review is my own. I am a huge fan of Amalie Howard. I have read all over her historical romance novels, and “The Beast of Beswick” is one of my favourite books in both the genre and in general, which I have re-read many times. I have enjoyed her more inclusive stories in “The Princess Stakes” and “Rules for Heiresses”. I went into “Always Be My Duchess” with high expectations and was somewhat disappointed. I love an ‘unlovable’ hero, strong heroines, and ‘enemies to lovers’ is one of my favourite tropes. But the pieces of this story did not come together as well as it could have. The writing is still a cut above many authors; however, the book could have been longer (not something I usually think!) – there almost seemed to be scenes missing, or the overall story too short, which made the progression of the love story off-putting. For example, there is a piece of disputed property, and our heroine is upset by the Duke’s plans for it, yet the couple’s time/scene at the estate is so short that her affinity for the place seems strained at best. The contradictions of Lysander’s coldness and artistic sensibilities were jarring because not enough time was given to just how “cold” he could be – I needed more than characters saying he is “cold” – when compared to his clear affection for others in many other scenes. The hero is neurodivergent - again Ms. Howard’s inclusive stories are commendable, but other authors have penned differently abled hero/heroines more successfully (Grace Burrows (The Truth About Dukes), Grace Calloway (never Say Never to an Earl), or multiple Stacy Reid books). Overall, this was an okay story, but I would recommend others by the same author first. 3.5/5

He is known to be stone cold and like a Gargoyle but he might have just met his match in a sharp and beautiful ballerina who would sooner rip him apart than give him the time or day. Lord Lysander Blackstone, the duke of Montcroix is known for his stone cold demeanor that is reminiscent of a gargoyle to the point where his nickname is Stone. The only thing he is interested in is increasing his fortune and legacy after a series of betrayals and a harsh childhood he has learned to keep his emotions buried deep and to maintain a cool demeanor. When a potential business deal is put into jeopardy based on his reputation he finds himself asking for help from the most unusual person. After getting lost he ends up at the end of the gun of up-and-coming ballerina Miss Geneviève Valery, also known as Neve. Neve dreams about making it big as a ballerina, she loves dancing, but after a jealous suitor injures her sister and destroy’s her sister’s dancing career and her parents death Neve is left as the only bread winner and she has to find a way to get a job on the stage... preferably without having to be propositioned in order to get the role every single time. Neve doesn’t want to sacrifice her body or soul, so when she runs into Lysander and he offers her a job, she think’s its the perfect way to help pay off her rent, take care of her sister, and have spare money to hold her off until she can find a job. Lysander needs a fake fiancee, someone to hold off the vying mothers and daughters, and something to prove to his prospective business client that he isn’t heartless and can be trusted to buy the land. It was a simple offer: dress up, play companion for one ball, and get paid 100 pounds and she can keep the dress... except what starts off simple starts to heat up as the undeniable chemistry between the two lights up. Lysander and Neve are opposites, he’s cold she’s hot, he only sees the black and white and she see’s in shades... and yet for all their bickering comes passion and the undeniable urge to kiss each other. Lysander wants more and he offers a new arrangement: she stays and continues to be his companion until the season is over and he will pay her 5000 pounds and if she wants more he is willing to give it to her. Yet for all their brewing romance, they both have their own demons and struggles to get through. Lysander is struggling to deal with the childhood trauma his father put him through, the betrayals of his ex-fiancee, and just learning to let down his walls and let himself feel emotions while Neve is struggling to deal with if she can trust Lysander, if she can open herself up to someone like him, and if she is willing to risk her heart. They’re both so amazing, I loved reading this book so much and CANNOT WAIT TO READ THE REST OF THE BOOKS IN THIS SERIES!!! AHHH the romance was just perfection, their bickering and bantering, and their chemistry was off the walls. I swoon for them seriously. If you’re looking for a wonderful historical romance with lots of witty banter and seriously steamy romance, THIS IS FOR YOU. The pining, the light angst, the emotion... its so good.

*Thanks Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

After a night of heavy drinking with friends, a lost Lysander stumbles into a part of town he doesn't recognize, only to find the most beautiful woman he's ever seen-- who promptly holds him at gunpoint in self defense. But moments later a group of men appear, intent on harming both Lysander and this mysterious woman, Nève, and they run together, ending up hiding in a small alleyway together, where their mutual attraction becomes clear. Unwilling to part with her, Lysander proposes an unusual arrangement: he wants her to attend a ball with him in order to help him seal a work deal and fend off the countless women intent on marrying him for his status. In return, he'll Nève a hundred pounds. Against her better judgement, she accepts, and the two soon find themselves in a faked relationship of convenience as he attempts to close a business deal and she gets the money to help take care of her injured sister and secure their future.

I absolutely adored both the main characters-- and the side characters Nève befriends. Nève is headstrong yet delicate, a dancer who is skilled at navigating the world of dukes and earls-- a world in which she once belonged. Lysander, known as Stone due to his standoffish demeanor, seems to be intentionally autistic-coded, which I loved-- so many men in books are, and it was refreshing to have it addressed a bit more directly. It was never explicitly named as autism, but there were things about him that felt familiar in that way. He and Nève played off each other really well, and I loved the transition from allies to friends to lovers.

I figured, from the description, that I would like Always Be My Duchess, but it exceeded my expectations. It was a truly delightful book and I found myself anxious to get back to it while I was with friends. It's a great book, and I can't wait to read more by Amalie Howard.