A shortened version of this review can be found on my Goodreads!

Always Be My Duchess is a contemporary romance that is described to encapsulate Pretty Woman and Bridgerton. Following two characters that are courting out of what they will gain and not out of love, the readers get to watch as their relationship unfolds. Lord Lysander is a stone-faced duke that only seeks to be more successful than his father, and Nève is a ballerina trying to support herself and her sister as they recover from the harms of the industry. Amalie Howard has written a period romance that is the epitome of close proximity, enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, and more of your favourite tropes!

What I loved: the dynamics between the characters - NOTHING beats Lysander and Nève's banter and back-and-forth. Every page left me smiling and wanting to know more, see more. Is it cheesy? Probably. But why else do we read these kinds of books if not to escape the mediocrity of our own lives. Amalie Howard also wrote in Dual P.O.Vs, so being able to delve into the minds of the two main protagonists was definitely satisfying. Not to mention the Hellfire Kitties: if you know, you know. Seeing a sisterhood of women during this era definitely had me appreciating those around me more!

In terms of representation, we have a neurodivergent main character that is loosely based on Amelie Howard's experiences raising a neurodivergent son. It's a type of thinking that we are not usually used to seeing from a man - yes, men can be stereotypically ignorant and unemotionless, but that is not at all who Lysander is. There is more to the inner workings of his mind that we are privy to (and Nève is not), allowing the readers to really understanding why he does what he does.

What I did not love: this book was a little steamy for my liking; it was easy to skip through some of the scenes, but certain language was hard to evade. I did not necessarily need to know all the thoughts going through Lysander and Nève's heads, but others may not find this as disturbing which I get. Also, with the dual P.O.Vs, it was something difficult to follow the dialogue and know who was speaking when, but I only found difficulties a few times!

Overall, this book was very enjoyable and hard to put down - I cannot wait to see what people think when it comes out!

This was a cute, fun read. I thought things started a little slowly, but around 20% the book firmly reeled me in. Lysander was a difficult character to know at times, and in a different way, so was Neve—it was hard to distinguish sometimes between what was her act and what was her. That’s why this was a four star book for me, not a five. However, I appreciated Neve’s intelligence and her dedication to her sister. I also enjoyed the friendship among the ladies and look forward to seeing more of them in future books!

Neve is a ballerina. Even though she is the daughter of a viscount she is looked at by the ton as little better than a courtesan. Lysander is a Duke. After he is saved by Neve in the alleys around Covent Garden, he offers Neve $100 pounds (an enormous amount at that time) to pretend to be his fiancee for just one night at a ball. He is trying to close a real estate deal with another aristocrat who will only sell to a married, family man. Neve makes friends with 4 young aristocratic women at the ball, and they adopt her as a friend.

I liked that Neve was aware of her goals and her need to succeed but she makes some foolish choices that move the story along but make the reader say “what was she thinking?” She is supremely concerned for her injured sister in Paris but makes little effort to go to her or bring her to London. I wonder how she could have left this sister alone with such debilitating injuries. The romance with Lysander is slow brewing and we wish for their realization that it is true love. As for the 4 friends it is really a stretch that these young women of the Ton would befriend a ballerina. Even though she was a viscount's daughter, as a ballerina she would be viewed as a fallen woman, friendship would be scandalous.

The writing is engaging and the characterizations are well done. I did enjoy reading this book turning pages into the wee hours of the night. It was a good read. But I did have some obvious issues.

I’ll admit that I was totally sucked into this book based on the title and cover. Always Be My Duchess? A book cover giving off fun Bridgerton vibes? Count me all the way in! Then when I saw the description that it’s more like a combination of Pretty Woman and Bridgerton? Yes, please!

I know we are supposed to avoid it, but judging the book by its cover was not a mistake. This book was such a fun and steamy read. Genevieve had so much personality, intelligence, and sass, I could absolutely imagine her as Julia Roberts in my head. Lysander was cold and broody, but the underlying heat is always obvious. The chemistry between these two characters is obvious! Highly recommend this book for fellow romance lovers. I’m already looking forward to future installments in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

While I had hoped for a different story from this book, I didn't hate it. There were lots of cute moments and plenty of amazing characters that made my time reading this book worth it.

Some of my favorite characters were Neve's friends. They were all feminists at a time when it was difficult to be a feminist, funny, and flirty. Every scene with them had me laughing and wishing they were my friends. I'm so glad we'll get to see more of them in the upcoming books in this series.

While Neve and Lysander were not my favorite characters, I didn't hate them. I thought it was weird that they were aroused by everything the other person did (literally everything), but whatever. As I said, their story made for a good introduction to the rest of the stories to come.

I was definitely getting The Viscount Who Loved Me vibes from Lysander and Neve's love-hate relationship. They wanted to kill each other, but also they couldn't stop thinking about the other one naked so...Speaking up, the steam level was very high.

Overall, this was not my favorite historical romance, but there was still so much to love. I can't wait for the next books in the series.

5 stars, 3 🔥.

I was drawn to this book from the Forever publishing Instagram page, where they advertised it as a way to get over your slump from binging Bridgerton. I've found myself loving the historical romance genre as of late. I've never read this author before but I'm definitely going to be seeking out her other titles after this.

I was drawn in from the very beginning. This book wastes no time in bringing out the excitement, adventure, and intense chemistry. The Duke and down on her luck lady turned professional ballerina have hot, hot, hot chemistry. You can feel the burn on the page.

This story has secrets, scandals, friendship, love, hatred, abuse and everything else you'd want in a historical romance. I appreciated the trigger warning in the begging of the book. Nève's sister has an unspeakable act of violence performed against her for simply refusing to go to bed with a man. Turning to Nève, she also refuses the man and consequently gets blacklisted from the Paris ballet. Which is ultimately how she meets Lysander. In London late at night she saves them both from a drunk mob of men only wishing them harm and theft.

The Duke comes up with a plot to benefit them both, payment for the role of a lifetime. Be his pretend duchess to be and help him close a business deal. Nève plays the role perfectly, falling for the rough, troubled Duke along the way. The Duke falling for the ballerina that consumes his thoughts and causes the hard stone exterior to slowly melt away and feel joy and happiness again.

I loved this book. The characters were well written, making me want for more. The epilogue has me crossing my fingers for Vesper to get her own story. I absolutely loved the Queens Club (aka Hellfire Kitties). They were all strong, independent women with skills and minds of their own. It made this strong willed, sharp tongued woman happy. I appreciated the progressiveness of these women and how Lysander also viewed women as being capable of being equals and not an inferior sex.

Without making this too long, simply put I loved this book. Loved the characters, the plot, writing, and to top it off there were some good 🔥 scenes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever books for allowing me an early, free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review and opinions

This was a relatively cute historical romance novel. Nève Valery is a French ballerina down on her luck — she absolutely needs to find someone to hire her in a ballet. She needs money, in order to help pay for her ailing sister’s doctor. Lord Lysander Blackstone needs to prove that he’s an upstanding gentleman who’s settling down in order for another lord to sell him his property. Lysander only wants to buy this lord’s property in order to raze it to the ground so he can build his railroad through it. They have a rather hot meet-cute, and well, they come to an arrangement. Nève will pretend to be his fiancé, and Lysander will pay her big bucks.

This was really extremely slow to start for me. Their meet-cute was steamy, but then it cooled way, way down until I was left wondering where exactly the book was going. There was a solid chunk of the book where nothing really happened. Once it picked back up, however, the book picked up some heat again. Nève and Lysander butted heads a lot — Lysander was rather stoic, and I think supposed to have Asperger’s / be on the spectrum. Nève was bright, and bubbly, and hated that Lysander never really showed emotion. They’re at odds until Nève gets a bit more of Lysander’s history, and then, well, things make sense.

Overall, the book was cute. The supporting characters really stole the show when they were on the screen — I’m looking forward to their books, if they get any.

Bridgerton crossed with Pretty Woman in this new novel from Amalie Howard is absolutely delightful. Super wealthy and stern Lysander Blackstone, Duke of Montcroix is desperate for a business deal to go through, but he needs the appearance of settling down in the family life to clinch it. Ballerina Neve Valery is desperate for work to support her injured sister but can’t get a job because a slimy man who’s advances she refused has poisoned the ballet directors against her. So Blackstone hatches a plan- he’ll pay Neve an astronomical amount of money to just pretend to be his fiancé for a season. Until (of course) the fake feelings become very real.

If you love period romance, humor, and a classic fake-dating trope, this novel is right up your alley. It was the right balance of fun and drama, with great chemistry between the Blackstone and Neve, slow life burn romance, and a fantastic group of female friends. A bit predictable in the way these books all tend to be; but that’s also part of the charm. You can get lost in a book like this and have the enjoyment of reading the love story without necessarily feeling all nail-bitey. Absolutely charming, would definitely recommend if this is your sort of genre.

I received a complimentary ARC of this e-book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read and review.

Lord Lysander “Stone” Blackstone, the Duke of Montcroix, wants nothing more than to increase the ducal coffers. When Stone gets lost in the seedier part of town, a young woman comes to his rescue. He believes Geneviève Valery can help him with his current problems. Stone offers her a small fortune if she will pose as his fake fiancée for the remainder of the season. However, he cannot seem to ignore the attraction between them. Can Stone let Geneviève go once their business deal is over? What lengths will he go to keep her permanently?
Geneviève “Nève” Valery is a down-on-her-luck ballerina. After being blacklisted in France, she travels to England in hopes of finding new prospects. Nève encounters a lost duke instead, and she impulsively saves him from some cutpurses. With no other job opportunities, she reluctantly agrees to Stone’s unorthodox business proposition. Nève never imagined she would fall in love with the stone-faced duke or find friends among the peerage. Will loving Stone bring Nève heartbreak? Can she thaw his icy heart?
It took me a while to cozy up to Stone, only because I am unfamiliar with neurodivergence. The author does a brilliant job of showing the difference in a neurodivergent person’s mental and behavioral processes, without telling readers outright that he suffers from a disorder. I like it when authors break away from the usual norm with their heroes (and their heroines). What I adore the most about Stone is his view on women’s capabilities. He does not share society’s bias thoughts and opinions of a woman’s place. Stone believes a woman can become whoever or whatever they want. Their gender should not define nor suppress them.
Nève proves to be the perfect counterbalance to Stone. Her passionate and hot-tempered demeanor balances out Stone’s cold and detached personality. I admire Nève’s refusal to fall into the trap most actresses and dancers do. She is steadfast in her decision not to become some nobleman’s trophy or mistress. Instead, Nève wants to succeed because of her skill and ability. What I like the most about Nève is her acceptance of Stone’s idiosyncrasies. She never once belittled him over his differences, but she tried to understand him better.
ALWAYS BE MY DUCHESS is the first book in Amalie Howard’s historical romance series, TAMING OF THE DUKES. This author is still relatively new-to-me. I enjoyed her novella in the anthology BIG DUKE ENERGY, so I decided to give one of her full-length novels a try. And it did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the side characters and their interaction with Stone and Neve. I did get the impression that Laila and her dandified Marquess have a story.
ALWAYS BE MY DUCHESS is a cute and entertaining tale of two opposites discovering love. I cannot wait to see which members of the Queens Club, aka Hellfire Kitties, is next. Secretly, I hope it is Lushing and Briar!

Lysander is the stone faced duke whose father treated him as though he were a waste of space, and stole his betrothed out of his hands. He's made it his duty to gain more wealth and power was due than his father ever did, and has his sights set on a particular parcel of land that will round out his holdings perfectly. But to do that, the seller insists that the home in the land be used for starting and building a family. I'm order to look the part, Lysander enlists Neve, an out of work ballerina in need of income, to pretend that she is the future duchess. In this rags-to-riches story inspired by Pretty Woman, Neve has to hold onto herself while she's thrown into Lysander's world of high society, playing the hardest role of her life.

Hot dang. This started as a slow burn novel, but then, once the fire ignited, it was hot and bright! For anyone who loves a steamy romance, particularly period pieces, this book is absolutely for you. I know quite a few of our library patrons that will just eat this one up! The writing is wonderful, and I look forward to seeing more from Ms Howard. I definitely recommend this one!!

When I heard this book was a historical take on 90s rom coms and was like Pretty Women meets the Bridgertons - I was like, SAY LESS.

Always Be My Duchess was so much fun right from the start. I loved watching Geneviève and Lysander's characters grow and develop throughout the story. The banter was amazing and so funny. I thought the concept of having a Neurodivergent hero in a historical romance was eye opening and really makes you take into consideration how mental health would have been viewed and treated at the time. I really loved this story, and that we got to see the characters love each other for exactly who they are. A lot of this story felt familiar to me, and I could see the inspiration from other works while it still managed to feel original! Overall a fun, sweet, banter filled modernized historical rom com!

ARC kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Refreshingly thoughtful and sexy historical romance!

When the Duke of Montcroix, aptly nicknamed Stone for his cold ways, is rescued by brave out-of-work ballerina Neve in a seedy part of town, his desire to be near her and need to close a business deal leads him to hire her to be his date for an upcoming ball. Then his fiancée for the season!

Sexy from the very start--literally chapter 1. Insta-lust with slow-ish burn feelings. Stone is super romantic (a little Mr. Darcy-ish!) and Neve is smart, brave, and caring.

What sets this book apart from others: It's heavily implied that the Duke is neurodivergent and has difficulty reading people--his father saw it has a hinderance, but Neve quickly understands and loves his straightforwardness. Additionally, Neve makes a group of close friends comprised of independent and feisty women. It goes beyond historical accuracy but is a fun touch!

Lord Lysander Blackstone is rescued first by Frenchwoman Genevieve Valery, a hopelessly out of work ballerina hoping to send money home from London to support her invalid sister. Blackstone calculates carefully the situation and sees that Miss Valery may rescue him not only from London's late-night riff-raff, but also from the many young maids who are pushed his way in the society season. The two negotiate for mutual satisfaction of all their needs in this page-turning romp.

This is a historical romance about a ballet dancer who rescued a Duke and then starts fake-dating him (which obviously looks a little different than contemporary romance fake dating). Very cute and 🔥🔥 with a really great secondary cast and I really hope this becomes a multi-book series.

*First I want to say thank you, NetGalley and Forever Grand Publishing for giving me this arc to read and review. My review is unbiased towards receiving it.*

Always Be My Duchess is a fake dating historical romance that has strong empowered female characters and male characters who have weaknesses you typically see in female characters. The traits each character displayed were admirable and understandably flawed. Historical romances haven’t had a great history on representation and characters that are strong-willed and independent, however, this book had that. Lysander has a mental and behavioral disorder (not specified by the author but he seems to exhibit some autistic traits at least) that was refreshing to see and Nève dealt with irregular periods. I myself deal with irregular periods and I can tell you out of all the romances I have read not one female character dealt with that or even acknowledged the possibility of infertility. It was enough to bring me close to tears. This book was easy to read and hot as hell. The entire book was horny, to be Frank. The hormones were through the roof over layers of clothing and I was a puddle the entire time. All in all I really enjoyed this book and would love to see a book about Briar and Lushing in the future.

A Victorian Romance with a Pretty Woman premise, Always Be My Dutchess by Amalie Howard is a highly entertaining read. When a chance encounter between the Duke of Montcroix and Nève leaves the Duke with an idea, they make an agreement. She will pretend to be his fiancé to help his image and gain an important business investment. In return the Duke will pay Nève a handsome sum that will help her injured sister back in France. An enjoyable cast of supporting characters and enchanting events ensues. Will Nève break down the Duke’s stoney demeanor enough for a true romance to blossom? Let me tell you, the chemistry and yearning in this book is fan your face scortching! If you love Bridgerton you will love this book!

Another fun historical fiction romance with a witty and strong female protagonist plus a handsome broody Duke she’ll ensnare, this delicious new romance will have romance readers ready for a new series to devour.

If you’re a reader who loves a good fake engagement trope, steamy romance, and a story about how two people find happiness, Always Be My Duchess will be a perfect read for you.

Happy Reading ~ Cece

Always Be My Dutchess is a beautifully written historical romance that will grasp you from chapter one.

Genevieve is a talented ballerina looking for work because she was unwilling to trade her body for the spotlight. She’s smart, beautiful, witty, and unafraid to push societal boundaries of 1865 England. Lysander is a Duke, seemingly void of emotion, who sees love as a weakness. He makes business deals the way he lives his life, with determination and without attachment. Every move is calculated and sensible, until he finds himself drunk and alone in a seedy part of London in the middle of the night. It’s here he runs into a beautiful, pistol wielding ballerina and finds himself squeezed into a drainage passage with her while they hide from a group of men looking for trouble. With their bodies pressed together, Lysander knows he will never be able to forget Genevieve. This instantaneous spark burns throughout the entirety of the novel.

Howard does a phenomenal job developing her characters. Lysander’s intricate layers are slowly peeled back throughout the course of the novel. Watch out; you’ll find yourself swooning before you know it. Genevieve’s no-nonsense attitude and willingness to push social norms, combined with her big heart, will have you rooting for her immediately. All of the secondary characters are given just as much attention. Read. This. Book.

Despite being set in the late 1800’s, the book has a modern feel. Howard beautifully merges vocabulary and practices of the past with modern day themes of love and feminine strength.

Thank you to Amalie Howard and Grand Central Publishing for granting me an ARC! I loved it!

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I’d like to start this off by thanking the publisher for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this novel! I am a sucker for historical romances and this was a cute read! Definitely Pretty Woman meets Bridgerton vibes!

Our female lead, Nève was everything I loved in a strong female character. She was witty, charming, and knew her standards. I loved her backstory that we got and how much she wanted to help her sister.

Lysander, our male lead made me swoon! Howard did an amazing job with writing this neurodivergent character when there was no diagnosis in this era. He did everything to make Nève happy all while dealing with ghosts from his past.

I can’t wait to read this once again when it is released in July!

Always be my Duchess was an absolute pleasure to read. It had a slow burn, fake engagement, and well-written, layered characters that you simply can’t help but to root for. Nève and Lysander grabbed my attention from the first chapter and they did not let go.

I so appreciate the content guidance at the beginning, it was very thoughtful.

Speaking of Nève, “Chaos incarnate” is precisely how I like my heroines. The way she discovers Lysander’s warm heart when she previously thought him heartless was *chef’s kiss*.

I want to be part of Nève’s found friend group. They all seem so wonderful and layered. I can’t wait to (hopefully) read their stories.

Nève is not a damsel in distress and doesn’t need saving, which I wholly appreciate and enjoy, but it’s so fun when she allows Lysander to simply take care of her the way she takes care of others.

This book was a 5/5 for me. It’ll be an excellent summer read.