Always be my Duchess by Amalie Howard

Q.O.T.D: What is your last, current and next read

A.O.T.D: Last : Heart Bones.
Current: Maybe Not
Next: Author Seeking Mountain Man (novella to wrap up the month).

Description:

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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for a review

This was such a fun read with fun characters. I loved the book and couldn't stop reading! This is fake dating at its best! Definitely a book worth picking up.

Always Be My Duchess was a play on the Pretty Woman movie with Julia Roberts. Though there were some similar elements such as Stone's hatred for his deceased father and his need to tear down everything his Dukedom built, other features such as Neve's background as a French ballerina and aristocrat were new.

Stone initially hires Neve for one night to act as a potential love interest after he finds the ballerina in Covent Garden. His attraction to her leads him to hire her for a more extended period of time as a fake fiance for a business deal and to detract debutants. This is where the book very clearly takes a turn from the movie's original plot. It becomes clear to Stone's friends and sometimes his inner monologue that he keeps Neve around because he is attracted to her and wants to keep her around permanently. Neve is also drawn to Stone and fights her attraction till around the 55% mark when the steam picks up.

Howard includes a disclaimer at the beginning of the book that Stone has a mental and behavioral disorder but it's unclear as to what this could actually be. I also feel like it detracted from the story because I spent half the book trying to figure out what was wrong with him. I also feel for Howard as she has had a lot of criticism directed at her for prior books that she now feels the need to put a disclaimer at the beginning of her books. In this instance, it was unnecessary. Plenty of authors allude to sex workers in their historical romance novels and it's clearly stated throughout that Neve is not a sex worker but a ballerina.

Overall, this book was masterfully done. It had just enough of the Pretty Woman architecture and then filled in with new characters from Howard's imagination. Personally, I had a hard time getting through it, as I have reached middle age, I have found Pretty Woman to be deeply problematic, and am not a huge fan of that movie. It was hard for me to drop that association once made and I couldn't immerse myself in Howard's masterful world-building.

Let me start by saying that HE PLAYED HER LIKE A CELLO. Naked. As foreplay.

I loved this book. I would have given it 5 stars but I think there were some pacing issues at the beginning. It is also possible that it was a me problem and not with the book. I plan on re-reading it when the next book comes out, so maybe I will change my rating then. Either way, I loved this characters, the MCs and the side characters. I loved that Blackstone's friends, family, and even his staff accepted Neve into their group and were rooting for them to be together. The relationship progression was perfect, especially considering how closed off Blackstone was due to his history with his family. He was also neurodivergent, so seeing him come to accept himself and his differences was so sweet. I also loved Neve; she knew what she wanted and spoke her mind. As different as these two were they made sense together, and I was rooting for them every step of the way. The chemistry and the pinning were just *chef's kiss*

I can't wait for the rest of the series, and I will be digging into this author's backlist because if her other books are anything like this one then I will love them too.

CWs: Loss of parents off page, parental abuse, fertility issues (ends with pregnancy), sexual harassment.

I am a BIG fan of both the #Bridgerton book & TV series, so this caught my eye right away! Add in the #PrettyWoman comparison & I was sold!!

It was so cute 🥰 and exactly what I wanted 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 also, just look at the cover 😍😍😍

I loved Neve’s independence & tough attitude throughout, she stuck to her gut, & her loyalty to her friends & sister were great to see. I loved their little group! And I loved how each of them was unique in their own way 💕 I enjoyed the tension, banter, & fun filled dynamic between the characters 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 And I may be hoping for some more from the girl group 😉❤️

I haven’t read a whole lot of historical romance, but I’m slowly building it up 📚 with this being a fabulous addition.

Overall verdict: A fun filled, swoony story, loaded with laughable moments, & loveable characters 💕

Thank you to @netgalley & @readforeverpub for the advanced copy 🥰 this lovely book is OUT NOW!!!

Pretty Woman inspired combined with historical fiction? YES PLEASE! I loved this. It was fun, sweet, and well executed. Absolutely heartwarming and delightful.

Always Be My Duchess by Amalie Howard

When I saw this book's description as "Pretty Woman meets the Bridgertons" I was sold. I am a lover of both regency and modern romances, so I had high hopes for the mix of two of my favorite genres and all the fun accompanying tropes. I was interested in the setup and the premise from the beginning but the middle had me putting it down before eventually coming back to finish it a few weeks later.

I really enjoyed regency take on the Pretty Woman/Pygmalion/My Fair Lady storyline, although it felt more like the typical fake dating trope than a true retelling of any of those, considering Neve's upbringing and familiarity with the titled classes. However, the chemistry between Neve and the Duke, and it was fun to see some of my favorite tropes played out (fake relationship, grumpy-sunshine, opposites attract, etc). Also, while I enjoyed seeing a neurodivergent hero in a passionate relationship, and the steamy scenes were written decently well, I had higher hopes for the overall plot, which was fun but predictable, and felt that the ending and the final conflict between Lysander and Neve felt a bit weak for two characters who really had such strong feelings for each other.

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

It was such a delight to read this book. My attention was gripped by it from the very first chapter. The story is great: each one of the main characters has their own depth, their own reasons to make the deal, and, most important of all, they are likable. I wish some topics had a deeper discussion, for example Lyssander being neurodivergent, but it's understandable given the fact that the story occurs centuries ago. Overall, it is a great book. I definitely recommend it.

Always Be My Duchess by Amalie Howard is the first Taming of the Dukes book. Lysander Blackstone, Duke of Montcroix, has plans to increase his already considerable fortune. He keeps his emotions to himself after a life full of betrayals. His heartless reputation soon jeopardizes his newest business deal, so Lysander finds himself needing someone to play his fake fiancée. Miss Geneviève Valery was once an up-and-coming ballerina. When Nève saves the life of a duke one night, she is surprised when he makes her an offer she can’t refuse. With the promise of a fortune to start over with her sister in Paris, Nève can’t believe her luck. But soon very real feelings grow between Lysander and Nève.

I really liked the mixture of historical romance and rom-com in this story. I loved the complexity of Lysander. He was much different from any romance hero I’ve read before, and I’d love to read more like him. Nève was so fierce and likeable and the perfect match for him.

I adored this book! It is definitely one of my top romances of the year. This is the perfect enemies to lovers and slow burn story!

Nève is a dancer who is feisty, funny, and strong. She will do whatever it takes to protect her sister. Lysander "The Duke" is a cold, harsh, and stubborn businessman who will do anything to close his next deal. These opposites don't make any sense, but my oh my the chemistry between them is unstoppable! Howard does an amazing job of making us fall for these two and their banter is *chef's kiss*.

I loved how different they were, but how they made such efforts to learn how to understand each other. Their growth individually and as a unit was wonderful.

I also really enjoyed Nève and her friend group. They were so funny and I loved how they were all about the girl power.

If you're looking for a steamy romance with some depth definitely grab this one!

Amazon review pending approval.

Review:
it may be a little-known fact, but historical romance is my jam, bread, and butter. i'm pretty sure if you go back a few years that you'll find a goodreads reading challenge of mine that is almost entirely filled up with historical romance. lisa kleypas is my ride or die, tessa dare is her second in command. i worship at the altar of the wallflowers; may summer, fall, winter, and spring live forever and ever, amen.

needless to say, i was an ideal audience for this arc and i loved it. i loved every single moment of reading this book, so much so that i finished the book and then immediately began typing up a list of every single thing i loved the most:
1) funny banter, like really witty and clever
2) the emphasis on consent
3) strong fmc
4) one of the side characters writes smutty fanfiction about another side character!! is this going to be a novella? because i need it
5) the phantom of the opera reference to music of the night
6) a skilled archery moment that gave me fox-y robin hood vibes *sweats, drools*
7) male shirtless cello playing
8) the pinnacle of a man being written by a woman

if you enjoy romantic comedies, or historical romances, or funny, touching, steamy stories about dukes and ballerinas then you are going to love this book. i swear on my wallflower saints.

the author does include some content guidance at the beginning of the book. however, it does fail to mention infertility (due to amenorrhea) that results in pregnancy.

I really wanted to love this, but I found it was just okay overall. The characters individually and interacting together I did not particularly like, and the storyline I found was a bit predictable. The spice (especially early on) surprised me, but I was a fan.

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was fun and spicy. I loved the side characters and can't wait to see what Howard does with future books in this series. If Neve is truly passionate about dance, I doubt she would be that eager to give up dancing
I found it difficult to determine the time period this book took place.

This book was adorable and I loved every minute of it. A regency "Pretty Woman?" Yes, please. Also, hands down this book had the best meet cute I've read all year. I'll definitely be reading more of Amalie Howard.

I am addicted to historical romances. Just give me a Duke and make him fall in love with someone and I will eat it up. This book was no exception. I loved the writing, I loved the characters. The plot was so much fun. It was a solid historical romance.

Welp. I’ll be needing book 2 ASAP please and thank you. I already know this is going to be a new favorite series and author for me.

Honestly have mixed feelings about this one. The immediate (extreme) attraction between the two leads for me felt like way too much, and the almost modern-ish quality of the writing really put me off when combined with the setting/time period

If you prefer your historical romance more rom-com than angst-ridden, then allow me to direct your attention to ALWAYS BE MY DUCHESS by Amalie Howard. Loosely inspired by “Pretty Woman,” the book follows the unlikely romance between a duke (who as sworn off love, naturally) and the down-on-her-luck ballerina he hires to pose as his fake fiancé for the sake of closing a business deal. A love a good fake relationship story, and this one was most excellent. I’m super picky about historical romances, but this one ticked all my boxes and I really enjoyed getting to know these characters. It’s also clearly setting up companion/sequels, and I am definitely here for them.

It was very sweet, and loosely followed the <i>Pretty Woman</i> storyline (Neve is the daughter of a impoverished viscount, which took a bit away from the obstacle of what was keeping them apart, and her overall "ineligibility" to be duchess). I did like her as a character, though it took me a while to warm up to the romantic interest. I didn't find him particularly memorable, and I just kind of went along with it. It was...fine. The highlight here is probably the group of friends and the inevitable storylines that we're going to see from this series.

A decent start to a new series, though I am already waiting on the enemies to lovers book we'll be getting from Briar and whatever his face is.

<i>Thanks NetGalley for an ARC of this, in exchange for an honest review. </i>

This historical romance is the beginning of a new series and features a rich, powerful Duke who is also a businessman and a ballerina who cannot find work after refusing to become a patron's mistress and is considered equal to a courtesan. Lysander offers Neve a huge amount of money to enter into a fake engagement, but what happens when they begin to realize their feelings are becoming real? Recommended.