I ended up being pleasantly surprised by this one! When I started it I found the dialogue a bit stilted, but I switched to the audiobook and that helped it flow better for me. I enjoyed the plot and the characters—Aphrodite’s mother turned out to be an unexpected favorite, as I thought she would just be overbearing but quickly proved she had much more depth. I think the pacing felt a bit off to me and sticking to one POV since it was first person might have worked better, but overall this was a fun read, and I look forward to more from this author.

I enjoyed reading this steamy Bridgerton-like novel, but I didn't get to finish it in NetGalley. I will pick it up again to read the rest of the story. I find this type of novel fun to read.

I almost gave this book 3 stars for its not so original multi-racial cast of characters. But then I figure why not give it the 4 it deserves had I never heard of Bridgerton. After all it is progress in historical fiction by having a new group of diversity. Yes, 99% of all European aristocrats were white as well as everyone in the Ton. But that is so limiting isn't it? And after all it is fiction and storytelling.
Aphrodite has found it exhausting to live up being named after a Goddess, so much that she didn't find as much joy in her debut as she could have. But now it is her sister's turn and Aphrodite is there to help. There she finds her Duke and the rest is a delightful story leading to Happily ever After.

“This is fiction, and anything is possible here.”

I just can’t do it with the first person POV. Even though the plot and characters were amazing, having such a limited amount of his POV and having the entire thing first person really did not do it for me. Overall it’s a good book but it wasn’t clicking.

Star Rating: 2.5/5
Tropes: Second chance romance, friends to lovers
CW: Death, racism

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first time reading something by Ms McAvoy. I enjoy regencies, so I did enjoy the story. It's a second chance romance with an interesting and diverse cast of characters with plenty of drama to keep your attention. Aphrodite lives up to her name with her exquisite physical appearance, but regardless of her beauty, she was still jilted by the love of her life, Evander, and her heart was broken when he married another. Now she is back in London for her sister's debut and is determined to stay clear of Evander. Evander knows he lost his chance at love and truly regrets the pain he caused Aphrodite. Now a widower, he fully intends to win back the heart and trust of the woman he truly loves. But the forces that caused him to break her heart the first time are still in play and are still trying to keep them apart. But this time, Evander will do everything in his power to earn back Aphrodite's love as well as her forgiveness.
Definitely an entertaining read that kept me engaged till the end. I enjoyed the novel and will certainly look forward to reading more of Ms. McAvoy's work.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I enjoy a good historical romance and while it was nice to read a historical romance novel with a BIPOC character at the center, the book just didn't give me what I was searching for. I wanted some fluffy, comical romance and instead what I got was a long drawn out book that I had to push myself to read. I wished there was more character development and the book read slightly choppy for me because the flow of the words wasn't as smooth as I would've hoped. It also was harder to continue reading because the marriage (which usually happens towards the end of the book) happened in the middle which threw me off a little.

No stranger to historical fiction set among the ton, this novel nonetheless felt like a refreshing addition to the genre. Enjoyed how the high expectations set by the characters’ names was remarked upon and also influenced the plot of excellence and morality. It’s a second chance romance and moves with the energy of lovers with some common sense and high moral values.

In her latest book, Aphrodite and the Duke, J.J. McAvoy gives us a sweet story of love, devotion and growth, many years in the making. I have been a fan of regency romances since I was a middle school student in the seventies. Of course, none of the books written during that period featured POC. I love this genre and to be able to read about people who look like me makes the experience that much sweeter. Evander Eagleman and Aphrodite Du Bell appeared to be destined for love and marriage when inexplicably he breaks her heart and his promise and weds another. After years of separation and alienation, Evander is back and now able to offer a reason for his defection. However, even with his return and a clearing of the air, barriers still exist. Aphrodite’s father is not open to a reconciliation by the pair and Evander has bold and brazen enemies willing to use violence in order to succeed in defeating him. Will Evander be able to overcome his foes and wed the only woman he has ever loved? I really enjoyed this story and appreciated the format in that we got dual narratives. Evander and Aphrodite are so appealing as a couple and I found their story to be emotionally gratifying on all levels
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the chance to review this book for my honest opinion.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RCFZXEMKWY9MK/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

thank you PRH International for sending me an EARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

4 STARS! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

okay so this was actually very sweet and fun, as well as fast paced which i appreciated! i read it faster than i thought since again it was a very easy read! i also loved the idea of a regency london without racial differences, and having a beautiful and strong black woman as a main character! and how everyone was aware of her beauty and grace and admired it, with not even a hint of racism which was just refreshing and of course made this a delightful, lighthearted read.

now, i think there were a few things missing. regarding the spice, i was expecting more of it tbh. like it was there but it wasn’t maybe AS descriptive as i would’ve liked. and also the scenes were few and far between. and the conflict felt a little TOO dramatic at times and idk it was weird.

However, i LOVED the family dynamics in this book, all of them were simply incredible and SO good and sweet and just 🥹🥹🥹 i think that was part of what i was more invested in.

all in all, this was a lighthearted, cute read with diversity that felt cozy and natural since there was no need to use racism or colorism to make it “accurate”. it was a cozy, inclusive regency london that i will always enjoy.
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I love a good second chance love story! This was a fun period piece read. I do find it frustrating in stories like these sometimes when just a single good honest conversation could fix everything and of course that's the one thing the characters haven't/don't do. But I also understand it's a good story-building lever, so there's that.

If you like Regency romances, you'll like this.

If you are looking for a Bridgerton read alike (with a dash of Pride and Prejudice because we've got a bookish heroine who is the favourite of her father), this is definitely what you want. It even features characters who are explicitly written as in the global majority, which might have been a surprise for some folks who watched Bridgerton and then tried to read the books...

That said, this one didn't work for me. The second chance romance is usually something I enjoy, but in this caseit equated to essentially no character or relationship development. We don't get to see any flashbacks to their first go-round, but we're not given any real description of it either. It felt like very little of the book was focused on the romance. The sex scenes were pretty tame and nearly fade to black, though that wouldn't have been a negative for me if the rest of the plotting had felt stronger.

I would love to read more from McAvoy, but I think this is her first historical fiction and I believe she will be a stronger option for that genre once she's got a few more of them under her belt.

CW: physical abuse, sexual content, child abuse, suicide attempt

Many students at my school library have been clamoring for the Bridgerton series. Unfortunately, we are not planning to carry those titles, so I was thrilled to find the YA version of it with Aphrodite and the Duke. It was a wonderful light read that will definitely turn my students' heads who are hungry for the salacious gossip of the Tonne.

A charming second chance Regency romance.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Overall, I really enjoyed Aphrodite and the Duke, with a few caveats. But first let me tell you, briefly, what this book is about. At the beginning, you learn that Aphrodite is on her way back to London for the first time in several seasons after having her heart broken by her childhood friend who had said they would get married and then during the first week after her debut, he announced his marriage to someone else. When Aphrodite gets to London, her mom is like, "Yeah, you're getting married this season, congrats! Pick your suitor." And as you start to see Aphrodite interact with the Duke (childhood friend), the whole time you're going, "okay, so... what happened?" because it is very clear he is still into her. Eventually you get an answer to that and then ultimately, we spend the second half of the book with the two of them married.

In news that is maybe not altogether surprising given my love of marriage in trouble books, I loved watching Aphrodite and the Duke figure out how to be married to one another. Like, loved it. However, there is this whole suspense aspect to the plot that I just... hated, honestly. It's not that it is poorly done, it's just that I am exhausted at the moment with violence against women. I definitely think that's a me issue (I mean, IRL, I trust we're all tired of violence against women and probably violence in general, I just mean that in writing, I trust others still have the ability to tolerate that as a plot point). And ultimately, the resolution of this storyline left me... cold, I guess.

But all in all, I am very much looking forward to more from McAvoy in the future and I hope and trust that her writing may evolve a little to relax into a more modern writing style even while writing historical romance. Maybe. Hopefully. Otherwise, let me just say, the audiobook was the way to go for me. It made it a lot easier to deal with a writing style that feels a bit older and more formal.

This was a great regency romance. I was invested in the love story between Aphrodite and the Duke and wanted to see them live happily ever after. There were a lot of twists and turns, family drama, and miscommunications but the love between them always shone through.

Aphrodite and the Duke definitely helped with my lack of Bridgerton to devour on tv. I simply loved how accurate the language was in the writing as far as this period piece went. A second chance romance is one of my favorites and this one wasn't so bad. I think it hit the some of the marks when it came to plot, characters, and staying in the times. I think I was yearning for a bit more though. Overall this read was a 4/5 for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to review this arc.

Aphrodite and the Duke by J.J McAvoy follows Aphrodite’s return home for her sisters presentation in society. Four years ago Aphrodite was set to marry Evander a childhood friend but is left heartbroken when Evander marries someone else. Upon her return they meet again and it is clear to them both that they are still in love with each other. In this second chance romance Evander sets out to prove his love for Aphrodite explaining the circumstances for his “betrayal” in the past. This book was sweet and gave me Bridgerton vibes. It’s amazing seeing black people represented unapologetically in historical romances. This book was enjoyable. The family dynamics were fun and loving. The romance was there but at times not completely believable. The added storyline aside from the romance was interesting and kept the plot moving forward. Overall, I enjoyed it and I will definitely look more into J.J. McAvoys other novels,

Oof, this book started off so strong! The first 3/4 of the book was charming, sexy, and funny, with a big loving family a la the Bridgertons and a second chance romance for the ages. Too bad the book turned hard into a weird aristocrat supremacy thing! The main characters very much believe they deserve what they have because of their birth and families and not even an impassioned plea from an estranged bastard brother changes their minds. What a letdown! Even if these characters would have believed that in real life, having me root for a guy who believes in “divine right” so thoroughly made me feel kinda ill. The last quarter of the book felt very strange and elitist.

Everyone praises her looks, but Aphrodite du Bell hates her name and finds it difficult to live up to the name of the goddess of beauty. Her beauty didn't stop the Duke of Everely from jilting her four years ago, and she would happily avoid London. However, she's called back to help with her sister's debut, and the Duke is everywhere. He's a widower now, and the connection between them still exists. But the reason he jilted her still exists, and can still tear them apart.

The language here is a lot more formal than in many other Regency romance novels, but there's still a lot of teasing and love within the du Bell family. At the same time, Aphrodite is told at the outset to get a husband, and it's her only purpose in life. Her mother insists upon it and is the de facto head of the household. Even her father, who shares her "uncommon" love of books and reading, gives her an edited dictionary. Society is all too eager to whisper and gossip. She's constrained on all sides, expected to walk the fine line of womanhood and never complain. That definitely sounds familiar for all of us.

Aphrodite gives up the easy path quickly and demands that Evander disclose why he married someone else four years ago. The reason he jilted her has not been resolved, but as we approach the halfway mark of the book, even though she doesn't care about it, we know it's going to potentially ruin her happiness again. She's as stubborn as she's celebrated for her beauty and grace, and a lit of the connection with Evander at first feels like familiarity and attraction. His feelings for her are still the same. It's never a question of emotions in this novel, only external dangers to trigger fear, bad memories for some characters, and anger in others. Aphrodite had a loving upbringing while Evander didn't, and both are stubborn. While it does lead them to avoid speaking to each other for a few days, there is no traditional wedge driving them apart. Mistakes have consequences, even in a romance novel, but it ends neatly and there's still a happily ever after.

3.5, rounded up for this second-chance historical romance. I loved the dialogue (J.J. McAvoy committed to the language of the period, which I appreciated), and the fact that Aphrodite is biracial is a nice touch. While the chemistry between Aphrodite and Evander after they marry works pretty well, I couldn't grasp how or why they fell for one another in the first place. I also felt like the duchess and Evander's older brother could have been less...cartoonishly villainous? McAvoy tries to provide some depth to both characters, but it didn't work for me.

This is a solid alternative to those who have read and enjoyed The Duke and I and want something slightly less problematic.