I wanted to love this book - and I love the representation, the cast and the premise! What didn't work for me was the storytelling. It felt very TELL not SHOW - and when combined with the passive voice... I couldn't ever really get in to it.

I liked this book (3 stars is a liked in my book). I liked Aphrodite and Evander, and appreciated the supporting cast. Definitely a second chance romance with a slight slow burn. I also appreciated the diversity in the book and that the main source of conflict wasn’t due to race. In fact the author’s note says “ This a Regency romance involving nobility and high society, in which there are Black people. This is fiction, and anything is possible here.” loved it!


While I enjoyed the dual POV, sometimes other characters had a POV, but not often enough that it resonated, so it stuck out a bit.

If you’re looking for a fun, quick regency read, this is for you.

This was my first J.J. McAvoy novel, but it will not be my last! I thoroughly enjoyed this reading experience, and I cannot wait for others to discover this novel! APHRODITE AND THE DUKE is a tour de force and a new classic.

Tropes: Second Chance, Childhood friends, Children in story, Widower
⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½ /🔥🔥

“What do you want from me, Your Grace?”
“A second chance.” He stepped close. “Aphrodite, I wish for another chance for us.”

Aphrodite and the Duke…what a pleasant surprise. Lovers of Bridgerton and Mr. Malcom’s list this book may be right up your alley. Yes...yes… I know, you’re tired of seeing books compared to Bridgerton, me too...but this book really does remind you of Bridgerton (the Netflix series) in its diversity and its “freshness”. Set in a regency era where race is not an issue, Aphrodite and The Duke is a heart-warming second-chance romance filled with a cast of characters who are vivid, fun and full of life.

Narrated in the first person from various points of view, the book is both delightful and engaging, although a bit annoying at times. The book is broken into two sections ­– part one and part two, which was odd as the second part was a natural continuation of the story. I also found the inclusions of narratives from secondary characters totally unnecessary. These POVs added no additional value to the story which made the story feel disjointed. I’m not a fan of books narrated solely in first person, so reading this book took a bit of getting used to. Once I did, however, I found it hard to put down. It wasn’t much of an original story nor did the passion of our MCs “burn”; nevertheless, I found myself invested in them achieving their HEA.

I especially enjoyed the Du Bells, a prominent interracial and titled family filled with laughter and love. Their banter and interactions with one another were boisterous and pleasant and what one would expect for such a large and diverse grouping. A stark comparison to the Eaglemans, who love one another, but are not nearly as affectionate. This leads me to our hero and heroine…

Aphrodite Du Bell, named for the goddess of love is a beauty. Ironically, she’s jilted by her betrothed, a man she has known and loved for most of her life. Seeking to escape somewhere to tend to her broken and avoid gossip, she retreats to the country. After an extended period, Odite is summoned back to London by her mother to support her sister as she makes her debut. She’s also encouraged to enter the marriage mart again or have a marriage arranged for her. It’s been four years since HE left her behind, but she can’t seem to remove him from her thoughts…especially when she learns he too has returned to London. But how can she marry someone else when her heart still belongs to the man who left her for another.

Evander Eagleman, Duke of Everly has eyes for one woman and one woman only… Aphrodite Du Bell. They were the best of friends growing up and expected to wed once Odite turned eighteen; however, without notice or any explanation, Evander decides to wed another, leaving Odite dejected and broken-hearted. Now a widower, fate has provided him with a second change at happiness. When the same forces that kept him and his beloved apart four years ago threaten to separate them again, Evander will do whatever it takes to earn Odite’s forgiveness and win back her affections.

All said, I really liked this book. I enjoyed seeing people of color prominently featured during a time known for its romanticism. I loved the diversity of her characters as well as the warmth and “heart” illustrated in the narrative. I’m really looking forward to reading more of McAvoy’s work…although I do hope she moves away from the multiple POVs. This one issue almost (ALMOST) made me ditch the book. In the end, a little aggravation was worth the time invested in reading and reviewing this book.

(2.5 stars)

It is so rare to get a chance to read a historical romance that places a biracial character front and center. It was truly a breath of fresh air to have no drama or trauma around it, just people living. I was really enjoying this one right up to about 40-45%. Then all the sudden it was wedding bells and some family scandal/revenge type things in the background. I spent a significant amount of time grouching about not getting to enjoy the courtship between Aphrodite and Evander. No flashback even.

Before the nuptials was my favorite! Aphrodite's family was fabulous and full of life and color. It took no effort to get swept away with giggles as the sister's snarked at each other and brothers were brothers. Mother and Father had their own charm and irritating moments that kept the story engaging. As for our main couple...

Aphrodite was the stronger character. Her hopes, dreams, and determination all took center stage. Evander... felt more like a supporting character? I spent the last half of the book wishing Aphrodite's family would visit and liven up the place. I think it comes down to not enough time enjoying their falling in love, present or past. It leaned heavily on the inevitable feeling rather than will they? Won't they?

To be fair, I struggle a lot when a marriage happens in the middle of the book. Especially if there doesn't seem to be an interesting dynamic between the H and h (i.e. marriage of convenience, forced arrangement, and similar tropes). I ended up putting it down for large amounts of time, hoping that it was just a reading slump but every time I came back my mood stayed the same.

I was really irritated towards the end of the book. Aphrodite messes up rather significantly at around 90% and yet everything hastily comes together with no real repercussions for her actions. I don't fault her, but it seemed odd to have such a strong reaction from Evander and others to suddenly forgiving her.

While I was uninspired by the plot post-wedded bliss, I do really love how McAvoy approached the relationship between Aphrodite and Emeline, Evander's daughter. It was exactly what I had hoped for when it came up.

This was a decent second chance romance with low angst, medium heat. While I'm not really enamored with this couple, I am really hoping we get an HEA for Verity in the future!

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and JJ McAvoy for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Aphrodite and the Duke coming out August 23, 2022. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I uploaded my review to Goodreads. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59811821

I’ll also add it to Amazon when the book is released on August 23rd. I also do a review on TikTok.

Aphrodite Du Bell has always wondered why her parents named her Aphrodite. She receives praise from others, even the Queen for her warm brown skin, perfect curls, and exquisite features. However, her loveliness didn’t stop her love from leaving and marrying another woman four years ago.

She’s asked to go back to London to help her sister’s debut into society. She has no choice but to agree. Aphrodite is determined to ignore one man in particular: Evander Eagleman, the Duke of Everely, the man who broke her heart years ago. 

Evander Eagleman is a widower with a young daughter. Once he sees Aphrodite again, he is determined to win back her trust—and her hand in marriage. Secrets come out that threaten their future life together.

Overall, I loved this book. It was well-written and well-researched. I love to see more diversity in books. It felt like a Bridgerton TV show storyline and I really enjoyed the similarities. I think the first half was more interesting to me because it was about the romance chase and rekindling their flame. I enjoyed the second part about their married life because it’s rarely done in books. Unless it’s like a marriage of convenience. But I think the pace in the second part was a little slower to me. There are also spicy scenes in case readers are looking for clean romance.

I would recommend this to anyone looking for a diverse second chances regency book!

After muliple days I can safely say I give it a 3 Stars. It wasn't bad but it felt unoriginal, part one was good but once we got to Part two it felt like a new book, reminded me a lot of the Ruthless People series which isn't what I'm looking for when I come to historical romances. That being said, again it wasn't bad if J.J. McAvoy can find a way to write a regency beginning to end the way part one was written she'll have it on lock.

*Receive an ARC copy from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.*

DNF at 38%

Following in the path of the Bridgerton TV series, Aphrodite and the Duke is a diverse historical romance featuring characters of color falling in love during the Regency period. I was super excited to pick up this second chance romance and see how McAvoy would execute the promised suspense elements.

Despite my initial interest, I quickly found myself immensely bored when I actually started this. The premise of the second chance plot is interesting, but this book takes for granted the fact that the couple has to build their relationship back up before they can finally be together. Having the book start with them already ready to take each other back and having the actual development of the relationship told to us rather than shown to us is one o my biggest pet peeves in romance and unfortunately, this book has it in spades.

On top of that, there were already four POVs introduced by the time I stopped starting (two of which are the siblings of the couple and don't really serve a purpose) and what could have been a really fun suspense plot line is undercut by revealing who the villain is at the 35% mark.

All in all, Aphrodite and the Duke has a fantastic premise with an execution that just did not do it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

I enjoyed this novel. I am a huge fan of Bridgerton and this gave me similar vibes. It has some of the same themes, but it was done in a different and entertaining way. I have always been a huge fan of J.J. McAvoy and this definitely didn't disappoint!

The heroine in this tale is an exquisite Lady of great beauty who happens to be of mixed parentage. She was named after the Goddess of Love and her siblings also carry like names as their father is an avid patron of early history. Having been out of London for four years owing to heart break caused by the marriage of her first and true love. She returns for a London season owing to the coming out of a younger sister. Fate, as is usual, brings her into contact with her first true love who is overseeing his younger sisters coming out. Although he is now alone her family puts stumbling blocks in both of their paths. Can true love find a way to overcome the various trying obstacles they encounter. Oh, did I mention that her mother is also his godmother which only makes for a more interesting and enjoyable read.

I found this book to make a refreshing change and read it in only three settings. I highly recommend it if you enjoy regency romance stories. I have given this a 4 star rating.

I received an ARC for my unbiased review and the above thoughts are entirely my own.

This ARC was provided to me digitally from Penguin Random House and NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review.

Since reading the Bridgerton series, I’ve become more interested in regency romances, though romance isn’t my preferred genre. With that being said, I will do my best to write this review with the goal of reflecting the intended audience of this book rather than my own personal tastes.

I DNFd this book around 50%, mostly because it didn’t pique my interest and I found it to be a bit boring. However, there were many aspects of this book that I did love.

McAvoy’s regency era writing style is unmatched—it felt at some points as though it was a classic novel. I could clearly imagine the characters’ conversations and the writing and dialogue perfectly encapsulated the time period. McAvoy also did an excellent job showing the social roles of the regency era and where each the characters stood in society. The story was very accurate and real feeling in this sense.

My main criticism lies in the fact that the character development was severely lacking. In the beginning, I thought Aphrodite and Evander were interesting characters, but they developed no further. I found both of their POVs to be extremely boring and lacking in suspense. The story begins as a forbidden love story—Evander married another woman and Aphrodite moved away for several years after the heartbreak. However, this conflict is very quickly and easily solved and offers no excitement.

I found the characters and pace of the book to be boring and oversimplified. Most of what we learned about the characters was told to us rather than shown. This left me unable to relate to or connect with any of the characters. The characters felt so cut-and-paste that I didn’t even find myself rooting for them to be with each other.

Overall, I thought this story had great potential. I loved the general plot, but I feel that it could have been executed better. I am a very character-driven reader, so I had a hard time connecting with this story. This is not to say that other readers will dislike it! This book had lots of positives that I think are worth reading and may be exactly what other readers are looking for.

Aphrodite Du Bell… eldest daughter, jilted by a duke, returns to society for her younger sister come out and to find a husband. Evander…the duke…married someone else after saying he would marry Aphrodite, wants a second chance. The story was different from what I usually encounter and at first I wasn’t sure I would like it. The H and h had a history and it was not on good terms that they parted, so this was not a pick up we’re they left off reunion. Not to mention family members each had their own opinion on the union. There is definitely some family dysfunction present as well as jealousy, mistrust, and hatred. Although sexual content was present, it was rather mild compared to some of my racier books.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Aphrodite and the Duke is JJ McAvoy's foray into the world of historical romance. I have read several of McAvoy's contemporary romances so I was excited to see what she would do in the realm of 'regency romance'.

I loved that our heroine is a person of color - it was so refreshing. Aphrodite has a (large) loving and supporting family (setting up siblings for future books perhaps?). I am so appreciative of good side characters! While her mother was too strong for my taste, Aphrodite never seemed to be bothered by that. She took the viewpoint that her mother was preparing her for the future and wanted the best for her and all her siblings. Aphrodite had strong female examples in her sister-in-laws as well which was fantastic.

This is a second chance romance which is one of my favorite tropes. McAvoy always keeps her readers guessing with plotting and pacing and it was no different here. Aside from the romance, there is some mystery. The two MCs get together midway through the book which was nice in way - it gave the reader that much more time to witness and enjoy their relationship rather than cramming it all into an epilogue.

I did have some issues with Aphrodite's lack of knowledge regarding Evander’s family. She and Evander basically grew up together. So why was she taken aback by the details of Evander's life - his father being such a jerk, his bastard brother, his evil stepmother? There was a disconnect there for me.

I loved Evander’s apology letter to Aphrodite but I needed even more groveling. Because, I mean, four years. She was pining for him, secluded at her family’s country estate for four years. I would have loved a little more about that as well. Maybe a flashback on that time of her life or more detail on her childhood with Evander. She seemed fairly social and definitely close with her family - its hard for me to think she would have lived by herself for months at time.

I really liked how the author realistically wrote the interactions between men and women. The limitations of women were real and I thought that was accurately portrayed. The language is fairly modern but I was okay with that. One miss for me was the POVs of some side characters (Damon and Verity). I don’t think they were necessary and in fact I think this book could have been just as strong with it only being Aphrodite’s POV and omitting Evander’s as well.

I was a little thrown by the last quarter of the book - it was focused on some side characters. Some events occur which seem to come out of left field and the way they were resolved felt confusing and disjointed.

Overall this novel is a strong entry into the historical romance genre. I would read more about this interesting family. I especially hope McAvoy is writing Verity’s book.!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing - Ballantine for an advanced copy.

A cute (and somewhat thrilling) second-chance romance perfect for fans of Bridgerton!

Aphrodite Du Bell and Evander Eagleman were childhood sweethearts and everyone expected them to marry. But after her debut, Aphrodite was shocked to find out that Evander had married another. As a result, Aphrodite left London heartbroken. Now, four years later, she is back in London for her sister's debut and Evander is here as well, now a widower. Will they be able to get their second chance or what caused them to be apart before come back to haunt them? And will Evander be honest with Aphrodite about what caused him to marry another in the first place?

I loved the fact that Aphrodite was a multiracial woman mc set in the regency era. I loved the representation - especially since its a regency romance! Her being the diamond of the season and having multiple men vying for her attention made me very happy. I also enjoyed the supporting characters immensely in this book. Usually a romance focusing on only the main couple, but with Aphrodite and the Duke, I liked how J.J. McAvoy seemed to flesh out each member of Aphrodite's and Evander's family so they not only provide support to the main characters, but they can stand on their own as well.

Aphrodite's family were the best part of the book. Her sisters and brothers provided great comic relief and it has me hoping there will be sequel's following them. I also enjoyed Evander's sister, Verity. The book switches to her perspective a couple of times and it was interesting to see exactly what she was thinking about some of the events in the book. I did sense some sparks between her and the doctor....so I really hope that becomes a thing.

The main relationship between Odite and Evender was cute and romantic. I loved the fact that they were sweethearts from when they were kids and that he could guess what she was thinking just by looking at her. However, the rekindling of their relationship seemed super fast for me. I just wanted more begging on his part lol. I also wasn't a fan of his communication issues with Odite.

As this was a romance, the ending twist was a bit shocking! However, I was very into it. More regency romances should have a shocking ending in my opinion.

Rating: 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4)

Okay, so a lot of publishers compare their historicals to Bridgerton given the success of the show and, as we all know, a lot of these books aren’t really that much like Bridgerton. But Aphrodite and the Duke really is comparable to Bridgerton—it is truly the perfect read for those who enjoy the dynamics of the Netflix rendering of the book series. If you loved the parts of Bridgerton that center around the Queen, the different debutantes jostling to claim the “diamond of the season” title, a big, close family, and a racially diverse high-society world, then you’ll find a lot to love in Aphrodite and the Duke. In its approach to race, the book very much works in the vein that Bridgerton opened up. Aphrodite’s family is multiracial (her father is white and her society-leading mother is Black) and, much like in Bridgerton (particularly Season 2), this version of Regency London is one in which racism is not a force at play. Aphrodite is a Daphne Bridgerton-esque diamond of the season and, as her name suggests, she is regarded in the ton as the beauty not just of that year, but of her generation. I found this really satisfying because, even in Bridgerton, we have not seen a character like Aphrodite—even though Edwina in Season 2 is the diamond, she isn’t the heroine, so we don’t really get to see a woman of color represented as both the pinnacle of ton feminine ideals and the hero’s desires in the way that we do for Daphne in Season 1. If you are a reader hungry for this type of representation, I would definitely suggest reading Aphrodite and the Duke—I really enjoyed this aspect of the text myself.

Whereas its approach to historical romance and the depiction of Regency London is familiar due to Bridgerton, this book is unusual in aspects of its storytelling. McAvoy gives us POV sections from characters who are not just Aphrodite and Evander and we don’t get a POV section from Evander until almost halfway through the book. I rolled with this difference, but it seems distinctive enough to be worth noting. Additionally, whereas its similarities to Bridgerton might strike a reader as being more in-line with a newer, more modern brand of historical romance, the writing and the sensibilities its characters expressed in regard to gender were somewhat reminiscent of old school historicals, in my opinion. Every section was written in first person, but, despite that, the focalization was a bit more distant than typical in most contemporary historicals, which also reminded me of an old school. And Aphrodite’s father and brother and the hero, Evander, were more traditional in terms of their views on gender—Aphrodite has to push all of these characters to allow her more self-determination, and that element of the book definitely ran counter to the already feminist heroes/male characters (with the exception of villains) that have become increasingly popular in the past ten or fifteen years. Neither of these aspects were an issue for me, but I think these elements and its affinity with Bridgerton reveal the stylistic blend that makes Aphrodite and the Duke unique.

I recommend Aphrodite and the Duke to readers who want more of that Bridgerton feeling and those who enjoy the second chance romance and childhood-friends-to-lovers tropes.

Oh this one hurts. I wanted to love this book so much. But I was really bored throughout my reading. The good stuff, author McAvoy has the period language down to a tee. I honestly thought I was reading a Jane Austen novel at times. McAvoy also has done research into the period of England at the time and that was most appreciated. But I felt like I got dumped into this book mid-series. I was so surprised that it’s the first book. And the lead character Aphrodite bored me to tears. I was more interested in her family and her mother and father honestly. The Duke in the title, is Evander Eagleman who is also bland as anything. I just wanted there to be more there there. Instead the book just goes on a very long [extremely long] explanation of every little thing to the point you just don’t care about the central romance.

“Aphrodite and the Duke” follows Aphrodite Du Bell who has been absent from London after Duke Everely, Evander Eagleman, did not propose to her like she thought he always would. Dealing with the embarrassment of him announcing his wedding, she goes back to the countryside until her mother calls her to London. It’s her younger sister’s debut, and her mother is determined for Aphrodite to make a match as well since it may cause their family scandal that the eldest is still unwed. Being back in the ton has Aphrodite recalling how much she hates it, and it seems that the Duke is everywhere now that he is widowed. The book follows the two of them as Evander does his best to “win” back Aphrodite.

So I loved the fact that McAvoy had Aphrodite be a biracial character. Her father is white, her mother is Black. The book even points out how the children look different and one sister has white skin and blonde hair (got to love genetics). And I love that no one turns a hair about it frankly. It also baffled me that you would read regency romance and people of color were not a thing, unless they were “savages” attacking or something. Yes, I did read a lot of medieval romance set during the time of the Crusades.

That said, everything else felt flat for me. I didn’t get why Aphrodite was ever into the Duke. The conservations they had did not make me think, yes, this is the man for you. It just felt very very dull after a while. The book also switched points of view too much. We get Aphrodite, her parents, her brother, Evander, etc. I have no idea why McAvoy didn’t just have the points of view by Aphrodite and the Duke. It felt random especially because the others don’t really pop up again after a while so I wondered at the point.

I do love that McAvoy took the time to write this book in the time/place that it takes place. But I do think that is why so many readers struggled with it. It gets very boring. Bless, I never did finish Sense and Sensibility because I was bored to tears by it in written form. The flow was pretty awful too. It just felt like nothing was happening for a good portion of the book.

The setting of the Regency era were good, but some reviewers picked up errors in things I didn’t even note.

The ending was fine, but it just felt like this book didn’t know if it wanted to be a second chance romance or what. We go into drama, thriller, etc. It just felt very off.

I read this for Cannonball Read 14, bingo square:

New: New book, new author, new-to-you author, new-to-you genre. Did you know “new” is one of the most common words in a book title?
This is the first time I have read this author, so it fits the new square. Definitely not a new genre for me though.

The Duke broke her heart and 4 years later Aphrodite Du Bell's family thinks it's time to give up her reclusive lifestyle and get back to living. Now that she is being forced to make her return to society Aphrodite is sure she's over him, until she here's his voice and it seems like no time has passed at all. Evander Eagleman knew it wouldn't be easy to see her again but he didn't expect it to be this hard. He knows that if he gets a second chance he'll do anything to keep her. He just has to convince Aphrodite that things are always better the second time around.
I was really excited to read Aphrodite and the Duke especially with both of the main character being people of color and members of high society. Their story is one of second chances and learning from past mistakes as both Evander and Aphrodite learn to trust each other again while growing into whom they hope to be. I love that Aphrodite had a strong will and even though in public she had to submit, behind close doors she definitely was a force to recon with . I loved that Evander though sometime shocked by her reactions, loved her fire and stubborness. This was a great read with plenty of drama and moments of romance which made for a entertaining story and I loved ever minute of it.

I absolutely adore this novel. Aphrodite is perfection, the love story ❤ is understated but passionate. I would read a series of the Du Bell's especially Hathor. Overall a 9.5 out of 10.

I absolutely loved this book. It was a second chance romance between Aphrodite the daughter of a nobleman and Evander the son of a duke. They grew up together and were madly in love before Evander broke her heart by marrying another. Aphrodite has no clue why and leaves London to hide from the nasty town rumors and heal her broken heart. I absolutely loved Aphrodite and her family, their dynamic was pretty much what you get in a big family and their love for each other jumped right off the page. Evander and Aphrodite's chemistry was something else and they were so cute together even with all they had to overcome. I laughed often, blushed, and threw my kindle many times when I just couldn't take it. There was love, schemes, lovable side characters, and balls galore everything you need in a good regency era romance. Well done J.J. McAvoy. I can't wait to read her other books.

Felt like an imitation of a Bridgerton novel with less likable or well-developed characters. And having Aphrodite’s father act out of character when forbidding their wedding just seemed like a way to make the book longer. Characters weren’t very likable, the impediments to the Duke and Aphrodite’s relationship were unbelievable, and overall the book was not very enjoyable.