Thank you Netgalley for the advanced listening copy! This is my second Alexis Hall book, first historical romance from this author, and he definitely sticks to his angst-y, swoony, sweet romance style, which I definitely recommend! Viola, a transgender woman, escapes Waterloo and decides to change her life. Gracewood is a Duke and a childhood friend of Viola’s, who after war, is grappling with a lot of demons. When Gracewood and Viola reunite, their attraction is evident, and there are many charming and not so charming side characters who help and hurt them on their journey. This book snuck up on me, with a somewhat slow pace, but overall, it won me over with the beauty of portraying the varied thoughts and emotions of all the characters. The main characters of Viola and Gracewood were really perfect in how the author portrayed them, having doubts and fears, but ultimately embracing their love story. This book also dealt with a lot of hard and important topics in an empathetic way: disability, queer love, PTSD, addiction, child abuse, and more. Be sure to read the content warnings, but a lot of them are in the past. Though I do not think this book is perfect, the reason I give this book five stars is that the author really nails the inner dialogue and turmoil of falling in love, and also the beautiful intimate moments that come with accepting love. I have heard before that LGBTQ+ romances cannot be done historically because they’re “not accurate” and I would challenge people who think this to read this lovely book to let go of that silly notion that queer love cannot beautifully exist in any time period. The narrator really nailed all the voices and angst and love, and they really got to the root of the fun personalities of a lot of the side characters. Definitely recommend this book for fans of historical romance, Alexis Hall books, LGBTQ+ stories, and a tad of adventure thrown in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the opportunity to listen to this in advance of release; this is my honest review. I have previously read an ARC of the book; my review of the text will follow my comments on the audio production.

Kay Eluvian is an absolute pleasure to listen to. The voices she does for the various characters are distinct and appropriate, from Miranda's dreaminess to Gracewood's gruffness. Her dry delivery of the jokes is a perfect match for Hall's humor, making me laugh out loud multiple times even though I'd already read the book. And the feeling with which she reads the various scenes -- tender, tense, lyrical in turns -- is perfect. My only criticism is that when the text indicates a non-speech sound, like a cough or a laugh, she performs the sound and I found some of those struck me as a bit forced and cringe-y. I suppose I should deduct a half a star for that, since it really did bug me, but that leaves me at 4.5 stars, which I shall round up to 5. ANd I must say, I hope Eluvian gets to narrate more audiobooks, because she really does a lovely job (coughs and huffed breaths aside).

Here's my review of the text ARC:
Viola Carroll, a veteran of Waterloo, has taken advantage of her presumed death in battle to begin publicly living her gender. She has given up a great deal to do so -- no longer heir to a viscountcy, stripped of wealth and rights, she has resigned herself to life as a spinster companion to the woman who is in truth her sister-in-law. The greatest thing she has given up, though, is her deep and long-lasting friendship with the Duke of Gracewood. Thinking his friend dead, Gracewood is living in isolation, pain, and grief in Northumberland.
Then circumstances (and that sister-in-law, who is very determined in arranging other people's lives) force the two of them back into each other's company and emotions of many sorts come to the fore. The first section of the book is very much steeped in ghosts, memory, and phantasm, the past an eerie overlay on the present. The action eventually transfers to London, and the milieu becomes less gothic and more what we expect from a Regency romance: talk of the ton, gowns, balls, and the marriage mart.

But, depending on which Regency romances you have read, this may not be quite what you expect. This is a Regency England where there are Black people, where there are queer people, where sex toys exist and so do people of rich and varied sexual experience. Also, there are women who drop F-bombs. If you've been reading K.J Charles or Lex Croucher, this will be a Regency you recognize, but if you have other sources, it may seem unfamiliar. I encourage you to open yourself to its enchantments and to realize that it has more historical accuracy than a world of nothing but white noblemen and pretty, innocent white women with fans.
I love so many of the characters in this book. Viola is fierce and making her way against quite a few obstacles and treading carefully as she negotiates a new relationship with an old friend who does not recognize her. I don't have personal standing to comment on trans representation, but as far as I can see the text always treats her with respect. Gracewood is struggling to heal from, or at least live with, his loss, his grief, his stern upbringing, his memories of war, and his wounds. He means well but, like so many of us, sometimes manages poorly. Together they make a couple who face great challenges and for whom I was rooting all the way with bated breath.

And the side characters! Viola's younger brother, affectionately called Badger, has become the viscount and is adorably buffleheaded and devoted to his forthright, managing (one might even say interfering) wife. His son, Young Bartholomew, is seven years old, possibly precocious, and given to having oddly philosophical discussions with Viola that shine a different light on the twists, turns, and challenges of relationship and identity she's going through. And Lady Lillimere is bold, ribald, and unstoppable.

The writing is everything we have come to expect from Alexis Hall: erudite, playful, and deeply kind. Besides a compelling romance, the book has a complex, multilayered approach to gender, power, society, and identity that I am certain will repay rereading. And, of course, as it is a romance, there is a touching Happy Ever After.
I recommend this book with all my heart, especially to those who want to see stories of a variety of people, who want a queer history where tragedy is not inevitable, and need to know that, then and now, queer joy is real.

✨ Review ✨ A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall (Narrated by Kay Eluvian)

Alexis Hall is one wordy bitch, but I live for it. This is a long slow burn, but so lovely! In this book, he carves out space for queer and trans representation in regency romance, and he does it so so very well!!

Viola Carroll took the opportunity to live as a woman after presumed dead at Waterloo, but with this came sacrificing wealth, status, and her best friend, Justin de Vere, the Duke of Gracewood. Viola and Gracewood reunite in this book, when Viola's sister-in-law traverses out to Gracewood's estate to check on his younger sister, Miranda. This story so delightfully allows for the thwarting of gender norms in this queer love story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4.25)
Genre: trans f/m romance, regency/historical romance, disability rep too
Location: London, rural UK sites
Pub Date: May 24, 2022

This book was so full of deep emotions - pain, guilt, grief, but also joy, laughter, and love. There were points in the dialogue where I couldn't help but giggle because it was just so snarky and fun. I wasn't entirely absorbed in some of the side plot with Gracewood's sister Miranda, especially earlier on in the book, but overall, this was such a fun read.

I alternated between the ebook and the audiobook for this read and loved them both! The narrator is great and I recommend the audio if you like that!

Thanks to @readforeverbooks, @hachetteaudio, and #netgalley for advanced copies of this book!

Alexis Hall - definitely a huge fan, and even more so after reading A Lady for a Duke! I had read a few of his books before, but this is far and away just so utterly dazzling and so beautifully brilliant that I can easily say it leaves all of the others in its dust! I thought that Boyfriend Material was a masterful piece of art, but this one - this one just... WOW! THIS ONE is his masterpiece!

I knew only a little bit about the storyline going in, from the blurb (not much from that, though) and from a friend who had just finished reading it (a bit more from that source) - I knew that there was a trans character, and a character who had an injury from war. That was about all I knew, plus that all of Alexis Hall's books are in the LGBTQ romance sub-genre. There was so much more to it, in nearly 500 pages and 15.5 hours audio running time!!

Without giving the entire plot away, I can only really say, that yes, there is a trans character, as mentioned in the blurb the character is one that is re-born to a new, true life after the Battle of Waterloo, when she can finally be her true self (he dies and she is reborn to who she is supposed to be), only her best friend is not just very injured after the war, but with the loss of his best friend on top of the war itself, is mentally damaged as well - today would be known as PTSD but back in regency times it wasn't given a name.

When an opportunity for Viola's sister-in-law to visit Gracewood comes up, to help with his sister and take her for her first season on the Ton and introduce her to society, Viola goes along because she has discovered her old friend isn't coping well. Viola intends to go along just to check in on her old friend and as her new self, see if she can pull him out of hiding from the world, and then carry on with her new life. Of course, nothing ever goes as planned, and this is why there are so many pages to this book, as the friends rediscover each other in a new capacity.


I enjoyed the nod to Shakespeare's The 12th Night (gender swap, name Viola, etc.).

Audio notes - This was a narrator that I wasn't familiar with, but did a bang-up job! Kay Eluvian, I will be looking for other books in her catalogue of productions as I definitely enjoyed listening to her voice. Well done!

This is a beautifully written, beautifully handled story of everyone learning who they are in the world (not just the main characters, but several side characters as well), back in a time when so many things were just not accepted. There are so many highs and so many lows, and your heartstrings will be pulled a great many times, in the best possible way. Whether you have read any of Alexis Hall's books before or not, this is a great one to begin with, as it's a complete standalone and just so. darn. fantastic!

Be prepared with those tissues and for a lot of huge gender issues to be the main theme (if you're not open to that and not OK with that, please give this one a miss - it's such a huge part of my every day world that I'm totally onboard with it, and wish the entire world was but realize that they are not). I recommend this book to everybody that is onboard with it and knows that love is love, and loves to read about true love that can stand the test of friendship and time.


I received an advance listener copy (ALC) from NetGalley, Forever and Hachette Audio, and this is my honest feedback - thank you so, so much!

The most important question a writer must ask themselves when writing romance is "why can't these characters be together" or "why can't these characters be together right now?" and this book takes that question to new depths. There are so many levels on why these characters can't be together and Hall works his way through every single one with intimate thoroughness, bringing readers tenderly to a happily ever after.
Not only is this a great book, probably one of the best romances I have ever experienced, but it is an AMAZING audio production. Rather than just reading the words "gasp" the narrator actually gasps. The same is done with sobs, and with laughs. One of the best things, however, that may seem a little gimmicky to some, is that when a character is speaking from another room or from down a hall, is that the narrator adds echo to the dialogue.

CWs can be found here (linking because they're a bit complicated): http://quicunquevult.com/books/a-lady-for-a-duke/

This book is absolutely beautiful. The writing is just gorgeous, I was crying by chapter 4 (thankfully, there wasn't a ton of crying throughout the rest of the book, only a bit), but it wasn't really sad crying. I mean, it sort of was, but it was more that my emotions were overwhelmed and leaking out of my eyes.
The premise is that Viola Carroll was thought to have died in the battle of Waterloo, but she didn't, she was able to escape her old life and live as her true self. However, her best friend, the Duke of Gracewood, whom she went to war with, thought her dead and has been grieving for her for the past 2 years. Viola and her sister-in-law end up going to visit Gracewood and his sister, but he doesn't recognize Viola, and when she sees how absolutely destroyed he is, she tries to bring him out of his grief.
As I said earlier, the writing in this book is beautiful. The way Gracewood describes his friendship with Viola (when he still thinks she's dead) is absolutely heart wrenching, and it is clear why he has become so lost in his grief. But as he starts to come around, the banter between him and Viola is excellent. They both sort of pick at each other and are so playful with each other, it is truly lovely.
There are also several incredible scenes, that are just so beautiful and show how much Viola and Gracewood care for each other, I basically swooned all over the place. I would love to go into all the details about these scenes, but I also don't want to spoil any aspect of this book for anyone.
The level of angst, pining, and aching in this book, is almost painful, but it's also for completely legitimate reasons. Viola is a trans woman in Regency era England, so basically every aspect of traditional society and relationships are not available to her. She has also given up her title in order to be her true self, so there is also the question of class, where she is now living as a Lady's companion (lower class) and Gracewood is a Duke. Just the differences in class would make a relationship virtually impossible, never mind anything else.
And again, in true AJH fashion, he has his MCs just being the best to each other and supporting each other. Gracewood has PTSD and is disabled, and Viola helps and supports him through all of it, constantly challenging him when he is being ableist towards himself. I just love how he writes these characters who completely support each other and accept each other just as they are. It's truly wonderful to see.
Now, this is completely out of my wheelhouse, but I wanted to say that I thought the way the sex scenes were written was really well done. He has written trans sex scenes before, but this wasn't really like those, probably because of it being historical as opposed to contemporary? I loved how open Gracewood is about sex and different kinds of sex and how he helps to reassure Viola when she's feeling uncertain. I also loved Viola's wonder the first time they're together.
I highlighted so many passages in this book, I can't wait to get the actual ebook so that I can go through and highlight it all over again and share the highlights all over here. Seriously, there are some gorgeous passages and I honestly can't get over how gorgeous the writing in this book is.
I've now read just about everything AJH has written (with the exception of a couple of short stories), and I don't know that I can compare this book to anything else he has written. The emotional gravity could be sort of close to the Spires books, but I think it's even more so, probably because the subject matter is so much more serious.
The epilogue was pretty much perfect, I loved it so much. It just wrapped everything up so nicely. The joy is practically bursting from the pages, which is so nice after so much angst.
Something to take note of that I think is amazing is that the model of Viola on the cover of the book is a trans model and the person narrating the audiobook is a trans woman. This book just feels really groundbreaking on a lot of levels, and I am so here for it.
There are so many more things that I want to scream about this book, but won't because this is already kind of long and I don't want to spoil anything. Just, pre-order this book, read this book, and then scream at me about how great it is.

I have been looking forward to A Lady for a Duke since I first read the synopsis. Alexis Hall has such a profound way of writing characters who are so authentically real and so beautifully queer that it makes me wish I could dive into each and every world. Viola and Justin’s story, their journey to loving each other, was so breathtakingly, achingly beautiful. I love that we got such a complex exploration of gender and societal norms set in a regency novel!!! If all regency novels were this beautifully written and this queer, I would read each and every one. Viola is such a strong, amazing person! Her journey to loving herself was just… awe-inspiring. Justin’s pain and heartache, his love and commitment were so sweet and pure. I love that even though Viola is living her life as a woman now, she and Justin still subverted the gender norms of what it means to be a man, let alone a Duke, and a woman. There were so many layers to this story and each page delivered just what I was hoping for!!

Also, the narrator Kay Eluvian!??? Amazing! Truly made the audiobook experience and felt like I really knew these fantastic characters!


“You are the best of me.”
“You’ve always been wrong about that, Gracewood. We are the best of each other.”

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC!!! I feel so honored and blessed!

“ When Viola Carroll was presumed dead at Waterloo she took the opportunity to live, at last, as herself. But freedom does not come without a price, and Viola paid for hers with the loss of her wealth, her title, and her closest companion, Justin de Vere, the Duke of Gracewood.Only when their families reconnect, years after the war, does Viola learn how deep that loss truly was. Shattered without her, Gracewood has retreated so far into grief that Viola barely recognises her old friend in the lonely, brooding man he has become.
As Viola strives to bring Gracewood back to himself, fresh desires give new names to old feelings. Feelings that would have been impossible once and may be impossible still, but which Viola cannot deny. Even if they cost her everything, all over again.”

After reading this blurb and also having this book be written by a fave of mine I knew I would be so fortunate if I got the chance to read it ((or rather listen to it)) audiobooks from my favorite authors have saved me in my time of migraines so thank you to publisher net galley and author!!!

This book was exactly as I had expected it to be and the writing was impeccable and what I have come to love ((always witty and always something I could see ya elf talking like so a little strange too ((a very good thing))))

I think everyone should very very much so check out content warnings because this one has some things that could be potentially distressing or even put some in a very bad headspace ((so please babes check those out))

I really, really enjoyed this audiobook! It was sweet, romantic, and spicy and I loved every bit of it!

This was so beautiful, sweet and tender, one of my only 5⭐️ reads of the year. Presume dead at Waterloo, a soldier is reborn as lady Viola Carroll, leaving behind her bestfriend and touch stone the Duke of Gracewood. The gentle, complex relationship between Justin & Viola unfurled so perfectly, I wasn't sure what to expect but I got so much more.

Thank you for this Alc to Hachette Audio and Netgalley.

It was really an unusal reading for me but was nice to discover this kind lifestyle and emotions about. And a point of view and emotions after war with a disability. I was not expecting this love to happen bit I was really glad how they enjoy their friendship and so more. It was quite a long audio bit really well done and I was not bored at all and was quite exciting.

I love that this audiobook is narrated by a trans woman! While I don't feel like she really nailed how I imagined all the characters to sound, she's got a wide range of voices and accents and is definitely skilled.

I found this book to be just ok. I read a lot of historical romances and know how biased people were back then especially to women. I felt that the author skipped over the difficulties that Viola would have experienced as a trans person trying to fit into this ultra strict uptight world of the past.

I'm very conflicted about this book. The romance part was really good and I enjoyed it.
The writing was quite flowery in a way that it sometimes completely took me out of the story. The second half of the book really dragged.
The side plot didn't really interest me and there was a scene towards the end with the 'villain' that was just unnecessary.
Thanks to publisher and Netgalley for and ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! The story was fantastic and kept my attention the whole time. The main characters were fantastic and the side characters were just as fantastic. I felt that the representation in this novel were beautifully done and while it was important to the story it added to it instead of distracting. Wonderful read!

Thank you to Netgalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Hachette for the ebook and audio ARC of this! I switched back and forth between formats while reading.

This was so cute, and I liked a point the author brought up after the story about whether historical fiction really needs to portray accurately (horrible) history - this was a perfect escape of a book that placed queer characters in relative safety in a historical setting and I really enjoyed all of that. The story was easy to lose myself in, and kept me sucked in from start to finish.
The audio was well done, though I struggled a bit with the narrator’s accent and ended up slowing it down.

This story was good, but had the potential to be great.
The premise makes it sound amazing! A trans woman faking her death after the war to live her life freely as a woman, who then meets her old best friend who is still grieving for her. I'm a sucker for friends to lovers and this book delivered that! But the pacing of this book just seemed off. It also felt like there could have been more added to the story to give more context to some situations.
The major conflict's ending just felt forced. And left me feeling meh about it.
There were many parts in this story that did make me emotional, especially when Duke Gracewood talked about his love for Viola.
To be honest, Viola and Gracewood were the only characters I found interesting, everyone else was unremarkable.
So that's why this book gets 3 stars. It's a good story with interesting main characters, great representation and an okay plot.

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for sending me an audiobook copy of A Lady For A Duke in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts are my own.

“…fuck the world. I will change it for you if I have to.”

I’m a bit speechless in the face of what Hall has accomplished with this queer historical romance novel. A LADY FOR A DUKE is one of the most compelling love stories I’ve ever read, about two childhood best friends who thought they were irrevocably lost from each other, only to find one another again, both changed and the same, and fall in love - or perhaps, to finally name the love that has always existed between them.

Viola Caroll, presumed dead when she went missing during battle, takes the opportunity to free herself from the strictures of the identity assigned to her at birth and finally live as herself. But the cost is heavy: her childhood friend, with whom she was as close as family, thinks she is lost. Justin de Vere, the Duke of Gracewood, has not been the same since returning from the war: his injuries are physically limiting and cause him chronic pain, he’s tortured by memories of battle, and he has come to lean on alcohol and laudanum to cope. He’s also never stopped grieving the loss of his greatest friend. When Viola and Gracewood are reunited by their families, they are faced with rediscovering each other, figuring out how they fit together after so much has shifted within and between them, and overcoming the barriers that would seek to part them once more.

Almost every single page of this novel set my heart racing, aching for Viola and Gracewood as individuals and as a couple. Hall has crafted a story that centers Viola as a trans woman in the most beautiful, affirming, and empowering way. There are heavier aspects - the looming possibility of social rejection, the difficulties of gender dysphoria that Viola carries - and Viola always has family and friends on her side throughout. While part of the plot initially involves keeping her identity a secret from Gracewood, he quickly loves her as she truly is and always has been, and fiercely supports the actions she needed to take to be herself. I love how Hall navigates their shared past when Viola could not live as herself, carrying the affection and positive memories from that time and integrating it into their romance. Gracewood’s development as a character is incredibly powerful: healing from his father’s harsh parenting, changing his relationship to the lineage of power he descends from, and relearning how to be a man outside of the strict gender roles he was taught. As a couple they have both scorching chemistry and beautiful intimacy; I loved their banter, as Viola’s fierce will collided with Gracewood’s stubborn determination. The side characters are an absolute delight, and the ending is everything I could have wished for Viola and Gracewood as a couple.

This story is going to stay with me for a long time, and I want many more books like this, with fearless trans protagonists getting the happily ever afters they so deserve. Thanks Forever Books for the review copy! This book is out 5/24 and I can’t wait for everyone else to fall in love with Viola, Gracewood, and their epic romance.

Content warnings: chronic pain, nightmares and other trauma responses, substance dependence, gender dysphoria, some dead-naming/misgendering, kidnapping, attempted sexual assault, fighting/violence

Viola Caroll is presumed dead, but she decided to fake it and live as a trans and be free. She worries about Duke Gracewood who is her best friend and has gone off the rails after presuming she is dead and so she decides to go back to him in her new best self.

A story of drama, self-worth, doubt and love brings you this very beautifully written historical romance. It shows courage and dedication to overcome all obstacles and leaves you all warm and fuzzy with an ending to make you smile from ear to ear.

The character building was so well-developed that you felt you knew each character. The narration was good and at first had my doubts for a male voice narrator, but it was superb.

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC.

This book is wonderful. I am slowly becoming a historical romance lover. A queer historical romance with a trans heroine? Sign me up. Love to see it. Viola and Justin are so good together. I love friends to lovers and a good slow burn. I’m happy I read this and will continue to read anything Alexis Hall releases because he hasn’t done me wrong yet.
Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Hachette for the advance copy of the book. Release date is 5/24!