What can I say? I feel like maybe HR is a genre especially susceptible to reader/main character "vibe". This one wasn't a match for me, although Wyatt wasn't so far off the mark that I disliked him. Fredericka, on the other hand, just wasn't a good read for me.
So how to rate this book when it wasn't my cup of tea? Well, I can absolutely see where this would be delightful for a reader who connects with both main characters! The plot moves along at a decent pace and the side characters are effective. I thought the writing really settled into a good groove around Chapter 6 and that carried through the rest of the novel (it felt like an over-exertion to establish all the basics - she needs to marry, she is attracted to him, he needs to marry, he is attracted to her - in the first 5 chapters). I guess I settle on a 2.5 rounded up to 3. It wasn't poorly written, I just didn't connect with it. So I split it down the middle and let other readers make up their own minds.
I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am having a hard time putting my thoughts into words for this one. I really like the premise of the story (I mean, marriage of convenience, hello?!) but the way the story played out was not to my taste. The last third went in a direction I felt was totally unfair to the heroine, and I didn't ever quite believe the Duke was a rake in need of reforming.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's and the author for the eARC in exchange for my review.

I’ve been craving a regency romance for a long time, just have never gotten around to reading one and this book sadly didn’t hit the mark for me. The book revolves around Fredericka Hale who needs a husband to keep custody of her sister's children and Wyatt who needs to get married in order to receive the inheritance his grandmother has left for him. From the start, I wasn’t a fan of either character. Fredericka was intolerable and Wyatt always had to correct her parenting methods which drove me insane. The only experiences he's had with kids, is being a child and his boarding school days and it was just so bad. The storyline was all over the place in a way. Obviously it revolves mainly around him getting her inheritance and her getting the kids but when it came to the kids it was all him telling her she needed to let them do this etc, or her fighting with Jane. And don’t even get me started on Jane, I hated her character the most and the redemption that the author attempted to give her at the end wasn’t possible for me. I can’t see that character being redeemed.
The romance in this book felt wrong and forced. Although it's a marriage of convenience I think this is one time, I’ll say them ‘ falling in love ‘ didn’t feel like they were actually falling in love. Yeah he wants to kiss her and all that throughout the story but it just felt like there was romance added to have romance. All he did was correct her and she misunderstood him all the time. Its more than lust for one another than love.
Overall, I’m glad I got the opportunity to read this, but maybe this regency romance just wasn’t for me.
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martins Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The familiar Mary Poppins and marriage of convenience tropes have been done over many, many times but author Amelia Grey takes these common themes and give them a fresh interpretation in her Regency romance Truly Yours, The Duke, the first book in her Say I Do trilogy. In a nutshell, a worldly duke marries a simple country girl, responsible for her deceased sister's young children. It seems a redundant tale but this tale stands out from all those that precede it.

The Duke of Wyatthurst is a typical rake of the privileged class, and yet, he isn't. The reader incrementally discovers the emotional depth of this character as the story unravels. A real grabber is how Grey lets the reader in on what goes through the Duke's mind, how his experiences affect him, and his unwavering desire to please people. If all dukes were like this one, imagine what a beautiful world this would be, and Grey plants this seed in the reader's mind.

Country girl Fredericka Hale is a disciplinarian, switching the typical Mary Poppins/Maria von Trapp compassionate matriarch and free spirited character to a rigid military sergeant. Grey takes the story a step further and explores what makes Fredericka a disciplinarian, and the explanation is applicable and relatable to real life situations. Her two nieces and one nephew each have distinguishable characters, which make the story further relatable to the reader.

Grey's writing style is easy to comprehend, fostering an emotional attachment between the reader and the hero and heroine she creates. The perceptive quality of her storytelling makes the story engaging, and her talent to develop the characters and their individual traits is well written and well thought out.

Grey's novel is a read that makes audiences feel good, and one that other writers can find inspiration in to further elaborate on very common tropes in the romance genre. It is a joy and an enlightening adventure to read a story like the one Grey has conceived and weaved.

If you like a slow burn romance then YOURS TRULY, THE DUKE is just the ticket. It is the first book in the, Say I Do, series. Fredericka Hale is awarded custody of her sister's three young children following her untimely death. She loves the kids dearly. Although, Fredericka's cousin who is barren tries to fight for custody of the kids, claiming she is unsuitable mother material. So, Fredericka must get married and fast! Will she find anyone to marry?

Wyatt, a strikingly handsome man, is the Duke of Wayatthaven. He learns that he needs to wed within a week after finding out his grandmother's inheritance stipulations after her recent death. He finds out through his solicitor of Miss Hale's predicament and swiftly pens a marriage proposal along with the help from his lifelong friends. Fredericka accepts. Will their plans go awry?

They each are stubborn and independent. Wyatt prefers London and his bachelor ways. Fredericka prefers the country and the children. She shows up at his home in the city, after startling news from her cousin, with the three children in tow. Their plans of remaining apart come to an abrupt halt. However, their attraction is apparent and passion blossoms. Wyatt can't deny his fascination of the fiery, pretty lady. Will he give up his bachelor ways and give in to his consuming passion of her? Does obstinate Fredericka open up her heart and let love in?

YOURS TRULY, THE DUKE is a bold and daring story starring a stubborn couple who marry to satisfy stipulations in their inheritances. Fredericka and Wyatt are perfect for each other but refuse to admit that they are in love. Both are strong-willed and smart. Fredericka is a warm, compassionate mother and dedicated to taking care of her sister's children. However, her dreadful cousin requests the court to give them to her. The children are adorable and likable. I loved the whole family atmosphere with doting Wyatt as a father figure. Wyatt's friends help him out quite a bit in this story. This is quite a romantic story that kept me reading into the night. Each have flaws and emotional baggage they must overcome before heading into a relationship. It was entertaining to see how the author expertly handles all the pressures of taking care of kids. A fantastic historical romance with a fancy flair!

This was my first Amelia grey, and I have mixed feelings. I’ll definitely read more, but was not blown away. First, it was a slow burn, but the lay off wasn’t what I thought. Not quite closed door, but the heat was lacking, I enjoyed the main characters relationship and watching it develop but the subplot where her cousin tries to take her sisters kids away was underdeveloped and lacked motivation.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from Netgalley. I think that this was a very sweet book. While romantic it is not a spicy read. I read a lot of romance novels and I do enjoy something that is a little less spicy. For me it almost acts as a palate cleanser between books that are a little more graphic in that regard. The is a book that is more story and character driven and I loved the banter and chemistry between Fredericka and Wyatt. My favorite part of the book was the tension that you could feel between Fredericka and her cousin Jane. It made me so angry just reading about it. The one thing that I disliked about the book is that it seemed to move slowly and then it just ended abruptly. With so much build up, I thought there would be a more climatic ending.

Fredericka needs to marry to be guardian to her nieces and nephew and Wyatt needs a wife to get his inheritance.

This is a marriage of convenience slow burn that teases and then slams shut the bedroom door and throws the lock. If you set a tone for fireworks for an entire book, readers expect fireworks.

I wanted more conversations between the couple that didn’t involve their different opinions on child rearing and Fredericka being too strict. And as a result, Fredericka comes off as unlikable. Wyatt’s reasons for competition and gambling came too late in the story for me to connect with, especially for a series setup. The legalities of some of the actions taken didn’t fit with the regency era, but if I was more entertained I wouldn’t complain. And the attempted redemption of the villain at the end was a let down after she had behaved so spitefully.

This was a 3-3.5 star book for me. I usually love the marriage of convenience trope, but this one didn't work that well for me. It was kind of aggravating that even well into the book the two main characters were still having trouble with communication and dealing with their problems. I did not feel like the romance was built all that well either, since for most of the book the two would argue, which would be followed by some passionate kissing based off of how good-looking they thought the other looked. However, the arguments never really ended with a solution. There were some really cute interactions between the Duke and the three kids. Cousin Jane and the constant misunderstandings kind of ruined the book though. Overall, this was an okay read. Maybe others would like it better than I did, so still give this a try!

I voluntarily read this e-ARC.

What can I say? Even though I don't want to be too harsh, this book was decidedly not my cup of tea.
Even though I loved the hero, Wyatt, almost every other character in the book hit me wrong. The heroine seemed to pick fights, and I didn't like the way she treated the children that she was willing to sacrifice so much for. And the "bad guy" (who is truly horrible) never really changed but was still rewarded for it! The way the children were written was off.
There were some huge historical anachronisms (which I'll leave out for spoilers). I felt like the writing was pretty clunky and stiff.
Sadly, it wasn't something I enjoyed.

Star Rating: 1.5/5
Tropes: Marriage of convenience, insta lust, slow burn
CW: Death, toxic relationship

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

I thought this book was fine, but I didn’t find the chemistry between the main characters super believable and the conflict could have been solved a lot earlier with some conversation.

This author was never one of my favorites, but this book has just changed my mind! Spoiler alert! Spoilers are included in this review.
This book was a charming tale of romance, childhood hurts, familial tensions and orphans losing their parents.
The story opens with the hero, a duke of about 28 years, drunk with his two friends, trying to write a letter to a young lady who needed to be married as much and as quickly as he did. His solicitor had located her and he was trying to write a letter to let her know that he wanted to marry her for his own reasons. His friends decide that the letter lacks warmth, tenderness and above all, romance. So they drunkenly create a letter with all.of the current romantically poetic license.
The heroine is a young woman of about 23 who has custody of her deceased sister's three children. She has had them for about a year and is trying to keep them on a minimum allowance and on the property that will one day be turned over to her nephew. Her cousin, who is the same age as her sister and who her and her sister grew up with is trying to get custody because she can't have children. At one point the cousin offers to split the children, which was not agreed to. The heroine and her sister lost their parents and her aunt and uncle took them in and they were 'sisters' to her.cousin. Since her sister and cousin were the same age, they left the heroine out of their doings. The heroine always felt left out, unwanted and unloved. She needs a husband of wealth and prestige who can fight for her to keep the children.
The hero appeared at the heroine's home and met her when she was trying to get ready to have a visit from a prospective husband. The children had been playing in the drawing room and it was a mess. They had cleaned up and were sitting nicely. The hero walked in expecting the heroine to have read his revised letter and was surprised that she did not know why he was there. Well, dukes do not explain themselves to anyone. But he ended up telling her about their upcoming marriage. She said she would like to think about it, but then the other candidate showed up. The hero insisted she make her decision, she agrees to marry him and he sneaks out the back so the other guy doesnt see him.
I really enjoyed this book. It looks like it will be a series and, I have to say this, I enjoyed the bickering between the three dukes. I think this series will be about three dukes who fall in love and are too stupid to realize it, until it is almost too late. I liked that the dukes were in a sports competition club where any money they made on wagers was going to support a hospital that they opened and ran for soldiers of the Napeonic wars. The hero's father maintained a hospital for the wounded soldiers of the American Revolutionary War (I forget what the British call that war, the Colonial Revolt, I think). The three of these dukes are so very entertaining. I hope this continues through out the series. I liked that this was not a sweet novel, but that the love scenes were very circumspect and not sensual. The inti.ate scenes were told in a very tasteful manner.
I give this book 5 stars and recommend reading.

A marriage of convenience. I don't think I could do that. But he needs to marry to get his grandmother's estate and she wants to keep her dead sister's children. So they marry and go their separate ways. Then she shows up at his townhome in London. Let the sparks fly! I liked this story. The characters were interesting, the children, oh the poor children. They did me reasons to smile. A good story for sure.

I "truly" enjoyed reading this book. It was a reverse in characters. In Yours Truly, The Duke, Fredericka is the disciplinarian to the point that people notice in the children. Wyatt is the one that makes sure that the children get the fun that they need. Wyatt is very generous but hides it from the world. I highly recommend this book.

The novel was well written in that very proper English style, with honest and authentic yet polite relationships and interactions. The situation with the children was intense, and for me, derailed the romance. The entire story is very serious, and more about how a family came to be than how a couple came to be. I appreciated the way the pair learn to coparent and unpack their own childhood baggage in the process, which feels like a very "now" movement. The epilogue felt out of character for Jane - a force to make a squeaky clean ending when the novel seemed very comfortable with challenging concepts and family dynamics throughout up to that point. I will recommend and read the sequels.

Yours Truly; The Duke by A. Grey, published by St. Martin's Press, is a historical romance.
Fredericka needs a husband quickly. She’s the caregiver for her sister's children, but now another cousin has petitioned the court for custody.She can't do much, buthaving a husband might help her win. . So when the Duke of Wyatthaven shows up with a proposal, she accepts. He'll help her, and in return, they’ll lead separate lives. But different lives can't keep them from their attraction.
A sweet romance that gives all the feels. A great read, 4,5 stars.

I’ve seen a lot of people say that Fredericka was an annoying character, and yeah she was (just like every person in this book), but how does Wyatt not warrant any censure??? Frankly, he was a shallow attempt at being the “good cop” to Fredericka’s “bad cop.” She misunderstood his “good” intentions, yes, but he simply needed to shove his intentions aside until they got custody. He was just as at odds with everything she did as she was with him.

The last half of this book literally framed Fredericka as the villain because she didn’t let the children go about with no rules. She clearly let them have fun. I think this is such poor execution and weak writing. Honestly, a lot of takes in this book felt like lightly veiled misogyny. It’s one thing to be like hey maybe just ease off a little bit and another to be like you don’t love the children enough, your sister loved your cousin more, you have failed raising them, and have given them nervous disorders???

This book warranted chapters upon chapters of third act breakup and it lasted mere pages. I also recognize I know how nothing works but for a duke he seemed to have absolutely zero power??

He also said Jane was literally an evil maniacal wench because Fredericka liked rules and “made her like that.” And that Fredericka’s sister wanted the kids to be like Jane because she loved Jane more so there should’ve be any rules. How would he even know?? His heads so far up his own ass I’m surprised he can tell the time. God he’s so disgusting. He also just said that Jane’s not bad at all and was being unfairly judged by Fredericka so really he’s a biohazard.

Say what you want about Fredericka being overbearing, but the children got hurt and didn’t understand how much was at stake because Wyatt couldn’t wait to teach them how to have fun until AFTER they got custody. He was flippant and never took anything seriously. He may be an easier character to side with on the outside looking in, but if I was living with him? He was an entitled dick. I’m still pissed about his views on mistresses I don’t care if that was the done thing. There’s no on page reference of him cutting monetary ties to his mistress, just that he hadn’t “seen her.”

Also Wyatt literally tries to redeem Jane at the end because apparently he just loves her so fucking much??? He makes Fredericka forgive her!!! He thought this was good??? He can easily say “put the past behind you” when he can’t forget his past.

Back to Fredericka though. She let that man distract her with kisses EVERY time she needed to rip into him. She was too meek for being the bad cop character. I needed her to grow a backbone and whack him with it.

*CW domestic abuse* Also I am SO confused how and why she’d convince her sister to go to London with a husband that physically abused her?? For context: Her sister and brother in law got food poisoning on a trip and died. Later, the children thought Wyatt was going to hurt Fredericka because they’d seen the behavior at home, according to Fredericka. So again, why would she encourage her sister to travel with him when she was resistant?? Obviously, she wasn’t responsible for their deaths, but the abuse was such a random thing to throw in with heavy implications?? It was barely referenced but I couldn’t shake this.

⭐️.5/5 🌶️/5

Yours Truly, The Duke begins when the Duke of Wyatthaven and Fredericka Hale both need to wed swiftly, but for separate reasons. He to inherit, she to maintain guardianship of her nephew and nieces. Their "meet cute" was anything but! They we and decided to live their separate lives. When trouble comes knocking, Fredericka heads to London in search of help from the Duke. Through a series of unfortunate events, they manage to eventually fall in love.
The story was slow to build interest, but I stuck with it and I am glad that I did. The children are endearing, and the Duke fallible, but lovable. It all comes together and I look forward the the other books that will follow,

Adored this. The pace never lulled and I was wholly invested in these characters and their motivations/struggles. Delightful!!

I received this novel through NetGalley.

Fantastic convenience love story that brings together two people who were meant to be together from the beginning. This novel was an easy and light read, although predictable.