Ooohhh, this was a cute little treat. Lady Joanna Mabry has just put herself in James Huntington, the Duke of Northwick’s crosshairs when she stole one of his books, which had the most scandalous illustrations.
I was expecting the spice from this one to singe my eyebrows and send me straight to hornyville but it was disappointingly tame.
I did love the banter though and the characters were just too sweet. Will read more from this author.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Although she knows it's wrong, Lady Joanna Mabry can't help but steal books from the homes of noblemen. And the Duke of Northwick's outspoken views on women's education makes him the perfect target, particularly when the book in question is one ostensibly on "feminine education". But the book is of an erotic nature, and she can't now control her behaviour around the duke. James knows Joanna has the book, and wants her to admit it, but the longer they dance around each other, the more their attraction turns from lust to love.

I wanted to like this book, but I really disliked both of the main characters. Yes, they had a great chemistry, and were suited to each other, but that wasn't always a good thing. They were brash, and argumentative, and very hard headed. The angst between the couple, and even the way they came back together wasn't executed well, and dragged out the book too much. I've got copies of the other books in the series, so I'll read them, but only to clear my NG backlog, not because I'm looking forward to them.

Loved the female lead. Love a smart woman who reads, and a man who at first is annoyed but secretly thrilled at her brains. Loved watching them figure jt out,

Could stealing a Book Lead to Landing a Duke?

Joanna does not think much of the Duke of Northwick and his antiquated ideas about women. When she steals a book from his library, he discovers the truth; however, he will never get her to admit that she did so. As the two banter back and forth, they get to know one another. It turns out, there is more to them than meets the eye. The duke’s ideas are not so antiquated after all, and lady Joanna is so much more than a book thief. As they get to know one another, love happens, but a woman wants James for herself, and she is not about to give him up to Joanna. There will be challenges ahead. Can love win the day, or will a harpy succeed in sabotaging them? If you like historical romance, you might enjoy the story, like I did.

Lexi Post is a new (to me) author and I am so glad I requested this book. I loved it. Here’s the thing—it’s based on Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, and I must be the only person on earth who dislikes that book. So I didn’t think I was going to like STEALING THE DUKE, but I ended up loving it!

This is a brand new plot for me, which made it interesting. Basically, Joanna stole a book from the pompous, apparently misogynist Duke who she cannot stand thinking it was some treatise on female subjugation, but, instead, it was a naughty book! What is she to do now? Well, that puts them on a collision course to a happily ever after.

This one has lots of twists and turns, and a lot of fun characters (I really like the sisters A LOT). Jo is a strong woman who has never wanted to marry and James is an upstanding man (even though you couldn’t tell from the initial meeting). You will end up loving them both. And yeah, there's a villain who is trying to keep them apart (like they didn't have enough issues already).

I am delighted to have found this series. Amelia is next, and I already requested it because I enjoyed this one so much. 5 stars.

This is the first book of the series, Marrying a Mabry, and also my first time reading something by this author, but it certainly won't be my last. Joanna is not a typical lady of the ton, in fact she can be considered more of a bluestocking. And with her love of reading, she is always looking for new books. But that love of books leaves her with one flaw, she tends to slyly steal books from the libraries of her peers. She always puts them back, so she's essentially just borrowing them, but without their knowledge. James, the Duke of Northwick, has quite an extensive library, but also has an exceptional memory of all the books he owns, and when one goes missing, he suspects Joanna. He also knows that the contents of the book she took is not at all what she would be expecting to read. He then decides to set a trap for Joanna, in an attempt to get her to confess. But he never expected to be so captivated by her, and the more time he spends sparring with her about women's education, the more he enjoys her company.
I found this to be a very enjoyable and entertaining story and the character's interactions were wonderful and the witty and cheeky banter between them was so much fun to read. The story kept my interest from start to finish and flowed very nicely. The book was such a delight to read and I look forward to continuing the series.
I received a complimentary copy from Dragonblade Publishing via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my opinion.

Lively debates and the slow build of appreciation is the heart of this low steam romance by Lexi Post. Stealing the Duke, first off, has an absolutely stunning cover and was the first reason I picked up this novel, and while this cover illustrates a sensual romance this novel is a bit lower on steam than the cover might suggest. Lexi Post's writing really thrives in the banter and conversations that the hero and heroine engage in as they learn to slowly build a friendship and understanding of each other. Post's writing is fun and interesting to read, her characters are both well rounded and solid in their convictions and it is fun to see their opposing views get tested and examined while deeper and more romantic feeling begin to develop.

Overall this is a very sweet, low angst romance between two people who test each other and help them to grow and change. I would have definitely preferred a bit more sensuality when it came to stolen touches or teasing moments but in the end this is a sweet and fun story that was an easy and quick read. I am looking forward to exploring more works from Lexi Post and if this novel seems like an interesting one to you, I am sure you will be delighted with it.

Stealing the Duke was my first novel by Lexi Post. This was a slow burn historical romance that didn't quite grip me. The author notes at the beginning that this series is loosely based on Little Woman, and this first outing is Joanna Mabry's story (Jo March).

The story needs less arguments about women's education (it felt repetitive) and more chemistry between Lady Joanna and James Huntington, Duke of Northwick.

Joanna "steals" books from members of the Ton, but always brings them back. She takes a book with a false cover from the Duke's extensive collection, and of course, inside it's a naughty how-to guide. With this interesting premise I was expecting something a bit spicier. Instead, as the reader is told how curious Joanna is, it takes her forever to actually open the book, which I found odd.


Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy of this book. All opinions are my own and freely given.

3.5 stars

The premise sounded interesting. A woman steals a book from a Duke and then finds it's a false cover bit like the Kama Sutra. The duke suspects she's the one that's got it. He's not really that attracted to her at the beginning but intrigued as to whether she;d read it. Then it veers off into pages of Philosophical discussions about female education. I found it odd that the Duke would never have had a season but it works out his half american and disappeared to his estates when his mother died and his father couldn't look at him without getting overwhelmed. Jo is one of three sisters so I can see where the series will go next. Not sure I'm invested in the family enough to continue.

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

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this book!

I loved little women as a kid (and still do) but haven’t seen any good reimaginings or retellings until this one. The characters were clearly the March sisters (and Teddy) but they also fit the setting—regency England—and acted like their little women counterparts. Teddy is ridiculous and a little self-destructive, even as we like him, while Jo loves reading and even steals books from others’ libraries who don’t appreciate them—honestly? I would do the same.

When Jo, a vocal proponent for educating women beyond the “womanly arts” meets the well-read duke who believes that women seem happy where they are and don’t need more education, sparks fly basically from the get go and not just romantic ones.

The relationship develops well and I loved the debates between the characters and the way they both change over time. It reminded me in some ways of pride and prejudice—though there is far more illicit behavior in this book.

All in all a fun read that takes a little bit to get into. I hope there are more books about the rest of the Mabrys!

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this story and this is my freely given opinion.

This is a historical romance by Lexi Post, the start of a new series it looks like. Lady Joanna Mabry is a young woman has a few interesting quirks and is indulged by her family. First, she loves to read and learn, and has a wide scope of interests. Some could consider her a bluestocking, and she knows this is not something valued in women, by her peers. Rather than conform herself to what is expected by society, to gain herself a husband, she would rather look forward to being a spinster and having the freedom to indulge in her interests, especially as she has the support of her family and an inheritance from her aunt to provide for her future. She also has a habit of stealing books from the libraries of her peers... she often returns them just as slyly... so really, it could be considered borrowing.

Before retiring to a life of spinsterhood, she continues to engage in social activities to support her sisters and her cousin, Teddy. Teddy needs their help and support has he has fallen in love with the cousin of the Duke of Northwick, and is trying to stake a claim before she makes her official debut. James Huntingdon, the Duke of Northwick, is a man with some rather staid and traditional views, including about a woman's role and education. Unfortunately this is in direct conflict with Joanna's views, so when she is part of a party invited to dine at the Duke's, she relishes the opportunity to take something from his rather impressive library. She absconds with his book about female education, thinking to gain some insight into what formulates his views. Only until later does she realize the cover is a fake and hides a rather salacious illustrated guide of education of a much more sensual nature.

James prides himself on his library and has an incredible memory and knowledge of his collection, so he notices immediately which book is missing, and when he deduces that Joanna is the thief, he enters into a game of cat and mouse to catch her. But the more time they spend together, the more they start to like each other. Even though she is the opposite of what James is looking for in his future duchess, he enjoys her joy and passion in her pursuit of knowledge, and relishes their exchanges and debates. He is also intrigued by his attraction to her and fantasizes about what she is learning from his book. In the mean time however, he is paying court to the season's Diamond, in the hopes of making the eminently suitable woman his future bride.

Joanna grows to become very fond of James and enjoys their friendship, finding inspiration in the ability to change his mind, and he encourages her to develop a school for education of their female peers. She is heartbroken then, when it appears as though he is secretly undermining her, thinking that he has been setting her up for failure. They were both rather sweetly obtuse about their own relationship, though others could see it around them. James perhaps was just a bit obtuse about women in general, considering what he missed about people such as his own cousin and aunt, and then perhaps about the women in general. But it was implied that he had some prejudices set up by his own family and loss of his mother and sister that appeared to have coloured his views on intelligent, independent women.

This was actually a very sweet story of opposites attracting. I was expecting something a bit steamier, but it was actually quite a slow build with a lot of time spent on the development of Joanna and James' mutual friendship and appreciation of each other, with a build of attraction that is more inside their heads than demonstrated to each other. I don't think there was even an exchange of kisses until past the halfway mark.

A bit disappointing considering a graphic book about sex is one of the center points around which their relationship develops around. I have to admit I was hoping for a bit steam or some more steamy teasing on his part when he started to probe her about the book to see if she had it or not.

Regardless, it was an enjoyable bit of light entertainment with some sweet characters, and a library that sounds like heaven on earth.

3.5 stars out of 5

DNF @50 %? Based on the blurb and the cover I expected this book to be about the heroine finding a naughty book and the hero teasing her about it and making her confess by teasing her buttons which would then lead to explosive chemistry. Sadly, that is not it. Joanna steals a book and later glances inside it. She saw one illustration and was immediately horrified so she closes the book and leaves it for 3 days. Since she is portrayed as being curious and reading every book I really expected her to jump back to the book right away to see more illustrations and not just leave it hidden for days without even thinking about it. James knows she is the most possible culprit for stealing his book but he doesn't do much about it. Yes, he pushes her into all kinds of situations where she denies the theft but that's it. Joanna, I think talks more about equality for women and it was fine at first but lost the touch later in the book (it's been a while since I read the book so this might not be true but I remember that I didn't like something about her.) I think that in the end it just goes down to the lack of chemistry between MCs and me and the book. I DNFed it because there was no chemistry. They didn't even kiss by my DNFing point which was I think at half of the book or even more than that. I was going into this book hoping for a steamy read but this book wasn't steamy at all. I was very disappointed because I was really looking forward to reading it after reading the blurb and seeing the cover which is absolute FIRE! ARC was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a pretty good start to a new series from Lexi post. This was a fun read and I did enjoy the story a great deal. The characters were pretty fun and cannot wait for more in the series.

Lady Joanna Maybry likes to borrow books from other people's libraries. Some might consider it stealing given she does not tell them she is doing it. This time she is doing it from the library of someone who has a very narrow view of what women should be reading.

Joanna comes from a family that encourages children to find their own interests and they are all very different characters.

James Huntington, the Duke of Northwick, is only in London for the season to help his cousin and then he will return home. Joanna ends up taking a book from his library she assumes is one that supports the Duke's position about limiting women's education, but it has a fake cover and it is about seduction instead. Since she never plans to marry, Joanna decides to read it.

James knows a book is missing from his favorites, as he spots the open space. He thinks Joanna took it due to the nature of the book. He then starts to ask her questions on things discussed in the book to suss out if she took it.

I just reviewed Stealing the Duke by Lexi Post. #StealingtheDuke #NetGalley

I really enjoyed Lexi Post's first foray into the world of Regency. This series was inspired by Little Women with Lexi's signature "what if...". I love where her imagination takes us, it's always an interesting trip. This one is Jo's story, the bluestocking intellectual of the family of girls. She ends up butting heads with James Huntington, Duke of Northwick. They have a cat and mouse game over a book she stole from his extensive library.

Joanna Mabry, 24 is almost on the shelf as the ton puts it. She's in her fourth season and has no marriage prospects, not that she wants any. She's all about championing women having the right to an equal education as men do. When she's at a dinner at the Duke of Northwick's home she forms an opinion of James Huntington that she later finds out is in error. She frequently steals or borrows books from the libraries of society when she's a guest in their homes. She finds James' library and is overwhelmed at the size. She figures it's all for show and bragging rights, and takes a book titled Educating the Female Species. She figures it's a book that supports his position about limiting women's education. Turns out it's a fake cover, it's really The Illustrated Pleasures of Seduction! Boy did she find herself with a hot book that if she reads it will educate her in forbidden pleasures. She decides since she'll never be married she might as well know what all the hub-bub is about.

James Huntington has read every volume in his library and keeps his favorites behind his desk. When he sees an empty space he knows which book is missing. He starts to think it might have been taken by Joanna because of the topic. He also knows what's between the covers. He sets out to discover if she does have it by asking some pointed questions he knows are in the book. This starts a delicious journey between James and Joanna where she discovers he's much more enlightened that she thought and really a very interesting as well as handsome man. I really enjoyed watching each of the dance around the other on their way to falling in love.

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

I really enjoyed this! Joanna was intelligent, and caring. Some might have found her views on feminism annoying, but I didn’t! James could have been an insufferable character but I actually quite liked him. I liked the way their relationship slowly built, and it was quite low angst.

Joanna is an interesting individual, but she loves, loves, loves books. Not only does she have some unfavourable views on women's education, she has been known to steal books from the libraries of her peers.

James is the Duke of Northwick and has come to horrid London for two reasons. Find a husband for his cousin Elsbeth and find a wife for himself. James prides himself on having a thorough education and to know more than a little about a great many topics.

However, when James finds one of his books missing, he sets out to find the thief. When Joanna realises the book she has taken includes scandalous content, does she read on and further her education? I mean, she's going to be a spinster so there is no other way she would find out this valuable information, right?

This was not only a fun book but the views about women's education during regency times were really interesting. A fun read and an education! There was one fantastically spicy scene, which was super fun. I look forward to reading more from Lexi

An intriguing mix of independence and romance. It features a charming reimagining of Little Women elements with the bluestocking Joanna Mabry intent on her independence and education. Enter James Huntington, an extremely well read educated Duke with a strong belief in the roles of women and marriage. These two come at each other as rivals in debate, but find each other surprisingly open-minded despite strong beliefs. I enjoyed the slow-burn of their relationship. James was quite easy to dislike in the beginning, seemingly pompous and arrogant in his beliefs of women. I was pleased to be proven wrong as in the end I found I really liked James. His ability to accept Jo’s independence and realize it was what made her strong, was quite satisfying. This is a nice story that provides a sweet conclusion.

This was certainly as interesting read as an intelligent woman LadyJoanna Mabry, meets her match when she steals a book from the library of James Huntingon, the Duke of Northwick. Joanna is in her fourth Season, but has never had a suitor basically because is considred to be a bluestocking. James in in London for the first time in many years. He is there with his aunt and her daughter, Elsbeth, for her first season. Neither Joanna or James realize their meeting will change the course of both their lives. This story shares how the lose of Joanna's sister, Belinda, and the loss for James of his mother and older sister and evidently his father too effect them both. This story has some interesting discussion between Joanna and James about the differences and similiaries between men and women and what their places are. Beware there are certainly some "steamy" parts in this book and a HEA. I do wish there had been an extended epilogue..

This book has a sweet quality which pulls at your heart. It is a story of grumpiness and friendship. Lady Joanna Mabry is a bluestocking who has a flaw…she steals books from peer homes but does return them. James Huntington, Duke of Northwich views on women’s educations irritates her. So next time she is at his house, she steals a book on “feminine education” not knowing it has a fake cover. It is really The Illustrated Pleasures of Seduction. Trouble arises when James realized someone sold this book from his home and suspects Joanna. Now it is a cat and mouse game...for him to see if she took it and her how to return it. They develop a friendship of sorts. The supporting characters were enjoyable. This story about trust and taking the leap to be vulnerable to someone. Amidst of this, family duties, expectations, and responsibilities come into play. This book was good, and I enjoy it. It did not disappoint. I would recommend this book to put a smile on your face.

**I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.