Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book!

For some time, I’d given up on the regency romance category. I read a lot of them last year and they got boring.

It’s a fun read that does not rely on the miscommunication trope as much which I liked. Not sure I like his friends.

DNF at 5%

I saw this book's author all over my TikTok For You page and honestly, she is fantastic at marketing her book because I immediately decided to hit Request when I saw this pop up on NetGalley. However, my expectations were quickly tempered by the first chapter of this book. What sounded like a fun romp read far more like a Victorian novel of manners based on the prose. That's not an issue for me, but it's definitely not what I really want to be reading right now.

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

While I was initially drawn to the intriguing premise of this book, I ultimately found myself disappointed by the lacklustre execution of the romance. Despite the promising setup, the relationship between the main characters fell short of my expectations, prioritizing physical attraction over emotional depth.

One of the main issues I had with the romance was its heavy emphasis on lust at the expense of genuine emotional connection. While passion certainly has its place in romantic narratives, I felt that it overshadowed the development of a meaningful relationship between the characters. As a result, their connection felt superficial and lacking in authenticity, leaving me wanting more in terms of character development and relationship growth.

I do think fans of historical romance would enjoy this book it was simply an okay read for me.
I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book started off very promising and I was enjoying it but there were just too many issues. It started to get that soap opera feel where I was like oh my goodness, this is never going to end. Unfortunately this was a DNF for me but I this this author has promise and I will be giving her future books a shot when they come out

I liked this book. The plot was kind of all over the place. I had a real issue with John constantly leaving Catherine. I wish there had been more romance and chemistry between the characters.

Lydia Lloyd has such an obvious passion for romance as a genre. This book is PACKED with references to favorite tropes and character arcs and that helped bring this book up to a full three stars, as otherwise I just never quite got fully on board with the instant attraction and anger with each other. Their relationship never fully developed the tension that I needed to make it pay off. It did make me excited to see what Lloyd does next and how this series evolves--the future MMCs are in desperate need of women to set them on the right path!

A lovely historical enemies to lovers romance. It had some great characters There was a lot of fun banter and the book had some good steam.

Amazing! I wanted to wait for the second book to be published because I knew I was going to devour this one!

A fun, sexy Regency romp with heart, Lydia Lloyd clearly knows her historical romance and crafts an engaging story with relatable characters and fantastic carriage rides. I'm excited for the next installment!

I started this book and decided not to finish. As a long time reader of historical romance I felt that this book had too many tropes thrown into it and wish it had had a tighter edit. This author has a strong presence and I hope that she continues to work on her craft in the next series installment.

In the inaugural installment of The Rake Chronicles series, this debut author introduces readers to the captivating world of Catherine Forster and John Breminster. Their encounter at a ball sparks an enchanting connection, yet Catherine remains blissfully unaware of John's true identity until a compromising situation reveals his role in her family's ruin. Despite the deep-seated animosity between the Forsters and Breminsters, circumstances force John to seek Catherine's aid after his father, the Duke of Edington, passes away. Catherine, though willing to assist, demands a price. As they embark on their journey, the lingering attraction from years past reignites, shaping a compelling and spicy enemies-to-lovers narrative crafted skillfully by this debut author.

What a debut! Following the author on Insta, I had high expectations, especially when I realized that all my favourite romance tropes were going to be covered and then some in this England-based historical romance.

I was hooked on the enemies to lovers characters, the mysterious aspects around the suspense plot, the engaging support characters, and lushness of the spicy scenes, and and and.

I found this to be a page turner of a romance which kicks off a series with characters in this book appearing in future books. However, When The Duke Loved Me can be read a standalone.

Tropes:
- Enemies to Lovers
- Road Trip
- Hidden identities and guarded secrets

Would definitely recommend to dive into this one and then immediately dive into the 2nd book of series.
Enjoy!

P.S. If you appreciate making an informed decision about potential triggers in this romance, please read on but know they may cover potential spoilers:
child abandonment, death of parents, infidelity (not MCs), threat of sexual assault

P.P.S. I thank the author and the publisher for allowing me to read this book ahead of the publication date in exchange for a fair review.

This is the first book in The Rake Chronicles series and a debut book by this author. Catherine Forster is enchanted by John Breminster when they meet at a ball. She is not fully aware of who he is until they are caught in a compromising situation, and then she learns that he is the same man who ruined her family. The Forsters and Breminsters are sworn enemies, and despite how taken John was with Catherine, he was forced to walk away from her. But when his father, Duke of Edington, dies, he is faced with a problem, one that only Catherine can help him solve. Catherine agrees to help him, but it will cost him. They set out on their journey and they soon realize the attraction they felt years ago still burns strong between them.
A very spicy and entertaining enemies to lovers trope by a debut author. The storyline was interesting and flowed nicely and the characters were well-written. I will say, though, that the steam started a bit earlier than I would normally like, a little more build up between Catherine and John would've been nice to see. But that said, the story was quite engaging and I would love to read more from the author and continue the series.
Thank you to Netgalley and Tule Publishing for providing a complimentary copy. This is my voluntary and honest review.

This is a captivating story of enemies to lovers, set in a historical backdrop of family scandal and betrayal. The prologue introduces John and Catherine, who meet at a ball and feel an instant attraction, unaware of each other’s true identities. John is the Duke of Eddington, whose father had an affair with Catherine’s aunt, Mary Forester, and caused the ruin of both families. Catherine is a penniless orphan, who lives with her friends and writes history articles to earn some money.

When John’s father dies, he leaves a codicil in his will that forces John to find Mary Forester, or forfeit his sister’s dowry to a distant cousin. John seeks Catherine’s help, hoping she knows where her aunt is. Catherine agrees, seeing it as a chance to travel and finish her book, but also to earn money to support her found family.

As they embark on a perilous journey, they discover the truth about their past and the secrets that haunt them. They also realize that they can’t deny their feelings for each other, despite the guilt and shame they carry. Will they be able to overcome the obstacles and find their happy ending?

I loved this story. I loved how John changed from a notorious rake to a devoted lover because he couldn’t forget Catherine after their first meeting. I loved how Catherine was a strong and independent woman, who pursued her passion for history and writing. I loved how they supported each other and faced their demons together. I loved how they became a real couple in the second half of the story, and how they showed their love in sweet and tender ways. This is a story of scandal, trauma, and redemption, but also of love, trust, and hope.

3.5 🌟's

i really loved the first half ish of the book - the angst, the tension, the hURTTT put it in my veins!! sadly, i hated the constant hot/cold between them as it got pretty toxic and repetitive by the end. i also didn't really enjoy the underlying plot of finding mary forster/the family drama stuff .. that's just a personal qualm tho (it was effectively written! but not for me)

overall, a solid debut :0

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the publisher Tule for the e-ARC via Netgalley!*

I love this author’s social media pages and knowledge of historical romance, but unfortunately this did not live up to my hopes for her debut. The focus seemed to be almost entirely on the physical relationship, and while I appreciate a good spicy scene, I do need there to be more of a foundation for the romance than just sex.

As if coming from rival families wasn't enough to make John and Christine dislike each other, a somewhat accidental clandestine tryst at a country ball was the icing on the cake.

Many years later, John needs help fulfilling a stipulation of his late father's will. Unfortunately for the enemy pair, Christine is the one person who can help him solve a great mystery full of deeply guarded secrets. As much as it pains Christine to assist a most detestable person, she simply can't refuse the financial offer he has made should she aid him in his quest.

When enemies unite for a common cause in close proximity, sparks are bound to fire.

All this and much more in: "When the Duke Loved Me" by Lydia Lloyd, book one of The Rake Chronicles
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Cover Rating: 2/5
Story Rating: 3.5/5
Steam Rating: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 + (+kissing, interrupted scenes, solo scenes)
Ending: HEA + Epilogue
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Series or Stand Alone:
Easily read as stand alone. Mystery plot is solved in this book. Characters in this title appear will appear in future books.
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England, Regency Period (1815)
Historian Bluestocking
Duke
Enemies to Lovers
Feudal Families
Road Trip
Deeply Guarded Secrets
Mystery Plot
Miscommunication
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This is a debut novel by Lydia Lloyd, so her writing style is brand new to me. I found her to remind me a bit of Victoria Alexander with longer paragraphs and explanations. While the pacing throughout the book feels a bit off- slow- the mystery plot is what really kept me reading and not so much the romance. This book feels like a title with a much higher page could be due to pacing.

Overall, this is a tricky book for me to rate based on the fact that, for me, this book reads like a mystery book with a romance and not a historical romance with a mystery plot. I felt like John and Christine's relationship development took the backseat to solving the mystery for a lot of the book. If I was Rating this as a mystery, this is a solid 4, maybe even 4.5. If I'm rating this as a romance, this book is a 3/5. I was just left wanting a bit more in the romance and just wasn't as interested in that plot vs the mystery.

Fans who enjoy a lot of frustration between characters as they deal with their feelings with each other will like this one! There are a lot of back-and-forth sparing matches between John and Christine with some cheeky makeup action after. The mains suffer from miscommunication, or simply refusing to communicate, which adds a bit of angst to their story.

As for Steam, this title uses modern terms and is not flowery. The scenes vary in length with a variety of acts. The steam hits early but returns a bit later in the book as the mains reconnect after several years. If you love a good carriage scene, here you go!
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Read as an ebook provided by NetGalley and publisher. Honest review left voluntarily.
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Content Warning (may contain spoilers):
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De*th of parent (off page, multiple)
Childbirth de*th (off page)
Marital Infidelity (off page, not MCs)
Attempt Se*ual As*ault (off page- eluded to via discussion)
Mild physical vi*lence (on page, not between MCs)
Illness- life-threatening fevers (off page)
Giving up child (off page, details)

“I love you. I will always love you. Since that night in the Tremberley gardens, since I was a boy, I have loved you and only you.”...We have let the past interfere long enough. I won’t have it. I love you more than anything, more than all of my past, more than the present and the future put together. It doesn’t matter what you say now, if you turn me away. Nothing could change my love for you. I am yours, to refuse or accept, until the day I die “

Damn it…Lydia Lloyd made me cry. How dare she write a book that tugs at my heartstrings. Yes I know…it's not hard to do these days…but still! It's her debut and she's making a sista snot and ugly cry all over the place? Can you imagine what I'll be like as her writing matures?
When the Duke Loved Me is an absolute winner! I'm completely smitten with every little detail. The characters, the plot, the conversations...I'm here for all of it! Insta lust/love books aren't usually my jam cause they don't have enough angst to them...but she pulled it off because it immediately turned hostile/enemy.

Y'all she's got drama, she's got passion, she's got desire…and if that wasn't enough, ole girl amped it up a notch with some pretty sexy bang bang time if ya know what I mean 😏.

Anyway…one night at a ball, Catherine decides she's due a bit of fun..ya know because she's been ruined most of her life thanks to her family's scandalous past and brazenly asks a handsome stranger to lead her to the Tremberley gardens. Her hopes…to view the family's ruins…and maybe…just maybe steal a kiss with this man she's instantly attracted to. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on who's telling the story), they're caught in an embrace and she realizes he's her family's enemy, John Breminster. Years later, John, the newly minted Duke has a problem that only Catherine can help him solve (imagine that). After agreeing upon a fairly lucrative deal, the two set off together in search of answers. Despite their enmity, Catherine and John can't forget their first encounter and grow closer the more time they spend together. Unfortunately the more they discover, its highly unlikely that their fragile bond will survive the fallout.
This book is good ya’ll. Like, I read it twice good. If you like a good enemies to lover/insta love romance…pick this one up. Oan, this book introduced some very colorful and interesting men. I can’t wait to see what Lydia Lloyd does with the rest of the Rank Rakes. I'm sure it'll be divine 😝.

This was such a great debut historical romance novel, filled with so many amazing tropes that all worked well with each other. This book very quickly grabbed me and I could not put it down until I had finished it. I really enjoyed this dual pov enemies to lovers historical romance. The reason why the two main characters hate each other makes perfect sense for the time period. It also feels like something that believable can be resolved in the novel; and that the two main characters could get over because of first their attraction and then love for each other.

I found both the MMC and the FMC to be incredibly likeable and I really enjoyed both POVs. All of the side characters were amazing and I cannot wait for the next books in the series to see all of the Duke’s friends be paired off.

This book was very middle of the road for me. I enjoyed it but it was a bit too long. I liked the heroine, the hero was a bit bland.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.