Amalie Howard's "Never Met a Duke Like You" is a delightful and engaging historical romance that sweeps readers into a world of charm, wit, and unexpected love. The story revolves around the spirited protagonist, Lady Eleanor, and the brooding Duke of Ashbourne, who finds himself captivated by her fierce independence and determination. The pacing in "Never Met a Duke Like You" strikes a perfect balance, maintaining a steady rhythm that keeps readers enthralled from the start. Howard expertly intertwines moments of tension and romantic interplay, allowing the story to flow seamlessly. The chapters unfold with just the right amount of intrigue and character development, making it difficult to put the book down. Whether through lively conversations or dramatic events, the pacing ensures that there is never a dull moment. Central to the novel are love, self-discovery, and societal expectations. Howard explores the tension between personal desires and social obligations, particularly in the context of the Regency era's rigid class structure. The relationship between Eleanor and the Duke is a transformative journey, highlighting the importance of finding one's voice and embracing individuality.
Additionally, the story subtly critiques the limitations imposed on women, showcasing Eleanor's struggle against the confines of her station while igniting a passionate romance that defies societal norms. Howard's narrative style is engaging and vivid, immersing readers in the lush descriptions of the Regency setting. Her writing is lively and imbued with humor, adding relatability to the characters' experiences. The dialogue sparkles with wit, perfectly capturing the playful banter between Eleanor and Ashbourne. Howard's ability to paint emotional nuances makes the characters feel multi-dimensional and authentic, allowing readers to connect deeply with their journeys. "Never Met a Duke Like You" is highly recommended for fans of historical romance who appreciate strong, independent heroines and complex, brooding heroes. If you enjoy stories that delve into the intricacies of love against a backdrop of societal challenges, this book will not disappoint. It's a heartwarming tale that satisfies romantic cravings and inspires reflection on personal freedom and self-acceptance.

This is a perfectly nice historical romance. I started the eARC and wasn't feeling it. Then a year later it took me several months to get through the audiobook.

It has a great start - our FMC gets locked in an attic with a duke, who was a childhood best friend and current quasi-enemy. There's definitely a bit of sparkling banter and of course, he's a fossil hunter, which I like.

But clearly there's some spark that's missing for me. YMMV, of course.

Technically, I recieved a copy of an eARC for review, but ended up listening to the audiobook a year later.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! I just couldn't get in the mood for this one, but I do love this author!

Never Met A Duke Like You

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Never Met A Duke Like You
Amalie Howard

“As if someone like her— a bit different— should ever have to hide how unique and precious she was.”

This was my wild card book, and I’m so glad I chose it. I’ve been reading nothing but fantasy lately which is my fav, but occasionally I like to mix it up. I do enjoy historical fiction!

I LOVED the Bridgerton books and I LOVE the Netflix show. This gives full Bridgerton vibes 100%.

It was such a quick, easy, and fun read! I thoroughly enjoyed it. The cat and mouse between the two main characters had me and kept me until the end.

I’d definitely read another by this author!!!!

I enjoyed the friends turned enemies turned lovers trope in this book! Lady Vesper was a wonderful protagonist and I liked her interactions with her friends and with Greydon. I found Greydon to be a good MMC and I enjoyed the familial aspect of his storyline. This one did start out extremely slow for me, but I'd say it picked up around 40%.

I loved the Emma feel of this one. Vesper was such a likable main character, anyone who loves to help people fall in love are always endearing to me. Aspen was a great foil to Vesper's sunshine personality. Their constant bickering helped build up the tension so much that I couldn't wait for them to get together because I knew their chemistry would be amazing. The only thing I didn't love was the blackmailing subplot and how it concluded. Otherwise, a sweet historical romance that will have you swooning.

Never Met a Duke Like You by Amalie Howard is a captivating Regency romance that combines historical charm with modern sensibilities. Lady Vesper Lyndhurst, a clever matchmaker, and the Duke of Greydon, who returns to revive his family’s fortunes, are the central characters.
Vesper and Aspen’s journey from friends to enemies to lovers is filled with witty banter and explosive chemistry. The secondary characters, including Vesper’s friends and Aspen’s family, add richness to the narrative. The historical setting is vividly depicted, and themes like mental health and societal expectations add depth.Howard’s writing is engaging and evocative. The dialogue is sharp, and the chemistry between Vesper and Aspen is undeniable. The plot is well-paced, with a mix of lighthearted moments and deeper themes.

This book has been on my Netgalley for a bit and I haven’t picked it up. I haven’t been into romance in a minute, so I’m not the right person to review it anymore.

This was fun! I especially loved the second half with his declaration and more character chemistry. The main leads had great banter, and in true Amalie fashion, were very spicy 😉

Their scheming at the end was fun, and I loved the cat!

Story Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (0-5)
Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧 (0-5)
Overall: 4/5
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥☄️ (0-5) I bump up for public places/outdoor spaces, but there’s actually only a few very fun steamy scenes total.

What I’m Starry-Eyed Over:
🤩 Third person, dual POV, and one narrator. Mary Jane Wells has a beautiful voice and English accent that is lovely to listen to.
🤩 Childhood friends/secret crush, second chance at more, but enemies-to-lovers in the meantime with fabulous banter (like very mean with lots of insults).
🤩 That need to know why they hate each other so much. And oh, my heart, the feels finding out the back story.
🤩 Fabulous first encounter after much time—so captivating with a little bit of forced proximity.
🤩 Unwanted attraction.
🤩 The longing for them to be open and honest and figure each other out.
🤩 Entertaining dinner parties and balls.
🤩 The steamy times are so fun and exploratory (virgin FMC).
🤩 Amazing friend group.
🤩 The sweetest nod to lesbian representation.
🤩 Cat cuteness.
🤩 Cute and steamy epilogue.

What I’m Wishing/Dizzy About:
💫 There’s just something about the way the MMC is written that bugged me—so emotionally hot and cold.
💫 I love the plot twist, but I wish it had come sooner. I had already started not to like the Duke of Grayden.

Oh my goodness this took way too long to read. Here we are though so let’s get down to it.

This book while adorable in premise lost me after the first 10% where a lot of back and forth and silly things happen until the eventual long awaited declaration and love scene at 70%. After that, the book was paced so well and I enjoyed every second of it. The first half was so drawn out and boring to me that it took me almost 2 weeks to read this!

Now the characters. Vesper and Aspen. I hate to be this person but I got them mixed up so many times because I’ve never met a man named Aspen before. So sometimes during their back and forth I would mix up who was who and it took me out of the scene. There’s an array of side characters that were introduced to and at length described but I still cannot tell you who is who and what their purpose is.

The real meat of the story once it was finally flushed was a great one! I wish it was cut down a bit and focused more on the diabolical schemes of aspens mother. I didn’t care about vespers match making as it was a big deal in the beginning and then disappeared as a plot point until 80%.

Overall, it was a fun and unique regency romance.

"Clueless meets Bridgerton" is a very apt way to describe this book - what fun it was! Greydon brings quite a bit of baggage into their relationship, but love conquers all.

I am 100% in my Regency era, so give me all of the Duke romance stories. This is the second in a series, but it functions as a stand-alone story. I will look forward to reading more.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

I don’t read much historical romance, but I love me an Emma/Clueless retelling so I took a chance on this. Which was a great decision on my end - I loved this book! The banter between Aspen and Vesper was everything and I loved the shift from enemies to lovers. It felt believable and I was able to connect with both characters.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for a review copy. I’ll definitely continue to read more from this author in the future - and more historical romance in general!

Historical romance is a genre that I’m not a huge fan of but this book was good. It really surprised me. The characters weee mostly likeable and the time period setting didn’t seem overly exaggerated or far fetched. The chemistry was believable and good.

I really loved this book. The main characters had such great chemistry. This series is hilarious too which I love in a historical romance.

It took me WAY too long to read this one! I loved Howard's first book in her "Taming of the Dukes" series, and "Never Met a Duke Like You" was just as fun. Vesper is whip-smart and strong, and Greydon made me feel all melty inside. They have so much history and misunderstandings to work through, as well as current issues. Plus, there is a kitten! All of the friends from the first book are back, and I'm excited to read the next book!

Bit late to the party on this review! But I had been busy and waited till it came out on audiobook.
Thoroughly enjoyed the characters in this book. They had great chemistry and didn't sacrifice themselves at any time in the story.
I liked that their 'near break up' wasn't dramatic and that it was caused by 'you know who'.

I got into historical fiction a few years ago and really enjoy Amalie's books. This one was no exception. This retelling of Clueless (Emma by Jane Austen) and I think she did a great job. I loved that Vesper was neurodivergent, especially in this time period. I also loved that Aspen is a paleontologist, when he's forced to return home to take his role as Duke. These childhood friends who haven't seen each other in years are forced together after a mishap.

I loved the grumpy/sunshine and the everyone knows they're in love but them tropes in the book. The story has great pace, character development, and secondary characters. The chemistry between Aspen and Vesper is what really makes the book for me. They have great banter and their history really adds to the story.

3.5 rounded up.

My honest initial thought is...I read this at the beginning of the month, said I liked it..and now I can't remember a single thing about it.

Pause as I go read a summary...okay...my thoughts: right away I remembered I am MAD that the villain of the story completely gets away with what she did and I hate that. I also don't love that Vesper kept talking to/ working with the villain even after she was told about what she'd done. I also feel like this was pitched as enemies to lovers and it just was not giving that...too much pining for them to be enemies 😂

I love Amalie Howard and love historical romance so I can't say this was a bad book...but it wasn't a favorite. Especially for how much I personally adored Always Be My Duchess.