This one is my new favorite in the series. The banter, the tension, their history together; oh so delicious

This was giving major Bridgeton season 2 vibes (even the illustration of Aspen on the cover looks like beautiful Jonathan Bailey) and I was living for it. The chemistry between Vesper and Aspen was incredible. They were childhood best friends turned ex-best friends turned enemies turned lovers. That always makes for some amazing banter and Howard did not disappoint. Their dialogue was so clever, especially considering the language isn't modern. I laughed out loud at multiple points.

I also love that while this was a retelling, there were so many original points that made this book feel new. It was Clueless (which is really Emma), and while it kept to the premise of having this childhood best friend and the ward she helps out, it was actually really fresh. I especially love the take Howard took with Vesper, showing the expected spoiled heiress side of things and then showing her real, philanthropic side.

The girl gang was amazing as usual. Some relationships were set up for future books which made me even more excited to see everyone get their happily ever afters. Briar and Lushing: I'm coming for ya.

Sometimes, the tension between them was a little too high and I felt like we needed moments to breathe. Moments for them to just be friends, hanging out, without them wanting to jump the other's bones. But that's a minor complaint.

Overall, this was a 4.5 star read. I cannot wait for book 3 and will sell my kidney if it's Briar and Lushing.

This book felt like Bridgerton with more wit. This book was so funny! It was fast paced and kept me interested the entire time. Vesper and Aspen had a great back and forth with each other. I definitely want to go back and read the first in this series.

Victorian romance with a twist

This is the first book I have read by Ms Howard but certainly won't be the last. I am in the middle of searching out her backlist as I write this review. I enjoy Victorian and Regency romances, what's not to like about a bit of escapism so long as you don't take it too seriously, especially with the current world affairs. This romance is indeed quite hot in places BUT it dares to tackle some very serious issues that are unusual in said romances, that being the Insanity Act and the treatment of ADHD during those times. The plot is atypical and fun with bits of hear and interesting characters. Highly recommended!

Thank you to the publisher who lent me a time-limited e-arc via Netgalley. This review is optional and my own opinion.

It's Emma, retold. With billards.

Vesper is hard to relate to. She's entitled and fancies herself a matchmaker.
She was friends with Greydon. Then enemies when he did her dirty. Now, they are frenemies on their way to lovers (see billiards game).

Greydon has been gone, but is now back, and a duke. He and Vesper get trapped in the attic. I liked that he was an academic. He has his own agenda.

Witty, snappy banter, a dollop of steam, complicated leads (they have issues and causes they are passionate about). Well written and enjoyable.
Recommend.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the free eARC. This is my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this tale of the daughter of a duke who uses the rules of high society to hide her neuro divergency, while also dealing with a former childhood friend and first love coming back into her life. Lady Vesper has sworn off love, for a variety of reasons, but is a self proclaimed excellent matchmaker. Aspen, Duke of Greydon, returns to England after being abroad at various archeological digs to deal with a crumbling estate, an absentee duchess of a mother, and a ward who is of age for her first season. He enlists the help of his old childhood friend for her expertise and assistance with the upcoming season.

I really connected with Vesper as she uses the rules of the society to stay in the good graces of said society, when her natural tendencies would make her stand out for all the wrong reasons. This is Clueless (or Emma if you want to go back to source material) set in London during the later part of the 1800's (this is not Regency - this is Victorian), but it has found family (with characters that rival the playfulness of the Bridgerton siblings), friends to lovers, queer characters, dinosaurs, political foci on hot issue topics during the time (education and welfare), and has very cute scenes that were adapted from the Clueless movie to be accurate for the setting.

I read this in one sitting. The spicy scenes were cute, and also talked about the various layers of clothing fairly accurately (major bonus points from me!).

4.25 out of 5 stars. 2 out of 5 for the spice level.

This was a pretty good read by one of my favorite authors. Ms Howard writes a splendid novel about a matchmaking woman and a man with a secret. I felt this had a dark element to it in places in regard to mental issues with a duke's father being committed to an asylum. Aspen wants to find out why his father was put there.
Lady Vesper Lyndhurst is a lady who has sworn off love for herself. She is a matchmaker who has a lot to recommend her in getting couples on the way down the aisle. She is now helping her next door neighbor Aspen, the Duke of Greydon help launch his mother's ward.
Vesper and Aspen (when I read this name, I thought of skiing) have a funny way of being stranded in a room with no way out. They have an attraction to each other, but Aspen is afraid that Vesper is just like his mother being artificial. This kinda makes for him not trusting Vesper, even though he lusts after her.
Maybe Aspen needs to get over his anxiety and go after what he wants. Vesper needs to look at the man who loves her without reservation. They did have a happy ever after but it took a while.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.

Highlights:

Friends to enemies to lovers
Brother's best friend
Second chance
Opposites attract
Mental health and neurodivergent rep

Lady Vesper Lyndhurst and the Duke of Greydon were childhood friends until they had a falling out at Lady Vesper's coming out ball. Years later, Graydon is returning to England from abroad to attend to the business at home that he neglected while traveling. Their paths keep crossing at the numerous balls and social engagements. Greydon considers Vesper spoiled, selfish, and frivolous, but he can't deny his attraction to her. He also needs her help arranging a match for his ward, Judith.

Never Met a Duke Like You is a well-written historical romance. It's fun, sexy, and a little angsty. Vesper and Greydon have great chemistry, but I would call their romance a slow burn. There are many interesting secondary characters, including Vesper's family and friends and a mischievous white kitten who stole the show in several scenes. I thoroughly enjoyed Never Met a Duke Like You and look forward to reading more books featuring other characters that we've met already.

Vesper Lyndhurst has sworn off love for herself, but it doesn't mean she doesn't like seeing those nearest and dearest to her find their happily ever afters. If she's the one to facilitate the match, all the better.

The Duke of Greydon would rather be digging in the dirt uncovering some unknown creature, but he reluctantly comes back to England to see his mother's ward, Judith, married. Not interested in staying in his mother's company any longer than needed, he hopes to let the ton see that he's still alive, and make quick work of Judith's marriage. So, he goes to the one person who he hears has a reputation for making matches: Vesper.

Vesper and Greydon have a tumultuous history. Childhood frenemies, their relationship was irreparably altered when Greydon snuffed Vesper at her own coming out and then immediately left for a dig site and didn't look back. But being back in each other's orbit only highlights the attraction between them. With two very different lives, can they find some common ground?

I really enjoyed Amalie Howard's first book in this series so I was looking forward to reading this one. I like that, so far, they've each been slight retellings of a pop culture classics. For example, the first book takes on Pretty Woman and this one is Clueless (or actually Emma if you're a stickler for that kind of thing). I say slight retelling, because never once did I feel like these established stories impeded on Amalie Howard telling her own stand-out story. If you were looking for these aspects you would certainly find them, but it wouldn't overtake the narrative.

This time around, I thought that the focus placed a lot on how mental health was handled - or not - back then. How easy it was to have someone committed for not being "normal" and the conditions of "care" those people received was, I thought, very timely as we begin to see more transparency in mental health.

I'm also a sucker for a hero and a heroine with a past. I wish we got a little more from the root of Vesper and Greydon's childhood friendship. Maybe a prologue or a couple of flashback scenes. I think this would have more solidly shown the hurt that Vesper still carries for the way Greydon behaved at her coming out and the hole his absence has left since he has been away. I thought the moments with them together just sparked and I loved seeing them build that trust with one another again.

Amalie Howard also does a great job in giving us intriguing morsels for the other women in Vesper's friend group, namely Briar and Effie. Like Vesper, I'm excited to see how they're matched up with their happily ever afters.

This series works great for anyone who may have missed the first book because each one is a definite standalone. While characters do cross over, you won't feel lost, but know that the first book is also highly recommended.

An enjoyable romance that sees two childhood friends reunite and find love.

The book was sprinkled all over with hilarious, sometimes inappropriate, sarcastic inner thoughts that made me smile. Lady Viper, uh, Vesper, had a few choice nicknames for Aspen as well that added another layer of amusement. Both of them were appealing, well-developed characters. Vesper made some questionable decisions and Aspen was too hard-headed for his own good. I loved their no-holds-barred approach once they decided to give their attraction free reign.

All of this levity perfectly balanced the very serious undertones of Aspen’s relationship with his mother and the tragic events that had befallen his father, without taking away from the gravity of the situation. Aspen’s mother was a properly despicable, hateful character.

I can recommend this book if you like steamy historical romance that also tackles family trauma.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

DNF at 14%

I am a huge fan of Amalie Howard's work and really enjoyed the first book in this series. When I saw that this book was going to be a Clueless retelling, I immediately clicked Request. You can imagine my disappointment when I found this book poorly paced, uninteresting, and starring two lead characters that read more like they were in a YA novel than fully realized adults. As much as I enjoy Howard's books, this one ultimately did not land for me.

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

I'm sad to say this book was a DNF for me. It might be a case of "it's not them, it's me" because as a reader I have a hard time with unlikeable protagonists, and I found Vesper impossible to tolerate. Too much of the novel read like a modern romance set in the 19th century, with word choices and sensibilities that I found jarring. I know Amalie Howard is popular with my library's patrons, so I will give her another try. This title was just not for me.

Never Met a Duke Like You by Amalie Howard

Genre: historical romance
England, Victorian era

Lady Vesper Lyndhurst is a master matchmaker. She lays claims to four stunning matches in the ton, but won’t commit her own heart. Aspen, Duke of Greydon, walks back into Vesper’s life after years in America in order to launch his young ward Judith into society. Knowing her prowess, Aspen asks Vesper to help. Of course, Aspen’s mother believes Aspen himself would make a fine match for Judith, while it turns out Vesper has been harboring a crush on Aspen since they were children that never really disappeared. Vesper herself is also more than meets the eye of society; she may glitter in the spotlight, but that’s truly to protect her own romantic heart.

An Emma/Clueless retelling with focus on neurodiversity, this is easily my favorite book from Amalie Howard. The hot/cold of Vesper and Aspen's relationship –a signature of Howard’s style – is rarely my favorite conflict, but it works really well in the context. Vesper clings strictly to societal rules to give herself some structure to her life. As the attraction between Vesper and Aspen catches fire, Vesper pulls back because he’s not what she’s told herself she’s allowed to want and Aspen pulls back because as a traveling archeologist he doesn’t want to tie himself down. Their relationship pendulum swings through the course of the book, but every time they push away, it feels really clear why.

Howard takes inspiration for this book from real life Victorian activism, particularly the Lunacy Acts of the 19th century, which put guidelines on how individuals could be sent to an asylum, including ones that purportedly prevented wrongful incarceration, but as we find out in Never Met a Duke Like You, it could be easily faked under the right circumstances. Aspen is working with Vesper’s father in Parliament to make changes to laws like the one that allowed his own father to be sent away.

Thank you to @readforeverpub and NetGalley for an eARC for review. Never Met a Duke Like You is out 11/14!

3.5 stars

Lady Vesper Lyndhurst has a heart of gold, always ready to help a person in need, whether it be through matchmaking or the education of underprivileged children. She's all sweetness and light, adored by her doting father and the ton at large, even if she has to tamp down her raging thoughts and emotions every single day. There is one person who does NOT believe her to be the darling of the ton, and that person happens to be her childhood friend turned enemy, Aspen, the Duke of Greydon. These two believe the WORST in each other, and when they're together, the claws come out. However, the hatred the express is covering up the intense passion they feel for one another. One day, forced proximity unlocks the attraction they feel. Can these two learn to trust each other and the fire that blazes between them, or will they let it burn out?

Vesper and Aspen's chemistry is white hot. This was my first Amelie Howard novel, and I was VERY impressed by her long, emotional, and spicy love scenes. I adored watching these two fall in love. Just as fun was the ensemble cast. Vesper's friend group was endearing, and the gentlemen in the story all have me wanting to read more into the series to see everyone's well-deserved happily ever afters. This book is compared to the movie "Clueless," and I enjoyed the parallels that reminded me of the classic...which is actually based on another classic, "Emma," by Jane Austen!

Aspen's back story was quite dark. The villain was truly terrible. Heavy topics are covered such as the treatment of mental health patients during this time period. I believe that was handled well (mostly), but the added plot element of Vesper having ADHD wasn't really dealt with. I appreciated the content warnings at the beginning of the book, which explained Vesper's neurodivergence (among other things). I realize that getting a diagnosis for ADHD back then wasn't going to happen, but I would have loved to see this element of Vesper's story used as something other than an explanation as to why she felt she had to rein herself in so strongly. Many romance novels, both historical and contemporary, use a character's challenges to grow the bond between the hero and the heroine, or to provide a main character with the opportunity to flourish in life while combating whatever hardship they've faced. This wasn't done here, which was disappointing. I also found myself a bit frustrated with the lack of communication between our main characters. Their reasoning for hating one another and allowing themselves to be hated seemed rather thin, and many of the same ideas were covered over and over again.

Overall, this book's lofty goals hit the mark. We're treated to a charming ensemble cast, a glorious and passionate love between the main characters, and a very satisfying happily ever after. The darker elements of the plot weighed the story down, however, making this better than average for me, but not by much. (Hence the 3.5 stars.)

Trigger warnings: mental health issues, insane asylums, abuse, stress related to ADHD

I'd like to thank Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Netgalley for the e-ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Be prepared to laugh your butt off. Comparing this book to the movie Clueless meets the TV series Bridgerton is quite accurate, and it's absolute perfection. I genuinely enjoyed the atmosphere built by Amalie Howard and the characters that parade through this ton.

Title: Never Met a Duke Like You (Taming of the Dukes, Book #2)

Release date: 11/14/23, read 11/12/23

Author: Amalie Howard-1st time read author for me

Publisher: Forever

Format: e-ARC

Page Count: 384

POV: h Vesper

Setting: London, England

Genre: Historical Romance

Tropes: opposites attract, frenemies to lovers, matchmaking, next door neighbor

Rating: 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Source: Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC🩷! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions are my own.

Quick summary: Vesper is good at matchmaking. She has gotten 4 couples together by meddling and telling some little white lies. Aspen has just returned from America, needing her help. His ward Judith has been introduced to society and needs to find a husband. Vesper and Aspen were childhood friends, but when he slighted her, they became enemies. Can they work together to help his ward or will their passion for each other take over?

Content warnings/triggers: H father in an insane asylum, h is a virgin, grief, blackmail.


Characters: Main and Minor

Lady Vesper Lyndhurst- 23, duke's daughter who has given up on love, but puts together other couples. Aspen was her childhood friend, but once she came out in society, he shunned her.

The Duke of Greydon/Aspen-25, a paleontologist who has been gone for 6 years to America. He mourns his father who was betrayed and left in a mental hospital by his own mother.

Laila, Neve, Effie, Briar-Vesper's bffs the Hellfire Kitties

Earl of Lushing/Jasper- Vesper's brother

Duke of Montcroix- married to Neve.

Judith- Aspen's ward. Doesn't want to marry either. She wants to be like Aspen and travel the world as an archaeologist.

The Dowager-Aspen's mother. Deep in high society, conniving and manipulative. She wants Aspen and Judith to marry.

The Duke of Hardwick-Vesper's father, Aspen's mentor who works at the House of Commons.

Lord Eldridge-Vesper's main suitor

Review: I enjoyed the banter between Vesper and Aspen. They have a lot of animosity towards each other but are attracted to each other. I loved that both worked hard to help other people. Aspen is working for Hardwick to write a bill for proper care for the mentally ill. He doesn't want anyone else to be treated like his father had been. Vesper is raising money for the Ragged School Union to fund the education of poor children. It took a while, but they manage a HEA with a cat!

FYI: I didn't read Book #1 Always Be My Duchess which featured Montcroix and Neve (Genevieve), but I was still able to follow along.

Never Met a Duke Like You was a bit slow to start and the language seems a bit too modern for a historical romance yet it was a fun and easy read overall.

Vesper and Aspen shared some pretty intense banter and a complicated history that saw them go from childhood friends to enemies to lovers. They frustrated me at times with their stubbornness and miscommunication, but I thought their happy ending was very sweet and satisfying.

I look forward to reading more from Amalie Howard and I am especially excited for Briar's story with (hopefully) Vesper's brother as her hero.

As much as I enjoyed Always Be My Duchess, I think I liked Never Met a Duke Like You even more! Lady Vesper shined in the first book, and it’s fun to spend more time with her here. She’s a woman with many layers. She can come across as so put together, and yet she’s fiercely opinionated and free-spirited. She shies away from romantic love in her own life, yet she enjoys nothing more than helping others find their own soul mates. Then there’s Aspen, a new character in the series. He’s stubborn and has many old prejudices, mostly against Vesper, but he cares deeply about those close to him and subjects that are personal to him. Aspen and Vesper are always at each other’s throats, but there’s clear chemistry between them from the start.

Like the previous book, this one highlights a neurodivergent character. Vesper has ADHD (not that she would get such a diagnosis in the 1860s!), and we can see her struggle with her strong emotions and impulses. I love how the author writes neurodivergent characters with such care and nuance, never falling into unnecessary exaggerations of their characteristics. Vesper feels completely real, and her ADHD makes sense for her character.

I also love how Never Met a Duke Like You deals with mental illness and the (mis)treatment of people with mental illness. Aspen’s father was wrongfully committed to an insane asylum, and due to gross mistreatment while a patient there, his father died far too soon. Now an adult, Aspen is dedicating his efforts to improving treatment of those with mental illness and the process for people being admitted to an asylum (with particular focus on preventing wrongful diagnoses). The author did research into the laws in place in the 1860s and the kinds of changes Aspen would have been able to make in the House of Lords. While working towards this, I also like how both Aspen and Vesper work towards helping poor children and their access to quality education.

Like Jane Austen’s Emma, Vesper fancies herself a matchmaker, but can’t foresee love for herself. This book takes some clear inspiration from Clueless (itself a modernized retelling of Emma), keeping the narrative generally upbeat and fun. In particular, I love the dialogue between Vesper and Aspen – I often laughed out loud! Their mean names for each other! Vesper focuses some of her time on creating love matches, though some of her pairings may be misguided. But even when she does misstep, I like seeing how her friends are always there for her. Their friendship is a great constant within this series. And as a cat lover, I’m always delighted to see feline companions in the books I read. Here, Vesper’s friend Effie gifts her a white kitten, whom Vesper creatively names Cat. This little kitten is full of energy and knows where her loyalties lie! Vesper may be a reluctant cat owner, but I like that she finally comes around.

Speaking of Effie: It seems that Vesper has turned her matchmaking eyes to her next and that Effie may be the star of book #3. Though whom she’ll be paired with is still a mystery! As excited as I am for Briar and Lushing’s love story, I fear that we’ll have to wait until the final book of the series for that.

Never Met a Duke Like You is a wonderful romance that’s as fun and witty as it is thoughtful and profound. It addresses bigger issues so well, from mental illness and neurodivergence to helping needy children and opening up to love. Aspen and Vesper have great chemistry and are a delight to see on page together. The Taming of the Dukes series has been a great joy so far, and I can’t wait to read the remaining characters’ love stories.

I adore Amalie Howard and her books - she is an incredibly talented writer! Never Met a Duke Like You is just another example of how awesome she is and how much research goes into each book. I just read Queen Bee last week and now this one (they’re not connected but this is second in a series I did read book one of last year), and you can really see the similarities and depth of detail of the aristocracy and the BIPOC community that she’s incorporated into it, because it’s her background.

I loved this one and coming back to characters from the first book - I wish I had time to re-read it again first - how they have continued on in their relationships and how the men are razzing Greyson when he returns home and realizes his neighbor, Lady Vesper, is all grown up and a woman now… who is quite attractive but not interested in the idea of marrying. How his terrible mother is in his business (and hers) and while Vesper is assisting his cousin with her coming out season, there are other plans in mind…

Another brilliant story with so many things happening, and all of you need to read this book! You can definitely read it as a standalone, because even though the previous characters appeared, they didn’t affect the storyline.

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and this is my honest feedback.

Lady Viper and Lord Ass compete in tongue tyranny.
If that’s not enough to entice you to read this book, pray continue.
These two were too cute together. Oh and the cat offered comic relief.
I loved the sparring between Vesper and Aspen.
Although there is a lot of heavy topics covered, the sexual tension cuts through all of it.
I did wonder if Vesper would ever take Aspen at his word and I was ready to muscle her out of the way.
Every damsel deserves a delicious duke.
A cute read.

3.5 stars rounded up

When books inspire movies which inspire books. Amalie Howard's 'Never Met a Duke Like You' is best described as a Victorian-era Clueless.

Sparks fly when childhood friends, ton IT-girl Vesper Lyndhurst and Aspen, Duke of Greydon are reunited after seven years. The two were were insperable until Aspen publicly snubbed her at her debut. Since then Vesper's been nursing a grudge while Aspen has been travelling the world as a palentologist.

It's obvious to their everyone they're in love with each other but in denial as they trade barbs with each other ('Lady Viper' was my fave). Both are holding hurts and misinterpretations of the other's character.

I appreciated the author tackling neurodivergence, mental health and the horrific nature of asylums with characters that have a progressive view towards. With the help of Vesper's father, Aspen is determined to reform the Lunacy Act and to investigate his mother's involvement in his late father's imprisonment an asylum. Vesper is neurodivergent (ADHD) and knows she need to mask herself or she'd end up insitutionalised herself if it weren't for her loving and supportive father and brother. Like Aspen, she's equally progressive in her views and volunteering to educate poor children.

However I felt we were told more than shown a lot. The book laid on thick how Vesper is 'handsome and clever', and I felt her neurodivergence was more told than shown (disclaimer: I am neurotypical so maybe I missed the subtleties?). There were some anti-climactic build ups with Vesper's latest matchmaking scheme and also the resolution to Aspen's mother.

Overall, this book was a solid and fun romp grounded in some uncomfortable truths about mental health and neurodivergence. If you like your love interests trading barbs and sexual innuendo, with sex positivity and progressive politics in your historical romance, this is one to read.

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the ARC.