Lady Vesper and Aspen, Duke of Greydon…long ago childhood friends from neighboring estates, opposites in personality, both with an unacknowledged and unstated lust and love for each other….frienemies. Vesper loves matchmaking for others with her unwavering believe that she’s always correct, subsuming her zest for life, possible ADHD and unconventional personality to the ton’s view of proper behavior for a lady. She has a loving family and a supportive group of friends. Aspen became Duke at 12 when his egocentric and amoral mother had his father committed to a hellish insane asylum by bribing doctors to lie about his mental health. After school, Aspen left England to get away from his mother and pursue is passion for paleontology. After years away, he’s back to reign on his mother’s schemes and see is ward settled in marriage. Although Vesper has never forgiven Aspen for giving her the “cut direct” during her first season, she still harbors feeling for him even though she claims to hate him. He hurt her and she’s proud and stubborn to admit anything. Aspen didn’t cut her but was too stunned by her beauty and poise and was tongue tied. Now, the bicker, snipe at each other and try to deal with their simmering longing. Fun slow burn with intrigues, schemes and scandalous behavior.

*Insert dreamy historical romance sigh here*

If we are going to have childhood friends to lovers, lets make it childhood friends to enemies to lovers which is exactly what Amalie Howard does in Never Met a Duke Like You. Goodness I love that animosity between characters which builds to that delicious inferno of desire. Pair it with one character being unable to keep their composure around the other; how Vesper's shell that she has created to protect herself from the ton is no match for the teasing/egging on of Aspen, and I completely enraptured with the story.

Yet again with the second novel in her Taming of the Dukes series, Amalie Howard takes the subject of mental health, in this case Vesper's ADHD and gives us a glimpse into how mental health was viewed during the time the novel is set in. Along with the story line of Aspen's father being committed to an asylum in order for his mother to control the finances, Howard always takes great care highlighting the facets of mental health as well as Neurodiversity within a Victorian era backdrop. As heartbreaking and difficult it is to read about the realities people suffered during this time, there is a hopefulness and a care in Howard's writing which really showed how much the subject matter means to her. And as someone who suffers from anxiety and depression, when it comes to novels with mental health in any form, it is so important to have an author, like Howard, who truly cares and shows it on the page.

I cannot stop thinking about the billiards scene along with the crystal gardens dinosaur statues... my cheeks are ablaze and I was filled with giddy giggles reading it. I loved how once Greydon was able to allow himself to be honest with his feelings towards Vesper, how relentless he was in his pursuit of her. When she got stuck under the table at the ball attempting to rescue Cat, goodness that also made me blush. Howard's writing is always filled with these moments that make me smile so hard my cheeks hurt and make me so excited to discuss her book with others who I know love her writing as much as I do. I always find myself forcing myself to slowly read her novels so I can savor every chapter and plot point.

And I cannot forget to mention the Emma/Clueless connection in the book. I always enjoy being able to spot those similarities of plot within the matchmaking schemes, to the connection with her father and being unable to leave him, to the fact that Vesper was a woman of the time whose social status made it easy for her not to be forced to make a match with anyone who was not of her choosing. I feel like Amalie Howard provided a wonderful nod to the source material which was part inspiration for her in writing this book.

As always I adore Amalie Howard's writing. If you like tropes which include retelling/inspired by popular/well known stories, brother's best friend, childhood frenemies to lovers and mental health reps I would definitely suggest reading Never Met a Duke Like You!

This was my first Amalie Howard book and it was a a cute, historical romp. It was said to be based of the movie Clueless but I did not feel that there was much matchmaking going on. Also with historical romance there are some authors that bend the rules a bit and this story had some less than accurate situations (which were fine but some might find that it’s not accurate).
Vesper feels she is a matchmaking genius but feels she won’t ever find someone because of here personality (great adhd rep here). Real problem is that she only wants one man. The man and old best friend from childhood who jilted her: Aspen. Of course things can’t be easy and the witty banter and sexual tension throughout the book while Vesper helps Aspen with his ward is fantastic. Easy read but not my favorite. Had some issues with the two leads that dealt with way too many misunderstandings and an overly cruel mother that did not get her due. Otherwise not bad.

Reading Never Met a Duke Like You is like having a kitty snuggle with you in the autumn sun. It's slow, soft and with just the right amount of heat. It's a caress, a whisper— punctuated with fiery bursts of passion that will leave you breathless.

Lady Vesper is back! Our resident matchmaker returns as her childhood crush, a paleontologist no less, returns from a dig to set things right in his Ducal estate.

Do you love things like:

💕a neurodivergent heroine
💕 WITTY banter
💕a kitty who brings everyone together
💕forced togetherness in a rainy attic
💕steamy outdoor scenes (next to FOSSILS!)
💕Antony Bridgerton vibes

Because if you do, you will LOVE THIS BOOK!

I also love this book because of Howard’s focus on the Lunacy Acts of 1845 & ’53 and how Aspen, Duke of Greydon, works to dismantle the corrupt system that confined his father. Howard put a great deal of time into the research for this book, and it shows.

Howard is a longtime favorite of mine, and this one continues to impress.

Thank you to the team at Forever and NetGalley for an advanced copy to review! 💕

Fun banter and a little spice, combined with a few serious issues make this a good read. Lady Vesper, who has adhd, and Aspen, Duke of Graydon,, haven't seen one another for years but now they're locked in an attic together at the beginning of this second chance/enemies to lovers novel. Their repartee, both while in the attic and after, is a hoot. Aspen however, much also deal with the death of his father in an asylum, a place he was sent by Aspen's mother, which adds a bit of gravitas to what is otherwise a light fluffy tale. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Well, this wasn't my favorite by Amalie Howard. I love her writing style and her books are usually a lot of fun for me to read. This one, I just didn't connect with as much. I thought the spicy was a little cringy, but maybe it was just the characters? I'm not really sure what happened there. As with all historical romance, I'm not one for accuracy because I didn't live in the time period, so I don't really know what is accurate. I've heard this one isn't the most accurate, but that didn't bother me. It was a very quick read. I loved Cat. Probably my favorite part of the entire book. Overall, it wasn't bad, just not amazing as I had hoped.

(3.5 Stars) The author must be having fun with this retelling Victorian romance series. The previous book in the series, Always Be My Duchess (July 2022) was based on Pretty Woman. This book, which can be read as a standalone, is based on Clueless, which is also based on Emma. Lady Vesper Lundhurst is the daughter of a duke and is pretty, popular and loves matchmaking. Aspen, Duke of Greydon grew up next door to Vesper and while once friends they like to poke and prod each other now. Some of their banter is fun, but at times it seems too biting. They also use modern language at times and Vesper has progressive ideas which takes me out of the story. Vesper is interesting as she has ADHD.

There is an important side story of Aspen’s father. The older Duke spent time and died in an asylum. Aspen's mother was instrumental in getting the Duke committed. I know noble people seldom pay for their crimes. But when you have someone who is truly a villain I want to see a big comeuppance. The author mentions asylum laws and conditions in her notes at the end of the book. I think the book is at its funniest when Vesper calls him Lord A$$ and he refers to her as Lady Viper when they banter affectionately. Looking forward to the next in the series. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

A knockout, Ms. Howard always delivers on a wonderful story. I can't wait for her next masterpiece. The characters were charming and I loved the connections to both the Film Clueless and Austen's Emma.

After reading Howard’s other book set in this time and place, I was looking forward to reading this new one. However, I just couldn’t like the characters. Duke Greyton was an entitled jerk who I never started liking. We never really understand why he and Aspen had a falling out and started to dislike each other before reconnecting.

This was an ARC from NetGalley.

3.5 stars.

Never Met a Duke Like You is a play on Clueless, or more accurately, Emma. Vesper and Aspen (which don’t feel like historical names, frankly) were childhood friends that had a big falling out but haven’t seen each other in years.

Aspen was hard for me to like. I can appreciate his vehemence towards his mother and his love of paleontology…but he was downright rude to Vesper for no reason. His explanation of his reasonings toward the end was a little too “boys will be boys” toxic mentality, so I am still holding a bit of a grudge.

Vesper was so very clearly Emma, matchmaking everyone to avoid her own romantic life. Why she was hung up on Aspen, I’ll never know. But I confess, Vesper and I share a weakness for a man in glasses, so I understand. Their steamy scenes together almost made me forget about Aspen’s rudeness, their chemistry was clear on the page.

Overall, I was just a little disappointed. I really loved the side characters and Vesper herself was a likable heroine, but her choice in romantic lead had much to be desired.

Thank you to Forever Publishing for the review copy.

This was a fun new adult historical romance. I love Amalie Howard, and this was exactly the seratonin boost I needed.

Here’s what you can expect in this book:
-neurodivergent representation (ADHD)
-frenemies-to-lovers
-matchmaking (I guess that’s why this is considered an Emma/Clueless retelling?)
-a bit of steam! (With sex in public spaces!)

Steam: 2.5/5

Cw: ableism, sexism, fraught family dynamics

I was not able to finish the book and therefore do not feel that I can give an unbiased review about the book, its plot, characters, or the author's work. I might revisit this book at a later time and finish it then, but not right now.

great book and loved the mystery through out the book. I loved the characters and how they grew through all of their adventures. I enjoyed this book and this author and will check them out again add them to my reading pile.

Never Met a Duke Like You is the second book in the Taming of the Dukes series by Amalie Howard.
Oh my gosh, how much I LOVED this historical romance!

A retelling/reimagining of Clueless which is brilliant.

Lady Vesper Lyndhurst and Aspen, Duke of Greydon are frenemies. Love the frenemies to lover's trope. I love that Lady Vesper is fine matchmaking for others but has sworn off love for herself.


I loved the forced proximity trope, and the book starts out with the two trapped together.

Such strong, dynamic characters and a wonderful sexy romance.

Engaging read between neighbors becoming friends and lovers.
Aspen is a returning Duke form his worldwide travels.
Vesper becomes ensnared with him in an attic while visiting his estate.
They are entwined in a fun battle of wits with banter and good dialogue.
Enter his difficult interfering mother with a marriage plan of her own to complicate their lives.
Truly enjoyed this book and even laughed during the epilogue.

This is a funny historical romance, with two characters that make their own way. This is the second in a series, but I would say it is a standalone so new readers would have no problem jumping in here - although I think the first one is still my favorite for this series.

So maybe I don't know Clueless as well as I thought because I didn't find a lot of parallels to the movie in this book. It is still a fun historical romance, but I feel like I was constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop and see the comparisons. I personally don't love an angsty book, since they tend to have a lot of miscommunication and this book is solidly in that camp. Their romance seemed to stutter-step, for every step forward there were multiple steps back and additional miscommunication and misunderstandings which I find frustrating (I know many many people don't).

I really enjoyed that it spoke about mental illness of the time, and I feel handled it very well which added a depth to a historical romance I don't typically see. I also enjoyed the portrayal of Vesper, who has what would have been modernly diagnosed as ADHD. I give the author a lot of kudos for her deft handling of the topics, especially in a book you wouldn't typically see them in. I felt that the author did a great job working them into the story in an authentic way.

I’m so sorry but this was a disappointing and frustrating read.
So first, this is barely a Clueless retelling. It takes a bit of inspiration involving the matchmaking idea, and then there’s a very recognizable scene from the movie that was replicated (a scene that did not work to me and was unrealistic based on the participants), but that’s kind of it. Vesper and Aspen have a ton of chemistry in a “I hate you, you hurt me, but I want to bang you right now” sense. But a ton of their tension relies heavily on miscommunication and his deliberately irritating her. And I hate when men do that. No, it’s not “adorable” when you make me mad! And another thing, we are constantly told Vesper is a paragon of etiquette and propriety. But we never actually see it. And I didn’t like the storyline with Aspen’s mom. Gah most of the issues the characters had could have been solved with a couple of conversations and just talking to each other. Plus we got a super cliché epilogue.
I feel like 3 stars is very generous right now and it’s really closer to 2.5 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced look at the book to review. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 4.5/5 (rounded to 5)
Spice: 3/5

Bridgerton meets Clueless in this regency romance about childhood friends, turned enemies, turned lovers. It was so cute and VERY comical. I could not stop laughing. Aspen and Vesper have incredible chemistry and the banter is *chefs kiss*.

Duke of Greydon, Aspen Drake, and Lady Vesper Lyndhurst have both sworn off love and marriage for their own reasons. But Vesper enjoys matchmaking for others, so she agrees to help Aspen launch his mother's ward for the season. Despite a falling out from their teenage years, their attraction to one another is undeniable. Will they set aside their preconceived notions of one another and give in to temptation?

What I love most about this book is the fact that Vesper is so incredibly independent and feminist. This book is not like other regency romances. The women are not docile or submissive, they are loud, brass, and confident. The Hellfire Kitties (the name that Vesper and her friend group have given themselves) defy societal rules and don't let men tell them what to do. It is so refreshing to read a historical romance like this one. Mental health is a big theme for all the characters involved, and I loved the portrayal of it in this book.

Being that I haven't read Book 1 of this series, I can honestly tell you that you can read this as a standalone. Howard does a great job explaining the events that took place in Book 1 without giving too much away. That being said, I WILL be reading Book 1 since this one was so good. I've heard people comparing this book a lot to Emma, but I can't say for certain because I haven't read or watched it.

Read if you love:
Childhood friends
Frenemies
Enemies to lovers
Semi-slow burn
Witty banter
Forced Proximity
Mutual Pining
Spice
Clueless
Bridgerton
Dual POV

Never Met a Duke Like you is an enthralling story, and Aspen and Vesper are endearing, intelligent, and passionate! Their passion for each other was blistering, but their passion for their causes was equally passionate and added a touching layer to their story. Their sparring was wicked and fun, as were there love scenes! I loved these characters as a couple, while I also appreciated who they were separate from each other! Great historical romance book!

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this ebook and this is my freely given opinion.

I don't think I have ever read an Amalie Howard book I have not liked... I know there are some who do not like the stories for whatever reason - maybe they are too anachronistic, perhaps too diverse, whatever. I personally like the diversity, and can forgive the anachronism - in this case, this is apparently her period take on Clueless, much like the last one was a Regency romance inspired by Pretty Woman. Odd that would appeal to me as A) I hated Pretty Woman (sooooooo hated it - so much so I held a hate on for Julia Roberts and Richard Gere for years) and b) never watched Clueless - despite being of that generation.

Anyways, Lady Vesper is a shining, glittering force in Society; attractive, witty, charming, dynamic, and popular. It is a facade that she dons to keep up with Ton expectations, and cope with it, while still doing the things she enjoys including her hidden charitable endeavours. She has no cares to marry, being a wealthy, privileged woman, well indulged and supported by her father, the Duke of Harwick. She has no expectations of love or marriage for herself, and lives vicariously through her friends and the matches she has successfully helped with in the past.

She does not care to think about a match for herself after having her heart crushed by her childhood friend and infatuation, Aspen, the Duke of Greydon, after incidents severing their childhood friendships and then being publicly rejected and cut by him at her come out years prior.

Aspen shuns London Society, sickened by the false fronts, and hypocrisy of Society, epitomized by his own, devious mother, and, so he thinks, Lady Vesper. For years he has been away from England engaging in his love for paleontology, an interest he shared with his beloved father, the previous Duke. He lost his father at a young age because he was incarcerated in an asylum because of his own mother's duplicity. His parents story was publicly a grand love affair and his mother fosters the image of the aggrieved wife of a dangerously unstable man who had to be put in an asylum because of the risk he posed to her and her son. However, Aspen is aware of the truth, even though he does not have the evidence. He was forced to return though because his mother's extravagant lifestyle has drained his coffers, and he was warned that she was engaged in having her own son declared dead so that his heir, a cousin, could be put in his place, and within the managing grasp of his mother. Also, he has an obligation to a young ward, Judith, who is out in Society and at risk of being mismanaged by the Duchess.

He remembers Vesper, and also misses the young girl she was; he feels that the current day Lady Vesper is too much like his mother, a popular, polished facade, hiding a scheming duplicitous center, and reviles her for that, despite his underlying desire for her.

This is a very steamy second chance, enemies to friends (again) and then to lovers romance with a lot of misunderstanding and miscommunication between the two lovers. Add onto that a lot of family angst between Aspen and his mother, and her continued evil manipulations of all the players, and his work to uncover her past misdeeds and prevent them from happening again. Also, I found the secondary relationships and interchanges in the story - like the friendships between the Hellfire Kitties (a ridiculous yet ADORABLE name), Judith and Aspen, the Duke of Harwick and his son, with Vesper, and with Aspen, very charming and appealing.

Relationship drama fraught with misunderstanding, miscommunications, and misperceptions, with the addition of third-party manipulations, leading to some sense of love triangles. Toss in an evil villainess pulling the strings of many of the players involved, and tries to threaten/steal from orphans (!!B!TCH!!), and add to that a fluffy cute unwanted pet that causes occasional mayhem, and this was a very entertaining story. There is also a hint of romance to come between two other characters and a nod to the past with appearances by Stone and Neve, from book 1.

4.5 stars out of 5