An Austen based retelling of Emma, but the heroine Vesper is just a brat. The vibe of this book is too .modern for the period. The hero and heroine were just downright mean to each other. Not sexy banter.

DNF after chapter 4.

This was a fun, quick read. At times I felt the inner thoughts and language were too modern, but it in no way took away from my enjoyment of this fluffy romp.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Duke of Greydon has returned and he has Vesper protesting that there is anything between them. Vesper likes to be a matchmaker like Emma & Cher from Clueless. I really enjoyed this book. It had me laughing out loud numerous times. I loved the banter between Vesper & Aspen. The author does a fantastic job teaching us about the lunacy act and Mary Anning the paleontologist. I loved rooting for the characters.

I couldn't really remember what happened in Always Be My Duchess so it isn't necessary to have read it to read this book. That being said, it often felt at times that I was supposed to know the whole cast of characters much better than I did. It read more like a fourth or fifth book in a series, with lots of in depth and niche references, not a second.

That didn't stop me from enjoying the book, the banter, the fighting, it was all quite good.

While I enjoyed this book as a whole, I found the plot with the former Duke and Duchess of Greydon a little annoying. I understand why it had to be written that way but it diminished the very real reality that women were deemed insane by their husbands and fathers and died in horrible conditions in asylums not because of one evil person but because of societal expectations and the patriarchy.

Synopsis: Lady Vesper Lyndhurst is beautiful, clever, and popular. The perfect example of what a high society lady should be......on the outside. She may have sworn off love for herself, but she is rather excellent at arranging it. The Duke of Greydon has no choice but to return to England in a final attempt to revive his family’s fortunes. He’s been gone for years, happy to escape his mother and the petty circles of the ton. To his dismay, not much has changed, including the beautiful and vexing heiress next door.....
My Thoughts: I loved this. Everything I want in a historical romance. Witty banter, societal pressure, a side of blackmail and murder by asylum 👀, and a second change romance between two childhood friends. The constant pull of will-they-or-won't-they never manages to get old. Their chemistry could set a ballroom on fire. And the side characters are intriguing and compelling in their own right. A fun, easy read.

Never Met A Duke Like You is an epically-good-brain-candy-regency romance with a strong heroine who uses her politesse as a sword and wealth as a shield for the lowly!

Truly loved every second of Amelie Howard's second novel in the Taming of The Dukes series. Our lovely Lady Vesper tries to deny her attraction to her way-too-attractive-for-his-own-good childhood playmate: the Duke of Greydon. Having just returned home from his archeological digs, Greydon wants nothing more than to return to his adventures after setting the family estates to rights. Little did he expect that his sweet neighbor next door from childhood would be waiting around the corner to tempt him at every turn.

NOTES:
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 - Some seriously fun spice! I found Lady Vesper and Lord Greydon's trysts to be not only believable but devoid of any awkwardness in reading. (If you read a lot of romance - you know how truly rare that is!)
- The villain in Never Met A Duke Like You was also believable but also kept you invested.
- Howard's latest was absolutely the perfect distraction after a few more series reads! I read it while my husband was out of town and hardly noticed he was gone!! lo; ;)

**Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

Thanks to @readforeverpub for an advance copy of Never Met a Duke Like You by Amalie Howard, out November 14th!

After reading Always Be My Duchess last year, I was so excited to see Vesper tied up in knots and I absolutely got my wish.

Vesper and Aspen’s story is Clueless (and therefore Emma) inspired — two of my favorite things!!! Even the book cover is a shoutout to the movie!

What to know:
-Childhood friends to enemies to lovers
-Neurodivergent FMC
-Ravished and A Week to Be Wicked vibes (a character with a passion for paleontology!)

While Never Met a Duke Like You felt a bit long and I was a bit frustrated that the villain does not get what’s coming to them, I definitely enjoyed this book more than the first and I’m looking forward to what’s to come in this series!

I'm a huge Amalie Howard fan, so any ARC is a must request for me. I particularly enjoyed the first book in this series, Always be my Duchess, which was a funny and charming Pretty Woman retelling set in Regency England. This sequel followed the same pattern but was a Clueless retelling (which was, of course, an Emma retelling) set soon after the events of the first novel in the series. Lady Vesper Lyndhurst is a beautiful, wealthy daughter of a duke who has turned down multiple offers of marriage before deciding that marriage isn't for her at all, focusing instead on playing matchmaker to people in her social circle. When her childhood best friend/adult nemesis the Duke of Greydon returns to society to help his family's young ward find a husband, he asks Vesper for her help and she reluctantly agrees (because they're locked in an attic together and she could be ruined if word got out). The problem is that these two have had the hots for each other for years but Greydon insulted Vesper at her coming out and they've been at odds ever since. As they spend more time together, it becomes harder for them to ignore their attraction, and increasingly challenging for Vesper to mask her true self, a woman whose thoughts are always racing and who secretly engages in a lot of hands-on charity work that would be frowned on by the ton. Vesper is introduced in an author's note as a neurodiverse heroine, specifically one with what would now be recognized as ADHD (I mean, ideally - it still seems like woman with ADHD are regularly misdiagnosed). This was funny and engaging but still had some emotional depth, especially where it concerned the Duke of Greydon's father, who was committed against his will to an insane asylum where he died. Another great book from Amalie Howard, and I can't wait for the next one.

You know how in baseball it’s three strikes and you’re out? This is my third Amalie Howard book and I’m done. 😅

I keep getting enchanted by the premise on netgalley and then absolutely hating the execution. This could have been an interesting friends to enemies to lovers, but instead of cute banter I got a love interest who could not stop berating Vesper and comparing her (unfavorably) to his mother.

Similar to Always Be My Duchess, this book forgot it had an actual plot under about halfway through and then half heartedly tried to give the characters believable motives.

I want to be a historical romance girly, but these men are miles and miles below Mr Darcy. Where Darcy gives Elizabeth proclaimations of love and space when she needs it, these domineering men that are so prevalent in historical romances make me uncomfortable.

Maybe I'm a little oversaturated on Austen reimaginings, but I couldn't really get into this one. It just did not feel as authentic to the period as many other historical romances. Names like Vesper, Briar, and Aspen instead of Jane, Mary, and John? The modern dialogue and Americanisms took me out of it too. And more dukes and earls than seems statistically possible. But beyond those quibbles, the matchmaking plotline didn't quite make sense to me. But the love scenes were hot, so there's that.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Okay. I've never met a Clueless reimaging that I didn't like (no, I don't mean Emma, I mean Clueless). I was hella biased going into this book. And honestly, I loved the majority of it. A childhood friends to enemies to lovers with antagonistic nicknames and lots of yearning and banter? Yes, please. I eat that up. A scheming duchess and a foul plot to steal funds? Tell me more. Did I mention the yearning?! It was on another level. I will say that I think you have to be willing to go along with the bit to fully enjoy this second book. Like, our hero is out here willfully ignoring everything in front of his face to stick to his pre-conceived notions, and you sort of just have to nod your head sympathetically at him, knowing that he'll get there eventually. Because that sort of thing makes me giggle, I was in it to win it. Would I recommend this to someone who doesn't love Clueless? I don't know, I like to think that kind of person doesn't exist.

Amalie Howard doesn't dissapoint. Childhood friends, turned enemies, and irresistably drawn to each other. The heroine is complex and the hero is a paleontologist. Both campaign for social justice. I can't wait to read the next one!

I've been on the hunt for a good historical romance, so I was excited to receive this e-ARC. A steamy romcom-ish set in the latter half of the 19th century what could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately for me, everything. I truly wanted to enjoy it, and honestly the first few chapters convincingly reeled me in. We're introduced to Vesper and Aspen, childhood friends who'd grown apart in the aftermath of a supposed snub. They fit the friends to enemies to lovers trope I've been searching for to a tee. But it wasn't enough to redeem the rest of the book for me.
A fun romp slowly settled into a story I struggled to take seriously. The spicy scenes themselves were the hardest to get through without a few giggles here and there. I almost DNF'ed on a few occasions, but I wanted to press on in the hopes I would enjoy the ending as much as I did the beginning.

I really did appreciate the author's handling of mental health, particularly how enmeshed it is with the plot and our villain. Domineering mothers aren't exactly uncommon, but its nice to see an exaggerated version of the trope. Her decisions and motivations stand in stark contrast to the complicated, yet kinder-hearted nature of the main couple. Our leads aren't one dimensional, perfect human beings either. Time and time again, we see them make mistakes, act on impulse, make bad (or at least problematic) choices. In a word, they're interesting, especially Vesper. But the characters weren't able to fully reengage my interest in the story.

While this wasn't my cup of tea, it might work out for those who would love an updated Emma mixed with Bridgerton.

Utterly charming with a heroine Jane Austen’s EMMA would love! Fans of the childhood enemies to lovers trope will devour the witty wordplay between Lady Vesper and Aspen, the Duke of Greydon. The tension between them sizzles from the start and boils over to some steamy scenes.

The story also has plenty of substance as Aspen struggles to change lunatic laws (his own father was incarcerated). Vesper raises money for ragged schools, helps the poor, and match-makes on the side. A duchess makes an excellent villain and worthy foe.

Amalie Howard delivers another delightful romp!

I didn't know that this was meant to be loosely based on the movie, Clueless until I was reading it. There was a scene that was very similar to a scene in the movie and then when I thought about what I had read so far, there were a lot of elements similar to the movie. That was an aha! moment for me. The first book in this series was based on Pretty Woman and this one is based on Clueless - two of my favorite movies!

The book started off strong for me, but then it slid into becoming an okay book. I liked it, but I didn't love it. It's hard to describe why I didn't love it. It was a bit basic and although I enjoyed it, it wasn't a book that I was excited to pick up.

Steam level: 🔥🔥🔥

Once again Amalie Howard delivers! I thoroughly enjoyed book one and I think Aspen and Vesper took this series to the next level. The tension between these two was palpable and intriguing! I love a good frienemies to lovers romance and this one did not disappoint. Amalie’s writing draws me into her characters and keeps me coming back for more! I can’t wait for book three!

I love a good regency romance. This book has everything a regency romance should have! This is the second book of Amalie Howard that I have read and I have loved every word of both! I will definitely keep reading her regency romance books. Perfection!
I just reviewed Never Met a Duke Like You by Amalie Howard. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Never Met a Duke Like You was an honestly fun read. Yes, there were moments of seriousness and hardship--the discussion of mental health and its treatment in Victorian England as well as the portrayal of what it feels like to be neurodivergent, in particular were written deftly and compassionately (as a woman with ADHD as well, I thought Howard's writing of Vesper was true-to-life and very well expressed). These "heavier" topics provided a really good counterbalance to the snark and banter between Vesper and Aspen. I found their conversations genuinely entertaining and witty, and really appreciated the "sparky-ness" of their relationship. While the constant longing for each other did grate a tad before they actually came together, the payoff was worth it. I did think the climax was a tad drawn out, but nothing that put me off. I haven't read anything by Amelie Howard before, but I would, now, like to go back to her previous books and take a look.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the ebook ARC. All opinions are mine alone.

I didn't love this one--other people probably will. I do love Amalie Howard's books for their pacing and sexiness. This was just didn't do it for me. The plot moved slowly. The connection to the Lunacy Act was great, and I wish more was done with it. Same with plot points like the heroine's work with kids. A scene showing kindness us her working will kids instead of telling us that she was more than the hero thought because she worked with kids. Repeatedly telling us things instead of showing us makes the book drag. I'll give Howard's next book a chance. I hope that this one was just a one off.

A cute regency romance full of witty barbs as the former friends battle each other even while joining forces to find the best match for Aspen's ward. I liked how Vesper attempted to hide her heart of gold from the ton, but was willing to let it show if it benefited her charity.