Vesper and Aspen were childhood friends but then fell apart over time. The Duke went to America to study paleontology and get away from this evil mother and I mean evil. He has to come back to take over the Dukedom. This one feel flat for me it's very dark with asylums and blackmail along with non-stop bickering and fighting between Vesper and Aspen. It was normal with enemies to love but then didn’t stop and just got old, you want to see more love towards the end. I wanted to like this one more but it was just a bit much in a couple of areas- some will love this one. Vesper and Aspen are fun characters I wanted to like more.
Regency
Paleontologist
childhood friends
enemies to lovers
Cat the cat


3.5/5 stars
⅗ steam
⅕ lol
⅕ badass FMC

Those looking for a light read in the vein of (an updated) Georgette Heyer may well enjoy this Regency romance

The protagonists are named Vesper and Aspen (fairly unusual names for protagonists). She is a Lady while he is a Duke. Each is ‘in’ society and the two have known one another for years. She is a matchmaker who has sworn off love. He is impoverished and needs a good match. Will this matchmaker match with this Duke? Those who’ve read Pride and Prejudice will know that bad weather can impact relationships as it does here when these two are sheltering in the same place.  There are also ways in which this book is a modernization of Emma. 

Readers will hope for a happy ending as they turn the pages of this sparkling story with a bit of heft to it (There are some mental health/asylum issues in these pages). Credit to the author for researching some of the social issues of the time period.

Many thanks to Forever-Grand Central Publishing for this title. All opinions are my own.

Note that this is the second in a series though it can be read on its own.

I love Amalie Howard but unfortunately, this book wasn’t my favorite. Maybe it’s because I hadn’t read the first book. That being said, I don’t feel like I missed out on too much not having read it as the author does a good job of recapping the previous story in this one. There’s a wild villain and spurned lovers-ish, some public shenanigans, and a childhood friends to enemies to lovers thing going on. While nothing new or groundbreaking, this is still a good read.

i'm fan of Howard and liked the first in the series and this book didn't disappoint, great characters, good banter and good romance.

Thank you @readforeverpub for the #gifted eARC of NEVER MET A DUKE LIKE YOU!

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series and was looking forward to reading Lady Vesper’s love story. This one was based off of Clueless which is a 90s classic for a very good reason!
Unfortunately I really struggled to get into this one. It didn’t pull me in right away like the first one did. While I like a friends-to-enemies-to-lovers plot, the majority of the two MCs issues were due to miscommunication which y’all know I can’t stand!

It also really bothered me that the villain didn’t get punished for some truly heinous acts (ie: involuntary commitment of a family member in an asylum leading to their death) and I had hoped for some catharsis but it wasn’t meant to be.

While this wasn’t my favorite, I do plan to continue to read the series as I enjoy the female MCs and their strong friendships with each other.

NEVER MET A DUKE LIKE YOU is out now!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6078392725
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This was cute. There were a few times I felt like I was watching the movie Clueless in my head but in a Duke like way? If that makes sense.

It started off really fun to read and slowed down some for me, but it still was cute.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was such a fun read! Like the first book in the series, Never Met a Duke Like You by Amalie Howard is loosely based on a 90’s rom-com – this time Clueless though I’d say it leans more heavily into its source material, Austen’s Emma, than the movie did – and set during the Regency era of England. Lady Vesper Lyndhurst is a popular heiress, the center of her social circle, and though she may have sworn off love, her reputation for finding matches for her friends proceeds her. When the Duke of Greydon, Vesper’s former childhood friend turned nemesis, returns to settle his family’s estate, the two find themselves trapped together in an attic and forced to admit the attraction that’s always been there is explosive.

At first, I wasn’t sure how to feel about either character. On the surface, Lady Vesper seems highly spoiled by London society and obsessed more with looks than anything else. However, as we read more from her perspective, she has a heart of gold and a touch of ADHD, possibly on the autism spectrum though that isn’t what she calls it. She calls herself prone to flights of fancy, some of which would land her in an institution, which is why she has sworn off marriage.

The Duke of Greydon is in a similar, albeit more sinister, situation. His father was committed when he was younger by his mother, and he has spent his life with her threatening to do the same to him. So rather than pursue the things, and people, he wanted, he left. He’s an amateur archaeologist, traveling the globe, and only home now because his estate is near bankrupt. With Lady Vesper’s help, he is determined to find the cause and settle his ward into a good marriage.

The romance is steamy and the chemistry is on fire when the two are first thrown together. Then the story backs up and allows their relationship to slowly build over the course of the book. I really enjoyed that aspect. I thought it was cleverly done, and this is the part that reminded me most of Austen’s Emma than Clueless.

Overall, I really enjoyed Never Met a Duke Like You. It may not be the most historically accurate historical romance I’ve read, but it is a fun read with great characters to root for. The dual POV helps to connect the reader to both main characters and to understand their motives. If you enjoy historical romance, I highly recommend it.

I didn't like this one as much as the first book in the series, Always Be My Duchess, but it was still very enjoyable. I will continue to read this author.

This one I was interested to get into, I love both Emma and Clueless and enjoy the author’s writing so I was looking forward to trying this one. Sadly, this one just didn’t work very well for me.

I liked the start of this one and the setup of the childhood friends turned enemies turned lovers, they end up trapped in an attic together where their banter and chemistry finally heats up. The heroine likes to play matchmaker and gets invested in the romantic lives of her friends and family. I thought the hero and heroine’s relationship was dragged out too long with them not admitting their love for one another until a lot later in the story. I also hated the fact that the villain didn’t suffer more than they should have for all they’d done and planned to do. That really irked me.

While this series hasn’t really worked for me from this author, I have enjoyed many of her other books in the past!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley, all thoughts in this review are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I think this series by Amalie Howard, regency retellings of 90s romcoms is so much fun! Never Met a Duke Like You is a retelling of Clueless (which is a retelling of Emma...but don't think too hard about it.) Vesper and Aspen are childhood rivals turned enemies turn...well you know how this goes.

I loved the banter between Vesper and Aspen, and the return of characters we met in book one. Add in an evil stepmother and a side of blackmail, and you have a fun, historical romance!

“I’ve always believed we women need to lift each other up.”

Vesper loves to play matchmaker but isn’t looking for love. She plays the perfect socialite in public but behind the scenes devotes her time to helping educate the poor (which apparently would have been frowned on then). Aspen is her childhood friend/nemesis who has been out of the country for years pursuing dinosaur fossils. He’s returned to help his mother’s ward find a match.

What I liked: Bring me allllll the Emma and Clueless themed novels, I am officially a sucker for these and love seeing the different nods to scenes.

The author’s note about her inspiration was really interesting - I liked learning more about the real life men and women who worked to change the lives of those in asylums and provide education to the poor.

There are some really good scenes - Vesper and Aspen locked in the attic (not spicy) and Vesper and Aspen at the dinosaur exhibit (spicy).

What didn’t work for me: A little picky but I hated their names. I kept thinking Aspen was the female MC and Vesper was the male MC.

I wish Vesper had talked to Aspen about his mother earlier. I also wanted a little more of a punishment for his mom.

Who should read it: this is book two of a series but could be read as a stand-alone. If you’re a fan of spicy historical romance with a cute rom-com plot pick this up. This one also appears to be setting up two more books and I can’t wait.

I’m not going to lie I picked this one up for the description of Clueless meets Brigderton and I was not disappointed. I couldn’t put this one down.

I love this book so much. Amalie Howard's world building is impeccable and she is doing such a good job of bringing the movies to life. I cannot wait to read this again as an audiobook.

This is my second Amalie Howard book, and I enjoyed it as much as I did the first. I loved the main characters Vesper and Greydon and their chemistry together as well as the book having more depth than just their relationship together.

Not to give away any of the plot, Howard delves into how the mentally ill were treated in the 18th century in asylums. While I know some reviews of this book thought this was too dark for a romance, I thought it was an okay addition. I did hope for their to be a stronger punishment for the villian of this story, but all in all, I was okay with it.

I'm looking forward to the next in this Taming of the Dukes series.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I think any issues or struggles I had reading it were my own and had little to do with the book. It wasn't until I was reading the note that I even picked up on our FMC having ADHD so I feel a bit more work could have been done to represent this aspect of her character. That said, I related to her--so maybe that says more about how my brain works. I found their pining and banter to be of the best kind and would recommend this book--and the previous one--to friends. I am looking forward to the next book very much as I enjoy this friend group quite a bit.

The book Never Met A Duke Like You was an enjoyable read. I would recommend any book written by Amalie Howard. Happy Reading!

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely.

👋 Hey, Hey, Hey - Mini Reviews 👋

Hey! Zoe and I are still here, but it’s taking longer than anticipated for me to get back to regular posting. 😜 Having kids out of school makes unpacking harder and I knew we had a ton of stuff, but phew! 🫣 It’s ridiculous even with the excessive purging. 📦📦📦

Here are the books I’ve read since I’ve been absent/moving…I’m still reading! OK, so audiobooks mostly, but I’m getting them checked off! ✅✅✅

Never Met A Duke Like You - Clueless and Emma both retelling. Loved it. Amalie Howard is awesome. That is all. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love this one!!! I always enjoy when the couple has history, especially when they grew up together and were friends. The banter and insults kept it light and humorous and I just love how devoted they were to each other before they even admitted they liked each other. Just put this on my favorite books of 2023 list.

I absolutely LOVED this one! It was like Clueless meets Bridgerton, and absolutely loaded with witty banter which was my favorite aspect. Plus the added element of friends to enemies to lovers. I find that any use of “enemies” makes the banter just immaculate. The book did have a serious undertone, in regards to the marriages, parental death, and a couple other things, but still managed to remain rather lighthearted. Some of the scenes towards the end, I need adapted to a screen so I can cry all over again while watching. Also there was a good villain in this story— good in that I HATED her, she was so heinous. I personally think she got let off too easy but I don’t know what was custom for that time. There was also some unexpected spice! Or at least I wasn’t expecting it, given the time period and the importance of a “lady’s virtue”.

I flew through this book and recommend it as a read, especially if you enjoy Clueless and Bridgerton! Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the early copy for review!

This book was great, one thing I noticed while reading was that one storyline wasn't acknowledged near the end. It wasn't part of the main storyline but I would've liked to know how that ended.