I lost interest at 7% DNF.



**********************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley***********************

The second book in the Taming of the Dukes, Lady Vesper Lyndhurst and Aspen the Duke of Greydon where once friends now they are enemies. Somehow these two get trapped in an attic together. That was one nasty Mother. I enjoyed seeing these two get their happy ending even with the ups and downs they went through. I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Such a fun, romantic read. I felt all the emotions the characters were feeling throughout the story. I am definitely going back to read the first book in this series, and I really hope there are more to follow! Even though you go into this book knowing how it’s going to end, the path the main characters take to the end is full of unexpected turns that will keep you flipping pages quickly; could not put this one down! I really liked the use of the historical language and there were enough context clues to understand the gist of the words without actually having to stop and look them up; it gave the book a very authentic feel. Must read if you enjoy romances with substance.

Lady Vesper always considered Aspen to be her friend growing up. They are neighbors. Several years ago, Aspen ran away and broke her heart. Returning to England, he is the new Duke of Greydon. Not by choice. He would rather dig for bones, especially in America. But his position as a duke gives him the power to bring amendments to reform commiting people to mental institutions. His mother, about as evil as they come, destroyed his father by having him unnecessarily committed. Blackmailed by Aspen's mother, who has her own agenda, Vesper is facing a brokenheart. This is a complicated plot with some disturbing facts concerning mental institutions and the ease of having someone committed. The Duchess of Greydon is one scary lady. Descriptive sex and language.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

I really liked this one! It was fun, sexy and entertaining :) I will definitely read more from this author.

One thing about me: If it has “Duke” in the title… I WILL READ IT! This review is about a month late (I’m blaming college), but I definitely had a great time while reading! This was the first book I’ve read by Amalie Howard, but won’t be the last. The characters each had such fun personalities and the banter… perfect.

This is an adorable "cozy" historical romance. What happens when 2 poodles get switched then one gets dog napped?? Chaos! And fun! And maybe even love! Bitsy and Michael have perfect chemistry!

I loved it! I really enjoyed the existing relationship between Aspen and Vesper and felt like the story flowed really well. So much so I got the audiobook so I wouldn’t have to stop by reading while taking care of other responsibilities!

This a fun friends-turned-enemies-to-lovers read from Amalie Howard.

Lady Vesper's matchmaking hobby leads to her being recruited to help her old neighbor, the Duke of Greydon, as he seeks a match for his ward, bringing these two (and their complicated history) together.

I loved Vesper's vibe, she's feisty, charitable and content with finding love for others. Greydon is a bit harsh at times, but fans of grumpy/sunshine tropes will enjoy the chemistry between these two. The storyline has tons of entertaining moments where the author brings them together and the reader can enjoy watching the sparks fly. I enjoyed the balance between historical romance and modern themes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an advanced copy of this and the opportunity to share my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I struggle with Emma retellings because Emma is the villain of her story and literally other than Clueless there have been no good retellings. It is a bit weird for this to be a Clueless retelling rather than an Emma retelling and I really wished it had lived up to the glory that is Clueless. Clueless is just so fun whereas this book has a really weird dark undertone. I don't know why the asylum and black mail plot lines were there as they fit neither the Emma or Clueless retelling. This is the second Amalie Howard book I've been disappointed in and I don't know that I'll return.

The Hell Kitties are back! While they may not be in all the glory that they were in the first novel, this is a cute follow up. It’s not quite what I was expecting but I’ll still read the next book.

I’m a little obsessed with Amalie Howard. Her books make me laugh and swoon in equal measure, and I can’t get enough.

This is the second in the Taming of the Dukes series, and while you could start with this one, you’ll definitely want to read Always Be My Duchess because it’s amazing.

In this book, Lady Vesper Lyndhurst has long been estranged from her once best friend, the Duke of Greydon, after a series of unfortunate misunderstandings when they were younger. They’re thrown together again, and the Duke of Greydon requests Vesper’s help in finding a match for his mother’s ward. While Vesper has sworn off finding a match for herself, she’s good at pairing up other people, and she agrees to help.

The two of them have the most sizzling chemistry and you never know if one of them is going to get slapped or kissed. The banter between them is fantastically snarky, and I found myself chuckling out loud on many occasions.

I adored Vesper and Aspen's story! Watching these two butt heads was so much fun!! They were perfect for one another!

This book was definitely more on the young adult side for Amalie Howard, who usually writes very grown up, sexy stories. This is marketed as a clueless retelling and i totally see the vibe of that now. The characters are young and fun the stakes are low but it was still a fun story!

💞Read this if you enjoy:
-Victorian era 📜👑
-Clueless (the movie) 💅🏻
-Paleontology 🦕
-Mutual pining 😍😍
-Unique FMCs 💁🏻‍♀️

📸SNAPSHOT:
Vesper is a perfect lady in the eyes of the ton, but in private, she marches to the beat of her own drummer. Her endless energy fuels her to do decidedly “unladylike” things like acting scandalously with her close friends, traipsing around the seedier parts of London to help those in need, and declaring herself a matchmaker who doesn’t want to get married herself.

Aspen, Duke of Greydon grew up next door to Vesper. They were childhood best friends and each other’s first crush. However, they haven’t spoken to each other since an epic falling out during Vesper’s first season. Aspen left London shortly after the falling out in order to escape his horrible mother. After years of being away, he’s back in town to deal with his mother and his ducal responsibilities. He and Vesper reunite and their complicated history leads to some fiery chemistry.


💭 MY THOUGHTS:
I was skeptical about this one being a historical retelling of Clueless since Clueless is a modern retelling of Emma. I was kind of worried it would be an Emma knock-off, but that wasn’t the case whatsoever. It felt like a fresh historical romance story that was inspired by Clueless. I loved the Jane Austen reference in the book as well! I appreciated the author’s small homage to the original story and author.

I really enjoyed the unique main characters. I loved that the Duke was also passionate about paleontology. That’s such an interesting subplot. I honestly didn’t even know that paleontology was a known science in the Victorian era, so that was an interesting lesson for me!

I also appreciated the thoughtful and realistic way the author addressed mental health issues during this time period. Vesper knew she was different than “typical ladies,” but it was before diagnoses like ADHD were known about/accepted. Even without the diagnosis, Vesper knew that she had to hide that part of her to fit in to society. I’m sure so many people masked their mental health struggles back then to avoid the horrors of mental health “asylums” at that time.

All in all - this book was absolutely wonderful! I cannot wait for this series to be continued.

I could see where they were going with the Clueless comparisons but it definitely was darker than Clueless. To be honest, I was more interested in Vesper's matchmaking shenanigans than the rest of the subplots involved.

Never Met A Duke Like You
Taming Of The Dukes, book two
Amalie Howard
Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Flames 🔥🔥🔥
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date: November 14, 2023

I enjoyed this book; however, there were a few issues I would have liked resolved differently. This book was advertised to have similar themes to the movie Clueless. Clueless was loosely based on Jane Austen’s Emma. This book incorporated some of these works but could have done more.

I enjoyed Vesper’s character, and I liked that she faced emotional challenges and thrived in her life. I sometimes became frustrated with Vesper because when faced with a decision, she always chose the most difficult, illogical path. I lost Vesper’s motivation at times.

I loved Aspen’s passion for the reform of how mental health was perceived and treated. I would have liked even more time on this issue; it was one of the stronger plot points. Aspen was an intriguing, fully developed character that was understandable and lovable. Aspen’s father’s tragic past shaped Aspen into a man who fights for those who can’t fight for themselves, and I loved that.

The romance was unrequited for most of the book, and I felt the enemies-to-lovers theme was overdone. I would have liked more communication between the couple and less introspection. The chemistry between the couple was undeniable, and their passion for each other was palpable. I loved the moments when Aspen and Vesper shed their prickly facades and were vulnerable and raw together. I would have loved more of those moments.

I loved the first book in this series; I felt this one didn’t quite match up. I couldn’t connect totally to Aspen and Vesper. I enjoyed the premise, and there were scenes I extremely enjoyed. Sometimes, a book doesn’t communicate well with an individual reader, which happened to me. I feel many readers will love this book. I felt this novel was good yet didn’t fulfill its full potential like the first book. I will keep reading this series because I love Amalie Howard and her writing. I am excited to read about the last two remaining single friends of Vesper!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Emma remains my least favorite Austen. I love a best friends to adversaries to lovers. Vesper is definitely Emma to the most meddlesome.
The villain deserved worse and that frustrated me.

2.5 ⭐️
My favorite part of this book was at the very end in the authors note to us readers. The author explains more about why she chose the subject content she did and she also shares her historical finds.

I wish more of the authors note was put into the actual book. The book felt too casual for all the research that was put into it.

I did pick up on the Emma/Clueless retelling and I do enjoy a good matchmaking plot.

Vesper and Aspen are “frenemies to lovers” and I did like their relationship. I didn’t care much for Vesper’s overly sexualized thoughts throughout the book, however. I thought it was misplaced and overall, not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley + Forever for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I've only read one regency/historical romance before this, so I wasn't sure how I'd like it. But it turns out I...might love regency romance?! This book was SO good and I was so impressed with the writing.

The banter between the two main characters was so, damn, good, and the spice was OFF the charts. There's something about a forbidden romance (being intimate without being married will get you a good judging from society in this time period) that just makes it so much hotter, and Amalie really leaned into that.

I also loved the personal journeys each character went on that didn't involve the other, proving that you can be your own person and have your own passions but still fall madly in love with someone without losing yourself.

The billiard room scene in particular will live in my head rent free forever.