I really liked the first book in the Taming of the Dukes series. But, I have to say, I LOVED this second book even more! Both books can be read as a standalone.
The main characters are Vesper(aka Viper) and Aspen(aka Lord Ass).. They had been childhood playmates that parted ways with no thoughts of ever wanting to be friends again. When circumstances throw them together, let’s just say, the chemistry between the two of them is off the chart. Though they both do all they can to ignore this.
Never Met a Duke Like You had me laughing out loud so many times. Vesper is unlike any other regency character. She doesn’t act like a society lady in that she will not let a man tell her what to do or how to behave.
The story has quite a bit of spice and steamy moments.
I definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys snarky banter, enemies to lovers, and second chance romance novels.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Amalie Howard does it again with this fabulous spin of the classic Emma retelling, giving us a clueless meets Bridgerton kind of feel. Never Met a Duke like you is a delightful Regency-era romance novel that blends humor, heartwarming moments, and a touch of chaos. The character's relationship jumps off the page and the representation that modern-day would be ADHD is beautifully written. It has the perfect amount of banter chaos, with that Bridgerton feel that will leave readers with a smile.


Tropes:
-Inspired by clueless
-Childhood friends to enemies to lovers
-Forced Proximity
-Matchmaker finds love

Arc received from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Always Be My Duchess last year. The MMC was fantastic and swoon worthy and I knew that I needed book 2. Where book 1 blew away my expectations, Never Met a Duke Like You was slightly under. Where Duchess gave us Pretty Woman, Duke gives us a Clueless retelling.

First, reading the prior book is NOT necessary. They're connected but can be read as standalones.

Enemies to Lovers is a favorite trope of mine, and friends to enemies to lovers? I love it. The romance is a slowburn, showing the reasoning for their fallout and then coming back together while resolving those issues. Because of this, my least favorite trope, miscommunication, is rampant. The chemistry between the two, their witty banter, and the humor kept me engaged.

There's fantastic supporting cast, and I can only hope some of them like Judith get a book later in the series. There's a "villain," but that plot luckily does not overtake the relationship and romance aspect of the book. However, there wasn't a real resolution with this? I wanted to see more repercussion for the blackmail, but there wasn't.

I loved the first book in the series so I was so excited to read this one. Unfortunately I had trouble getting into it and didn't connect with the characters as much as I did the first book. Overall, I thought this one was ok.

I absolutely adore this author and this series! This book was so fun, sweet, and sexy! I loved it! Vepar and Aspen were such a perfect match! I loved the Clueless vibes it had in it! These two really had amazing banter and all the chemistry! Vepar really deserved her HEA with her childhood crush gone enemy! Lol I can’t say enough good things! I can’t wait for the next one!!

Lord Ass & Lady Viper are a pure delight! I adore a rivalry romance, from the animosity to the longing. Amalie Howard masters a full spectrum of banter in this tale. Vindictive banter, cheeky banter, flirty banter, they are all covered. Vesper is a bold, sassy and independent woman who speaks her mind and breezes through the room like a tornado. Greydon is a determined, loyal man who loves with ferocity. The will they/ won’t they tension of their chemistry kept you panting for breath as you await the inevitable.
Aside from the romance, the side relationships in this are spectacular! The sibling bond of Greydon & Judith was wonderful, supporting each other while having the levity to tease. The fact that they stayed close while he was away showcased how she truly was the sister of his heart. While Vesper’s father consistently brought a tear to my eye in the way he doted on his darling girl. Not only that, he ‘saw’ her in a way that is seldom shown in these times. He knew her heart, but still trusted her to guide her own ship. That was beautiful!
From a societal standpoint, this story delves into some murky topics such as mental health. It was shockingly easy at that time in the world to put someone’s mentality to question and scary to think that one could be locked away for such simple reasons. When Greydon hears the reason for his father’s diagnosed madness, it made me think of the Louisa May Alcott quote, “She is too fond of books, and it has turned her brain.”. If this were still true today, we would all be locked up!
This story has it all, sass, wit, heat and bold truth. Long story short: this book was fabulous, do give it a go!

Perfection! This book is exactly what I love about romance and so much more. It was super fun and utterly charming! I loved everything about it.

Vesper and Aspen are childhood friends turned enemies turned lovers, and the spice was very satisfying. I adored Vesper and her friend group. Aspen was wonderful, too, and their passionate chemistry was amazing. But my absolute favorite character was Cat. She was feline perfection.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Second chance romances with a hint of enemies to lovers are absolutely my jam.

Lady Vesper has been burned by love in the past so she doesn't trust it for herself. When she's reunited with her former crush and childhood best friends, Duke of Greydon, they are both taken aback by their feelings for one another. Determined to ignore them, Vesper throws herself into local matchmaking activities in the hope that she can make things better for others going forward.

But events don't always work out the way you want them to and soon the two of them find themselves working together and rekindling their friendship ....and maybe a little more than friendship.

I really enjoyed this book and the overall storyline and characters. I look forward to reading more by this author. I find that I enjoy her writing style.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Love me a good Jane Austen retelling, and in a sense, this is also a retelling of a retelling (Clueless/Emma), which I think captured the humor and the depth of both stories quite well. (Even if I don't find the actual book Emma terribly riveting. Oops 😬) Never Met a Duke Like You is the story of childhood best friends-turned spurned enemies-ish. Lady Vesper is, on the surface, a frivolous woman who loves parties and match-making. Underneath that surface she is a philanthropist, but can't let the ton catch wind of her works and where she goes. Aspen is a duke who is having to return home to take back his estate from his scheming, awful mother, while also investigating her having his father committed to an asylum. Aspen and Vesper currently loathe the other based solely on their surface levels. But as we've noted, there is more beneath the surface.

See, so there's a lot of depth. And there's lots of will-they-won't-they (especially, will they please eschew their pre-conceived notions of each other and just realize they are in love already?) And it's great. It is a fun, sometimes steamy, and fairly fast-paced Regency romance that has potential to be an excellent comfort read for people who like those things!

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever for the advanced review copies!

I read Always Be My Duchess last year so was very excited to read this one. This gives me Emma vibes. Our heroine is a matchmaker. But refuses to acknowledge our hero is perfect for her.

I love historical romance. This one actually had a lot of history in it. They talk a lot about the Lunacy Act because Aspen's father was falsely put away. It's all in the content warnings.

I related to Vesper. She wanted to find love for others, but refused to find love for herself. She has trust issues. And it's actually rooted in her relationship with Aspen. This is childhood lovers to enemies to lovers. A great trope.

I found myself reading this very fast. I just kept reading another chapter. It was a very easy read.

Can't wait for Briar and Lushing's story!

4/5

Never Met a Duke Like You is a delightful regency romance that met all my expectations!

Lady Vesper, aka the matchmaker, has said love isn't in the cards for her. But when she lands in a locked room with her past friend, the Duke of Greydon, her mind is about to be put on its axis.

The Duke is back in England to try to save his family's name. He doesn't want anything to do with his past flame, Lady Vesper. But fate is about to make its name known.

Amalie Howard's writing shines in the second in her Royalty Romance series. I enjoyed the dual point of views featured I each chapter and rooted for the Duke and Lady from the beginning. Narrator Mary Jane Wells enhanced my reading experience! Her different tones for both points of view made it easy to follow and allowed me to feel even more for the characters. Fans of regency romances, enemies to friends to lovers and spicy courtyard scenes will adore this!

Thank you Forever Publishing for my earc in exchange for my honest review.

This one was just okay for me! Overall I liked it well enough, but I had such a hard time focusing on the book. For whatever reason the plot just did not grip me.

There were a lot of things I liked, the Emma/Clueless vibes, the cat, the childhood friends to enemies to lovers vibes, the ADHD rep

Like with the first book I had such a hard time keeping track of the friend group. I don't know why but I could not tell the different women apart (except for Neve who was the MC in the first book).

The plot line with his mom was pretty dark and while it did provide stakes I really did not like when blackmail got introduced, it just made me dislike the last 20% of the book.

Overall this one was kind of a miss for me which is disappointing because I've really liked the other Amalie Howard books I've read.

Taming of the Dukes, Never Met a Duke Like you book two (2), is exactly what I needed for Vesper and Aspen's love story. This couple sharp tongues built incredible sexual tension boiling over into the bedroom and beyond. Their romance was entertaining, humorous and an absolute joy to read. Indulge in the ton, matchmaking, friends, politics and a feisty feline friend.

I definitely look forward to the next installment in this series.

Thank you Forever for the complimentary copy.

Lady Vesper Lyndhurst is everything a proper Lady should be, beautiful, popular and the daughter of a Duke too. So why at twenty-four is she still unmarried? She has had offers and turned them all down why? Although she has given up on love it turns out she is good at matching people and has seen three couples wed. She does a great deal of Charity work and helps children. What the ton sees is just what she wants them to see and nothing more. Since she was terribly hurt by the one person who was not only her longtime friend but first love. She and Aspen Greydon, Duke of Greydon were kids when in a fit of temper, she broke his nose. It was so embarrassing to a young man to be bested by a girl. When she had her coming out and Aspen was back from school, he gave her the cut direct and caused much harm. It changed her from a careful girl to a very proper lady never doing anything to cause gossip again. After his father died in a mental hospital Aspen left England and was gone for seven years. Of all the ways for our couple to meet they get locked in an Attic together! This story has a lot going on. With tons of history, secrets and misunderstanding between our couple. What they are feeling is the cause of much banter, witty interaction and passion between them. There is also a much deeper, nasty underlining topic of people being committed to mental hospital when their families tire of them or want them just gone. Aspen and Vespers father are working together to change that. This is a story that will play with your emotions both for the good and the bad. I loved the cat in the story. It is so perfect for a first-time cat owner! Ha All Cat owners will understand and laugh a lot. Even with everything going on it is first and foremost a story of lost and found love and understanding from our couple. There are many great characters that help make this story so good. It is a book not to be missed, I do wish that the truly evil person didn’t get off as easy as they did. It was way too light a punishment for what they did and all the hurt they caused. I received an ARC from the author and wish to thank her. This is my honest opinion and am freely giving it. This is one of those books that you hate to see the ending but also want to know how it ends.

This was another wonderful entry for this delightful series. Fun, cute, emotional, dramatic, sweetly familiar and endearingly fresh, Aspen and Vesper's story stole my heart and left me swoony.

Childhood Frenemies to Lovers.

Trigger Warnings: Mental Health and Abuse.

He refers to her as Lady Viper and she calls him Lord Ass.

Lady Vesper Lyndhurst is an extinguished member of the of the Ton and the daughter of a Duke. She considers herself an excellent matchmaker but fills her days with friends and events that she doesn’t have time for her own love life. Her favorite companion is her cat, named Cat who is ornery and very cute at the same time.

The Duke of Greydon, Aspen Drake, was living in the United States after his father passed and has just returned to England to his estate and to deal with his manipulative Mother. After not seeing each other for years Lady Vesper and Lord Greydon end up locked in an attic where they get their friendship/relationship starts back up the rocky path.

After reading this I didn’t a few things: 1) this was a second book in the series, so this could be a standalone but don’t quote me since I will have to read the first book. 2) apparently this was supposed to be attached to the movie Clueless and I would have never guessed. I would have compared it to Bridgerton. I know mental health had a stigma attached to it back then but this does show a glimpse as to how times were when things weren’t socially normal.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and Amalie Howard for the eArc copy. All opinions are my own and I look forward to going back and reading the first book in the series and continuing on.

From the start, I absolutely adored this book. I love the clueless retelling and love Amalie Howards writing. I will absolutely be recommending this to people I know.

Never met a Duke like you

This was one of my most anticipated books after absolutely adoring Always Be my Duchess! It started off a little slow for me, but I ended up grabbing the audiobook and then I couldn’t put it down. As always, the narration by Mary Jane Wells was perfection.

I enjoyed the childhood friends to enemies to lovers! Vesper was such a strong caring woman but Aspen has already made his judgement against her because of their past. I loved how they kept being thrown into social situations together. Despite their instance to the contrary, Aspen and Vesper are quite drawn to each other. I liked the Clueless matchmaking elements. I liked seeing Stone and Neve and I hope we’ll get more books for the rest of their friends.

Never Met a Duke Like You tells the story of Lady Vesper, the well-to-do daughter of a duke with a spicy temperament, taste for matchmaking, and, unwed at 23, borderline spinster status. The boy next door is Aspen, also known as the Duke of Greydon, who is forced to cut his archeological travels short to return to England to try to salvage his floundering estate. As Vesper tries to find Aspen his match amid the ton, it seems fate may have different plans.

Never Met a Duke Like You is a historical romance that takes many liberties. While I usually don't mind that (I loved the first book, Always Be My Duchess!), it just didn't work for me in this one. You may enjoy this book if you're into:
- enemies to lovers energy
- empowered boss babe female characters
- conniving mothers and the cattiness of the marriage mart
- a Clueless meets Bridgerton plot line

Thank you to Forever for gifting me with an ARC to review! All opinions are my own.

I feel like when this was initially marketed to me, it was listed as an Emma retelling, and I am a huge Emma fan, so I was instantly intrigued (I'm also a huge Amalie Howard fan, so there was no way this could go wrong). I loved this book, but not as an Emma adaptation (and I see now that the marketing has been changed to a Clueless reimagining, but I still feel like that is off in my opinion). I did absolutely love the story though, the chemistry was great and I loved the way the conflict was resolved.