Never Met a Duke Like You by Amalie Howard is a fabulous historical rom-com inspired by the iconic 90s movie, Clueless. (Also therefore Austen’s Emma?!) The movie Clueless is a core memory from my adolescence, (how does Paul Rudd look exactly the same?!), so when I received an ARC of Never Met a Duke Like You? I screamed.

I AM A COMPLETE SUCKER FOR NICKNAMES. Lady Vesper (aka Lady Viper) and the Duke of Greydon (aka Lord Ass) were childhood best friends, but after he publicly snubbed her at her debut, they haven't been on speaking terms. Now, Vesper finds delight in playing matchmaker for her friends and acquaintances, with varying degrees of success.

After getting trapped in an attic with the duke and sharing an almost kiss, she agrees to help his mother's ward, Judith, during her first London season. But things get complicated when she realizes that her childhood infatuation with the duke has only grown with time, and he realizes that he's been gone for her for years. Whoops. Add in an evil, manipulative dowager duchess, a furry white feline, and a gaggle of female friends who always have each other's back, and you have the basic idea of Never Met a Duke Like You.

It was so much fun, start to finish. Never Met a Duke Like You has earned a spot on my "keepers" shelf, just like the first book, Always Be My Duchess (which was inspired by Pretty Woman). The 90's were the golden age of rom-coms, and these books give me all the same feelings.

Never Met a Duke Like You was a historical romance meets Clueless. With a little bit of enemies to lovers mixed with friends to lovers, this book was an easy read. My absolute favorite thing were the ties to the movie Clueless, and looking for those moments here and there within the pages.

As childhood friends and neighbors, Aspen had ruined Vesper's idea of them being together at her coming out. He had been her first love and best friend. So when he scorned her, Vesper never forgave him. Getting to see pieces of their past throughout the story, I saw that Vesper missed her friend. As he grew up, and since he was two years older than her, he became cold. And their friendship stopped. Yet after not seeing one another for seven years, they found themselves stuck in the attic together. Alone.

Getting to hear both of their thoughts, I was shocked listening to Aspen. He thought Vesper was cold and vain, like his mother. Yet he had no problems toying with her, and he could be absolutely hilarious. So their banter and jabs were so much fun and impossible not to smile when they were going back and forth. And his history is definitely one that will pull on hearts. There was a reason he had walls, and they were so hard to break down. Yet he could also be mean to Vesper at times, like belittling her for being so prim and proper. Plus he assumed wrong time and again when it came to Vesper. Just like Aspen, Vesper felt so alone. Even though she had a wonderful group of friends. But I loved how prim and proper Vesper was. And with her having a heart of gold, it led this story in a heartwarming way.

The connections to Clueless?! They were what pulled me along and left me hunting for little moments here and there! Now I need to preface that with this book doesn't give the same types of vibes that Clueless does. There is a darker element to this story, and the friendships didn't vibe the same. Yet I loved that we got some scenes that were similar to the movie. And when characters in this book acted similar to the characters in the movie too. Here are some I caught.....
*Aspen could be so serious like Josh!
*Vesper was obsessed with match making like Cher. One of the stories reminded me of her trying to have her two teachers fall in love.
*Vesper was wrong about a lot of things, just like Cher.
*When Aspen accuses Vesper of just being concerned about being pretty and going to parties, it reminded me of more moments like when Josh accused Cher with just being concerned about directions to the mall.
*It felt like Judith was most definitely Tai.
*I struggled figuring out Deonne though, maybe it was Effie or her brother? Idk.
*There was something similar to when Cher was highlighting for her dad.
*Vesper's dad gave me vibes of Cher's dad.

The ending gave us a wonderful happily ever after, and things were set in motion for future books with side characters. There was definitely steam within the pages, but some things like tickling weren't for me. And an outcome with a character, oh how I wanted there to be harsher consequences. But that's just me and my difficult heart haha. Yet Vesper and Aspen were given fabulous ending that will warm your hearts!

POV: Dual
Spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

This book had me at a) Amalie Howard and b)a historical Clueless retelling (or if you want to get technical, also an Emma retelling) and it kept me hooked until the end!

I loved that like the first book in the series, a main focus in this book is mental health, with both Aspen and Vesper having to deal with different issues in this regard. These two are childhood friends to enemies and the banter and chemistry between them is perfect. It is very slow burn, so it’s a while before we get to the “lovers” part of the trope. Although at times I wanted to shake both of them, I still found them to be fun and lovable characters.

Vesper has a great girl gang to support her and I can’t wait to see what kind of romcom movie retelling the author comes up with next for this series!

Lady Vesper Lyndhurst loves love for others and views herself as a premier matchmaker, but doesn’t want love for herself. She was in love with her neighbor and best friend, Aspen, now Duke of Greydon, but when he returned home from his first year at Eton, he was cruel, treating her like a child and she’s not spoken since.

Aspen is a paleontologist in America when he learned his mother was going to declare him dead and place his cousin as ducal heir. Realizing it was time to come home to deal with his ducal obligations, including finding a match for his foster sister, Judith. He also wants to find out the truth of his father’s internment in an asylum and proof his mother was behind it all.

Never Met a Duke Like You is Howard’s second historical romance that gets inspiration from a 1990s movie, with Clueless (aka Emma) providing the foundation this time around. While the story is familiar, the characters are unique and engaging. I got caught up in Vesper’s passions and frustrations. I love that she speaks her mind and that she has friends and family that love and support her just how she is. Her family is amazing, and I adore that she was able to grow up without constraint. Watching Aspen realize who the true Vesper is and how he loves her is a joy. I also like that he has his own passions and how the pair complements one another. Their banter is fun, although it cuts deep sometimes. But when it does, they recognize it and make amends, eventually. There are years of hurt that require reconciliation, and truths that need to come out.

I love how the author creates camaraderie between the couple and their circle of friends, yet each character has their own personality and opinions. They disagree, but are loving. I enjoy the nuances of the banter between Aspen and Vesper - some is playful and fun, some is hurtful, hurled when the other is hurt and angry. The characters are likable because they are written with hearts of gold. On the other hand, the dowager duchess is a wonderful villain because she is so cold and vial. She’s the kind of antagonist one loves to hate.

In the end, I completely enjoyed Never Met a Duke Like You and its references to both the movie Clueless and its inspiration, Emma.

My Rating: A-

Lady Vesper Lyndhurst is beautiful, influential, privileged and quite wealthy. She is the daughter of a Duke and it allows her to spend her days as she wishes, and she has a knack for matchmaking. She is not interested in love for herself but enjoys herself finding and arranging it for everyone around her.

Then we have the Duke of Greydon who left to pursue his interest in paleontology and has returned to his estate struggling with insolvency. He comes home to solve the problems his mother has made, and comes to realize the culture he ran from has not change in the slightest.

They both accidentally get themselves locked in an attic, where they antagonize each other exactly the way they did as kids. Even after they get rescued they continue their banter, and as the season continues the attraction between them becomes something they can no longer ignore.

This second installment in this series does not disappoint. Every element that i loved from the first one is present in this. The characters, the banter, the spice, the chemistry, all of it was so well done and balanced. I will honest to god read everything this author puts out happily.

I have tried to read other historical romances, and haven't liked them, but Amalie Howard has me hooked. I loved the first book in the taming dukes series, and i loved this one too. Vesper and Aspen were two fierce and comical characters. They both had their quirks and it led to a very inspiring and funny romance. This is definitely a childhood friends to enemies to lovers book. These two grew up together, got into a fight, became estranged, and then find themselves in eachother's lives again when Aspen come back to pursue his duties as a Duke.

They very much challenge and test each other throughout the book. "Viper" and "Lord Ass" are their nicknames for each other!! Hahaha!!! Both Vesper and Aspen like seeing the other one get worked up, so it is really funny how they both know how to perfectly poke eachother's buttons. I think that their romance story is sweet and they come together very naturally as a couple.

I think my favorite parts about the books in this series though are definitely the Hellfire Kitties, and just the group of friends they have! It brings so much more to the storyline alongside the romance and main plot. It also always has me excited for the future books.

Lady Vesper Lyndhurst, 23, has earned the nickname Cupidella for playing matchmaker with her friends. When she was younger, she had a crush on her neighbor, Aspen Drake. But an argument resulted in their friendship ending which broke her heart. Today, she is the daughter of an earl and is quite popular with her friends. However, she is not interested in getting married.

Today, she learns that her neighbor, Aspen Drake, the Duke of Greyson, has returned to his home. For years, he has worked on archeological digs and conservation efforts in America. But his mother’s ward, Judith, needs to have her come-out and hopefully find and marry a good man. He realizes that he needs Vesper’s help with this. Although they clash and spar a lot, there is still some attraction between them,

Aspen hates his mother because she had his father committed to an insane asylum where he died. He doesn’t believe the man was insane.

As Aspen and Vesper meet up again, there always seems to be sparks flying. They can’t seem to decide whether the hate or love one another. The thing that I didn’t like is the overabundance of snarky repartee between the two characters that became very tedious. My favorite character is Cat and the poor thing is owned by Vesper. Sad.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

*i received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

DNF @53%

I REALLY tried to finish this book, but unfortunately it didn’t grab me from the get-go. I think the main issue I had was that I didn’t really like Vesper as a character. This is fully a “me problem”, and I do think other readers will enjoy this book.

Never Met a Duke Like You, the second book in the taming of the Duke series by Amalie Howard was promoted as a mash up between Bridgerton and the classic 90s movie Clueless- and I can safely say that that hits the nail on the hammer! Full of fun, antics and sassy banter, along with all the glittering historical romance, this book is an absolute delight!

A self proclaimed, matchmaker extraordinaire, Lady Vesper is surprised to find her former childhood crush/Neighbour/estranged enemy, the Duke of Greyson finally back in residence … and even more surprised to find that he needs a favour! His mothers ward is set to hit the social season and he needs Vesper to use her skills and make her a match!

Past feelings and perceptions on both vesper and grade inside. Keep these two at odds as they try to work towards a common goal. This pairing is like oil and vinegar, but if they get too close, they are traction shakes them up and they blend together most deliciously! I couldn’t get enough of there, sassy, back-and-forth dialogue, and the sparks of attraction just pouring off of these two!

I absolutely loved this rendition and found that Vesper made delightful Emma -esque matchmaker, doing her best to create love, matches the benefit, not only the participants, but herself as well! She has a heart of gold, and it was a delight, seeing Greydon realize that she still is the same spunky kid he grew up next to!

Though, being the second in the series, this one definitely can on its own be read as a standalone.

Never Met a Duke Like You by Amalie Howard released earlier this week and definitely needs to be on all my historical romance buddies TBR’s!!!

Thanks to you forever romance for my advance reading copy. Opinions are my own.

Never Met a Duke Like You

“We’re all misfits in our own ways. What matters is whether we find a way to accept who we are, flaws and all.”

Ohhhh my heart, I loved this one! Just swooning over the feisty Lady Vesper and the dashing Duke, Aspen. Their banter and chemistry is off the charts. I love their story, and their meddlesome friends and family. Well, except the Duke’s mother, she’s definitely the worst.

Things to love:
🩷 Childhood friends to enemies to lovers
🩷 Supportive and meddling friends
🩷 Match making meddling
🩷 A cat named cat
🩷 No bed 😏

Never Met a Duke Like you is the second in the Taming of the Dukes series. It can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading Always Be My Duchess first to enjoy Stone and Nevé’s story!

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for my ARC. My opinions are my own. Never Met a Duke Like You is on shelves now!

This is the second book in the Taming of the Dukes series, which introduces Lady Vesper Lyndhurst, a duke's daughter and self-proclaimed matchmaker. When her childhood friend-turned-enemy, Aspen Drake, the Duke of Greydon, unexpectedly returns to England to salvage his family's estate, their lives collide in an attic. The undeniable attraction between them unfolds in this engaging historical romance. While not eclipsing the charm of the first book, the narrative expertly explores their journey from friendship to enmity to love. Howard skillfully portrays the characters' internal struggles, offering a quick, enjoyable read filled with witty banter and a compelling storyline.

“You’re not broken, Aspen. Sometimes the people who are meant to love us, hurt us the most. And we’re all misfits in our own ways. What matters is whether we find a way to accept who we are, flaws and all.”
Amalie Howard is back with the 2nd installment in the Taming of the Dukes series, Never Met a Duke Like You. NMADLY follows Aspen Drake, the Duke of Greydon, and Lady Vesper Lyndhurst in a steamy, enemies to lover’s romance.

Vesper is known among the ton for her beauty, impeccable grace, and sparkling reputation. A closet romantic, Vesper enjoys meddling and matchmaking for those in her circle of friends; unconcerned with finding a love match for herself. She gave away her heart a long time ago and has no plans to try again.

Aspen has been all over the world studying paleontology and archaeology but is forced to return to London when his scheming mother begins to take control of the dukedom. He has no plans to stay but will remain while he finds his newly debuted ward a marriage match.

After a disastrous reintroduction, Aspen decides to enlist the help of Vesper to help find a husband for his ward, Judith. As they become reacquainted, Aspen and Vesper struggle to untangle their complicated feelings for one another. As childhood best friends and neighbors, they have many happy memories together and a decade of history. But is Vesper the fearless, caring girl he remembers from childhood or the superficial and selfish woman he remembers from their adolescence?

I really enjoy historical rom-coms and this one was a treat. I really enjoyed the banter in this book; Vesper is quick witted and gives as good as she gets. She has the biggest heart and keeps her work with underprivileged and undereducated youth a secret to protect her image. It was a journey watching them get to know each other as adults and heal the hurt of the past. Vesper’s father is one of a kind and I loved the relationship he has with Vesper as well as the relationship he developed with Aspen- very sweet!

There was only 1 thing I struggled with in this book and it was the vocabulary. I think I have a pretty decent vocab but I highlighted over 30 words to look up. It was a lot! Some of them I hadn’t even heard of before. It really started to impact my reading.

Highlights
• Clueless vibes
• A Cat named Cat
• Strong & feminist female friend group
• Witty dialogue and banter
• Mental health representation
• Close father/ daughter relationship

Thank you so much to Forever Publishing for the ARC- all thoughts are my own.

4.5 Stars!!

Lady Vesper has an obsession with love and matchmaking. That is, for everyone but herself. Several seasons have come and gone and she’s yet to make a match and has sworn off love. Similarly, The Duke of Greydon returns to London to deal with some family drama and take over the family estate and keep it out of his mother’s control. Though he’s gone for years avoiding society’s expectations of a marriage and an heir, now that he’s back in London, it’s hard to ignore. When he runs into Lady Vesper, an old friend turned enemy, sparks fly. Will they be able to stick to their guns and deny their chemistry?

I LOVED this story!! Progressive historical romances are QUICKLY becoming my favorites. I am HERE for strong, fierce and outspoken FMC who tackle the parts of society people were embarrassed to look at during the late 1800’s. That’s exactly who Lady Vesper is. The banter, the tension and the chemistry between her and Aspen were positively DELICIOUS. There were several instances where I was squealing and kicking my feet! This book also hits on mental health and the way it was poorly handled during this time period and I think it’s such an important sub plot of the story! I immediately checked out more Amalie Howard books at the library after reading this!

Thank you to netgalley, Amalie Howard and Forever publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC! All opinions and thoughts in my review are honest and are my own.

What to say about this book. I liked it. This is a very loose telling of Clueless. I hadn't realized that while I was reading. The characters had chemistry but neither expressed their feelings very well.

3.7 stars
One Liner: Quite good

Lady Vesper Lyndhurst considers herself an excellent matchmaker. After all, didn’t her nudges lead three (or is it four) couples to the altar? As a duke’s daughter, Vesper has everything she wants and fills her days with activities. She’s too busy arranging things to have time for her own marriage or love.
Aspen Drake, the Duke of Greydon, had to return to England to save his estate and deal with his mother. The last thing he wants is to spend time with the ton but has no choice even if nothing has changed, and people are as petty as ever.
It doesn’t take long for Vesper and Aspen to meet again. The childhood friends-turned-enemies cannot help but snap at each other. But there’s more to their bickering than either would like to admit. Nevertheless, the two can find a way forward only if they sort through the past.
The story comes in the third-person POV of Vesper and Aspen.

My Thoughts:
This is a Regency friends-to-enemies-to-lovers (frenemies to lovers) book with some enjoyable moments and some not-so-good ones. It has a quite lot of tropes, which again give mixed results. It’s the second book in the series, but works as a standalone.
The book begins with a quick note, explaining that the content can be darkish and talk of asylums, torture, medical mistreatment, etc. It’s all told and not shown.
Since Vesper and Aspen are childhood friends (estranged for a few years), we can see they know each other enough to deliberately rile up the other for fun. A few barbs were too sharp, but there's a reason behind them (both were hurt and had some preconceived notions). However, this is balanced out by genuine concern and growing attraction.
The pacing is decent, and I like the slow-burning steamy romance (2.5ish) between the lead couple. Aspen has ADHD, which is shown through her restlessness and the need to always do something.
Misunderstandings and miscommunication are galore in this one. Some of it is annoying. The constant humor (with a good dose of sexual innuendos that are somehow well done) made it bearable.
The side characters are sweet and entertaining. Judith shines in her limited space. There’s a strong hint about the next book, and knowing what little I saw of that character, I am excited to see how it goes.
There’s a kitten, too, not-so-lovingly named Cat by Vesper (she is allergic to animal hair). You can see this little fluff ball on the book cover.
There’s a third-act breakup, too, but Aspen saves the day. Though, I do blame both of them for not sharing complete information with the other. At least, it’s sorted in a rather …. way, so we move on to the last scene.
What I totally dislike about the book is the resolution (or the lack of it) about the villain. People ought to face the consequences of their actions, at least in books. And what that character did is evil. Maybe in book #3?
There’s a detailed epilogue, making me happy enough to round up the rating to 4 stars (I brought it down to 3 after the confrontation scene). There’s an author’s note at the end without more information and inspiration about real-life people who worked for the said causes (better lunatic asylum rights and schools for poor kids).

To summarize, Never Met a Duke Like You is a fun and entertaining book that touches upon some dark themes without getting graphic or depressing. The only graphic part is the steam, so go with the right expectations. ;)
Thank you, NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

It was easy to root for Vesper and Aspen. Once friends these two enjoy riling each other up. They also love exchanging sharp banter and even have scathing nicknames for one another. I know this was supposed to be Clueless-inspired but it felt more Emma-inspired to me because of the darker things Aspen was dealing with.

Lady Vesper Lyndhurst is popular and beautiful, she surrounds herself with a good group of friends and raises money for various charities that help the less fortunate. She's not looking for love after what happened during her first season but as a self-professed matchmaker, she enjoys nudging people together.

The Duke of Greydon has spent many years away from England, however, estate business has forced him to return. He was happy being away from the vicious nature of the ton and his mother. Not much seems to have changed including his vexing neighbor Lady Vesper.

The attraction is hard to deny between these friends turned enemies, it's to ignore and even harder to resist.

Thanks so much to the author and Forever for this ARC to review.

Another great one in this series! These two are childhood friends that over the years, struggles, puberty and time have separated. Though they have always had a tendre for each other though they were trying to protect themselves.
It took some friends and family interference even when a other family member was trying to be devious.
Definitely recommend this series and author if you love historical romance!

Love how mental health is represented. In the way that it would have been stigmatized and treated at the time. But the people who mattered loved them for who they were.

Thank you readforeverpub for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Never Met A Duke Like You is my first regency romance and while I really enjoyed this book, I’m not sure that I’m a regency romance fan.

I enjoyed the characters & their stance in doing what is right. Aspen in proving that his mother wrongfully had his father imprisoned in a mental institution, while Vesper was on a mission to help out the less fortunate.

I enjoyed the relationship of the characters and the banter was laugh out loud.

For not being a fan of regency romance, I did really enjoyed Amalie Howard’s writing. It read like she did a lot of research on that era & times, and while it took me awhile to really to get to the binge worthy spot that I didn’t want put it down, I blame being sick and not the book itself.

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest reviews.

I was a fan of Always Be My Duchess and I love Clueless so I knew I had to read this one! I really enjoyed Aspen and Vesper's story!

When the hero and heroine are childhood friends and then he sees her all grown up and falls for her I am always a fan! I also really enjoyed the clueless references though I did think the story gave Vesper a bit too much credit to truly be Cher. Vesper seems aware of her wealth and privilege in a way Cher is not. Vesper's journey is more about getting over worry about her reputation. That being said I would have liked to have seen both characters grow a bit more during the book. This story was more about admitting feelings than growing into them.

However, this book had some wonderful steamy scenes, a trouble-making kitten and the setup to what sounds like it is going to be a really interesting enemies-to-lovers story in the next book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and if you are a fan of Clueless it's a must-read!

Never Met a Duke Like You is the second book in the Taming of the Dukes series and to say it packs a punch would be an understatement. This book is filled to the brim with delicious tension and witty banter to the point where you can't help but root for the main character, Vesper. She is sassy, proud, and brings life to the page, no matter what she is doing. It was wonderful to see such a strong character take charge of her own life and spend her time trying to make the world around her a better place.

Normally, I despise the miscommunication trope, I find it hard to justify not telling the truth when it would make everyone's lives so much better. However, the trope was done well in this book when paired with each of the character’s pasts. Vesper and her old nemesis, the Duke of Greydon, spent their time rekindling their friendship and bonding over their shared past. The process helps them find ways to overcome their preconceived notions of one another in the most fun ways possible.

Having read the first book in the series, I appreciated all the nods to characters and events that happened just before the Duke of Greydon moved back into town. There were so many wonderful characters, that it was great to see the wrap up of some of their stories. The friendships that expand from one book to the other were beautiful in their constant loyalty to one another.

The sub plot within the Duke of Greydon’s life was the only part of the book that fell flat. Despite taking up so much of the book, it never really felt resolved. What little resolution there was, felt forced to the point where I didn't understand where the story was going for a little bit. It felt as if the characters lost some of their prime characteristics by the time the climax of the problem reached the peak.

Overall, this fun and feisty second entry into the Taming of the Duke’s series does not disappoint.

⅗ Spice

⅘ Stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.