Fun on the high seas! So much espionage, piracy, trickery, and SPICE! Seriously, this was hot. Definitely the most enjoyable of the series.

I received a copy of this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca.

After the last book in the Daring Dukes series I didn't think anything else would leave me speechless but Amalie Howard did it again
.
Since the first time I read Lady Lisbeth I needed to know more about her, her story, everything and in this book not only did it cover my need, it also left one of my favorite heroines in my highest top
.
A countess, a spy for the English crown who works with the United States Treasury Department and the identity she created for herself as the captain of the most reckless pirate ship,The Syren, on the seven seas.
.
and then Saint, the son of a disgraced French duke dedicated to a life of smuggler and piracy, surrounded by a dangerous environment with betrayal just around every corner.
.
They both have their secrets and good reasons to keep them that way, but there is only so much one can see through narrow eyes before falling completely into the inevitable chemistry, especially when each difficulty they go through reveals another part to fall in love with.
.
Full of action, adventure, chemistry and magnetic characters, this was my last regency of the year to get five stars and I couldn't recommend it more
.
Thanks to Amelie Howard and SourceBooks Casablanca for give a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honesta and voluntary opinion

A raucous read with love on the high seas! A female spy and a rogue pirate match wits and stamina as they team up to get out of dime tight spots. They also find their way into secluded spots that lend to steamy reading.
But will a lie and deception bring an end to their feelings for each other?
I made quick work of this latest offering by Amalie Howard and I wondered where I could find my own pirate duke?

It's official: I love this series. What a great ending to this series full of fiery, badass women and the men who love them. This one also features BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ leads, which gives me good representation vibes.
The Countess of Waterstone, Lisbeth Medford, finally has her book! She has been a very enigmatic character throughout the books that I had some high hopes for this book, and this did not disappoint. Pirates, smuggling rings, spies, sex, and some colourful language are all here in this novel. It had a good pace, with a good balance of action and quiet moments between Lisbeth and Raphael. While she does come off brusque, she carries the respect of her crew, and admiration from Raphael. Raphael has a lot of masks as well, especially when he is out for revenge on his uncle. Seeing them understand each other is what helps to bring the enemies to Lovers trope together, which is hard to do. Lisbeth is also rough but likeable enough for you to be invested in her, and Raphael has all the swagger and banter (and piercings!) Anyone would need to be happy. And boy when they come together it is hot! More, please!!

Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Heart Flutters: ❤️❤️

Gorgeously lush historical adventure romance with a kick-ass heroine spy who's undercover as *the* feared pirate, and a powerful pirate with secretes of his own, set our for revenge to bring down the same person the heroine is on a mission for too.

Beautiful, immersive story telling that takes us from one Caribbean island to another to Florida by pirate/ smuggling boats, and to the hustle and bustle of New York, and even has European stints. This page turner is filled with tension and secrets, courageous acts and leaps of faith. Found family is crucial for survival and the side characters are so intriguing, I hope some of them will get their own future story.

The main characters have a smolderingly hot attraction for each other, and for their own survival have to learn to trust and lean on each other, discovering more about themselves and each other, but never just quite enough... the HEA is hard earned and well deserved.

The setting, aspects of the story line, the occupations of the characters (i.e. female pirates and spies), and the cultural settings are all aspects we know existed but we don't hear enough of in stories. All those aspects made this into a stunning book for me and I wished we had lots and lots more of it!
I gobbled up the author's notes, reading about all the inspiration, history, real characters and locations.

This is the 4th book in the Daring The Dukes series and can totally be read as a standalone. I know that pervious main characters from the first books make an appearance here and I'm totally going to read the first few books of the series too now.

This is a gorgeous romance.

5 stars

Amalie Howard just keeps getting better and better in this series! Her dedication to including marginalized stories and historical details in her romances have never been more evident than in Any Duke in a Storm, which is her most action-packed, steam-filled, romantic novel yet in my opinion.

From the moment Lisbeth and Raphael meet, the sparks just fly off the page. The banter, the nicknames they sarcastically give each other, and the slow breaking down of their walls is utterly swoonworthy and I found myself blushing multiple times while reading. Add the spying, smuggling, and piracy on top of that and you've got an absolute win of a historical romance novel on your hands. This series has never really gotten the love that it deserves and I need more people to go and get their hands on this so we can gush about it together!

Thank you to NetGalley and to Sourcebooks Casablanca for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

This book is so much fun! Lady Lisbeth Medford, Countess of Waterstone, is deep undercover as Bonnie Bess, attempting to infiltrate a smuggling ring based out of the Caribbean. Raphael Saint, the Duc de Viel, a smuggler himself and nephew to Lisbeth’s primary target, ends up working on her ship. After years of keeping anyone from getting too close to her, it appears Lisbeth has finally met her match.

Caution: Slight spoilers lie ahead.

Here’s a quick overview of things to look forward to in the book, brought to you by the letter “P”:
- Prison
- Pirates
- Pyrotechnics (well, explosives)
- Piercings
- Praise
- Pleasure (and many of those other p-words found in romance)
- Pan + demi FMC

Other highlights:
- Historical romance set against the multiracial backdrop of the Caribbean
- Mixed race hero
- Double entendres and innuendo
- So. Much. Chemistry.
- He falls first.
- Spies!
- And a pint-sized, foul-mouthed stowaway

I had the best time reading this one! If you enjoy learning about history, make sure to read the author’s note at the end to learn more about the historical context of this story.

I received an advance copy from Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

4.5 stars for sure! This pirate romance is an absolute delight. Who doesn’t love a high seas romp? Lisbeth/Bess is a firecracker and not to be trifled with. Saint is a charming pirate with a bone to pick with his estranged uncle. They work together really well, but it was one of those insta-attraction things I don’t really care for. Lisbeth is described as Demisexual (needing a personal connection to feel sexual attraction) but she was drawn to Raphael pretty early on when that wasn’t mentioned until later. The side characters are a hoot and definitely round out this rowdy band of of pirates perfectly. I really did enjoy this romantic adventure.

The 4th in a series, and I hope not the last. We met Lisbeth Medford in the previous book as the wife of a spymaster, a Duke. It was a marriage of convenience, and after they divorced, Lisbeth was loaned to the American Treasury department, where she went deep undercover a pirate. She is seeking to arrest a famous smuggler (who is actually based on a historical pirate)
In a meet cute, Raphael Saint escapes from prison and ends up on her boat as a sailing master.
Raphael is actually a French Duke who is seeking revenge for his fathers death by the hands of his fathers half brother, who turns out to be the same smuggler.
Lisbeth and Rapheal are fabulous characters and their banter and sexual chemistry keep you reading.
In addition, there is a foul-mouthed 12 year old girl who is simply hilarious.
The author's note is very interesting and a must read. So much of this book is historically accurate, and the diverse characters are perfect for readers today.
I wasn't sure I was going to like this book when I began because I wasn't sure about pirates, but Lisbeth and Raphael won me over quickly.
I now am listening to book 1, then 2 to catch me up.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the EARC. This is my honest review. I do recommend reading at least the previous book because several characters show up in this book. I may find that to be true in 1 and 2. I will come back to edit after I finish them. I am pretty much a series purist.

Ah, this story was great swashbuckling fun, filled with adventure, lust, danger, passion, secrets, deception, a Caribbean island smuggler hideaway and some pretty amazing characters.

What I Loved – just about everything!

Raphael Saint
My newest book boyfriend (dibs called, my friends!)
Gah there was just so much to love about Raphael… I found him to be intriguing, honorable, bawdy, confident, smart, sweet and sexy AF. And I do mean AF.

He was a man who was truly beautiful inside and out. He loved first, loved deeply, and loved unselfishly. Raphael was utterly delicious and oh, I wanted to eat him UP.

Frosting on the cake: His tattoo and nipple piercing. Not even going to talk about his other piercing 🤤 you’ll just have to discover that for yourself.

The inclusivity
Raphael was multiracial and multicultural; Bess/Lisbeth, pansexual. I found the inclusivity in this story to be refreshing and something I’d love to see more of in HR. It added a dimension and richness to the story that I’ll be hoping for in future HR reads.

The chemistry
My jam, what matters most to me in HR, and the chemistry between Raphael and Lisbeth was palpable, sensual, erotic. This was the kind of chemistry between main characters I’m always hoping to find when I start a new HR.

The Caribbean setting (when they weren’t on ship)
Made me google Exuma and Tobago, which fueled some pretty decadent daydreams.

The author’s notes at the end of the book
These notes were a lovely, very personal touch, where the author talked about her own multiracial culture and her beloved Caribbean, and also, her love of historical research. For me, I felt her love of people and place, and was beside myself happy while reading and thinking, “Yes! Actual history in a historical romance!” No wallpaper here, and the history buff in me loved it. I need more of this in my HR.

I can’t not mention Narina, a foul-mouthed twelve year old girl pirate wannabe. Not usually a fan of kids in my historical romance but Nari had me smiling and laughing out loud.

The only thing I was a little conflicted about was the female main character’s alter ego, Bess. Bess was just a persona, deep cover for Lisbeth as she tried to infiltrate the smuggler ring for the British Home Office and US Treasury Department, but I had a hard time warming up to her. Though maybe that was by design? As I got to know the real Lisbeth, and Bess faded a bit, I grew to love this fierce, take-no-prisoners, badass spy chick. Strong women do, indeed, rock.

The plot was tight, the pacing excellent, the epilogue sweet, and I was one happy reader. Highly recommended!

My thanks to NetGalley, and to the publisher, Sourcebooks Casablanca, for the invitation to read an eARC. All opinions are my own.

Amalie Howard’s Any Duke in a Storm was the fourth installment of her Daring Dukes series and I was ambivalent on it. There were parts of the book that I genuinely enjoyed, but as a whole, it didn’t really appeal to me the way other romances did.

One aspect of the book that I found lacking is the characterization. I found Lisbeth and Raphael to be somewhat underdeveloped characters and honestly, I didn’t really understand why they loved each other and it didn’t feel earnest or genuine. I think that sexual attraction is essential in romantic relationships but it can’t be the starting and ending point of a romantic relationship as well as everything in the middle. It just didn’t really feel like they had any emotional connection with each other and that doesn’t work for any kind of romance novel.

Moreover, the plot itself was messier than I prefer. I’m not opposed to adventure and mystery type romances and in fact, Elizabeth Hoyt’s Maiden Lane series is one of my favorites, and that series includes full-out thrillers albeit ones with happy endings. But, the intricacy of this book’s plot absolutely detracted from the characters and their relationships, which at the end of the day, is what romance novels are all about, and the plot wasn’t even tight enough to compensate for it.

In any case, I liked some of Amalie Howard’s previous books and there were some funny elements so I hope her next work is better.

**Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

I had a lot of fun with this! Bonnie Bess aka Lisbeth made a very convincing pirate, and I really enjoyed how she interacted with her crew and Raphael aka Saint. And she was totally kick ass! She runs into danger and looks out for the little guy all while trying to wiggle her way into a smuggling ring.
I thought Bess and Saint had some great chemistry, and I loved the banter between them, although I did think Saint lay it on a little thick initially.
I loved the atmosphere and the writing was immersive and kept me on the edge of my seat, and I can't wait to see what Amalie Howard is going to write next.

"Any Duke in a Storm" by Amalie Howard is a delightful historical romance that combines espionage, danger, and the high seas. Lady Lisbeth Medford, a renowned spy, takes on a daring mission to infiltrate a smuggling ring in the West Indies while posing as a ship's captain. The tension rises when her identity is exposed, and she must navigate both the pursuit of her enemies and the enigmatic Raphael Saint, the Duc de Viel, who becomes her ship's sailing master.

Howard skillfully weaves together intrigue, adventure, and romance, creating a compelling story that keeps readers engaged. The chemistry between Lisbeth and Raphael is palpable, adding an extra layer of excitement to the narrative. The novel is well-paced, and the characters are well-developed, making it an enjoyable read for fans of historical romance and espionage. With its captivating blend of danger and passion on the high seas, "Any Duke in a Storm" is a satisfying addition to the genre.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I usually love Amalie Howard’s work, but this book didn’t completely work for me. Part of it is probably because I’m not a big fan of pirate-themed romances. But this book just felt a bit…off. I’m not sure if it was the pacing or what, but the book just didn’t pull me in like Howard’s work usually does. In the positive side, I really enjoyed the characters and the historical detail. It was fun to see the main characters from the previous book turn up here as well!

Amalie Howard always offers a smart and nuanced look at the way that histrom can aspire to more diversity, and her knowledge of the Caribbean is one again on display in this fun piratical romp.

Any Duke in A Storm is the fourth book in the Daring Dukes series and can be read as a standalone.

Lisbeth Medford, Countess of Waterstone, has gone by many names and personas while she has been an agent for the Crown. But for the last year and half she’s been known as Bonnie Bess, a most feared female smuggler amongst the West Indies. Raphael Saint, Duc le Viel and a modern day Robin Hood smuggler, has been betrayed by his Uncle and is needing to find a way to escape the prison he’s in before his Uncle returns. As fate has it, Saint finds himself the new sailing master on Lisbeth’s ship and unknowingly they’re both after the same villain. Adventure is around every corner as they battle the instant attraction for one another, the villain, and the repercussions of the truth.

This was a captivating and inclusive story about revenge and loyalty to duty. Not having read the other books in this series I was instantly hooked and wanting to read more about these interesting characters. It appears that Lisbeth is mentioned in previous books but they were both interesting MC. I enjoyed the adventure and action scenes and didn’t feel that they overshadowed the romance that took place. A divorced, non-virgin, pansexual peeress who is also trained in weapons and combat as a spy for the British Crown seems to have finally met her match in a morally gray, tatted, pierced, landless multiracial French Duke. I loved that the setting and time period were unique amongst HR and also enjoyed the side characters - especially the colorful insults Narina came up with. I also appreciated the Author’s Note at the end that gave an insight into the historical aspects of the book.

There are four encounters that are incredibly hot with light bondage, praise kink, piercings, and consent.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebook Casablanca for an advanced ecopy of the book. All opinions are my own.

"Any Duke in a Storm" by Amalie Howard gets 3 stars from me. It's a good read but didn't quite hook me as much as I hoped. The story has its moments and the regency setting is well done, but overall, it lacked that extra spark to make it truly engaging. Worth a read if you're a fan of the genre, but it may not stand out in an already crowded field of historical romances.

I would like to thank the publisher for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley. As always, my opinions are entirely my own.

If you’ve read the first three books in the series, you’ll recognize our heroine Lisbeth who is the ex-wife of the hero from the last book. As a spy, she’s required to do a lot of things including posing as the infamous pirate, Bonnie Bess. She is every bit as kickass as any other pirate and doesn’t shy away from trouble or danger easily.

However, things go awry when she ends up meeting Raphael Saint who is her ship’s new sailing master. The attraction between them is immediate and the tension only grows thicker as he saves her life and they have to pose as a couple. Everything about their romance was intoxicating especially the banter between them. It was just delicious.

What really captivated me was how well they worked together as a team. She tried to do her best to keep him out of her spy business while he did his best to make sure she was safe. Sometimes, those two goals didn’t align but Amalie Howard pulled it off. In addition, Raphael has a unique piercing for the time so make sure to be on the lookout for that.

Most notably, this book had some incredible side characters and that’s one thing I can appreciate about Amalie Howard’s storytelling. No one feels lesser just because they aren’t part of the main plot. I’m just hoping we see some other characters either pop up elsewhere or get their own story because I loved Estelle and Smalls especially.

Ultimately, this book was equal parts action and romance which I enjoyed. Plus I really feel like pirate romances are going to be a big deal in 2024. We’ll see what happens until then but I do think Any Duke in a Storm is a great one to pick up if you’re craving some swashbuckling fun.

Lisbeth and Raphael are both posing as someone they aren't and this swoonworthy steamy romance is delightful. Yes, pirates seems to be big this year but this avoids the piracy details in favor of a love story. It's diverse and inclusive and, of all things, there's a young girl to act as a foil at times. Unlike many in the genre, this has humor, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I know this is the latest in a series I've not read but I enjoyed it just fine as a standalone. A good one for a rainy day.

This was a truly delightful read!

This is the fourth book in the Daring Dukes series, and could be read as a standalone (though I would suggest to read at least book 3 first).

I’m going to give you one two words as a reason to read this book: Lady Pirate.

This action adventure romance kept me on the edge of my seat. Pirates, spies, and lots of spice. Lisbeth and Saint have excellent chemistry, and the way they show up for each other really drew me in as a reader.

I loved the representation in this book, absolutely make sure to read the authors note at the end!