What a fun book! If you love swashbuckling adventure, but want your historical romance to feature independent women, diverse characters and lots of steam, Any Duke in a Storm is perfect. Amalie Howard combines everything I love about romance novels in an action-filled story that I couldn’t put down.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lisbeth Medford, aka undercover smuggler/pirate Bonnie Bess, and and Raphael Saint, aka the Duc du Viel and a pirate in his own right, meet after Raphael becomes her ship’s new sailing master. But neither is who they immediately appear to be. Lisbeth is a spy on a mission to break up a massive smuggling operation in the Caribbean. And Raphael is out for revenge against his uncle, who implicated his father for treason and now is out to get his nephew. Meanwhile, the two bicker and banter like it’s their full time job. Can these two ignore their sizzling attraction and keep their focus on the intrigue around them?

I love this book. Aside from the fact that Lisbeth and Raphael have hot hot hot scenes together, it is clearly a romance of equals. Both have formidable power as terrifying ship captains, but are also clever people who are always in motion behind the scenes. If that’s not enough, they also nickname each other, and the phrase “good girl” is liberally sprinkled throughout.

Another huge plus is the historically accurate diversity. Raphael’s background may include a French duc, but he also has Indian, French Creole, Black and Amerindian heritage. I also liked the matter of fact way that Lisbeth’s sexuality, described as demisexual and pansexual in the author’s note, is handled and accepted by those around her.

This books clearly works as standalone, since this is my first foray into The Daring Dukes series. Now I can’t wait to go back and read the others!

Any Duke in a Storm has spies! Pirates! Adventure! Banter! The sizzling chemistry between Lisbeth and Raphael is obvious on every page, and would be enough to keep the story moving along even without the exciting action that keeps the reader turning page after page. If you love historical romance, mystery, intrigue, and a diverse cast, you must read Amalie Howard’s latest book.

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

I really enjoyed this introduction into this world and I just couldn’t get enough of it. I just so thoroughly enjoyed meeting these new characters and getting to go on their journey. I will most definitely be reading more wonderful books from this author.

Amalie Howard never disappoints with her writing, innovative plotlines, and inclusive characters.
If you are a fan of pirate historical romance then you should add this book to your TBR..

I enjoyed this one from Amalie Howard - Definitely looking forward to read more in this genre from her!

Any opportunity I have to read a book by this author is one I will not hesitate in taking. I've always loved Amalie Howard's writing style, which is spicy and emotional.

This is basically an historical pirate romance. There's plenty of swashbuckling and adventure as well as some brilliant characters. I particularly enjoyed the fight scenes, which is something I don't normally say.

This series is also really inclusive. Lisbeth is bi-sexual - she's also a spy who speaks several languages and is working undercover as the captain of a pirate ship. Raphael is a smuggler who has a heart of gold, and is also not what he first seems. I loved the banter between these two. I also loved the other characters.

I received an ARC of this book from Souurcebooks Casblanca and Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was an interesting romance but not my favorite from this author. I didn’t care for the heroine and her tastes.

I enjoyed the story of Raphael and Lisbeth in this book, especially after only getting the bare bones of Lisbeth's story in one of the previous books of the series. Raphael is a really fun lead, a swashbuckling French smuggler who has a solid moral compass and a fun bearing on himself while Lisbeth starts off as very controlled and icy. The two could not seem further apart from each other but along the way their similarities give way to a better understanding of each other, even as Lisbeth hides a lot of secrets from Raphael, and Raphael... attempts to hide secrets.

He's really not as good at it as she is.

But then again, he doesn't really try as hard. Raphael prefers to be honest to a fault and you can't help but love him for that. I also love Narina and really hope that eventually her story will come too.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.25/5. Releases 1/09/2023.

Vibes: romance on the high seas, badass heroines, ridiculously besotted heroes, and sword fight boners

Heat Index: 7/10.

Lady Lisbeth, countess, divorcee, and spy, is on the run. She’s taken on the persona of Bonnie Bess, feared by all–except her new sailing master, the infuriating Raphael Saint. Problem one: Raphael may be a part of the smuggling ring Lisbeth is attempting to infiltrate. Problem two: she is, sadly, both extremely annoyed by and extremely attracted to him. Problem three: she may just have to rely on him if they’re going to get away from the people pursuing her in one piece.

I was, to be honest, a little worried about how Amalie would pull this off. A lot of pirate-adjacent romances can get super fetishistic super fast. Plus, Raphael (who is of mixed-race ancestry) could easily dip into the Exotic Brown Man caricature. However, after I let her do her thing, I was pleasantly surprised with a romance that is both heartfelt and ridiculously sexy, with a solid dose of adventure. It’s worth the risk!

Quick Takes:

–If you’re a fan of “man falls first and harder” in romance… You’ll love this. Lisbeth is a very guarded, icy heroine who’s here to do a job and doesn’t have time for nonsense. Raphael… is so naturally flirtatious, first off–but he’s also much more in touch with his emotions and isn’t afraid of letting Lisbeth know that he’s interested. The sexual tension is THICK, but their banter and interplay is another huge part of the fun. They play off each other so well, and it all begins with a SWORDFIGHT!

–Raphael does bring a lot of humor to the story. In a lot of ways, he reminds me (and this is a compliment) of Prince Naveen from The Princess and The Frog? Like, he’s very consciously leaning into being FRANCH, and he never misses an opportunity to hit on Lisbeth, but he also genuinely appreciates her talents and abilities and has a lot of really sweet moments.

He’s also super secure in himself, which brings up another thing I loved about this. Raphael isn’t by any means “feminine”, and he definitely has several scenes wherein he takes a dominant role in his dynamic with Lisbeth. But he’s also very comfortable with being, like… pretty. And delicate. He’s a swashbuckler, but he’ll also joke about wearing her blouses, and revel in the newfound possibilities of her taking control in the bedroom. There’s a very “local man realizes he may have a bit of a submissive side and he’s GOOD with it” vibe to it all.

–I don’t usually like kids in romance, but here we have a legitimately good one! Lisbeth comes into the story familiar with Narina, a twelve-year-old girl whose mother she was friends with. Narina becomes a part of their adventures, and she’s… fucking hilarious? Like, a foul-mouthed, snarky young girl who has a knack for piracy. And it’s one of those things where Lisbeth is always like “DECORUM” because she’s attempting to save this child’s manners, and Raphael (who of course has an immediate affinity with Narina, NATURALLY) can’t help but indulge her and encourage her wrongs. It’s adorable, it makes him even hotter in a “doting father” kind of way and I loved the conclusion it reached.

–I’m really not an expert on this particular part of history, so correct me if my impression is wrong. But it felt like Howard made an effort to represent the unique interplay of cultures across the islands, as well as how one really isn’t that different from the other. Raphael, as I mentioned, is French–but he’s also of Indian and Creole descent. The novel doesn’t delve too deeply into the complexities there, but you do get the sense from Raphael that he hasn’t really fit into any of the boxes offered to him by nineteenth century society, as a French duke who isn’t white and is very much his father’s legitimate heir.

But I really appreciate seeing a book that really didn’t take place in the ballroom, or ballroom adjacent, or really in England at all. You have a great sense of life at sea here, as well as some island-hopping, a detour to America, and so on. It offers a much bigger, grander world than a lot of conventional Victorian romances.

–There’s a great emotional beating heart here, and you really feel Lisbeth falling for this man, essentially against her will, while he steadfastly waits for her to recognize her own feelings. It leads to a great culmination, and some truly swoony emotions.

The Sex:

Um, really good. I do want to call out that Lisbeth is pansexual, and the book doesn’t shy away from that; one of the supporting characters is her ex-lover, and at one point another friend is outright like “oh wait, you like dudes too?” I loved that, and I loved that it’s seriously not a big deal, just this known thing about her and her experiences.

But yeah. This shit is hot. There’s not a huge emphasis on penetrative sex. Like it, happens, but there are a lot of other things that happen, and they do not feel any less like sex. (Including one scene that I don’t want to spoil, but you don’t see a lot of that exact configuration in historical romance, and….. it’s so good.)

Raphael has piercing(s!) and tattoos, and Lisbeth’s obsession with them is certainly incorporated. And like I mentioned earlier–there’s some exploration of both of them discovering New Things about themselves together. Essentially, they both go into this believing they prefer to be dominant, and realize that they’re both, perhaps… switch-y. This leads up to a scene towards the very end that delighted me Very Much. Put simply: the sex in this book is REALLY great.

Like I said, I was at first a little worried about how this one would turn out. However, I was ultimately really happy with where it went. Seeking a “woman and her overeager dangerous himbo go do piracy together” book? This is it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Good book! The author did a great job of describing the ships and the language. A lot of action and a fast read.

Lady Lisbeth Medford is a British spy on special assignment to the American government. She needs to infiltrate a particular smuggling ring, so she can bring its ringleader to justice. To accomplish this, Lisbeth poses as a bloodthirsty female ship captain. During a reckless escape, she finds Raphael Saint on her frigate. The man vexes her, but Lisbeth knows he is her best chance on capturing the elusive Prince of Smugglers. Can Lisbeth resist the temptation of tossing Raphael overboard? Or will he hinder her mission?
Raphael Saint is a discredited French duke turned smuggler. He concocted a plan to catch the one responsible for his father’s disgrace and death. When his shipmates mutiny, Raphael finds himself without a boat and incarcerated in an island prison. To elude his nemesis, he offers to be a sailing master on the only ship leaving port. Raphael suspects there is more to his captain than what she lets on. Will Raphael finally get retribution for his late father? Or is there more at stake?
Lisbeth did not disappoint me! She is a hard as nails woman who manages to carve a place for herself in a male-dominated profession. Lisbeth proves continuously that she can hold her own, even against men. And I adore her for that! What I like the most about Lisbeth is her mentality about physical entanglements. She must care or trust a person before being intimate with them, no matter their sex.
I now consider Raphael one of my literary husbandoes (yes, I am aware the term is often used for anime). Everything about him made me want to swoon, especially his incorrigible demeanor. He made the story so much fun to read! I adore Raphael’s interactions with Lisbeth/Beth. He purposely provoked her at every turn just to get a rise out of her. What I love the most about Raphael is his ability to see the “true” Lisbeth. He saw the woman beneath the hard-as-nails character she played.
ANY DUKE IN A STORM is the third book in Amalie Howard’s historical- romance series, DARING DUKES. Unfortunately, I have not read the first two books in this series. However, the story can easily stand alone for there is no on-going plot. The couples from those books are mentioned. Valentine and Bronwyn, the couple from THE DUKE IN QUESTION, do play a small role near the end. I want Narina to grow up quick, so she can put Thorin in place. She is a little spitfire.
I have forgotten how much I love and enjoy stories that take place on the ocean. The pirate/smuggler theme never bores me. I practically devoured every page of this book, even foregoing sleep and other duties to read more.

I love a pirate romance! I love the proximity and the danger and the tension that pirates bring to a story. This is the story of two pirates. She is a captain of an all woman ship and a legend of toughness in the Caribbean. He is a smuggler and all around Jack Sparrow type guy who is secretly working to take down his nemesis. Neither are what they seem. Both are working towards similar things and desperately need each other.

It was a fun fast read that kept me entertained during sports and quiet evenings at home. It was steamy and unique and provided some inclusive perspective that we don't always get in historical romance. I appreciate Howard's dedication to history in her books. I love getting parts of places and situations that are less shared and send me right into the authors note for more.

I love Amalie Howard's historical romances and I think this one might be a new favorite. Lisbeth Medford, who has shown up a few times throughout this series as the (now ex) wife and espionage partner of Valentine Medford, the MMC in The Duke in Question, is a badass female operative for the British Home Office. At the start of this story, she's on loan to the US Treasury Department and deep undercover as Bonnie Bess, a ruthless female smuggler/pirate working in America and the Caribbean. Through a series of misadventures, she runs into Raphael Saint, a French-Tobagonian smuggler who has recently been betrayed by his own men and has to flee quickly. Lisbeth's quartermaster has hired Raphael as a sailing master, and she's not happy about it - not in the least because she finds herself attracted to him. Tons of adventure, a great romantic plot, and a diverse group of smart and well-written characters. This really just made me want to read the whole series again.

Any Duke in a Storm is a fun high seas adventure with a steamy romance and a dash of smuggling and spies. The developing relationship of Lisbeth and Raphael is fun to watch as they learn about each other and themself. I look forward to reading more books by Amalie Howard, as this one was a first for me.