I’m absolutely tickled about “You’re the Duke That I Want” by Lenora Bell, first in the new The Thunderbolt Club series!

This was a page turner for me because it’s inspired by one of my favorite musical movies so I was grinning and internally singing the whole time. Plus, FMC Sandrine Oliver finds herself blooming from her sheltered existence, MMC Danny Smith aka Lord Dane Walker overcomes internal conflicts, and there’s a mystery aspect.

The meet-cute had me smiling and sweetness followed during their encounters in her small village. We are kept on edge because Danny was hiding his true identity while they both hid their steamy, detailed fantasies of each other.

I love the introduction of the historical version of the Pink Ladies! I had another big grin when they came on scene. I love the fast friendship and encouragement for Sandrine to get what she wants.

So much happens in this well-written book! We get a secondary love story, racing, the mystery is solved, great friendships, and found family, figuratively and literally! For those of us who enjoy reading about sheltered yet strong women taking a stand and sad boys hidden within a rake, I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Net Galley, Avon Books, and Harper Voyager US for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Perhaps I'm still a little bitter that the last friend in Wallflowers v Rogues didn't get her story and we've moved on to a new series but I do really love Lenora Bell so I wanted to give this a try.
All in all, it's a well written book, like all of her work but maybe a touch too on the nose with the Grease adaptation. I also don't like Grease so perhaps this book just wasn't for me. I'm excited to see what other stories she's planning on giving a historical spin, though!

A Grease inspired historical romance?! Yes! I didn’t know what to expect but Lenora Bell wonderfully weaves the story of Grease into this book. I loved the pink ladies and the Thunderbolt Club and can’t wait for more in this series.
Sandrine is stuck in her sheltered life her mother has created for her but finally gets to experience some adventure when Dane sweeps into town. Little does she know - he’s not who he’s pretending to be. From the seaside to London these two have many highs and lows in their relationship. It was so much fun!

You're the Duke That I Want is the first book in Lenora Bell's new The Thunderbolt Club series. Ms. Bell is usually a 4 or 5 star read for me, so I was really excited to have the opportunity to get in at the beginning of her new series. And though it was entertaining and steamy, I was left a bit disappointed. You see, this was a Grease-inspired rom com story. Yes, that is correct...it was based on the musical/movie. I liked the play, but not enough that I want to read a historical romance based on it.

Sandrine Oliver was raised by an overprotective mother in a small seaside village. She craves love and adventure, but nothing ever happens there...until the day Sandrine decides to throw caution to the wind and bathe in the sea, that is. She meets a handsome, mysterious man, "Danny Smith", and is totally taken by him. But then he disappears without a word, leaving Sandrine once again stranded in her staid life. Lord Dane Walker, the younger brother of the Duke of Rydell, spends most of his time racing fast carriages and loving then leaving women. When the Duke is mortally wounded, Dane becomes responsible for the dukedom, and also inherits the blackmail which threatens all he holds dear. When Sandrine manages a miracle and visits London without her mother, she runs into Danny, only to discover that he is actually a nobleman, and a rake at that. He also acts like he barely even knows her! Sandrine doesn't need him; her new friends, the Pink Ladies, plot to transform her into an irresistible woman so she can bring him to his knees and then turn him down. But what happens when she realizes she is hopelessly devoted to him?

Sandrine (Sandy, see?) and Dane (or Danny, if you prefer) are both likable characters. Sandrine wanted adventure, but her mother was incredibly overprotective and didn't want the poor girl to even have any friends. Her mama wanted Sandrine to marry the vicar of their local church and stay close to her; it didn't really matter what Sandrine wanted. Sandrine was in the historical preservation society, and she wanted the owner of the Rydell Mansion to turn over the abandoned building to them so it could be refurbished and provide a lovely home for the two ghosts who resided there. When she was able to visit London without her mother it was about a miracle, but she planned to get the Duke to listen to her. She just wasn't expecting to see her summer romance again! Dane tried to ignore her but like the first time he met her, he was unable to resist the sweet young woman. He promised he wouldn't compromise her, but they did just about everything else! It was incredibly steamy and quite well done. There was a bit about blackmail, and Dane's desire to keep the woman he was falling for safe. My problem was the Grease-inspiration the story was based on. We had Sandy and Danny...oops, I mean Sandrine and Dane. We had a group of young independent women called "The Pink Ladies". Dane had a group of rowdy friends who raced carriages dangerously (of course there weren't cars then). There was a ball where Sandrine and Dane were dancing but she was pulled away and someone took her place. A friend of Dane's was to be in a dangerous race, but he was hit on the head and was too injured to participate, so Dane took his place. One of the Pink Ladies thought she was in a delicate way. Such phrases as "hopelessly devoted to you" were used. COME ON NOW! I was waiting for them to break into song! It was all cute, but not what I really want from this author, though I'm happy she had such fun with it. At least the blackmail bit added some originality to the plot. I hope the next books in the series don't rely so heavily on Grease, which of course I will read because Lenora Bell is one of my favorite historical romance authors, to whom I am hopelessly devoted. (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

I can't be the only reader who sang her way through this book. Paying homage to the musical Grease, Bell has penned a story that is lighthearted, fast paced, and just plain fun.

In many ways, this book is a historical retelling of the modern day musical, complete with Dane and Sandrine's "summer love," a pack of London rakes who delight in racing carriages, and even a group of independent society misses known as the "Pink Ladies." But Bell also puts her own spin on it, giving it emotional heft with both Sandrine's and Dane's individual circumstances. I enjoyed watching the growth of both characters. It was especially fun to see Sandrine come into her own after a lifetime under her mother's thumb with the discovery of an unknown family member being an added bonus. And to see Dane finally realize that he was worthy of love touched my heart. There's also blackmail, a mystery to be solved, and complicated family dynamics on both sides. This one is definitely a page turner!

If you're in the mood for a book that will have you grinning with delight (honestly, I don't think I stopped smiling the entire time), give You're the Duke That I Want a try. It's the first in Lenora Bell's new The Thunderbolt Club historical romance series and a treat from start to finish.

*ARC received via NetGalley. Fair and unbiased review.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, clever, charming and steamy. I enjoyed the theme inspired by the movie "Grease" and will look for more books by this author.

Raised by an overprotective mother, Sandrine yearns for adventure in her quiet seaside village. A handsome stranger sweeps her off her feet, only to mysteriously vanish. The charming man is revealed to be London’s disreputable Lord Dane Walker, a man with a dangerous secret. Can she resist the pull of the enigmatic nobleman?

I adored Sandrine and Dane. It’s lovely to see Sandrine blossom into her own person. This is an exuberant and heartwarming romance.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you @avonbooks and @netgalley for my review copy and Happy pub day to You’re the Duke That I Want by Lenora Bell. #gifted

This historical romance is a Grease retelling and I smiled throughout the whole book with the very big call outs. It was cleverly done as this is through a through a historical. Instead of fast cars, Lord Dane (or Danny in disguise) drives a fast curricle in the Thunderbolt club. This is a club of rakes who enjoy their fast lifestyle. Sandrine Oliver runs into Danny by the sea one day and this beautiful, simple, country girl falls under his spell. But when she runs into him in London, he acts like they never met.

It was seriously such a fun Grease retelling and I loved it so much! The ballroom scene 😍. Lenora Bell has a fan for life in me.

Grease is one of my favorite movies, so obviously I was very excited about this book. I'm not a fan of hidden identity, so that part I didn't like as much. Sandrine is the epitome of the good, clueless girl. A bit too clueless, even for that time. The chemistry is there and luckily this book is open door. While I understand the need for clusters or societies of men or women when building a series, I think those are a bit overdone so the Pink Ladies in this book were not my cup of tea at all. Overall a pleasant read with more than Grease vibes - it's literally Greaste set a long time ago. And without the song.s

Squalton-on-Sea

Sandrine Oliver is a caregiver for her mother who suffers from various nervous ailments and is overly worried about her daughter. Her mother also wants her to marry the vicar but she does not want to.

Her town is somewhat dilapidated as is the once grandiose Squalton Manor. As part of the historical society for the town, Sandrine has written its owner, the Duke of Rydell, many times asking that he fix it up or donate it to the town for events. To date, there has been no answer to her requests. She so wants to write a history of the Manor.

Dane Walker is the much younger brother to the current Duke of Rydell. When Dane’s father died, he inherited some properties, one of which is Squalton Manor. He has come to the town to see what there Manor is like in hopes of selling it. Dane runs the London based Thunderbolt Club.

One day, Sandrine is out walking by the water and decides to remove her dress and take a swim. She knows that if her mother found out, she would be furious. When Dane sees her, he thinks she drowning and pulls her to shore. They are instantly attracted to one another. When she sees him again, she agrees to show him the Manor. But he leaves abruptly when he learns that his brother, the duke, has died suddenly.

Sandrine was hurt by his leaving without an explanation. So, when she gets a chance to go to London with two ladies from the town, the last things she expects is to find out who he truly is. That’s when she gets introduced to the type of life her mother always wanted to protect her from.

This is a story that has some good parts but I found it to be way too steamy for me. The friends she makes are a bit coarse and that was a turnoff. However, I’m sure there are many readers that will enjoy this book.

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

This book was good, but missing something. It’s basically the same story as grease, so if you are a fan you will definitely enjoy this. I think I would’ve like more plot that didn’t fit the grease format. The characters were interesting but again you already know these characters. Overall a good time but not as fun . I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was good because I don’t think Lenora Bell could write a bad book. But I think I leaned a little TOO heavily on it’s inspiration, Grease. Some details translated so well - curricle racing instead of cars, the pink sashes the pink ladies wore. And some of it just felt out of place in an historical romance. I know the sequel will be based on mamma Mia, and I think trying to find ones parentage will play a lot more naturally in this kind of series.

That being said, the Dane and sandrine were charming together. We had the almost overdone plot of a man who insists he won’t marry because of some dark family secret, but it works well enough. I think I much preferred them in their scenes alone rather than when their friends were around, those side characters were a little over the top and distracting sometimes.

Still, it was a fun book, and a bigger fan of Grease would probably love it.

This was a pretty good read by one of my favorite authors. Ms Bell writes a cute story with a touch of Grease movie theme. The characters were fully developed with thoughts and feelings of their own.
When Sandrine Oliver is swimming in a lake, a man jumps in to save her. The woman was not and she tells him that. He is visiting the seaside town to see about his older brother's interests and decides to be plain Mr. Danny Smith because folks there hate the Duke.
Sandrine and Danny hit it off at first meeting and their attraction is immediate to each other. Danny meets the woman's mother who is very critical and protective of her daughter. When Danny leaves without a word, Sandrine is heartbroken.
When she goes to London to get the new Duke of Rydell to help her out. But when she meets Danny Smith again, she finds that he's the Duke and a rake to boot. She decides to teach him a lesson on honesty and begins her transformation into a sensuous woman.
Lots of groveling for Dane (Danny) the Duke to do for his love for Sandrine. A happy ever after is for all those who believe in fate.
I appreciate Net Galley for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.

Grease meets historical romance...

This is a Grease retelling, set in the ripped bodice era. Sandrine Oliver is being raised as a pious young woman in a seaside town that hates the Dukes of Rydell. Dane, is the younger brother of the duke, and heir presumptive. He calls himself Danny Smith and like all men of no consequence, rescues a damsel that does not need rescuing. He does however, lead Sandrine down the carnal path. He then ghosts her.

In London, he's with his pack of rakes (boring, no more rakes, please, yawn). Dane does all the Danny stuff in the movie Grease. There's a pregnancy, who's the duke drama and plenty of Grease is the word...of course Sandrine gets a make over.

So, props for a fresh mash up. I think this is the first?
Fun, young adulting drama, with corsets.
Recommend.

The first novel in a new series by Lenora Bell.

Fun and well written. Good re-imagining story.

Thank-you to Avon, Harper Voyager and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#YouretheDukeThatIWant #NetGalley

Sandrine Oliver lives in the quiet village of Squalton-On-Sea and is a devoted and dutiful daughter to her mother who is a paranoid pessimist who spouts the dangers of men and life in general, and who is bent on seeing Sandrine married to the town’s vicar. So when Sandrine is not being lectured by her mother, or pressured to marry the village vicar, she spends her time researching the crumbling Manor house that used to be owned by her father's family but was lost centuries ago to the Duke of Rydell. Sandrine has tried to contact the duke many times, hoping he will fix up the house or give it to the Squalton Historicial Preservation and Improvement Society (of which she is the secretary), but much to her dismay, he has ignored her. But all that changes one hot afternoon when Sandrine uncharacteristically defies her mother and takes a dip in the sea, only to be accosted by a man claiming to be saving her from drowning. She soon finds herself falling for Danny, who disappears without a word. It is also the same man she sees later in London with a group of rakes, but this man is not the sweet, man she met in Squalton-on-Sea, nor is he Danny Smith, no, he is Dane Walker, the presumed Duke of Rydell and it that is not bad enough, he is pretending to not to know her!

Lord Dane Walker is the “spare heir” to his brother, the Duke of Rydell, and a founding member of the Thunderbolt Club, a group of young rakes who like racing carriages and fast women. He is in the sleepy town of Squalton-on-Sea to check out Squaltonn Manor, a property his father left him, but it is not long before he realizes his family is hated in the small town, so he tells the locals his name is Danny Smith. He sees the manor and knows that it is not the windfall he believed it to be, it is in dire need of repair and anyone buying it will probably want to raze the building and start from scratch, especially given the general air of neglect and disrepair of the entire town. Disappointed, he plans to return to Brighton but is stymied when his horse comes up lame. Instead, he wanders down to the manor and is shocked to see a woman splashing alone in the sea, he promptly saves her and finds himself captivated. Maybe staying in Squalton for a few days won’t be too bad. Sandrine is lovely, smart, and not his type at all, meaning, she is too good for him, yet that doesn't stop him from craving her. But when he receives notice that his brother has died, he leaves without a second thought, never expecting to see her again.

When I saw that Lenora Bell was launching a new series I was excited. And when I read the blurb and requested this book from NetGalley, I was under the impression that this book was “Grease-inspired”, but a few chapters in I realized that was a huge understatement, this is a straight-up retelling of the 1970 movie classic set in Georgian England with only a few deviations. That said – if you have ever seen Grease then you will immediately see the similarities, from Danny to the Pink Ladies. And if you are a fan of the movie, you will probably be highly entertained. As for me, I liked the movie but didn’t LOVE it, and I felt the same as this book, it was OK, the writing was good and the love scenes were definitely steamier than the movie, but after waiting over a year for a new story, I felt a bit let down and wished Ms. Bell had put her own spin on the story instead of making minor alterations to adapt a well-known movie into an historical romance novel.

3 stars

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*

You're the Duke That I Want is a twist on the infamous musical Grease and as only Lenora can, she manages to create the perfect homage to the original with a regency/Georgian twist. Anyone who is familiar with the source material will love the subtle nods!

Lenora Bell's writing never fails to capture my heart. She has this unique way of making me fall head over fictional heels in love with her characters. I love how flawed they are and how the other MC never is the one to 'fix' them but to stand by there side and help strengthen them on their paths of discovery and healing.

Sandrine was such a wonderful FMC. There were so many aspects of her character I felt a kinship to, from her love of books, to her wish to protect and champion what she loved. And Dane, goodness I just wanted to hold him close and give him all the love he had been denied. His inability to see who he had always been and who he had become made my heart ache.

As always I love Bell's side characters/friendships and how essential they are to the story. Dane's friends were phenomenal and hilarious. Male friendships in novels are my favourites and Lenora Bell writes some of my absolute favourite male friend groups. Their banter was absolute perfection.

This is an amazing start to a new series of musical meets historical romance and I cannot wait for the next in the series. Warburton is already a book boyfriend and his book isn't even released yet!

WOW Twists, Passion and adventure. This story has it all!!
Lenora Bell is one of my new favorite authors. I can’t get enough of her stories. So, when I received this as an ebook ARC I was beyond excited. What a story! Bell is an amazing writer and this adventure shows us exactly why.
Sandrine Oliver wants adventure in her life but she can’t even make it outside because of her overprotective and paranoid mom. She meets a mystery man who gives a glimpse of the life out there. Then there is Lord Dane Walker is very adventurous and lives to race carriages and live a free life, until his brother dies and leaves him the responsibility of being the Duke. Now he has to be the honorable man, in all things. They didn’t plan on secrets and life throwing them together. Now can they fight the pull and the passion of each other?

I absolutely loved the characters in this story. Sandrine is such a free spirit with a good heart. She is so fun loving and wishes for a life of adventure and meaning while stuck with a mom who doesn’t want to let her out of her sight. Once she tastes some of that freedom her rebellion grows and a passion for life gets even bigger. Then there is Lord Dane who is desperate to hide from anything that holds responsibility. Now when he is stuck will he be able to step up and handle it all. I get all kinds of vibes from this story. Like the Pink Ladies who give me that Grease vibe and girls who are a part of the Pink Ladies are all amazing characters themselves. They add to Sandrine being ready to rebel and set herself free.
This story is full of edge of your seat action. So many twists and one right after another and so unexpected. You are going to fall in love with this story. Be ready for a book that you can’t put down, and don’t want to. When each chapter starts with the advice from Mrs. Oliver’s rules for young ladies you know trouble is ahead. I loved the passion and feeling of this story. I can’t wait for you to discover this adventure for yourself. This one is going in my collection.

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

Nope. Did not work after the first chapter. A 1970's musical about a fictional high school made into a movie made over into a historical romance, does not work. The general idea might have been used and worked well but this a word for word, scene by scene reenactment. Sandy, Danny, the Pink Ladies, Danny's no good friends. I cringed and had trouble finishing the book.

#You're the Duke That I Want #LenoraBell #Netgalley #TheThunderboltClub #Avon #HarperColinsPublishers

I know this is blasphemous, but I am not a Grease fan. I don’t hate it, but I don’t love it either. In the publicity for the book, I saw that it was Inspired By Grease, but, to me, this was more than ‘inspired by’, it was an almost direct retelling except it was set in the 1800s rather than the 1950s. I could all but hear the background music from Grease playing as I read and all it needed was for Dane (Danny) to call Sandrine Sandy. If you loved Grease, then you’ll probably enjoy this book.

Sandrine Oliver was raised in the quiet, nothing-ever-happens, village of Squalton-On-Sea by an over-protective, stifling mother who was afraid of almost everything in life. Sandrine was a dutiful, quiet, and loving daughter who longed to stand on her own and discover life for herself. She chaffed at her mother’s restrictions – and the one time she decided to have at least a tiny bit of rebellion by wading into the sea, a tall, handsome stranger saw her and believed she was drowning. She wasn’t, but he rescued her anyway. Oh! Meeting Danny Smith definitely brought a tad of excitement into her life.

Lord Dane Walker (aka – Danny Smith) loathes himself and leads a hedonistic lifestyle because he doesn’t seem to care much whether he lives or dies. Nobody has ever loved him – certainly not his brother, the Duke of Rydell, who has hated him his entire life. His father hated him as well – he said he was a mistake and should never have been born. Both his brother and his father blamed Dane for his mother’s death in childbirth. Young Dane took their hatred to heart and believed that he was worthless and unlovable. Then, he met a beautiful, sweet, caring, unspoiled young lady drowning in the sea.

I liked Dane and I liked Sandrine and their featured story was a nice romance with blackmailers, assaults, dangerous curricle races, and Pink Ladies (yes that is what they were called). I enjoyed watching Sandrine convince Dane that he was a worthy person and I enjoyed seeing her find her grandmother. However, what I felt was lacking was any depth to the other members of The Thunderbolt Club and The Pink Ladies. I assume some or all of them will be featured in future books, yet I can hardly tell you their names, much less why we might want to read a book featuring them.

Overall, it was an okay read for me. It seems that ‘retelling’ is the current fashion in books – and while it isn’t usually my favorite thing, I can be okay with it if it is ‘loosely’ based on the story. I wanted to learn more about other characters – especially Lady Roslyn and Kenwick. Will we get a story from them or was this it? They were an interesting couple, but – it was just all so abrupt.

While I wouldn’t read it a second time, I would recommend it to my friends who love Grease or love re-tellings. Should you choose to read it, I hope you will love it. For me, I’m looking forward to the next story in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book's Advanced Reader Copy (ARC). All thoughts and opinions are my own.