Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Duchess and The Wolf delivered on some of my absolute favorite Regency romance tropes. A fierce heroine who wants an unconventional life/future? Check. A hero who revels in how perfect the heroine is (in appearance, talent, and wit)? Check. Main characters who truly see each other when no one else understands them? Check. And throw in some sneaking around, scandalous liaisons, and a duel for good measure!

While this didn't really feel like a true Little Red Riding Hood retelling (in fact, I would argue Susannah was more in pursuit of Rafe than the inverse), I still enjoyed that the Wolf had a good heart underneath his gruff demeanor.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will look out for what Lydia Drake writes next.

3.25 stars. This is a historical romance that has more of a contemporary romance sensibility. There’s also a dash of fairy tale fantasy worked into the mix, with a nod to Little Red Riding Hood. Lightweight escapism with a plot that deflates a bit at the end, and characters that are rather overly familiar (yes, yet another unpleasant mom and wild best friend). The steam is level 3.

I read an advanced reader copy of this book and this is my voluntary review. Opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book but I do feel like it was missing something. I’m not sure it was the dialog or what but something took me out of the historical ness of it all. I liked Both the main characters. Savannah coming into her own and taking control of her future and Rafe giving her the space to be and grown into herself. I felt like some of there miscommunications (which never led to breakups and I really appreciate that) were silly and I laughed at them, the proposal jumps to mind. I am interested in reading Julie and her dukes story as well as the governess and her dukes story. Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC to read.

What’s a girl to do when she’s in London for the season and has the attention of a duke? Obviously, dawn a disguise and play music in a gentleman’s club.

Susannah feels out of place. She feels no sparks from the Duke that could be her future husband, and longs to travel, and experience the world. Susannah is also a people pleaser, and is in a very real risk of pleasing everyone but herself and gettin stuck living a life she does not want. Thanks to her best friend she ends up at a party where no respectable girl should be and meets, Rafe—the club owner—who plants a seed she cannot easily pluck.

Lucky me, I had been in the mood for a Historical Romance and my request was approved for this one. I highly enjoyed it. The female supportive characters were very enjoyable and true best friends for our heroine, Susannah. Rafe, was a little obtuse at times for me but, it’s believable with the issues he was packing. Altogether it was a very enjoyable read for me. I’ll be looking to see if there is any other books in this world.

Thank you Net Galley and Lydia Drake for this ARC.

This was my first book by this author, and I felt like this story had a lot of potential it didn’t quite reach for me. The relationship between the two main characters could have been developed more; they seemed to have a pretty serious case of instalust. Other than desire, I’m not sure what they shared or saw in each other. I liked the characters separately and they could have been a great couple. I just wanted the relationship to be more fleshed out.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to Entangled and NetGalley for this eARC!

This was a cute little story that was quick to read. Interesting story, but none of the characters really grabbed my attention (except Felicity, hopefully the series continues so we get her story! I’m sure that will be a riot!)

I need more relationship building and this one was too insta-lust for me. Time spent rehashing Julia’s story could have been spent developing Rafe and Susannah’s relationship. Overall not much happened, and then at the end after such smooth sailing I couldn’t understand their why Rafe thought she abandoned him. This was low stakes that became contrived stakes.

I’ll still probably stick around for the governess story because I liked the duke.

Susannah is living in the world of the ton with her mother pressuring her to marry well. A Duke is courting her and they are good friends but she does not envision herself being tied down to the quiet life. She wants to soar, play her music across stages, and travel adventurously.
One night she and her friend attend a mask where she encounters Rafe: a wolf of a man who owns the club. Susannah strikes bargain with him to play her music while masked in order to elevate the quality of his club.
They are drawn to each other but Rafe knows she is special so he cannot have her for his own. Susannah has other ideas to be with Rafe and the Duke becomes involved in defending her.
Romance abounds in this story of two disparate lives.
Cheering for Rafe to find love and commitment.

"I love you. I adore you. You're mine now."


Unfortunately, this novel fell flat for me. I found it difficult to connect with the characters and never really felt invested in their romance or their storyline. Both Rafe and Susannah could be a bit ridiculous at times in how they reacted to their unfortunate circumstances. For me, the romance felt forced between the two MCs, and I had a hard time understanding why they actually fell for one another. Overall, this one just wasn't for me, but other readers may enjoy the whimsical quality to it.

Rating: 4/5
I received an eARC for my honest opinion.

What if you were a young lady that knew what she wanted and that was not to marry a Duke and be stuck living a boring life, but you live in the society where higher-class women only marry Dukes or someone higher up and live a plush life. All you want to do is be able to travel and visit all the wonderful cities of the world, to experience their music, the foods and of course their music. What would you do to have the life you wanted?

I thought this book was well done. The plot was clear, the author did not give us an info dump and the pace was well done. I thought having the heroine of the story save herself was great, I mean who wouldn’t love seeing a woman be her own savoir in the story, and to have the chance at true love too. I really enjoyed the characters the most in this book, from Susannah to the Duke and Rafe to all the people he employs.

I thought having Susannah be a strong, confident woman, she can hold her own when it comes to negotiations, and she is not scared to back down when she sees something she wants. Who will do anything to get the life that she wants to live was great to read. I liked that there was some scandal in this book, but it made me want to shout, “You go girl!” I liked that she was scared to talk about what she wanted, but she would “put on her big girl panties” and handle it like a boss. She was not scared to get out there to achieve her goals and I loved that she was not scared to fall in love with someone who was in a lower class than herself.

Rafe was an interesting character. I enjoyed seeing his brooding, grumpy, I don’t like anything side but then to see the other side of him where he was caring about his employees and how he had more and better dreams for himself. I loved that he was able to pull himself from the lowest of classes to somewhere in the middle class and he still wanted to make sure that women of the lower classes were treated with respect and given something nice. I was not what I was expecting when I started this book, and I am so happy he wasn’t. I loved that he was so sweet and gentle to Susannah, yet their passion was on fire.

Thank you to the author for making one of the conversations that Rafe and Susannah have not become a miscommunication troupe, instead you showed that two characters that are both hard headed can talk about their situation. It was really nice getting to see that.

If you enjoy: historical romances, a strong female character, some steamy spice scenes, and one sexy sweet villain but not villain…

I can’t wait to see what else Lydia Drake will give us next.

I want to thank NetGalley and Entangled Pub for the opportunity to review this book.

"What's got you so bothered?"
Annabelle nudged Susannah. "Did you find a handsome bear or something?"
"No." Susannah shivered. "Just a wolf."

With a Grumpy sunshine, Rake and lady, Enemies to partners to lovers dynamic this book was great!!! Book three in a series I find myself progressively more interested in, Susannah and Rafe’s story was one of passion, art, love and forbidden relationships!!!
She is almost engaged to a golden retriever duke that she does not love but will she be able to deny the attraction and passionate feelings she has for the dark, brooding, morally grey, rascal wolf?
He is so hot and dark and passionate and I couldn’t help but fall in love with him!!! There is nothing as good as a slow burn of two people in a forced proximity environment where they have to work together and they can’t touch one another the way they both seem to want. And it was even spicy!!!! That’s good news!!! I find myself more than a little bit intrigued by what this author can do and I’m really curious about a possible next book in this series!!!

"Play well, Duchess. Play for your life."

"You're a good girl, aren't you?" he growled, kissing her. "Far too good for the likes of me."

Susannah Fletcher has the attention of a Duke and her mother is expecting a proposal any moment. But the Duke, although very nice, sparks nothing inside her. She dreams of travel and playing music. At a party she meets the scandalous Rafe Winter, the Wolf of Mayfair. To get a property he wants the gentleman says he must raise the level of his clientele. Susannah offers to play her music in concerts at his establishments in disguise hopefully bringing in more of the ton. He agrees to her high price, that she hopes to use to get away and travel.

Performing as the Red Duchess she is more of a success than they could imagine. But spending time together she can’t help but be drawn to the rough Rafe. I was a little perplexed at this book as the last book I read from this author was a Cinderella retelling. I went into this thinking this was going to somehow follow Red Ridinghood. It doesn’t. There is imagery, in his being called the Wolf and she is always in red but that is where the similarities stop. That story, Cinderella and the Duke, is the romance of Susannah's beloved stepsister who is helpful and supportive in this book.

I enjoyed this story. I love where heroines get to rescue themselves. She comes up with the solutions and is herself a wonderful marketer. The Duke is an interesting character because he is genuinely nice but a little self absorbed and clueless. And I like that Rafe has a woman, Jacks, as a business partner. A very enjoyable romantic adventure. I'm a little perplexed as Goodreads is showing this as the first in a series but this is clearly connected to a previous story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for the ARC and I am leaving a voluntary review.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an eARC of this book via NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 3/5 Stars
Publishing: September 18, 2023
Series: Debutantes of London #1
Pages: 400

I’ve only read one other book by Lydia Drake and very much enjoy it. Susannah very much wants to travel and play her music instead of marrying a duke that her mother so wants to make her way into society. Rafe needs to make his establishment more relatable to society in order to purchase a building from a nob of the ton. Susannah and Rafe contracts into an opportunity that would benefit their own aspirations and desires. I very much enjoyed the relationship and romance between the two main characters. A trope of class and opposites attract, and another take on the “Little Red Riding Hood” fairy tale. As with all historical romances that I read, I look for a bit of steamy and the intimate scenes were spicy and well-written, although it appeared that the heroine was more of the wolf than the hero in this area. Both main characters are themselves…unchanging that also made for a lovely story. Well-written, interesting plot and good transition from chapter to chapter for an expected HEA.

I could not put this down! I was so intrigued by the characters and plot that I just kept saying "just one more chapter". I loved Susannah and Rafe - they truly embodied the idea of bringing out the best in a partner. Rafe made Susannah more confident and willing to go for what she wanted and Susannah made Rafe see he was more than his upbringing/past. One of my favorite parts in the novel was when Susannah goes to break things off with Rafe and the two actually talk about the situation rather than just giving up. That's why when he does almost end things toward the end you see how he continued to see himself as unworthy of Susannah. Luckily for him she takes the big step in bringing about their happy ending. Another of my favorite parts is when Susannah goes to Rafe after learning about the fire - the scene is sweet and has just the right amount of humor to it. I can't wait to see what Lydia Drake has in store for us readers in her next book!

This is the first book that I have read by this author, but it won't be the last.
Susannah, a member of the aristocracy wants to travel and play her music instead of marrying a Duke.
One night out with a friend they stop by a masked party at Rafe's club. She finds a piano and starts playing.
Rafe is trying to buy the mansion across the street to make a fancy hotel, but the owner won't sell it to him until he makes his club more respectable. He hears Susannah playing and makes a deal with her to do nightly shows.
This is a very interesting story about class differences and how women were treated. There were lots of twists and turns in the story and some very interesting characters.

Perfect amount of steam, intrigue and chaos. Susannah is a strong woman who knows what she wants and goes for it.

I loved the previous book in this series, which I think was also Ms. Drake's debut romance novel, So I had high expectations for "The Duchess and the Wolf." Unfortunately those expectations were not met. As separate characters, Susannah and Rafe are great. Susannah a dreamer who feels unseen and unheard and Rafe an impoverished child who as a grown man is still trying to make good. Together, though, they did not fully make sense to me. Rafe refers to Susannah as a "girl" repeatedly throughout the book while he is referred to as a man. I was actually never totally clear on the age difference between the two, but just this makes me feel like it is quite the gap. I also really disliked the ending. Rafe was supposedly all about Susannah getting her dreams. Yet as soon as she said she would give it all up for him, he just let her. Why did his dreams become hers instead of vice versa? I understand what Ms. Drake was trying to get at, but certainly there could have been a compromise reached. I do think I would have been less frustrated were it not for the epilogue (and normally I adore epilogues), which makes it clear that Susannah's dreams will be long on the shelf.

All of that said, I did still enjoy the book - I like Ms. Drake's writing, and her steamy scenes are quite good. I still wouldn't hesitate to pick up another one of her books - perhaps about a certain duke and governess?

2.5 stars rounded up to 3. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. The opinions herein are my own.

Rating: 3.5/5
Summary:

Susannah Fletcher is soon to be a duchess, but wants one last taste of freedom. She strikes a bargain with Rafe Winter that in exchange for the money that will help her travel abroad, she will perform the piano at his club The Wolf's Den to bring culture to the club and persuade an aristocrat to sell his property to Rafe. Soon, Susannah is the most popular performer in London all while the attraction between her and Rafe grows...

My review:

The romance between Rafe and Susannah was a surprisingly sweet one. It's classic opposites attract; she's an aristocrat and he's a club owner and former thief who is perpetually reminding Susannah just how much of a bit o' rough he is (again, classic).

That being said, since this romance seems to be based on Little Red Riding Hood, I expected a little more hunt/hunted vibes, if that makes sense. Rafe does have a rough-and-tumble sort of personality (like, he won't hesitate to beat up a lord who's praying on his staff or Susannah), but he's not... particularly dastardly, despite the "Wolf of Mayfair" moniker. He's actually in a pretty weak position for most of the book because he wants to expand his business but needs to kowtow to a rich lord to make that happen. Enter Susannah who wants a taste of freedom and a chance to perform the piano in front of a live audience. She and Rafe strike up a bargain so she can perform anonymously under the name Red Duchess (she wears a red cape while she performs), and Rafe can bring more "culture" to his club in order to impress a lord into selling his property.

On Susannah's end, she's under a lot of pressure to marry a duke who's courting her relentlessly when all she wants to do is travel and perform. I think this plot fell a little flat for me because the duke is actually a nice guy. Like, he's a hot, blond, six-and-a-half(!) foot duke and he's respectful of her (really, his only sin is being a little patronizing). Obviously I understand being a duchess is not the life she wants but from a plot perspective, it's pretty low tension, particularly when you see Susannah has a supportive family (sans her mother) and isn't under financial pressure.

The sex:

The sex was well written; nothing super out there, and again, no particularly hunt/hunted vibes here either. tbh Susannah is the one begging Rafe to have sex with her most of the time while he's all "noooo you're too good for me and I have SCRUPLES". But once he breaks (in stages), nothing can stop them.

Overall:

This was a sweet romance with a tidy conclusion that also sets up the next hero's (hot blond duke) romance. While I don't think it was quite for me, I'd recommend it to any historical romance reader who's a fan of a romance with a class difference, looking to read a romance that is not entirely set in ballrooms, or if they're looking to dip their toe into the gambling hell/club setting.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Entangled Publishing for this ARC.

The Duchess and the Wolf started out really strong. I liked the set-up for these two meeting and I also liked that the heroine wanted to chase her dreams of playing music. I thought the two MCs had good chemistry and their banter was fun. However, the middle part drags and the end of the book left me feeling like the heroine didn't really get the HEA she deserved. It felt like a bit of a let down considering how she started the book. I also didn't particularity feel the romance between the two; mostly seemed like lust to me.

The cover is gorgeous! I mean the passionate embrace & him grabbing her necklace? Whoever designed this cover deserves a raise lol. The steamy scenes were good too.

I like Drake's writing (as I did with her previous book Cinderella & the Duke) but feel that her stories start to drag towards the middle and the ending leaves me unsatisfied. Again, I liked the premise but felt the ending could've been happier (at least let the heroine achieve her dream instead of giving it up to support the hero).

Overall, this was an okay, quick read for me.

Thanks to Entangled for the ARC!
I found this one to be a disappointment unfortunately. While the book starts out with a fun premise for a historical- woman who could take the conventional route wants more for herself and to set her own path, but the book then goes on to basically ignore that aspect of the protagonists character and personality because she ends the book basically giving up her dreams to follow a man and support his. How is that better than marrying the Duke as expected? Sigh.