A romantic adventure with intriguing historical elements, but it didn’t fully deliver. The chemistry between the characters was enjoyable, though the plot lacked the depth and cohesion to make it truly memorable. Worth a read for fans of historical romance.

Delicious historical romance! I love McAvoy's settings and characters-- so rich, so lovable, so much fun.

This was my favorite in the series so far! The banter was great and I had such a good time reading this. Was a great way to fill the void between Bridgerton seasons.

The names in this one got to me but other than that it was an enjoyable read. A somewhat funny plot that was good for some laughs.

I had such a ball reading Hathor's story! From book one we get to see some of her personality and by book two I was READY for hers because she was such a great side character in my opinion. I could see how she comes off as annoying but once you get to know her you will love her...listen, I just love a sassy FMC that says what everyone else is thinking out loud, there is no cat alive that can get her tongue! lol The main trope is rivals to lovers but there are other tropes within this story that just work so well together. The Prince and Hathor are so similar yet so different, they compliment each other so well and I fell in love with them falling in love. When you have two strong willed people that are basically in denial of their feelings towards each other just know it will be a good time. The plot twists towards the end kept me on my toes and I did not expect it at all. Lots of laughs and swooning in book three and this is my favorite of The DuBells series. McAvoy has become an author that I will keep an eye on for new releases! If you're in your regency romance era this is for you!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC, this review are my honest thoughts.

I love this series by J.J McAvoy. So much more interesting than Bridgerton!!! Enemies to Lovers is my jam so I loved every second of this novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book very much. Hathor and Wilhelm were so perfect for each other. I loved their quick witted banter and how they challenged one another. Once they figured each other out the way they cared for each other was so sweet. It was so nice seeing her stand up for herself, her love for Wilhelm, and for what they wanted. Hathor had much more depth to her than people gave her credit for.

I enjoyed the Du Bell family unit and support characters so much. They had me cracking up with their antics. Not to mention the support and love they all have for each other.
With this book, McAvoy continued to write interesting and complex characters as the previous books in this series while giving us more intricacies into the world of the ton. There was never a dull moment.

In this Bridgerton-esque Regency romance, readers return to McAvoy’s Regency romance series in the third book following Hathor Du Bell, who knows her mind, has no desire to marry one of the mediocre suitors in her orbit, and loves art. With her struggles in comparing herself to her now married sister Aphrodite, Hathor sees the arrival of the queen’s nephew, Prince Wilhelm Augustus Karl von Edward of Malrovia, as her chance to upstage her sister and avoid all of her terribly average suitors -- except she’s met this prince before, and it went very poorly. As their rivalry infects the house party and her hunt for a husband, Hathor must decide what she wants from life and marriage and if pushing back against society will give her the happy ending she wants. With a strong, feisty, and snarky heroine, readers will love the emotional stakes and the banter and antics that Hathor and Prince Wilhelm find themselves partaking in. With a charming castle background and the machinations of royalty and nobility, this novel certainly has character. With excellent characters and a high-class setting, readers will definitely enjoy McAvoy’s writing style and the narrative in the third book following the Du Bell women’s romantic exploits.

Looking for a Regency romance with more melanin than Julia Quinn will give you and the same swirl effect Shonda loves ? Well look no further.
l've been enjoying this series by JJ McAvoy since 2022 and she hasn't failed me yet! I rated this 4.5 stars, I definitely laughed more with this couple and found the banter sublime.
The perfect #beachread with 2 other books to binge. Thanks for the ARC @netgalley

After watching her sister and friend get married Hathor is determined that it’s her turn and naturally nothing less than a title will do. Unfortunately there aren’t any eligible dukes around and there’s no way to really outdo her older sister. In her efforts to assist in this endeavor her mother throws a house party for eligible young ladies and gentlemen. It’s Hathor’s opportunity to find a husband and the news that a prince will be in attendance gives her hope. Except she’s met this prince before and she is most certainly not interested in him. And he is not interested in marriage in general but is there because you don’t say no to his aunt, the queen. The problem is that the more Hathor and Wilhelm attempt to avoid each other they also can’t help but to enact small acts of revenge against each other. Of course Hathor isn’t interested in him but... well nothing goes quite how she plans.

I wasn’t sure if I would like Hathor’s book since she was rather irritating in the first two books with her one sided rivalries with her sister and even with Verity. She did surprise me though and made me love her and her story. I did not see what occurred towards the end coming that was a bit of a shock. The worst part was the book ending before her family could confront them on what happened... that would have been rather interesting. As always though I love the family and I’m looking forward to the next of the Du Bells to get a story.

I love JJ McAvoy so unshockingly this did not disappoint. I loved this story! I'm not the biggest fan of enemies to loves, but I do love rivals to lovers which is how this one felt! The banter was too good and I loved the characters chemistry throughout the story.

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

I have been enjoying McAvoy's series and was happy to see Hathor get her happily ever after. I appreciated how the novel started out with her jealousy of her sister Aphrodite, and even happier to have McAvoy do away with that pretty quickly. Prince Wilhelm was a fun MMC, clearly bowled over by Hathor's beauty and wit. I liked how quickly the two of them turned from their mutual dislike to get the heart of this book, a fun story of two people who are the perfect match. She has his number and he is over the moon for her and its wonderful to see.

Are there more books in this series? I hope so, though I'll look forward to whatever McAvoy does next.

A delightful Regency romance that balances tradition and rebellion.. It is a tale of unexpected connections.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

It brought me joy to see Hathor finally get her story. I won't lie; I didn't always love Hathor. I thought she was annoying in Aphrodite and the Duke, but I grew to like her in Verity and the Forbidden Suitor; however, boy did she come into her own here.

She has a self-proclaimed rivalry with Aphrodite. It's one-sided, which Hathor can fully admit. I loved seeing her growth. You start to understand why she is the way she is, and it makes complete sense. What was interesting was getting to know the prince against the reputation of the prince. They both have preconceived notions about each other... most were given to them by a mutual party. It was nice to see that they weren't willing to live up to the reputations that were given to them, even if it was beneficial.

There were so many scenes in this book that I loved. I won't spoil it, but most of them revolve around Hathor standing up for herself. It was really nice to see her come into her own by standing up for herself. The banter between Hathor and Wilhelm was great, and seeing their friendship develop was nice.

I'm hoping that there is more to come in this series. I need a story for Clementina and a story for the rest of the DuBells. I would love a story for Mom and Dad! I just need this series to never end.

I enjoyed this a lot! The witty banter between Hathor and Wilhelm is top-notch and very entertaining. There was palpable chemistry between their personalities. Enemies-to-lovers is always a fun trope, and the cast of supporting and returning characters was well done.

Two things stood out to me as out of place: the sex scene in the palace, and the secrecy of their marriage. For the first, I honestly could've just done without it. The banter and kissing and tension were enough to carry the book for me. I don't feel like it really added anything enjoyment-wise or plot-wise. For the secrecy of their marriage - I guess I just didn't understand why that was necessary? Like, fine, she can't go with him to his home kingdom because of political turmoil, but why keep the marriage itself a secret? It felt like an unneeded complication.

But overall I still really enjoyed this story.

I love this entire world. J.J. McAvoy was able create an alternative world and the characters felt real. Hathor was one of my favorite heroines this year.

4.5 Stars (I REALLY liked this)! Thank you, to the publisher, for this eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion!

J.J. McAvoy - what can I say! It’s no surprise that I’m reviewing yet another novel from this author. From Aphrodite to Verity and now to Hathor I feel like like I’m an honorary family member just by how much I’ve kept up with the series lol! part of the family lol! We finally get to read about Hathor’s love story. Hathor was definetely one of the characters I was especially looking forward to just from the cameos she made in prior novels. I am a fan of historical/regency novels especially those that involve Black women. I love, love, love that having an MCs is normalized and not the focus of the plot itself.

The story of Hathor and Prince is a …, but there is more to the story than that. I liked that there were references and cameos from characters in the first and second books. I do wish …

This novel had my emotions all over the place and I honestly knew what type of ending was going to happen but still breathed a sigh of relief when it came. Per usual I finished the novel super fast since I could no put it down. One of my favorite quotes from the novel:

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group, for this eARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion! If you are into regency or a sort of enemies-to-lovers trope, I recommend this to you.

This book kinda feel short for me and was a little disappointing. I was IN LOVE with the first two books in the series everything was perfect with those the romance, the plot, the pace ….. this one I found myself bored and thinking what else can happen.

Even the epilogue was boring for me. In comparison to the first two there was no real threat in comparison to the other books just Hathor’s hate for him. Hathor was hard to like I knew her personality from the first couple of books but I had hoped this one would give her more depth. It attempted to but she still came off unlikeable

The first 60 percent of the book is both of them swearing they don’t like each other and will never like each other and then you get 15 percent of them together before they are separated ….

Hathor has always tried to outdo her older sister Aphrodite, and even though Odite has settled into married life with her Duke, Hathor still feels the need to compete with her. She still feels like Odite overshadows her even though they no longer live in the same house. Now that Hathor has made her debut into society and has been searching for a husband she sees this as her chance to really shine!

This is the third book in this series and my favorite so far. Based on the previous two books I knew this book was going to be just as good if not better and I was not wrong! It was so good that I had to stay up late to finish it. I needed to know what happened between Hathor and Prince Wilheim and the need to sleep was not going to stand in my way of finding out how this book ended. J.J McAvoy knows how to spin a riveting story that grabs ahold of you within the first paragraph and does not let go until the very last word in the book. This is one of those books that you know that you will be reaching for again and again because it is that good! Hathor is such an interesting character. She is very strong willed (especially given the time period) smart, sassy, funny, quick witted and I just loved seeing how she grew and matured throughout the story. I can't wait for the next book in this series and to see the story unfold page by page. McAvoy truly has a gift for story telling!

I really enjoyed the third installment of JJ McAvoy's series "The DuBells." I love reading these books in the Bridgerton narrator voice. The story is about a daring, bratty young woman who overhears a rake talking about her. The rake calls her silly for being adamant about only wanting to marry a prince. She vows to never marry him or anyone like him. Only to find out the rake is in fact a prince.

JJ McAvoy does a great job with world building. "Hathor and the Prince" has great dialogue and so much wit. Always a fun read.