A wealthy heiress entirely aware that men want her for her money, Georgiana travels to a house party as the guest of her dearest friends. When she arrives, she notices, to her dismay, that her neighbor and enemy is there. Georgiana's family and Theo's family have been feuding for longer than either can remember, but Theo can't help but be drawn to Georgiana. However, Georgiana wants nothing to do with the man society dubbed the "Duke of Despots" just like his father. Theo has no idea how to convince Georgiana he isn't the dastardly villain everyone thinks he is, but he sure tries.

I always enjoy historical romances that take place at a house party. There's something romantic and fun about the country setting, the variety of games and activities planned, and the forced proximity nature of the party. That's certainly the case for this book. The lush grounds, underground waterways and caves, sprawling lawns, and more all sound like a beautiful place to spend time, especially for someone stressed and needing an escape, like Georgiana. Too bad her nemesis is also there.

Theo has been trying to fix the damage his father did as Duke, but it feels like for every two steps forward, he has to take three steps back. Georgiana has heard a lot about the terrible actions of Theo's father, and Theo is considered guilty by association. At first, she is unwilling to compromise in her feelings about Theo, but the more time she spends with him, the more she realizes he's nothing like his father. It's interesting to see her come to these revelations and then try to convince others. She experiences firsthand all the prejudices and preconceptions Theo has suffered through, that's for sure, and I think it makes her way more empathetic to his struggles.

Georgiana and Theo have a wonderful love story with tons of chemistry and sexual tension, and I adored their enemies-to-lovers romance. There's one scene where the couple shares a boat to a cave that is especially swoon-worthy. But even when it seems like things are going in the right direction for this couple, they still must overcome her parents' hatred and earn their acceptance. I didn't love Georgiana's parents, though I understood their concern. It was good to see growth in all of the characters, and they begin to see past their prejudices and preconceived notions. Other characters, like the other house party guests and Theo's brother Sebastian, are intriguing, too, as are the family secrets uncovered.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing m e with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

This is British historical romance at its finest! Delightfully entertaining with beautiful characters, I read this in a single day!

What is a wealthy heiress to do when all of her prospects are after her for her money? Meet Georgianna. She has a wonderful friend - Charlotte - who invites her to a 2-week getaway from the drudges of the London season. Who else should be there but the neighbor's son and heir - Duke Theo/Ridge - whose father has caused untold suffering on her family and his people/tenants? Though suffering from a bad reputation. Georgianna comes to discover he is anything but dastardly and oh so handsome. What is she to do? Can Theo win her heart?

The pacing, language, and characters were all wonderful. My only complaint is that it was a bit predictable, but I still enjoyed the book immensely.

This book was a fun historical romance read! I generally enjoy Jennifer Haymore'S writing and this book kept it going for me. The female main character, Georgiana, basically has a string dislike of the main male character St. Clair mainly due to his late father's misdoings and some past history with her family. Their mutual attraction turns into, friendship and then into affection. By the end of the story St. Clair is down bad for Georgiana but has to convince her family and the town that he is committed to her, overall very much enjoyed the story.

I was fortunate to receive an ARC of How Not to Hate A Duke from Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This is the second book I am reading by Jennifer Haymore, and again am impressed with her story. Georgians Milford's family and Theophilus St. Clair, the Duke of Desborough's family has not only been neighbors for many years, but also enemies. When Georgiana and Theo meet at a party, their dislike for each other os evident in their every word and action. Yet at the same time, they both have a growing attraction for each other. The story evolves of whether their conceptions about each other are misconceptions or in fact based on truth. A turbulent relationship with no one the wiser of what is really at stake. A really interesting story!

What’s a hardworking heiress to do when the devil’s spawn next door turns out to be a descent and kind man?

Georgiana has only ever been told her family’s neighbour and his sons were pure evil and to be avoided at all cost, so she gives them the cut direct. But, she has other things to worry about… the never-ending line of fortune hunting, sleezy noblemen and their constant unwanted attention. Her friend Charlotte’s invitation to a small country house party seems like a nice escape.
Theo inherited his father’s sordid reputation along with the title. Righting all the man’s wrongs seems nearly impossible, and even more so when his neighbour keeps thwarting his every attempt. Frustrated and tired he accepts his best friend Finn’s invitation to join him and his wife Charlotte at a country house party.
And suddenly two sworn enemies are forced into each other’s company and to remain civil.
It’s a fine line between love and hate…

This tale takes place about a year after ‘Earls Rush In’ and the beginning doesn’t exactly inspire a happy ending, but I strongly urge you to stick with it - it’s well worth your patience!
Yes, he’s kind of a stoic vexing arse and she’s a spoiled brat at the beginning, but get to know them. Neither of them knows the details of what sparked their family’s feud, and they don’t know any better than to dislike the other. They’re both fair and clever, and… forbidden fruit tastes so much sweeter!
These are two strong and very capable minds clashing, igniting that irresistible spark of desire and undeniable attraction. There’s some excellent verbal sparring and tantalising teasing in this novel - a passionate tango along that very fine line, and magnificent full-on fireworks!
Wonderful enemies to lovers, forbidden romance extravaganza! Fun side characters, a splash of thrilling drama and an unexpected but satisfying turn at the end - this was a riveting read! Truly a delight!

I wasn't sure how I would feel about the romance between our main couple. The animosity Geogiana has towards Theo, in the beginning, is super strong, and while his father was a horrible person Theo has done nothing but try and fix the mistakes his father has made. But when they meet each other again at the house party and are thrown together Georgianna starts to realize that Theo isn't his father and that he's a really good guy, I really started to enjoy the story and the slow-burn romance between them.

Their romance was sweet, and when our conflict comes to the forefront of the story I loved how Theo went about proving not only that he isn't his father (to Georgie's parents) but that he is super in love with her and they belong together. I loved the romance between them and it was lovely and heartwarming to the end.

Georgiana Milford is an heiress, and every fortune hunter in London wants her. Theo St Clair, aka the Duke of Despots, is her father’s greatest enemy and everyone thinks he is just like his father was - the most wretched duke in all of England. But he isn't wretched, not at all. Stuck at a house party together and determined to stay away from each other this story is a slow burn with a few twists. Secrets on both sides that try and keep them apart, but love always wins.

I enjoy Haymore's writing style. Strong characters, good backstory and I'm always amazed at how she wraps everything up. Thouroghly enjoyed this book. Thank you to NetGally and Entangled for the ARC.

How to right a father’s wrongs specially when you are credited with the same sins? No wonder they started out loathing each other. But attraction and friendship opened up their eyes. A good story of family and sibling love, truth from different perspective and love conquering all. A very enjoyable read .

3.5 stars

❛❛“In terms of a lifetime, it’s hardly any time at all.”
Until then, I love you.
Yours always, Theo.❜❜


'How to (not) hate the Duke' is a fast-paced, addictive, and entertaining read. the author managed to blend different arcs and curves together in a harmonic manner :

❥ historical romance
❥ happily ever after
❥ ennemis to lovers
❥ forced proximity
❥ family secrets
❥ virgin heroine
❥ secret affair
❥ Love Letters
❥ family feud


the female main character, Georgiana Milford, daughter of a wealthy businessman, longed to elope her hectic and aristocratic Londonien life for a couple of weeks, prior to being reunited with her elder sister who has been in Nova Scotia for a decade and a half. therefore when her dear-friend, Charlotte, invited her to Merrick's house party in the country, she considered it the perfect excuse for a retreat and, moreover, to avoid fortune hunters. her quest for serenity and amusement was tarnished by the impromptu presence of her archenemy, Theodorus St. Clair. who had recently acquired from his late father alias the Duke of Despots the seventh title of 'Duke of Desborough', a dilapidated domain and a plethora of enemies. one of his fervent foes being the Milford family, his nearest neighbors. i absolutely loved how the ennemis to lovers romance was drawn throughout the storytelling, it was brilliantly enhanced with some fun and diversified actives that the protagonists had to attend and participate to with their friends. the way their relationship evolved into a sort of friends exploring intimately each other and flourished quickly after that into inseparable lovers.

many thanks to NetGalley and Entangled publishing for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Georgiana may be long time neighbours with the Duke of Desborough but that doesn't mean they are flirendly, in fact it's the exact opposite, they are enemies that can't stand the sight of each other.

Theo has been trying to fix what his father ruined, but his father's sins follow him everywhere, no matter how much he is trying to excape them.

When both Georgiana and Theo are invited at the same country house party they are more than suprised and ready to leave the moment they arrive, but common sense and friends talk them into staying and avoiding each other.

Which is easier said than done, especially when the party has two men that are more interested in her dowry than herself meaning that Georgiana has to decide which of them is the lesser evil.

The house party trope is equivalent to the snowed in trope and you can't change my mind about it. The forced proximity is wonderful in many ways, forcing them together when that's the last thing they want, I am telling you it's pure gold!

I loved the way they started as enemies until they discovered they didn't anymore, the change happend gradually and they reached a point that they couldn't avoid their attraction.

A true test to their love comes when they come to realise that her family's hate for him won't be easy to overcome but I loved how they continue to fight for what they wanted.


* I received an ARC and this is honest opinion.

3.5 Stars! The main characters are Georgina Milford and Theo St.Clair, the Duke of Desborough. I really liked Theo from the get go but Georgina on the other hand, came off a bit too much like a ‘female dog’, if you get my meaning. Because I didn’t like Georgina, it was hard to root for them to work & she was just so off-putting and bratty, I really didn’t care for her. Luckily she got better but the damage was done.
As much as I liked Theo, he was also a bit of a coward, I think. His father was a p.o.s & everyone in the village is leery of him, so what does he do to fix it? Runs away and goes to a 2 week long house party, of course! Maybe that makes them a perfect couple.
I did enjoy some surprises near the end, the steamy ‘sexy times’, and was glad they finally got their HEA ending. All in all a decent read with some past main characters from previous books. I’d read this author again and hope she has a book for Georgina’s sister & Theo’s brother in the works next! Fingers crossed.
*I received this book at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

For all Darcy and Elizabeth lovers - How Not to Hate a Duke is an easy enjoyable historical romance! Enemies to lovers come to a head as the next generation of two feuding families find a way to be better than their forefathers quite literally.

THOUGHTS:
- Societies that didn't praise hard work and instead pushed people aside that were 'new money' is nothing new. We all know those dusty old-money families and how easily they can be reduced to ruin? But I always love a story of redemption, and our Duke of Despots surely embodies that role.
- What I also like thought was that our heroine Georgina quickly went from a judgey 'Austen-esque Emma' to a lady of her own mind. (In other words, I wasn't annoyed with her spoiled society princess visage for long!)

**The thing I liked the least about this is that the main couple has a lot of the miscommunication trope, but it's also done incredibly well.

NOTES:
- 🌶️🌶️/5 - Not frequent but descriptive!
- 3.5/5 (rounded up to a 4)

**Thank you to Entangled Publishing, LLC, & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

I think I need to to spend sometime reading this author’s backlist!! Enemies to lovers! Theo and Georgiana are wonderful and their transformation from unfair hatred to understanding and then loving just reels you in and doesn’t let go.

Story - 5 stars! It’s great.

Dialog - 5 stars! Love the banter between the two MCs!

Spice - 3 stars. I wanted more!

Miss Georgiana Milford is one of the richest heiresses in England. She wants nothing more than to escape the many fortune-hunters sniffing at her skirts. Georgiana agrees to attend a two-week country party with her friend. She never expected to encounter her family’s mortal enemy: the dastardly St. Clair’s. No matter how hard she tries, Georgiana finds she cannot escape the scoundrel. However, she starts to see that Theo is not the blackguard her father painted him to be. Will their family’s enmity keep them apart?

Theophilus “Theo” St. Clair, the seventh Duke of Desborough, wants to prove to everyone that he is nothing like his father. However, his neighbors thwart his every attempt. Discouraged, Theo agrees to attend a country party only to find the youngest Milford in attendance. He cannot seem to avoid the shrew. Their time together allows Theo to discover another side of Georgiana. Can Theo right the wrongs his late father committed? Or will they stand in the way of his relationship with Georgiana?

Georgiana irked me for most of the book. I understand the animosity between her family and Theo’s. It all started with the late duke. However, Georgiana’s father did some underhanded and petty things as well. I expected her to admonish him for his spitefulness. Instead, she excused them, as if her father was in the right.

Theo won my heart instantly. I could not help but empathize with him. He is a man unfairly branded by the sins of his father. I admire Theo for wanting to fix all the wrongs his sire had done. I also commiserate with him over all the pettiness he endured by the Milfords. It would discourage even the staunchest of hearts.

HOW (NOT) TO HATE A DUKE is a standalone historical romance by Jennifer Haymore. However, the couple from EARLS RUSH IN do play a role in this book. Charlotte and Finneas are friends with both Georgiana and Theo. I do hope we get to see a story for Theo’s brother Sebastian with Georgiana’s sister.

Having read a number of Jennifer Haymore’s books, I really like her writing style. This book, though, was a bit of a miss for me. FMC Georgianna is a wealthy heiress tired of being pursued by fortune hunters and convinced that all members of the St. Claire family are devils in disguise. Theo St. Claire, Duke of Desborough, agrees that his late father was indeed a devil and is now trying to fix the damage his father wrought. The duo inadvertently end up at a small house party together and hijinks ensue.

Georgianna is a complete brat for at least the first 50% of this story. She is haughty and judgmental and refuses to actually hear anything Theo tells her. Theo himself comes across as a bit ineffectual for much of the story. He professes to want to change people’s perceptions of him, but is gallivanting around England rather than actually stay at his country home and do the work needed to make an impact. The pair do have definite chemistry and there are several steamy scenes for those who like that sort of thing (and I do).

Then just when it seems like both Georgianna and Theo have evolved a bit, declaring their love and willingness to work through adversity, the chapel scene happens. I was disappointed in both Georgianna and Theo and in the choices they made. Rather than working together to rectify things, Theo does so on his own - and rather quickly, and mostly off page. And the reason for the family feud is definitely less than I was expecting, especially since it seemed like it was much Georgianna’s parents making bad choices as anything else.

3 stars. I would definitely not hesitate to pick up another Jennifer Haymore book (for those who haven’t read it, “Earls Rush In” is quite good) even with this one not working for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. These opinions are my own.

Georgiana is a wealthy merchant’s daughter completely tired of the fortune hunters seeking her attention. She’s convinced by her good friend to attend a house party in the country to avoid some of those terrible suitors. Meanwhile, a certain dastardly duke is also invited to the same house party. Theo has recently inherited the title from his depraved father but is believed to be of the same ilk, leaving him emotionally exhausted by all the hatred by his neighbors and tenants. It doesn’t help that Georgiana’s family is the main opponent to Theo’s endeavors due to a long-standing family rivalry. When Georgiana and Theo realize they’re at the same house party, they first try to avoid each other, and then end up antagonizing (and then flirting with) each other. But you know that open communication does wonders, so they start to actually get along (and maybe even fall in love). The drama with Georgiana’s family is still looming though and Theo has a lot of work to do to fix his reputation on his estate.

This was such a sweet love story; there was incredible enemies-to-lovers tension and many bumps along the way, but we got to the most wonderful HEA.

Theo’s and Georgiana’s families are enemies, so imagine their surprise when more than hatred burns between them. 🔥

Much of this love story takes place at a weeks-long house party. The over-the-top wealth / upper-crust decadence and the forbidden nature / hidden spice are some of my favorite things about historical romances.

This had a slow burn that burned so hot. And the tropes of this story were 👩‍🍳💋 - virgin heroine / forced proximity / secret affair / enemies to lovers made for a great story.

Thanks so much to Jen Haymore and Entangled Publishing for the ARC of this book!

Theo and Georgiana families have been enemies for a long time. Georgiana has had a bitter dislike to Theo due to his father’s actions. They were forced together during a house party where they truly started to get to know each other. They slowly started falling in love. Some angst occurs but the are able to overcome and find their HEA.

I really joyed this book! The intelligent discussions between Theo and Georgina along with their sparking romance that had me turning pages so fast they could burst into flames due to their smoldering passion. I did need my fan for some of the romance scenes. Gotta love the duke in that department!
Some parts of the book had me looking like a crazy person talking to themselves!
This is a fun, emotional, and exciting romance story that took me through a journey very well needed! The ending definitely put a smile on my face.

Georgiana Milford is weary of society and fortune hunters. A house party invitation seems like a great distraction until she finds out her archenemy, the new Duke of Desborough, Theo St. Clair, also attends. I felt that in the beginning Georgiana didn’t have a good reason to hate Theo. She seemed childish and mean about it.
Theo inherits a dilapidated estate and hostile neighbors, including Georgiana’s dad, who fuels negativity towards him. A chance encounter with Georgiana in London leaves him flustered but determined to prove his good intentions. He also ends up at the same house party and we have some scenes where they get to know one enough better and she opens her mind.
Note: Charlotte and Lord Trevelyan are friends with Georgiana and Theo. They were a highlight for me and I am interested in reading their story as well.
As they spend time together, misconceptions melt away, replaced by mutual respect and undeniable attraction. Love blossoms, but societal expectations and family disapproval loom large. Georgiana faces a heart-wrenching choice: her family's love or Theo's. Theo struggles to offer her a future without sacrificing her connection to her loved ones.
Will they defy societal norms and fight for their love? Or will their dreams crumble under the weight of tradition and pride? Theirs is a journey of love, redemption, and overcoming prejudice, leading to a hard-earned happily ever after, as seen in the epilogue.
Note: this was a steamy read. Even interesting house party games I had not read about in a historical story before.