Amalie Howard has created another charming and unforgettable regency romance! A retelling of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” with dukes and kittens! Except Gage, dubbed “the worst Duke in London,” only intends to tame Effie’s heart. Not her actions, her sharp tongue, or her mind. Effie’s passion is to rescue animals, the Duke of Vale might be her biggest rescue yet! Both main leads begin as virgins but don’t remain so for long. The heat level is definitely high on this book. 🌶️🌶️🌶️

I think this is my favorite book in this series. Both because I love the movie "Ten Things I Hate About You" (and the shout-outs were spot on). But also because adding animals to any book makes it better. Also Gage was a kind hero right from the beginning.

Definitely recommend.

"The Worst Duke in London" is the third book in Amalie Howard's "Taming of the Dukes" series. In this book, Lady Evangeline loves everything about being outdoors and being surrounded by animals, much to the chagrin of society. She has no interest in the city, balls, or finding a suitor. Evangeline thinks most men are too stuffy and uptight. However, when she meets Gage Croft, Duke of Vale, sparks fly. He's a Scotsman who is intrigued by her eccentricities and her outspokenness. However, Evangeline is interested in Gage for another reason: while she doesn't want to be married, she does want to know what a physical relationship with a man will be like. As the two undergo this relationship, they begin to develop feelings for each other and have to decide if following society's expectations is worth it or not.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

vibes: 10 Things I Hate About You, weird crunchy heroines, Big virgin heroes, sex deals

Heat Index: 7/10

The rather slimy Lord Huntingdon wishes to court Viola--but Viola can't be courted until her rather odd and aloof sister, Evangeline (sometimes known as Effie) is courted as well. That's where Gage, the completely broke new Duke of Vale, comes in. Huntingdon offers him a deal: if Gage courts Evangeline, Huntingdon will settle the debts Gage's late brother left behind. It seems easy enough. What Gage didn't expect was Evangeline's prickly nature--or, that when she did warm up to him, she'd offer a deal of her own. Sexual exploration with no strings attached? It sounds great to her. But Gage might not be able to keep himself from falling...

Obviously, this is a 10 Things I Hate About You retelling. I actually don't like that movie; after a somewhat more recent rewatch, I realized that it super isn't for me. Fortunately, this book is a lot more fun, with a much more endearing heroine (who is a weirdo, yes, but not an asshole) and a hero who basically falls headlong.

This is very much a romcom--and probably the most antihistorical of this series thus far (more on that later) which isn't a bad thing. It fully embraces its roots while dialing the heat up a good bit and throwing in some rather zany hijinks that you can really only get in a historical romance.

Is it perfect? Not quite--the pacing is a bit off to me, which leads to a pretty rushed finale. There isn't ever any major reason why our hero and heroine can't be together (I mean, at least none that she's aware of). But the book is a solid romp, and it's QUITE sexy. In fact, I would say that the sex is the best part of the novel, which is a compliment. This is a refreshingly sex positive book, and while Gage and Evangeline obviously fall in love (and fall hard) there's never any sense that either of them should feel any type of way about having casual sex for the sake of it. And they're both virgins!

Quick Takes:

--To go back to that antihistorical thing... While I wouldn't say any books in this series have been accurate or cared to be, this one felt less so? That's not a critique. I sincerely don't care about historical accuracy, as long as the writing and story is good. This did push it a bit, to the point that I felt like it was trying a bit hard. But for the most part, I found it funny, and I look forward to the handwringing over everything.

--There's a rather fabulous author's note in which Howard details the history of sexual education and pleasure for women of bygone eras, especially those we typically see depicted as repressed sex haters in certain historical romance novels. I loved every bit of it, and I so appreciate the resources!

--Briar and Lushing have always been the couple I was most excited to see, and the set up we got here has me even more hyped.

--Evangeline is truly an odd girl, and Gage is absolutely about it. Her obsession with animals led to some super funny moments--Gage is covered with kittens and rescues lambs and plays with her dog, and she is so horny she could SCREAM.

--Gage claims to be English versus Scottish (because his dad is English; his mother is very much Scottish, and he loves Scotland) but from the moment we're told that he's Big as Fuck, it's clear that he's a classic Scottish historical romance hero. Evangeline is all too happy to have him in a kilt.

The Sex:

Like I said earlier--the sex scenes in this book, as well as the way sex is discussed, are really the standouts. Gage and Evangeline have great chemistry. There's a real playfulness to their dynamic fairly early on, and this doesn't let up in the bedroom. Both Gage and Evangeline are virgins, and there isn't much dithering or concern over why he's chosen to abstain (somewhat--I mean, he clearly did STUFF). It's just a thing, and it does lead to a first penetrative sex scene that's rather funny, and also rather tender.

You get some stuff we're only now started to see more of in historicals--sex toys! There's some semi-public sex. "I need you now" sex (OOOOOH I LOVED THAT SHIT). An untouched orgasm that made me read the scene twice to ensure I'd read it right. DELIGHTFUL!

If you're looking for a blithe, irreverent, and super sexy historical romcom, this is what you want. It does get a little caught up in the weeds at points, but it stays funny, and it stays hot. Which I'm certainly not mad at, personally!

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

This was a nice read. This series is one that I enjoy because of the FMC's and this one did not disappoint, asking for what they want and taking hold of their futures. I also love when we see FMCs in regency who know what's happening and aren't clueless, I also love when we see an MMC with less experience and I felt like this was a good mix of the both.

This book did feel a tad bit rushed, I just felt like the ending came a little quick. That being said everything was resolved and there was nothing that was left hanging, I just felt like the resolution at the end was a little faster than I anticipated, maybe in part because of how the rest of the book felt.

I did enjoy it and would recommend! I also enjoyed seeing the next book set up in this one as well. I am excited to read Briar's book next.

Once again, I loved Amalie Howard’s latest book! I’m so glad I got an arc to The Worst Duke in London after reading a previous book in the series. The angst, the spice, and the base of 10 Things I Hate About You was so good and did not disappoint. As I eagerly await the next season of bridgerton, this put me in the perfect mood for it! I’m looking forward to Briar’s story hopefully in the future!

The Worst Duke in London delivers a stirring blend of romance and adventure. Effie and Gage have undeniable chemistry, fueling scenes of intense desire. Amalie Howard outdid herself fans of historical romance, this series is an absolute must-read, with this installment undoubtedly ranking as a standout favorite.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars. This was a wonderful continuation of one of my favorite Historical RomCom series. While this couple can’t compete with Vesper and Aspen in my eyes, I adored the banter in this spicy enemies-to-lovers romp. I highly recommend checking this series out. While you can definitely read it as a standalone, I think having read the other books in the series made me enjoy it a lot more. I know I will be feral when Book 4 comes out.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, fun all around. Perfect escapist fun while I wait patiently for Bridgerton Season 3!!

Plus, I love a good spicy proposal offered in historical books, which is very reminiscent of The Duchess Takes a Bride by Harper St. George.