The Worst Duke in London is a Taming of the Shrew (10 Things I Hate About You) retelling in regency England. I'm a fan of 10 Things I Hate About You so that was the big draw for me. If you're familiar with Shakespeare's work or the late 90s movie, you know exactly what you're going to get. Lady Evangeline Raine is an animal lover who prefers animals over people. It doesn't help that the ton has turned against her thanks to the ghastly Huntington. Now Huntington is trying to woo her sister Viola. Huntington knows in order to get the hand of Lady Viola he needs to get Evangeline to spend 6 weeks in London. Huntington uses the fact Gage Croft, Duke of Vale, owes him money for Gage's deceased brother's debt and agrees to forgo the debt if Gage will keep Evangeline occupied in London for 6 weeks. To save two thousand dollars, Gage quickly jumps at the deal, but it isn't until later he realizes the real cost of this bargain.

Overall I enjoyed The Worst Duke in London. Regency romances can be hit or miss for me. I previously read the second book in this series and really enjoyed it. While I felt this book could have been shorter, I liked being back in this world and seeing characters from the previous novels. I think some of my dislike of the book just had to do with my current reading mood, which is the opposite of romance currently.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

I couldn't stop thinking as I was reading, "Man, Amalie had the most fun writing this book." It was such a joy to read and I laughed out loud so many times, I could feel her joy coming off the pages. I absolutely adored the characters and how they fit together.

Lady Evangeline "Effie" Raine doesn't care for the Ton, she's focused on her friends and animal shelter and has no plans of going back for another season. But her little sister, Viola, insists on having her season and their dad declares the only way Viola is going is if Effie goes as well. Gage Croft, Duke of Vale, inherited the title and debts after his brother passed away in a tragic accident. He's sold all he could and is in desperate need of funds when he gets an offer he can't refuse: approach Effie and get her to go to London and get her to stay for at least six weeks. But what starts out as an obligation quickly turns into more when Effie's kindness and strong personality make Gage fall head over heels. Can something that started as a lie possibly be more?

Everything about this is fun. From the characters to how they interact and the things they do. Even when touching on sad things like the death of Gage's brother, there's a lightness to it that I really appreciate. The focus is always on Effie and Gage getting to know each other and exploring things they never thought they would get a chance to. Reading about them slowly falling in love with each other's quirks is adorable. Add a pitch-perfect stereotypical villain that gets his comeuppance and you've got a delightfully entertaining read.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the wonderfully fun read!

Eh. I liked that it was spicy and supposed to be progressive, but there was no plot. This was our FMC looking to shock others and while I'm usually all for that, it missed the mark here.

I ended up listening to the audiobook copy of this book. The reader was amazing at accents and gender roles. I would recommend!
I felt like I was listening to an audiobook of 10 Things I Hate about You, but a regency, (dirtier) version.
Was very enjoyable and entertaining. Liked the two main characters very much. Evangaline and Gage had wonderful chemistry.
Looking forward to reading about the other friends in the series.

Okay, somehow I missed the second book in this series but that will quickly be remedied because I love Vesper!

The Worst Duke in London is such a fun romance! It's quite spicy and entertaining and I love both the main characters. Gage, Duke of Vale, is *perfection* even if he does start off with somewhat dubious intentions. He's BIG, sort of broody, and very protective - and not only of Lady Evangeline. The chemistry is clear from his first meeting with Evangeline and he obviously does not intend her any harm. Evangeline is a great FMC; she's feminist, witty, outspoken and absolutely *unsuitable* as a lady of her time - in the best ways - but while the views of society do bring her down sometimes, she doesn't usually let it show and definitely doesn't change who she is to fit the mold. I love that the dual POV lets us get into both of their heads and see them each falling in love and growing as the book goes on. The animals make me happy and I love the group of friends, both Evangeline's girl gang and the noblemen they've married/are related to. It can definitely be read as a standalone (especially since I read the first a while ago and don't remember the details and missed the second one) but I think people who have read the first two will find even greater enjoyment. The writing is fun with lots of humor, drama and a bit of a mystery/dubious ploy. Each character has their own secrets, including side characters, but that adds to the plot and some hopefully lead us to the next story in the series. The character development is well done and even Viola who was my least favorite character from the start has a very believable arc, ending up more than bearable and a good addition to the other female characters in the book. This is a light, fun, regency romance with a ton of spice and silliness so if that's what you're looking for, I highly recommend!

Amalie's writing is top-notch and I always look forward to reading more by her.

I received an arc from Forever which I have voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Spicy Victorian-era romance inspired by the classic 90s movie 10 Things I Hate About You. Great for fans of Lisa Kleypas's Wallflower series and Tessa Dare's Girl Meets Duke series, and readers who like historical romances with a modern feel and fun animal sidekicks.

The Worst Duke in London is the third installment in Amalie Howard's Taming of the Dukes series. FMC Effie was introduced in the previous books, and in this book we get to see how witty and resolute she is. The story is told from both his and her perspectives, moves at a good pace, and was an overall enjoyable read. The author included some excellent notes at the end about real life historical figures that were included in the narrative, I loved that!

The Worst Duke in London is a really fun retelling of 10 Things I Hate About You (which is of course, a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew, but this story is closer to the movie than the original story). Lady Evangeline (Effie) Raine prefers to avoid the London season and spends her time in the country running an animal shelter. But her father won't allow her younger sister Viola to have a London season unless Effie accompanies her.

Gage Croft is an impoverished duke. He inheried the dukedom of Vale and all its debts, and he's in dire straits. When the slimy Lord Huntington offers to forgive a debt in return for the duke courting Effie, he agrees. Huntington wants to court Violet so he needs Effie to be in London. The duke has reservations, but he's in a difficult place and needs the money.

This one is really cute. Effie is such a great character, a prickly person who is entirely herself even when she's mocked for it. She's an animal person and spends her time rescuing animals. Gage is a good guy who never expected to be a duke. He feels terrible about what he's doing, but he's in a desperate financial position.

I really liked the characters in this one. They both felt very believable to me, and I was into their burgeoning romance. This is a great addition to the series.

4⭐
R🌶️

What do you get if Outlander's Jamie started in the Bridgerton-version of 10 Things I Hate About You? This book!! Amalie Howard continues to excel in creating a beautiful group of headstrong friends finding love (and making love 😉) in the era of balls and carriage trysts. I can only hope Briar's book is coming ASAP!!

If you're looking for a historical romance version of 10 Things I Hate About You, then Amalie Howard has the book for you!

Lady Evangeline is not interested in getting married. She thinks that men stifle all that a woman could be, so she wants to just stick to taking care of her animals and living on her own. That is, until she meets the Duke of Vale, who is a seductive man with Scottish roots. He is trying to pay off all of his brother's debts and rebuild his family's estate, and makes a deal to have his books balanced.

Evangeline and Gage (the duke) end up spending a lot of time together, because of not only the arrangement he has made to clear his debts, but they are so attracted to each other that they have a scandalous deal to have some intimate time with each other. And it doesn't matter about their reputations being ruined, they are already both deeply unliked by the ton.

This was a fun read, but I did think it was a little long. There was so much back and forth in both of their POVs that could have been cut down. I did enjoy the banter that they had with each other, there were even some funny moments that were very endearing. And once all the secrets came out, I loved how he eventually won her back.

I loved the nuggets of 10 things I hate about you in this book. When I closed my eyes sometimes I thought while I was reading pictured Julia Stiles a couple of times :) Perfect way to use something for inspiration and still make it your own!

I loved the misunderstood duke and how this book shows how easily society will listen to someone with perceived influence just for that part to be the villain and wrong about everything. The MMC was such an honorable person he didnt judge his father or brother he just did not want to make their mistakes. Also, it was so refreshing to not have a duke be a rake!!!!

FMC she was unnecessarily rude at times and bull headed and her attitude is why this lost a star. She refused to acknowledge her feelings to the very end and I also hate when something is blown up bigger than it is......

Thanks to Forever and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

I have been loving this series from Amalie Howard and the third installment is so much fun. A retelling of the Taming of the Shrew where the woman isn't an actual shrew! How novel. Gage and Effie are so much fun and I love how they come together discover all that they have in common and all that they want to explore together. I think I would have loved a little more grovel from Gage (because who doesn't love a good grovel) but he did what Effie needed and that's perfect. I can't wait for the next one, it better be Lushing and Briar because COME ON.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have read, and enjoyed, several other books by this author and this book was no exception. It was wonderful!

I adored Evangeline and Gage's story! It was so much fun to watch these two together! I can't wait to see what Howard has for us next!

Whew. *fans face* Amalie Howard popped off with the slow burn that went full throttle in this one. I *loved* main characters Evangeline and Gage. It was so refreshing seeing how true to herself Evangeline was, and how Gage admired her for it and never tried to change her or make her something different. 100/10 would recommend this book!

The Worst Duke in London is a bit of a mixed bag. On its face--for what it is--I really enjoyed it. I think I read it in about two (very busy) days. It's a fast-paced, fun story with the twists and turns I like to find in historical romance. That said, oh my god is it anachronistic. The language, the behaviors, slip into jarring modernity from time to time. I don't blame that on Howard; that's squarely on her editor. I will still fully recommend this one. Most historical romance readers will enjoy it thoroughly.

If you know me you know how utterly obsessed I am with 10 Things I Hate About You (and will consume any Taming of the Shrew adaptation I can get my hands on) and this one delivered all of the vibes. But to make it a historical romance too?! Those are 2 of my fave things! This was so comforting and fun to read: I enjoyed it very much!!

Thank you so much to Forever Grand Central Publishing for my ARC, I appreciate it :)

4/5

4.5 stars.

Thank you to Forever Publishing for the eARC.

10 Things I Hate About You was one of my favorite movies as a teenager and The Worst Duke in London is basically that movie…in historical England.

Yes, the plot is a little ridiculous—you’re telling me a Duke bare knuckle fights for money?? And the villain is a little cartoonish—but it’s still a fun and entertaining story. Filled with humorous dialogue, including a Scottish accent, the story was a quick and lighthearted listen.

It’s almost too similar to 10 Things, but since I love that one so much, it doesn’t bother me. Add in a little steam and this was a winner for me.

Gage Croft, Duke of Dale, has paid off all his father and brother's debts except one owed to Lord Huntington. Strapped for money, he has no choice but to accept Lord Huntington's plan, convince Lady Evangeline Raine to go to London as a chaperone for her sister Viola. Continuously ridiculed by Harrington, Effie refuses to let Huntington court Viola, only Gage keeps distracting her with his seduction.
Effie turns the table and takes the seduction to the next step, an affair. A heroine not afraid to speak her mind and a hero who loves her just as she is. Some humor and lots of hot, hot sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

10 Things I Hate About You + Bridgerton = The Worst Duke in London

Pick this up if you love:
- Regency romance
- enemies to lovers
- spice

This book was so fun! What an awesome introduction to Regency romance.