First of all, all my thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Books for providing me with this arc, in exchange for my honest review.
As a sapphic historic lover and my newfound interests for TV shows like Bridgerton and The Buccaneers, I was excited to start reading this book, after seeing the title, cover and blurp.
And it's fair to say it didn't disappoint.
I genuinely liked both main characters and loved the whole clubs "Fourth Tier" storyline. It's rare for. Sapphic historic romance to get a happy ending so I am really pleased with the ending the author provided us with.

This is the first regency era sapphic novel I’ve read that has everything I wanted: angst, longing, yearning, spice, connection, supportive family, and A HAPPY ENDING!!!!!!!!
Oh my goodness, what a sweet, dreamy, exquisite love story. I adore Charlotte and Loretta sooo much. I adore Charlotte’s paintings and her belief about painting women and seeing them…about existing FOR THEMSELVES and not for men. I adore Loretta’s wanting, her realizing how natural her love is, how good they are, how beautiful it all is. I could read this multiple times over and that is something I NEVER say.
Thank you for the ARC of this book. :)

While I really like the premise of this book, it was;t a favorite of mine mainly because I found it a bit slow and I didn't really connect with any of the characters.

I am grateful to have received an arc e-book copy of ‘The Duke’s Sister and I’ via NetGalley and Harlequin Books in exchange for an honest review and freshly coming off my Bridgerton obsession, this sapphic historical romance was exactly my cup of tea! The romance of the Pirate King (Charlotte) and the Fairy Queen (Loretta) had me swooning in every chapter and I thoroughly enjoyed the queer historical aspects such as the clubs like the ‘Fourth Tier’. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and was a delight to read!

being fresh off bridgerton put me in the right mood to sart this one, which offer some familiar plot threads: Loretta, the daughter of a baron is looking to marry when her father introduces her to a duke. Instead Loretta is enthralled by the duke's rebellious sister, Charlotte, who likes to sleep with other women and enjoy painting on her off time. Charlotte is at odds with her brother, following the passing of their older brother, acting out and making herself a menace.

Like An Island Princess Starts a Scandal, The Duke's Sister and I engages with an historical, underground queer community, where Loretta has her gay awakening. I prefer this approach to most queer historical romances ignoring that most queer people back then had to navigate small tight-knit communities to protect themselves and find each other. This is a great ode to the people who came and lived before us.

I do regret a lack of chemistry and passion between the two leads, I ultimately found the romance too polished, lacking the emotional gut punch I'd expect of a romance. Charlotte thinks of herself as broken, unable to have this long-term relationship but besides her dialogues I did not feel this angst tearing her apart. Meanwhile, Loretta grows unbothered by the yoke of patriarchy and fatherly expectation in a way that feels historically questionable.

For a romance on the shorter end, it may have tried to encompass too much at the same time which left me with unfulfilled. There's a lot to chew on: Loretta discovering her sexuality and rejectign her father's expectations, Charlotte's complicated relationship with love, her love of painting, her grief for one brother and her conflict with the other, her friendship with Nathaniel, the underground queer community, the place of women in art at the beginning of the 19th century all in 250 pages. And since it's a romance, the romance too with a third act that left me perplex.

I did however, really enjoy that initial misunderstanding/small conflict where Loretta felt mocked for not being smart or knowledgeable enough as opposed to Charlotte's brash, open attitude. It's a type of conflict that we don't get often but to my experience is very realsitic and not often discussed. It's even more relevant in this patriarchal 19th century setting, where Loretta navigates the expectation of being a proper lady which requires erasing yourself and when confronted with the sister of a duke, someone who already has more power than her and who looks like she's taunting her or bragging, it must really hit a nerve. It was to me, one of the most compelling part of this story, despite its other shortcomings

This was a solid debut! I don't always love the Harlequin formula because I think the obstacles are usually overcome a little too easily, but I think anyone who likes Harlequin historicals would enjoy this! I'll definitely check out Sunday's follow up.

thank you netgalley and the publisher for giving me access to this arc for my honest review!

this is my first historical sapphic romance, and i would say i enjoyed it a lot! i loved how charlotte was the “wild child” girl and loretta just simply being the girl who followed all the rules but was begging to stop following them.

the twist at the end pretty much gave itself away but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless!

I was really excited to read this one because it's a sapphic historical romance, but unfortunately, I just found this one to be boring. I couldn't really focus on what was happening, just because I didn't care to see where it was going.

This was a wonderful sapphic romance. The characters made me fall in love, with love itself. This historical fiction is just what I needed to read.

Loretta’s father is trying his best to get married. He’s found the perfect man to be her husband. While they court they must have a chaperone and that is the dukes sister Charolette.
Loretta enjoys her company more than her intended so what’s she to do?
Charolette can’t keep her eyes of Loretta and makes plan to spend time together. But they must sneak.
This is the first book by this author and I was pleasantly surprise. It was a fun story and well written.