Thank you to NetGalley, Forever Publishing, and Author Emily Sullivan for the E-ARC!

I was NOT prepared for this wonderful historical romance! I am actually obsessed. I love historical romances and this book was feeding my soul.

Duchess Material by Emily Sullivan was so fantastic to read. I loved the characters, the story, the banter, and the possibility for more 👀👀

Our FMC, Phoebe Atkinson, is smart, strong, and not one to be trifled with! I loved that she was a teacher for girls and just not your typical female. As this book is set in 1890s, I love that we are starting to see this revolution for women as they start getting more independent and pushing for the equality and Phoebe is right down that alley!

I loved that there was a bit of an ode to Mr. Darcy at the beginning of the book, with Will talking about him. It felt appropriate considering how things play out a little bit later for him! But I also think Will was the opposite of a Mr. Darcy with his love and devotion, his upbringing and not being born into the title. Will Margrave has this sense of duty as a duke but I love seeing his growth in this book. I mean I quite literally highlighted a portion towards the end of the book and though, “woah there Mr Darcy!” But I love how his really isn’t like him while still being the handsome upper class artistocrat.

This book really had me just scarfing down the story. I was dying to know what was going to happen. I loved the bad guy in the book and their search for Alice Clarke and just watching this friends become lovers. The spice was good without being overdone and it was just a great romance 🥰

I love loved loved it. And will definitely be rereading in the future! I also look forward to maybe some other Atkinson sister stories … 👀 please and thank you?

He is the Duke and she is clearly not “Duchess Material.” Will and Phoebe grew up as family friends among the same class, until Will unexpectedly inherited a Duchy from a distant relative. Now belonging to separate classes, their lives never intersect as Phoebe pursues her dream of being a schoolteacher. The story beings to pull the two back together through mischief and mystery, and long buried feelings begin to resurface. I really enjoy this plot! There was mystery and other dynamics at play beyond just a romance.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book reminds me why I love Historical Romance so much! I couldn’t put it down! Unexpected new Duke needs to find a suitable wife and his childhood crush, who is now a blue stocking teacher, is thrust back into her life. We all know what NEEDS to happen! The story is all just SO GOOD! A little mystery. A little politics. Little bit of family feuding and misunderstandings. I enjoyed all of it!! I loved the sisters in this as well! I am REALLY hoping their will be an Alex and Freddie story next!

Childhood friends separate when Will inherits a dukedom. When they get together to solve a mystery, things start to redevelop between them. Both sides of the family help them to realize that they really do belong together.

I love historical romance more than anything else, especially when the female MC is a bluestocking, so Duchess Material was so up my alley! Thanks to NetGalley and Read Forever for the advanced copy!

This was a DNF for me about 40% in. I wanted to love this story. The premise sounded great and I liked two of three books of Emily’s from the previous series. Unfortunately, this one was boring. Way too much inner dialogue. I like lots of interacting dialogue. I loved that Phoebe was a teacher. There is also a mystery. Maybe this author is not for me. I am sure many will enjoy this story.

This book isn’t for me, though I’m sure others will enjoy it. The pacing is slow, and I’m not a fan of this trope (whatever it’s called) where people in the aristocracy complain about all the privilege they have.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC,

This was ridiculously delightful and exactly the book I needed at the moment. The characters were sharp and fun and the romance felt both familiar and fresh at the same time.

This book has it all. A strong female main character, an interesting love interest and twisting and turning mystery.

This was just okay. I wish there was more buildup, and at points I have to admit I was a little underwhelmed. I loved this author's first book so much that I've been waiting for her subsequent books to make me feel the same way, but so far they've sadly disappointed me.

When one of her students goes missing, bluestocking teacher Phoebe Atkinson doesn’t think twice about investigating alone. But when she finds herself in trouble, she turns to an old friend, William “Will” Margrave, the uppity, oh-so-perfect Duke of Ellis for help. Together they will navigate the darker side of London and along the way reconnect after years apart. But can there be anything lasting between them? Especially since Phoebe has no desire to conform to society’s rules for women and Will needs a perfect duchess.

Years ago, Will and Phoebe were good friends and shared a mutual attraction, but all that changed when Will inherited the dukedom and all the responsibilities that came with it. He lost touch with Phoebe but continued to maintain a friendship with her elder sister Alexandra “Alex”. Will has spent years learning to be the perfect duke and is now in search of the perfect duchess, and even has a candidate selected. But when Phoebe needs his help, he quickly puts his courtship on hold and runs to Phoebe’s side. He quickly realizes that his attraction to her is just as strong as it ever was, but nothing could come of it, since Phoebe will never be a proper duchess.

This was a well-written story with interesting characters, but it wasn’t the book I was hoping for. I never really connected with Phoebe or Will, and honestly didn’t feel the “romance”. I was hoping for a fun, sexy Friends-to-Lovers, Second-Chance romance, and in the strictest sense it was that just minus the “fun, sexy” part. The book dragged and I got annoyed with Phoebe’s judgmental and martyrish ways, as well as Will’s constant lamenting that Pheobe wasn’t good enough to be his duchess. Overall, it was an OK story with a happy ending and while I didn’t love this book, I did like her sisters and would probably read their stories.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

If you're a fan of Bridgerton-style romances, "Duchess Material" by Emily Sullivan should go on your TBR. Set in Victorian England, this story has spice, a high-society mystery, and plenty of witty banter.

Our heroine, Phoebe Atkinson, breaks the mold of Victorian society. Born into wealth but determined to live life on her terms, Phoebe works as a schoolteacher. But when her brightest student goes missing, Phoebe reluctantly reaches out to her childhood friend, William Margrave—who has become a duke—for help. Once childhood friends, the two are now worlds apart. Will has fully embraced his unexpected role, including plans to marry a "perfect duchess." Phoebe is, decidedly, not that. But as they search for the missing girl, they're forced to confront their past--and future.

I'll be waiting for more from this author!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

This was a fun read. Phoebe is a woman from a wealthy family who is living on her own terms, independently as a school teacher despite her families protests. She is loving her life, until she gets herself thrown in jail looking for a missing student, and feels compelled to call on her childhood friend, who is now a Duke, to save her. Will is a Duke who had the role thrust upon him when he was 18, despite the very different life he envisioned for himself. When his childhood friend Phoebe calls him to help her, it wakes him up and reminds him of the man he used to want to be. As the two work to solve the mystery of the missing student, they reconnect and are both forced to evaluate if the life they are currently living is what they really want. I loved the childhood friends, first crush, and unfit duchess material trope in this book, and how it was handled. I also immensely enjoyed the unconventional sisters who all had unique jobs, and social activist roles in this book. I haven’t read this author before, but will definitely be checking out their other books as I await the next book in this new series! I received an ARC, and this is my honest review.

Duchess Material is an engaging and endearing historical romance! In Phoebe we have a headstrong, bright, independent young woman. Will is a Duke with a good heart, trying to live up to his ducal responsibilities, swept up into Phoebe’s life, first as protector, then as confidante, and then something more! There is mystery, there is intrigue, there is romance, there is devotion, there is love. Thank you to the publisher for sending me an early copy of this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this ebook, and this is my freely given opinion.

This is a new book coming up from Emily Sullivan; a historical romance set in late Victorian England, before the turn of the century. It has differing social status themes, childhood crush/second chance, misfits vibes, with a radical-thinking, bluestocking FMC, and a Duke MMC.

William Margrave grew up with the Atkinson sisters, becoming friends with them. He thought his course for the future was set out already, and was just starting to become aware of growing feelings for the middle sister, Phoebe, when everything changed for him. Unexpectedly, he became next in line as the heir to the Duke of Ellis, changing the course of his life, and his plans completely. He was sent away to live with the duke, taking him away from his family and friends, to learn the duties expected of the dukedom. But drilled into him also was the perception that because of his tenuous connection to the aristocracy, that he was undeserving, and must work that much harder to secure his place in the peerage and parliament, including aligning himself with peers and politicians approved by his predecessor, staying away from scandal, and finding himself an appropriately aristocratic wife to continue the line of the dukedom.

With his change in status, his friendship was severed with Phoebe when they were quite young and their lives took very different paths. Phoebe, despite being born into wealth and privilege, feels strongly about issues about social justice, including education for the poor and underprivileged, especially girls. To this end, she is at odds with some of her family, and has moved out, becoming a teacher at a progressive school, and lives in a flat with another teacher. But her path is forced to cross that of her old friend, William, again, when she sets out to investigate what happened to a girl missing from her class, that she was hoping to help better her life.

William was set on the courting the daughter of one of his political mentors when Phoebe is forced back into his life. Their renewed acquaintance reminds the two of them of their previous friendship and the attraction that had started many years ago flames anew. When William decides to help Phoebe with her quest to find the missing girl, his long-buried qualms about the current course of his life, and it's emptiness come to the for, and forces him to question his choices and his happiness.

The story was enjoyable; I do enjoy the second chance/childhood friends theme, and the relationships of the three sisters with their very differing personalities, and there is the background story of family conflict as well that feels a bit unfinished/unresolved. Also, while Phoebe and William both felt that growing attraction as young teenagers, before those changes split them apart, they never said that to each other, so there was a continued thread of uncertainty about each others feelings that continued as adults with their renewed acquaintance. This was amplified by William's very close friendship with Phoebe's sister, Alex, whom Phoebe also has has a contentious relationship with.

I found the drama that draws William and Phoebe back together, the missing girl, interesting as well, as it leads to a a further intrigue that directly connects to William and integral to leading him reassess his view of his life path and happiness.

I am not sure if this is the start of a new series or not, but I hope it is, since the story did spend a lot of time with the familial relationships as well, with the three Atkinson sisters, and also with William and his younger brother, and there were hints of unresolved relationships and stories related to them.

3.75 stars out of 5

2.7 Stars
One Liner: Okayish

1896, London
William Margrave, the Duke of Ellis, tried his best to be a duke since he unexpectedly got the title a decade ago. He planned it all and his sight set on a perfect Lady to become his Duchess.
Phoebe Atkinson is the middle daughter of a self-made businessman. While she, her older sister Alex, and younger sister Winnie were friends with Will before the dukedom, things have changed. Phoebe is now a school teacher the working class girls and has no time for society.
However, when one of Phoebe’s pupils goes missing, she needs Will to help her out. As they search across the city to find the missing girl, Phoebe and Will realize a few things about themselves.
The story comes in Phoebe and Will’s third-person POVs.

My Thoughts:
The premise guarantees some drama and entertainment, right? We do get some of both but not to the extent I hoped.
The beginning was good. I liked Phoebe’s spunk in the beginning. Will presented his dilemma about taking the ducal rules too seriously and how it affected his life.
The mystery is decent though we cannot call it that. There’s some intrigue and a showcasing of the hypocrisy and evil side of those with power but it doesn’t overpower the plot.
However, soon, things started to dim. Phoebe turned into a self-righteous martyr activist who thinks giving up the comforts of her home and living in a cramped flat to teach poor girls Homer and Shakespeare made her an award-winning activist. She judged everyone left, right, and center. Yeah, she sometimes accepts she is judgmental but continues to do the same.
Then Will the Duke. He goes on and on and on about how Phoebe is not duchess material and how important it is for him to marry someone who fits the checklist. Even when he is made to realize how stupid it is, he continues to harp on it. They deserve each other, IMO.
Now, the main characters, unfortunately, didn’t make a positive impact. But hey, the side characters were cool. Alex is my favorite. I can’t wait to read her book. She has a good head and knows how to use her privilege and position to help others. Freddie seemed interesting too with her sparkling personality that hides a sense of restlessness.
I think something went a bit wrong in planning the characters and executing them. They shouldn’t have been like this but act realistically and show some flaws. Sadly, I couldn’t empathize with either of them.
The romance wasn’t great either. There’s some spice but even that didn’t really make a difference. It could also be that I read a couple of books with similar ‘not duchess material’ trope this year and those were much better in terms of characterization and development.
Luckily, it is a quick read and things get settled without much drama. Some of it is left for the next books, and the epilogue provides a definite lead. You bet I’m more curious about that one.

To summarize, Duchess Material is a moderately spicy romance novel if you want something light and fluffy to read. I will read the next book since I already like the other two characters.
Thank you, NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book and thought it was a fun historical. This follows Will and Phoebe who were friends in childhood until Will is unexpectedly given a dukedom. Years later they come across each other and sparks fly. I liked the school teacher aspect of this and phoebe being independent and not thinking she would ever make a good duchess and how they work through that. I also liked the family aspects for both characters and can’t wait to see more of the sisters in the next books.

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever Publishing for this ARC.

A romp of a Victorian romance with two really good charters. Phoebe and Will start out as allies but become as you know they will much more. I like that Phoebe is so independent and committed to her young women and that Will's willing to go out of his comfort zone to help her. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Good storytelling makes for a very good read.

This is the first book I have read by this author, and it did not disappoint.
The story takes place in the Victorian era instead of the usual Regency period.
Emily, who comes from a wealthy family, is a teacher at a school for disadvantaged students, and loves being independent. When one of the students goes missing, she starts a search. When a problem arises, she contacts Will, a childhood friend who never expected to become a Duke.
There are a lot of interesting secondary characters and a couple of secondary plots in the story.
The chemistry was wonderful between Will and Emily, even when they weren't getting along.
I highly recommend this book.

I really hope this is the start of a series because this entire story/world is delightful! Such a quick read for me because I couldn’t put it down. I love the Victorian time period, giving women more rights and progressive thoughts becoming reality. Both MCs are charming and hot and wonderful, but not perfect, which makes them even more endearing. If the epilogue is any indication, Phoebe’s sisters each have their own stories to tell, and I can’t wait!