Well, that was fun! I thoroughly enjoyed all the novellas in this anthology, each a standalone and romantic. I also enjoyed the sampling from authors I am familiar with as well as others I had not yet read. I received a copy of this anthology through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Some of my favorite authors have gotten together to produce a book of short stories to enthrall and entertain the reader. Each is amazing and creative, well written and exhibits these authors fabulous talents. One of the stories, is about a young Earl who is lost in himself seeking sleep to escape his emptiness. Edmund runs into Lola at 87 Harley St. A place where exciting things always seem to take place. A plot similar to a very famous movie with Julia Roberts, this story is quick, entertaining and fun. If you are a fan of these authors don't miss out on this one. On the other hand if you have never had the opportunity to read any of these authors run don't walk to grab this book and be prepared to find your own new favorite source of reading pleasure.

The Duchess Bride by Scarlett Scott...
A kidnapping and a love reunited makes for an enchanting story. True love meant to be for Westley and Cleandine.

Dilemma over a Duke by Alexa Aston...
A lovely romance about finding your right love match. It flowed beautifully and the slow burn love that was always there for Hatch and Evie.

The Duke's Day Off by Annabelle Anders...
An underlying attraction and a day off for the Duke and his mother's companion leads to true love. Victor and Eva are perfect in the most lovely way.

The Moonstone Mermaid by Meara Platt...
This romance is like a warm hug, delightful and beautifully written with characters that are genuine and caring. James and Verity are perfection, getting to know each other, falling in love and what better place than Moonstone Landing to fall in love.

Say Anything, Duke by Kathleen Ayers...
A fun and engaging romance where a Duke and a not so appropriate lady find an unexpected love match. Atticus and Parthena have an instant attraction and no accidents will stand in the way of true love.

I Know This Much is True by Chasity Bowlin...
A sweet Cinderella themed romance between a Duke and lowly relation. Antony and Caroline have an instant connection and a forever love.

Love is the Duke's Best Remedy by Sara Adrien...
A lovely written romance between a Duke and his flower girl. A spattering of my fair lady. Edmund and Lola make a perfect couple and what starts out with a convenient bargain soon ends in a wonderful happily ever after.

The Worth of an Earl by Jude Knight...
An entertaining story and romance with a wonderful connection between Worth and Jen. I enjoyed their journey and Jen finding her true family history and happy ending.

I enjoyed the stories in this book, but I didn't love them. None stood out as especially fun or swoony. I wouldn't be opposed to read soemthing else by any of these authors, but I wouldn't search them out.

We all need a Hot Duke Summer....

This was a great collection with some of my easy reading, regency authors.: Alexa Ashton, Annabelle Anders and Meara Platt. So, yeah, click that button. Fun and quick reads, perfect for the lazy days of summer reading.
Recommend.

So many of my favorite regency romance writers know one anthology - Hot Duke Summer has all the swoonworthy Dukes, the feisty heroines, and the red hot spice. If you’re a devoted regency romance lover, you won’t be disappointed by these stories by Ayer’s, Bowlin, and more.

Every day was as good as the one before it. I could not stop reading! I liked the variety of the plots and the different levels of heat from sweet to steamy!

So many great authors in this anthology.
My favorite thing is that they are all new, never before published which is such a treat.
Stories are compelling and the chemistry leading to love is evident.
Moonstone mermaid does follow along with a series by the author which adds to the fun.
Extra stars for this book.

The Duchess Bride – Scarlett Scott
Super cute and love the movie reference to a certain P Bride. Lost love, second chance is such a sweet trope. I do wish this was a longer story and would love to see something longer in the future.

Dilemma Over a Duke – Alexa Aston
Loved it. Hatch and Evie are such a cute couple and their no-shame admissions of love are stuff romances are made of. Alexa knows how to pull you into her stories with so much emotion.

The Duke’s Day Off - Annabelle Anders
This story resonated with me in that I also like to live in the moment. Victor, bless his heart, did not know how to live until Evalina showed him. Everyone deserves to enjoy life and if that means taking a day off, jump at it.

Say Anything, Duke – Kathleen Ayers
Boombox Regency-Style! Parthena and Atticus are so cute. I love how Parthena was a total spaz but in a loveable way. Kathleen’s can write a story even if it is a short story and make me believe that I am part of the story.

I absolutely loved all of the movie homages.

The Duchess Bride - Scarlett Scott
*character called Buttercup ✔️
*character named Westley ✔️
*masked, yet familiar, man kidnaps MFC to save her from a miserable marriage not to a Prince Humperdinck but to a Humberton ✔️

Dilemma over a Duke - Alexa Aston
*MFC decides on a marriage of convenience to a friend ✔️
*childhood friend / crush (her betrothed’s brother, oops) returns from war ✔️

The Duke’s Day Off - Annabelle Anders
*titled man falls for his mother’s long suffering amanuensis / companion ✔️
*Memento Mori leads to love? ✔️

The Moonstone Mermaid - Meara Platt
*injured soldier and duke falls for the woman he ‘accidentally’ spies on while she’s swimming ✔️

Say Anything, Duke - Kathleen Ayers
*accident prone MFC ✔️
*MFC’s mother = 🤬🤬🤬✔️

I Know this Much is True - Chastity Bowlin
*insta insta love ✔️

Love is the Duke’s Best Remedy - Sara Adrien
*My Fair Lady / Pretty Woman vibes ✔️

The Worth of an Earl - Jude Knight
*reverse Aladdin


Anthologies are an excellent way to discover new-to-me authors or read shorter offerings from favorites andI found this one to be a very enjoyable read 🙂



Thank you to Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC

As with just about every anthology ever published, some stories were better than others (and I'm sure what is considered good vs. just okay varies across every reader). I liked the challenge set forth for the authors here - take a favorite summer rom-com/movie and give it a regency twist. For some of the stories it was pretty clear what the movie was (or the author made note of it) and others I'm still trying to figure out. There were also stories where this twist really worked and some where it was a bit of stretch and/or I couldn't see the connection. There were also a few that felt rushed because of them being short stories and actually would have loved as a full-length novel or at least a few more chapters. My favorites here were The Duchess Bride (which I would have loved to have been longer), Say Anything, Duke (which I would have loved as a full-length novel), I Know this Much is True (which needed just a little more development between the main characters), and The Worth of an Earl (which I didn't see the connection to the summer movie and would have loved as a full-length novel or a little longer). All of the stories are entertaining, but these were my favorites. I also loved this collection because it introduced me to a couple new authors!

Hot, Super Hot Duke Summer!

An anthology of amazing romantic stories from amazing authors who bring glamour, passion, adventure, romance, love and loyalty to every one of these stories within the book.

Each storyline is a short but satisfying read with a HEA.

A perfect read for not just summer but anytime!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Delightful Anthology of Regency Romances.
The Duchess Bride 5* by Scarlett Scott - a lost love, a kidnapping and a villain. When Lady Celandine is kidnapped on the morning of her wedding, is the ruination of her and her family, or her salvation?
Dilemma over a Duke 5* by Alexa Aston - Evie doesn’t believe in love and after three seasons, takes matters into her own hands to find herself a malleable husband, to give herself the life she wants. Only to find that her best friend has returned from war and she has feelings she never expected to have, unfortunately she is engaged to his brother!
The Duke’s Day Off 5* by Annabelle Anders - Evalina Sparrow takes to heart the Latin phrase ‘memento mori’ - remember you must die, finding joy in the small things, even though she works as a companion to a demanding dowager duchess. Little does she know when she persuades the Duke to skip his responsibilities for the day, that her life will be forever changed.
The Moonstone Mermaid 5* by Meara Platt - a Duke comes to Moonstone Landing to recuperate after a serious carriage accident and finds love with the constable’s daughter.
Say Anything, Duke 5* by Kathleen Ayers - a hilariously accident prone heroine who captures the eye and then the heart of a Duke.
I Know This Much Is True 4* by Chastity Bowlin - a sweet story of love at first sight.
Love is the Duke’s Best Remedy 4* by Sara Adrien - a Pretty Woman variation with an insomniac Duke and a flower seller.
The Worth of an Earl 5* by Jude Knight - a reverse Aladdin story, featuring a kidnapping, a rescue, surprise wealth and other secrets.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A great collection of regency novellas of eight great authors . It had it all protective Dukes and smart and fearless young women .
I received this book from netgalley , the author and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

I am a huge fan of romance anthologies. 𝗛𝗢𝗧 𝗗𝗨𝗞𝗘 𝗦𝗨𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗥 was filled with sweet and sexy regency novellas that I enjoyed reading between longer, heavier reads. Each one was unique and totally had my attention. This book was a great way to get to know new to me authors. I’m giving it the judy.ann.loves.books stamp of approval, TBR and Enjoy.