Review: Amalie Howard's NEVER MET A DUKE LIKE YOU

 

NEVER MET A DUKE LIKE YOU
Historical Romance

 

 AUTHOR:

Amalie Howard

RELEASE DATE:
November 14, 2023

PUBLISHER:
Forever (Grand Central Publishing)

ISBN/ ASIN NUMBER :
9781538737767

RATING:
4.5

AUTHOR LINK:
https://amaliehoward.com

 

 

Aspen Drake, the Duke of Greydon, returns to England to reassume his ducal responsibilities. He finds himself trapped in an attic with none other than Lady Vesper, his childhood friend and nemesis. Aspen believes that she is like his callous mother and the rest of their peerage. However, he soon discovers there is far more to the beautiful, headstrong heiress than he thought. Can Aspen and Vesper settle their differences? Or will something else stand in their way?

Lady Vesper Lyndhurst is a paradigm for other women in their social class. She is rich, beautiful, and sought after. Vesper has no interest in marriage; however, she does enjoy playing matchmaker for others. Aspen is the only person who can crack her ladylike mien. The man infuriates her, and Vesper cannot ignore the strong attraction between them. Can Aspen change Vesper’s stance on marriage? Or are there other things that will keep them apart?

Aspen is a hit and miss with me. I like that Aspen has scholarly pursuits. It is his way of connecting and honoring his late father. What I admire the most about Aspen is how he uses his ducal influence for good. He wants to keep others from sharing his father’s sad fate. Aspen knows to prevent that he first needs to take his responsibility in the House of Lords seriously. The only thing that irked me about Aspen is how he handled his mother. I will mention below my nitpicks on that subject.

I am on the fence about Vesper. There were moments when I liked her, and then there were instances when she just annoyed me. I love Vesper’s camaraderie and interaction with her friends, the Hellfire Kitties. It is evident that each of the women care and look out for each other. What I admire the most about Vesper is her desire to help the less fortunate, especially children. She does not do it to look good to her peers. Instead, Vesper does it because of the satisfaction it brings her.

NEVER MET A DUKE LIKE YOU is the second book in Amalie Howard’s historical romance series, TAMING OF THE DUKES. The story can easily stand alone. There is no on-going plot or villain spilling over into the next book. Stone and Nève, the couple from ALWAYS BE MY DUCHESS, do show up intermittently throughout the story. I have a feeling (fingers crossed) that Lushing and Briar are next. I love their chemistry, in this one and the prior one.

I do have one nitpick. Aspen’s mother (Spoiler. Read at your own peril) Throughout the book, she is painted the heartless villain. It feels like she got off WAY too easy. Perhaps I am bloodthirsty… I wanted her peers to learn about her villainy and ostracize her as she rightly deserves. Not to mention being incarcerated. That she did not really dampen my enjoyment of the book.