I'm posting an honest review after reading an advance readers copy of this story.

I think we have a winner as a start to a new series, Say I Do. Yours Truly is a classic trope, 2 people need to marry quickly, for different reasons. What starts as a marriage of convivence turns into a love match, it has to, or we readers would revolt. Wyatt and Fredericka are in a tough spot when a solicitor suggests each may be the answer to the others problem. Past what you can read in the synopsis there isn't too much I can say that won't ruin it for you. Wyatt wants to hold onto a piece of property & Fredericka wants to keep her late sisters' children with her. It's a good story and enjoyable read and I do recommend it. I'm seeing at least 2 more books with interesting men & I'd like to know what drags them to the alter.

#Netgalley #AmeliaGrey #YoursTruly,TheDuke #SayIDo #StMartin'sPaperbacks #historicalromance #romance

I think the marriage of convenience trope is one of my favorites. The couple is together and they need to work it out. The heroine in this story, Fredericka, has a good reason to get married - she needs a spouse to maintain custody of her nieces and nephews now that a married cousin is making a move to usurp custody even though Fredericka has been taking loving care of them for a year. The Duke’s excuse is just totally unbelievable. What person leaves a will that her grandson must get married within a week without his knowing this codicil to her will. And Wyatt doesn’t care so much about the money, but that it would go to a poetry group and he hates poetry because his mean schoolmaster beat students who didn’t know their poetry. Sure.

But go along with the set-up. I enjoyed the interactions between Wyatt and the little children. And Fredericka is a lovely heroine. She’s smart and spunky. She says what she thinks and doesn’t play games. Wyatt is a bit dopey and slow to figure out what he really wants, but I enjoyed their interactions.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book and this is my freely given opinion.

I was rather looking forward to this book, like the marriage of convenience theme and the description of the book was intriguing. But I found that I was a bit tepid about it as I read the book.

The duke of Wyatthaven, better known as Wyatt to his friends, is about to lose a large portion of his inheritance from his grandmother if he does not wed by the end of the week. Even worse, it would be bequeathed to a society of poets if he does not follow through with a wedding. It turns out that Wyatt has terrible memories of school with an abusive instructor who forced them to memorize poetry, and if they failed to do so would engage in enforcing discipline through horrific corporal punishment. Because Wyatt was the son of a duke, he escaped this, but saw others punished in his stead. As such, he has a skewed hatred of all this poetry. So he goes about the rapid fire search logically, through his lawyer, who gives him a list of eligible and likely brides to be who would be willing to leg shackle to a duke with minimal effort and wooing, post haste. He settles on Frederika Hale, a spinster aunt caring for her three orphaned nieces and nephew, whose custodianship is being threatened by a childless cousin and her husband. He would offer her the security of marriage, funds, and the power of his title, and she would have the children, staying and managing their estate, while giving him the freedom to pursue his wants and desires until such a time as he desires to have children to carry on his line... he figures that will be in his 40s or so, a good decade plus in the future (seeming to forget that women age too).

So he dashes off a note to Miss Hale with his intentions and decides to travel to meet her on the morrow to advance his proposition.

Needless to say, the busy child rearing aunt, who is seeking candidates for a husband to secure her custody of the children, did not get a chance to read his note by the time he arrives and they have a rather interesting butting of heads as an introduction. Fredericka is a rather strong willed woman with some clear ideas on how she wants the children to behave - she loves them dearly and wants to raise them to be well behaved, responsible adults her sister would be proud of. But to Wyatt's eyes, they are stiff, and not allowed to have fun, and immediately he raises Frederika's ire by comparing them to wooden soldiers.

Obviously Wyatt carries some baggage from his childhood and what he experienced in school. But also what his father and friends taught him about being a man, and what a burden marriage is, catering to the needs of a wife, which is why he is happy to have a marriage of convenience where he can leave Fredericka in the country. However, even for the short duration of their meeting to wedding, they make an impression on each other, enough to lead up to a rather passionate kiss before Wyatt leaves for London and their separate lives.

But things come to a change when her cousin visits her with the latest scandal sheets, after a few weeks of marriage, and she realizes that to truly take advantage of the dukedom to gain custody, they have to show a united front together, so Fredericka is forced to uproot the household and invade the dukes life in London. Unfortunately during a ball when she walks in on him during a waltz with another woman, and leading to an unfortunate outburst on his part, that only leads to more speculation about their relationship.

Fredericka and Wyatt learn to live with each other, but despite their growing closeness and intimacy with each other, they still fail to understand or compromise on things such as his friendships, clubs, and sporting pursuits which were core to his life and lends to his facade of being a rake. They are also central to his efforts to raise funds for his hospital which helps war veterans and others in need, but this is not something he speaks openly about except with his close friends. This sometimes clashes with Fredericka and how she wants to raise the children. Also Wyatt, who learns to love and appreciate the children, has differing views on childhood and rearing from Fredericka, and they butt heads in this arena as well, as he wishes for them to have the chance to play and enjoy childhood as well, but Fredericka is fearful of them coming to harm, or misbehaving, especially as any foot set wrong could give her cousin more things to hold against her in their pursuit for custody. It does not help that Fredericka and her cousin also have a contentious relationship from childhood, and Fredericka carries the scars of rejection because of how her sister and cousin treated her.

I had a lukewarm reception to this story for several reasons. This was a fair story, but I found that Wyatt's dislike of poetry and discipline to be a bit over the top and overblown - especially in the context of Fredericka being an amateur poetess who used to dream of finding a mate she could share her poetry with. The diametric opposition of their interests seemed a bit overblown considering they already had other differences that acted as barriers to their connection. Wyatt had a terrible ability to speak without thinking sometimes but this was taken over the top by Fredericka's ability to misunderstand what he said and take it in the worse way possible. No matter what Wyatt said, she would be offended by what he said. Also, Fredericka seemed to carry some deep issues about her childhood relationships with her sister and cousin, who were several years older than her, and she perceived rejection and a lack of love in how they treated her that carried through to her adulthood. She somehow extrapolated that to her relationships with others. Did she not have any other meaningful relationships at all by adulthood - no friends, or anything? As it was, she must have had some kind of adult relationship with her sister before her death, but she still carried those childhood insecurities? This contributed to making her an insecure and prickly woman who was easily offended and prone to putting on a rather cold, false front, such as with her cousin, rather than admit to fault or vulnerability, and made it difficult to like her, as a reader.

But then again, the cousin, Jane, was just not likeable, seeming to take pleasure in undermining Fredericka's confidence, and slyly poking at her, under the guise of false concern. Even when they reach some kind of resolution, Jane still seemed to approach Fredericka with the intention to poke at her, and undermine her confidence.

A good premise, but a story with characters that I could not connect with for much of the story, until near the end when Wyatt and Fredericka actually open up are willing to communicate and compromise more effectively with each other.

3 stars out of 5

I thought that the story was awesome. The writer grabbed my attention with the introductions of the characters Wyatt and Fredricka. I was very intrigued by Wyatt and his friends at the beginning of the book. Three men secluded in a den going over a to draft a letter. I thought that it was a little funny. The characters are quite charming. The love story was so sweet and charming. I absolutely loved how their story was told and how they made it their mission to keep the children. Until next time my fellow readers… read on! I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Wyatt needs to marry within a week to keep his inheritance from his grandmother. Fredericka needs to marry to keep her sister’s children. Her cousin Jane wants the children. She is suing to get custody. Fredericka and Wyatt enter into a marriage of convenience. They have very differing views.

The heroine is strong but has very rigid ideas about raising children. She believes in discipline. The hero likes his single lifestyle. He feels children should have fun. Can they work together to keep the children? They have to deal with their feelings for each other.

The book was well written. I truly enjoyed it.

Yours Truly, The Duke is almost a character-driven regency romance if there ever was one! Such a fun journey following our plucky heroine Fredericka as she blazes the way for herself and the children that have come into her care to create a happy, healthy family.

THOUGHTS:
- No major drama, which I actually appreciated. SO many times we read about highway bandits attacking carriages, kidnappings, etc. While those are fun and swoon-worthy -- it's nice to read about the domestic/legal side of life in regency-era London. Sometimes we just need to be reminded that problems like child custody, marital issues, and so much more are problems that have plagued people through the ages, and everything will be ok.
- You guys may not know this, but I'm a research scientist. The organization I work for will be involved peripherally with the 'clean-up' of the Ohio/East Palestine railcar crash (for as much as that's worth for those poor people), and it's a very stressful time for basically everyone involved. Yours Truly, The Duke was the ONLY thing getting me through the day as I read it in my downtime at work and while taking the dog for a walk!! Amelia Grey's writing flowed so well that I didn't feel the need to skim. (A rarity when you're always reading. I felt truly transported and simultaneously relaxed, which is a necessity these days.)
- I don't think I realized that courts even could decide anything like this in the 1800s? I looked it up, and the governmental oversight level was shocking during this period. I really thought that was a thing of future generations. Learn something new every day!!
- Forever loving a heroine that's not the damsel in distress type from this period? If you're a fan of the fiercely intelligent ladies from 'The League of Extraordinary Women' series by Evie Dunmore, you'll love 'Yours Truly, The Duke'.

NOTES:
- 🌶🌶/5 - Closed-door romance with LOTS of fun tension in a very Darcy/Elizabeth miscommunication style 😂
- The main characters are in their twenties and idk why, but I imagined the MMC as Theo James (the main male lead in the movie Divergent.) .. which made this one all the more fun to read. I have no idea why I picked him, but I was in that mood. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Yours Truly, The Duke is the first in the 'Say I Do' series, and I'll definitely be reading the next books!

P.S. I'm really loving regency romances recently. They feel so easy to read and lighthearted while I'm working through major stuff at work, remodeling the basement, and so much more in this season of life.

**Thank you, St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Paperbacks, and NetGalley, for this advance reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. - SLR 🖤

I love the start of a new historical romance series, and Yours Truly, the Duke is a charming and entertaining beginning! Wyatt and Fredericka enter into a marriage of convenience—he, to gain an inheritance, and she to retain custody of her nieces and nephew. Their blooming feelings for each other were a lot of fun to read, but the growing affection for the children added an extra layer of tenderness. I enjoyed this book very much, and look forward to the upcoming books in the series.

I thought this was a great book & I am excited that it's going to be what appears to be a trilogy with the next 2 books being about Wyatt's friends. Fredricka & Wyatt make great lead characters with the children adding a lot of fun. Jane makes a great "villain" trying to gain custody of the children from Fredricka. I highly recommend reading this book to see the good times & bad that they all encounter.

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

I thought I would like this book because I love a marriage of convenience story. However one of my favorite MoC plot devices was left out: the consummation. This is a very clean, low steam book so if that’s what you’re looking for, you will enjoy it because it’s still written very well. How ever that paired with the heavy kid plot (not one of my favorites) made it a “meh” for me.

Amelia Grey has another fantastic series in Yours Truly, the Duke of the Say I Do series. What more can you ask for than three handsome, bumbling writers who are dukes. From the very beginning Wyatt and his two, somewhat inebriated, ducal friends try writing a marriage proposal letter! You know it will only get better. All three have reasons for not only disliking poetry, but for avoiding it completely. Love interest and future wife, of course, loves and writes poetry.

Fredericka and Wyatt form an unlikely alliance so he can gain an inheritance from his grandmother’s estate and she can gain his help to keep her sister’s orphaned children. Fredericka is very guarded at first, not sure the marriage is good for her or the children. Yet, Wyatt just has to say his ‘I do’s’ and he gets that inheritance.

The children are adorable as they add mischievousness to the mix, or really, the marriage. The three orphans are just trying to be children. Wyatt seems to realize this quickly, as Fredericka wants them to be and act perfect. The semi-villain/cousin, Jane, wants the children. And, she is just kind of a miserable person.

I loved this romance and its slow burn between Fredericka and Wyatt. And, thoroughly enjoyed Wyatt’s ducal friends, as well as other secondary characters. Ms. Grey has a great turn of phrase to keep a reader interested. Let’s see what she does with Rick and Hurst.

For when you're vibing with... Marriage of convenience, kids in romance, low steam, a lot of focus on family issues.

Fighting for custody of her dead sister's three children, Fredericka needs a husband to solidify her case. Enter the Duke of Wyatthaven--"Wyatt"--who, for his own reasons, proposes a marriage of convenience. She'll get the kids, and they'll live separately. Until, as it turns out, they can't quite do the living separately thing--and Frederick ends up on Wyatt's doorstep with all three children.

This was a case of... It's not you, it's me. Like, I'll admit, I don't love kids in romance novels--but sometimes I do. They're not a definite "no", though, so I wanted to give Amelia Grey a shot. I just don't think her style is for me, but I'm sure it's for many.

Quick Takes:
--Amelia Grey has a light, frothy approach to prose. The book is well-written in that sense, even if the story didn't quite keep my attention, and I can see why people would enjoy the airiness, the humor, etc.

--I enjoyed Wyatt and his friends; there's a really cute moment in the beginning when he's attempting to compose a letter proposing marriage that was probably my favorite scene in the book.

--This is, like I mentioned earlier, "low steam". It's not exactly sexless, because they do have sex. But I've got to say--I don't really know why the author bothered, or why authors bother at all with sex scenes that aren't sex scenes. There are two (I think?) vague sentences. It actually frustrates me to read that kind of thing. I'd rather nothing than two vague sentences. Pick one or the other, for me--swaying in between teases but doesn't fulfill. If the sex was plot important (which, debatable) you might as well just allude to the marriage being consummated in dialogue or a quick throwaway thought, or by having them wake up in bed together.

--I don't know why they fell in love. She was a bit annoying. He was a bit of an asshole. There was no physical connection, at least not from what I could see. But really, it just felt like they fell in love because that was supposed to happen, not because it was natural.

The Sex Stuff:
See above. It's really, really vague.

It wasn't for me. I wish it was. But I think I just found that the lack of chemistry between the leads, the lack of heat, and that vagueness culminated in something that was, unfortunately, forced.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Publishing: March 28, 2023
Series: Say I Do #1
Pages: 320

“Yours Truly, The Duke (Say I Do, #1) in this new series by the author is a very good historical read. You have the H/h needing one another desperately to obtain or keep something precious to them. Fredericka needs her sister’s children in her life and Wyatt needs a wife to obtain his grandmother’s inheritance. Two self-serving individuals who find their marriage of convenience leading to something much, much more…something called love. There is an attraction once they are married. Then there are the children to consider. Each having their own personalities that need that security to bring them out of the shells. This is one story where I loved the mild heat and steamy between the H/h…although it is not spelled in every detail on the pages but it lets your imagination guess what’s going on. Only dislike was the heroine’s constant reminder of keeping the children…a bit overdone in some parts but nonetheless, a well-written story that I truly enjoyed.

I’ll be adding this to my top reads for this year. I just really loved it and wanted to keep reading it. So, for me, it was wonderful. The I love how it was closed door and still had all the swoons and I loved how strong- willed Fredricka was, and how determined Wyatt was to provide. I wanted to shake Jane and never have her come around again. And when the children came into the story, I thought it was beautiful how they interacted with Wyatt and he encouraged them to play more.

This checked off everything I look for in a book. Was not disappointed. Really enjoyed this book. I will read more from this author. Must read. Historical fiction oh yeah.

Twenty years after his grandmother's death, Wyatt is informed of an addendum to her will. If he doesn't marry by Friday, land and building in downtown London will go to a poetry society. A little odd, yes? Wyatt has reasons to have a grudge against poetry so his friend recommends a woman he's heard of who needs a husband. Fredericka is caring for her deceased sister's three children. Her cousin is threatening to take her to court to gain custody. There is no way a single women would win against her. She needs to marry quickly. Wyatt and Fredericka make an agreement. He will marry her to give her a better chance of keeping the children, he will get his inheritance, and Fredericka will stay in the country, Both leading separate lives. Oh, Wyatt and his friends spend all their time playing in gambling tournaments. Gambling on cards, cricket, shooting, fencing... The money goes to his hospital. Fredericka is prim, prickly, and proper. Taking anything Wyatt says in the wrong way. She loves the children but wants them to be perfect automatons. Just about anything else about her is unlikeable. Growing up, her cousin and sister, who were eight years older, never wanted her around. As an adult she thought no one wanted her around either. Somehow Wyatt, who takes on three kids not his own, gives them each a trust, spends time with them etc. falls in love with the angry and disagreeable Fredericka. There is zero steam and the one sex scene wording is laughable.

This is a marriage of convenience story, and I like those when well done. I found Fredericka aloof, very cold, but she needs to marry in order to keep her dead sisters's children, because her cousin is married and wants them with her. The Duke of Wyatthaven, will lose his inheritance if he doesn't marry by a certain date, thus we have a solution for Fredericka, and the Duke as well.. I think this story would be excellent for young teenagers, and I say that for me, the Duke and the female lead never had any chemistry, she was very aloof, and he was very immature for me, his continual bachelor days, not what you would think most young men would be doing, no, he was hosting at home card games, hmm. His love for the children is endearing, the chemistry between him and Fredericka is non existent. I highly recommend for teenagers.
Thank you #Netgalley
carolintallahassee

Yours Truly, The Duke is a "marriage of convenience" romance that sounded great in the description, but unfortunately falls quite flat in execution. Main characters Fredericka and Wyatt are weakly constructed and have no chemistry -- we are repeatedly told rather than shown that the two feel any attraction for each other, and the minimal love scenes between them lack any steam at all. Primary villain Cousin Jane is equally poorly constructed, with no redeeming qualities to help underscore why Fredericka is so insistent on remaining connected with her at the end of the book. I wanted to like this one so much more than I actually did.

When only marriage will do!

Frederika Hale needs a husband to stall her cousin Jane taking Fredericka’s sister’s children from her. Frederika has had charge of her children for over a year. Jane has never visited or had anything to do with the children but recently having accepted her childless state, has decided she is best situated to bring the children up.
The Duke of Wyatthaven needs a wife or else his grandmother’s fortune goes to a poetry society. The head of that Society is a man who taught Wyatt at Eton. A man who couldn’t punish the young heir to the dukedom, but his friends had no such impediments for the bully.
It was quite hilarious watching the duke and his dukely friends attempting to compose a letter of marriage. Even more amusing was what he ended up with.
It turns out Wyatt is quite an interesting man, far more than I found Frederika to be, who seems hampered by her own childhood insecurities
I enjoyed the duke’s relationship with the children, particularly Bella who called him Uncle, Your Grace, and howled with laughter at the image of the children imitating the duke and his friends holding a card night—complete with card, cheroots and cards. Jane was not amused. Fredericka was undone.
A marriage of convenience tale with some addictions that made for a lively read, although I just wasn’t fully feeling the chemistry between the main protagonists.

A St. Martin’s Press invite via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.

I am a fan of Ms Grey’s writing. Normally I love her stories. Not this one. Her writing as always was well done. Her characters were yucky.

Fredericka was a stick. She was so busy reliving her poor lonely childhood, she was unable to see life in the present. I really got tired of her not listening to Wyatt, or anyone else. And if she had half a brain she would have wanted the children to enjoy life. She also would have fired the incompetent governess.

Wyatt was a duke who lived his life like he was the only person in the world. If one looked for Self Involved in the dictionary, his picture would be the perfect example. He seemed unable to think before he spoke. He was interested in the children and liked them for who they were, which is more than Fredericka seemed able to do.

Neither one of these people were anyone who I wanted to have as a friend. And that meant this book was hard for me to finish.

The 3 children were the only characters I liked. At times they acted like actual children. Doing the wrong things, being silly and mostly being kids. An actual governess would have been all they needed to make their lives better.

Finally, for me, the villainess was ridiculous. There was no reason to continue to allow her to be involved with the children. And there was no way a lower person on the totem pole would defeat a duke. But, most of all, she was over the top hateful, and for Fredericka to allow that in her home was rather dumb.

I look forward to Ms Grey’s next book. I know she will produce something I enjoy. This was not it.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.

This was the 2nd book I’ve read from Grey, and the first in a new series.

Fredericka Hale (20) is raising her orphaned nieces and nephew and needs a husband, as her cousin (who is unable to have a child) is petitioning for custody. The Duke of Wyatthaven needs a wife in a week to meet his grandmother’s will stipulations. While both feel an immediate attraction, they are often at odds over what’s best for the children. As her cousin makes her move, will they have the chance to overcome their obstacles and become a true family?

I actually liked Wyatt’s character more than Fredericka’s here. He was sweet, laidback and unfortunately often misunderstood while she could be annoyingly obstinate and unnecessarily short-tempered with him.

Nothing really that original about the story, but I’ll give it a little praise for Wyatt.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s for providing the free early arc of Yours Truly, The Duke for review. The opinions are strictly my own.