This was such a fun Emma retelling. I especially liked the way the FMC’s ADD was handled. I haven’t read too many books with female ADD representation so it was nice to read one that was also a really fun read.

This book is a fun regency romp that is loosely based on Emma.

Vesper and Aspen, were once childhood friends now enemies (due to a series of misunderstandings). They are both flawed characters, which makes them more interesting. Despite hating each other at the start of this book, their chemistry is off the charts.

The best part of the book in my opinion, is when they have resolved all the misunderstandings and unite to take down a common enemy.

I also enjoyed Vespers cat, who is named “Cat”.

Overall this book was enjoyable, as I have come to expect from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with an eARC of this book to read and review.

I liked this historical romance of childhood friends who become lovers.It was entertaining and the couple, Vesper and Aspen were perfect for each other. Now, if his evil mother could get her comeuppance, she is pure evil!

There are some steamy scenes in unique locations to spice up the story!

The Author's note said the book was based on Clueless, but I also saw more Emma and a little of Breakfast at Tiffany's (movie) vibes in the end with “Cat” the cat.

Never Met a Duke Like You is the second book in the Taming of the Dukes series set in Victorian England.

Aspen Drake, Duke of Greydon is back in England after spending the last several years in the Western United States as a paleontologist. However, he didn’t expect to find himself locked in his own attic at his country estate within hours of returning. Or that the woman he grew up with and also part of the reason why he left 6 years prior to find him locked in the attic and then accidentally locked both of them in the attic thanks to a faulty door. Lady Vesper Lyndhurst just wanted to check on the noise she heard while seeking shelter at her childhood friend’s estate, not thinking she’d come across the man she not only possibly still held an infatuation for but also gave her the cut direct in the year she’d debuted. By the time they find themselves rescued, Vesper has agreed to matchmake and help his ward, Miss Judith Thornton in her first season. Vespa has had success in matchmaking a few friends and family and wants to help others find love that she never will. However, between matching their social calendars to best help Judith and Vespa’s father, the Duke of Harwick taking on Aspen as a mentee for work in the House of Lords, Vesper and Aspen find plenty of chances to become reacquainted with one another again and maybe they’ve always been what the other has been looking for.

This was the first book of the author’s that I had read and even though it’s the second in the series, it could be read as a standalone. There was lots of things that I enjoyed in this book. There are lots of side characters and plots that helps round the story out and bring all areas together; as well as, building stories for characters in future books. I also enjoyed the feminist aspects of women helping women regardless of station and the charitableness of the heroine. The hero also has more than a passing interest in paleontology and is serious about the field. Aspen’s mother was crafted well to demonstrate how well she manipulated others and made me angry on the characters’ behalf. This is a childhood friends then enemies to lovers story but left me with mixed feelings. The MC would banter back and forth but at times it came off as childish when they would do so in public. Also, it was confusing to tell how they truly felt about each other in the first half. In one part, Aspen reminisces about Vesper being selfish as a debutante and then later he’s recollecting that he was so taken by her beauty that he was too shy to talk to her. The second half of the book didn’t have any of these areas so it was fun to see how they found their happiness.

Overall, I enjoyed their HEA and the three encounters plus one other that was interrupted were very steamy and you knew that they had good chemistry and just needed to overcome themselves to get there.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced ecopy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I lost interest at 7% DNF.



**********************I received an ARC for my honest opinion from NetGalley***********************

The second book in the Taming of the Dukes, Lady Vesper Lyndhurst and Aspen the Duke of Greydon where once friends now they are enemies. Somehow these two get trapped in an attic together. That was one nasty Mother. I enjoyed seeing these two get their happy ending even with the ups and downs they went through. I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Such a fun, romantic read. I felt all the emotions the characters were feeling throughout the story. I am definitely going back to read the first book in this series, and I really hope there are more to follow! Even though you go into this book knowing how it’s going to end, the path the main characters take to the end is full of unexpected turns that will keep you flipping pages quickly; could not put this one down! I really liked the use of the historical language and there were enough context clues to understand the gist of the words without actually having to stop and look them up; it gave the book a very authentic feel. Must read if you enjoy romances with substance.

Lady Vesper always considered Aspen to be her friend growing up. They are neighbors. Several years ago, Aspen ran away and broke her heart. Returning to England, he is the new Duke of Greydon. Not by choice. He would rather dig for bones, especially in America. But his position as a duke gives him the power to bring amendments to reform commiting people to mental institutions. His mother, about as evil as they come, destroyed his father by having him unnecessarily committed. Blackmailed by Aspen's mother, who has her own agenda, Vesper is facing a brokenheart. This is a complicated plot with some disturbing facts concerning mental institutions and the ease of having someone committed. The Duchess of Greydon is one scary lady. Descriptive sex and language.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

I really liked this one! It was fun, sexy and entertaining :) I will definitely read more from this author.

One thing about me: If it has “Duke” in the title… I WILL READ IT! This review is about a month late (I’m blaming college), but I definitely had a great time while reading! This was the first book I’ve read by Amalie Howard, but won’t be the last. The characters each had such fun personalities and the banter… perfect.

This is an adorable "cozy" historical romance. What happens when 2 poodles get switched then one gets dog napped?? Chaos! And fun! And maybe even love! Bitsy and Michael have perfect chemistry!

I loved it! I really enjoyed the existing relationship between Aspen and Vesper and felt like the story flowed really well. So much so I got the audiobook so I wouldn’t have to stop by reading while taking care of other responsibilities!

This a fun friends-turned-enemies-to-lovers read from Amalie Howard.

Lady Vesper's matchmaking hobby leads to her being recruited to help her old neighbor, the Duke of Greydon, as he seeks a match for his ward, bringing these two (and their complicated history) together.

I loved Vesper's vibe, she's feisty, charitable and content with finding love for others. Greydon is a bit harsh at times, but fans of grumpy/sunshine tropes will enjoy the chemistry between these two. The storyline has tons of entertaining moments where the author brings them together and the reader can enjoy watching the sparks fly. I enjoyed the balance between historical romance and modern themes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an advanced copy of this and the opportunity to share my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I struggle with Emma retellings because Emma is the villain of her story and literally other than Clueless there have been no good retellings. It is a bit weird for this to be a Clueless retelling rather than an Emma retelling and I really wished it had lived up to the glory that is Clueless. Clueless is just so fun whereas this book has a really weird dark undertone. I don't know why the asylum and black mail plot lines were there as they fit neither the Emma or Clueless retelling. This is the second Amalie Howard book I've been disappointed in and I don't know that I'll return.

The Hell Kitties are back! While they may not be in all the glory that they were in the first novel, this is a cute follow up. It’s not quite what I was expecting but I’ll still read the next book.

I’m a little obsessed with Amalie Howard. Her books make me laugh and swoon in equal measure, and I can’t get enough.

This is the second in the Taming of the Dukes series, and while you could start with this one, you’ll definitely want to read Always Be My Duchess because it’s amazing.

In this book, Lady Vesper Lyndhurst has long been estranged from her once best friend, the Duke of Greydon, after a series of unfortunate misunderstandings when they were younger. They’re thrown together again, and the Duke of Greydon requests Vesper’s help in finding a match for his mother’s ward. While Vesper has sworn off finding a match for herself, she’s good at pairing up other people, and she agrees to help.

The two of them have the most sizzling chemistry and you never know if one of them is going to get slapped or kissed. The banter between them is fantastically snarky, and I found myself chuckling out loud on many occasions.

I adored Vesper and Aspen's story! Watching these two butt heads was so much fun!! They were perfect for one another!

This book was definitely more on the young adult side for Amalie Howard, who usually writes very grown up, sexy stories. This is marketed as a clueless retelling and i totally see the vibe of that now. The characters are young and fun the stakes are low but it was still a fun story!

💞Read this if you enjoy:
-Victorian era 📜👑
-Clueless (the movie) 💅🏻
-Paleontology 🦕
-Mutual pining 😍😍
-Unique FMCs 💁🏻‍♀️

📸SNAPSHOT:
Vesper is a perfect lady in the eyes of the ton, but in private, she marches to the beat of her own drummer. Her endless energy fuels her to do decidedly “unladylike” things like acting scandalously with her close friends, traipsing around the seedier parts of London to help those in need, and declaring herself a matchmaker who doesn’t want to get married herself.

Aspen, Duke of Greydon grew up next door to Vesper. They were childhood best friends and each other’s first crush. However, they haven’t spoken to each other since an epic falling out during Vesper’s first season. Aspen left London shortly after the falling out in order to escape his horrible mother. After years of being away, he’s back in town to deal with his mother and his ducal responsibilities. He and Vesper reunite and their complicated history leads to some fiery chemistry.


💭 MY THOUGHTS:
I was skeptical about this one being a historical retelling of Clueless since Clueless is a modern retelling of Emma. I was kind of worried it would be an Emma knock-off, but that wasn’t the case whatsoever. It felt like a fresh historical romance story that was inspired by Clueless. I loved the Jane Austen reference in the book as well! I appreciated the author’s small homage to the original story and author.

I really enjoyed the unique main characters. I loved that the Duke was also passionate about paleontology. That’s such an interesting subplot. I honestly didn’t even know that paleontology was a known science in the Victorian era, so that was an interesting lesson for me!

I also appreciated the thoughtful and realistic way the author addressed mental health issues during this time period. Vesper knew she was different than “typical ladies,” but it was before diagnoses like ADHD were known about/accepted. Even without the diagnosis, Vesper knew that she had to hide that part of her to fit in to society. I’m sure so many people masked their mental health struggles back then to avoid the horrors of mental health “asylums” at that time.

All in all - this book was absolutely wonderful! I cannot wait for this series to be continued.

I could see where they were going with the Clueless comparisons but it definitely was darker than Clueless. To be honest, I was more interested in Vesper's matchmaking shenanigans than the rest of the subplots involved.