With a witty heroine and a reluctant duke, I was all in from page one of this great book. A misunderstanding and lots of drama ensue, paving the way for a delicious back-and-forth that was entirely delightful. This was my first book by Valerie Bowman, but I'll definitely be on the lookout for more!

I absolutely loved Thomas and Delilah's story. They had everything I was looking for in a romance. I have come to love Ms. Bowman's work, and this is by far the best yet. Thomas has to try and convince Delilah she is in love with him and he goes about it in the most charming way. This is a book that won't disappoint.

Loved this book. A wonderful cast of characters. Made me laugh out loud. Love this type of hero. Wanted to slap heroine mom

Lady Delilah Montebank's mother has given her a little over a month to marry. If Delilah cannot find herself a suitable husband, her mother has one chosen for her. To spite her mother, Delilah plans to catch the bachelor of the season, the Duke of Branville. Now, how to get his attention!

Lord Thomas Hobbs, Duke of Huntley, is happy when he learns Delilah is ready to marry, but all his hopes are dashed when Thomas discovers she already has a candidate lined up. Being Delilah's friend is easy, but showing her they can have more is going to be the most difficult thing is his life. Is Thomas up for the task? Or will he lose the woman he has loved forever?

Thank you author Valerie Bowman for finally delivering on Delilah and Thomas's story, NO OTHER DUKE BUT YOU. It is certainly a beautiful ending to THE PLAYFUL BRIDES series. Delilah and Thomas have long been favorites of mine. I have always enjoyed their shenanigans. Delilah and Thomas have provided each other a strong shoulder to lean on since they were young and for them to find their HEA in one another, made this reader ecstatic. Historical fans are sure to fall in love with Ms. Bowman's enchanting PLAYFUL BRIDES series. It all starts with THE UNEXPECTED DUCHESS.

It was ok, nothing special, but it was necessary reading this series till the end and so.....

Era caruccio, ma niente di che, ma chiaramente non potevo esimermi dal leggere anche questa serie fino in fondo....

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

I've been looking forward to Thomas' story ever since he got drunk with the boys and confessed his love for his best friend a few books back. I'm a sucker for a good friends-to-lovers story!

I really enjoyed the first half of the story. It was nice seeing Thomas and Delilah together and watch her being completely oblivious. Thomas is the sweetest, kindest, and nicest in a long line of Dukes (because apparently these days every single hero has to be one). Delilah was one of those eccentric, clumsy, and slightly ditzy heroines everyone but me seems to love so much, so take everything that follows with a grain of salt. If you enjoy the crazy antics of, say, Tessa Dare's novels, this will be PERFECT for you.

But then the second half happened. Oh the horror… To be clear, this book is not bad, it just wasn't for me. I am sure EVERYONE else will immensely enjoy the crazy antics, but they were too over the top for me, and I hated them. This is one of the books that dresses the characters up in period dresses, but then ignores any restrictions and sensibilities of the time it's set in. I personally hate it when this happens, but if it is what the majority wants…

My first minor problem was the fact that a Duchess puts on a play with all her aristocratic friends, with tickets sold and the money donated to a charity. She then encourages her actor friends to add some kissing during rehearsals (in front of everybody) and the play. I mean. Sure. I can live with that. But honestly. There is also the tiny matter of the use of an Oscar Wilde character before his time, but this seems so trivial compared to everything else that bothered me that I could live with it.

But then there was the really bad part that ruined this book for me. This is actually part of the synopsis I somehow didn't read in my eagerness to see Thomas get his happily ever after, but the entire plot that centered around the ridiculous love potion was just too much for me to buy.
So Delilah, in a desperate attempt to catch a Duke before her mother marries her off to some loser, buys an elixir that will make a man fall in love with her. She decides to use it on a man she knows and would like to marry (who has previously asked her for help making a match with someone else). To sum up: we have a heroine ignoring someone's feelings and selfishly deciding that if the potion works it was meant to be, so it's not like she's taking his free will or the other girl's happiness. We also have a group of grown women seriously believing (I'm not kidding. They're reading A Midsummer Night's Dream and if they'd been joking, maybe. But the women in this book all truly believe in Delilah's potion!!! And encourage her!) that a magic love potion will make someone fall in love with the one who sprinkles it on a poor, unsuspecting person? But oh don't worry, it will only work if it was meant to be. Which is the thing that had me furious. This may sound trivial to other readers, but I am appalled by it. If a guy had done it, there would have been outrage. But no. If a slightly ditzy heroine does it, it's charming? I think not.
Anyway. Did I mention that everyone in this book thinks this potion is real? At some point, there are FOUR people running around a house at night, sneaking into bedrooms, and trying to "win" the object of their affection with a love potion. And again, they all take it seriously! The whole farce just went on far to long for my taste, and by the time the men (apparently the only sensible people) showed up to finally put an end to it by forcing to make the women see how stupid they'd been, I was just too tired to cheer them on.

Anyway. So. 3 stars for the first half. Zero for the rest. And maybe 2 for the ending. Seeing Delilah finally grow up was nice, after all. This book really really really just wasn't for me. 2.5 stars

I have read about Delilah and Thomas in many of the previous novels and was waiting for their story. I love the beautiful history that they both have and the strong friendship amongst them that has survived the transition from youth to adulthood. I had loved both their characters when I previously read about them but I was so disappointed in Delilah’s character in this book. She seems immature and selfish at times as she is forcing the Duke of Branville to fall in love with her. Consent goes both ways and the willingness to take away someone’s right to choose by using a love potion whether it works or not is a little disturbing. On the other hand, I absolutely adored Thomas and really liked his character. His thoughts and actions are positively swoon worthy. I was frustrated at times as I read about Delilah’s frame of mind and really felt bad for Thomas. I wish she was a little more focused on Thomas and not another duke until the very end of the book. He is such an amazing hero that I wanted a heroine who was just as vested in him. I also have to say that it was a treat to read about older characters from previous novels. This is book eleven in The Playful Brides series but can be read as a standalone

* I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review*

Can be a standalone but it’s part of a series and to understand each secondary characters read in order, bit I read it as a standalone haven’t read any of the others and I had no problem following along. Thomas and Delilah has been friends for years even before when was just the son of a Duke and was there for his dark days ofwhen his father past and she knew about their verbal fight hours before the death. Now Delilah’s in her 7 season and her dreadful mother is making her merry, a man of her choosing in 2 months time or her future disgusting stepbrother. Delilah doesn’t know that Thomas has a secret that he’s keep hidden for years and was waiting until she was ready to marry, but when Delilah put an obstacle in his path he will need help for his friends the husbands of the matchmakers, who are Delilah’s mentor and friends. Will Thomas and Delilah get their HEA or will her deceiving mother get her way to keep Delilah’s dowery???

I liked him, he was a great character. I liked the ensemble story, it was very entertaining. There were quite a few high jinks and madcap schemes. Overall very enjoyable, however the historical element was weaker.

I found the characters a bit too fluffy or something at first but I did enjoy the story. It was a bit lighter in tone then I was expecting but a cute tale.

Absolutely loved this story. The whole series is fantastic. Thomas and Delilah story is the perfect way to end it. They have been best friends for years. The back and forth between these two and Lucy is comical. Even though Lucy and Delilah think they are the ultimate matchmakers, I do believe they have a bit of competition :) The story is full of colorful characters , entertaining and exciting story lines. You're going to laugh and yell as well as shake your head quite a bit. Even though this book is part of a series it can be read as a standalone.

I truly lived this book. I have read the entire Playful Brides series, and Delilah and Thomas’s story was a wonderful way to conclude the series. They were such a fun couple to read about; there was no insta-lust, which I tire of. Instead, they had a firm foundation of friendship that turned to love. I love passionate scenes, but I am tired of couples who don’t seem to have much in common besides sex. It’s not believable romance. These two were very believable, and the book was both funny and moving. Thank you for this series, Valerie Bowman. It has been a delight.

No Other Duke But You By Valerie Bowman

Lady Delilah Montebank has set her sights on the Duke of Branville.
Lady Emmaline wants Branville too.
Branville has become enchanted with Lady Rebecca.
Lady Rebecca has her sights on Thomas, Duke of Huntley.
Thomas has been in love with Delilah most of his life.
To this mix add a love potion called the Elixir of Cupid.
Combine with all of Lucy Hunt’s matchmaking schemes and you have a Regency era take on Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night's Dream.

In No Other Duke But You, Bowman has included or mentioned all the characters from the Playful Bride series we have come to know and love throughout this series. As a reader it was rewarding to hear from them all again.

Thomas was a wonderful character, not your typical Regency Rogue. He has all the qualities on Delilah’s husband shopping list:
Eligible
Kind
Intelligent
Funny
Healthy
Forgiving
Handsome and kissable

It was refreshing that Thomas’s character was someone who wanted to wait for the physical until he could be with the love of his life.


I have read and enjoyed all the books in the Playful Brides series. The first three would be the essentials since those women comprised the core friendship that began the series and in their adventures we are introduced to characters that were in subsequent books. My personal favorite was The Legendary Lord, Christian’s book.


In the epilogue, Cade Cavendish recites Puck’s soliloquy at the end of A Midsummer’s NIght's Dream. The explanation that the play ( and this series) was a product of imagination, fantasy and involves the momentary suspension of reality. Puck hopes you were entertained. As a reader, I was thoroughly entertained and this book is a fond farewell to all the characters of Valerie Bowman’s creative mind.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

I really enjoyed this book. I haven’t read the series however I didn’t feel like I needed to in order to enjoy the book. Delilah was a wonderful heroine and Thomas was dreamy as a duke should be. 3 1/2 stars.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This one just moved super slow and it was 50% of the way in before the love potion even came out. Needs a little more heat and tension to hold ones interest