When I agreed to read this book I wasn't aware it was part of a larger series. However, I was so drawn to the gorgeous cover that I didn't even look to see what the book was about before I started in. Thankfully, this book is a complete standalone in the Playful Brides series so i didn't feel lost or confused despite the fact that it's the eleventh book in the series. Overall, I though this was a fantastic book. I love historical romances that bring me back to a time I could never imagine living in. It's the perfect fantasy! Now I want to go back and read more of the authors novels.

This book had a very good premise and i loved the fact that they were friends. I just never felt like Delilah was really in love with Joseph. His love was woven throughout and it seemed solid. The heroine however made me feel like she chose the hero out of the blue. She persisted with the potion and found out her first choice was not interested in her and then it seemed like she would "decide" to like Joseph. Sorry i just did not like her. The hero deserved a woman who got over the other guy way sooner and it would have seemed more sincere. It is worth reading as it is part of a series.

I received this book through netgalley from the publisher as an ARC. The opinion is my own.

A very good read. This book is both quirky and very funny though their matchmaking skills leave a lot to be desired , I did find
myself laughing out loud in places Thomas and Delilah are well matched .well worth a read.

No Other Duke But You
Rating ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Summary: Lady Delilah Montebank has her marital sights set on the Duke of Branville. There’s just one problem: he barely knows she exists. But no matter, she’s got a plan to win him over with her charm, her wit—and perhaps the love potion she has in her possession wouldn’t hurt her cause. Lord Thomas Hobbs, Duke of Huntley, thinks his best friend Delilah’s quest to become a duchess is ridiculous. He’s always said he’d rather give up all the brandy in London than commit to one person for life. Besides, he knows that Delilah’s love potion can’t possibly win over Branville…since she accidentally gave it to him instead. But perhaps this is the excuse he needs to show her he’s always loved her.

I wanted to love this story but I had some issues with it. I have read previous books in this series and enjoyed them very much. I found Delilah’s character annoying. She spoke French when she was nervous, this irritated me so much. It was not cute or funny. I liked Thomas’s character better than Delilah’s. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see why he loved her and was devoted to win her hand in marriage. A lot of time was spent on the pursuit of Branville. I didn’t believe in their HEA. I found myself skimming and bit bored. Even though this book was not for me, I enjoy Ms. Bowman’s writing and look forward to reading her future offerings. Thank you to the publisher for providing me the ARC.

No Other Duke But You is a spectacular historical romance by Valerie Bowman. Ms. Bowman has delivered a book that is well-written and a smooth read. Delilah told her mother she would have a proposal from the Duke of Branville by her birthday, leaving her only weeks to meet and entice the Duke into proposing. Thomas has been in love with Delilah for years and sees this as his time to put forth his own proposal. Thomas and Delilah's story is a fun read. The characters are fabulous! There's plenty of drama, sizzle and humor to keep readers glued to their reading devices. I loved every page of No Other Duke But You and look forward to my next book by Valerie Bowman. No Other Duke But You is book 11 of the Playful Brides Series but can easily be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3* for "I liked it."
I have not read any other books in this series so I needed a bit to sort out the numerous characters and their partners. While entertaining, it did get a bit drawn out as the h and H could not drum up the courage to admit their feelings to each other. Good dialog.
As the subtitle "Playful Brides" hints, this is more on the whimsical, light-hearted side.

This is a new series for me and I am not your typical historical romance reader. I felt this book was wonderful and the wriitng was pretty terrific as well. It is the story about two besties who fall in love in the 1800's. At times many of their friends egt involved in their romance and at times that felt too much so keeping al the names straight but beyond that I really enjoyed it.

This is a farce type of romance. Sorta love triangle like but with a lot of hijinks romance wise. It was told really well but at times i just wanted the two leads together and they don't get together until the very end.

Delilah is the heroine and Thomas our hero. The two meets at age 17 and 15 and hit it off and become besties. Now years later D's mother is forcing her to marry and so she picks a Hot Duke to marry. Thomas is a duke but not the one D picks. However he is asked to distract the other Duk's admirers.

What D does not know is that Thomas has a BIG thing for her. So he tries to make jher fall for him as she tries to get the other Duke's attention. This was one big farce and it was a lot of fun.

I’ve read a couple of Valerie Bowman’s novels and have to admit that this book is the only story that I’ve had the opportunity to read in Playful Bride Series.

Lady Delilah Montebank is considered an exceptional matchmaker for several in society and now finds herself on the matchmaking block. In all honesty, Delilah does not want to marry but to her dismay, she appeases her mother this one time and sets her sight on getting a proposal from the most eligible bachelor of the ton, the Duke of Branville. Her dilemma is that the Duke of Branville has never met her or even knows she exists.

Lord Thomas Hobbs, Duke of Huntley has been a friend of Delilah’s for quite a few years but now finds that he has fallen in love with her. He wants her for himself and not Branville. The only catch is that Delilah has no clue as to how he feels because he has never openly admitted his affections to her. Always a friend and her protector, Thomas goes along with her half-baked scheme to get the Duke of Branville. The twist...when Delilah plans to give a love elixir to Branville she gives it to Thomas instead. Thomas sees his chance to tell her how much he loves her, but she reacts quite unexpectedly to his overture. Later, Delilah realizes how much she loves Thomas, but how could she know if his feelings are real or if it’s the elixir talking.

Again, not having read the others in this series, I think I need to go back to Book #1 and partake of each one up to this last in the series. The plot and writing were good and overall the story to be enjoyable with all its mischief and humor. I caught myself laughing a few times because of the playfulness of some of the characters and the antics going on within an aristocrat’s home. Thomas and Delilah made a wonderful couple.

I have to admit, although the author used some far-fetched material to move the story along, i.e. the love elixir, which leaves one to their own imagination and speculation, I still thought the story was amusing and charming. This could have been introduced a bit sooner instead of half way through the story. In the end, the H/h got their HEA which put a smile on the face of this reader. I was never bored.

No Other Duke But You by Ms. Bowman is a delightful mix of characters, full of quirkiness and a fun read. I look forward to introducing myself to other novels by this author.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
4-Stars

Why is she speaking Franglais?

No good comes from feeding a squirrel.

Her mother wouldn't even let her cry when her dad died?

Witch.

I love that whole conversation. Poor Thomas is jealous.

Well played, Lucy.

Wow, that is some dream courtship he was planning on.

Is he a virgin?

Oy. First French, and then squirrels. Really?

What are you, ninety, Lavinia? Get a life!

I don't know which is worse, having an abusive mother or having a father who thinks you're an idiot. No wonder poor Clarence stays in his room.

These are nice guys.

Take that, Mommie Dearest!

Good ending.

3.5 stars

Delilah was a delight! She was a titled lady, but was quite the blue stocking in intellect. She was opinionated, sweet, and could collect injured animals like one collects flowers, but she was hard headed and stubborn to the point of being blind to what’s in front of her!

Thomas was sharp. He’s been in love with Delilah for years, patiently waiting for her to notice him on her own. That blindness I mentioned about her applies right here! Poor guy! She led him on a merry chase!

No Other Duke But You was a cute read that required me to stretch my imagination quite a bit! I’m all for a unique story, but this one was really different. The romance was unconventional at best, but provided some laughs along the way. Between matchmaking friends, wrong pairings, a play full of titled members, and a magic elixir, I can say I was never bored at least.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Great book. These two characters cracked me up. One in love with the other and while another is trying to snag another. Classic.

A lovely historical romance with a bit of spice at the end of the book. Our heroine Delilah an ordinary, messy girl and a duke as her best friend who is madly in love with her. A sort of cat and mouse game because she needs to obtain a proposal before her mother forces he to wed a man without a backbone while her best friend is doing his best to finally prove that they are meant to be together. A funny and enjoyable read that will take the reader back in time where the art of courting and gossiping is the center of the English aristocracy..

I have read some of Ms. Bowman's Playful Bride series and I was looking forward to Delilah's story. Lady Delilah Montebank tries to earn her mother's love, but her mother finds fault with everything, especially that she is not married. Delilah has been matchmaker to her friends, but nothing for herself. When her mothers tells Delilah she found someone to marry her, since no man would, Delilah sets out to prove her mother wrong. She plans to attract the Duke of Branville, but has little success. Lord Thomas Hobbs, Duke of Huntley, has been Delilah's best friend for years and is in love with her, but she is oblivious to it. Thomas is loyal and a protector. He does not want Delilah to marry the duke, yet goes along with her plan but has his own agenda. When Delilah accidentally gives a love portion to him instead of the duke, Thomas knows this is his chance to tell and show her how much he loves her. However, Delilah's reaction is not quite what he expected. Delilah begins to realize how much she loves Thomas, but he only loves her because of a potion....right?

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.

No Other Duke But You by Valerie Bowman is a bubbly, frothy period romance set in 1827. Thomas, Duke of Huntley is secretly in love with his best friend,  Lady Delilah Mountebank. When she conspires to get a proposal of marriage from another duke before she is declared a hopeless spinster, she conspires to use a love potion to hasten things along. Thomas, counter -conspires to win Lady Delilah for himself.

I was a bit surprised that an important part of  the story  --- the finding and obtaining of the potion came into the story so late, at about the 50% mark. That didn't leave a lot of story development for the confusion that ensues when the wrong person is given the potion.

Fans of Valerie Bowman's previous books in the Playful Brides series will probably enjoy No Other Duke But You.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read and provide my honest review of this story.

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