After really enjoying the first book in this series I was looking forward to reading this one but I ended up disappointed. The feeling between Lily and Nash come out of thin air. I did not feel any real attraction or connection between them. Lily's character and so much of the plot is way more modern than appropriate for the period. Some modern leanings are fine but this book took it beyond suspension of disbelief for me. Lots of drama, but little of what keeps me reading romance. I am hoping I like the next book better.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall a nice book to read quickly. The plot was different from most I've read in this genre so that was a nice change. I did like Lily/Caroline's independence, but she seemed to lose that around Nash quite often. The best was her friendship with Delilah.

I received a ARC of the book in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

I don't like the amnesia plotline. It's very rare it's ever done well. However this is a personal opinion I have about the trope. The author did an ok job of it in this book. If you like the trope you will love this book. I did enjoy the meet cute in the tavern. It was adorablish.

Overall, the book is extremely hot. I would definitely recommend it to lovers of historical romance. Nash is a depressed Duke and our girl helps bring him out of that depression.

The book was good but it disnot won my heart.
It jad enough romance and plot to keep me going but I still missed that magic some books have in them. This one was just a good read and not memorable read.

This was a great adventure storyline that shows how strong women can be under any circumstances. Anna's way of writing strong yet relatable characters was refreshing.

I had never read the author before but look forward to her next book. I enjoyed the characters, Nash and Caroline, and their interactions, both in and out of the bedroom. Both were strong and independent. The story line was easy to follow and moved at a natural pace and the ending was well timed and did not feel rushed. Great book to enjoy on a lazy summer day.

The Duke is But a Dream by Anna Bennett 3 stars
This is Eric Nash, Duke of Stonebridge and Miss Lily Hartley’s love story; second in the Debutante Diaries Series, a standalone, happily ever after, no cheating, historical romance with plenty of sizzle.
Although the story itself is well written, I didn’t feel the connection between Nash and Lily. Lily’s actions throughout her memory loss just didn’t seem real. The speed at which the sensual scenes appear don’t resonate well, there was no sexual or romantic tension beforehand. He was a hypocrite in regards to his sister and with Lily, quite incongruous behavior for a duke (also for a young maiden from that time).
A bit of a mystery was thrown in to add a modicum of interest to the story.
I received a copy of this story through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

At the beginning I thought this story was going to be predictable, however it took a completely different turn very quickly. Throughout the book there were interesting twists and what would seem to be the usual outcome was not quite what was occurred. Very nicely written with good characterization, curl up and settle in for a good read.

Lily Hartley is out delivering her latest copy for The Debutante’s Revenge in disguise as a chimney sweep as no one must know who pens these scandalous articles. As her parents and sister are out of town, she feels she can dally and finds herself in a rough tavern. Things get dangerous as she is accosted by some ruffians out to rob the ‘boy’ but is saved by Nash, the Duke of Stonebridge who is also craving some time away from his cares. In the process Lily is injured resulting in amnesia. Nash decides to care for her until the puzzle of her origin is solved. Enjoyable with an intriguing storyline. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

I read the first of the series, but it can also be read as a standalone.
I loved the first book and the second did not disappoint as well. Lovely characters and a heartwarming romance make this a perfect read for readers of romance.

Bennett gives her readers a fabulous read with Lily and Nash's story. This was one of the best stories with amnesia and mistaken identity that I have read. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

Smart, entertaining historical

The Duke is but a Dream the second book in Anna Bennett’s Debutante’s Diaries series was an enjoyable read which can be read as a stand alone. The chemistry between Lily/Caroline and Nash the Duke of Stonebridge was memorable. The twist and turns the plot took really kept my interest to the very end. I thought the secondary characters added greatly to my enjoyment of the book and look forward to the next book book in the series.
I received an advance reader copy via Netgalley.

This was so much better than the first one!! I absolutely loved Nash and Lily!! I really enjoy the amnesia trope so I had high hopes going into this one. I also loved that Lily was a writer and I really appreciated how dedicated she was and how strong. I loved her relationship with Nash and all the steamy scenes had me fanning myself. SO MUCH CHEMISTRY! And Nash is SO SO SWOONY! I loved him and I loved how sweet he was to Lily!! He is such a good guy and of course he has that bit of broodiness to him but that just made me love him even more.. I really enjoyed their development as the novel progressed. The ending made my heart melt! It was a bit predictable and it felt like something I had read before actually but I still had a huge smile on my face and it left me with all the butterflies. This is such a fun beach read to get swept away in! Thank you to the publisher for sending this book my way! Definitely pick this up if you’re in the mood for something light, romantic, and swoon worthy!

I enjoyed this version of the lost memory trope. I find that normally in the romance genre it is the man who looses his memory, placing the woman in a caregiver role.

I enjoyed the story, even though I've read other novels with the same trope. I did like the characters and found them accessible. The sex scenes were not overly described, but were just enough. I would recommend this to the historical romance reader.

A solid 3 for me...
This one is a tried and true plotline. Boy meets girl, girl gets amnesia, boy and girl fall in love after much dragging of the heels. The characters felt a little one dimensional, and sometimes their actions completely defy logic (Lily/Caroline is recovering from a concussion and amnesia, but she tries to lure the hero into a scandalous embrace as quickly as possible). Still, a nice way to spend a few afternoons if you want some light reading.

What an absolute wonderful read.. This was such a heart wrenching love story, without giving away an spoilers, our main lady has some major hurdles to live and feel her way through. But, the one thing she never strays from is her love for him. The dashing grumpy Lord who rescue's her in so many ways.. I really enjoyed the book and I will be looking for ward to the others in this series

This is my first book by this author and she writes very well. I really enjoyed the premise of Lily losing her memory and Nash taking her in. It’s a great setup to bring them together. Personally I’m not a fan of the bodice ripping moments of romance novels and there’s quite a lot of that here. I feel like the author rushed the physical intimacy instead of allowing the romance to build between the characters. My favorite part of regency novels is more Austen like great dialogue and characters but I felt that was lacking here. I prefer regency novels more like those by Julia Quinn and Eloisa James. This novel was missing the charm and humor and smoldering characters that makes those novels stand out. I thought the novel slowed down towards the end after the author put up too many plot contrivances to keep them apart. I also found myself missing more of the description and interaction with the Ton that can make regency novels so entertaining. I’ve also read better versions of debutant writes secret newsletter than this one. Overall it was a fine read but not great.

Suspend disbelief!
If this had nothing to do with a duke, it might work. He is over protective of his sister so it made no sense that he would allow her to meet and associate with a random stranger dressed inappropriately. His constant biblical profanity was out of time or was it? The time period is hazy. So many things happen that are against the rules (and the characters don't really care).
The heroine, besides being an author of a salacious column, is also adopted and an heiress. Read that again.
The amnesia was mostly believable and so was the violence in the bar. The circumstances leading to her being by herself so she could be at the duke's house for over a week were well done.

If you don't care about historical accuracy in behavior or speech, this is entertaining with a hea.

I received a free ARC from Netgalley.

I requested this book to read and review The Duke is But a Dream by Anna Bennett. This is the first book I have read by this author. But cant wait to read more of her stories. I loved the time period for this. It's gives you an idea of what women went through. But also shows the reader that women were still trying to empower women in any time period. I love the characters Nash, Caroline/Lilly and Delilah. And there was other but you will have to read this book to find out the rest! This has romance, mystery, history and some self help in it. This book is a great read for any adult reader. Once you get started you won't want to put it down!!