I received this book from NetGalley as an eARC in exchange for a review.

The Duke’s Princess Bride follow Sarani, princess of Joor, and Rhysand, Duke of Embry. When assassins force Sarani to flee Joor for her safety, she hides away on Rhysand’s ship. When Rhysand finds out about the princess on his ship, he’s furious, but not for the reason the reader believes. Rhysand and Sarani’s paths have crossed once before but it did not end well. After much conflict and discussion, Sarani and Rhysand come to a mutual deal that will help them both in the future and due to being forced together, what was once hate becomes love.

I enjoyed this book fro what it was. I found the romance to be pretty decent. It was a hate to love trope and I’m definitely a sucker for that style of romance. This is an own voices novel for the perspective of Sarani, and while I appreciate that, I feel like the author may have bit off more than she can chew as far as addressing colorism, racism, and more heavy topics.
I did really enjoy the two main character narration. It was always very easy to keep track of who was talking and what was going on. This was a very quick moving read and it never left me feeling bored or reading-slumpish
I will definitely be picking up more historical romance after trying my hand at this one.

Ok, this is a hard one for me to review because I have such mixed emotions.. I had absolutely no problem with the fact that Sarani was mixed race, that actually added a unique element to the story. That Rystan had sugar plantations in the West Indies was surprisingly, especially since the book ended talking about Rystan's work in Parliament to improve conditions in India.! I love second chance stories, and their story had genuine issues to be dealt with. When long, descriptive sex scenes weren't going on and on (which I quickly found myself skipping over) the story was interesting. I'm not a prude and like a good sex scene in a romance, but I found it to be overkill. So I think the potential for a really good book is there, with some revisions. 3-1/2 stars

Indian Princess Sarani Rao’s father has been murdered and she has to escape the palace in a hurry. With the help of a maid and servant, they bribe their way onto a ship in the dead of night. Captain Rhystan Huntley was born a third son but is now the disinclined Duke of Embry. Duty is calling him back to England, but the last thing he expects to find on his ship is the woman he loved and lost.

Sarani, traveling as Lady Sara Lockhart, is the daughter of an Indian Maharaja and a British/Scottish mother from the aristocracy. In her native land of Joor, she is looked down on by the British despite being a princess. In England, she is judged as other despite having a paler complexion. I appreciated the reality of her identity struggle…it’s one that so many people still face today. When Sarani and Rhystan first interacted in Joor, they fell for each other, but he was “beneath” her position as a younger son. Years later, he is Duke and she is displaced. Rhystan could be a bit frustrating at times; he had a lot of privilege, but he was angry about his parents’ control of him and then his obligations when he became Duke. I enjoyed this book and thought there were a lot of layers. I liked the tension and chemistry that built while they were on the ship. This book got super steamy with some amazingly sexy scenes! I loved that.

I’m frustrated to see so many one-star reviews for this book from people who say they didn’t read it, but are judging it. As a reviewer of color, I’m glad to see stories from authors of color and inclusion of characters from different backgrounds. History is MESSY. I thought the author stuck a fair balance of trying spotlight issues without letting them overpower the romance.

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review. #TheDukesPrincessBride #NetGalley

I started reading this book & really liked where it was going. When I looked into it more I realized there was problematic content with the male MC being a plantation owner & the weak representation of the effect of British colonization. I see the author is planning significant revisions & I hope they fix these issues. I've decidec to hold off on reading it until these revisions are made.

I find that this book is a good read. The book has Bite. The writer provided action, quick Whitt. Strong characters and a great plot with drama. There are a few things missing though. Bring the intense romance drama. Give the readers more of the steamy passion that they wanting to read from the book. I voluntary reviewed this ARC after receiving a free gifted copy. <img src="https://www.netgalley.com/badge/21abbc6d2f62a80d56d9e8ae6c15dff82ebee8dc" width="80" height="80" alt="25 Book Reviews" title="25 Book Reviews"/>

I don't want to lay all the blame at the feet of the author on this one, because the editors and publishers had the chance to course correct on a plantation-owning hero before this even got to the ARC stage. This book shows how much work there is to be done.

Sarani is an Indian princess whose father is murdered in a power grab... and she’s next. Five years ago she had a romance with Rhystan. As she flees for her life, fate or karma lands her as a stowaway on his ship sailing for England. Can she outrun her father’s murderers and find a way back to the romance with Rhystan now that he is the Duke of Embry and with the racial prejudice of the British ton?
This is a romance coupled with an own voices reflection on conditions during the reign of the East India Company in the mid 1800s. It succeeds at both. Sarani is a determined protagonist who represents the women and even the country of India as it fights for it’s selfhood and independence. The romance with Rhystan is alluring and steamy. The plot is convincing and the characters are well drawn and sympathetic.
I would recommend this book to my patrons

The Duke’s Princess Bride is the first novel I have read by Amalie Howard, and I was absolutely blown away! Howard set up the story beautifully by giving the reader just enough detail to pull you into the story. I immediately liked both Sarani and Rhystand and empathized with both characters. I loved their intelligence, their strength, and their passion. The characters molded the novel into a true love story. Unlike other books I have read of the same genre, I felt like The Duke’s Princess Bride gave me a complete story and left me fulfilled. Thank you Amalie Howard for writing such a fantastic story. You have earned a new fan!

This was an interesting read, and I commend the author for grappling with a heavy backdrop. I was super curious to see how the story would play out—and while I loved the characters, I confess I wanted more from this story. It almost didn’t sink fully into the horrifying practices of the British occupancy and control of India. I wanted to see this perspective from our heroine, her outrage and disgust but we sing really see it on page. I know she can’t possibly tackle an oppressive system on her own—but I hoped she could inspire compassion and humanity from someone of that world (other than the hero + and his sister who didn’t have a predisposition to hate her because of her race). Honestly, I was hoping there’d be good conversation between the heroine and her future mother-in-law. Her motives for finally accepting her son’s fiancée were from not wanting to lose a relationship with her two surviving children.

The love story was charming, the writing lovely.

I was so excited to read this one when I received the ARC. Unfortunately, I will not be reading this one due to problematic content. Recent reviews have shed light on the hero being a colonizer, and I am 100% okay with reading a historical romance with that plot.

I received a Netgalley ARC, but that didn't influence my review.

This isn't quite a 4-star book for me, but it's close. Like The Beast of Beswick, it's got an independent, well-educated, sensual heroine, Sarani, and a super-sexy alpha reluctant nobleman, Rhystan. ... just like lots of other 19th C romance novels.

But this book is different. Sarani's father was an Indian maharajah and her mother was a British lady. It begins in India and much of the narrative takes place on Rhystan's boat (remember all those stowaway cabin boy novels from the 1980s and 1990s? this one definitely had that vibe, without the dubcon/rape). After her father is assassinated, Sarani decides she needs to pass as white Lady Sara Lockhart (her mother's maiden name) and flee to England, ending up on the boat of the man she loved as a teenager but jilted when her father forced her engagement with an older English provincial official. Plenty of smoldering looks, seafaring hijinks, steamy kisses, and a few honest conversations later, Rhystan decides that he needs to marry Sarani to protect her and to keep his matchmaking mama at bay. Back in England, things are both rocky when Sarani is insulted, outed as half-Indian, and pursued by her father's assassinand steamy. Eventually, the two get their HEA.

The book grapples with what it might mean to be mixed race in Victoria's empire, as lots of reviewers have noted. I read what some have criticized as embracing a colonialist mindset as instead an earnest and honest reckoning with the way that internalized racism and colorism--not to mention misogyny--allow Sarani to accept some of the assumptions of the English and to devalue herself. She's living under white supremacy, and it's affected her world value. I don't think this struggle is as clear as it could be--Kennedy Ryanand Andie J. Christopher have both written much more nuanced accounts of what it might feel like to live between worlds--but both of them have the benefit of writing contemporary stories where contemporary values can be taken for granted. Amalie Howard is herself mixed race, and I'm willing to give her credit for having an understanding and having done the research to write a character who may not always espouse comfortable ideas but is reflective of some peoples' experience. (At the same time, a paragraph between Sarani and Rhyston about his hypocrisy in owning West Indies plantations would be welcome).

Ultimately, this is a sexy adventure that wrestles with big questions of identity and culture. Familiar 2nd chance romance and fake engagement tropes coupled with a unique setting make it certainly worth a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Edit: In my original review I ignored the racism and racial tensions in the book because I felt uncomfortable doing so as a white reviewer. But I would be doing a disservice to say that this book did not address these issues at all and chooses to glass over them. Because this is an #ownvoices book I did not want to say how an AOC should choose to represent her ancestry but it is not even addressed. I will let other reviewers who can speak more eloquently to this issue but I regret not speaking up. The male MC is a plantation owner and that fact is glossed over repeatedly as well as other colonial issues.

I was excited to read this — the cover is splendid, and the premise felt bold — but I was disappointed by the quoted excerpts I read. Particularly by the decision to make the hero a plantation owner. Plantation owner heroes are an automatic no-go for me.

First off, whomever designed this cover did a phenomenal job! The colors are eye-catching and the couple definitely embody the characters in the book!

I liked a lot about the story. A love affair doomed from the start, yet given a second chance, a diverse and quite colorful cast of characters, the frank and sometimes philosophical conversations between Sarani and Rhystan-two worlds, sometimes similar issues, and when you mix in the innuendo loaded banter, deliciousness ensues! Then there is all the quirkiness I loved about Ravenna (Rhystan’s sister) and was I the only one thinking something could and/or was developing between Gideon and Asha?!

There’s a couple of icky villains and the more than obvious race bias to deal with considering Sarani is half Indian/ half English, fitting in neither world and making her reality difficult to say the least. Howard gives smattering references to the British rule in India and mentions the Sepoy Mutiny throughout the story, but nothing that went into extreme detail, because hello! This story is ultimately supposed to be a romance first-not historical discourse. It’s about two people baring it all and building each other up, and finding some happy in the drudgery of the world. I appreciated how Howard mentions enough details to create a reference point for the reader to place the characters while also creating dialogue regarding their situations. She manages to leave the historical aspects in the background and keeps the romance up front and center. Her author’s note gives further detail as to who, why, and her ultimate goal to writing this book and I think she did a pretty bang up job.

I received an advance reader copy from Sourcebooks Casablanca/Netgalley and this is my honest review.

This is the first book by this author that I have read. I loved the idea of mixed-race character and the tensions that it caused in the Ton society of Regency England. I enjoyed the overall story but for this reviewer, I found the swearing and the sex more than I like to read. I skipped the sex as usual but still enjoyed the story. I found it had plenty of action, suspense, tension, humour and romance to keep me turning the page without the need to read all the sex scenes. This is only my opinion and I know a lot of readers love the sex. I felt the characters were well written and likable although at times you feel like telling them to wake up to themselves. I am looking forward to the next book and will as usual skip the sex scenes. I received this book as an ARC courtesy of Netgalley.

Sadly I won't be reading or reviewing this book because of the harmful representation. Thank you for the chance though.

The Duke's Princess Bride had a couple of my favorite tropes – enemies to lovers and second chance loves all rolled into one. First the pros: Book had a good plot and characterizations as expected. It also had a sense of urgency and adventure due to Sarani’s circumstances and all. I liked our supporting characters as well.

BUT

While I appreciate that Sarani suffers through the very real grey area where one is neither brown enough nor white enough, I had some big problems with some lines. Referring to “flawless” white skin or berating herself internally for not staying out of sun as to be less tanned, were examples of lines that made me feel exceedingly uncomfortable. And then we had the ML who implied he owned slaves? I mean it wasn’t said outrightly, but I wish it had been clarified properly that he did not own them.

Ultimately, I struggle as to how grade this. I did enjoy most of the book but what I did not like I absolutely loathed. I have read far worse (interracial) historical romances but this is 2020 and we should aim to do better.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

I was absolutely hooked by the very first pages!! The story begins with Princess Sarani literally running away from her home and stowing away on a ship bound for England after finding her murdered father. Unbeknownst to her, the ship is captained by an old flame, Captain Rhystan Huntley, the Duke of Embry. When he discovers her on his ship, he is furious. The chemistry between them sizzle and it's clearly obvious that they still love each other.

The Duke's Princess Bride is full of action, adventure, banter, romance, and fake engagement. It also references ideas of, racism, identity, and belonging. It is fantastic read! I couldn't put it down. You will root for both the duke and princess equally and love watching them get together.

Recent reviews of this book discuss its problematic content, specifically relating to colonialism and colorism and I do not feel comfortable reading or review this book.

DNF. The hero owns multiple sugar cane plantations, and I am deeply uncomfortable with how the issue is discussed (no mention of slavery in those planatations).