This story has some really spicy characters. Lara and her two friends are a force to be reckoned with. They are determined to forge their own paths in the ton. Tristan aka Wolf is also determined to forge a path that is different from the one left behind by his father. The arguments between these are fiery as are the ways they make up. It is a great tale about how awful discrimination can be and how it can destroy. When they band together with love they are able to overcome all the forces against them and find happiness.

1.5 stars
First of all, love love love that the heroine was part Indian! I've never seen that before in historical romance, and it's been sorely needed. But aside from the heroine's heritage, I've seen all of this a hundred times before.

Lara is the embodiment of the feisty woman cliché. Unafraid to speak out, passionate in both love and war (we know this because she throws stuff AND has multiple orgasms!), heedless of society's rules and disdainful of the ton, obviously has a healing touch (that we see once). She's an excellent (astride) rider, but of course she falls off her horse, because how else would the hero realize he'd probably cry if she broke her neck?

Wolf, well, you've met his character many times before. He's a manipulative asshole, obviously tall and handsome, but he cares for his friends and his little sister. But alas, he can't commit to his lady friend because he has ducal responsibilities! When do they not, I ask you. He's supposed to be smart, I think, but it doesn't really come through. It's Wolf's intention to see Lara married, so he gives her a dowry which is apparently sizeable enough to make her the belle of the ball (which, fine), but then at the same ball he gives her the cut direct, essentially ruining her in the eyes of the ton? In fairness, this isn't forgotten by the author and it does cause Lara trouble.

In the chapter immediately after, it says: "She was adorable when she was feisty like this" which just made Wolf irredeemable in my eyes. Also, he's called Wolf, for godssakes, and his friends are called Leo and Hawk! Major pet peeve of mine.

The writing is pretty much just telling, no showing. So many information dumps and characters plainly telling the reader how they feel. Also, I'm not usually a stickler for accuracy in historical romance, but I draw the line at the main character saying "whatever" and tossing her head not once but twice. In fact, there were numerous instances of a word or sentence taking me completely out of it. Lara referring to her father as "Dad", another woman saying "it really bugs me", someone saying "he literally withdrew into a shell" - really? He literally did that?

Also, Lara and her friends just roaming freely most of the time, Lara hatless with her hair down (in London!). It's just a little too much. And I'm sorry, but I just don't buy that Lara knows when she's most fertile in her menstrual cycle? These women barely knew about sex.

In all seriousness, I really wanted to love this book - it had such a promising start, but there were too many things that irked me. The language the characters use, how they often repeated the same statements using almost the same words, how the story felt slightly too long, and how Lara and Wolf behaved towards each other. I also just get annoyed with HRs adding a kidnapping at the very close of the book to create intense last-minute drama. So, yeah, not for me.

I received an ARC from Entangled Publishing through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I really loved this book and Lara Ramsey is such a strong and fierce heroine who has to cross so many obstacles to become happy and feel like she belongs in the English ton.
She is ostracized because she is of mixed blood and has a darker skin color. Her mother was Indian and her father was a colonel in the English army stationed in India. They were so in love and had a love marriage but they died when Lara was fifteen and she was brought to England by her ward Sir Robert Ramsey who is the uncle of Tristan Wentworth, the Duke of Wolverton aka Wolf the hero of this story.

Wolf and Lara has been at odds with each other since they met. He is furious with her because she always does and says what she wants and she lures his sister Anne into doing things people of the ton and especially women does not do!
Lara just thinks Wolf is a big stick in the mud always so serious and never smiles so she loves to give him problems so he at least shows some emotions.

One night at a scandalous masquerade party Lara and Anne sneaks into, Wolf catch them. But to distract Wolf from seeing Anne kiss a man Lara kisses him and from that day on their relationship changes.
He gives her an ultimatum to choose her own husband within the ton within six months or he will choose one for her. But when he finds himself begin to fall for her he has to decide what he wants the most, the ton and his mother’s approval or the woman he loves and who makes him happy.
But is it possible for them to have an HEA when the ton doesn’t accept Lara as a lady and how does the dowager duchess react to their relationship when her marriage ended in the biggest scandal the ton has ever seen?
Drama, romance and suspense ensues in the hunt for a happy ever after.

The reasons I deducted a star is because I thought the story was a little to long and I wasn’t really a fan of the drama at the end. But I loved the two main characters and their friends and I can’t wait to read what happens in the next books and who Hawk finds his HEA with!

I can definitely recommend this book.

As the orphaned daughter of a British colonel and his beloved Indian wife, Lara Ramsay is no stranger to scandal. In the hallways frequented by the ton, she is whispered about an even the protection of the Tristan Wentworth, the Duke of Wolverton (Wolf) is not enough to quell the gossip. Yet when Lara shares a passion kiss with Tristan, he forces her with a marriage ultimatum: find a husband within six months or one will be chosen for her. Soon after, Tristan and Lara, find themselves, tormented by this kiss, which soon turns into more.
Whilst Wolf faces the issues surrounding his father’s debauchery, he is constantly trying to prove himself. In doing so, he struggles with his feelings for Lara. To see him rise above his past, made for a great read. Throw into the mix, Lara’s heritage and her own history, together their battles to face their demons was well delivered. I did find that the novel had elements of more modern-day language, I did enjoy the witty banter between the pair. The secondary characters also added depth to this story, and I look forward to seeing these characters in future novels by this talented author.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

We have Lara our half Indian heroine who is the ward of our hero's uncle, and Wolf the brother of our heroine's best friend and they've been adversaries since they met as teenagers.
I loved all the characters in this book, main and side, even the villain was just the perfect amount of creepy. Lara was by far my favorite though, she's feisty, incredibly strong minded and self sufficient.
They "meet" at a masquerade ball, where he notices the beautiful woman in the black saree that he falls immediately in lust with, until he realizes it his sister's friend.... I loved him seeing her through new eyes and not knowing what to do with it.
This was exceptionally well paced, I didn't want to put it down and the atmosphere really drew me in. Seeing all the bigotry she's had to deal with through her life and watching Wolf learn that it's always been a problem really tugged on the heart strings.
I loved reading a historical with a mixed race heroine, I fell for the cover, but absolutely needed to read it after I read the synopsis.

Lara and Wolf are #goals. I've been on a regency romance kick and devouring any books I can get my hands on, and this one did not disappoint.

Lara has always been on the outside of the ton of London, after being orphaned and moving from her home in India to her wards house in England. Now she's a woman and a husband is on the agenda but she doesn't want to entertain any of the men who've snubbed her for years.
After a run-in with her godfather's nephew/nemesis, a marriage challenge is issues and Lara has 6 months to find her match before Wolf gets to pick. After running into Lara at a masquerade Wolf can't get her out of his mind. He set the marriage challenge because he thought it was for the best, but now he only wants her, but the ton and his mother won't accept Lara as his duchess.

I loved the conflicts within this book. They were realistic and interesting and the twists were fun and steamy! As normal, I was half in love, half wanted to punch Wolf (I mean people call him Wolf) but overall, he swept me and Lara off our feet and that is the sign of the perfect regency romance.

“Come close to me again, and see the scorching hell I raise. Now move,”

This book contains everything I like in a historic romance. A feisty heroine , an arrogant Duke and friends who should get a book on their own.
It is fast paced and light hearted, a perfect book for a rainy day.

What I like about Lara (main character) that she doesn't lose her feistiness after falling in love. She stands her ground. And the Duke really has a personal growth arc. Not a “I saved you look past my flaws” arc that so many romance book have.

The only thing I would have liked more is more dialogue and banter between the characters in the beginning of the book. I think that would have helped the storyline. Because they fall in love pretty fast. And I think more build up would have been nice.
Overall a good book to read if you want something light hearted and fun.



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

Fresh off of Bridgerton, I was looking for something sweet, multicultural, and Regency themed. Dare to be a Duchess fit the bill. Our protagonist, Lara, is strong minded and action driven, neither a damsel in distress nor a Mary Sue. And the Duke, her love interest, has his own backstory and motivations that drive his actions. The characters are distinct, the prose is beautiful, the repartees witty, and the romance is a sweet, sugary haze that made me squeal in delight. If you’re looking for a story to brighten your Valentine’s Day, this is it. (Full disclosure: I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

3.5 star rating

This own voices (for the Indian representation) was thoroughly entertaining while you read it. With that said, this book did fall a little flat for me.

I felt like the characters didn't give us more than a surface glace at themselves or what was going on. I think this book had a great premise, and I love the slightly taboo element to it.

I just wanted to know more about the characters than what we got. This book had plenty of room for our characters to have some amazing insights to offer without overwhelming the romance.

With that said, I did have a great time with this read. The stolen kisses, the sneaking around and such, did make for some really fun moments.

I have to start by saying that I didn't love the book, but I didn't hate it either... I just wasn't blown away. I requested it from Netgaley because it ad a pretty cover :D

I am a big fan of asshole heroes and I can usually explain away their mildly shitty behavior, but I had a really big problem with it this time. Wolf, the hero is, supposedly, a stick in the mud, virtuous dude, but he kisses the heroine in ch 3 or so and then he kind of insults her. They kiss again and again he acts like an idiot. They start spending time together and when he sees he's falling for her, he totally destroys her tenuous social standing and, to make everything better *insert heavy sarcasm*, he totally destroys her in private. After all this, the next day he decides he's in love with her and that he can't live without her and starts trying to apologize to her and make stuff better. This dude legit gave me whiplash!

The heroine, Lara, is pretty ok. She has a really hard time in the Ton because she's half Indian and the inbred assholes are mocking and not accepting her. She's different and she's not afraid to show it. She's skirting propriety and going with her 2 other friends to some parties that aren't that straight laced so to say... She's also a feminist with her 2 other friends, but that's been told not shown...

One of my pet peeves is stupid names and the author has named the hero Wolf and his 2 other friends Leo and Hawk and I totally hate it. Those are actually their nicknames, but they aren't called anything else for most of the book, so I rolled my eyes every time I saw it.

All in all, it wasn't bad, but I think I expected something else so i had a lower tolerance for it then usual.

He’s a powerful duke. She’s his uncle’s ward. They have forever been at war, until one night, one masquerade, and one kiss…
Lara Ramsay is no stranger to scandal. As the orphaned daughter of a British colonel and his beloved Indian wife, whispers follow her everywhere. The audacious Lara has driven Tristan Wentworth, The Duke of Wolverton, to distraction since the day his uncle took her in. After catching her and his younger sister at a salacious masquerade, he’s had enough scandal and issues a marriage ultimatum: find a husband within six months or one will be chosen for her.
This is the first book I’ve read by the author & it certainly won’t be the last. A well written, well paced story that held my interest all the way through. I loved the feisty Lara & the stoic upright Tristan. The chemistry between the pair sizzled & their verbal bantering was delightful. Enemies to lovers is my favourite trope & the author mage it very enjoyable. I also liked Lara & Tristan’s friends so I hope they have their HEAs. I’m glad Tristan eventually dealt with his mother – I’d have done it years before!
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Right from the start I can see how unfairly Lara is treated. Because of course everything is her fault and Anne has no mind and can’t possibly be the ringleader when she was the one who wanted to go to the party. And I get that If was a different time but Wolf treated two 24 year olds like they were 12 year olds... and it seems that of Lara, Anne and their friend Camille that Lara is the only one of them with any sense.

So Lara is a young woman orphaned as a child and raised in an proper aristocratic family. The problem is that though she is loved by her surrogate uncle and friends the fact that she is half Indian makes her the subject to racism and bullying. What she had learned from growing up in the high society world is that no matter what she says or does these people don’t think she’s good enough so finding a husband will likely be impossible. At least not one that will treat her with any kind of affection or possibly any kindness.

Predictable. Maybe I e been reading far too many Regency/Victorian era historical romances lately, which I have, but a few chapters in i couple accurately guess what was coming. Maybe had I read it at another time? Not sure... But I can also guess that as there is this group of 3 women and group of 3 men that if this is a series then we can guess what’s next.

The whole enemies to lovers thing I don’t think is my thing. It’s rather tedious as these are grown people not children. Children are mean to each other when they like each other, so it’s a little annoying when adults do it. And there’s way too much of that in this book. Though this enemies-to-lovers has the added trope of it being her best friend brother.

And ye olde predictable sister-likes-the-rake thing and of course there are no ulterior motives there... at all.... Plus add in the son that has to be as upstanding and proper as can be because of prior family scandal. Of course we also have to hace misunderstanding and misconceptions since nobody ever tells anyone what they actually think or what their actual problems are.

My first time reading from this author it wasn’t bad but maybe I need a break from historical romance. This was once again an instance of me being drawn in by a beautiful cover, if not for any other reason the cover is enough to make you want to read it. I also have the tendency to give books a try when it’s a historical romance with a person of color as one of the main characters. It’s quite hard to find diversity in this genre so it’s always nice to come across it.

Dare to be a Duchess features a biracial heroine of Indian background, Lara, who clashes with her guardian's nephew, the Duke of Wolverton. This book made no sense to me. Lara was the type of character I simply did not enjoy: feisty for the sake of being feisty, and also spurning opportunities that made no sense. Meanwhile, the hero, Tristan, was her match in being tedious. Embraces would come out of nowhere, but then he would reject her like a adolescent teenager. Rinse and repeat. As a long-time romance reader, I cannot recommend this to anyone. It's a wallbanger. Even during a pandemic, there are better things for me to do.

ARC provided to me graciously by NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

This book had me hooked from the very first chapter! I started reading and basically didn't put it down until I was finished. There was always something that happened that wanted me to start the next chapter.

Lara, who lives with her Uncle Robert, has known the duke of Wolverton nearly her entire life. They have never liked each other, but one night this all changes. When Lara kisses Wolf, something new starts between them. But their love story is not an easy one, and throughout the book, there are numerous things working against them.

It was the first book I read by this author, and I will certainly be on the lookout for more!

I did appreciate that the story touches on the racism Lara faces at the hands of the ton but I wish her heritage had been a bigger part of her character outside of one small scene where she describes what she missed about India (largely the delicious food). Otherwise she seemed like every other romance heroine.

Otherwise it was a nice enough read, falling for your best friend's previously annoying older brother is always fun to read about although I am not sure I could have forgiven Wolf as easily for some of his actions. Lara has good friends who are remarkably progressive in their thinking and knowledge. There are the usual over the top villains who lead them to a ending with lots of dramatics I could have done without. It wasn't the read I had hoped for but still one I liked well enough.

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

I loved it! Such a well written love story! Dare to be a duchess follows the story of Wolf, a Duke, and Lara the orphan ward of his Uncle's. The story was well paced and well written.

I was really hoping to enjoy this book because there are so many great reviews. Sadly, I did not. I didn’t care for the characters or romance. I just wasn’t feeling or seeing much depth. They were pretty much thinking about kissing each other. Lara seemed so bold and brazen but then didn’t like to draw attention or be proud of her Indian heritage. She says Society shuns her but she attends a bunch of balls and events. I would think even with Wolf’s backing we would see more rejection and confrontation more than just Wolf’s mother. Then Wolf, I don’t get the appeal. He seemed awful to her most of the time then bam, he loves her. I felt it was mostly lust and really wanted more. The modern day phrasing was distracting. The ending was rushed. This book just wasn’t for me.

*Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This is a new author for me. But I really loved this book. The characters were great, and this was a well written story of finding love. The hero was enough of an ass that made him hot, and heroine was perfect. I hope Sapna Bhog writes the books about Leo/Cammy and Hawk. I want a book about Anne too. It was really great story and I enjoyed reading it and can’t wait to see what else this author will give us. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3804984146

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

This is more 3.5 stars than 3.

I really really wanted to love this.

The main problem I had with this was the overload of sex thoughts. That's it mostly, these characters seem to think of nothing but sex most of the time. Why, I have no idea.

Its like, why isn't there more to their relationship than sex? where is the attraction, the emotion, the connection, why does it devolve into sex thoughts more quickly than love thoughts?

Like the characters claim they're in love but have you ever even had thoughts other than having sex with each other during the most of this? Like when they're far away from each other, they'll be pining after each other, and those were the moments I really loved, but whenever they'll be within 2 feet of each other, they'll just be thinking of having sex, and just no.

I've got nothing against sex thoughts, nothing against sex scenes, I just don't want to be regaled with them for most of a 500 page book. I would love to see more emotional attraction, more pining, yearning, all the other synonyms, but not only sex thoughts.

Then we had the problem of this trying to be too many things. If it's a romance book, please stick to the romance. Please don't try to incorporate too much side plots into it, when I just want the swoon. I came here for the swoon, and you're hellbent on giving me plot which I do not care for. Like why did Lara even want to keep her heritage a secret? What did it even achieve?

Speaking of heritage, one thing I loved about this was that our main character was partly Indian. Being an Indian myself, I just get really happy seeing Indian rep, especially in historical romance where it's usually never there. At least, in the historical romances I've had the fortune of coming across till now.

This was too long. This could have been two thirds of the length it was and there could have been zero losses except perhaps the seventh scene with them pining for the sex. I love pining, but I don't want pining to become sex thoughts the whole time.

I don't feel good giving an ARC a really bad review, so here are some good things about this book. There was an amazing start, an amazing end, and pretty good scenes sprinkled throughout the overload of sex thoughts and and I did love the pining scenes. The romance was really nice, and I loved the friendships with Anne and Cammy, and Hawk and Leo as well. I also had the feeling that there could be spinoff books about Hawk/Leo and Cammy, and if there is, I think I would still be up for reading those.

Also, the cover is really beautiful, and it's actually what caught my eye, really!

On the whole, it was a really nice book, a guilty pleasure that's completely binge-able, and has really good swoon-worthy bits now and then. I would recommend it for historical romance lovers, people who can handle/like smut, would not mind some unnecessary plot, and like good side-character relationships.

I loved this book! This is my first book by this author and I enjoyed it immensely. Her writing is too the point without a lot of fluff, for a historical romance, and that makes the book really entertaining and not boring at all. Her characters are so much fun too, From Lara, to Wolf and his friends and family, everyone is well rounded and strong characters.
I hope there are more books about them, so we can get a glimse of Lara and Wolf again!