Ravenna is a rebel of society. She hates being kept caged and prefers to do as she pleases. Courtland has been hiding from his family and society but doing well to establish a satisfying life. The two were childhood friends before circumstances changed. Loved that Courtland accepts Ravenna for who she is for the most part. Story is steady paced.

Antigua, West Indies, 1864. Lady Ravenna Huntley, unwed sister to the Duke of Embry, is in trouble. As usual. She is disguised as a man, but after she is threatened with jail for cheating at cards, the situation spins out of control, and she finds herself reluctantly engaged to a former fiancé. To complicate matters, Courtland Chase wants neither a wife nor the dukedom of Ashvale which he has just inherited.

The plot, which drifts towards melodrama, is filled with popular romance motifs: the coincidences are fortunate, the threats dire, the heroine adventurous and spirited, the hero muscular and wealthy, the villain elusive and predatory, the friends loyal, the stepmother cruel, the sexual encounters frequent, graphic, and prolonged. To carry it off, authors need to make readers care enough for the characters. Ravenna wins our admiration for her courage and enlightened attitudes; and, since he is of mixed race and the victim of prejudice and aristocratic snobbery which have undermined his self-confidence, Courtland deserves our sympathy. Insights into the psychological impact of childhood trauma and racist attitudes in the era are illuminating, but though well suited, the couple take a frustratingly long time to accept their good fortune. Uneven.

HNR Issue 98 (November 2021)
https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/rules-for-heiresses-a-lush-historical-romance/

The discussion of race and class was a little watered down, but I can see what the author meant to do and I appreciate it. I think this is a good turn for the new road romance is going down.

I liked the romance, and the passion felt between the two characters. Maybe the hero was a little bit too emotionally constipated, but I liked how capable the heroine was, and they were both strong characters who grew together.

Ravenna is our heroine matched up with Courtland the hero. There's so much in this plot and the characters are so dear. Ravenna just doesn't want to get married, which propelling ourselves back to that time... who can blame her. She's avoided it so far by rejecting suitors and scheming. Happily for the sake of true love, her luck runs out. She collides with our hero, Courtland, who's really been through it. He's been a victim of prejudice and mistreatment due to his appearance. But.. he's a duke. So, watching these 2 work through all the obstacles in their path truly brought me joy. Don't miss this one! (Just read everything from Amalie Howard by the way--I have!)

I loved how headstrong and independent Ravenna is. She is a woman who knows what she wants out of life and goes after it. All the risks she took so she would not end up in a loveless marriage are just proof of her character. She calls Courtland affectionately "Cordy" and it is just one of the things I loved about this couple. The childhood friends to lovers trope is strong in this book and I loved that they were betrothed as children. Courtland tries to push Ravenna away, but being the woman she is, she is not having it and will stop at nothing to prove that they are equals in their love and this marriage. It takes Courtland a long time to see his love for Ravenna and all that she is willing to do to prove this. "When she enters a room, you brighten, and when she leaves it, the world dims."

Ravenna and Courtland were childhood friends but were separated when Courtland was essentially chased away by his evil step mother and thought to be dead. Ravenna stumbles upon Courtland on her romps and is caught in a compromising situation with him leading them to enter a marriage of inconvenience.

I really loved Ravenna's spirit. She was strong, independent and very "modern" in some ways. She doesn't want to be held down by societies expectations.

What I didn't love was Courtlands whole history and how his story unfolded. Although it was interesting, I wish it was dug into more. The reason he runs away and plays dead seems silly and childish. Him pushing Ravenna away for "her own good" was just exhausting and didn't fully make sense. Fleshing out his story would have made it more satisfying and maybe would have justified his behavior.

Overall, it was entertaining but I wish there was more depth to make the story more emotional. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I really enjoyed this book. The storyline is fabulous and the writing is strong, I loved Ravenna's headstrong character and the fact that she says what is on her mind. She is clever and witty, not a typical woman at this time period. Courtland is dreamy and everything you'd want in a duke, his only problem is self-confidence in his heritage. He is too concerned about what others think, yet Ravenna doesn't give a care.
The only place where I felt needed stronger was the actual characters themselves, they needed to be more developed, I felt them both to be shallow. I think more background, especially when they were children together needed to be better highlighted and more fleshed out. Courtland's reasoning of why he didn't feel up to being a duke was a bit weak and he whines about it far too often, meanwhile the rest of us (Ravenna included) roll our eyes and say "so what?!"
I gave this book 5 stars because of the strong plot and writing. From the start, it hooks you in and keeps the tension and action going. The steam and chemistry between the characters certainly add to the enjoyment of this book. I highly recommend it!
I received an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

Received a copy for review.

I loved Revenna and her determination to live her life on her terms. She does not wish to marry and does not understand while her brother can travel and sow oats while she has to be the very model of ladylike behavior. She was having a great time until she finds herself in a card game with her former neighbor/ childhood betrothed, accused of cheating.

Being compromised is a great way into forced proximity. These two have so much baggage. If Court had started something and then run away one more time....

I liked them both and was happy to see characters from other books.

Ahhhhh this was just such a great read. I just didn't want this book to end and I was sad to turn the last page. I'm so excited to see what's next from this author.

A good story.

It was fast-paced enemies to lovers and I loved it. One thing I want to say is that I loved the diversity. This is not the cliche romance many people would expect. I loved Ravenna and how independent she was. It was honestly really enjoyable watching all the characters interact. The plot I must say was good and consistent! I loved the chemistry, and I definitely recommend this book!

In this companion novel to "The Princess Stakes," Embry's little sister Ravenna gets a romantic adventure to rival his own.

After escaping an unwelcome suitor by stowing away as a sailor to the Americas, who should Lady Ravenna run into but her childhood sweetheart and betrothed who is believed dead! Hijinx and fated romance ensue, they marry early to avoid scandal and spend most of the book realizing they really do love each other and deserve to be loved.

Howard gifts the readers with several more of her signature steamy scenes. I may have reread those chapters.

There is a bit of a plot and a villain to foil, but the romance is front and center and doesn't disappoint.

A great escapist read just in time for holiday travel!

Lady Ravenna Huntley rues the day that she must marry. She's refused dozens of suitors and cried off multiple betrothals.When I started reading I couldn't put it down.Amalie Howard is magnifysent and amazing writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.Can't wait for the next book.

This is my fair and honest review, voluntarily given and in my own words, for this ARC.

Biases have no place in our world, neither in times past nor today. There are, unfortunately, individuals who will always have bigotry in their very make up. Add in envy and greed and you have a horrible mix. Trust in your instincts and what your heart tells you and never let others sway you. Trust yourself and alway go for what you believe in yourself. Everyone deserves the chance to show you their true selves.

So, sadly, this one fell a little flat for me. This childhood friends to marriage of convenience was in theory right up my alley. Where this one didn't work for me was the hero. He pushed her away too much, and his reasonings felt so weak. It made it hard for me to buy in to his feelings.

I really enjoyed Ravenna and Courtland's dynamic, though, on his own, he kinda annoyed me at times. There were times I just didn't really buy what I was being told he was feeling. But I still enjoyed their journey and as the book continued, I grew to like him more.

I absolutely loved this book... so much in fact that i purchased the Audible too and cant wait to listen to it!!!
Ravenna and Courtland both complicated. Within the storyline I enjoyed a runaway bride, scandal, adventure, compromising position, villainy and sizzling romance. The storyline is well developed and strong with character that were absolutely marvelous!

I was gifted this book as an ARC and this is my voluntary and honest review.

Great characters you want the best for an independent sassy female and a hot guy.. who doesn't love rule breakers a bit of mystery in there too.. Not a clean read so don't read if sexy offends. Just a little bit too much use of f==k which wasn't a word used in that era.

Rules for Heiresses - Amalie Howard - ✨Review✨ 5/5 stars - Released 10/26/21


* A rebellious heiress determined to be independent
* A shunned duke forced to return to his family estate
* And a scandal between them that will have the whole town aflutter
Sometimes, finding love means flouting the rules..


~ Book Review ~

This is a super fun childhood friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance, and has a forced marriage trope with diverse characters (that I loved seeing!) The plot involves villains and espionage that gave this story a little something extra too.

Our heroine, the privileged Lady Ravenna Huntley, is an opinionated, sassy spitfire.

Our hero, Lord Courtland Chase, grandson of the Duke of Ashvale, is referred to as “the island Duke” by his peers. He’s content on living his life away from London after being driven from his home by his stepmother.

Rules for Heiresses is set on the island of Antigua, West Indies and in/around London. Courtland has no family (besides his marriage of convenience to new wife, Ravenna) with the exception of a step-mother and half-brother that hate his mixed blood. They want him gone and had told the ton he had died so his half-brother could become the Duke in his place. Well Courtland put an immediate stop to that. Ravenna and Cordy have tons of chemistry, there’s so much pining, and things get quite steamy during the moments they actually let their guard down. I loved how Ravenna proved to Cordy that he WAS worthy of everything he has, standing by his side as he went through his inner turmoil. This is not to be missed!

I also recommend by Amalie Howard, The Beast of Beswick and The Rakehell of Roth. All three are outstanding.

*Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for kindly providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

2.5

This is my first time reading Amalie Howard and I'm conflicted. This story had a lot of potential, but there were a few things that just didn't work for me:

1) First off, the setting of this book is very unique. Not a lot of HRs explore the Caribbean and that alone was worth the read. My only gripe here is that we don't actually get to explore Antigua. We only ever see it from the eyes of the main characters and the hotel they stay at.

2) I wanted a lot from the two main characters. There's a lot of history in their relationship and I wish we got to see more anecdotes of them growing up together. I really wanted to love Ravenna, but she genuinely felt one-dimensional to me. She's feminist and quite rebellious. But that's all there is to her. She doesn't seem like a well-rounded person at all. Cordy on the other hand, still felt distant to me at the end. I just never got to really know these characters. I also found that the character development was very rushed and it felt ingenious.

All this being said, I'd be very interested in reading more of Howard's work because this was still different from other HRs.

<em><strong>I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</strong></em>

1864

Lady Ravenna Huntley, sister to the Duke of Embry, dressed as a man and sailed aboard a ship looking for adventure. She is in Antigua, West Indies when she encounters a man with whom she is gambling. He accuses her of cheating and then unmasks her. He is Courtland (Court) Chase and the Duke of Ashdale. They had grown up together.

Court’s mother was from Antigua and married the then Duke of Ashdale. She gave birth to Court and she later passed away. Court’s father took him and returned to England. There he met and married another woman who gave birth to a son. She hates Court and after his father died, managed to send Court away. As Court is of mixed blood, she wants him out of the way so her son will be the duke.

Now, Ravenna tells Court how important it is for him to take up his place as the true duke. They enter into a marriage of abstinence and return to England. Court does not want to pass his mixed blood on. Court’s stepmother is vile to them but they put her in her place. Ravenna is trying hard to get Court to be proud of his heritage and take on the reins of the dukedom.

Oh, dear. I so wanted to really like this book but it kept reverting back to extreme sexual encounters that went on and on. Ravenna and Court seemed to be so good for one another but the immature “chase me” trope made my eyes roll. Had this book stayed with the historical romance theme where it began, it would have been a real winner for me. Unfortunately, it did not and I lost interest very quickly.

Copy provided by the NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.