The second book in the Princess Stakes series, this is about Ravenna and Courtland. The two have a history being once who once betrothed while young. This however failed to stand as Courtland (aka Cordy) was declared dead by his stepmother.

Like any other Amalie H book, I enjoyed the characters. My favorite without question was Ravenna. I loved her spirit of adventure and her take charge view on her life. Courtland was okay but he drove me nuts in the middle and near the end although he ultimately redeemed himself.

This book is high on the shenanigans and family estrangement but I didn't mind it. It was fun seeing Sarani and Rhy again! Also I liked the resolution of one of Cordy's siblings.

A very solid 3.5 stars.

Thanks so much to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

I loved Ravenna and Court so much. From that first scene all the way to the end, I loved their chemistry. And those scenes when he'd say things to put distance between them were gutting. It was fun to see the Duke and Princess from the first book. And that villain Sommer was so sleazy he made me cringe.

Lady Ravenna Huntley finds herself far from home. After escaping an unwanted suitor, she lead her family to believe that she was with a friend in Scotland when really she was somewhere else.

Lord Courtland Chase, grandson of the Duke of Ashton, was pushed out of England by his awful stepmother. Telling all of the ton that Court had died, in order to have her son become the Duke of Ashton.

But when odd circumstances throw them together Ravenna learns that the man she was once betrothed to is actually alive, he learns that he is now the new Duke. Caught by guests and grandfather's solicitor kissing the two must marry to avoid scandal.

Not something either wanted to do. But when reminded of his obligation to his younger sister's he gives in. Neither denies their attraction to one another but Court is certain that he must stay away from his wife.

Read if you like: enemies to lovers/childhood friends to lovers
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This book was super cute. Ravenna wants some independence, so she runs away on her brothers she and pretends to be a man. In Antigua, she meets up with a childhood friend, old enemy that she thought was dead. After being caught in a compromising situation, they are forced to marry.
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I love a good friends and enemies to lovers story and this did not disappoint. Ravenna was fiery and Courtland was dreamy and they made a great pair!
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CW: sexual content, racism, sexism, death of a parent.

Lady Ravenna Huntley finds herself quickly betrothed to Lord Courtland Chase, the grandson of the Duke of Ashton. Courtland was driven from England by his cruel stepmother and was believed by all including Ravenna, to have died. When they meet, it soon becomes a scandal, as their kiss is seen by many. Yet the intensity of their relationship doesn’t appear to be wanning, the more time they spend together.

Ravenna is a determined woman, never quite doing what is expected of her. Courtland is the perfect match for Ravenna. His controversial manner and desire to keep Ravenna at bay, makes for an interesting read. Ravenna challenges Courtland and in doing so, makes him question his responsibilities and his feelings for her. Amalie Howard is such a clever author who brings a complexity into her writing, highlighting the emotional struggles on the characters with such subtlety.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Initial Thoughts/Expectations:

We met Raveena, our heroine, in Amalie Howards previous book The Princess Stakes where she played a minor role, but in my opinion, she completely stole the show and had me clamoring to get my hands on her story. She was brash, bold, opinionated, and hell bent on never getting married. I love my historical romance novels to include unconventional women who buck tradition, and I knew that Lady Raveena Huntley was going to do just that!
What I Loved:
I couldn’t get enough of Raveena in The Princess Stakes, and I love her even more after finishing Rules for Heiresses. She is a woman of means and privilege, but she is also a woman living in a man’s world with rules she detests. However, unlike stereotypical storybook heroines in her predicament, she isn’t content to sit around and let life happen to her. Her impulsive nature often gets her into trouble, which is how she winds up in the last place she wanted to be… the alter. I shouldn’t laugh, but her adventures and antics were hilarious and her knack for causing mayhem anytime she entered a room never got old. Courtland and Raveena were an intense couple right from the start. I’m finding that Amalie Howard writes an amazing moody hero with a heart of gold and Courtland is one of my favorites to date. The way these two stubbornly resisted their attraction to one another drove me crazy and kept me turning the page because I couldn’t wait for their next contentious encounter!

This story had a lot of heart and emotion outside of just having two people fall in love. Both Courtland and Raveena were looking for acceptance in a world that they didn’t feel they belonged in. They had their own personal demons to conquer and I thought it was beautiful to see them start to let down walls and confide in each other.

What I didn’t like:
Rules for Heiresses was a solid historical romance and there wasn’t anything I didn’t like about the story.
Final Thoughts
This book brought me a lot of laughs, a few tears, and made me remember why my favorite genre will always be historical romance with a fearless heroine. Rules for Heiresses can be read as a standalone, but for the full Raveena experience I would highly suggest starting with The Princess Stakes.

This was a cute, fun read. I love a marriage of convenience trope and especially when it was combined with a history between the characters like it was here! I definitely hope for more of this series 😍

I really enjoyed Ravenna and Cortland's story. The opening scene captivated my interest and I was hooked.
I loved seeing the development of the romance between the two, as well as seeing Cortland being reunited with his family.
Cortland is banished by his step mother due to his mixed heritage. She feels he is not good enough to be the Duke, only her son would be. When Courtland comes home, the fireworks go off.
Ravenna is wild, carefree, unconventional. Everything a Duchess shouldn't be.
But the are perfect for each other. And together they conquer the prejudices of the ton.
5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I want to thank Netgalley for the chance to review this book.

This was a well-written, entertaining historical romance. It was steamy, fun and held my interest. It was fast-paced and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

Lady Ravenna was cross dressing as a man....

And gambling in the Caribbean to avoid getting hitched. Accused of cheating, she can't out herself as a lady and prove she wasn't cheating. Conveniently, Courtland Chase is the one trying to shake her down. He happens to be her old childhood friend. At that same moment, Courtland finds out he's the new Duke of Ashvale. He's the male reverse cinderella, (Duke of Ashvale, his evil step-mother cast him out).

So, its back to London for these two. Very reluctantly for them both.
Super fast paced read with tightly woven moving parts. A bit edgier than Beast and Rakehell, the two previous boos in the series, but more aligned with Princess Stakes, which features Ravenna's brother, the duke.

Recommend.

Another amazing story by Amalie Howard. So so steamy! 🔥🔥🔥

I loved Sarani and Rhystan's story and this was Rhystan's little sister Ravenna's story.

She is a hellion that does not want to get married so when she gets caught on her world tour by Courtland Chase her former betrothed who was presumed dead, things get interesting.

The boy that used to follow her everywhere has definitely filled out in all the right places who has also been hiding on Antigua this whole time, being caught in a compromising situation they are forced to wed.

They have to return to England and all the wagging tongues, the questions of his legitimacy and her reputation.

This is no fade to black book btw and there's a bathtub scene 🤌

So much drama, passion, intrigue, female empowerment (not much of that back then), and lust. Ugh it's sucks when you lust after your spouse you are trying to keep at arms length makes things so much harder, if you know what I mean.

I love the full character development and the journey they take. Cordy definitely blossomed when he found his self worth, he was struggling. But that epilogue, wow!

Thank you sourcebookscasa and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the eARC

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Rules for Heiresses follows strong-willed Lady Ravenna Huntley as she is reunited with a presumed dead childhood friend - and former betrothed - Lord Courtland Chase. The unfortunate part of this reunion is that it happens while she is in disguise as a man, in Antigua, and he is accusing her of cheating at blackjack.

If that sounds like a recipe for shenanigans to you, I can assure you that you’re right. This book has a lot of action and plot. Ravenna and Courtland return to England after a hasty marriage of convenience, and they not only have to navigate their marriage, but also his ascent to his dukedom, the fact that he was thought to be dead for several years, and some light espionage.

The relationship between Ravenna and Courtland stands up against all of the plot well. Courtland’s insecurities around his title due to his stepmother and half brother’s mistreatment of him are the main driving force of their marital conflict, and it is very believable and sympathetic to the reader. His biracial heritage has caused him to feel like an outsider for most of his life, but Ravenna defends him and his claim to his ducal seat at every turn. It was refreshing to see one half of the couple refuse to be cowed by the other’s emotional walls at almost every turn. For the majority of the book she refused to doubt herself and her belief that their marriage was the right choice. I also felt that it was important that early in the book Ravenna sought out her sister-in-law’s advice so that she could better understand the way his race factored into his belief that they should not stay married.

I enjoyed that characters in this book, and I plan to go back to read The Princess Stakes and pick up the next book in the series. However, I felt that the espionage plot - while fun - was too heavy in the second half of the book. I would have preferred a bit more focus on the issues with Courtland’s family. Especially considering his stepmother only appeared on page one time. Ravenna and Courtland’s interactions with his half brother also fell a bit flat in my opinion, especially once creepy Sommers became the main antagonist.

Born to a life of privilege, Lady Ravenna Huntley rues the day that she must marry. She's refused dozens of suitors, but running away even if brash and foolhardy is the only option left to secure her independence & escape a determined Marquis. So she boards one of her brother’s ships & becomes Mr Raven Hunt, she finds herself on Antigua. Lord Courtland Chase, grandson of the Duke of Ashton, was driven from England at the behest of his cruel stepmother. Scorned and shunned, he swore never to return to the land of his birth. But when a twist of bad luck throws a rebellious heiress into his arms, at the very moment he finds out he's the new Duke, marriage is the only alternative to massive scandal. Both are quick to deny it, but a wedding might be the only way out for both of them.
Whilst this is a stand alone book Ravenna is the sister of Rhystan from ' The Princess Stakes'. A well written book which kept my interest all the way through. I really liked both Cordy & Ravenna but the pair did make me want to shake them at times. I thoroughly enjoyed their road to a HEA which wasn’t smooth as there were villains who wanted to ruin both of them. The characters had depth & were well portrayed, I also especially liked a couple of secondary characters, Bronwyn & Waterstone, I would love for them to have their stories
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Howard has done it again!
I really enjoyed The Princess Stakes so was super jazzed when I was able to read Rules for Heiresses early.
The elements that I enjoyed from book one are here: exciting beginning, diverse characters, and childhood sweethearts to enemies.
The heroine Ravenna was great. I loved how independent and determined she was. Courtland, the hero, took a while to warm up too. He was very hot and cold (I was getting whiplash from his constant mood swings).
Overall this is an enjoyable marriage of convenience and enemies to lovers romance with plenty of adventure throughout.

This is one of those stories that could have been 5 Stars with a bit of work. The story was great, the telling was slightly off since about the time you would really get into the story the author was trying to subtly feed you some of her own semi-political feelings. While it did not really detract from the story much it was noticeable to me. The interaction between the hero and the heroine was great but the sex was overdone and mostly just added pages except for a couple that really did merge into the story . So we have a Duke that never wanted to be a Duke, a Duchess that never wanted to be married much less be a duchess and a great story that was only slightly tinged by the things I mentioned and for me personally as a confirmed revenge junkie I thought several folks got off really easy. 4 Stars and will probably read the next one in this sort of series that seems not to be an official series.

Rules for Heiresses by Amalie Howard is a lovely historical romance that is sure to take readers on a whirlwind! This book had me hooked right at the beginning! Ravenna and Courtland were such a fun couple to watch fall in love with undeniable chemistry, both stubborn and set in their ways which caused some hiccups in their love story.

Rules for Heiresses by Amalie Howard
Historical romance. Subsequent to The Princess Stakes but not labeled as a series. Can be read as a stand-alone but I think better if you’ve read the prior. Touches on mixed race parentage.

Ravenna and Courtland were childhood friends until he was sent away by his stepmother. They meet again and are caught in an compromising position and are forced to return home. He must take on the title of Duke even though his family previously declared him dead and his stepbrother holds himself out as the Duke.

A fun pairing. Ravenna is wild and unconventional, and Courtland is contrary and uncommon. They play off each other well and their attraction to each other includes plenty of steamy encounters. Corruption and lies must be untangled which adds depth and intrigue to storyline.

I liked Ravenna’s strength of character and willingness to jump into any situation.
The epilogue was fantastic in wrapping up all the loose end and character questions.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley. I purchased a paperback copy to gift.

Yes! Amalie has returned to what a love about her writing. The first book in this series was okay, not enough dialog for me, but this story is fantastic. The dialog, the scenarios, and the intrigue are all outstanding. This story does not let you stay sedentary, it flies by. Courtland and Ravenna are hilarious together and she does not let anyone tell her she cannot do something. What I also like so much was her unending faith in Courtland and her love for him. Yes, they have arguments but that does not deter either of them…okay sometimes it does but not for long. I hope secondary characters get their own stories.

4.5 Stars ⭐️ - Top Pick

Duke’s daughter Lady Ravenna Huntley was born into a life of privilege but wants nothing more than explore the world and have her own independence. Lord Courtland Chase, grandson of the Duke of Ashton, was driven from England, vowing never to return to a family that shunned him. When a twist of fate throws runaway Ravenna into his arms, at the very moment he finds out he’s the new Duke, marriage is the only alternative to a would-be scandal.

I don’t see a series title attached to this book, but it follows Amalie Howard’s prior release The Princess Stakes. This story can stand alone, but Ravenna’s brother Rhystan was the previous hero and the couple makes appearances.

I really enjoyed Ravenna and Courtland, who I thought were interesting characters individually and as a couple. Courtland is mixed race, with a creole mother from the West Indies. He was pushed out of his family by a grasping stepmother who wanted to install her son as the heir. Courtland found the family, acceptance, and success in Antigua that eluded him in England, and he is not happy to be tracked down by a solicitor and proclaimed Duke after his grandfather’s passing. Ravenna wants freedom not afforded to her as a female and refuses to be controlled. She would rather run away on her brother’s ship – dressed as a man – than get trapped into marriage by an odious lord.

This book was a whirlwind! There was no time to get bored, as the events moved along quickly. A compromising situation and marriage of “inconvenience” happen early on. It leaves Courtland vowing not to get attached to his wife, and Ravenna confused that she wants this traditional marriage. I wish that Courtland had not run quite as hot and cold, but I liked that Ravenna quickly realized his family dynamic was not what she previously believed it to be.

This story was sexy, funny, and fast paced! Give this a try if you are a fan of Kate Bateman, Sarah MacLean, or Joanna Shupe.

~ Leslie

Runaway heiress, Lady Ravenna Huntley, has found a whole new world living as Raven Hunt in Antigua – free to live independently and way from the suitors who are only interested in her dowry.

Lord Courtland Chase has made a new home for himself in Antigua after his cruel stepmother sent him away at 14. Now the death of his grandfather, and a clever minx with an inky beard, are forcing him to return to English society and take on the mantle of Duke of Ashton – with his new bride.

A romantic adventure filled with understanding, acceptance and love – Amalie Howard’s Rules of Heiresses is an engaging companion piece to The Princess Stakes.

What I liked: The romance and rebuilding of estranged familial relationships was very sweet and was pivotal to the strength of Courtland. He had found his mother’s family in Antigua and found a place where he was accepted and could give back to the community – unlike the scorn he received from his step-mother for being mixed-race and having an Islander for a mother.

Howard mentions in the Author’s Note that as a mixed-race woman of West Indian descent, born in the Caribbean she wanted to write from her own experience. She researched into the history of colonialism and British rule in the West Indies and hopes to be one of many diverse voices using their experiences to write rich stories for the world.

What I didn’t like: I feel like Rawley was a tragically underused character. Courtland spends a lot of exposition on how important his cousin is – he eased his acceptance into the community on the island, he is his right-hand man, he even returns to England and supports of the Dukes of Ashton and Embry to catch a slaver/smuggler. Yet while he often grins discreetly, or shows amusement around his face, he does not often speak.

Such an important figure in Courtland’s life should be his go-to for conversation, for bouncing ideas off – and instead those conversations are had with Embry and the Earl of Waterstone. He felt like a missed opportunity.

Despite feeling like the intention, it did not feel like race played a significant role in this story – it felt like more of a prop to be used whenever the plot needed to include conflict between Courtland and Ravenna, and as a reason for why he left England at such a young age. While it is clear his stepmother used his heritage against him in order to promote her own son, it didn’t really seem to impact the story – except to set Courtland and Ravenna up to meet in Antigua.

Conclusion: An easy read, some very steamy moments and an easy conclusion to conflict.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ravenna is in Antingua on her grand tour dressed as a man thinking of cheating at cards when the owner Courtland threatens to send her to the stockade. Except he is supposed to be dead.
Courtland has just come into the title of duke, one he never wanted after being treated horribly by his stepmother and stepbrother for being mixed heritage. The last thing he expected to see was his old neighbor.
When Ravenna and Courtland are forced to marry they must return to england.
I liked Courtland and Ravenna together. I really liked Courtland even though he kept pushing Raveena away.
I look forward to more from this author.