Lady Ravenna Huntley has no desire for a loveless marriage, so to secure her independence, she runs away on one of her brother's ships disguised as a boy. She does not expect to find her long thought dead childhood friend, Lord Courtland Chase in Antigua. When she must reveal herself to him to avoid jail, it's at the worst possible moment - right when he finds out he's the new Duke of Ashton. With Lady Ravenna now compromised, they have no choice but to marry and return to England to face down the Duke's family and save his rightful inheritance from his weasely stepbrother Stinson.

This book was engaging from the start. The characters are well formed - Ravenna is strong and independent, and must break through Courtland's walls and insecurities. They had great banter and chemistry. It includes a voyage on a steamship liner, a sting operation and a conservatory tryst, which are all great fun. I fully enjoyed it and I look forward to Howard's next book!

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mini Review: This was a good historical romance, with a unique beginning! I liked the book, and I would definitely recommend trying it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Oh how I adore Amalie Howard's books. I fell in love with her writing once I read Beast of Beswick and I haven't stopped reading her work since.

Once again she does not disappoint.
No one writes surly alpha heroes and strong heroines like Amalie .I just adored Ravenna.Alaways on point with her strong plot, her unique and smart writing,witty dialogue,the banter and a touch of angst.Oh and the tension! The chemistry!!
I always look forward to reading her new work .Would definitely recommend!

This was a start to a new series for me from Amalie Howard. I have to say this is definitely a long read. I enjoyed the beginning but I wish the main guy character would have fought for himself more at times. Other than that a fairly enjoyable read.

This is my first Amalie Howard book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The pages were flying and I could not wait to finish it.

This has the elements I look for in a HR novel : compelling main characters, strong and sympathetic hero, strong and courageous heroine, lots of emotional tension that ultimately leads to an emotionally satisfying ending.

This different from typical HR in that our hero, Courtland, is biracial… with dark hair, lean muscles, full lips and golden tan skin… *fans self* For this reason, one is required to suspend disbelief. A biracial DUKE! Perhaps in another dimension. There were also some anachronistic language —my pet peeve — but it wasn’t so much that I had to stop reading.

Courtland’s father is an heir to a dukedom and his mother is an island girl he meets in the island whom he marries and falls in love with but unfortunately she died in childbirth. His father took Courtland back to England, and eventually he remarries. Unfortunately, the stepmother is an evil witch. Courtland grows up essentially unloved and unwanted, as the duke was busy doing ducal things. Evil stepmom eventually bore a son, Stinson, whom she felt should be the true heir, being pure-blooded and all. She poisons Stinson’s mind and he bullies Courtland in school. She also had two daughters. The duke dies and the stepmom immediately plots to have Courtland sent away and fake his death. Feeling worthless and not knowing any better, he goes away, works different jobs and eventually settles in Antigua, meets his grandmother and cousins, and proceeds to become very wealthy and even owning luxury steam yachts that could transport people from Antigua to London in 6 days… all before he turns 30. Somewhat unrealistic but maybe it was easier back in the day.

Our heroine, Ravenna, ran away from home after refusing multiple marriage offers as she did not want to become someone’s property, and she secretly wants to marry for love. The closest thing she’s been to being inlove was when she was bethrothed to Courtland (whom she called Cordy) when they were children, however he “died.” She stows away is his brother’s boat and pretends to be a boy to avoid being raped. She eventually reaches the islands and pretends to be a gentleman, so that she can play cards and make money. She eventually ends up in Antigua, in Cordy’s club. She wins too much and Cordy suspects she is cheating. He also thinks she looks familiar. A confrontation results and he threatens to send her to jail (thinking she’s a man). She begs, he doesn’t listen, eventually a solicitor from London arrives and drops the bombshell that the grandpa duke has died, and that he is now His Grace. Ravenna realizes he is Cordy, and calls him so, and he is instantly suspicious that he knows her, she makes up an excuse. she threatens to shoot him to get away, he somehow gets on top of her, and he realizes who she really is. They almost have sex — with witnesses!!! — and the scandal threatens to ruin her and her family’s reputation. So naturally, they marry. How can she refuse, they pretty much sizzle when they are together.

The only problem is, he doesn’t think he is good enough for her and he plans to eventually grant her a divorce on whatever grounds she wants, set her free to do whatever she wants, while he goes back to Antigua.

He goes back to London not wanting to be a duke AT ALL, and only came back to support the coming out if his two stepsisters. He was prepared to give up the title to Stinson. However, he soon must fight for his honor, as his ruin will also ruin Ravenna.

He holds back from consummating their marriage to make divorce easier… much to Ravenna’s frustration. This leads to an emotional roller coaster for poor Ravenna. He has deep seated insecurities and feelings of unworthiness that stems from being raised as an inferior due to his roots. He works through this together with the heroine, and eventually — after a kerfuffle with a slimy confederate American villain whose evil plot enlisted an impressionable and jealous Stinson— discovers that he was loved after all by his grandfather, and stepsister.

Some people might say, “why is he so insecure? Why does he have so much self-loathing?” Which the author answers in the author’s note section, and I partially quote below:

“That said, colonialism was a very fraught period in history, and many terrible and unforgivable atrocities were committed during this time. Having been born in a colonial country and having grown up on an island where old plantations were taken over and farmed by locals and descendants of former indentured laborers, I have an intimate idea of the harm that was caused by colonization. However, living on a West Indian island is part of my history and my own experience. Trinidad and Tobago gained its independence from Britain in 1962, but I decided to set this novel in Antigua, a smaller colonial port, though I used references from my own travels to other West Indian islands to deepen the narrative.

In this novel, the hero is the one of mixed race. In my previous book The Princess Stakes where the heroine was biracial, I wanted to emphasize that feelings of unworthiness or displacement because of race aren’t limited to gender. Living and thriving as a person of color has its unique challenges, even if one is a duke and in possession of all the power and influence that comes with such a title. While my hero pretends to be impervious, he is still deeply vulnerable, and I loved being able to craft these different layers into his personality.

Lastly, I’d like to point out that there are so many facets to a diaspora. One POC’s experience will not reflect another’s. My experience as a woman of West Indian descent will not be the same as someone who was born or raised in the United States, England, India, the wider Caribbean, or elsewhere. This means that as a writer, I might not be the perfect representation for members of another diasporic community. I can only write from my own mixed-race, Caribbean-born experience and through the knowledge of my own sphere of existence. I do hope that more diverse voices will be called to the publishing table to represent the amazingly rich narratives in the world.”

4/5

I am very thankful to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review of this book.

I went back and forth on how I felt about this book. I really liked the beginning, how these two childhood friends met again years later. I liked the events leading up to their marriage. After they were married, it was very slow. I had a hard time keeping interest until the last 20% or so. The ending was nice.

Ravenna was very much a modern day woman. A bit too reckless for me but I liked her. Courtland has a pretty crappy family so he spends time far away from England. Courtland and Ravenna had good chemistry and the heat was up for sure. I wish Courtland figured out his feelings sooner. He just closed himself up because his brother and step-mother. They were horrible really so I understand he is the way he is because of them. He finally made a good life away from them but because of his marriage he is thrown back into society. I felt so bad for him because his family is just awful.

Overall this book was fine but I kept losing interest on and off. I haven’t read any of the author’s prior books but there are some characters I believe have their own books. I was able to follow along and get the gist of the characters without reading the prior books. Maybe I will try them one day.

*Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I received "Rules for Heiresses" from Netgalley. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Amalie Howard is one of my favorite authors whose ability to tell stories is mesmerizing. Lady Ravenna Huntley and Courtland, the Duke of Ashvale, are caught in a compromising position where Ravenna is pretending to be Mr. Raven Hunt at a gambling establishment in Antigua, possibly thought to be cheating, and then is found kissing Courtland on his office floor. What ensues is a story of determination, trials, self-restraint to protect the other, and of course,  love and romance. If I could give this book 7 stars out of 5, I definitely would. What a heartwarming love story of 2 people meant to be with each other but numerous obstacles preventing them from achieving a HEA.

I loved this romance, and once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. Ravenna is a forward-thinking heroine whose charm and intelligence won over almost everyone around her. Courtland is a wounded hero who has to overcome his hurt before he can welcome Ravenna’s love and strength. The story of their love is very romantic and filled with witty dialog as well as some drama and action.

This marriage of convenience romance had adventure, romance, heat, family intrigue and a unique setting in Antigua.

She’s an independent minded heiress, he’s a newfound duke with something to prove.

An enjoyable book.

Rules for Heiresses follows The Princess Stakes by Amalie Howard, I read both books back to back after meeting the heroine Ravenna in TPS. I enjoy diverse characters being represented in historical romances and that is why I was excited to pick up both of these books by an own voices author. I liked that the heroine of the previous book was biracial/half Indian and in this book we have a half Creole hero. This book grabbed my attention from the start and I enjoyed it so much.

Lady Ravenna Huntley snuck aboard one of her brother’s ships and had been residing in Antigua where she had disguised herself as a young man, “Mr. Raven Hunt”. The story opens with her being confronted by the hotel owner, Courtland Chase, claiming she’s been cheating playing cards. And chaos ensues from there quickly…he threatens to lock her up in jail for the night, her identity as a woman and as Lady Ravenna is revealed, the owner learns he has just become Duke, she pulls a gun on him, Ravenna realizes he is Cordy (her long-lost childhood nemesis/neighbor/friend/betrothed) that everyone assumed was dead, they make out, get caught by others, and are then forced into a marriage of convenience to save her reputation.

Courtland Chase, much like the hero in book 1, is a reluctant Duke. He ran away/was sent away to Antigua years back to find his maternal relatives and escape a stepmother and half-brother who hated his “mixed blood” they deemed unworthy of the ducal estate. I loved the history between Courtland & Ravenna, they grew up together and knew one another as children and hearing their reminiscing moments about one another growing up was so sweet. I really liked seeing Ravenna prove to Courtland how worthy of everything he was, her love and willingness to fight for what he was owed was great. I loved seeing the couple of book 1 in this, Sarani & Rhystan (Ravenna’s brother). Both books are super steamy, filled with delicious chemistry, and just have the strongest heroines.

I also really appreciated the epilogue and seeing how Courtland’s complicated relationships with his half brother, half sisters and stepmother played out. The author’s note at the end was great too, the research involved and the author’s own story of being born and raised in a colonial country just add another layer to this book and her previous book, The Princess Stakes.

3.5 stars (rounded up on GR). Thank you to the publisher (Sourcebooks Casablanca) for an e-ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts & review. Rules for Heiresses has a publish date of October 26, 2021.

I enjoyed this romance between two strong characters set in the Caribbean and England. Ravenna and Courtland have an uphill battle to recognize their love and gain acceptance, amidst her fight for her freedom and his being the mixed-race heir to a Dukedom. Although forced to marry to avoid scandal, it soon becomes obvious that their long-standing feelings for each other are real and lasting.

An own voices historical romance with a biracial hero sounded intriguing, however it turned out a little different than I expected. It was more of a traditional old school romance with a premise that demands a lot of suspension of disbelief (a huge amount of serendipity at the beginning of the story). The writing was very engaging and once I got over the initial reaction I found myself engaging with the characters and the story. Ravenna, the overly modern spunky heroine dress as a boy and travels to Antigua there she engages in a game of cards with her former childhood friend and first fiancé who was presumed and declared dead. In an ensuing altercation she is exposed as female and they marry to save her reputation. Concurrently our hero is informed that he has inherited a dukedom and they travel back to England where they intend to show a united front as a married couple and marry off his younger sisters.

All in all a fun read if not groundbreaking.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me this arc via Netgalley!

Rules for Heiresses is a unique historical romance that follows Ravenna Huntley and Courtland Chase, childhood friends who haven’t seen each other in ten years. Ravenna has run away from England and many unwanted marriage proposals in an effort to avoid a loveless marriage and the stifling of her independence. Posing as a man, Ravenna is accused of cheating at a gambling hall in Antigua, and when threatened with imprisonment by the owner, must reveal herself as a woman.

Courtland is stunned when the man he suspected of cheating is not only a woman but also his childhood friend (and former betrothed) Ravenna. Driven from England by his stepmother, Courtland has made a good life for himself and swore he’d never return to England and the people who rejected him. However, when the pair is caught in a compromising situation, marriage is their only solution, and when Courtland learns he is now a duke, their return to England is inevitable. Now the couple must face old wounds, new enemies, and a growing affection for each other and decide if their marriage is more than just one of convenience.

Ravenna is a unique and passionate woman who refuses to submit to the confining rules of high society. She is her own woman, independent, self-assured, and very much ahead of her time. Ravenna thirsts for adventure and is determined to live her life the way she pleases. I love that she doesn’t bow to the dictates of society and instead fights for what she believes in.

Courtland, a man who is judged for his race and often treated differently because of it, is cold and calculating. Emotionally closed off, he wears a mask and keeps himself at a distance from others so he can’t be hurt as he was in the past. Ravenna is one of the few that Courtland lets in, and watching Ravenna slowly break through his walls is fantastic. She remembers the boy she grew up with, and she sees the wonderful, passionate man beneath the mask.

I love the romance between Courtland and Ravenna. Betrothed childhood friends who haven’t seen each other in years, Ravenna and Courtland have explosive chemistry. I also love the way that Courtland accepts Ravenna unconditionally. He admires her fiery and independent spirit, as well as her curiosity and rebellious ways. He also treats her as an equal. She is his partner, and he respects her opinions and feelings. Ravenna’s unwavering support and acceptance of Courtland are equally lovely. I also really like when they talk about their times together as children. They share a long history of friendship, and that bond develops into an epic love story. Both characters are searching for a place where they feel like they belong, and I love that they find it in each other.

Like the first book, the author highlights many issues experienced during this time, especially sexism and racism. Ravenna struggles with the burden of being the perfect English lady as it takes away her independence. Courtland experiences terrible racism and prejudice. Both characters are judged harshly by an unforgiving, intolerant, and harmful society. I like that the author addresses these topics, and I found the Author’s Note at the end of the book, which discusses the inclusion of them, very interesting.

I enjoyed this story as much as I did The Princess Stakes, which focuses on Ravenna’s brother. It has well-developed and interesting characters, strong messages, action and adventure, and a wonderful love story, and I would definitely recommend it to lovers of historical romance. Thanks so much to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Amalie Howard for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

5/5 stars

Wow this book had me hooked right at the beginning! I loved how it started right away with the action. Ravenna and Courtland were such a fun couple to watch fall in love. They were both stubborn and set in their ways which caused some hiccups in their love story.

Ravenna was not interested in society’s laws or decorum. It was fun to watch how she would deliberately disobey social decorum. I enjoyed that she was fiery and her own person.

Courtland had his own issues due to insecurity about his background. He was led to believe the lies his family told him. This made him gruff and cold. I loved watching Ravenna melt that icy demeanor. And how helpless he was to her. Most of the book he was warring with himself on what to do.

Even though this was a historical romance it didn’t lack in the romance part. Courtland and Ravenna were affectionate and flirty. I loved their banter and seeing the emotions they had for each other. I also loved that it wasn’t insta love. There was attraction first, and then it turned into love.

Overall really enjoyed this book. The angst was perfect and not too over the top. I enjoyed seeing Courtland try to figure out what he really wanted. I liked that Ravenna already knew what she wanted.

Ms. Howard has done it again!
We meet Ravenna in The Princess Stake. Having seen his brother find love and battle society's standards to maintain that love, Ravenna will never settle for anything else. So when she is almost compromised she decides to take her life into her own hands, get into a ship in disguise, and make her way into Antigua. Then she makes her living playing and counting cards when she encounters Cordy - the new Duke of Ashton - who accuses her of cheating and will publically strip her naked to see where she has hidden the cards. Until she has to tell him that she is a female and who she is. Cordy and Ravenna were next-door neighbors and were once engaged until it was rumored that Cordy had died. Fast forward 10 years later, Cordy is in Antigua running his business and is asked to return to London to claim his Dukedom. Both she and him are caught in a compromising situation and the best thing they can do is marry so that the scandal doesn't reflect on Cordy's younger sisters. Once they arrive in London, all the odds are against them, but Ravenna is strong and she can withstand anything that gets in her way, even Cordy.
What I liked about this book and the previous one is that it clashes with society's expectations of marriage between high society and what they considered low society. It is marvelous who she portrays Sarani and Cordy who are both of mixed descend. The author is giving us a new feminist, Ravenna doesn't care and she gets things done regardless of what they might think of her and she doesn't rely on the make characters to defend herself. The author also gives us diversity, I think it's the first series I have read where there are multiple characters from different ethnic backgrounds, and two of those are the main characters.

Lady Ravenna Huntley, sister to a duke, is pursued by everyone but she refuses to marry. She has wanderlust and very modern opinions. When she is threatened, she assumes the persona of Mr. Raven Hunt, boards one of her brother’s ships and ends up in Antigua. Playing cards is easy for her and as she sits across from Chase, she is accused of cheating. That begins their relationship, however, as it turns out, he is her long lost childhood friend. Chase is now the Duke of Courtland and must return home to settle affairs. Caught in a compromising position, Ravenna and Chase marry. Their adventure is fraught with spies, intrigue, family squabbles, and an arrest. Amalie Howard writes a beautiful tale of two misfits who fit together perfectly!

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After seeing her brother find love, Lady Ravenna Huntley will not marry for anything less. She may be the daughter and sister of a duke, but she knows her own worth, and will do whatever she can to secure her independence, even if that means stowing away on her brother's ship, disguised as a man, and travelling to Antigua as Mr Raven Hunt. And she manages quite well, until she finds herself in the gaming hall of Lord Courtland Chase, who sees right through her. After all, they were once engaged, and were friends as children. Courtland has been in exile since his stepmother and half brother drove him from England, and he never wishes to return. But when he and Ravenna were found in a compromising position, but the very lawyer who'd arrived on the island to tell Courtland he was now the Duke of Ashton, and needed to return to London immediately to reclaim his estate - which was being claimed by his brother, Stinson. Now forced to marry, Ravenna and Courtland agree to make it worth it, even if it is only a marriage of convenience - or is it?

I simply loved this! It was such a good book, and perfect to read straight after I had finished The Princess Stakes. When we met Ravenna in that book, she was full of potential, and though her brother, Rhystan, didn't know much about her, and seemed to want to marry her off, I hoped we would see her again, and in her own story - and this story was perfect for her! We saw her independent side, and her want for adventure. Okay, she took great risks in travelling to Antigua, lying to her family saying she was in Scotland at a friend's, but by making the leap, she saw the world, and rediscovered Courtland - or Cordy as she called him - who she had thought died when they were younger and he disappeared. I love the childhood friends to lovers trope, and this book did it perfectly. Both of them had changed and grown in the time they had been apart, but they were still the people who had feelings for each other as children. Courtland's heritage as half-Creole is the reason he was pushed out of England, and his stepmother and brother treated him as a lesser citizen for it, with his two sisters sometimes going along with their mother's whims. It's only because of his position as heir to the dukedom that he was treated with any sort of respect, and even then, Stinson was going around using Courtland's title, acting as if he was dead, and Stinson was the true heir. Because of this, Courtland feels as if Ravenna has taken a step down by marrying him, even when it's made her a duchess, and is aloof and distant from her, which hurts. All she wants is for the closeness between them to grow, and for it to be a true marriage of equals, not for her to be a token duchess, to be kept as a trophy wife and hostess. The plot line with the conniving American, Mr Sommers, was ingenious, and I loved the resolution of all the plot lines. I can't wait for Amalie's next book - I'll be impatiently waiting!

Ravenna Huntley chafes under the social pressures of life as the daughter of a duke. She’s refused all marriage offers, and to escape the most recent, she actually runs away from England. We meet her in Antigua, dressed as a boy, playing cards in a hotel gaming room. Accused of cheating by an opponent, she’d rather give up a finger than spend a night in jail and reveal her identity as an unmarried woman. But the opponent turns out to Courtland Chase, newly minted Duke of Ashvale, her childhood neighbor, and boy to whom she was engaged in infancy. Somewhere between recognition and emotion, they are caught in the middle of a passionate kiss, and forced to marry. But Courtland has a mind to keep their marriage one of convenience, thinking it is safer for Ravenna if they are distanced from one another. Ravenna, who never wanted to marry in the first place, finds herself drawn to her new husband in ways she’d never imagined. One very large obstacle stands in the way of their happiness: Courtland’s half brother has contested the legitimacy of his birthright on the basis that perhaps Courtland’s parents’ marriage wasn’t legitimate, because Courtland’s mother, who died in childbirth, was a commoner and a freewoman who was Antiguan.

I had high hopes going into this one. Like the first book, The Princess Stakes, the premise is interesting: mixed race Duke, heiress who doesn’t like high society, cross-Atlantic action, a heroine who loves the sea. And yet, also like the first, the execution of this book fell flat for me. I love feminist spins on my historical romances, but I also like characters who would seem to fit into their time period. While I liked Ravenna, I found her a little more modern, and I felt as though I couldn’t get a good read on Courtland. Both of our main characters ranged hot and cold, and like the first book, and character motive was inconsistent. That said, the plot was fun (any historical romance with espionage and the ocean will get a thumbs up from me), the setting of Antigua was a nice change of pace, and addressing issues of race and prejudice in high society is welcome.

Rules for Heiresses gets 3.5 stars from me.

Loved this book! The pining is on point. Badass heroine. Also, this book made me want to go back to the Caribbean ASAP. Loved every minute of it. My second Amalie Howard book and I can’t wait to read her back list!

Amalie Howard is a go to writer for me. I love her historic romances, because the heroines always have a mind of their own and take life in their own hands. This book is no exception.

Ravenna is on the run from a bad marriage proposal and craves freedom and adventure, but her adventure is cut short when she meets Courtland. They quickly discover that, although they are far from home, they are not strangers.

I loved the marriage of convenience romance in this book. A big thing that held me back from loving this book is that it has a lot of similarities with The Princess Stakes (also from Amalie Howard). A lot of the romance and character development felt similar to me.