Duke, Actually

What a delightful romance! I went into this request having never read Jenny Holiday before, and not realizing this was the second book set in the same world. I realized quickly there was some backstory from a previous book, but I was quickly able to catch up and ultimately didn’t miss anything at all. This story had me smiling from ear to ear almost immediately.

If you’re like me and you’re going into this blind, prepare to expect:
*Friends to Lovers
*Slow Burn
*Royal/Normal trope
*Your cheeks hurting from smiling

Now I’m going to have to get my hands on the first book just so I can have more Eldovia romance!

Whew, was this book a doozy! It's fairly a slow burn and I love the friendship that the character's develop together. Max is the PERFECT leading man and Dani is the fiercest badass there ever was. Such a heartwarming and hilarious book.

This book had so many things that made it almost perfect for me. For one, I love Christmas. And New York. So the fact that it was both Christmas and set in New York did it for me. Then came the duke (of baron, whatever).

Duke, Actually follows Dani, our soon-to-be divorced from her cheating husband as she tries to navigate life after the fact. Max, our playboy duke (baron), is happy to live the single life, meeting other girls of the same… caliber as himself whenever his parents tell him to. He and Dani had previously met as their mutual friends are soon to be married and they’re the best woman and man of honor. It’s a holiday themed romantic comedy that starts off as almost fake dating and transitions into the romance that we all know and love. I would say it definitely had the makings of a cheesy Hallmark movie, but with a little more grace and a lot more spice. I loved the whole will-they-won’t-they of the story, all the family drama when they finally admitted that they will, and especially enjoyed the dual POV. There’s just something about knowing what the hero is thinking that makes a book just tick.

All in all, this has definitely slated itself as one of my favourite reads of the year and I can’t wait to see what Jenny Holiday has in store for us next.

Thanks to Avon and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a review!

Full disclosure, I don't like Christmas and Christmas romances. Duke, Actually took me by surprise because while it was a Christmas romance it was also so much more. It was so refreshing to see Max and Dani's friendship grow and become more and more important. To see each one of them be exactly who the other needs, they listen to each other, show up for each other, and push each other to grow. Neither one swoops in to solve the other's problems, but is there to support the other through it. It's a delightful, heartwarming novel and so much more than a holiday romance.

A very cute, if a bit cliche, romance that is buoyed by really good character writing and sprinkled with adorable pop culture references!

This novel is the sequel to Holliday's A Princess for Christmas which came out last year. I never actually read A Princess for Christmas so I don't think it's necessary to have read it to enjoy this book. The story follows Dr. Dani Martinez who is in the middle of a divorce from her cheating husband. She has sworn off men especially men like Max von Hansburg an almost Duke who doesn't want to settle down. Max comes to her rescue during a faculty Christmas party and they quickly become friends. Now Dani must decide if she's really sworn off men forever and Max must decide if he's actually willing to settle down.

I really loved the way Holliday wrote the characters! They seemed like 3-dimensional people with motivations and they both existed outside of the romance. One of the highlights of the book for me was Max's developing relationship with his brother. I also absolutely adored the pop culture references to Love Actually, which is a romantic tragedy and not a romantic comedy!, and Dirty Dancing.

Overall I totally recommend this book and I'm super grateful to the publisher and Netgalley because I probably wouldn't have picked this book up otherwise and that would be a shame!

This was an extremely cute story between to unlikely friends who become each other best friends!

Dani is a 32 almost divorcée and will come to face her ex husband and his new younger girlfriend at her Christmas work party. When she gets a text from Barron Max von Hansburg 28 also known as the depraved duke and an idea pops up. Max is happy to go with Dani and finds her intriguing and someone who doesn't care about his status. After Christmas Dani and Max form a texting friendship and make a pact on New Year to accomplish their goals, get a job and finalize divorce. This was a slow burn, Max and Dani slowly build on there friendship that when they feel in love it was natural. Dani is looking for friends with benefits in the online dating world and looks to Max for help. Max is supposed to be looking for a wife to appease his parents but finds himself overprotective and giving Dani her space and offers her advice.

While Dani may have been older she and Max connected on personal level where they understood each other and never judge what they saw for each other. Max was sweet and swoon worthy in taking all of Dani feelings into consideration after what she went through with her ex. He went a little crazy to prove himself which made him likable.

This was my first Jenny Holiday, but it will not be my last. The entire story was delightful. Both Max and Dani are fully formed adults who need to reconcile what they want from life, a partner, and themselves, and this book does a great job taking you on that journey with them. It begins with a holiday rom-com premise: each of their best friends are marrying each other and they are in the same city at Christmas but quickly becomes the best kind of friends to lovers romance. For anyone who has read the earlier book in the series, there are lots of cameos from those characters, but if you’re new to it (like me) you lose nothing from coming in fresh and now have the first book to enjoy!

I love a good fiction royal romance story and when I read the synopsis to this book, I knew I had to request it!
This is my first time reading from this author so I really didn't know what to expect. Here are my thoughts:

In Duke, Actually, the premise already sounded cute and a typical rom-com that makes you feel good at the end of reading it. The beginning was a bit slow for me. There were a bunch of names thrown in right away and it made me feel like I should have known about these characters prior...? There were bits here and there in the beginning which lagged and I did skim through a few pages. However, things got more interesting towards the 1/3 part of the book as the side characters started to have more meaning for me. As I said, in the very beginning several character names were thrown in as if I was supposed to have read about them somewhere before. That was an odd feeling for me, unless there was a prequel of some sort (which I did not check to confirm).

As the story unfolds and the dealings with the female MC, Dani Martinez starts to get interesting, I did feel a connection to her and her male MC, the Baron of Laudon, Max von Hansburg from the fictional country (I think it's a country unless it's a principality?) Eldovia. This story is set in the present, but Eldovia, like so many other fictional royal romance novels somehow depicts European nobility as antiquated or outdated. While it's sort of romantic in a way, it does make me weary of why modern European nobility are typically viewed that way?
Anyhow, it was still delightful to read about the very "antiquated" traditions of Eldovia. Even Max the Baron noted how things in his country must moved towards the future and in order to grow as a nation, they must change and make advancements.

Duke, Actually has its funny moments but never too funny or sad enough that you feel really bad for any of the characters - major or minor. This book is just a make-you-feel good type of book where there are no true villains and no true obstacles to overcome. No spoilers here, but the few small obstacles that Dani and Max each face aren't really dire and I wish the author HAD made their situations more severe. But, this is supposed to be a rom-com, so no biggie there.

I have to say that my most favorite character in this book was Max's brother, Seb. The author didn't delve too much into him, but when he did appear in the story, he really shined. All of the side characters had a bit of history to them and like I said, no one was truly the real villain.

If you're looking for a lighthearted romance involving royalty and nobility, then you might enjoy Duke, Actually. Light, witty, and clever characters in the story makes everything easier to handle as you read through the book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

Dani, the professor, is almost fresh out a bad marriage and finds herself against getting seriously involved with anyone. Max the Baron (in line to be Duke) is a major playboy. Dani and Max form a close friendship that takes them through a year of getting to know themselves better. Keeping each other accountable, Max becomes Dani's number one confidant and vice versa. I actually REALLY enjoyed reading about Dani's professorship because it's my dream job. It was such a relatable theme to me.
This is such a great book to read before the holidays or over the holidays. I could literally feel the warmth of family or the holiday themes. It actually made me really excited over the upcoming holidays. I really loved this book. I loved the theme of friends to lovers. It sort of reminded me of Princess Diaries but in the opposite direction. I can't wait for others to read it because I'm sure they will feel similarly!

I wouldn’t fully put this in the holiday book category. It can easily be read whenever if your looking for an amazing romcom! You get two main characters with incredible chemistry. Dani is fresh from divorce and Max is a serial dater/playboy who has no intentions of settling down.
Their friendship is perfection and when it turns into more it’s amazing. You won’t want to put this book down.

Dani is a tenure track professor who is fresh from a breakup with her husband who has been cheating on her with 20 year old co-ed. Max, the future Duke of Aquilla, is the best friend of the fiancée of Dani’s best friend. He has a reputation as a playboy. He texts Dani out of the blue when he is in New York and they strike up an unlikely friendship.

Dani finds that Max is not what the tabloids make him out to be. He is charming, thoughtful, and really listens to her. They make a New Year’s pact that Max will find a job and Dani will finalize her divorce.

Max and Dani’s friendship grows as the support each other toward their goals. Dani is able to see underneath Max’s shallow exterior and see his hidden depths. I really love a hero who opens up only for the heroine. I love how Max and Dani’s relationship grows overtime.

I received an ARC for my honest review.

Well this was cute! Nothing too deep or profound, but a nice read that turned out to be pretty romantic.

One character actually says that he felt his situation was like a Hallmark movie with royalty from a made-up European country which is meta because that is exactly what this book is. A Hallmark movie with a lot of spice.

It was cheesy and fluffy, which I'll give a pass to because it is a Christmas book, and Christmas books can have much higher cheese factors and still be effective.

I will say that the transition from friends to lovers was a bit abrupt. Also, the pop culture references didn't really land for me. (Although they might be great for others!)

It's hard to pick just one favorite thing about this book because there are so many. If I was forced to then I would have to say it's the Dirty Dancing jump that Max and Dani perfected.
Duke, Actually, is hilarious. I laughed so many times I started crying.

This is the PERFECT Christmas romance - it really flows across a whole year landmarked by two Christmases, our leads have just wonderful chemistry that sparkles off the page, they inspire each other through beautiful arcs of self-growth, and it's just so much fun.

Also, and this is maybe something only I notice: but this is a rare m/f romance that actually realizes that non-penatrative sex is sex. This shouldn't be so impressive, but it IS. Listen, my queer self has read SO many romance novels, and often I just accept a particular level of passive homophobia if it's subtle enough because publishing is what it is. But this book never falls into that trap for even a SECOND. None of our characters are weird about what does or doesn't "count" as having slept together. None of the characters we're supposed to like are weird or standoffish about a minor character coming out. The narrative doesn't even treat that as anything more or less than any other kind of personal reveal! It's just really refreshing.

And this really nice lack of prejudice also extends into other issues in the novel: our heroine's mixed-race identity is handled with care, our leads understand that the undergrad our heroine's ex-husband manipulated isn't to blame for his affair and is just another woman he took advantage of, our hero gets to stand up to his antagonists on his own terms and deal with the emotional baggage in a real, human way rather than as some Tough Man idea. It's just...listen, this is a really wonderfully comforting book. It's a warm hug. It's Love, Actually without all the weird 2003 baggage. (As much as I love that movie!)

This is my first Jenny Holiday book, but it's not going to be my last, because I'm told that she always does this. This is a structurally-traditional romance with progressive, kind ideals, and I LOVE that. And I appreciate it, as a reader!

this was pure bliss to me: fun banter, Christmas cheer, a cute slow-burn romance (probably too slow, this book felt long). The third act conflict is an annoyingly contrived miscommunication, but the resolution, reminiscent of a Love Actually scene, is so adorable.

Duke, Actually is a hit new rom-com! You can feel the chemistry between Max and Dani literally sizzle off the pages. I am obsessed with their relationship!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Duke, Actually was a heartfelt and enjoyable read filled with an amazing friendship, characters, and romance. This book is a standalone however, it is part of an interconnected series that follows after A Princess for Christmas. I would recommend reading the first book in the series just for more context and backstory for this book.

The plot and storyline in this book was a bit predictable and slow at times but still very entertaining. There was the friends to lovers trope used in this book as well, which was just great. It also is dual POVs of the main characters, Max von Hansburg and Dani Martinez.

Both, Max and Dani were well written characters that were struggling with personal and life issues. Their growth and development throughout the book was just fantastic. I also loved how supportive and understanding they were with each other. Their romance was definitely a slow-burn but absolutely worth it. Their journey from friends to lovers was so adorable and filled with amazing banter and chemistry.

The ending was a bit rushed and there were a few plot points unresolved but still a very heartfelt conclusion to their story. Overall, this was just a cute holiday romance read that included some spicy moments.

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

I really enjoyed this heartwarming Christmas romance. I really liked the main characters and the plot kept me engaged throughout the whole book.

Loved it! Really charming! I was not expecting how much fun I would have reading it. A really joyful holiday romance. The dialogue and texting sparkled, there was tons of chemistry between the main characters and the story worked on more than just a romantic level. My expectations were Hallmark holiday royal romance and this elevated that concept in very sexy spades. I will recommend this to all my holiday romance readers!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Well, this book was utterly charming, and somehow the perfect holiday read. Releasing on October 26, definitely add it to your holiday romance TBR list. This book is a sequel to another holiday romance, A Princess for Christmas, but can be read as a stand alone. The first couple in the series - a princess and a former NYC taxi driver - are getting married, and their two best friends are thrown into each other’s company.

Maximilian von Hansburg, baron and heir to a duke, is best friends with and former fiancé of the princess of Eldovia. He has a playboy reputation, and is unhappy with his duties and joblessness.

Dani Martinez is best friends with the former taxi driver turned groom, and lives in NYC as an English professor. She is coming off the heels of a terrible break-up (cheating ex-husband) and a long, drawn-out divorce, and has sworn off men and dating. Of course, sparks fly when the baron and the professor meet.

To say that this book is a delightful and charming read, gloriously reminiscent of all of the best romcoms, is putting it lightly. Jenny Holiday boldly references Love Actually and Dirty Dancing throughout the book; although it’s not referenced, I also get When Harry Met Sally slow-burn, friends-to-lovers vibes.

Things I loved:
💕 watching both main characters grow because of their friendship, working through their trauma and reaching for their dreams
💕 the emotional back story of the hero (trigger warning for child abuse and alcoholic parent) and the struggles the heroine goes through as a biracial woman in academia
💕 the romcom-like references (including the swooniest airport scene) and beautifully depicted friendship that develops between Max and Dani

Overall, if you enjoy romcoms, slow burns, and friends-to-lovers, you will love this newest book from Jenny Holiday.

Thanks to @avonbooks + @harpervoyagerus + @netgalley for the opportunity to review an ARC of this work.