Like any great modern day Hallmark like romance movie, we have a reluctant royal who is ready to find a wife and an American who has given up on love. This was a sweet romance and Max and Dani had great chemistry!

4.5 stars. So so so so so much better than A Princess for Christmas. I found Max and Dani so incredibly charming. Starting this book I was fully prepared for a snarky enemies-to-lovers, and excited about it! But what the author delivered was an amazingly tender and heartfelt friendship. Watching their relationship bloom, largely without sexual tension, was so endearing. Max is genuine and kind and good. Their struggles and roadblocks and miscommunications were believable. My heart ached for them in their struggles and I found myself emotionally invested in their sweet, cozy bubble in the cottage. Sebastian is darling as well and I loved their brotherly affections.

This was such a fun holiday story! I read it in one sitting because I fell in love with these characters and this world. I can't wait to read more from Jenny Holiday.

This book was so cute! I loved that it focused on the developing of the friendship between Max and Dani - it really felt like they honestly liked each other before they loved each other and watching that blossom was so sweet! I hope we get a book about Sebastian

What do you get when you mix an infamous rake with a professor who has given up on love? A perfect friendship, of course!

Maximillian von Hansburg, heir to the Duke of Aquilla, is in New York to meet the woman his parents want him to marry. Instead, he finds himself preferring to spend time with Dani Martinez, who’s as relationship adverse as he is. What starts as an exciting new friendship, soon turns into a desire for more that neither of them can deny.

This is only the third book I've read by Jenny Holiday but I'm excited to read more and hope that we do see more holiday romances from her. I particularly loved that this book took place over the course of a year allowing Max and Dani to really build their friendship and allow the attraction between them to grow. I also enjoyed the changing settings between New York and Max's kingdom. Fans of modern royal romances will definitely find a lot to love here.

This book serves as a follow-up to A Princess for Christmas. It can easily be read as a standalone, but since it features preparations for the wedding of the couple in A Princess for Christmas, it's helpful to read them together!

I enjoyed this book so much that I forgot to write my review up here. It was a cute New Adult book and just what I was looking for around the holidays! I loved watching the characters grow and slowly go from enemies to lovers and deal with all the challenges life threw at them.

As much as I loved this book, I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending. I felt like, compared to the rest of the book especially, it just left me feeling like there should be more.

Otherwise an awesome book! Would recommend to anyone looking for a holiday read who also knows the trials of dating, loves a handsome "prince", and is always ready to watch love form.

I truly loved Duke, Actually! I loved the play on the royalty trope! I thought that both characters were complicated, layered, and really relatable! Love a reformed "rake"!

This one was a little too slow for me, there were parts that were really good and really sweet but a lot of it could have been resolved with simple talking. Also I know this one was the second in the series and I was able to follow along easily, but I didn't like that we barely saw characters from the first book. We are told multiple times that Leo and Dani are best friends but Leo is barely in this book; I don't need him to be featured but I feel it would have enriched the story to bring in some more character involvement. Also the issue in their relationship seem far fetched. But overall a fun, quick Christmas romance!

I am in two frames of mind about this book, I loved the look of it the moment I set eyes on the cover I loved it. The title made me instantly think of Love, Actually and the back blurb interested me enough to want to add another book to my toppling tbr pile. But, I felt it lacked something, I can't put my finger on it but there was something missing which dulled my enjoyment of the book. On the surface it has everything you would want in romance; likeable characters with great chemistry, a feel-good festive and made-for-tv story, but something is missing.

It took me a while to get into this, the start was very sedate but it did pick up speed halfway through, which in my opinion the middle was the best part of the story, it has a lot going for it it's a shame the slow start and rather abrupt end has made it drop down a few stars. It seemed a little hit and miss, when it was good it was really good, lots of laughs and comedy moments which I loved...but alas it didn't last, which is such a shame as I think this story has so much potential.

I am a sucker for royal Christmas romcoms.. and while this one had its cute cheesy moments that I love I found myself skimming the book from time to time.

The beginning started out strong, it flowed well and I love the light banter between Dani and Max. There’s no doubt that even until the very end I loved them. But then it started to hit highs (where everything was so good) and lows (where I skimmed alot) back to back and sometimes I lost concentration.

Nevertheless it’s a light hearted, easy going book. Funny. Cute. And that one scene where they did “the LIFT” oh my heart! (When you get to it you’ll know)

Duke, Actually by Jenny Holiday is the second in the A Princess for Christmas series. I actually did not realize this until just a few minutes ago when I started to write this review and can honestly say that not reading the first book did not alter my enjoyment of this one. I absolutely loved Duke, Actually, it was such an enjoyable read that hooked me from the first page and I was fully invested until the very last. The story is of Dani and Max, two that start out as semi-friends and slowly become better friends. Of course, this being a romantic story, one or both of them decide they would like to take the relationship further. Max is a baron with a tyrannical father after him to settle down with an appropriate wife for a future Duke. Dani is a professor from New York City. The two are an unlikely pair that made for a tumultuous, fast-paced story. I will definitely be looking for more by this author.

RATING: FOUR STARS

Before I get into my review, I would like to inform everyone this is the second book in a series of sorts. It is not impossible to read and enjoy the book without having read the first, but there are nods to moments and characters in the first book. The second book takes place after the first book, so it may be nice to have the background information. That being said, I still enjoyed the book as a standalone.

Now, for my actual review, I loved this holiday-themed book! Fictional winter in New York City? I love it! Actual winter in New York City sucks, so the romanticized version presented in this book was such a nice break for the mountains of hardened slush outside my house. I really enjoyed both the characters and what they indivdiually offered for the book. Seeing Dani work through her research and literary interests was really nice for me as someone interested in a literature PhD. If you are a PhD student or a professor yourself, I really believe you'll enjoy the elements of academia sprinkled throughout the book. Additionally, Max is SUCH a charming character! The way he flirts and tries to woo Dani over was swoon-worthy. Him being able to come back to New York City on a private jet? Amazing.

There is a small bump in the book for the couple, but it's more of a misunderstanding than anything else. I do wish it was approached differently, but I don't think it took away from the overall plot. I love how the story came together in the end and how these characters from two different worlds learned to co-exist and respect each other.

If you're a sucker for holiday romances, I definitely recommend checking out this book!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me an e-ARC of this lovely book!

I really enjoyed this book, despite it being a slow burn romance. As in, they don't even kiss until 79% of the book is done. But the banter is witty and I absolutely fell for Max.

Looking for a last minute gift idea for your best gal pals?!

These Royal Christmas winter romance books are just the thing!
They are spunky and magical and filled with steam and just the gift to give to your favorite book reader! Whether set in NYC or across the world in a magical castle, these books will have you picturing yourself in the best steamy hallmark movie.

I can’t express enough how much I love @holymolyjennyholi writing. If you haven’t checked out these books or any of her awesome summer romances she has published with @readforeverpub you are seriously missing out!

#bookrecommendations #winterreads #giftideas #bookswap #bookgift #royalromances #royal #romancerecs #romancereadingrecs #romancebookstack

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon, and Harper Audio for the ebook and audio copy of the second in this series!

I adored A Princess for Christmas last year and was very excited to read the next chapter.

What I loved most about this one was the friendship that evolved between Dani and Max. The texting, the phone calls, it was so genuine and heartfelt.

This book is funny, sweet, and steamy!

Duke, Actually took me a bit to really get into. I would have loved a little more focus on the tension and romance surrounding these two characters. I felt like there was a lot of focus on their lives individually rather than them in a relationship, but it also felt kind of realistic. There was a lot of self-discovery with each of the characters and it kind of took over the overall plot. I found myself getting a little bored during those times but would get more into it when the two characters were together.

There were some boring parts, some cute parts, and some parts that were super cheesy but I still didn’t mind it too much.

I think the audiobook was excellent and would highly recommend it. The narrator made it very enjoyable to listen to.

Thank you Avon Romance and NetGalley for sending me this book for an honest review.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀
- Holiday Romance
- Friends to Lovers
- Player Male Main Character
- Divorced Female Main Character
- Heartwarming and cute

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Angst: 💗💗💗
Spice: 🌶🌶🌶

i love jenny holiday's books. royals aren't really my jam, i admit, so if i didn't love this book as much as other people, i think that's my fault. i did like this one more than the first in this series, i felt like the characters were more realistic and relatable - i definitely related a lot to Dani. it was an enjoyable read, it was a nice slow burn, i thought the end was cute. i had a couple teeny tiny quibbles that i didn't love because they didn't feel necessary, but for the most part, they were easy to ignore and just get on with the tropey happy goodness of the book.

I loved this book. What a fun read at the Holidays! It is like watching a Netflix Christmas with Royalty film, but with better writing! Duke, Actually is second in a series. I didn't read the first in series, but I would like to go back to it. I think the first would fill in a lot of background.

I love all the elements of this book! A someday Duke, Max, who has hidden who he truly is. A NYC professor, Dani, recovering from a failed marriage and dreaming of writing a book. I love how these two find friendship and slow burn to more! Cannot recommend this rom-com with heart enough.

Thank you Jenny Holiday for you details in the book! Dani mentions growing up in Sunnyside, Queens and playing in the snow for the first time in a playground across from the library. That place actually exists and it is where I took my daughter to play in the snow when we lived there.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book was one I was looking forward to. I did end up enjoying it but not as much as I hoped for. The premise and cover instantly caught my attention, however the story just lacked so much. I would’ve enjoyed it so much more if I read the first one in the series - however, I decided to read this one first. Although I personally couldn’t connect with the story nor characters, I would suggest taking my review with a grain of salt. I do think others will enjoy this for a quick and quirky holiday read.

And she does it again! Girl meets royal, royal falls for girl, etc., etc., etc. this was such a heartwarming holiday read!
If you like:
-Hallmark vibes but make it steamy
-Dogs named Max!
-Slow burn romance!
-Egg McMuffins!
- Christmas vibes!
This is the book for you!