This book features: an abundance of fully human, funny, complex, queer characters; a heroine who has chosen herself first, which then makes her so much more able to love and be loved; and a hero with PTSD whose family of origin was the worst (relatable). All in an updated regency setting with enough of a nod to historical context that the reader can go along for the ride.

Alexis Hall is so fantastic with dialogue and characters. This book in no way reads like a romance with filler until the sex scenes. The intimate parts serve to drive the plot forward as much as the intervening dialogue and story. Hall also touches on heavy stuff—war, PTSD, trauma, discrimination—without letting that heaviness disrupt what is a delightful, satisfying story. I loved this book.

A very emotional journey about a trans female who leaves her entire life behind in order to be able to own her truth. However, in doing this she leaves her best friend, and favorite person in the world, behind to mourn her passing. After years have passed, Viola is forced to face her past, and her best friend, in order to help them move forward, while not revealing her past self. Gracewood is a product of his upbringing. While he is quite progressive and supportive of his sister, he is also not able to deal with his grief, or connect to his sister in a deeper level (which is kind of ruining her life a bit). Gracewood must face his demons and come out of the other side, or die trying.

I am not a trans female, so take my word with a grain of salt, but I personally thought Alexis Hall really handled the whole transition with the outmost of care, as well as the conflict. The whole novel was very emotional, and dealt with some heavy subjects but in a way that engaged the reader and kept me on the edge of my seat. Plot wise that are some things that happened that were a bit OUT there, but I took it all in good stride. It did feel like we were thrown some out of the blue plot lines that didn’t really add to the couple’s main story line. As many have said before me, pacing was a bit off. Some parts I read at breakneck speed, and then it all kind of died down. The ending tried its very best to bring back the fast pace, with some success.

This is my first Alexis Hall book, and it is one I am so happy got published!!! Based off this one, I am looking forward to future titles and will go back through her catalogue to see what gems I may have missed.

I am the first person to admit that I don’t read romance. I do, however, read historical fiction and queer stories. Thus, I went into A Lady for a Duke with high hopes but low expectations.

Luckily, my expectations were exceeded. Gracewood is a grieving and complicated but kindhearted man. Viola is caught between helping her old friend and following what is proper for a lady of her (relatively low) station.

The other side characters are also wonderful. I enjoyed how the main tension is not that Viola is trans/outed.

I don’t think I’m going to be reading a ton of romance in the future. But I definitely enjoyed this one.

There may have been a bit of envy-drool on my screen when I finished Alexis Hall’s A “Lady for a Duke.” What a thrill to witness a terrific writer mellow into his splendor. With scintillating dialogue, thoughtful commentary, gentle, yet rapier-sharp insights and details, details, details, Alexis Hall nails gender issues while entertaining us with a delectable romance.

Premise: Before Waterloo, Viscount Marbury and the Duke of Gracewood were inseparable. Except, when Marbury was presumed dead in battle, it was an opportunity to reinvent identity into her true personhood, Viola Carroll, “paid companion” to her unflappable and understanding sister-in-law. “No one will be looking for a dead soldier in a lady’s companion.” It barely troubles Viola to have handed her title, lands and power over to her brother. But the loss of Gracewood’s friendship has been devastating. Yet it proved worse for the Duke, who suffers double PTSD from childhood and combat. Gracewood has sunk to laudanum abuse. Viola’s sister-in-law drags her to rescue both Gracewood and his seventeen-year-old sister. Will Gracewood recognize Viola, and if so, can he accept her?

Here’s one way to measure my admiration. Attempting to be judicious, I highlighted only 41 passages! It was excruciating to choose those to include in this review. But my choices are nothing compared to the terrible choices Viola has had to make – to exclude her best friend from this new life, rather than hand him the burden of her transgender status, an alien concept for that era. “A children’s game of barter: this piece of string for a marble, a sea-smoothed pebble for a peacock feather, your self for your future; your choices for the loss of them.” What follows is an intricate dissection of gender and roles, sexuality and power, society and individuality, embroidered into a tapestry of love, loyalty, honor and originality.

From the moment Viola and Gracewood meet again, Alexis Hall convincingly draws their deep connection, especially in the acute guilt each carries for their separation. Of Gracewood, Viola thinks, “He’d believed he’d left her to die. When, instead, it was she who’d left him to wander, in grief and guilt, a battlefield of corpses.” And later, Gracewood realizes, “She had needed only understanding. And he had offered – what? His anger and his questions, his conviction that he had been forsaken and misused.”

In their slow dance towards the shared reality of a possible future, we have no doubt of their mutual affection, only if it can find a realistic foothold within society’s strangulating values. “There was a large loneliness, one that came from inhabiting a space she’d had no choice but to build for herself, only to find that nobody could inhabit it with her.” And yet, for each of us on our unique path, we have similar moments, which draw us towards Viola’s struggles, just as the traumas we may have experienced, bind us to Gracewood.
While remaining a true wordsmith, Mr. Hall has become economical, committing many, many deep truths to ink in few, few words. “‘Strength is not the capacity to hurt. Or the capacity to remain unhurt. It is… what we let ourselves feel. And how truly we love,’” Viola notes. “Feelings… came and went as they willed and cared little for how they reflected on the one who felt them.”

Alexis Hall presents an unlikely, yet perfectly suited couple. “That sense of belonging. As though the shattered edges of his soul could be made smooth again.” “A Lady for a Duke” is Romance with a capital R, a sigh of sensuality, characters whose vulnerabilities sharpen their resolve, and a plot that meanders like true love, slowly, one lowered barrier at a time, one trust earned, one genuine moment after another, each opening and healing the brittleness of existence. Yet again, Mr. Hall, thank you for offering us the best of humanity.

My goodness, this has become a new favorite of mine! Alexis Hall creates an immersive and inclusive society without reducing marginalized characters to just their identities. He adequately explores the trans experience all focusing on love and euphoria. I am happy that this novel exists, and I hope others pick it up!

This book was stunning! My first 5-star read in a long time. Viola was strong, charming, flawed and brilliant. Her connection with Gracewood was passionate and unyeilding! I can't wait to read more from this author! A perfect Pride Month read!

This story offers a portrait of love and acceptance that we all deserve.

Perhaps you haven't seen stats about PTSD, suicide, depression, and LGBTQIA+ representation. Staggering.

I can't be the only one who saw similarities to Poe's Fall of the House of Usher. Just without the horror and a great deal more sunshine, and the happily ever after we all deserve! (Yes, obviously it's Midsummer too.)

Love each other. That's what each of us deserves... to love and be loved.

"It was not the loss of her estate she mourned. Not exactly. It was what it represented. Legacy. Home. Family. Things she was, at last, liberated to want, but completely unable to have."

Review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Lady for A Duke by Alexis Hall

When Viola was presumed dead from battle at Waterloo, she took the opportunity to live, at last, as her true self. But it certainly didn’t come without a price; the loss of her wealth, her title and her closest friend the Duke of Gracewood, Justin De Vere. Years later, when their family reconnect, she realizes how deep the loss of her friend truly was, not only for her but the loss and pain Gracewood has been going trough. As she strives to get her once best friend back to himself, deep-rooted feelings emerge once again, this time not as impossible as they once seemed.

CW: Reference to dead name and use of male pronouns when refereeing to her in retrospect, ableist language, reference to suicidal ideation, reference to drug and alcohol abuse.

A Glorious review for An amazing author. Alexis Hall's writing once again blew me away, from the poetry of the style, to the rawness and emotions it made me feel and the incredible care with which the story was carried. Viola was so incredibly strong, I loved how fierce and unapologetic she was. I loved Gracewood and Viola's reunion, starting with a bang and delicately and cautiously grows once more into the bond they once had, but this time, their hearts open to more between them and seeing new possibilities. Friends to lovers is a difficult one to create without making me feel icky about the lying (and more often than I thought possible: gaslighting). But with this one, I felt Alexis really understood how this trope should always be done: them pining wholeheartedly for each other, finding all the ways they can be with each other without actually being "with each other", the intimacy years of friendship, but the new butterflies and zaps of lightening in the small touches. That shaving scene is now catalogued as one of my favourite of all times. Now on to the sexy times, they were glorious. They felt like lava, the heat slowly creeping, carefully slow to build up and then all-encompassing, red hot and so incredibly satisfying.

“My soul calls to yours and yours to mine, and that will never change.”

I loved this book. It was such a joy and a pleasure to read, I found myself absolutely swept away by the richness and beauty of it. It’s fairly standard in terms of the general plot line, as it is first and foremost a romance, but I felt that the basic structure left space for the rest of the work to come to life.

The only other Alexis Hall that I’ve read is Boyfriend Material, so I knew that I would be getting into something fun and witty with excellent banter, but the similarities end there. A Lady for a Duke is something else entirely, in the best possible way. The characters are beautiful and complex; Viola is a wonderful heroine and I loved her sense of humour, loyalty, kindness, her talent at needlepoint, and her appreciation of fine things. She was earnest and incredibly relatable, especially in her care for others; Little Bartholomew, Mira, Louise, and especially Gracewood. The chemistry was off the charts right away and I love that their story focused on their relationship as people, and didn’t centre around Viola being trans. Gracewood was also a perfect love interest, and some of his lines to Viola were absolutely swoon-worthy. While I don’t have PTSD or a physical disability, I can’t speak to the accuracy of the representation, but it generated some really interesting conversations around masculinity that were certainly refreshing in a romance novel.

I can’t say enough good things about this book, except that I think that you should read it. I definitely will be rereading in the future for a happy ending that still has a lot of substance. 4.5 stars!

As always, please do check the trigger warnings before reading.

TBH I was mixed feelings about this book and didn’t know how I was going to rate it but rounded up.

Violet lived the first part of her life as Marcus and when she went to war let him be ‘killed off’ in society’s eyes so she could live the life she was born to live.

I appreciated the transgender spin in this historical romance. I think he added in a great amount of emotion on Violet’s side, her family, and for her love interest (Gracewood) who used to be her best friend. The friendship between the duke and violet (when she was Marcus and after) was soo well done. You really feel for them as they work through all the emotions, grief and love.

I loved that Alexis Hall really have the trans character the same sex, passion and happy ending we see for hetero characters.many authors gloss over intimate moments for lgbtq but he did not and it was great to read! I also loved that he made Violet proud, strong and not ashamed at all in who she was!

My main issue was the pacing. It was long and the book should have been edited down. We get a good start start, a slower middle and then just rapid rushed pacing to finish. I also felt like we needed more connection between the duke house and their trip to London. I also didn’t appreciate how soon Gracewood came around to loving Violet and tv em admitting their feelings. It was rushed and more there was greatly needed.

Overall though much better than his first historical Something Fabulous. This was a more realistic take in most aspects of history and women who lived like this back then.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alexis Hall perfectly captures here exactly what she did so splendidly in BOYFRIEND MATERIAL. It’s hilarious, tender, romantic and incredibly well written, the characters are so incredibly thoughtful and I adored being in Viola and Gracewood’s minds. I really didn’t want to finish it. It’s a must read!

The short version of this review is that this book is entirely too long. Well-written, certainly, and I appreciated what this romance did, but there was honestly no reason for it to be as long as it was.

Additionally, I was lucky enough to receive an ALC from Netgalley and I really enjoyed the narration, but I might not have minded how long the book was if I could have sped the book up to my preferred 2.5x speed. It's unlikely though. It really was just... so long.

Anyway, I'll come back for the longer version soon, but for now, these short thoughts should do it.

So, it's been a bit since I wrote the tl;dr version you see above and if I'm honest, I'm still having trouble setting the length of this book aside to focus on what I actually liked about it. However, it is time. I mentioned that this book is well-written and I really think it is. I love the way Hall is able to portray the emotions of his characters. There's loneliness to go around in this book and I think it is really well shown. Actually, I really like the way all of the emotions are done in this book. But there are times where I think the focus turns to the plot, where I still hadn't recovered from the emotions, if that makes sense. There's a lot about personal freedom and being able to be truly oneself in here because of Viola choosing herself and becoming who she really is rather than continuing to live her life as a Lord. And I get why she didn't want to apologize for choosing herself because she shouldn't have to. But I think there should be a way to not apologize for choosing yourself and still apologize to your best friend for letting him think you were dead for two years. I don't know. Maybe that's just because I can't put myself in the same position as Viola, but personally, I would be DEVASTATED and so hurt if my best friend was allegedly dead and then it turned out they weren't, they just didn't want to tell me about this fundamental piece of who they were. If that makes sense?

Anyway, a good book, especially if you'd like a book with sad characters dealing with loneliness and trying to fight their way back to living a real and full life.

I have dabbled a bit into queer historical romance (Cat Sebastian mostly) so I wasn't sure what to expect here. Alexis Hall is the GOAT in all things so I knew that this would be a great story and it was.

Viola is now a lady's companion to her brother's wife but her life has changed immeasurably. After saying goodbye to her old self, she reemerged after Waterloo to live authentically as a woman. Given the times, she lost her title and home but is still able to be with her family. Her heart breaks everyday she's apart from her closest friend Gracewood who thinks she died. She's terrified of how he would react to her being a woman and tries to close the door on that relationship for good. Until Gracewood's sister writes and Viola & her sister-in-law decide to intervene. Gracewood is not in a good place physically or mentally and his sister needs guidance.

Justin (or Gracewood) lost his closest friend and he feels it was his fault for leading them both to battle. His injuries have him addicted to opium and he's living a shell of a life. He meets Viola, there to help his sister, and immediately feels a connection. They start to build a friendship until the truth comes out: Viola is his oldest friend now living as a woman. This scene tore my heart out. Alexis Hall is a master storyteller.

In the end, it's a happy ending. They work on their struggles and rebuild their relationship. The scenes of them coming together as lovers was beautiful and the epilogue was such a joy. I loved this book and look forward to more from this author.

“I love you as I believe in what is right and hope for what is good.“

This book was MAGNIFICENT. A LADY FOR A DUKE is my new favorite historical romance of all time, and now my go-to recommendation for anyone interested in the genre.

A LADY FOR A DUKE by Alexis Hall is friends-to-lovers/long-lost friends romance featuring a trans heroine and a straight man. Viola’s character is treated with respect, and her story beautifully shows how nuanced trans representation can exist without transphobia. Gracewood, Viola’s childhood friend-turned-love interest, is absolutely gone for her from the moment they reconnect.

Hall balanced the perfect amount of angst and yearning, while still ultimately penning a HAPPY and hopeful love story. His prose is gorgeous and swoon-worthy, in addition to containing wonderful funny moments. I loved the side characters, as well, particularly Lady Marleigh and Lady Lillimere. I found Viola, Gracewood, and all relevant side characters to be lovable, sympathetic, and three-demential.

Content warnings are listed before the first page of the novel, which is fantastic to see. All issues are challenged and/or handled with care, but I appreciate Hall’s willingness to normalize TWs. That said, transphobia is NOT included in this list. It was really powerful to see a nuanced portrayal of a trans woman, as she was truly and completely loved - both romantically and by her family.

A LADY FOR A DUKE is a standout love story. I devoured every single word.

This was such a good read! I’m usually not a fan of historical fiction, but this was right up my alley.

I loved A Lady for a Duke! A great queer historical romance! While I have read some great queer historical before, I believe this is the first one I've read with a transgender main character. While I can't speak to representation itself, I definitely found the characters and their story compelling. Viola is determined to leave her past behind to make her new self, even if that includes her former best friend, the Duke of Gracewood. But family and circumstance throw them back together. While Viola initially hides their shared past, Gracewood eventually figures out who she used to be known as. Despite his initial feelings of betrayal, a fragile truce is formed between Viola and Gracewood for the sake of his sister, who is coming out in society.

With the backdrop of high society and the events of the season, Viola and Gracewood slowly find their way back to each other. And lucky for them, they have loving family cheering them on. I loved all the characters in this book and can't wait to read more by Alexis Hall!

This is a fantastic book. I'm still relatively new to Duke related romances, but I've loved what I've previously read from Alexis and knew this would be good - and it was!

This story comes from such a great perspective and does such a good job of twisting together a story of loss and a story of discovering yourself at the same time.

The characters are incredibly complex and compelling but you still get moments of levity and joy throughout as well. The settings are described so well that you can picture them all and really picture the characters there.

I'm definitely recommending this book to everyone.

What a sweet historical romance! I loved this friends to lovers story featuring two former soldiers, one of whom was believed to have died at Waterloo but actually saw the battle as an opportunity to finally live as herself. Despite gender and trans identity being important to the story, Hall managed to create plenty of internal and external conflict that had nothing to do with either which was so refreshing. Highly recommend.

This one ripped my heart out and then put it back together.

Hall hits home with a whopper in this story about a lady who reconnects with her best friend in the middle of a crisis. Though said friend believed she was dead.

His Grace, Justin de Vere, believed his best friend to be dead until Viola Carroll appears. She was his past, no living in her new future and he’s a shadow of his former self without her. But can they recover from the scars of war and the results of their losses?

Viola is adorable in her hesitance and how she navigates her new life. Though I’ll admit tearing up a bit as she encounters Justin and is exposed to the reality of how her ‘death’ affected her best friend. Justin is equally tortured, first by the loss of this friend and the discovery that Viola is alive. Justin made my heart break all over again. He’s riddled with guilt, suffering from physical injury, and believes himself to be a shadow of his former. Much of this story is how Viola and Justin learn to be comfortable in their new selves, along with finding closer connection then they expected.

Of course, there is a villain in this story and while he hides in the shadows for a good portion, the only reason this book didn’t get a higher rating from me is because I felt the villain didn’t get punished enough.

The end of the story is satisfying, the romance sweeping, and my heart was re-made with Viola and Justin finding new purpose and a future together.

For those who love historical romance with sweeping tales and others who enjoy Carolyn Jewel, I highly recommend A Lady For A Duke.

~ Landra

It's always so interesting to read one of your favorite authors when they're switching up genres and in Alexis Hall fashion, he's delivered a queer historical romance featuring a trans heroine which I was excited about, and seriously how awesome is it that we can be reading something like this?!

Viola, in her former life when she was known as Marleigh, had been unhappy in his body and the world his body inhabited. When Marleigh was severely injured during the Battle of Waterloo, he took advantage of being presumed dead to disappear for a while and eventually rebuild her life in a way that finally felt true to herself. Now as Viola and reunited with her former best friend Gracewood, she sees what the loss of Marleigh's presence and their friendship has done to him. Gracewood has thought all along that Marleigh was dead. In a way, yes, the Marleigh he knew no longer exists. But meeting Viola, and sensing a connection he hasn't felt in a long time, pulls him from the deepest recesses of his grief and addiction back into the light.

The story is heartbreaking but also so, so sweet. There's so much pain and doubt and some regret yet so much to love as Viola is determined to live her life without apologies. I felt all her fears as well because as much as she feels free in one sense, she's also bound herself to a life and a role that limits women, something she's getting used to. And she's nervous about being recognized, outed and shunned. It becomes more complicated with Gracewood as she wants to, on the one hand, reveal herself to him to ease his pain and because she loves him. She misses their camaraderie as much as Gracewood does, and can't help but slowly fall in love with him. On the other hand, she wants him to live a happy life free of any trouble, with a beautiful wife and children, and that would certainly not happen should they give in to their feelings.


Y'all, my heart broke for them so many times! I think that's the grueling part of this story - seeing how much their pain and trauma have consumed them, and how society would never accept or condone Viola's choice over her own body or Gracewood's choice to love whom he chooses. Then there are the most spectacular moments of the most intimate connection between two people and all I could do was swoon and want to rail against the world and remake it just so that they could exist as they'd like. You know that's some good writing when you feel that way!

Now I am not LGBTQIA+ so I can only review this story from my perspective as a reader who enjoys a good story and wants to grow and gain a better understanding of the world. It gets a bit slow in the middle but picks back up with the help of some entertaining side characters the way only Hall can create them. As a romance it hits the markers of drama, the great love of your life, second chance, redemption, and of course, the happily ever after. But I defer to folks within the LGBTQIA+ community to comment on the rest. For me, A Lady for a Duke is breathtaking and romantic and I'd definitely recommend it.

~ Bel

CW: grief, abusive father (memories), addiction, panic attacks, PTSD (war), bullying (side character), kidnapping (side character)