I’ve seen a lot of people say that Fredericka was an annoying character, and yeah she was (just like every person in this book), but how does Wyatt not warrant any censure??? Frankly, he was a shallow attempt at being the “good cop” to Fredericka’s “bad cop.” She misunderstood his “good” intentions, yes, but he simply needed to shove his intentions aside until they got custody. He was just as at odds with everything she did as she was with him.

The last half of this book literally framed Fredericka as the villain because she didn’t let the children go about with no rules. She clearly let them have fun. I think this is such poor execution and weak writing. Honestly, a lot of takes in this book felt like lightly veiled misogyny. It’s one thing to be like hey maybe just ease off a little bit and another to be like you don’t love the children enough, your sister loved your cousin more, you have failed raising them, and have given them nervous disorders???

This book warranted chapters upon chapters of third act breakup and it lasted mere pages. I also recognize I know how nothing works but for a duke he seemed to have absolutely zero power??

He also said Jane was literally an evil maniacal wench because Fredericka liked rules and “made her like that.” And that Fredericka’s sister wanted the kids to be like Jane because she loved Jane more so there should’ve be any rules. How would he even know?? His heads so far up his own ass I’m surprised he can tell the time. God he’s so disgusting. He also just said that Jane’s not bad at all and was being unfairly judged by Fredericka so really he’s a biohazard.

Say what you want about Fredericka being overbearing, but the children got hurt and didn’t understand how much was at stake because Wyatt couldn’t wait to teach them how to have fun until AFTER they got custody. He was flippant and never took anything seriously. He may be an easier character to side with on the outside looking in, but if I was living with him? He was an entitled dick. I’m still pissed about his views on mistresses I don’t care if that was the done thing. There’s no on page reference of him cutting monetary ties to his mistress, just that he hadn’t “seen her.”

Also Wyatt literally tries to redeem Jane at the end because apparently he just loves her so fucking much??? He makes Fredericka forgive her!!! He thought this was good??? He can easily say “put the past behind you” when he can’t forget his past.

Back to Fredericka though. She let that man distract her with kisses EVERY time she needed to rip into him. She was too meek for being the bad cop character. I needed her to grow a backbone and whack him with it.

*CW domestic abuse* Also I am SO confused how and why she’d convince her sister to go to London with a husband that physically abused her?? For context: Her sister and brother in law got food poisoning on a trip and died. Later, the children thought Wyatt was going to hurt Fredericka because they’d seen the behavior at home, according to Fredericka. So again, why would she encourage her sister to travel with him when she was resistant?? Obviously, she wasn’t responsible for their deaths, but the abuse was such a random thing to throw in with heavy implications?? It was barely referenced but I couldn’t shake this.

⭐️.5/5 🌶️/5

Yours Truly, The Duke begins when the Duke of Wyatthaven and Fredericka Hale both need to wed swiftly, but for separate reasons. He to inherit, she to maintain guardianship of her nephew and nieces. Their "meet cute" was anything but! They we and decided to live their separate lives. When trouble comes knocking, Fredericka heads to London in search of help from the Duke. Through a series of unfortunate events, they manage to eventually fall in love.
The story was slow to build interest, but I stuck with it and I am glad that I did. The children are endearing, and the Duke fallible, but lovable. It all comes together and I look forward the the other books that will follow,

Adored this. The pace never lulled and I was wholly invested in these characters and their motivations/struggles. Delightful!!

I received this novel through NetGalley.

Fantastic convenience love story that brings together two people who were meant to be together from the beginning. This novel was an easy and light read, although predictable.

WOW. Just wow...This book is just fantastic. Not only is it witty, steamy, and emotional, but it also seems to have a rare self awareness that you don't see often. So many of the recency era romance books that are available now seem to be the same regurgitated plot with the same troupes and drama that you always see. But not this book. The author truly brought a free original idea into a very saturated genre and just knocked it out of the park. The idea of the FL truly focusing on her neices and nephew and everything else coming second was such a new and refreshing plot that felt genuine and meaningful. The characters are very well fleshed out and believable even if sometimes you want to strangle them! The plot flows very naturally and it was very enjoyable to read. The spicy scenes while brief are steamy and swoonworthy! The ML is so dang likable even when he sticks his whole foot in his mouth! I absolutely loved this novel and highly recommend it!

** spoiler alert ** Fredericka needs a husband and quickly. The Duke of Wyatthaven, Wyatt, who has no interest in ever marrying, finds himself also in need of a wife. The two decide to embark in a marriage of convenience. Wyatt needs to find a wife in order to collect his codicil in his grandmother's will and Fredericka is trying to gain permanent custody of her orphaned nieces and nephew. Fredericka knows marrying a Duke will give her an edge to winning custody over her cousin, Jane. For a little while after they marry, the two continue to enjoy separate lives. Fredericka continues to live in the country with the children, while to the Duke returns to London. But when Jane shows up unexpectedly and tells her no one in the ton believes they have a real marriage, Fredericka decides to pack up and head to London. Much to Wyatt's surprise.

Now I think to best summarize my feelings about this book I'll break them down into different topics :)
1. Jane is the literal devil. The woman is so unlikeable. She constantly belittles Fredericka and even goes so far as having police officers come and help her take the children away. The author (attempts?) to give her some redemption at the end by having Jane come over and say she always loved Fredericka and look here I even saved the poems you wrote me. But the woman is pure trash.

2. Fredericka. I didn't love her character. She never let the kids act like kids and play. She wanted them to be polite and proper and Wyatt often said they reminded him of wooden soldiers. She was also very quick to jump to conclusions, and always took everything Wyatt said to her out of context. She seemed to pick fights with him just to fight. I understand that she grew up feeling like her sister that was 8 years older than her didn't want her following her around all the time, but...I think she should learn to relax. Pick up a nice hobby, like fern collecting. (It notes that she likes to write poetry, but it doesn't seem to be taking the edge of for her so maybe it was time to try something else)

3. Wyatt. He's perfect. I love a good rakish Duke and Wyatt had all those qualities and more. Plus the way he would stop and try to spend time with the kids to help make them relax and just be kids for awhile. My heart. Don't change a thing babe.

4. The romance. Now listen the way this book lead me on. I was given such passionate kissing scenes that screamed the promise of a dirty descriptive scene when the two of them finally get freaky in bed. What I got was: "With skill and tenderness, they came together as husband and wife." What the hell is that?! I even went back a page to make sure I hadn't missed the down and dirty. But no, this is what I got after 246 pages of a slow burn! I understand some people don't like smut, and I can appreciate that. But don't lead me on for that long with these steamy kissing passages just to dump that line on me at the end.

5. Fredericka was misspelled as Frederick twice in the book and for some reason I found that very distracting...

Overall though this book has a great premise. And it is a good slow burn romance..just don't expect fireworks at the end.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Loved reading the engaging and captivating romance story. Because of Fredericka's sister and brother-in-law's death, she needs a husband in order to keep taking care of her nephew and two nieces. Since Wyatt needs a wife as soon as possible to guarantee an inheritance from his Grandmother, Fredericka appears to be the best choice. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a riveting storyline. Can't wait to read the next story in the Say I Do series!

I liked the book, but I skipped all the poetry in the beginning of the chapters. (I figured they were optional.) Perfect for Regency fans.

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐲

✰✰✰✰.5/5

here’s to my first book of 2023! i’ve been on a huge period romance kick lately! this one, did not disappoint 😍

Fredericka Hale is a young woman who was given custody of her 2 nieces and nephew following her sisters death. a childless cousin of her tries to petition for custody of the children and Fredericka has to get married, fast.

Wyatt, the Duke of Wyatthaven, has to be married within the week so he doesn’t lose his grandmothers inheritance. after hearing of Miss Hale’s desperation, he sends a speedy marriage proposal.

The three children were absolutely adorable and precious. i loved all of these characters dearly.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞:
➳ ʙʀɪᴅɢᴇʀᴛᴏɴ
➳ ɢᴜʏs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ sᴏғᴛ sᴘᴏᴛ ғᴏʀ ᴋɪᴅs
➳ ᴍᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs ᴏғ ᴄᴏɴᴠᴇɴɪᴇɴᴄᴇ

Fredericka Hale and Wyatt, Duke of Wyatthaven, need to get married ASAP. She’s looking for a husband to help her retain guardianship of her late sister’s 3 children, and he needs a wife in order to fulfill his grandmother’s will and claim his inheritance. They decide on a marriage of convenience and must work together to convince the society and the Lord Chancellor that they’re a good match to watch over the children. Of course, a marriage only of convenience can’t last in a historical romance…

I found this book difficult to get through. I was intrigued by the premise but ultimately found the story disappointing. Some parts were charming, like the intro scene where Wyatt and his friends (also handsome, young dukes) drunkenly compose a proposal letter together, but overall it didn’t work for me. The romance was largely bickering over child-reading practices and propriety until they finally consumate their marriage, have a brief period of bliss, one big fight, and a final reconciliation/HEA.

Fredericka is constantly worried about propriety and ensuring the children are well behaved. After a certain number of remonstrations to the children and Wyatt (for allowing them to behave more wildly, telling them ghost stories, and his more causal parenting methods) it became annoying. While I agree somewhat with Wyatt’s aim to let the children be more free, it was also frustrating to have a man with no experience with children (other than being one, oh how he loves to reflect on his time at Eton) correct Fredericka’s methods.

Although the children love her, the typical “practical and strict maternal figure, fun and chill paternal figure” dichotomy was not what I wanted to read. I get that the idea is “she brings him down to Earth and he helps her have fun” but I could have used more scenes that didn’t end with them fighting about how to raise children. I would have liked fewer scenes with the children and more work on the romance between the main characters.

Amelia Grey kicks off her Say I Do trilogy with Yours Truly, The Duke, a fun historical romance with a little too much poetry for me.

It’s a marriage of convenience. The Duke of Wyatthaven (Wyatt) needs a wife within seven days if his grandmother’s considerable inheritance is to be his. He doesn’t need the estate, but he doesn’t want it to go to The London Society of Poetry. His hatred of poetry goes back to his schoolboy years.

Fredericka Hale needs a husband. When her sister and brother-in-law died, she took in their three young children. Now, Fredericka’s cousin Jane, who desperately wants a child, has taken the case to the Chancery Court. She wants custody of the children. Fredericka is desperate. If she’s married, she might have a better chance of keeping her family together. She even has a list of prospective husbands. The Duke of Wyatthaven isn’t on it when he appears in her house, offering to marry her.

It’s definitely a business proposition. For now, he wants his inheritance, and, eventually, an heir. She wants her nieces and nephew. They’ll continue to lead their separate lives until he’s ready. But, there is just a spark between them the first time they meet. And, when the vicar says, “You may kiss the bride”? Another spark. But, of course, the path of indifference won’t run smooth.

Grey does an excellent job with characters who have childhood problems that are still influencing them years later. Fredericka lost her own parents at a young age, and always felt left out with her older sister and her cousin, Jane. Now, Jane wants the children taken from Fredericka. And, Wyatt still feels guilty for his inability as a young boy to protect other boys at school. He’s making up for it, but keeps that a secret from Fredericka. She doesn’t know why he hates the word “discipline”, and burned the poetry books in the family library.

Marriage of convenience. Misunderstandings. It’s all part of an enjoyable start to this Regency romance trilogy.

This is a well-written, entertaining, historical romance novel. It has a likable female protagonist, a kind and caring male protagonist, adorable children, family drama, a touch of humor, a heart warming romance, and a happily ever after ending. The poems at the beginning of each chapter are a lovely touch. I am looking forward to reading the second entry in Ms. Grey's Say I Do Trilogy with great anticipation.
NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Amelia Grey kindly provided me with an ARC of this wonderful novel, and this is my honest opinion.

I don't think I have ever read any of this author's stories before but I am going to remedy that as soon as possible. I loved this book. The characters, the storyline and the setting. I didn't want to put it down until I finished. I am checking out every book in my local library from Amelia Grey. I'm delighted to have another author to add to my favorite list.

Yours truly, The Duke was a really sweet book! I really enjoyed it, and this may be strange to say but I enjoyed it more and more as I got further in. I think the characters and the story really started to develop more and come into their own, almost like aerating a fine wine. By the last few chapters, I was thinking "I love this book!"
Wyatt was a great main character, and while I would get annoyed with Fredericka and how uptight she was, they had great chemistry and I loved their interactions. So many good lines, sometimes I would read them three or four times before going on to the next page because they were so good. Wyatt's friends, the other dukes were pretty funny and a nice light touch to this book.
I always love children and their ways in books, and Bella was my favorite, followed closely by Charles. Wyatt, the hero of the book was so sweet in his treatment and mentoring of the children! It was such an enjoyable thing seeing how all Wyatt, Fredericka, and the three children grew and all in their own ways, healed from their ghosts.
If I had one complaint about Yours Truly, The Duke it would be a minor quibble, I wish Wyatt and Fredericka really came together earlier in the book than about 70% in! But that is purely because their chemistry was so good.
This is my first Amelia Grey book, and I really enjoyed it and can't wait for the rest of the series to come out!
I received this book as an ARC for my honest opinion, and I would recommend this book to HR fans and anyone who likes a sweet story involving books, handsome men, sweet exuberant children and a sweet romance!

What a delight! I read it in all one sitting on a rainy afternoon and loved the bickering and banter between Fredericka and Wyatt. The kid characters were super cute and I found myself falling for their storyline just as much as the main couple! Some of the gendered language about her feminine sensibilities and this or that took me out of the story for a moment but overall really enjoyed this read! I look forward to the rest of the series!

The first chapter of this novel is hilarious and the rest of the novel is a roller coaster ride of emotions! I had a late night because I didn't want to put it down. I love the characters and I'm excited for the rest of the series to see how the other Duke's handle love.

This was a marriage of convenience story which had both parties walking in to it with eyes open. It wasn't forced by convention, they both needed the other for external reasons. Frederika so she could keep custody of her dead sister's children. Wyatt because he needs to secure an inheritance from his grandmother.

I really liked the premise but the story was a bit bland and I am not referencing the behind closed doors intimacy. If the story is compelling it doesn't matter if intimacy is on page or not.

I thought the story needed tightening because there was a bit too much repetition. I also didn't warm up to Frederika although I did like Wyatt.

Honestly this was just an okay read for me. I love marriage of convenience so this should have worked, but I just felt pretty meh about it. There also weren’t enough spicy scenes. But the cover is so striking, I wanted to at least give it a shot.

The Duke is a reluctant husband hoping to secure his inheritance. The heroine is a reluctant wife, hoping to retain custody of her nieces and nephew. Reading about them becoming a family in truth was a real treat. I wish it was steamier, though. There is one closed door love scene. I was disappointed by that.

This is my first Amelia Grey book & I wasn't disappointed. I do have mixed feelings about it though. It was a very sweet, if somewhat heart-wrenching romance - which I almost always love (as long as it's not totally depressing). Will definitely read another one from her.