Loved loved loved that book! I was super excited about this story as I really liked book 2 in this series (not saying I didn’t like book 1, just haven’t read it yet, oops) and I’m a HUGE 10 things I hate about you fan. It did not disappoint.

The way this story was adapted into historical romance was just perfection. It was true to the original story enough, but still had some interesting twists that added something to keep the reader intrigued by that particular adaptation and how everything would resolve. It will for sure please any fan of the movie!

Our heroes instantly made me fall in love. Gage made me swoon so freaking much, he was just the sweetest and I loved how he was this big guy but still could be shy and uncertain at times and I don’t know, he was really something else! Not your usual Patrick Verona vibe which was refreshing. He had a pretty interesting backstory as well that definitely helped to understand his motives and actions. Plus, get me a Scottish hero all day every day! Effie with her passion for rescuing animals and the way she was acting in general showed a very heartwarming side. Loved how she decided to take control of her life and simply went for it, no matter how scandalous it was! Also loved getting to see the other characters again, they are such a great group of friends, it’s always fun to see them interact.Also, the spice was truly spicing, so no complaints here on my part.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and I plan on reading more of that author, as my last two reads from her were both 5 stars!

Thanks to Forever and HBGCanada for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

This is "10 Things I Hate About You" ~Regency Edition~ essentially.

Effie is a wallflower who must also have a season for her younger sister, Viola, to. One of Viola's suitors thus pays Gage, who newly inherited a destitute dukedom, to court Effie. You can predict how that could cause an issue later on because of course they fall for each other.

I loved how quickly their chemistry was clear and how Gage became possessive, caring, and wanted to be with her always. While of the rest of society scorns her, he sees how incredible and beautiful she is.

Their attraction is enough for Evangeline to proposition him, and he doesn't risk anyone else seeing the hidden wicked, playful side of herself. They're both possessive of each other, which was delicious.

Overall, I liked getting to see the different sides of Effie who seemed this soft thing in previous books, but from her POV and how she acts with Gage, you see how she has a wild side. And I loved how Gage fell hard, fast.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever publishing for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Read for: virgin MMC + FMC, wallflower, "good girl", protective MMC, fake-it-till-you-make-it attitude (lol), kilt!, Scottish MMC, he-falls-first

4 stars
2.5 spice

Overall: 4.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Readability: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Tension: ⚡⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Intimate Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes, a bit
Perspective: third person from both hero and heroine
More character focused or plot focused? character
How did the speed of the story feel? medium
When mains are first on page together: It takes a little bit – about 8%, or Chapter 3
Cliffhanger: No, this ends with a happily ever after
Epilogue: Yes, maybe a few months in the future?

Should I read in order?
So, maybe for maximum enjoyment, you would like the series in order. Effie (our heroine here) has some minor page time in the first two books (the hero is not mentioned) and in this story, the friends from prior books do participate as side characters. But overall the romance is very stand alone and it will be fine to pick up out of order.

Basic plot:
Gage can’t turn down the opportunity to be debt free – all he must do is distract and court the Lady Evangeline. That can’t be that difficult, right?

Give this a try if you want:
- Victorian (I don’t see a year, but book 1 in the series is 1865)
- London countryside setting
- Ten Things I Hate About You retelling
- heroine runs a shelter for lost and starving animals
- hero needs an heiress
- Scottish / English hero
- The Destitute Duke and Lady Ghastly
- size difference – he’s taller
- masked night of fun during ladies’ choice masque – a naughty ton party…
- pugilist hero
- higher steam with a slight slower burn (no action until halfway in!) – 5ish full scenes

Ages:
- heroine is 21, hero is 28

My thoughts:
I didn’t realize until after I started this, that I have read the whole series so far! Go me – and this is definitely my favorite one of the series so far.

I will have to rewatch the movie sometime soon and see if I can find more easter eggs in the retelling of it. I love Ten Things I Hate About You so much, but also adore Clueless – and I watched Clueless right before reading book 2 and was a bit disappointed in that rendition so I didn’t want that to happen again.

I thought this story was so good – except for the big secret. This is why I dislike secrets. It kind of played out the way I worried it would. But other than that, I really enjoyed this book!

This was such a fun read that I didn’t expect to like as much as I did! The fact that this book is inspired by 10 Things I Hate About You (one of my all time favorite movies) helped me follow what was happening in the book, but it also did such a great job taking what I know and love from the moving and putting it into a historical romance setting with amazing characters.
I really enjoyed Gage and Effie’s characters and I thought they worked so well together, and I really enjoyed reading about their journey and watching them fall in love. Gage was such a great grumpy Scottish hero and Eddie was so modern and walked to the beat of her own drum but had the biggest heart!
4⭐️

This was an excellent book!! I enjoyed the character development as well as how the plot was developed throughout the story. The author was able to to do a good job with all aspects of the story. I would recommend to others.

"The Worst Duke in London" is an enjoyable historical romance. Amalie Howard rarely disappoints! Effie and Gage have great banter and chemistry, and the spice is decent, too. I do think Effie forgave Gage a bit too quickly, but maybe she is just nicer than I am!

4 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

This was a light fun regency romp retelling of 10 Things I Hate About You. Unfortunately, it just didn't stand out compared to all the other regency rom coms out there, it wasn't bad but it wasn't spectacular either. If you're looking for an easy to digest historical romance that feels very contemporary than this one is a good choice. The main characters were loveable, I kinda really enjoyed that they were both cinnamon rolls and. virgins, it was a nice change of pace. Though since it was a 10TIHABY retelling, I was expecting them to have a bit more edge, especially Effie, she was just wayyyy too nice to everyone, I was expecting more of a shrew and some of Kat's bark.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a retelling of 10 thing I hate about you which is one of my favorite rom coms. And Amalie Howard is one of my immediate reads and this book did not disappoint.

Evangeline was nicknamed Lady Ghastly by Lord Huntington during her season and has now devoted herself for caring for animals of all kind at her shelter in the country. When Lord Huntington sets his eyes on her sister, Huntington promises Gage that he will forgive his brother's debt if he can convince Evangeline to go to London for 6 weeks.

Gage quickly falls for Evangeline who proposes her own deal with Gage a mutually beneficial relationship in which they become friends with benefits as she has no plans on ever marrying.

I liked the relationship between Gage and Evangeline and it was a steamy retelling of 10 things I hate about you.

4 stars

Can't wait for Briar and Lushing's story

Thank you Forever and NetGalley for the eARC of The Worst Duke in London! All opinions in this review are my own.

If you are a fan of 90s/2000s romantic comedies, then you need to read Amalie Howard's Taming of the Dukes series!

In this newest installment, The Worst Duke in London is a 10 Things I Hate About You retelling. Effie's sister can only be courted if Effie is too. After a horrendous first season, Effie has vowed never to go through that again, until she meets Gage. Gage makes a deal to solve some of his problems but he did not expect to fall for Effie in the meantime.

The Worst Duke in London is full of humor and heart. Howard expertly creates lovable characters who you can't help but root for. I hope there are more books to come in this series because they are such fun reads!

4/5 for this book! I love this series, I can’t wait for the next one!!!! I’m obsessed with Bridgerton and books of the sort so this is a nice lil fun read, I pretty much finished it in like 2 days. I also specifically liked the angle about the animal sanctuaries and love for animals as it was very refreshing, I usually wonder where dogs are in people’s lives in these eras.
Loved the slow burn romance as well and the continuity from the characters from the last book.

Note: thanks NetGalley and Publishers for the ARC.

This was an outstanding retelling of Taming of the Shrew! It was adorably sweet, so very funny, and super sexy. I loved the angt and the pining. I couldn't get enough of this fantastic heroine or her amazing group of friends Just an all-around fantastic read!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to Forever for the finished copy. My opinions are my own and not affected by the gift.

I love Amalie Howard's books and I was super excited to read this one. Especially since it's a retelling of one of my FAVORITE movies of all time. I loved Ten Things I Hate About You, and the source material of Kiss Me Kate and The Taming of the Shrew. So pair that with historical fiction, a animal loving FMC, a Scottish MMC, and the takedown of an absolute cad, and you have a recipe for a new favorite book.

Highly recommend for lovers of Ten Things I Hate About You and historical romance books.

I give this a 3.75 stars!

This is the third installment in the Taming of the Dukes series but it can totally be read as a standalone! Which is what I did! I love it when hist rom protagonists have something they’re passionate about and their personalities get to shine through. Effie definitely had that and her character development and chemistry with Gage! Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

An excellent fun historical retelling of 10 things I hate about you! Our main character is strong, complex and well written with clear goals and our love interest supports her and doesn’t judge her character!

Loved how much agency she has and how she goes after what she wants despite being hurt and judged by the ton in the past. I really look forward to reading this authors other books.

This book was so fun and Amalie always does a great job of the banter and flirting in her books and this one did not disappoint. I also love the strong female characters in this book. This one was super easy to get through because it was just so fun and also steamy. I absolutely adored this book.

Format - E ARC (NetGalley)

Rating- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Spice- 🌶 🌶

Series- Taming of the Duke #3

Troupes- enemies to lovers, historical, Taming of the Shrew Vibes.

Representation-

CW-

This one was slow to pull me in. But I love a 10 things I hate about you vibe and this one delivered.

Effie is defiantly modeled after Julie Stiles but with a love of furry babies. She’s fierce and frank and way more progressive than you would expect a lady of her time to be, but she also has a lot of heart and just wants to be loved. Gage did not really give me Heath Ledger vibes but that’s ok, he’s got more cinnamon roll vibes and he really doesn’t want to hurt Effie.

These two swap insults like kisses and its so much fun to read. Throw in a little spice and that Third act break up so we can get some groveling and there you have it. I historical for all those Taming on the Shew Lovers out there.

The description of this book is spot on! It is absolutely 10 Things I Hate About You meets the steamiest episode of Bridgerton ever. And I could not put it down. I stayed up for hours reading it and could not wait to see it all come together at the end. I loved Evangeline and Gage, their story and personalities and the extended cast of characters.

i LOVED the first two in this series and i was so so so so SO excited for this one. unfortunately, i didn't love it as much as the first two :(

The Worst Duke in London offers a steamy and fun romance with a strong dose of modern sensibilities, though it may not appeal to everyone. Lady Evangeline Raine, a woman more comfortable with animals than people, is persuaded to attend a London season when her younger sister insists. Meanwhile, the Duke of Vale, Gage Croft, is burdened with his brother's debts and agrees to charm Evangeline into coming to London to settle a financial issue. As they begin to work together, sparks fly, but secrets and past wounds threaten to derail their growing connection.

The story is filled with humor, sexual innuendos, and a fair amount of preachiness. The heroine, Evangeline, often lectures on issues like virginity, women’s sexuality, and societal double standards, which at times feels more like a modern-day feminist essay than a historical romance. While the plot involves a hint of mystery, it’s primarily about the chemistry between the leads, with the typical third-act breakup to add tension. The book’s pacing dips in the middle, but it picks up toward the end, leading to a satisfying epilogue. Though the writing style is engaging and fun, the blend of contemporary issues and historical setting might be too much for some readers. Overall, it’s a spicy, lighthearted read perfect for those seeking a fun, steamy escape with a high dose of modern-day feminism.

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

I enjoyed the first two books in this interconnected series, and I thought the second was my favourite, but this one takes the cake! Evangeline is the BEST! She is fiercely independent, and won't take anything from anyone. I loved getting to know her, and all the animals she loves to help. And Gage was everything she didn't know she needed. He was strong-willed as well, but was not one to stand in her way when she went after something. He cheered her on, and helped her in whatever way he could. The two of them complimented one another in so many ways, and it was really nice to see.

I absolutely love this world, and hope there are more books coming out in the future!

Amalie Howard has written and wonderful novel in, The Worst Duke in London. It has a fun, unique and rather scandalous storyline (for the period it's set in). The characters are engaging, fun, interesting and a bit sneaky. This is a great novel if you are into romance, historical romance or fake dating romances.

The story follows Lady Evangeline (Effie) Raine who prefers animals to people (who doesn't ?) and has no interest in marriage­. This irks her sister, Viola quite a bit because their father has one rule: Viola may be courted, only if Effie has a suitor as well. Viola being the flirtatious type figures if there is a will, there is a way.

Gage Croft, Duke of Vale, is determined to rebuild his estates after falling into debt. He gets offered a deal that he cannot turn down, when he is offered a fortune to charm Lady Evangeline for the season so Lady Viola can be courted. However, the Duke runs into a bit of trouble when Effie makes her own scandalous arrangement. Effie agrees to go to London for the season, but only if Gage agrees to be her lover. Will Gage accept and if so does this arrangement have an ending or rather a new beginning?