I'm a sucker for a historical romance that features a strong female lead and lots of great banter, and "The Worst Duke in London" delivers both! This novel is the 3rd installment in Amalie Howard's "Taming of the Dukes" series, but it can be read as a standalone. I really enjoyed how Lady Evangeline is written as fiercely independent but still empathetic and caring. The Duke of Vale, Gage Croft is a total grumpy sweetheart with a strong sense of duty and morals, but definitely has a wicked side 😉🤭. And that Scottish accent? 🥵🥵 Bonus points for the adorable rescue animals that appear throughout! 😍

I received this ARC from Netgalley to read and leave an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity!

I don’t normally go for Taming if the Shrew retelling, but if anyone can change my mind it’s Amalie Howard! This was very funny, very sexy, and very sweet. I loved the hero’s lining, the prickly heroine with a big heart, and the supporting cast of characters. Truly a fun read.

✨ARC Review✨

Everything Amalie Howard writes hits for me. The Worst Duke in London is no different. It’s a fun retelling of a retelling. 10 Things I Hate About You is, of course, a retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and this book is another take on this classic story.

Gage, The Duke of Vale, is in dire straits as when he inherits his title, he also inherits his brother’s debts, including an exorbitant one to Huntington. Huntington makes a deal with him to wipe out that debt if he can get Evangeline to take part in the London season. Whither Evangeline goes, so goest her beautiful sister, Viola, and the odious Huntington is determined to wife Viola.

And so it goes. Gage begins to court the prickly Evangeline and starts to see how she’s much warmer and more enticing than he’d been led to believe. How could he not fall in love with a woman who would endanger herself to save a baby raven fallen from its nest? Or who tempts him into a sexual exploration arrangement?

Amalie Howard always imbues her novels with fun, humor, and delicious sexual tension. I honestly cannot recommend her books enough. She’s in my Top Three historical romance authors.

I was given an arc of this book in exchange for a review. All thoughts are mine alone.

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I want to be in Amalie Howard's brain. Her ability to take a familiar story and then flip it on its head is just incredible. I loved Taming of the Shrew and the modern twist feels fresh. Gage was such a great MMC and it was nice to see his story more fleshed out after catching glimpses before.

Do whatever you want to me Amalie Howard because I am just obsessed with everything you do. This book was perfection and I squealed with delight every other page. Preorder this from your local indie bookshop or ask your library to carry it because you do not want to miss it.

“The Worst Duke in London” by Amalie Howard is a delightful Regency romance that blends the charm of “Bridgerton” with the wit of “10 Things I Hate About You”. Howard weaves a captivating tale of enemies turned lovers, set against the backdrop of London's high society.

Meet Lady Evangeline Raine. She’s an unconventional wallflower, prefers the company of animals to people. Marriage holds no interest for her, much to the dismay of her flirty younger sister, Viola. Their father, however, has one rule: Viola may be courted only if Effie has a suitor as well.

Enter Gage Croft, Duke of Vale, a man burdened with debt and determined to rebuild his estates. When the owner of his vowels offers him a fortune to charm the impervious Lady Evangeline for the season, Gage agrees, even if it means pretending to seduce her. But Effie has her own scandalous arrangement in mind: she'll go to London for the season, but only if Gage agrees to be her lover. As their fake courtship leads to passionate feelings, the lines blur between pretence and reality. Will their indecent proposal end with the season, or is it the start of something genuine?

Howard's writing sparkles with wit and chemistry. Lady Evangeline is a refreshing heroine, as she is intelligent, independent, and unapologetically herself. Gage Croft, our charming duke, is more than just a rake; he's a man with depth and vulnerability. Their banter crackles, and their slow-burning romance is utterly swoon-worthy.

The Regency setting comes alive through Howard's vivid descriptions. I enjoyed the glittering ballrooms, the lush countryside, and the scandalous secrets hidden behind closed doors. The dialogue is sharp, and the pacing keeps you turning pages late into the night.

What truly sets this book apart is the emotional depth. Howard delves into themes of family loyalty, societal expectations, and the courage to defy convention. The characters grapple with their pasts, their desires, and the choices that shape their futures. “The Worst Duke in London” is a tale of love, redemption, and unexpected passion. If you're a fan of historical romance with a touch of modern flair, this book is a must-read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Amalie Howard nails it in her newest, THE WORST DUKE IN LONDON. Lady Evangeline faces off with Scottish Duke Gage in a Taming of the Shrew retelling that celebrates animal rights, owning one’s autonomy, and the Hellfire Kitties, London’s most rambunctious group of Ladies— all with a 90s twist!

Did you love 10 Things I Hate About You and can’t get enough Bridgerton on screen and on the page? Then this is for you, readers!

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of the worst duke in London.

I loved this book! It’s a historical version of 10 things I hate about you. The characters were fantastic.

Definitely recommend

oh my GOD THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD. i am absolutely in LOVE with the hellfire kitties and this virgin hero was EVERYTHING. The animals, the sister, the friends, the earl!!!! everything about this story was amazing. like i want to personally thank amalie for writing this book because i am obsessed with effie. i want to carry this book around and force people to read it!!!!

This is a retelling of 10 Things I Hate About You. It’s the third book in the Taming of the Dukes series. I picked this up after really enjoying Queen Bee, the author’s YA novel.

Evangeline (Effie) has had some rough seasons. She’s been nicknamed Lady Ghastly for her sharp tongue and has no desire to return to London. But now her younger sister Viola wants to have her first season and her father will only let her go if Effie goes with her. Viola’s beau, Lord Huntington, wants to court her and Viola begs Effie to go to London.

Gage, the Duke of Vale, returned from Scotland after the death of his brother and has sold off everything in his home to pay off his brother’s debts. His brother died during a race a year ago and Gage suspects there was foul play. He has one last debt to pay off to Lord Huntington and is surprised when Huntington tells him if he can convince Effie to go to London he will erase his debt. Huntington wants to marry her younger sister, Viola and she can’t go to London unless Effie goes. Gage agrees to the deal and the romance begins.

Effie rescues abandoned animals – cats, dogs, and rabbits. Gage goes to Effie’s shelter to meet her and says he wants to adopt a pet for a friend’s daughter. He and Effie connect with fun banter and Effie’s friends, aka the Hellfire Kitties (from previous books in the series), convince her to take a chance on another London season.

Once they are all in London, things start to get spicy between Effie and Will and there is one steamy scene with a glove that was hard to believe (and had me rolling my eyes) during a card game at a party. Huntington is quite the evil villain and it was a relief when Viola finally realizes how awful he is and turns her attentions to another suitor that's very sweet.

The pace slowed down in the second half - I would have liked to see Effie and Will do more fun things that didn’t involve Effie exploring what's under Will's kilt:) But I enjoyed their banter, humor and the Taming of the Shrew theme of the story. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I’m a big fan of Ten Things I Hate About You so when The Worst Duke of London was billed as a historical retelling of that book (itself a modern retelling of The Taming of the Shrew) I was all in. For fans of that movie this book follows the structure at a high level so it’s not too much of a copy though one or two more enjoyable scenes from the movie are seen in the Victorian England setting here.

This was fun, with great chemistry and dialogue between the Duke, Gabe, and Evangeline, the ‘shrew’. I enjoyed the sauciness that Amalie Howard gives her main and supporting characters which was not expecting in a regency novel. The plot was interesting but was overshadowed by the characters who really carried the charm of the story. I’d recommend it to those who are fans of the movie mentioned as well as enjoy historical novels but find they can be a bit stuffy at times, this is a refreshing story of that time.

2.5 stars

a historical 10 things i hate about you retelling sounded amazing, so this was a pretty quick download. also this is the third book in a series, but they’re interconnected standalones so it’s all good!

i’m not mad about reading this, though i’m probably not going to remember that much a week from now. mostly i liked the jokey relationship between the two main characters and how the female characters all stood up for themselves.

i would say that some of the dialogue was quite cringey, and none of it felt very regency. that’s not a big issue, but it took me away from the setting at times as some of the phrases and words felt very left-field for the era.

on top of that, i think this could have been 300 pages and i’d have enjoyed it more cause i was getting quite bored around 60/70%.

(also, it’s not physically possible to orgasm without stimulation in the right place so effie’s orgasm when gage took her gloves off felt quite ridiculous to me but we move).

3.5 stars // I always enjoy Amalie’s books and this was no exception. It was an easy quick read with palpable chemistry. I loved how strong willed and forward our FMC was. I did have to suspend disbelief with the whole glove removal scene - but I’ll allow it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I continue to love this series with these women and the taming of the dukes. I do love the Taming of the Shrew so any work inspired by it I’m drawn to. Effie and Gage are such a great match and the spice between them was 🔥. Amalie Howard continues to have quirky women who know themselves and I appreciate the nuances she brings to them. Looking forward to more from her!

Gage is a Scottish Duke who has debts to pay and mysteries to solve.
Effie loves animals and runs a shelter when she is propositioned by Gage who is being paid to lure her to London so a scoundrel can court her younger sister.
The story has ups and downs for the characters as they become mired in decisions and life changes.
Characters are like able and banter is engaging.
Hot descriptive scenes with kisses and fun.

4/5
A very good romance story with 10 Things I Hate About You and Bridgerton flair to it. Loved that the FMC was an animal lover. Definitely an enjoyable read.

I absolutely adore Amalie Howard's writing. Her stories are always filled with independent forward-thinking woman and men who admire those same woman for those traits, and this story doesn't miss on that!

While a bit more steamy than I normally like, Amalie's writing makes these steamy scenes intoxicating. Gosh darn!!!!

I only drop a star because I do wish there was a little more umph to the story, a bit more substance to it. Whole these two characters are clearly attracted to each other, I would have loved to see a bit more relationship ship, outside of the bedroom.

This is a retelling of 10 Things I Hate About You--I think I'm getting reboot fatigue. Can we get some original premises? Or at least same old tropes without interpolating another same old story. OVERALL this Amalie Howard does 90's romcom does Shakespeare was really fun and a great addition to the series, BUT throughout I find myself comparing to the OG story!

This was a cute historical romance with a 10 things I hate about you plot line.

After three horrible seasons Lady Evangeline has no interest in London or getting married at all. She is content working in her animal shelter and saving animals.

Gage Croft, the Duke of Vale, just lost his big brother and not only got a dukedom, but a large amount of debt. He has paid everything off with the exception of one loan to Lord Evan Huntington.

When Lady Evangeline's sister, Viola, wants to go to London for the season, her father makes her a deal. She can only go if Evangeline goes as well.

Lord Huntington wants Viola, so he makes a bargain with Gage. Get Lady Evangeline to London and keep her there for six weeks and he will forgive his debt.

This was a very cute historical romance. I absolutely loved the banter between the two main characters. I liked the way that the author tied in all of the aspects of 10 things I hate about you and kept it historically accurate.

If you like historical romance like Bridgerton you will love this book

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this title. This review is my honest opinion.

If you love a historical romance with a dominant, independent FMC and a man who would fall over himself to give her what she wants, then you will love The Worst Duke in London.

Gage isn't looking to fall in love when he meets Evangeline. He's just trying to get out from under the debt his brother, the former duke, left him in when he died. When one of his debt holders offers to forgive his debt in exchange for convincing Evangeline to spend 6 weeks of the social season in London with her sister, Gage readily agrees.

Evangeline has had three failed seasons in London and does not want to return. She just wants to spend her life in the country caring for her rescue animals. Then Gage walks into her shelter, and she decides she wants at least one opportunity to experience carnal pleasure before she fully embraces life as a wealthy spinster. She approaches Gage with a sexy proposal, and while he initially is hesitant, he decides to take her up on it, and the two spend the next few hundred pages sneaking around and being naughty in London.

This book is spicy and fun, and I love that we get to see Evangeline morph from quiet wallflower to commanding lover in the presence of a man she trusts and with whom she feels safe. If you love a spicy historical romance, you'll love the Worst Duke in London.