**Book Review: *The Worst Duke in London* by Amalie Howard**

Okay, first of all, *worst* duke? More like *best* duke. Amalie Howard has done it again with another historical romance that had me hooked from the first page. This book had everything I love—banter that had me grinning like a fool, sizzling chemistry that jumped off the page, and a heroine who could totally hold her own.

The duke? Yeah, he’s supposed to be the “worst,” but honestly, he’s everything you want in a broody love interest. He’s got a reputation, sure, but there’s so much more to him beneath the surface. Watching him unravel and fall for the leading lady was *chef’s kiss* perfection.

And let’s talk about the heroine—she’s witty, determined, and refuses to let anyone (especially a certain duke) tell her what to do. I loved how their relationship developed; the tension and banter were perfectly paced, and the payoff was *so* worth it.

If you’re a fan of historical romance with sharp dialogue, strong characters, and a story that keeps you invested until the very end, *The Worst Duke in London* is a must-read. Amalie Howard is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors for this genre. Highly recommend!

This book is a cross between regency era romance and 10 Things I Hate About You. I love both of these things so it’s no wonder that I also enjoyed this book. I loved the relationship between Effie and Gage, there was great banter, tension, and plenty of sexy scenes. However, for a historical romance it takes liberties with the historical part and would’ve appreciated a little more historical accuracies in regards to some of the romance and spicier scenes, but I also understand the creative choices and it worked with the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book, even though I got to it a little late!!

This was my favourite of the series so far! I would’ve liked a little more from the epilogue but overall I really enjoyed it

As a forever fan of 10 Things I Hate About You, I knew I was going to enjoy the basic plot of this book. Historical/Regency romances are a bit hit or miss for me, but this one was really cute. I loved Effie in all her prickliness and I appreciated her deep love of animals and her commitment to being entirely herself no matter what others think. I liked Gage as the romantic lead/foil to Effie and they had good banter and chemistry. This was a lovely addition to the series.

Many thanks to Forever and Netgalley for this review copy.

Gage may be a Duke but he's broke. Paying off his deceased brother's debts has left him with almost nothing. When his last creditor offers to pay him enough to pay off the debt for charming Evangeline into going to London with her sister, he feels he has no other choice but to do it. You see, Effie's father has said the younger sister can only be courted if Effie has a suitor too. Effie has had three failed season after cruelly being dubbed Lady Ghastly for her outspokenness. Gage finds her delightfully direct but is worried she'll be hurt if she finds his interest genuine. He does it anyway but is surprised when bold Effie propositions him! A steamy and fun read, and kittens too!

Thanks, Forever and Hachette Audio, for the arc and ALC!

THR WORST DUKE IN LONDON, a Regency retelling of 10 Things I Hate About You, which is actually a retelling of TAMING OF THE SHREW - I am in love! Amalie Howard, you are brilliant, and with every book in the TAMING OF THE DUKES series) that comes out; each one becomes my new favorite! I especially loved this one because there were so many classic moments from the movie that Evangeline and the Duke of the Vale played out in the Regency era that I imagined Julia and Heath as their characters in my head, playing their roles in my head as I read.

If you are looking for some good spice in the Regency era, I have your book right here 🥵 I don’t think any of us would have been allowed to watch 10 Things I Hate About You if it was this spicy!

Evangeline is one of my all-time favorite characters in Howard’s work. I love her love for animals, which reflects my own. Like her, I would rather be curled up with my dog and reading than out and about. I like that she is honest and stubborn, and she speaks her mind. She is just fine being herself in a time when women are meant to be coddled and the men in charge.

The Duke of Vale is an excellent partner for Evangeline. He reminded me of Jamie from OUTLANDER, as if he lived in BRIDGERTON. He’s a catch! And he’s honest, stubborn, and speaks his mind, too. The banter between Evangeline and him is exceptional! But that can be expected because Howard is known for her excellent banter writing between characters!

A+ audiobook narration by Mary Jane Wells, who is one of my favorite narrators. I loved how the story came to life!

I’m a fan of Amalie Howard’s books; this series is an excellent place to start! The books can be read stand-alone or as a series, and either way, you will have a lot of fun!

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Content warnings: (per the author in the book) the discussion of animal welfare as well as some off-page maltreatment are part of an underlying plot thread in this novel, some animals are in dangerous on-page situations requiring rescue, though none are harmed, abandonment by a parent as well as a death or murder of a family member of mentioned in dialogue, some drug use including morphine or cocaine laced wine is discussed, there is discussion of a consensual sex agreement as well as a visit to a sex club, period-specific terms such as harlot, trollop, and light skirts are used, and I’ve tried my best to keep these both authentic and sex-positive within context, intimate scenes are described on page, some offensive language is used in narration as well in dialogue

The Worst Duke in London is a Taming of the Shrew (10 Things I Hate About You) retelling in regency England. I'm a fan of 10 Things I Hate About You so that was the big draw for me. If you're familiar with Shakespeare's work or the late 90s movie, you know exactly what you're going to get. Lady Evangeline Raine is an animal lover who prefers animals over people. It doesn't help that the ton has turned against her thanks to the ghastly Huntington. Now Huntington is trying to woo her sister Viola. Huntington knows in order to get the hand of Lady Viola he needs to get Evangeline to spend 6 weeks in London. Huntington uses the fact Gage Croft, Duke of Vale, owes him money for Gage's deceased brother's debt and agrees to forgo the debt if Gage will keep Evangeline occupied in London for 6 weeks. To save two thousand dollars, Gage quickly jumps at the deal, but it isn't until later he realizes the real cost of this bargain.

Overall I enjoyed The Worst Duke in London. Regency romances can be hit or miss for me. I previously read the second book in this series and really enjoyed it. While I felt this book could have been shorter, I liked being back in this world and seeing characters from the previous novels. I think some of my dislike of the book just had to do with my current reading mood, which is the opposite of romance currently.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for review consideration.

I couldn't stop thinking as I was reading, "Man, Amalie had the most fun writing this book." It was such a joy to read and I laughed out loud so many times, I could feel her joy coming off the pages. I absolutely adored the characters and how they fit together.

Lady Evangeline "Effie" Raine doesn't care for the Ton, she's focused on her friends and animal shelter and has no plans of going back for another season. But her little sister, Viola, insists on having her season and their dad declares the only way Viola is going is if Effie goes as well. Gage Croft, Duke of Vale, inherited the title and debts after his brother passed away in a tragic accident. He's sold all he could and is in desperate need of funds when he gets an offer he can't refuse: approach Effie and get her to go to London and get her to stay for at least six weeks. But what starts out as an obligation quickly turns into more when Effie's kindness and strong personality make Gage fall head over heels. Can something that started as a lie possibly be more?

Everything about this is fun. From the characters to how they interact and the things they do. Even when touching on sad things like the death of Gage's brother, there's a lightness to it that I really appreciate. The focus is always on Effie and Gage getting to know each other and exploring things they never thought they would get a chance to. Reading about them slowly falling in love with each other's quirks is adorable. Add a pitch-perfect stereotypical villain that gets his comeuppance and you've got a delightfully entertaining read.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the wonderfully fun read!

Eh. I liked that it was spicy and supposed to be progressive, but there was no plot. This was our FMC looking to shock others and while I'm usually all for that, it missed the mark here.

I ended up listening to the audiobook copy of this book. The reader was amazing at accents and gender roles. I would recommend!
I felt like I was listening to an audiobook of 10 Things I Hate about You, but a regency, (dirtier) version.
Was very enjoyable and entertaining. Liked the two main characters very much. Evangaline and Gage had wonderful chemistry.
Looking forward to reading about the other friends in the series.

Okay, somehow I missed the second book in this series but that will quickly be remedied because I love Vesper!

The Worst Duke in London is such a fun romance! It's quite spicy and entertaining and I love both the main characters. Gage, Duke of Vale, is *perfection* even if he does start off with somewhat dubious intentions. He's BIG, sort of broody, and very protective - and not only of Lady Evangeline. The chemistry is clear from his first meeting with Evangeline and he obviously does not intend her any harm. Evangeline is a great FMC; she's feminist, witty, outspoken and absolutely *unsuitable* as a lady of her time - in the best ways - but while the views of society do bring her down sometimes, she doesn't usually let it show and definitely doesn't change who she is to fit the mold. I love that the dual POV lets us get into both of their heads and see them each falling in love and growing as the book goes on. The animals make me happy and I love the group of friends, both Evangeline's girl gang and the noblemen they've married/are related to. It can definitely be read as a standalone (especially since I read the first a while ago and don't remember the details and missed the second one) but I think people who have read the first two will find even greater enjoyment. The writing is fun with lots of humor, drama and a bit of a mystery/dubious ploy. Each character has their own secrets, including side characters, but that adds to the plot and some hopefully lead us to the next story in the series. The character development is well done and even Viola who was my least favorite character from the start has a very believable arc, ending up more than bearable and a good addition to the other female characters in the book. This is a light, fun, regency romance with a ton of spice and silliness so if that's what you're looking for, I highly recommend!

Amalie's writing is top-notch and I always look forward to reading more by her.

I received an arc from Forever which I have voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Spicy Victorian-era romance inspired by the classic 90s movie 10 Things I Hate About You. Great for fans of Lisa Kleypas's Wallflower series and Tessa Dare's Girl Meets Duke series, and readers who like historical romances with a modern feel and fun animal sidekicks.

The Worst Duke in London is the third installment in Amalie Howard's Taming of the Dukes series. FMC Effie was introduced in the previous books, and in this book we get to see how witty and resolute she is. The story is told from both his and her perspectives, moves at a good pace, and was an overall enjoyable read. The author included some excellent notes at the end about real life historical figures that were included in the narrative, I loved that!

The Worst Duke in London is a really fun retelling of 10 Things I Hate About You (which is of course, a retelling of The Taming of the Shrew, but this story is closer to the movie than the original story). Lady Evangeline (Effie) Raine prefers to avoid the London season and spends her time in the country running an animal shelter. But her father won't allow her younger sister Viola to have a London season unless Effie accompanies her.

Gage Croft is an impoverished duke. He inheried the dukedom of Vale and all its debts, and he's in dire straits. When the slimy Lord Huntington offers to forgive a debt in return for the duke courting Effie, he agrees. Huntington wants to court Violet so he needs Effie to be in London. The duke has reservations, but he's in a difficult place and needs the money.

This one is really cute. Effie is such a great character, a prickly person who is entirely herself even when she's mocked for it. She's an animal person and spends her time rescuing animals. Gage is a good guy who never expected to be a duke. He feels terrible about what he's doing, but he's in a desperate financial position.

I really liked the characters in this one. They both felt very believable to me, and I was into their burgeoning romance. This is a great addition to the series.

4⭐
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What do you get if Outlander's Jamie started in the Bridgerton-version of 10 Things I Hate About You? This book!! Amalie Howard continues to excel in creating a beautiful group of headstrong friends finding love (and making love 😉) in the era of balls and carriage trysts. I can only hope Briar's book is coming ASAP!!

If you're looking for a historical romance version of 10 Things I Hate About You, then Amalie Howard has the book for you!

Lady Evangeline is not interested in getting married. She thinks that men stifle all that a woman could be, so she wants to just stick to taking care of her animals and living on her own. That is, until she meets the Duke of Vale, who is a seductive man with Scottish roots. He is trying to pay off all of his brother's debts and rebuild his family's estate, and makes a deal to have his books balanced.

Evangeline and Gage (the duke) end up spending a lot of time together, because of not only the arrangement he has made to clear his debts, but they are so attracted to each other that they have a scandalous deal to have some intimate time with each other. And it doesn't matter about their reputations being ruined, they are already both deeply unliked by the ton.

This was a fun read, but I did think it was a little long. There was so much back and forth in both of their POVs that could have been cut down. I did enjoy the banter that they had with each other, there were even some funny moments that were very endearing. And once all the secrets came out, I loved how he eventually won her back.

I loved the nuggets of 10 things I hate about you in this book. When I closed my eyes sometimes I thought while I was reading pictured Julia Stiles a couple of times :) Perfect way to use something for inspiration and still make it your own!

I loved the misunderstood duke and how this book shows how easily society will listen to someone with perceived influence just for that part to be the villain and wrong about everything. The MMC was such an honorable person he didnt judge his father or brother he just did not want to make their mistakes. Also, it was so refreshing to not have a duke be a rake!!!!

FMC she was unnecessarily rude at times and bull headed and her attitude is why this lost a star. She refused to acknowledge her feelings to the very end and I also hate when something is blown up bigger than it is......

Thanks to Forever and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

I have been loving this series from Amalie Howard and the third installment is so much fun. A retelling of the Taming of the Shrew where the woman isn't an actual shrew! How novel. Gage and Effie are so much fun and I love how they come together discover all that they have in common and all that they want to explore together. I think I would have loved a little more grovel from Gage (because who doesn't love a good grovel) but he did what Effie needed and that's perfect. I can't wait for the next one, it better be Lushing and Briar because COME ON.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have read, and enjoyed, several other books by this author and this book was no exception. It was wonderful!

I adored Evangeline and Gage's story! It was so much fun to watch these two together! I can't wait to see what Howard has for us next!