I have been in love with this series since the start and this was no exception. I have always been intrigued by Effie and Gage was her perfect match! Effie doesn't want to marry. She is content with her studies and her animals and her hobbies, but we all know how one look from the right person can change all of our plans. Gage has so much debt from his brother's escapades before his passing that he feels like he is drowning. When he gets the chance to wipe it clean, he takes it.
All Gage has to do is convince Effie to go to London for 6 weeks so that her sister will be able to join her. It's all fine and dandy when he doesn't know her and she is just a faceless girl he has to convince. Soon though, he realizes this is taking a turn. She is everything he has ever wanted and while he knows he can't have forever with her, he wants all the time he can get.
These two had big plans separate from one another and it just proves how much your life can change when you least expect it. I love how he fell hard, and how she changed her mind about finding someone to call hers forever. I thought each of these characters were so loveable and even though they were both uncompromised (yes, you know how I love that) nothing felt awkward and it was beautiful how they learned one another together.
Thank you to Forever, Amalie Howard and Netgalley for an early copy.

Spectacular, give me 14 more.

This series keeps getting better! I love "10 Things I Hate About You," so I was beyond excited to read this one. And it did not disappoint! Swoony romance, exciting banter, and the best friend group.

I have to give the main characters the spotlight for a minute because I loved them both so much! Gage was not at all how I expected him to be. He was warm, and a little blushy with Effie's candor, and cared so much about the people in his life. I expected a man who was cold and sarcastic, but that wasn't him at all! I love that I was surprised by that. And Effie was so freaking cool. She tried to be confident and bold about everything she did, but underneath was just a girl. She still got embarrassed and felt less than even when she was trying to prove to the world she didn't care.

Effie and Gage made the perfect couple. Their chemistry was off the charts and I love that they both had blushy sides. It made some of the more provocative scenes even better,

The story was also really interesting. Obviously, it loosely follows 10 Things I Hate About You so there's an odious man who "hires" our hero to distract the older sister so he can go for the younger one. But there was so much more to it. Gage has money problems that stem from his deceased brother, but there's more going on with his brother's untimely death. And Effie's younger sister, Viola, may seem young and whiny, but there's so much more to her! I wish there could have been more of an arc to Effie's love and dedication to animals. We hear how she donates all her money and time to them, but I wanted to see how she comes to realize x because of y, in relation to the animals. I think there's still an arc for her, but it's more on the romance side of things.

Howard continues to make me smile, laugh, and swoon. She couldn't have done Effie more justice. Lushing and Briar, I can't wait to see what your story will be!

Lady Evangeline would rather spend her time rescuing animals than mingling with London's elite. She's perfectly content working at an animal shelter and embracing spinsterhood. However, when her younger sister Viola expresses her desire to debut in London this season, their father insists she can only go if Effie agrees to chaperone. When Effie learns that the slimy Lord Huntington - the very man who once dubbed her "Lady Ghastly" - has set his sights on Viola, she becomes even more determined to keep her sister far away from London.

Gage, the Duke of Vale, has inherited not only his family's title but also the crushing debt left behind by his father and brother. He's already sold off most of his family's prized possessions to stay afloat. Just when it seems like he's out of options, Lord Huntington offers him a tempting deal — if Gage can persuade Lady Evangeline to accompany her sister Viola to London for the season, Huntington will erase all of Gage's remaining debt. But Effie isn't the easy target Gage expected. Instead, she has her own bold proposition—she'll go to London, but only if Gage agrees to be her lover.

As their fake courtship heats up, sparks fly, and what starts as a deal begins to turn into something much more real. Could their arrangement be the beginning of something more?

The third book in this series did not disappoint - I loved it just as much as the first two! With plenty of regency vibes, fiery chemistry, and scandal, this spicy romance is pure Bridgerton-esque fun. Effie and Gage's relationship stole the show for me - they complement each other perfectly, and the tension building between them kept me hooked from start to finish. Even though it's the third book, you can jump right in without feeling lost, although there are a few minor spoilers about the couples from the previous books. If you're a fan of steamy historical romances with strong supporting characters, this one's for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an advanced copy of this book in exchange of my honest opinion!

This is the historical retelling on The Taming of the Shrew that I have always wanted!! It has everything I adore in an Amalie Howard romance - steam, banter, plot twists, and laugh-out-loud funny moments all paired with a swoony romance!! It manages to incorporate the importance of female friendships, rescuing animals, and scandalous arrangements. These characters are lovable and have human failings which makes them believable. it works well as a stand-alone, but I equally look forward to future books in the series and I hope we get to revisit these delightful characters down the road.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

This book has a really fun storyline that stays true to the inspiration material, 10 Things I hate About You, while remaining unique. I loved that Evangeline didn’t have to give up any of her passions or personality, or make compromises to become more likeable. I especially loved that she ran a shelter and had all the rescue animals as fun background elements! Seeing the grumpy duke interact with animals, especially the kittens, was really endearing and cute!

I think this would be a great read for anyone who loves historical romance, especially with empowered women at their center. Also, anyone who enjoys a spicier read would enjoy this!

I rated this 3.5 stars because of my personal preference for less spic, but I truly would recommend this book for most readers who are okay with/enjoy a spicier read!


Thank you so much to the author, Forever Publishing, and Netgalley for the gifted finished copy and ebook.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Publishing for my gifted copy of this book! The Worst Duke in London is available as of September 24, 2024!

Lady Evangeline Raine is unconventional, stubborn, and a devoted animal lover and caretaker. She has gratefully chosen spinsterhood over the marriage mart, though her sister, Viola, is determined to get the chance at a London season if Effie will comply. The new Duke of Vale, Gage, is saddled with his late brother’s debts, and when asked to convince Effie to go to London in exchange for a large sum of money he agrees. However, Gage is unaware that the woman at the center of his mission might just sweep him off his feet, and surprise him with her own scandalous bargain.

Inspired by 10 Things I Hate About You, this third book in the Taming of the Dukes series might be my favorite yet (but honestly I have loved them all)! Effie and Gage are both outsiders though they have some great allies rooting for their individual and collective success. My favorite thing about Gage might be his unselfish admiration for Effie and her animal welfare cause. He never doubts her, and instead throws his support behind her for no other reason than love and pride. This book also takes the beautiful “intimacy lessons” trope and doubles down, giving us some amazing, tension-filled scenes that include a sexy card game and some late-night rendezvous!

📖 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐈𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘓𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘌𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦.”

"𝘖𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘎𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘦."

I just love this series so much! Each FMC is so strongly independent and I’m obsessed with them! Hellfire Kitties for life. Don’t even get me started on the dukes. 🤭❤️‍🔥

This was a great Taming of the Shrew inspired story! Lady Evangeline had her reputation destroyed by a lord that couldn’t handle her. Now known as “Lady Ghastly”, she has given up on trying to find a match and prefers to stay away from the ton by running her animal shelter. Unfortunately, her younger sister is on track to be the diamond of the season and to make a great match with Lord Huntington if she is allowed to go to London. Their father will only let her go if Evangeline chaperones and that’s not happening.

Lord Gage Croft, Duke of Vale, is probably the worst Duke in London. He has used his wealth and possessions to pay off his late brother’s vast gambling debt and is almost in the green. When Lord Huntington makes him a deal to payoff his remaining debt if he can get Lady Evangeline to come to London for the season and stay there, he quickly agrees. Gage isn’t ready for just how much the lady’s fiery personality and strong demeanor attract him.

I absolutely ADORED Effie and Gage’s relationship. They both balanced each other out so well. Gage does not want to fall in love because he wishes to go back home to Scotland. Effie is probably my favorite FMC in this series so far! She sticks true to who she is but will do anything for her sister.

The chemistry between the leads was so good! I love historical romances and I loved that Effie took her sexuality into her own hands and asked for what she wanted.

"𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦," 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥, "𝘐'𝘮 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴." ✨

"𝘉𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵," 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩.

"𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘴𝘵, 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘢 𝘷𝘰𝘸." ❤️‍🔥

If you love spicy historical romances between a fiery woman and a man who doesn’t want to fall in love, go add 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐈𝐧 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝, to your TBR today!

I am so excited for Briar and Jasper Lushing’s story. Amalie has been teasing their chemistry for so many books now and I am absolutely feral for their story!

𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴:
☕️ 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘙𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦
📖 𝘛𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘊𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘥
🐈 𝘈𝘯𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘭 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘔𝘊
✨ 𝘕𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘞𝘈𝘕𝘛𝘚 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦
💋 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴
🤭 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘵 𝘙𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘻𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘴
❤️‍🔥 𝘚𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘺

I’ve been enjoying Amalie Howard's Taming of the Dukes series and was excited for Effie’s love story in the third installment, The Worst Duke in London.

More concerned with her animal shelter than with finding a husband (especially after becoming an outcast during her first season), Lady Evangeline Raine has sworn off the whole marriage mart and doesn’t want to partake in yet another season. But her younger sister desperately wants to get her own chance at finding a husband, and Effie must serve as her chaperone. Meanwhile, Gage Croft, the new Duke of Vale, has inherited his late brother’s debts. When the odious Huntington makes him an odd offer in exchange for cancelling his final debt, Gage has little choice but to accept. But this sets him off on the wrong foot with Effie, who knows nothing of the secret deal. She just wants a chance to learn about the pleasures of the body with Gage, no strings attached…

Tropes & Narrative Devices:
- The Taming of the Shrew and 10 Things I Hate About You retelling
- Sex lessons
- Open-door romance
- Dual third-person narration (Evangeline and Gage)

What I Liked:
- Effie marches to the beat of her own drum. She’s a bit of an outcast after being the victim of Huntington’s bullying a few years earlier, and she’s learned to embrace it. She’s opinionated and free-spirited, and she’s not afraid to stand up for herself and others. Effie is so much feistier than I remembered her being in the first two books! She can come on too strong sometimes, but I like that she’s comfortable in her own skin.
- Effie’s animal shelter. As an animal lover myself, one of my favorite things about Effie is that she rescues and rehabilitates abandoned, lost, and injured animals. Not just cats and dogs, but foxes, owls, rats, and more. It’s unusual for the Victorian era, and especially for a Lady like herself, which makes her all the braver for it.
- Gage is a genuine and good person. Sure, he is more or less forced to accept a shady deal from Huntington, but he doesn’t really act on it or do anything bad. He’s kind, considerate, and helpful—all qualities I like to see in a main character.
- Sister relationship between Effie and Viola. At first Viola comes across as selfish and naive, but her arc is great to see! I like how Effie does her best to support Viola yet also steer her in a better direction. That’s what sisters are for, even with the arguments and gentle teasing.
- I almost threw my Kindle across the room when Huntington was first introduced! Thank goodness he’s NOT the love interest here, because he is truly awful. He only gets worse as the book progresses! Bullying, shady deals and blackmail, cheating, and more… he’s something else. I loved seeing his slow, deserved downfall.

What Didn’t Work for Me:
- Effie seemed too antagonistic towards Gage at the beginning. He didn’t do almost anything wrong? Not enough to warrant hating him, at any rate.

Final Thoughts
The Worst Duke in London is a sex-forward and sex-positive romance between two unlikely characters. I enjoyed watching Effie and Gage get to know each other and unravel their misconceptions of one another. They’re ultimately a cute pair.

There will be a fourth book in the Taming of the Dukes series, and there was plenty of setup for it here. Bring on Lushing and Briar! I’ve been waiting for their love story and look forward to finally reading it!

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was fun, sweet, steamy, fast-paced and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this delightful and fun regency romance. Amalie Howard brilliantly blends "old fashioned" words (some that I wasn't too familar with) with more modern dialog. This book was super romantic and I loved the chemistry between the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Bridgerton or Outlander. Amalie Howard is without a doubt going on my auto-buy authors list!

Pick up this book today... I can almost guarantee you will fall head over heels in love with it!
—


Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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I enjoyed reading The Worst Duke in London by Amalie Howard. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

Happy pub day to The Worst Duke in London!

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

"'You are a menage, Lady Evangeline,' he said... She shot him a dark look over her shoulder. 'Only to those in dire need of menacing, Your Grace.'"

I am so thankful to have gotten not just this ARC, but the ARCs for books previously in this series because each one is so fun and I keep eating them up! Historial romance is definitely a favorite genre of mine, and this book was no exception. Historical romance but make it 10 Things I Hate About You??? I am EXTRA sold!

(Yes, I understand that 10TIHAY is based off of Taming of the Shrew, but this book is definitely more coded off the movie, trust me)

Our Lady Evangeline, trusted Hellfire Kitten and rescuer of animals (in a time period that didn't treat animals very well) just wants to live her life. She has her shelter, her own rescue animals, and fabulous friends to keep her company. But when her sister returns from living in Paris and is ready to have her first season out in Mayfair, her father insists that Effie must accompany her. Her sister's sights are set on the most vile of the ton, Lord Huntington. Gage, Duke of Vale, is back from Scotland after his brother's tragic passing. With the title now falling to him, Vale must find a way to pay off his brother's debts and find some way for the estate to survive. But when Huntington, the owner of those debts makes an offer, it is good tempting to pass up: Vale charms Effie into staying in London for the season so that Huntington has time to court her sister, then he will cancel Vale's debts. Yet what starts as a simple task soon turns steamy as he gets to know Effie, and her desires. She is not looking for a husband, but rather a lover.

"Keeping her busy for six weeks had changed into him wanting to keep her for a good deal longer than that."

This book was so fun to me and I loved getting to revisit past characters and couples! And while the basic structure of the story was based on 10 Things I Hate About You, there was so much that was unique, both to the time period and story itself, that really helped it to stand on its own. Effie, while strong-willed, stubborn, and mouthy is not quite the "shrew" that Kat is made to be in the movie; she is gentler and softer in a lot of ways. Gage is also not the bad-boy that Patrick is made to be in the movie either; his title as the "worst" duke in London has more to do with his money troubles, brought on by the poor decisions of his other family members. In this book, he is the buff Scotsman that is a walking green flag and obsessed with Effie. Truly more of a Jamie Frasier, if you will.

All in all, I had so much fun reuniting with the Hellfire Kittens once again and I cannot wait for the next book. Give me Lushing and Briar!!!

The Worst Duke in London
(Taming of the Dukes, #3)
Amalie Howard
Pub: 9/24/24 (Available Now)
4☆

A spicy, enemies to lovers, Bridgerton meets 10 Things I Hate About You Regency romance? Yes please! I never knew how much I needed Regency romance in my life until Amalie Howard told me I did with Always Be My Duchess. Can confirm she was so right, and the Worst Duke in London was another shining example.

I adored everything about Evangeline and Gage’s story from beginning to end. It was the perfect mix of humor, heart and knock your socks off steam. I’ve said it before, but it bares repeating. Howard brings the heat, and I am here for it. Amalies side characters are some of the best parts, and I love that I got to see ones I’ve come to love from the previous two books.

What I adored;
💜 Regency Romance
💜 Rescue Animals
💜 Teach Me Lessons
💜 Headstrong Effie
💜 Hellfire Kitties
💜 All the Bridgerton Vibes

Absolutely would recommend. I truly had so much fun reading this book and the rest of the series. I so hope there is more Taming of the Dukes yet to come.

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the previous book, so I requested this one exited.
So I do enjoy the sexy talk, fighting, and things like that in a book, but I'm not sure this book and I are playing in the same lane we need to be.
Maybe I'll give the book at another moment in my life and enjoy it.
Will try later and see if my thoughts change.
Still think the author is amazing.

There was some fun, witty banter in this, but for the most part I wasn’t engaged. Effie seemed to be a bit of a mansplainer about all things, tbh and I just couldn’t love her like I wanted to. The humor was a little bit over the top for me, asI’m not a fan of poop jokes any longer. But there was a fun villain to hate and I’m always a fan of that!

This book managed to combine two of my favorite movies/tv shows perfectly! I loved the 10 Things I Hate About You styled plot line.

I loved Evangeline’s character! I loved her love for animals, her attempting to save every one that came across her path (even the rats) brought a bit of lightheartedness to the story. I loved how Gage was willing to do anything for her (even run into a burning barn). Also Evangeline calling Huntington “Lord Cuntington” is one of the most iconic burns I’ve ever read in a romance.

I did adore Gage and Effie from the beginning, their banter was adorable! After their first interaction at the shelter, I was hooked. I haven’t read any other books by this author before but I loved how she wrote their interactions so I will be picking up the first two in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever, and Ms. Howard for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

10 Things I Hate About You, but cross Patrick Verona with Jamie Fraser, and make Kat passionate about animal rescue first and feminism second.

The characterization for Viola (Bianca) and Lord Huntingdon (Joey) was spot on. I was really picturing Larissa Oleynik and Andrew Keegan for both of their roles. Saddest thing? There was no analogous Ms. Perky (my favorite character hands down, pretty much favorite character in any movie ever except MAYBE Orlando Bloom's Legolas, but I digress) here. The Earl (Dad) was no Walter Stratford but again, Larry Miller is a treasure and I think duplicating him would have been a step too far.

I don't want to go into a straight-up movie to book comparison but rest assured, there are distinct similarities. I did find the beginning a bit of a slow start but once Evangeline got to London things picked up. Overall, this was a lot of fun. I've already purchased for my library and I think it will be a hit.

⭐⭐⭐1/2

The Worst Duke in London stars Lady Evangeline and the Duke of Vale, Gage Croft. In a true Bridgerton - 10 Things I Hate About You mash up, Lady Evangeline is prickly with a soft heart while Vale is a charmer with a bad reputation. There was so much to love about this novel from the central female friendships, rescue animals, and scandalous arrangements. I had such a fun time reading this - both Effie and Gage are so loveable in their own ways. Seeing Gage fall for Effie so quickly and so ardently made him such a compelling love interest- even though we know all about his deal with Huntington, you still root for him. Effie is determined to live her own life, despite the restraints society has tried to force upon her. She is resilient and bold and just such a fun protagonist. The side characters are so lively and work so well as an ensemble to bring the story to new humorous and emotional depths. I really did love everything about this - though disclaimer 10 Things I Hate About You is one of my all time favorite romcoms!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It's a loose retelling of 10 things I hate about you. Effie was fierce, outspoken, independent, brilliant, but with such a soft heart. Gage was adorable and I loved them both. They were so horny for each other and this book was a delight to read! I've loved this whole series. The friend groups and found families are so wonderful.

Amalie Howard never fails to deliver a swoony and tension filled romance. Something about a scottish MMC is just chef's kiss and added with a classic rom com retelling, yes thank you. thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.