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.

Evangeline Raine, older daughter to the Earl of Oberton, who just wants to concentrate on taking care of the rescued animals in her shelter and has plans to improve it as soon as she is financially able. Enter Gage, the Duke of Vale, newly titled due to the unfortunate death of his elder brother. He enters into an unholy deal with another peer in which he must persuade Evangeline to go to London for the season. When Evangeline and Gage meet, they are each attracted to the other and no matter how they try to avoid it, they can't stop the forces drawing them toward each other. The Worst Duke in London is so much better than the last book in the series and I really enjoyed it also. So much sexual tension and controversy between two strong personalities who cannot help but be drawn to each other. They will have to overcome their own insecurities and trust issues to reach their HEA but when they get their, its explosive. After reading this story, I am counting down the time for the next book in the series.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a response.

Who knew a regency romance would have me blushing like a schoolgirl? The corsets, petticoats, and voluminous gowns are a disguise for the brazen desires of the British aristocracy.

Lady Evangeline Raine - Effie to her friends - is resigned to a life of spinsterhood and is perfectly fine being an independent woman who don’t need no man. Gage Croft, Duke of Vale, is burdened with debt left to him by his deceased brother. He only wants to pay off the debt and return to Scotland. Machinations behind the scenes by an unscrupulous

The Worst Duke in London by Amalie Howard is a fun and steamy Regency romance with a modern twist. Lady Evangeline (Effie) is a headstrong, animal-loving woman who has no interest in marriage, while Duke Gage Croft is desperate to pay off his debts. When circumstances force them into a fake courtship, sparks fly, and their witty banter keeps the story entertaining.

I loved how Effie is independent and refuses to conform to society's expectations, and Gage’s journey from seeing her as a means to an end to genuinely falling for her was well done. The romance is spicy, with plenty of chemistry between the two, though at times the focus on sexual tension felt a little heavy.

Overall, this was a fast-paced, enjoyable read with memorable characters, humor, and just the right amount of drama.

He really is the worst duke in London...

Gage agrees to court Effie (Lady Evangeline) so the owner of his debts can court her sister Viola.
Gage is the worst duke in London and Effie is his opposite. If this sounds familiar, it should its based on Ten Things I Hate About You (which I worked on) and that was based on The Taming of the Shrew. Amalie Howard makes this trope feel fun, flirty and hits that right note of enemies to lovers.
Purchased a paperback book.
Recommend.

my millennial heart is so happy to be back in the series that brings all the best 90s romcom {movie} vibes and magically mashes them up with regency romance to make the most butterflies-in-the-stomach inducing, binge worthy books- ever! (your millennial brain may be in pain from my run-on sentence, and for that, I apologize. But do please note the Oxford comma 🤷🏻‍♀️)

If you love(d) “10 Things I Hate About You”, or even “Kiss Me Kate”, or any rendition of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, you will absolutely love this story. Gage, the Duke of Vale, may be high in title, but he’s broke, making him eligible only for rank, thus, the worst Duke in all of London for any eligible young lady to aim for. Gage is offered a deal that will save his estate, which he jumps at the chance for. He simply must entertain and distract Lady Evangeline, his neighbor, keeping her away from her younger sister, so that she may be courted. (Viola, the sister, is a really fun character too btw)

Pros:
-excellent banter
-side characters all dealt with to satisfaction
-spicy 🌶️🌶️🌶️
-sex positive- LOTS of sexual innuendo, and talk which can feel modern and fresh, but also maybe out of place?
-easy to binge
-intelligent, modern FMCs

Cons:
-spicy, maybe more than romantic?! They def have chemistry, but maybe we could have had more development
-lots of sex talk, maybe overkill

Overall really enjoyable, and just plain fun to read. 4 ⭐️

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and NetGalley for providing this arc, in exchange for my unbiased review!