Unfortunately this historical romance didn't work for me. The MMC was fairly unlikeable, sexist and classist in ways that did not change over the course of the book. The FMC sort of? had a spine, but ultimately capitulated to what the MMC demanded of her. The book overall felt repetitive and flat, with the chalice storyline not nearly enough to hold attention.

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

4 1/2*STARS*
A childhood promise is broken to a best friend. A chalice from a church is stolen. The vicar's sister makes it her mission to find it before her dead brother, the former vicar, is accused of stealing. Ophelia Stowe needs the Duke of Hurstbourne 's help to find it in London. He owes her brother for not keeping his promise. Hurst has misgivings about Ophelia's reckless antics to find the chalice. He tries to discourage her from her mission, but she has her own ideas and refuses to do things his way. Hurst has found the one woman to love and wants to marry. He'll have to earn her trust by finding the chalice. Some humor and mild descriptive sex.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.

This is book 3 in the Say I Do series but it could be read as a stand alone. On his deathbed, Ophelia's vicar brother writes to his childhood friend, Hurst, asking him to marry his sister. Hurst refuses and doesn't think much more about it. Later, Ophelia goes to see him dressed as a man to ask him to help in her search for a priceless missing chalice. If it's not found before a new vicar arrives her brother's reputation will be smeared. She believes a nobleman has it and wants to search aristocratic homes. I like the mystery aspect but the search is slow going. There is a lot of the overbearing and controlling Hurst. He even proposes marriage. Besides being attracted to her she would have to take a vow to obey him if he were her husband. They mostly found each other irritating, not having the qualities they imagined in their mate. I had a hard time staying interested in the mystery aspect or their romance.

Hurst is the last of his duke friends to be unmarried, and he plans to take this wife-hunt seriously soon. In the meantime though, an ill childhood friend has asked him to marry his sister Ophelia, but Hurst rejects the girl because he’d rather meet and find love the old fashioned way. Fast forward several weeks, the old friend has passed away, and the sister has come to London searching for an artifact that was stolen from her brother’s church. Ophelia is all sorts of chaos and Hurst is doing his best to keep her out of trouble, but she’s terribly defiant and unwilling to listen to reason. Luckily, he mostly keeps his head on straight and they end up married anyway. Fairly straightforward plot with a hint of mystery.

Hurst’s life got an unexpected infusion of excitement and fear when Ophelia blew in like a tenacious, appealing little tornado.

I suppose that in that time period where reputations were paramount, Ophelia’s actions were reasonable. If it wasn’t for her paranoia, she probably wouldn’t have crossed paths with the duke. Although, she wasn’t very concerned with her own reputation, just her brother’s. It was amusing following her madcap plans, while Hurst tried to rein her in.

As much as I wanted to love this story, it just didn’t quite get there. The plot hit a lot of slow moments, where it felt like they weren’t making any progress at all. I liked the characters, though. Ophelia was delightful and chaotic versus the serious, suspicious duke. They had an instant attraction that developed into more as their illicit investigations continued.

This book is for you if you like a low-spice historical romance with amateur detective vibes. It’s part of a series, but each book stands well on its own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Love, The Duke has a fun premise—Ophelia Stowe disguises herself as a man to seek help from the Duke of Hurstbourne—but the execution feels uneven. The setup is engaging, and Ophelia is a strong lead, but the chemistry between the main characters doesn't always click. Some plot points, like the artifact mystery, are underdeveloped, and the pacing drags at times. It’s an enjoyable read for fans of historical romance, but not as compelling as it could have been.

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

I have been struggling to get into Historical romance lately, but this book helped bring me back to it. I enjoyed it so much!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc. Unfortunately, this one really didn't work for me. I really disliked Hurst. Every time he said something about the weaker sex or disparaging about women I wanted to throw my ereader. Insta lust is also not really my thing, the mystery aspect kept me somewhat interested, enough to go on but after finishing, I wished I had DNFed.

This is the last book in the Say I Do series, I can’t believe it is over! All three books have an opening premise that grabs you and sucks you into the story. This book follows the same pattern, catchy opening that sucks you in, but has a much slower moving plot. It takes a bit for the hero of the story to come to his senses and realize the heroine is the lady of his dreams.

If you enjoy reading historical romance, I recommend this series.

I’m such of fan of historical romances. This one was so swoony and wonderful! I really enjoyed this book and this author! I loved the story and characters too! I can’t wait for the next book!

Overall, the story was pretty enjoyable. As the story went on though, I found it difficult to really like Ophelia. I appreciate the loyalty that she was showing for her brother, but it seemed a bit over the top. Hurst was a bit more enjoyable in general.

This was an enjoyable romance! I really liked the characters in this one I felt them easy to connect to and root for! The romance was also great! I felt like the characters had great chemistry! I also enjoyed the mystery in this one it felt like a nice addition to the story! Definitely recommend reading this one!

3.75 out of 5 stars!

London during the Season was when most women hoped to find husbands, but not Ophelia Stowe. She is desperate to locate the chalice stolen from her brother Winston’s church as Winston was dying. Towards that end, she enlists the help of her brother’s childhood best friend, now the Duke of Hurstbourne, by traveling to London and disguising herself in men’s clothing in order to enter his home. Hurst is horrified that Winston’s younger sister is dressed in that way, but reluctantly agrees to help her. He also falls madly in love with Ophelia, though he initially refused to marry her before meeting her.

I liked Ophelia and Hurst, but felt their constant search for the chalice was unrealistic. Her determination to clear her brother’s name was admirable, but I question her methods.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This historical romance hit all the right notes for me! It's charming and passionate, despite being a slow burn romance. I haven't read the previous two books in the series, but after reading this I need to!

This is the final book in the series and features the Duke of Hurstborne, who didn’t expect to be a Duke. As he watches his friends marry, he decides it is time for him to find a partner and produce an heir. When he heard from a childhood friend who was ill, asking him to marry his sister, Ophelia, he is reluctant. When Ophelia shows up at his doorstep dressed as a man, he is intrigued. Ophelia needs the Duke’s help to find a religious chalice stolen from a church. She is worried her late brother will be blamed for the missing relic. Ophelia and Hurst’s romance is a bit slow, but you wanted them to be together.

This is the third, and final, book in the 'Say I Do' series, and while it stands fine on its own you may benefit from reading the first two as well.

I was very excited about this book as I loved the first two, but to me it didn't hold up as well. Drake, the Duke of Hurstbourne, has some unresolved trauma from his childhood that affects his relationship with Ophelia Stowe, sister of his old school mate. Ophelia has her own issues as well, but I found it made her at times naive and at others incredibly stubborn. She just wasn't a likeable character. Hurst, on the other hand, was very likeable regardless of his rigid tendencies.

The main story about a missing religious relic is good, and I liked how that resolved. It's really just Ophelia that I disliked.

Overall, the book was a bit of a let-down from the others but the story saved it, so I am giving a 3.5 rounded to 4 stars.

Love, the Duke is book three in the Say I Do series by Ameilia Grey and while this is a series of books, it can be read as a standalone.

In this installment, the Duke of Hurstbourne (Hurst) is our mmc and when we are introduced to him, he has received a letter from a childhood friend who is ill and has asked him to marry his sister Ophelia. Hurst, having never met the girl declines and decides that once he has taken care of a few things, he will go visit his friend.

Unfortunately, he finds out he is too late as his friend passes away before he is able to get to him. And how he finds out is what triggers the Duke's protectiveness for a woman he didn't expect to care for. Ophelia Stowe needs help and the only person she can think of to go to is the Duke of Hurstbourne...even though he rebuffed her (she wasn't supposed to know that). When she shows up in his study dressed as a man, Hurst immediately sees through her disguise and proposes a new plan to save her brother's reputation and find the missing antiquity.

I enjoyed this installment and thought the way Grey built out the mystery behind the missing religious pieces was done well. It was always the central story right along with the romance build between Hurst and Ophelia. If you're looking for a quick read and a solid historical romance that will keep you engaged, consider picking this one up.

First and foremost, thank you to the publisher for providing an e-ARC of this title. I absolutely love this author, and her historical romances have truly been a light in the darkness for me. Her stories are not only beautifully written, but they offer comfort, hope, and a timeless kind of love that stays with you long after the final page. I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with the characters she created—they felt vivid, genuine, and easy to connect with. Overall, this was a strong four-star read, and I’m already looking forward to whatever she writes next.

This was the final book in the Say I Do trilogy. I can't believe I missed out and didn’t know about this series. After reading this fun adventure I have to go back and read the others. This story is about the Duke of Hurst and Miss Ophelia. Even though he refused to marry his friend's sister as his dying wish she still ends up thrown into his life. Ophelia needs help finding a relic from the church that was stolen. She turns to the Duke for help. Now in a marriage of convenience they help each other find everything they have been searching for?
I Love the detail Grey uses in creating her stories. Characters are so well created we believe we know them personally. She writes with the perfect blend of perfect storytelling, humor, wit and passion. A truly gifted author of historical romance I can't wait to read more.
Enjoy this wonderful adventure.

I always enjoy Amelia Grey books and this was no exception. This was a very original storyline that was fun and sweet. I adore books where the heroine dresses like a man in Victorian or Regency England. I always love the reactions of the hero. The Duke of Hurstbourne "Hurst" was a great foil for Ophelia and her antics. Granted, she was desparate and had a good reason for everything she did. And they really butted heads on "the plan" to find the missing artifact, which is delicious. Thank goodness he was always looking out for her. Lovely book and a great finish to the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St. Martin's Paperbacks for providing an eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.