A Lady For A Duke by Alexis Hall
A lush, sweeping queer historical romance from the
bestselling author of Boyfriend Material—perfect for fans of
Netflix’s Bridgerton, Evie Dunmore, and Manda Collins!
When Viola Caroll was presumed dead at Waterloo she took the
opportunity to live, at last, as herself. But freedom does not
come without a price, and Viola paid for hers with the loss of
her wealth, her title, and her closest companion, Justin de
Vere, the Duke of Gracewood.
Only when their families reconnect, years after the war, does
Viola learn how deep that loss truly was. Shattered without her,
Gracewood has retreated so far into grief that Viola barely
recognises her old friend in the lonely, brooding man he has
become.
As Viola strives to bring Gracewood back to himself, fresh
desires give new names to old feelings. Feelings that would have
been impossible once and may be impossible still, but which
Viola cannot deny. Even if they cost her everything, all over
again.
I just finished reading(+listening to) A Lady For A Duke by Alexis Hall a while back and it's probably one of my favorites this year. It's unfair to list all the things this book made me feel 😿
This is my first historical romance with a trans character as one of the MCs and it was so good!
Viola has been living a new life after she was presumed dead at Waterloo and while she's freer than ever in some ways, she has also lost some things that were important to her - mainly her friendship with the Duke of Gracewood. Gracewood is completely different from the man he used to be - injured, feeling guilty, battling trauma and dealing with a laudanum addiction has been taking a toll on him.
With a push from her sister-in-law Lady Marleigh, she reconnects with him and while trying to help him with his struggles, she realizes that the connection between them has never faded and is perhaps stronger than ever before.
I adored the emotional bond between Viola and Gracewood. I loved how they brought out the best in each other. It actually felt like a mix of instant connection+slow burn at the same time due to Viola's circumstances!
What surprised me was the perfect balance of wit, humor, emotion and romance! One minute I was drowning in feelings and after some time, I was laughing. The banter between the characters was so good! And each character was so unique and unforgettable. There are very few books that can do it this way!
As the author mentions Viola being transgender is not the main source of conflict, and I do think that this suited her story very well as this book showed us many things including this.
Please give this beautiful story a chance if you haven't already!❣️
Also, how beautiful is that cover? I love it when HR book covers match the characters!
You can also find my review on my bookstagram here
*I was provided with an ALC via Libro.fm in exchange for an honest
review*
Genrequeer writer of kissing books.
Alexis Hall does not like writing biographies or talking about himself in
the third person. He lives in southeast England with his extensive
collection of hats and three angry duckchildren.
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