Reviews with content warning for Ableism - A Lady for a Duke

In the two years since Normandy, Viola's best friend, Gracewood, has thought she was dead. In reality, Viola was figuring out how to be herself rather than the boy she was raised to be, and assumed that her best friend would move on with his life when she was no longer in it. Instead, she discovered that in his grief he had turned to drink and laudanum, terrifying his sister and staff with the depths of his despair.

When Gracewood finally learns that Viola and his best friend are the same being, a new set of complications arise, as the social pressures on the lives of a duke and a lady's companion are deeply felt, and seem inescapable. As a trans person, it's tough to read what seems like transphobia coming from the love interest, even briefly, but the way it's handled and how both characters react to that moment serves to make the story stronger overall.

I like the care paid to developing Gracewood's relationship with his sister, dealing with the trouble has in relating to a teenage girl when he is a man who was raised to give orders rather than to listen. Viola and Gracewood were both changed by the war, but Gracewood's experiences left him visibly scarred and mentally shaken in ways that affect him on a daily basis. This is handled variously throughout, as Gracewood gradually becomes confident to not accept casual ableism from others, but it takes a while.

I love how Gracewood slowly notices more and more of Viola's wardrobe, appreciate that she designs and sews/embroiders it herself. It's made clear that Viola hasn't had previous sexual experiences because she would have either had to have them as a man (which she was uncomfortable doing, even before figuring out her gender), or would need a partner who was not scared off by her body after meeting her as a woman. The eventual sex scenes with Gracewood are careful and intimate, treading the line between being specific about the logistics involved involved and giving Viola space to be feminine and sexual without triggering dysphoria. More than that, with Gracewood's support as a partner she gets to feel good about her body in a sexual context, that it is a woman's body because it is hers, and not based on whether it aligns with some standard of gender presentation.

Things I love, in no particular order: Viola's sister-in-law, and her interactions with her nephew; the audiobook narrator's excellent performance; the way the b-plot gradually becomes more important as the initial tension from the social difficulties of Viola and Gracewood's relationship fade in the face of their care for each other.

A LADY FOR A DUKE is self-contained and ends very satisfactorily, but it does appear that a sequel is planned (which I will eagerly await). Everything I could want handled is covered either in detail, or implicitly by the epilogue, which is set several years after the events of the main story. It seems that future books would be unlikely to feature Viola and Gracewood as main characters, but, based on the title of the sequel I think it will involve one of their relatives (which would be great, I'd love to have them play a role again after they were so wonderful here).

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wanderlust_romance's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

PLOT, I HARDLY KNEW YE! And still I loved.

If it’s one thing I have truly come to adore this year, it’s character driven stories with minimal plot and all the feels. A Lady for a Duke delivered that in spades! The friends to lovers story comes together beautifully and with much care. You have well crafted main characters that are dealing with so much - grief, pain, addiction, loss. And that’s just Gracewood. Beyond his pain though, he finds solace in his new connection with Viola. When Gracewood discovers that Viola is the friend he believed to be dead, he has mixed emotions at their renewed discovery. Viola, for her part, was a strong and vocal character. She is very mindful of both her station as a lady’s companion and the societal conventions to which she has had to adapt by accepting and living her true gender identity. The emotional build up to Gracewood and Viola’s eventual relationship was so intricately layered. The love and care they have for one another, fostered through their youthful escapades and deepened in life experience and adulthood, shines so brightly on the page. And the epilogue. So sweet!!

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shinypurplepants's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Lovely mix of yearning and romance 🥰

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honeycupreads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really loved this book! The main characters were so loveable and their individual struggles were depicted wonderfully and handled with such care. I was slightly worried going into this book since I’ve not read many historical romances but I’m glad to say that this was such an easy read I genuinely did not want to put it down.

I did feel like the last 15% or so with the secondary plot line was pretty unnecessary and could’ve been excluded. It was sort of reminiscent of a wattpad plot twist and definitely threw me off, in a bad way, but overall didn’t ruin the story for me.

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