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jillmlong's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book more than the previous book in the series. This book had two strong characters. I really liked reading about Alex and Evie. They were delightful.
bookishmya's review against another edition
4.0
This is a wonderful story with an unlikely couple. I love a class divide novel. Evie is a secretary who falls for a Duke. I enjoyed their second chance introduction, meeting in Ireland as his temporary secretary. The family drama added a nice little intrigue, but their gentle growing affection was simply delightful. You can’t help but love Evie & Alex.
fringebookreviews's review against another edition
4.25
✨Me Seeks Big, Irish Duke Who Puts Marble Statuary to Shame✨
If you want just the coziest, warmest hug of a series, please read the Love on Holiday books by Christy Carlyle. I swear every time I read one I’m like it seriously won’t stay this soft FOREVER right??? And then it does!
I also really loved that Irish hunk of a man. I listened to the audiobook, and definitely got lost in that accent! *swoons* The last time I remember a hero with an Irish accent, it was when Mary Jane Wells accidentally gave one to Matthew Swift for a chapter in the Wallflower Christmas audiobook 😭 Safe to say the accent is rare for me to hear, so it was very appreciated here.
Evie was a lovely and strong heroine. His aunt was hard and a bit judgmental, but Evie never let her get her down. I was always kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop, but she always stuck to her guns and fought for what she wanted. She was also just so fricken relatable. I love when you can read a chapter and be like ah yes ME.
I did just get a bit, literally the tiniest bit frustrated with his aunt trying to set him up with someone not named Evelyn! Not necessarily because I thought he was going to cave—that man was so gone I do have to applaud him—but it felt like a missed the opportunity to have a meddling (for good!) aunt because they’re the best characters. However, I do understand that the aunt and her plans were basically the extent of the external conflict, and really it was so tame in the grand scheme of things.
Overall, I just think Christy Carlyle has absolutely mastered the art of writing soft romance. When books don’t have super explosive third-acts, the tension still needs to be there and it’s HARD to do. Christy makes it look easy.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5 🌶️🌶️*/5
Thanks so much to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.
If you want just the coziest, warmest hug of a series, please read the Love on Holiday books by Christy Carlyle. I swear every time I read one I’m like it seriously won’t stay this soft FOREVER right??? And then it does!
I also really loved that Irish hunk of a man. I listened to the audiobook, and definitely got lost in that accent! *swoons* The last time I remember a hero with an Irish accent, it was when Mary Jane Wells accidentally gave one to Matthew Swift for a chapter in the Wallflower Christmas audiobook 😭 Safe to say the accent is rare for me to hear, so it was very appreciated here.
Evie was a lovely and strong heroine. His aunt was hard and a bit judgmental, but Evie never let her get her down. I was always kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop, but she always stuck to her guns and fought for what she wanted. She was also just so fricken relatable. I love when you can read a chapter and be like ah yes ME.
I did just get a bit, literally the tiniest bit frustrated with his aunt trying to set him up with someone not named Evelyn! Not necessarily because I thought he was going to cave—that man was so gone I do have to applaud him—but it felt like a missed the opportunity to have a meddling (for good!) aunt because they’re the best characters. However, I do understand that the aunt and her plans were basically the extent of the external conflict, and really it was so tame in the grand scheme of things.
Overall, I just think Christy Carlyle has absolutely mastered the art of writing soft romance. When books don’t have super explosive third-acts, the tension still needs to be there and it’s HARD to do. Christy makes it look easy.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5 🌶️🌶️*/5
Thanks so much to the publisher for an eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are honest and my own.
skyhazzard's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
This was so cute and I had such a great time listening to it!
The characters have a chance meeting at a party and are both instantly draw to each other but part ways without learning who the other is. A few months later Evie is sent to Ireland for like a charity with horses for her employer and also to inform the Duke (who had a requirement of marriage to inherit his home) she has no plans to marry him…well the Duke turns out to be the guy she had met in the gardens at the party. Evie can’t believe the guys she’s been thinking about is the Duke and Alex can’t believe the girl he’s been thinking about has somehow found herself at his home.
If you like tons of conflict this one probably isn’t for you. The couple did not have many obstacles in the way of them getting together besides his requirements of marrying someone of status, his aunt hounding him about it cause she doesn’t want to lose their home, and Evie’s inner dilemma of she’s there on business not pleasure. Even that didn’t stand in their way, they were completely besotted with each other and really didn’t care if people picked up on the vibes.
They were just so cute together and I loved seeing them enjoying their time together and falling in love. There was also the one bed trope and my oh my was it spicy, they wasted no time once that door was shut.
The characters have a chance meeting at a party and are both instantly draw to each other but part ways without learning who the other is. A few months later Evie is sent to Ireland for like a charity with horses for her employer and also to inform the Duke (who had a requirement of marriage to inherit his home) she has no plans to marry him…well the Duke turns out to be the guy she had met in the gardens at the party. Evie can’t believe the guys she’s been thinking about is the Duke and Alex can’t believe the girl he’s been thinking about has somehow found herself at his home.
If you like tons of conflict this one probably isn’t for you. The couple did not have many obstacles in the way of them getting together besides his requirements of marrying someone of status, his aunt hounding him about it cause she doesn’t want to lose their home, and Evie’s inner dilemma of she’s there on business not pleasure. Even that didn’t stand in their way, they were completely besotted with each other and really didn’t care if people picked up on the vibes.
They were just so cute together and I loved seeing them enjoying their time together and falling in love. There was also the one bed trope and my oh my was it spicy, they wasted no time once that door was shut.
jcmbank's review
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
chandelierskies's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
themeadowlibrary's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A sweet, low-angst historical!
From the premise I thought this book would be much more tense, but it is actually such a sweet story! It is perfect for when you want a warm and fuzzy plot with a great love story at the center!
The two main characters have an instant connection that builds throughout the book. They are both well written characters, but I wasn’t as invested in Alexander as Evelyn for some reason.
This is a standalone story, connected to the others in the series only by some sweeping themes, and so you can absolutely read it without reading the rest of the series.
Star Rating: 3/5
Tropes: Fake dating, fake identity, class differences
CW: Medical trauma
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
overflowingshelf's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
CW: Death of a parent (off-page); references to off-page animal abuse
Duke Seeks Bride is another perfect, sexy, low-angst historical romance novel from Christy Carlyle that wraps up her Love on Holiday series. This series is the perfect one to read if you want a romance that isn’t going to be high-drama or high-angst but instead tells compelling and engaging stories of two people falling in love and finding their happily ever after in unlikely circumstances. It’s perfect escapism, and sometimes that’s all I want from my romances!
The official summary of this book on retailers is a bit misleading as it makes it seem like the book will lean into the fake dating trope more than it actually does. The official summary positions the story as Evelyn “Evie” Graves needing to pretend to be the fake fiance of Alexander Pierpont, the Duke of Rennick, for a fortnight. In actuality, Evie only does that in front of Alex’s uncle once or twice, as everyone else knows she’s there in the countess’s place to help plan a charity event. If anything, the central driver of the plot is the stipulation that Alex marry within 6 months of inheriting or risk losing Ballymore Castle, his family’s home in Ireland, and the only inheritance that matters. I didn’t mind that the plot deviated a bit from the premise, but it may feel a tad misleading if you go into this thinking it’s going to be a faking dating-type book.
Now, I absolutely adored the romance in this book. There’s something so charming about watching two people fall in love when there is little to no drama in their relationship. Despite a short timeframe, Alex and Evie’s relationship felt believable because their chemistry is so good! There is an electric spark at their first meeting in the garden at a ball, and then again when they meet again in Ireland. That connection builds into something more very fast, yet they both feel it, so the relationship doesn’t feel rushed. Everyone could also see how far gone these two were for each other, so it was just a matter of time before they acted upon it.
Duke Seeks Bride also felt like the horniest book of the series – and I loved that! These two really wanted each other and acted upon it. I also loved that Evie fully embraced her sensual side with Alex and didn’t feel ashamed by sex. Also, the first sex scene had the most trope-tactic setup, and I loved it! We get Alex and Evie trapped out in the country in the rain, where, of course, they have to spend the night at an inn with only one room left and then need to help each other out of their wet clothes. I was LIVING for this scene and felt so giddy that I wanted to kick my feet in the air while reading. This book also has a ton of other tropes I love, such as class differences and nursing back to health, and a micro trope of being unable to sleep, so they run into each other at the library. The romance was delicious, and I loved every second of it.
Alex was not a classic Duke, and I enjoyed that. He seemed to have some form of social anxiety, as he struggles in the ballroom and tends to avoid society. He’s much more at home at his family’s castle in Ireland, surrounded by his horses, siblings, and Aunt than in any ballroom. Despite trying to avoid anything scandalous, he cannot help what he feels for Evie, and I loved how far gone he was for her and didn’t end up letting the class difference impact how he felt.
Evie is a very practical, logical person – a trait that helps her excel as Lady Waverly’s secretary – but she’s also incredibly empathetic and caring. I loved how she went after what she wanted, whether in her professional or personal life, as she was not going to let others shape her life. Now, that does backfire on her a tad as she makes not the smartest decision towards the end of the book by going after what she wants immediately, but at least she does it for all the right reasons.
The secondary characters in this book round out the cast beautifully. I enjoyed Alex’s siblings, Belinda and Rupert, and the relationship they had with each other. They’re so loving, caring, and supportive of one another. I liked that they welcomed and accepted Evie into their circle so easily. I like Alex’s Aunt Oona, even though she was a bit scheming, as her heart was in the right place. Heck, I even ended up liking and sympathizing with Alex’s Uncle, who was set up to be the villain, but once you learn his backstory, he’s not so bad in the end.
Overall, I found this a delightful read that hit all the right notes with its romance. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Alex and Evie’s journey happily ever after and finished this book with a smile on my face, feeling warm and fuzzy. If you like your romances with low drama and low angst, the Love on Holiday series is perfect for you, and I definitely recommend you check it out!
Thank you to Avon/Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts, ideas, and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
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