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jaybee02's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
M/F, contemporary romance, friends to lovers
Found this one after aimless scrolling on Libby and was pleasantly surprised! I was afraid it would be too holiday-y but it takes place over the course of a year so was not an issue.
Absolute A+ banter from these two (he's a playboy almost-duke w/ daddy issues, she's a biracial professor w/ a shitty almost-ex husband). It was fun to follow the story from the start of their friendship through the slow-but-not-too-slow burn of their romance. The end didn't quite hit the mark for me hence the less than perfect score but the story was still super enjoyable.
Bonus points for making the dog and the dude have the same name.
Found this one after aimless scrolling on Libby and was pleasantly surprised! I was afraid it would be too holiday-y but it takes place over the course of a year so was not an issue.
Absolute A+ banter from these two (he's a playboy almost-duke w/ daddy issues, she's a biracial professor w/ a shitty almost-ex husband). It was fun to follow the story from the start of their friendship through the slow-but-not-too-slow burn of their romance. The end didn't quite hit the mark for me hence the less than perfect score but the story was still super enjoyable.
Bonus points for making the dog and the dude have the same name.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Homophobia
jackiepreston's review
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content
lnzava's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Alcoholism
Moderate: Gaslighting and Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia
readwithde's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Classism, Death of parent, and Homophobia
meganpbennett's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-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? Yes
3.5
I picked up Duke, Actually based on the title, and wasn't aware that it was a sequel. I ended up reading it anyway, but I'm not sure what I missed with the various characters from book 1.
It's an interesting romance novel. Dani's a tenure-track professor of English, and Max is, well, not a Duke. They've clearly met before - in the first book - but they're sweet and romantic. Max agrees to help Dani with her cheating ex who's now dating his former student and won't sign the divorce papers. Dani's not sure what Max is getting out of this, but she goes along with it. This book contains the Royal Wedding, so of course Dani goes to the wedding, and ends up spending even more time with Max, complete with the necessary massive misunderstanding that derails the romance.
I couldn't figure out the title. While Dani loves Love, Actually, and one of the segments - At Christmas You Tell The Truth - is important to the plot, the title didn't make sense, since Max is, actually, not a duke. It makes sense in the end, but I didn't like the ending.
It's an interesting romance novel. Dani's a tenure-track professor of English, and Max is, well, not a Duke. They've clearly met before - in the first book - but they're sweet and romantic. Max agrees to help Dani with her cheating ex who's now dating his former student and won't sign the divorce papers. Dani's not sure what Max is getting out of this, but she goes along with it. This book contains the Royal Wedding, so of course Dani goes to the wedding, and ends up spending even more time with Max, complete with the necessary massive misunderstanding that derails the romance.
I couldn't figure out the title. While Dani loves Love, Actually, and one of the segments - At Christmas You Tell The Truth - is important to the plot, the title didn't make sense, since Max is, actually, not a duke. It makes sense in the end, but I didn't like the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Bullying, and Infidelity
mags_reads_'s review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
jencolumb0's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
5.0
I really, thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It feels like a straighter, 30-something version of Red, White, and Royal Blue, with more focus on working through the past trauma of the love interest. A lovely read and I am looking forward to catching up on the first book, and following up with the next one that’s due out in 2022.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism
bradleygiselle's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.5
*Content Warning* This book contains outing someone without their permission. It is done by one main character to the other main character and isn't ever shown as being extremely problematic and potentially dangerous. The other main character is even upset that they weren't told the information sooner. I don't believe it was the authors intent to do harm but I believe they simply didn't think about it and need to do better towards future LGBTQIA+ characters they write.
I would have given this book 5 stars if this had been handled better as I loved the rest of the book more than I can express.
I would have given this book 5 stars if this had been handled better as I loved the rest of the book more than I can express.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Outing, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity and Racism
This book contains outing someone without their permission. It is done one main character to the other main character and isn't ever shown as being extremely problematic and potentially dangerous. The other main character is even upset that they weren't told the information sooner. I don't think it was the authors intent was to harm but I believe they simply didn't think about it and need to do better towards future LGBTQIA+ characters they write.decklededgess's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
trigger warnings: infidelity, inappropriate age gap, sexual content, alcoholism, abusive parents, homophobia, misogyny, death of parent
It's been like two weeks since I've read the book and I don't remember a lot which is not great. If I recall correctly, the characters have a really sweet and strong basis of friendship that grows into a romance rather nicely. I liked how they integrated their social circles and strengthened their family ties within the relationship. The smut...I think there's one scene idk. It was fine.
The one standout part is the face that the Duke/Baron has an abusive family but the way he and his brother mend their relationship and forge forward was really nice.
It's been like two weeks since I've read the book and I don't remember a lot which is not great. If I recall correctly, the characters have a really sweet and strong basis of friendship that grows into a romance rather nicely. I liked how they integrated their social circles and strengthened their family ties within the relationship. The smut...I think there's one scene idk. It was fine.
The one standout part is the face that the Duke/Baron has an abusive family but the way he and his brother mend their relationship and forge forward was really nice.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Homophobia, and Sexism
writtenbydnicole's review
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity and Medical trauma