Reviews with content warning for Drug use - A Lady for a Duke

Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

75 reviews

jasmine567's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful sad 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

5.0

Absolutely fell in love with this book and it set me on a romance kick. The longing and love the characters had for each other was beautiful.

Content Warnings

novella42's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

This book was a delight and a joy, easily one of my top reads of 2022. As a queer cis person with PTSD and a disability, married to a genderfluid partner, I have often wondered what our lives might have been like in a different time. This story was a refreshing alternative to many of the "gritty" interpretations of queer history. The truth is that we don't know a lot about the queer or trans experience prior to the Twentieth Century—because it was hidden from view—and because we don't know, there is also space to speculate for happiness and acceptance just as there is for the usual tropes that assume all will encounter darkness and hate.

I felt such a connection to the characters. The struggle with internalized ableism was believable and handled with more nuance than I expected. And just... The identity work in this book, not just about gender but on so many levels. It felt wonderful to witness. To see them work through their fears, their demons, to navigate all the uncertainties (without language for their identities or traumas), and all the ways they connected to heal. I was crying with pure joy at multiple points throughout the book!

Content Warnings

koyotl's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional lighthearted slow-paced

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

4.5

Content Warnings

overflowingshelf's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

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

4.0

CW: deadnaming; misgendering; ableist language; suicidal ideation; drug/alchol use; PTSD

A Lady for A Duke has a beautiful love story at its center, and I would love to read more historical romances with trans characters as protagonists. And as much as I thought I would be giving this 5 stars at the start, the story did drag toward the end, which knocked my rating down a bit.

When Viola Carroll was presumed dead at Waterloo, she took the opportunity to live, at last, as herself. But the freedom to be herself comes with a price as she lost her wealth, title, and her best friend, Justin de Vere, the Duke of Gracewood. Only when Gracewood and Viola’s family reconnect years after the war does she realize how deep the loss truly was. Without his best friend, Gracewood has retreated so far into grief that Viola barely recognizes her old friend as the lonely, brooding man he has become. As she strives to bring Gracewood back to himself, fresh desires give new names to old feelings, feelings Viola cannot deny even if they cost her everything again.

Where this book shines is the romance between Viola and Gracewood. Their relationship is not an easy one, but it is filled with so much emotion, love and affection. The emotions are so earnest and raw that it packs a major punch to your feelings. Both Viola and Gracewood are so broken and damaged at the beginning of the book – finding each other again is exactly what they need to heal. Together, they bring out the best in each other – one of my favorite things to see in a romance. And while their path to getting their happily ever after is not easy – they both have a lot to work through individually to heal as well as have to deal with societal roles – it is so fulfilling to watch them get it.

Both Viola and Gracewood are emotionally complex characters that they jump fully-fledged off the page. Both are hurt and broken in different ways and need the other to be restored. I loved seeing Viola try to pave a new role for herself while navigating her feelings for Gracewood, complicating the plan she had laid out for her future. And Gracewood – I just wanted to reach through the pages, hug this man, and not let go for a while. He’s filled with so much grief and pain at the beginning that my heart hurt for him. When Viola comes into his life, he begins to resemble the man he was before the war. I also love how he lets Viola just be Viola. He could easily judge her, but he handles her truth beautifully and is angrier that she let him think she was dead for two years than anything else.

I think Alexis Hall’s writing was beautiful in this. There were so many romantic lines that had my heart squeezing. He does a great job with the romance and capturing all the characters’ emotions.

Now, where the book lost a few points for me was the plot. This book is LONG as it is nearly 500 pages in paperback long. And the whole third act felt like a hard pivot and unnecessary to the central romance and themes of the book. This book was doing fine as a romance focused solely on Gracewood and Viola dealing with their pain, their emotions, their feelings towards each other and some of the obstacles in their way to being together. We didn’t really need a very dramatic subplot involving Gracewood’s sister in there at all. If anything, it distracted me from the main romance and had me scratching my head.

I don’t think the plotting and length should deter you from picking up this story. It’s a beautiful love story that made me cry multiple times because the love Viola and Gracewood have for each other is on a whole other level. I think historical romance fans will really enjoy this one, especially if you’re looking for more LGBTQIA+ characters in the genre.

Content Warnings

mandaraffe's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

kfmcf's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I want to preface this review with one thing that really holds it back for me personally - I *struggle* with historical romance. It's hard for me to get into and hard for me to stick with. I read this for a book club and I'm glad I didn't but the setting is just not for me.
I do appreciate what this book does and I think it's successful in many ways. It tells a story that is rarely if ever told and I can very much appreciate it.
I do think there are quite a few flaws. I don't think the characters really had time to be fleshed out enough for the sake of flowery regency writing. Well, it might just the Hall's writing as what I've read from him is all just a lot of "telling not showing" in a lot of ways and I get bogged down.
I did get taken out of the book a bit for some historical inaccuracies but my main issue was the overly dramatic crux of the book. Yes, I know this is common in historical romances but I just don't do well with overblown drama

Content Warnings