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

Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

151 reviews

mar's review against another edition

emotional hopeful slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

really loved most of this book!!! i do think the climax was weirdly tonally dissonant but for 90% of the story i was having a great time :)

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booksthatburn's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

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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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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gaelstorm's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad tense 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

4.0

This book started off strong for me and I loved it immediately! However I really didn't care at all about the last 20% of the book and the secondary plot that unfolded, which is why this book gets 4 instead of 5 stars.

Before reading this book I read this interview that Alexis Hall did about it. I thought they had some interesting things to say about writing a queer regency romance! There aren't any spoilers in the interview (other than some basic plot that you get from the book's blurb).
https://www.bookpage.com/features/alexis-hall-interview-lady-for-duke/

A quote I really liked from the interview, that gives you a little sense for what kind of "historical romance" this book will be:
"My general take comes back to what I said about keeping in mind that I’m writing for a modern audience. It’s ultimately more important to me that my queer stories resonate with modern queer readers than it is for them to portray what I think a person at the time might actually have perceived their identity to be. Not least because that’s unknowable."

❤️ What kind of romance can I expect in this book?
(no major plot spoilers but still hidden if you don't wanna know)

Genders: f/m
POV: 3rd person, dual POV (switches every few chapters)
Themes & Tropes: Regency Period, Childhood Best Friends, *LGBT+ (trans female main character)
Sex Scenes? Yes
Explicit Rating: PG13/R
How Much: One full sex scene, a few mentions of others

*Anti-Trigger Warning Info:
- This story deals with some heavy and serious topics, but at it's core, it is a fun romance! This is a safe book to read about trans romance and not about trans suffering and violence.
- We meet our trans female main character already transitioned and very sure of herself being a woman. While of course we get to hear about her past, this isn't a story about her discovering that about herself.
- She has fears of being rejected or cast out from society if/when people find out she is trans, but there is NO transphobia or homophobia in the plot. There is no violence or even threat of violence done towards her due to her being trans.
- Other people talk about her with male pronouns when they think they are talking about someone else from their past, as they don't know who she is, but she is always referred to by her previous last name, and in fact as the reader we never even know her previous first name. When she does come out as trans to a select few, her name and pronouns are respected.

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