A review by meganpbennett
Duke, Actually by Jenny Holiday

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. 
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