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A review by aliciawhatsthestory
A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall
emotional
funny
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
Spice Level: Medium
This book has renewed my hope in my ability to read fiction audiobooks. I normally have a hard time keeping up with the narrative in fiction audiobooks, which is why I tend to read almost exclusively nonfiction (especially memoirs) this way. However, A Lady for a Duke is excellently acted, and I very rarely found myself feeling like I had missed something important by zoning out or getting distracted. This book is a friends to lovers, second chance (kind of?) romance between a trans woman and her best friend from before her transition—who thinks she died at Waterloo. D•R•A•M•A.
It’s a very wholesome story not only of finding love but of finding ways to be one’s true, whole self, in spite of strict societal demands. The tension between the two leads is exactly what you want in a Regency Romance, and the side characters are just delightful.
I loved seeing a trans woman depicted in so many different ways as worthy of adoration and desire, something that I have not really seen before in the romance genre, and I know that many people will be able to relate to Viola and Gracewood as they find their way back to each other. It is worth noting that both the cover model and voice actor for Viola are trans women.
This was our book club pick for August, and it’s the first book club read in several months that I have been so excited to read that I’ve finished it well ahead of our meeting.
I would highly recommend this book to fans of Bridgerton on Netflix, regency romance novels, generally, Alexis Hall, and other queer fiction. One of the best romances I’ve read this year.
This book has renewed my hope in my ability to read fiction audiobooks. I normally have a hard time keeping up with the narrative in fiction audiobooks, which is why I tend to read almost exclusively nonfiction (especially memoirs) this way. However, A Lady for a Duke is excellently acted, and I very rarely found myself feeling like I had missed something important by zoning out or getting distracted. This book is a friends to lovers, second chance (kind of?) romance between a trans woman and her best friend from before her transition—who thinks she died at Waterloo. D•R•A•M•A.
It’s a very wholesome story not only of finding love but of finding ways to be one’s true, whole self, in spite of strict societal demands. The tension between the two leads is exactly what you want in a Regency Romance, and the side characters are just delightful.
I loved seeing a trans woman depicted in so many different ways as worthy of adoration and desire, something that I have not really seen before in the romance genre, and I know that many people will be able to relate to Viola and Gracewood as they find their way back to each other. It is worth noting that both the cover model and voice actor for Viola are trans women.
This was our book club pick for August, and it’s the first book club read in several months that I have been so excited to read that I’ve finished it well ahead of our meeting.
I would highly recommend this book to fans of Bridgerton on Netflix, regency romance novels, generally, Alexis Hall, and other queer fiction. One of the best romances I’ve read this year.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Drug abuse
Moderate: Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Kidnapping, and War