A review by ghostiegail
A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

hopeful lighthearted reflective slow-paced

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

3.25

 

Perhaps there were things you could only learn about yourself when you shared them with someone else.

A Lady for a Duke had all the makings of a perfect book for me:

★ Queer Representation
★ Regency Era Historical Fiction
★ She Fell First, But He Fell Harder

There’s so much to love about this book, and I wanted it to be a 4 or 5 star read so badly — but there were a few too many ways that it fell short for me.

The Good

★ Major props to the voice actress in the audio book, Kay Eluvian, who gave each character a truly unique voice. I would pay for her to narrate my grocery list.
★ Fantastic representation! Viola being a trans woman was a big draw for me to read this book, but I was so pleasantly surprised by Gracewood! So often we read books with brooding protagonists who are Tragic and Misunderstood, but with no explanation for why. Seeing Gracewood struggle with war-time PTSD, an opium addiction, and toxic masculinity was so refreshing and well done. One of my favorite moments in the book was when

he has a flashback from the fireworks and is finally able to cry without opium/alcohol in Viola’s arms.

★ Sometimes in books it’s not clear WHY they like each other/belong together, but there were so many parallels between their character arcs that it felt natural. They’re both defying what society believes they were born to be and learning to fearlessly embrace themselves — and each other. What would you give up to be yourself?
★ Just so many sweet moments between Viola and Gracewood that had me kicking my feet. Gracewood is always 😔🥺 and Viola is always 😡😫which makes for a hilarious but sweet dynamic.

The Bad

★ I would have loved more context on her transition. They briefly explain how she got from Waterloo to being her sister in law’s companion, but we get so little information on what is, for me, one of the most interesting parts of the story.
★ I did not enjoy many of the side characters. Viola and Gracewood were so complex and fleshed out that many of the ensemble cast felt like caricatures for me. Miranda was overly-quirky for me and came across as bratty/impetulant when she

essentially begged Lady Lillimere to kiss her.

I think Lady Lillimere was meant to feel flirtatious and society-defying, but she often came across more womanizing. I did not appreciate that she

wanted to get with the 17 year old but didn’t because her friends wouldn’t approve. Even though she DOES deny Miranda’s advances, it’s not because she doesn’t want her, and this for me felt too close to the predatory lesbian stereotype.

★ Speaking of paper-flat characters, Amberglass felt like a mustache-twiddling cartoon villain. For a central antagonist, his motivation seemed to add up to being rich, sexually deviant and bored. When

we finally overcome Amberglass, it’s only because they give up, walk away, and he decides to tell them everything in exchange for nothing.

★ In the end, the characters get their happily ever after because

of the generational wealth and patriarchy that has existed the entire novel. Of course it took time for the characters to feel confident enough to DEFY society, but that’s awfully easy to do when you have the money to bribe government officials and purchase estates on a whim.

It felt like an unsatisfying conclusion to their journey.
★ This was my biggest gripe: I feel we lost the dramatic tension over and over again. You’d think the plot was going one way, and then it would be quickly resolved and we would move onto another issue that would, once again, be quickly resolved.

Viola worries Gracewood won’t accept her, and he’s upset when he finds out the truth but decides to forgive her the next day. Viola fears she can’t be with him the way she wants to, but she soon decides she wants to try anyways. We think Lady Lillimere kidnapped Miranda, but then she walks in the door. We think Miranda killed Stirling, then immediately find out she probably didn’t.

★ The plot just deflates itself over and over again, then moves onto a new conflict. One can argue the story is more character driven, but you still need to have a sense of tension — what’s going to happen? How will true love triumph in the end? Turns out, all you have to do is wait a couple pages and you’ll find out. I think this loss of tension is what made the book feel long for some readers — because the plot trajectory keeps changing and the character’s interior journeys keep getting dragged out, it feels an extra 100-150 pages too long.

My Final Thoughts ⭐⭐⭐ 3.0 - 3.5 stars

A Lady for a Duke swings for the fences and succeeds in so many ways: genre-defying representation, fully realized main characters, and powerful themes of love and resilience. It fell flat for me when it came to side characters and dramatic tension, especially during the last act. Even if I have some criticisms of its execution, I admire what Alexis Hall was able to accomplish and I highly recommend it to to lovers of historical romance that want to see queer folks FINALLY get their happy ending.