*

Thanks to @readforeverpub for an advance copy of Always Be My Duchess by Amalie Howard, out July 12th! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ When @andkellyreads shared this on her stories and I saw that it was pitched as Pretty Woman meets Bridgerton, I had to request it. I simply had to. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We stan an author’s note at the start of the book with content warnings/explanations and I’m glad this is becoming more normalized! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I will say that I don’t think that the comparison to Pretty Woman is apt…..like, at all. I read @aliciaclarereads review after reading and heartily agree with her assertion that the book sidesteps dealing with sex work pretty much entirely. If you’re looking for a movie comparison, I felt it was much more like The Wedding Date, which also has fake dating after a character experiences a breakup as a central trope. It’s giving “I’d rather fight with you than make love with anyone else.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I took a lil reading break at 46% so it didn’t keep me riveted - Genevieve and Lysander’s story definitely takes a while to unfold - and while I ended up enjoying it, it won’t be making my yearly favorites. The Queens Club was my favorite element, which is fun because Always Be My Duchess clearly lays the groundwork for further books in the series. NGL, I’m very excited to see Vesper tied up in knots over this mystery man. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ What to know: -Neurodivergent MMC -Starchy Duke, feisty dancer -Fake dating ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ CW: ableism, verbal abuse, loss of a loved one, sexual content ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ID: A kindle displaying the ebook cover of Always Be My Duchess sits on a blanket. I’m reaching out to touch the kindle with one hand. via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/CftnXqDrFqf/