A LADY FOR A DUKE by Alexis Hall

“A groundbreaking and excellent queer historical romance.”

a lady for a duke

romance

THANK YOU, NEXT

Christopher, Andie J. Berkley (304 pp.) $16.00 paper | June 14, 2022 978-0-593-20006-3

Alex Turner sets out to uncover why all her exes find true love right after dating her and reunites with her first love in the process. Divorce attorney Alex is uninterested in marriage. But when she sees her most recent ex and his new fiancee on reality TV picking out a wedding dress, she looks up her other exes and notices a troubling trend—they all seriously committed to the person they dated after her. Wanting to know why, Alex decides to track them down and ask. When Alex’s old friend Will Harkness, a celebrity chef, finds out about this harebrained scheme, his protective instincts kick in and he insists on coming along. Alex and Will have spent their adult lives mostly avoiding each other, ever since Will rejected Alex when they were teenagers. They’ve remained tied to each other, though, through their mutual love for Lexi, a legendary jazz musician who happens to be Alex’s grandmother and was once briefly married to Will’s father. Alex and Will both had tumultuous relationships with their parents, but Lexi was their rock. Now, buried feelings are springing up between Alex and Will, but with so much history and drama between them, they have to decide if it’s worth taking a risk on love. The story takes a while to find its groove, but readers who stick with it will be rewarded with Christopher’s trademark brash, honest humor and an enticing, angst-y, pushpull romance as the leads learn to be more vulnerable, trusting, and communicative.

A rocky start, but humor and heart win in the end.

A LADY FOR A DUKE

Hall, Alexis Forever (480 pp.) $15.99 paper | May 24, 2022 978-1-5387-5375-0

A second chance for a duke and his best friend. The Battle of Waterloo changed Viola Carroll’s life, because everyone believes she died there. In fact, after recovering from her wounds, she made the bold decision to walk away from her inheritance and her title and into a new life: She was finally free to live as a woman. Unbeknownst to her, however, her best friend’s life was also changed by the loss of the friend he thinks he left on the battlefield. Justin de Vere, Duke of Gracewood, hides in the country, debilitated by symptoms of PTSD, terrible war injuries, and an addiction to laudanum and alcohol. His would be a solitary life except that he still serves as his sister Miranda’s guardian. When Miranda writes to Lady Marleigh, Viola’s sister-in-law, describing her brother’s decline over the past two years, Lady Marleigh decides that she and Viola (who now serves as her paid companion) must go save Miranda. Viola is terrified to travel, not only because Gracewood thinks his best friend is dead, but also because he’s never known her as a woman. When they arrive, Gracewood is depressed, drunk, and doesn’t realize he already knows Viola, so she agrees when Lady Marleigh suggests she try to help him get better. From their respective hiding places, Viola and Gracewood find they share an undeniable connection; eventually Gracewood realizes he’s known Viola his whole life, and the best friends begin to fall in love despite the complications. Author Hall is a consistently beautiful writer, but this story, the first in a new series, may be his best yet. The plot elegantly balances period details and classic tropes to create a queer love story with a pitch-perfect blend of reality and hope. Though the steamy intimate scenes are electric, the story’s momentum comes not from Viola and Gracewood’s slow burn but from the genuine emotional connections among a full cast of charming characters. Despite the centering of Viola and Gracewood’s love story, this is a book that celebrates the many ways people love and are loved. The story is complex and long but never lags, and readers will be glued to the book through the satisfying epilogue. As a bonus, Hall also wrote the funny, insightful discussion questions at the back, allowing readers space to dwell a bit longer on the story.

A groundbreaking and excellent queer historical romance.

CAN’T HIDE LOVE

Hodges, Cheris Dafina/Kensington (384 pp.) $8.99 paper | May 24, 2022 978-1-4967-3193-7

Two people who connect during a steamy vacation fling must decide if what they have is enough to last when they cross paths in the real world. Alexandria Richardson’s life has been all about her family’s Charleston bed-and-breakfast, and it takes all three of her sisters nudging her before she finally agrees to take some time out for herself on a singles’ cruise. As far as Alex is concerned, she’s just looking forward to some rest, relaxation, and poolside romance reading; she’s not counting on winding up completely drenched when a handsome stranger decides to cannonball into the water right next to where she’s lounging. Wesley Prescott’s attitude has always been work-hardbut-play-harder, and when he spots Alex on the cruise, he becomes motivated to win her over at any cost, swerving hard into wooing mode. The two quickly launch into an exciting and spontaneous affair, but they also agree that when it’s time to dock at the end of the trip, they’ll go their