A Lady for a Duke

In a subversive best friends to lovers story, Hall makes you feel for the characters. All of them are drawn in detail with heartfelt lines.

Alexis Hall is a wonderful writer, and I’ve enjoyed many of his previous books. But this one … this one blew me away. I think it’s probably his best to date, and it kept me reading *well* past when I should have been asleep. (Always the mark of a superb book. :) ) Hall’s books have a skillful way of making me feel seen when I read them. He’s very good at creating moments of deep resonance when a particular scenario comes along and I have to just pause to feel some tension I didn’t even know I was holding fall away from myself. This book had so, so many of those moments. Both Viola and Greenwood are deeply relatable characters. I haven’t experienced gender dysphoria, but I am genderqueer; I also deal with chronic pain and some of the other issues Greenwood faces. (Sadly, vast wealth and being a Duke aren’t among them.) There are a *small* handful of other romances I’ve read that address these themes, but seeing a writer of Hall’s skill take up these threads is so, so rewarding. He doesn’t belabor the ‘how’ of a trans woman’s wardrobe and grooming in high society Britain in the early 1800s, but he doesn’t hand-wave it away as a non-issue, either. His handling of their intimacy is also great. (Though in an ideal world, I do wish that he’d addressed Greenwood’s issues in this area a tiny bit more. Viola’s the protagonist, so this is a relatively minor quibble, but the whole ’sex fixes it all!’ is a bit of a trope for characters with self-consciousness around scars/significant body differences.) Still though - minor, MINOR quibble. It’s a fantastic book, and one I’m likely to re-read soon, since I’m still thinking about it. I can’t recommend this highly enough.

I received an advanced reading copy. Review contains my own thoughts and opinions. Alexis Hall has done it again - written a fantastic book that has utterly captivated me. A Lady for a Duke is beautifully written historical romance - and the first one I’ve read featuring a transgender heroine, Viola. There is so much love, passion, and depth to these characters. Viola and Gracewood were vulnerable and flawed, but complemented each other beautifully. Viola’s brother, Badger, sister-in-law, Louise, and nephew, Little Bartholomew, and Gracewood accepted her as herself so willingly and lovingly, and it was fantastic to read. Speaking of Viola’s family - I adored them, and Gracewood’s sister, Miranda. Louise and Miranda in particular made me laugh out loud with some of their words and antics. And Little Bartholomew gave some of the most perfect deadpan lines. Alexis Hall has content guidance on his website; please read as the book also touches on heavier topics. - What.Beth.Reads on Instagram