Review: No Other Duke But You by Valerie Bowman
St. Martin’s Paperbacks, 2019
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I liked this book. Loosely based on (and featuring a performance of) A Midsummer Night’s Dream, No Other Duke But You is fluffy and it’s fun. Valerie Bowman is a good writer and the ‘farce and folly’ vibe of Shakespeare’s famous comedy is well executed.
However, I didn’t like this book as much as some others I’ve read by Valerie Bowman. This is probably due more to personal preference than anything inherently wrong with this book. For me, the hiccup here was that the characters felt a bit…juvenile. Sometimes I felt like I was reading about the emotionally immature antics of teenagers rather than grow-up people. So many of the decisions made by Delilah and Thomas left me exasperated…like the wholehearted belief in the love potion? Come on, now. I would have liked a little more emotional meat, if you will. I’m an emotional carnivore.
Again, I don’t LOVE friend to lovers typically…so keep that in mind too. *shrugs*
But none of that is to say that I didn’t enjoy reading this No Other Duke But You. I did. If you are in the mood for romantic comedy of errors and something light and even a bit silly then this is a great choice.
No Other Duke But You is set to release on April 30, 2019. Thank you, Netgalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy.
Synopsis
Lady Delilah Montebank, eccentric but lovable, has to make a match by the end of the season or her horrible mother will make one for her. As her mother’s choice of husbands for Delilah is simply terrible, Delilah is determined prove her worth to her mother by securing a proposal from the season’s most eligible bachelor, the Duke of Branville.
Lord Thomas Hobbs, Delilah’s best friend, is a bit put out by Delilah’s latest matchmaking scheme. Because he’s utterly in love with her and has been waiting for years for Delilah to be ready for marriage. And, hey, he’s a duke too, you know…
When Delilah secures a love potion in her quest to win over the Duke of Branville, she accidentally gives the potion to Thomas. Which is highly inconvenient for Thomas, as he was just about to confess his love anyway. Now he has to convince Delilah that he’s loved her all along…#mess!
Happy Romance Reading!
