A Lady for a Duke

A Lady for a Duke

by Alexis Hall

🎧Narrated by Kay Eluvian

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5

This epic queer historical romance blew me away. From lost friends reuniting, the finding of soulmates to the breaking free of personal and societal chains, this story had it all. 

Viola Carroll has never felt like herself. She has put forth a facade of the happy-go-lucky aristocrat, but that person was not her. When a battle at Waterloo leaves her on the brink of death and she is rehabilitated by locals, she takes this opportunity as her chrysalis moment to emerge as Viola Carroll, her true self.

Now a new person she has given up her title to her brother and everything else from her former life, even her best friend, Justin de Vere, the Duke of Gracewood. But unrest in the ducal household requires Viola’s sister-in-law Lady Marleigh, whom she is now companion to in her new life, to travel to the Gracewood seat. Viola must accompany her and face her past and the friend she left behind.

Gracewood lost the best part of himself when his best fried perished at Waterloo. Now he hides from the world in a haze of laudanum and alcohol… That is until Lady Marleigh barges into his home with her intriguing companion who seems to be his missing half!

This take on a friends to lovers story featuring a trans woman heroine was beautifully done. The angst experienced by Viola and her refusal to live for others and her acceptance of the consequences of her choices was detailed in a way that you as thew reader went through her struggles and successes in tandem. Also on the other side the dual narration provided insight into Gracewood train of thought and process of coming to terms with his wants and needs and the reality of Viola as a partner. I think the friends to lovers trope consists of a side finally seeing the other person as their tru self and that was a perfect fit for Viola and Gracewood story.

These two were the best of friends and the chemistry between them sparked off the page. I loved how Alexis Hall has set up these characters background actions/ history and their situation to provide the perfect set-up where Gracewood and Viola can come together and experience their love for each other as they see fit.

🎧I was fortunate to get to listen to the audiobook for this book. I started listening when I was already halfway through the book, with can be problematic if the narrator doesn’t fit the vibe of the book. This was not the case with Kay Eluvian’s narration. She delivered voice work that exactly fit what this book already sounded like in my head. You could hear in her work that she was connected to the characters and story and truly brought them to life. Her addition of extra sounds that normally are just spoken of, like the sigh or a cough made this reading come to life. I could not have been happier with Kay Eluvian’s work on this audio and the way it enhanced an already superb story.

As a fan of historical Romance and a reader of Alexis Hall’s contemporary work, I could not be happier about this book. This is a must read for fans of HR. This is new standard for the genre.

A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall is scheduled to release May 24th, 2022.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Forever Publishing through NetGalley and the audiobook from Hachette Audio. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

 

 

#ALadyforaDuke #AlexisHall #KayEluvian #Audiobook #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads