myyam's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
amnaali's review
3.0
Duke, Actually
My summary: Dani Martinez’s life is falling apart. She just got out of a divorce, her best friend moved to Eldovia and she doesn’t even know if she likes the job she’s currently doing. Max who is a Baron meets Dani and immediately the two of them hit it off. Max being light hearted and not serious just seems to be what Dani needs in her stressful world. The two go on many adventures visiting so many places. They’ve made promises to themselves and each other that there relationship is strictly friends. As emotions change and lists are made Dani and Max reconsider If that’s a promise they want to keep…..or not.
My thoughts:When this book first got approved for me on NetGalley I was ecstatic. I’m a new joiner and I’m not popular on bookstgram so I didn’t expect to get approved so quick. As any normal human I tried to find out as much as I could about the Author and the book itself before reading it. Whilst I was stalking Jenny Holiday (shamelessly) on Instagram I noticed the same phrase used quite a lot. She described her books as hallmark movies and a lot of the reviews I read said the same thing. This book 100% lived up to my standards. It is a literal Hallmark movie on paper. I could see the scenes playing out in my head and in every sentence I pictured something new. This book was just adorable, it was so cute and funny and the banter is like any other. I absolutely love Dani and Max’s characters and wouldn’t have them written any other way. Honestly speaking I never really enjoyed third person writing and that kind of threw me off when I first started reading but as I continued I grew to love the writing style and how you were getting the story from so many different angles. Jenny Holdiay really lived up to my standards and I can’t wait to read this again on a toasty Christmas evening:)
Thank you to Avon Harper voyager via NetGalley for approving me to read this eARc. I was sent an eARC in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
#DukeActually #NetGalley
My summary: Dani Martinez’s life is falling apart. She just got out of a divorce, her best friend moved to Eldovia and she doesn’t even know if she likes the job she’s currently doing. Max who is a Baron meets Dani and immediately the two of them hit it off. Max being light hearted and not serious just seems to be what Dani needs in her stressful world. The two go on many adventures visiting so many places. They’ve made promises to themselves and each other that there relationship is strictly friends. As emotions change and lists are made Dani and Max reconsider If that’s a promise they want to keep…..or not.
My thoughts:When this book first got approved for me on NetGalley I was ecstatic. I’m a new joiner and I’m not popular on bookstgram so I didn’t expect to get approved so quick. As any normal human I tried to find out as much as I could about the Author and the book itself before reading it. Whilst I was stalking Jenny Holiday (shamelessly) on Instagram I noticed the same phrase used quite a lot. She described her books as hallmark movies and a lot of the reviews I read said the same thing. This book 100% lived up to my standards. It is a literal Hallmark movie on paper. I could see the scenes playing out in my head and in every sentence I pictured something new. This book was just adorable, it was so cute and funny and the banter is like any other. I absolutely love Dani and Max’s characters and wouldn’t have them written any other way. Honestly speaking I never really enjoyed third person writing and that kind of threw me off when I first started reading but as I continued I grew to love the writing style and how you were getting the story from so many different angles. Jenny Holdiay really lived up to my standards and I can’t wait to read this again on a toasty Christmas evening:)
Thank you to Avon Harper voyager via NetGalley for approving me to read this eARc. I was sent an eARC in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
#DukeActually #NetGalley
juvball3's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It was good but just not amazing for me.
infte's review
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
joelleslibrary's review
3.0
I read this because I was seeing it all over my feed on Bookstagram and picked it up without knowing that it was technically the second book in this story. But I still enjoyed it and loved reading about Dani and Max’s relationship. Max was absolutely adorable and always gave me butterflies
lindsayreads21's review against another edition
5.0
We first met Max and Dani in Jenny Holiday's "A Princess for Christmas" as the lovable best friends to Marie and Leo. Max is a baron, dreading his inheritance of a dukedom and pegged by the media as a playboy. Dani is post-men and post-love after a failed marriage to a manipulative and all-around horrible man who left her determined to never give up who she is for another man.
While I often found myself infuriated by the miscommunication and stubbornness between Max and Dani, their friendship and budding feelings made "Duke, Actually" a very enjoyable read. There is also the sweet relationship the blossoms with Max and Dani's dog (also named Max, but not a namesake). Those little scenes with the Maxes left me with a silly little smile all on their own.
If you like friends to lovers, with a touch of aristocracy/reformed rake, you are likely to enjoy "Duke, Actually."
While I often found myself infuriated by the miscommunication and stubbornness between Max and Dani, their friendship and budding feelings made "Duke, Actually" a very enjoyable read. There is also the sweet relationship the blossoms with Max and Dani's dog (also named Max, but not a namesake). Those little scenes with the Maxes left me with a silly little smile all on their own.
If you like friends to lovers, with a touch of aristocracy/reformed rake, you are likely to enjoy "Duke, Actually."
Spoiler
And, of course, we get a HEA, which is an absolute necessity for any good romance if you ask me.lindsayreads21's review
5.0
We first met Max and Dani in Jenny Holiday's "A Princess for Christmas" as the lovable best friends to Marie and Leo. Max is a baron, dreading his inheritance of a dukedom and pegged by the media as a playboy. Dani is post-men and post-love after a failed marriage to a manipulative and all-around horrible man who left her determined to never give up who she is for another man.
While I often found myself infuriated by the miscommunication and stubborness between Max and Dani, their friendship and budding feelings made "Duke, Actually" a very enjoyable read. There is also the sweet relationship the blossoms with Max and Dani's dog (also named Max, but not a namesake). Those little scenes with the Maxes left me with a silly little smile all on their own.
If you like friends to lovers, with a touch of aristocracy/reformed rake, you are likely to enjoy "Duke, Actually." And, of course, we get a HEA, which is an absolute necessity for any good romance if you ask me.
While I often found myself infuriated by the miscommunication and stubborness between Max and Dani, their friendship and budding feelings made "Duke, Actually" a very enjoyable read. There is also the sweet relationship the blossoms with Max and Dani's dog (also named Max, but not a namesake). Those little scenes with the Maxes left me with a silly little smile all on their own.
If you like friends to lovers, with a touch of aristocracy/reformed rake, you are likely to enjoy "Duke, Actually." And, of course, we get a HEA, which is an absolute necessity for any good romance if you ask me.
agirlsnightbookbash's review
3.0
What I liked:
Friends to Lovers
Both lead characters are likeable, charming, and engaging
Fun banter
General cute Hallmark like vibes
What I didn't like:
Relentless and repetitive use of Dani's full name for no reason
The repetitive slut shaming of Max by Dani in the 1st half
Miscommunication trope (it doesn't make sense with the story)
Pacing/length of book
Narration gets 4.5 stars. Excellent job although Max's voice is irritating at first.
Friends to Lovers
Both lead characters are likeable, charming, and engaging
Fun banter
General cute Hallmark like vibes
What I didn't like:
Relentless and repetitive use of Dani's full name for no reason
The repetitive slut shaming of Max by Dani in the 1st half
Miscommunication trope (it doesn't make sense with the story)
Pacing/length of book
Narration gets 4.5 stars. Excellent job although Max's voice is irritating at first.