A Lady For a Duke: a swoonworthy historical romance from the bestselling author of Boyfriend Material

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I was really excited to read this book, I’ve never read a historical romance with a trans main character. And while the concept and the characters in the book were wonderful, the actual plot and pacing of the book was a total snoozefest. I listened to the audiobook and while I normally love reading in that format, I was choosing to listen to music on my commute instead of the book because it was so boring. I’m actually genuinely upset that you can have a premise so interesting with the friends to lovers trope and just make it uninteresting. The characters in A Lady For a Duke are all beautifully drawn. Viola is an instantly sympathetic protagonist who makes for a wonderful heroine. Her reaction at finding Gracewood still devastated by her “death” years later is heartbreaking, particularly when she struggles with whether to tell him that she is the friend he lost. You root for her instantly, wanting her to find happiness and joy in a world that deprives her of it. Gracewood is, without a doubt, one of the best leading men in recent memory. He is best described as a combination of Rochester from Jane Eyre and Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, but he is so unique that it almost does him a disservice to make the comparison at all. The scenes from his perspective that delve more deeply into his PTSD and the lingering effects of his war wounds were some of the strongest scenes in the whole novel. Action taking place in settings including a cold and severe ducal estate, and an airy and modern London townhouse, and a turn about Vauxhall Gardens;

If he allowed himself to think beyond the moment, beyond her closeness, and their entwined fingers, he would have known she was right. But he had no wish to think. Eagerly looking forward to more fresh stories in the historical romance canon to join this one on the shelves. I worried that Viola’s past identity would play a negative, possibly prolonged role between her renewed relationship with the Duke, but readers must rest assured that the Duke’s awareness comes early and his feelings only grow stronger and more devoted with the realisation of what Viola’s life experiences have been, before and after the war. In many ways, both of these characters are haunted by those past versions of themselves and they’re still learning how to accept themselves for who they are *now*, even if those new versions of themselves come with obstacles or hardships. Through healing together and being with one another, they are slowly learning that the people they are now are fully capable and worthy of love.A Lady for a Duke could not have come at a more perfect time for me, fresh off the historical romance binge and having just watched the latest season of Bridgerton. Looking for a romance teeming with emotion, this novel gave me everything I needed and then some. In his altogether masterful historical romance, Alexis Hall draws together a complex past between his main leads, with an evocative center of loss, memory, and intimacy driving the story forward. Our main heroine Viola is one of the more well-written queer characters in historical romance that I have read recently, giving voice to dysphoria and the trans experience in a way unforeseen previously by me in the genre. As for the other main lead, Justin De Vere, he provided quite the emotional conversation surrounding grief and the lingering trauma arising from war. Even with all of this tense subject matter, the entire story overflows with longing and an underlying comfort that disperses throughout every aspect of the novel. This is definitely not a tragic story, yes we have a trans heroine and a disabled hero living in this time period, but it doesn't bear the narrative down into tragedy like I’ve seen other period pieces do. Instead, what emerges is a tender second chance romance about two people defined by their circumstances finding love against the odds. I would also be remiss not to mention the wonderful side characters in this novel, who radiate just as much as the two main leads. With a mix of queer and playful characters, Hall really creates a wholesome cast of supporting characters for the novel. The side plots intervening in the central storyline had the most fabulous banter and made me fall even more in love with the story overall. A Lady for a Duke is honestly one of the most beautiful and exemplary historical romances I have read in quite a long time. The epilogue especially, really brought the emotion to the surface, exemplifying love found and a future once deemed unlikely. It may not have been a perfect read, but boy, did I have a perfectly good time reading it. It was unlike anything I had ever read, but everything that I was so happy to read. Reacquainting myself with Alexis Hall's writing paid off in flying colors - maybe, it's time I reconsider my hesitation to finally read Husband Material, as well... 🤔🤔

But Viola's new ability to explore life as her true womanly self has opened up yet another wrinkle when it comes to Gracewood: she can no longer ignore the fact that her feelings for him are considerably more than friendly. The article I have taken much of the information and quotes from discusses d’Eon’s life with the author of the biography Monsieur d'Eon Is a Woman: A Tale of Political Intrigue and Sexual Masquerade. The biographer views d’Eon’s transition as seemingly as much—or possibly more—having to do with d’Eon’s religiosity as gender. In the article this is attributed to d’Eon’s discussion of this transition, as a “conversion from bad boy to good girl”. While I have far less context than the biographer, this proclamation sounds somewhat complementary to modern trans narratives I have heard—that one was ‘bad’ at presenting and fulfilling all the aspects of their gender assigned at birth, and there is a specific rightness to the gender they identify as. Viola somewhat echoed this sentiment as well—not that she ever considered herself a man or ever refers to herself as such, but in the manner she refers to her life before her transition; “You loved a phantasm… Someone who wasn’t there”. Although Viola’s insistence in her womanhood in the face of confusion or questioning is more stalwart, it has echoes of d’Eon’s insistence at being born a woman. Viola says “I was born Lord Marleigh, but I am Viola Carroll… I am—I have always been a woman. I feel as a woman. I desire as a woman. I… I could not bear being thought otherwise”. Reading this book was like devouring my favourite cheese cake. Every moment was a treat; every second - sweet and delightful. "A Lady for A Duke" is ultimately a comfort read but still manages to make you shed some tears. At least, I CRIED.

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And the secondary characters. Alexis Hall just writes secondary characters who sparkle. How adorably in love Louise and Badger were, and the soft aunt moments with Little Bartholomew. And Mira (I am rooting she gets her own book so badly). How accepting and loving everyone was, all about building the family of your heart. Following the Battle of Waterloo, Viola Carroll abandoned her previous identity, as well as her aristocratic title, to finally embrace life as a trans woman. Allowing the world to believe she had been killed in action, Viola took on the role of companion to her sister-in-law, Lady Louise Marleigh. My favorite thing about this book is that it has just taken modern manners on how to treat a trans person, and plopped it down in Regency England. No long-winded justification for respect, just RESPECT. No outing, no microaggressions, no villainous transphobic rant, just...respect. She was laughing again and it felt like a second release. One of the heart or the soul or the self. As necessary as tears could be sometimes. As powerful as anger. Except this was nothing but love. Love and the triumph of joy.”