i admit that i did not enjoy it as much as i hoped. i'd say that it's a "it's not you, it's me" situation, more than anything, though. as a reader, i usually avoid romance where the main characters have slept with each other because it ruins the relationship build-up for me—it feels less romantic because they've seen all there is to see of each other—literally. but, hey, that's just me. i think this book would be better suited for those who love one-stand romance—those who want sexual tension, lust, and heated glances.

i did enjoy the author's writing style as i found it so beautiful and smooth. this one didn't work out for me but i hope i'd be able to enjoy the author's next release!

ᡣ𐭩 i received an advance reader copy from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review ᡣ𐭩

DNF @ 20%

Unfortunately this book just didn’t work for me. I can appreciate what the author was doing with the writing style, but I found it very dense, wordy and hard to follow. I personally found there was a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. The book just didn’t really capture my interest; I thought the concept was good but the writing style felt very dry. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

This was a fast-paced, steamy read, the opening was wild and it stayed engaging the whole way through. Loved an older roguish hero who's obsessed with our leading lady! I read a ton of regency romances and this was definitely one of the good ones, the perfect thing to tide you over until we get more Bridgerton!

A Duke of One's Own was a spicy regency romance novel. Georgianna Pendlebury is a woman over the normal marrying age. She is much more independent and tests the boundaries of society. She is unknowlingly led to va party with a "friend" that turns out to be of a very scandalous nature. There she meets a mysterious stranger who offers his help.

Later in the season she is invited to a party for the Duke of Northriding that is looking to marry as he is in need of an heir. When Georgie meets him, she realizes that he is none other than her mysterious stranger. Georgie tries to avoid the truth getting out about her history with the duke as all the other ladies vie for his attention. The Duke and Georgie find themselves continually drawn to each other. With their attraction growing Georgie finds herself jealous of any others who get the Duke's attention. Will she find herself as the new Duchess?

This story was a light regency romance with some added spice. Georgie is not your normal regency era woman. She is strong willed and doesn't want to marry except for love. Her older brother doesn't push the issue and allows her some independence. The Duke is drawn to her and the chemistry between them is palpable. There are several steamy scenes between them that will have the room feeling warm.

The story itself is a fun read. There are some threads from the start of the book that don't come back into play until nearly the end. There are some twists and turns throughout that make this romance a light read. The story was well paced and a quick read. I would definitely recommend if you love regency romance, scandalous encounters, and rakish Dukes.

I'm not sure if Georgette Heyer would approve even if she lived today but it's a very entertaining and compelling historical romance.
Georgiana is strong and well plotted character. I had fun and recommend this novel
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Emma Orchard for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for A Duke of One's Own coming out April 22, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I’m obsessed with regency romances so I was really excited for it. I thought the masquerade set up would be really entertaining and I also loved the characters’ names. However, this story didn’t quite work for me. I liked it, but didn’t love it. I thought it was a little too instalove and then they spent the rest of the time in a “will they, won’t they?” The characters were fun, but I was hoping for a little more emotion. I’ll definitely check out other books by this author.

Everyone who enjoyed Bridgerton NEEDS to read this book! It was so much fun from start to finish - the perfect blend of steamy scenes and funny dialogue as well as a really sweet love story too. I thought the plot was well written too, which I find often isn't the case with this genre of novel. I loved following Georgiana through the story, she was such a fun FMC!

Thanks so much to Netgaley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

A Duke of One's Own" by Emma Orchard is a light and enjoyable historical romance. Set in 1816, it follows Lady Georgiana Pendlebury as she navigates scandal and secrets at a Yorkshire castle party. While the plot and pacing are engaging, I struggled to connect with the characters and felt the romantic tension lacking. Despite some historical inaccuracies, the book offers a fun escape for readers seeking a flavorful romance without much substance. Georgie and Gabriel's relationship feels underdeveloped, but the story can be enjoyed as a standalone. Overall, it's a pleasant read for those looking for a light historical romance, but it didn't fully capture my interest.

Unfortunately sometimes I just know immediately that a book isn’t for me - I tried to persevere a little longer, but it just wasn’t clicking and I wasn’t interested in Georgina or the duke. Who knows, I may pick it up at another point, however I am DNFing at this time. Lots of other readers and reviewers seem to have really enjoyed this, and I think I am in the minority with feeling this way. Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read an ARC and review this book.

I could not get into this book. It seemed to ramble on a lot about everything! I did skip ahead a bit to see if it got any better but it didn't. There was too much filler for me.

Oh how I enjoyed this book. I was worried it may ne like too many others but I was quickly proven wrong in the first few chapters.

I really enjoyed the regency historical romance element in this book. It had everything that I wanted and thought the historical element worked with everything that I wanted. The characters were interesting and had a great feel for this type of book. I was engaged with the concept and enjoyed going on this story. Emma Orchard has a great writing style and I can’t wait for more.

This book was cute, but I felt like it was lacking something. I enjoyed the spark between the main characters but would have appreciated further relationship development. The setting/premise was intriguing, but I did find the writing style tedious at times. It’s still a fun read though.

I had high hopes....

But it fell a little flat for me. I'm not into rakes and Gabriel is one. He's now throwing a house party to find a wife. Georgiana met Gabriel at another party, a way more shady party. Hey, he was there to engage in shady dealings.
Just missed the mark for me.

Delicious regency romp. When impulsive Georgiana puts her trust in the wrong person and ends up in what could be very scandalous circumstances indeed, she's rescued by a masked duke - and takes an even bigger risk. And when she ends up visiting her aunt's friend, she discovers that her rescuer is the duke who's in need of a wife.

Steamy, frothy, funny (the dialogue is great), with a good cast of characters. Loved the 'Sapphic romance' (and I think that deserves a book of its own). Thoroughly enjoyed this.

Volatile!

I knew within a few pages I was going to lourve this. Deftly woven Emma Orchard!
An unusual heroine who’s feisty, gives into her passions, and beloved by her family even as they support her through her many mishaps. Lady Georgina Pendlebury craved a little more excitement so she’d gone to what she thought would be slightly outre masquerade dressed as a young man with her new friend, the dashing widow Mrs. Caroline Aubrey. (The action in the Prologue reminded me of some of Heyer’s works but with a great deal more explicitness taking place. You know, aging rake meets feisty innocent.)
Although this time Georgina mishaps spectacularly with the infamous Silver Duke, whom she meets under somewhat spurious circumstances. (And this mishap, unknown to her, looked like coming back to
bite.)What Emma had entered was a scandalously luxurious house where orgies were taking place everywhere!
It’s here Georgina becomes somewhat involved with an older masked man with streaks of silver in his hair.
Neither knew who the other was. Of course they’re reunited just as spectacularly, although this time with family in tow.
The Duke is looking for a wife to beget heirs. Georgina is not looking for a husband without love.
As it turns out the Duke and the now, altogether knowing virgin Georgina, are by circumstances obliged to marry, but will they get their HEA, or are they doomed to a life of lust?
Must say, the tension levels of the story propelled it into a really enjoyable, steamy read, with a side dish of angst and duplicity.

A Boldwood Books ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I wanted so badly to love this book, but it fell a little flat for me. I felt no connection to the characters, and I really didn’t love the insta love vibes.

Enjoyable, spicy, and easy historical romance but ultimately I just didn’t buy it.

So the good points:I really enjoyed the plot, the pacing, the world building and the exploration of various themes around unconventional relationships. Ultimately all of that just didn’t make up for me not buying into the story though. I’m not sure if it’s that I never really felt the tension or romantic connection, or if there were just too many historical inaccuracies (lots of historical norms and expectations felt like they were skimmed over or excluded because they didn’t fit with the author’s story) but I never felt invested in this book.

It also probably didn’t help that I could just not buy into the MCs. Georgie was an interesting FMC to start with but she soon became just a bit boring. Likewise our MMC was really intriguing and instantly sucked me initially, but the more time we spent with him the less and less interested I became.

Overall, if you’re wanting a light and enjoyable historical romance this might be worth looking into. Despite my numerous gripes this wasn’t a bad read at all, I just don’t think it’s for me. In actual fact, it was a fun and relatively enjoyable read so, as long as you’re willing to suspend disbelief and forget the historical accuracies. It’s more if you want the FLAVOUR of a historical romance without the substance.

I hadn’t read anything previously by this author (including the book preceding this). And while I’m sure there will have been some lovely easter eggs if I had, you really didn’t need to have read the first book to enjoy this. It’s definitely comfortable as a stand alone!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC

I had high expectations for this story and it didn't live up to them. I loved the idea of the main characters meeting in a very scandalous situation, only to meet at a house party a few weeks later when he is trying to find a wife. But it was surprisingly hard to get into the story. The first part of the story was intriguing but it was missing any tension between the characters. I think the best part of Regency romances is the tension and the pining, but this story didn't have any tension since they just kept getting together every time they had meaningful conversations. The second half of the story was interesting and made the book worth reading. It allowed the characters to develop more and the plot was interesting. So even though the story was not what I expected, it was still enjoyable.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book, my first read from the author, and I enjoyed it! Georgie is a strong girl who knows what she ways, even if it tends to lead her into trouble, whereas Gabriel is trouble incarnate, if the rumors are to be believed. What started as a passionate and unexpected encounter blossoms into a tale of love, honor, duty, self doubt, and passion, as well as both upholding and disregarding societal norms. I love that there are unconventional for the time couples present, representing the lgbtq community and how they were able to work within the confines of society, as well as a look into the not so “polite” side of the ton. While there was an air of mystery and intrigue, and some assistance from friends and family alike, these two were meant to be and it was lovely to see it come about, no matter how wayward the journey. It was also a divergence from typical regency romances to see things post nuptials and not all roses and cheer either—it made for a surprising and rewarding conclusion and one made even sweeter.