Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Amalie Howard for the ARC in exchange for a honest review. If you enjoy action, adventure, close proximity, and evading your protector aka major crush then I recommend this book! Thank goodness there are those who give him advice or try to may him jealous when he is not making himself jealous.

Thornbury may be a great spymaster, but his romantic side needs help. She is underestimated, but her actions prove otherwise. I love that Bronwyn, although sister to a duke, believes in change and causes for those outside of the ballroom. I love espionage in historical romance! I love how Howard weaves it with historical events and people. Otherwise, Valentine Medford, the Duke of Thornbury, and the lady in question make a great team uncovering plots carried out in multiple countries. Agent: Thao Le, Sandra Dijkstra Literary.Īmalie Howard’s “The Duke in Question” himself asks the same question to Lady Bronwyn Chase until his intentions change and he gets the answer he wants. By turns playful and tense, it's a thoroughly entertaining romp.

Howard touches upon the social inequalities and marginalization of the time, adding nuance and depth to this witty, suspenseful romance. Caught in a web of intrigue and desire, Valentine and Bronwyn become reluctant partners in espionage-and rather less reluctant lovers-as they plunge into ever deeper danger. She's so eager to allay suspicion that Valentine comes away from their first interaction thinking her an 'avaricious nitwit.' Even so, there's an undeniable mutual attraction that only grows as their travels take them to America and back to Europe. Civil War, she's distressed to encounter Valentine aboard the same ship. As she sets sail to Philadelphia bearing secret documents to aid the North in the U.S.

It's Lady Bronwyn Chase, sister to the Duke of Ashvale, who's determined to use her privilege to help the oppressed and disenfranchised. Retired spymaster Valentine Medford, Duke of Thornbury, is called back into service to track down the mysterious Kestrel-not realizing the 'rogue operative' is hiding in plain sight. With this spirited Victorian romance, a loose sequel to 2021's Rules for Heiresses, Howard constructs a vibrant, witty adventure whose undercover leads enjoy sizzling chemistry under the covers.

The Duke in Question by Amalie Howard