Review: Duke, Actually

Synopsis:

USA Today bestselling author Jenny Holiday follows A Princess for Christmas with another delightful contemporary Christmas romance between a playboy baron and a woman who has said goodbye to love.

Maximillian von Hansburg, Baron of Laudon and heir to the Duke of Aquilla, is trapped. Under pressure from his domineering father, he must marry a suitable bride before he inherits a title that feels like a prison sentence. In New York to meet a prospective wife, he ditches his responsibilities and appears on Dani Martinez’s doorstep. He’s been intrigued by the no-nonsense professor since he met her at the Eldovian royal wedding and is determined to befriend her.

Newly single Dani is done with love—she even has a list entitled “Things I Will Never Again Do for a Man”—which is why she hits it off with notorious rake Max. He’s trying to escape relationships, and she’s resolved to avoid them at all costs. All they want from each other is friendship and a distraction from their messy lives.

As their bond begins to deepen, so does their attraction, until they end up in bed together. Falling in love was never part of the plan—Max’s family doesn’t see Dani as a perfect match, even as his heart tells him she’s the one, and Dani isn’t sure she can make it in Max’s world. Can they find the courage to live they life they desire, even if it means risking everything?

Rating: 5-stars

Review:

Duke, Actually by Jenny Holiday is hilarious, heartfelt, and engaging romantic read. I could not help but to root for both the heroine and hero. The heroine’s Christmas was starting off bad. Invited to a party where her ex-husband would be with his new woman tops it off…then, she receives a text message. It is from a notorious Baron from a foreign country. He wants to hang out with her. His reasons are that their best friends were getting married soon and she’s the only woman who does not swoon over him. However, she does swoon. Who would not? A tall handsome Baron who is frustratingly annoying in all the right ways. Jenny Holiday works her usual magic in this novel. I laughed so hard, I cried. This book had the best back and forth banters, swoon worthy moments, and the friends-to-lovers theme. Everything I ever wanted in one epic romance novel was here.