Early Review: A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall

 A Lady for a Duke

by Alexis Hall

Release date: May 24, 2022

Published by Forever/Grand Central

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When Viola Carroll was presumed dead at Waterloo she took the opportunity to live, at last, as herself. But freedom does not come without a price, and Viola paid for hers with the loss of her wealth, her title, and her closest companion, Justin de Vere, the Duke of Gracewood.

Only when their families reconnect, years after the war, does Viola learn how deep that loss truly was. Shattered without her, Gracewood has retreated so far into grief that Viola barely recognises her old friend in the lonely, brooding man he has become.

As Viola strives to bring Gracewood back to himself, fresh desires give new names to old feelings. Feelings that would have been impossible once and may be impossible still, but which Viola cannot deny. Even if they cost her everything, all over again.

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I’m not sure I can articulate exactly how amazing this book is. But I will try.

Even though Alexis Hall has written several romcoms, no matter the amount of levity they contain his books always have a gravity to them. They have Big Things to say, important messages woven in with the romance and the humor. It’s one of the things I like most about his books. Usually the messages sit there subtly among the plot and characters like a vase on a shelf, to be noticed, or not. But here they're not quite so unassuming. They're more like a painting on the wall that, upon entering the room, you cannot help but admire and marvel at. And this one might be his most important and impactful yet - and timely, considering the political climate we’re in (here in the US, anyway) at this very moment with all the anti-LGBTQ+/anti-trans legislation going on.

Viola is a trans woman who has given up her old life simply so she can live as her true self. She is extremely hesitant to revisit old places and faces for fear of rejection. She believes she is consigned to a life without love and friendship. However, we see such radical empathy, compassion, and acceptance among the characters. It’s truly beautiful. The message “love is love” echoes loudly throughout these pages. This book is not just wonderful but it is needed.

That aspect of the book may stand out conceptually as the most important part (and, wonderfully, Hall is careful to not allow this element of Viola's identity to become a source of conflict in the book) but it is by no means the only one he tackles. He addresses themes involving the concepts of masculinity, femininity, strength, vulnerability, agency, equality, class, privilege, and misogyny (and what happens when many of these intersect) among others. If you've ever read anything by Alexis Hall, you'll know this is not unusual. He imparts the most beautiful perspective on what it is to be human (and, often, how we can do better). He dives deep here into how social norms affect our lives and often prevent us from flourishing. This, of course, is my personal take, what I took away from the book. I'm sure there is much more than just what stuck out to me.  

So much of this book is profoundly beautiful. The writing is exquisite and the topics are given the weight and sensitivity they deserve. And frankly, it’s a damn good story. There is yearning and angst and drama and more yearning. So much yearning. 😂 And there is a declaration of love in this book that rivals Darcy’s for Elizabeth Bennett. It is SO beautiful. There were some bits that I thought could have been condensed some - the ball scenes went on a while - but it’s never a hardship to read anything by Alexis Hall so I didn’t mind it. I loved the gothic elements to this book - I wasn't really expecting that but it definitely added to the atmospheric tone. I very much look forward to the next one in the series!

5 stars out of 5

Some tropes you'll find in this book: 

- Slow burn

- Childhood friends to lovers

- Second chance (in a way?)

- Hurt/comfort

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever/Grand Central for providing the digital arc