Charming and endearing, I also loved how the use of Pride and Prejudice moved the story along. While this wasn’t my favorite read, I still enjoyed it.

This book sent me for a roller coaster of emotions. I absolutely love regency romances, so this series is tailor-made for me. Exciting and fast paced kept me flipping the pages to find out what would happen next.

A Duke's Guide to Romance is the first book from The Gentlemen Authors series by Sophie Barnes. If you like sweet and clean romance, then give this book a chance. It’s a nice and easy read, entertaining with a happy ever after that proves that with love, you will always find a way to conquer the obstacles life throws in your way.
Thank you for providing me with a copy to review. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

This book is not only a romance story between Ada and Anthony, but it also has a twist on regency thinking. A great idea that works, Ada suggests to Anthony and his two friends the idea of writing a novel to help with their money worries. Each writing a section and then Ada proofreading, whilst being wooed by Anthony.
This novel idea of a Duke falling for a woman beneath his standing is almost thwarted by his previous interest as she offers Ada the role of being his kept mistress once her marriage to him goes through. Dashing after Ada with a damaged ankle our hero saves the day by quoting Jane Austin, just the right lines for our heroine librarian.
I really enjoyed this regency romance and would recommend it as a great introduction to Sophie Barnes.

I was extremely fortunate to receive an ARC of A Duke's Guide to Romance from the fantastic Sophie Barnes.  All thoughts and opinions are my own. This is the first book in the Gentlemen Authors series and what a booming start. Anthony Gibbs, the Duke of Westcliffe is in dire straits and in need of money. He is considering marrying for money but after meeting Miss Ada Quinn, a bookstore owner's niece, he is having second and third thoughts.  Ada makes him think; she listens to him as he listens to her. He begins to believe that he, along with his two other duke friends, can write a romance and all three can make ends meet. I absolutely loved this first book in the series and can't wait to read what happens with the other two duke authors.

Sophie Barnes has done it again. This book is really wonderful and I enjoyed it a lot! It’s sort of Inception-like, haha, not really, but we learn about writing romance novels while falling in love with Anthony and Ada. This is, of course, the best of historical romance, when the Duke falls in love with the penniless nobody. There are so many ways this can play out.

I have to say, one of the things I like the most about Sophie Barnes is she works in the turmoil and strife that is needed in historical romance while still allowing realistic communication between her main characters. One of the things I dislike the most in many historical romances is the fact that two people who should be in love cannot communicate at all, and THIS is the reason they aren’t together. Sometimes that feels like a lazy obstacle, but Sophie Barnes never relies upon that.

There are definitely miscommunications and misunderstandings between Anthony and Ada, but that is not the only point of contention. Which is why her books are so good, because they are a lot more complicated . . . but in a good way. You are invested because these people actually seem very real to you and behave in a realistic manner. So even though the setting is in the past, you really do connect with it.

It’s also very clear that you’ve been introduced to the main characters in the next two books in this trilogy and you already love them. Plus she’s already set up some questions because two of these characters seem to know each other already and there’s already some sort of impediment to their possible happiness. Also, while still in this book, the main characters of the next book run into each other, even though they have no idea who the other is.

Anyway, this is an excellent start to what is going to be an amazing series. I have pre-ordered all of the books because these are definitely keepers.

By the way, it is historical romance so you know there’s going to be a happy ending, but how to get to that happy ending is not obvious, which was great. I like how everything wrapped up, but that was not what I had imagined would happen!

I'm a big Sophie Barnes fan so I was so excited to see she has a new series coming out! And she gets off to a great start with this book. I loved the characters and thought the premise was pretty clever. It was fun reading a romance novel which discusses the plot devices of romance novels. Obviously, the advice Ada gives to Anthony about what draws in readers is pretty spot on. Speaking of Ada and Anthony, I really loved both of these characters. Their relationship was well developed and came about after connecting through meaningful conversations (and some initial physical attraction of course). I would have loved to have gotten a chapter that focused on the men writing the novel, that would probably have been pretty amusing. We also get little hints about the couples for the next two books which of course mean I can't wait to find out what happens with them.

I really like the idea of a book being written by a Duke. Not just a Duke but three of them. They each are writing a part of the book to make a whole. To help make sure it will be something that will sell, because they each need funds desperately, Anthony has asked Ada to help guide them. Really it started out as a reason for Anthony to get to spend more time with Ada, but grew into so much more.
This is a book that anyone who like Regency romances will absolutely love.