In A Lady for a Duke by Alexis Hall, Viola Carroll has spent the last couple of years finally free to live as herself, after being raised as a boy all her life. She was a soldier in the British Army, but was presumed dead at the battle of Waterloo and thus able to escape her old life. However, in doing so, she also left behind her wealth and title and friends, including Justin de Vere, the Duke of Gracewood, who was her best friend when they were growing up. So when Viola reunites with Gracewood, she’s nervous but also eager. But Gracewood is a shell of a man, full of grief and trauma after Waterloo. Viola isn’t sure how to find forgiveness when she barely recognizes her best friend. Nor does she know what to do, if living truly also comes with such a steep price.

I read this in June for Pride Month, and am only just now getting around to reviewing it. Oops.

But this was a fun read! Lots of Jane Austen influence, but also with a more modern humor and a bit of irreverence. And the narrator of the audiobook, Kay Eluvian, does a wonderful job. The voices of both Viola and Gracewood are exactly what I wanted, and the emotions are well portrayed.

As for Viola as a character, I quite liked her. She’s determined and intelligent, and sympathetic due to having so many societal expectations stacked against her very existence. Gracewood was fine as well, though a very flawed character. He had excellent development, though, and I had a lot of sympathy for him as he grappled with his (what we would now call) PTSD and dependence on laudanum. His growth over the course of the story was moving.

However, I think my favorite character was probably Lady Marley, Viola’s sister-in-law. She reminds me so much of Mrs. Jennings from Sense and Sensibility, but with an ability to be serious when she needs to. She’s an absolute delight, and every scene that featured her was excellent.

I also found the setting—your usual Austenian place, rich people in Regency England—to be pretty fun. It’s a fun place to escape to, modern enough to be familiar but also historical enough to be foreign. The balls are lavish, yet the traditions are stifling. It’s a good setting to explore and poke holes in the ways that society puts pressure on people—regardless of gender—to behave in certain ways. Viola, as a trans woman, obviously struggles with what it means to be a woman in her world, but also finds so much joy in being able to live as one.

The whole concept—that Viola has support of her brother and sister-in-law, and has a deep and loving relationship with Gracewood, even in a time period we don’t really think of as accepting of difference—is both touching and thought-provoking. I found myself wondering how many people throughout history did we never get to know truly? How many had to hide their queer/trans identities out of fear of being misunderstood, hated, and persecuted? How many people never got to even understand for themselves who they really were? It’s sobering. Yet at the same time, this book also made me wonder how many people managed to accomplish what Viola does? How many people found a way, secretly but safely, to be honest with themselves and their loved ones? It’s encouraging, the thought that even against the odds, people might have found contentment like Viola does.

In the end, A Lady for a Duke is a celebration of honesty, growth, and love. There are some serious topics tackled—trauma, mental health, and so on—but overall, the tone is one of rebellious happiness. The story is at times silly, serious, and spicy. The characters are good, and their development throughout is well-paced. I liked this more than the last book by Hall that I read, and I’ll definitely have to read more in the future!