If Jenny Holiday’s books, A Princess for Christmas, and its follow-ups, Duke, Actually, and So This is Christmas, remind you of the Christmas movies on a certain network, they’re supposed to. The author admits her editor said just add spice. And, she also added hints of the movie “Love Actually”, including one perfect scene in an airport in Duke, Actually.
Max von Hansburg is in New York City in December for a party he doesn’t want to attend, so he calls Dani Martinez, and invites her to dinner. Max is going to be man of honor at the wedding of Princess Maria of Eldovia, his best friend and ex-fiance, while Dani is going to best woman for the fall royal wedding when her best friend, Leo, marries Princess Maria. Although Dani isn’t interested in a dinner date, she would like to make an impression at the faculty Christmas party so she invites the “Depraved Duke” to be her plus-one.
Dani hopes Max will deflect some of the attention from her at the first party she’s attending where her almost-ex-husband will be there with the twenty-year-old he took to Spain on his sabbatical. And, Max, always honest, tells Dani he finds her interesting, and he’s more than happy to make his appearance as the wealthy playboy aristocrat. She’s in for a surprise, though.
It turns out that Max is not only honest, he listens to her. And, he’s fun. His childhood Christmas memories were not happy ones, so he enjoys taking her and her mother to “The Nutcracker” and watching their joy. He’s impulsive. Who would expect the future Duke to invite her to make snow angels in Central Park? Dani has been so busy trying to cope with her failed marriage and her attempt to get tenure that she’s missed fun in her life.
And, she’s missed her best friend, Leo, who now lives in Eldovia. With Max, she has a new friend to text and gossip with, someone who has her back, and supports her. But, Max’s future responsibilities lie heavy on him. And, Dani has her own plans, with no intention of ever falling in love again. Can two people who open up to each other, confiding their secrets, truly remain only best friends?
Holiday’s book is filled with witty conversation and a delightful couple. While I had no interest in A Princess for Christmas when it came out, and the latest Eldovia romance, So This is Christmas, doesn’t interest me, Duke, Actually was just the right romantic touch for the Christmas season. In fact, the fairy tale qualities, the New York City scenes, and the characters in this book made me read it a second time this year, although I had already read it.
Jenny Holiday’s website is https://www.jennyholiday.com/
Duke, Actually by Jenny Holdiay. Avon, 2021. ISBN 9780062952080 (paperback), 386p.
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