Book Review: “Duchess Material” by Emily Sullivan

Name a more iconic duo than a duke and a bluestocking.

That’s what we’re getting in Emily Sullivan’s latest historical romance, Duchess Material [Buy Bookshop Amazon LibroFM]. Phoebe is from a family with money, but she wants to do some good in the world. She’s left her family behind for the most part and is now a teacher for women in a rough part of London in the 1890s. When one of her students disappears, she takes it upon herself to investigate and lands in police custody. The only thing she can think of to save herself is to drop the name of her childhood friend, Will, who happens to be a duke now.

He also happens to be her childhood crush that she never really got over. Seeing him again after several years brings a lot of those feelings back. On Will’s side of things, he’s trying to find a duchess and is surprised to find he doesn’t mind when Phoebe distracts him from this quest. The quest to find the missing student quickly takes over and shows him things about his fancy duke life that he didn’t know.

One of my favorite aspects of Duchess Material is that it works through an aspect of the time period that you don’t often see. It feels so fresh for the genre to get glimpses into prostitution and what crap women went through in order to be on their own.

Overall, this is a spicy and fun ride. I don’t know what it is about romances in 1800’s UK with a mystery subplot that I love so much, but it’s basically crack. This one did not disappoint and I’m definitely looking forward to Phoebe’s sister Alex getting a story next.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

102: ROWANA MILLER: Secret societies, teen thrillers, and why kids make interesting writers LiteraryHype Podcast

Send us a textThis week on LiteraryHype Podcast, we have a whole bunch of firsts! This is Rowana Miller's first interview! We're talking about her debut novel, Secrets of the Blue Hand Girls, which is being compared to Mona Awad's Bunny, but for teens. It's also Rowana's first time at New York Comic Con, so join us for some fun.FOLLOW ROWANABUY THE BOOKBookshopAmazonLibroFMSupport the showSupport the podcast by shopping:EtsyMy Bookshop.org listsLibroFM audiobooksTry Audible Plus Gift Audible Membership Glocusent LED Neck Reading LightTry Shameless Snacks10% Off at Once Upon a Bookclub10% off Goli VitaminsTWO FREE AUDIOBOOKS with new LibroFM Membership: Kindle Unlimited FREE FOR THREE MONTHS!Prime Television FREE TRIALJoin the fun!WebsiteInstagramTiktok…
  1. 102: ROWANA MILLER: Secret societies, teen thrillers, and why kids make interesting writers
  2. 101: JESSICA S. OLSON: A magical villain romance, heists, and selecting the best snacks
  3. 100: GENE LUEN YANG: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Eisner Awards, and Fighting Book Bans
  4. 99: LILY BRAUN-ARNOLD: Hitting the NYT Bestseller List at 20 with a dystopian love story
  5. 98: AXIE OH: Books for fans of KPop Demon Hunters and Final Fantasy

Note: I can receive compensation for qualifying purchases through links on this site at no additional cost to you. Your support of this site is appreciated.

Leave a comment