Taming of the Dukes Books in Order

Taming of the Dukes is Amalie Howard's playful Victorian romance series, and it wears its rom-com heart very openly. The books are linked by a shared social world, but each one gives a fresh couple, a fresh mess, and a heroine who is usually much harder to manage than the title might suggest.

The setup is half the fun. Always Be My Duchess pairs a cold, practical duke with a former ballerina who agrees to fake an engagement. Never Met a Duke Like You leans into childhood history, social matchmaking, and opposites who are far too aware of each other. The Worst Duke in London turns a fake courtship into a very heated bargain between animal-loving Effie and debt-ridden Gage. Then Only Earl in the World brings in fake dating, bruised pride, and a secret social club with Briar and Jasper.

What ties the books together is tone. Howard likes quick banter, big chemistry, and plots that feel breezy on the surface even when the characters are carrying real pain. Money troubles, family pressure, public scandal, and the limits placed on women all matter here. So do ambition and reinvention. These heroines are not waiting quietly for life to happen to them.

The banter does a lot of the heavy lifting, in the best way.

The Victorian setting matters, but it never feels stiff. London society, country houses, museum talk, social reform, and business concerns all get folded into the romances without slowing them down. The series also likes giving its heroes a little softness under the title and tailoring, whether that shows up as protectiveness, awkward longing, or a badly timed emotional spiral.

If you want historical romance that feels glossy, funny, and very easy to keep reading, this is a strong pick. Read in order if you like returning faces and a steadily growing friend group. Or start with the trope that grabs you first. The series is built to welcome either approach.