Duke for the Summer by Emily Spady
LGBTQ Romance
May 19, 2024-Self-published

Review by Kate H.

This book took me by surprise, in the best way. Based on the description, I had thought it was going to be a ring-around-the-tropes m/m romcom with characters that were somewhat complex but had problems that were easily resolvable. But I am a sucker for novels where an MC pulls a geographic, so I plowed ahead. Imagine my surprise to find two flawed, human characters – not archetypes, not stereotypes – along with real, not ideal, settings, and well written descriptions and dialogue to go along with them, not to mention plenty of earnest, earnest heat.

In Duke for the Summer, Nate, who lives in Eugene, Oregon and wishes to be special in some way to someone, learns he is next in line to inherit a ducal estate and its assets on an island off the coast of Italy. Nate works in a warehouse in a job he hates and focuses on keeping in shape, because it is the only aspect of his life he feels in control of. Jacopo, who is the most recent in a long line of ducal caretakers, comes to Oregon to fetch Nate, because in order to inherit, Nate must spend three months in residence in the ducal castle. Jacopo is in the closet and trying to escape many constraints: the island, his family, and the way he feels different from almost everyone he knows.  Everything about him seems trapped, until his relationship with Nate begins.

The build-up to Nate and Jacopo’s relationship is filled with stutters and false starts. Nate becomes injured and must spend time in Jacopo’s rooms because they are on the ground level.  While this might seem like yet another trope, it allows Nate to understand Jacopo better. Jacopo has been translating the diaries and papers of past dukes and duchesses, and the two bond over the scandals of centuries past.  Some might feel the development of the love story to be too slow. Normally I would agree, but the descriptions of the places, the food, and the dialogue kept me going until the fire between Nate and Jacopo struck and then I was one hundred percent committed.

My only real beef with this book was the POV. We alternate between Nate’s and Jacopo’s point of view – pretty traditional for a romance these days.  With Nate, we get a pretty much soul-bared, straight from the hip narrative.  A few details are elusive.  A past boyfriend who was a jerk only gets cursory treatment. But for the most part, we are hearing about he is feeling and thinking the whole time.  Jacopo, on the other hand, has a secret.  It is alluded to partway through, and then it becomes a focus of Jacopo’s thoughts closer to the end.  So, we know he is holding back something, and even though we have his point of view, we don’t really, because for narrative purposes, he is hiding it from us as well.  I get it, I get it.  It’s for the narrative.  But perhaps basing the whole book on Nate’s point of view would have avoided this authorial sleight of hand.

Grade: A