You’re the Duke That I Want by Lenora Bell (Review by Stephanie Rowitz)

Rating: 2.5/5

Sandrine Oliver has been raised to be a good girl. She always follows her mother’s rules, and never steps out of line. Her mother expects her to marry the town vicar, but Sandrine feels like she’s meant for something more than a quiet life in a sleepy seaside village. One day, she finally has enough and does something out of her comfort zone, which just so happens to catch the eye of Lord Dane Walker, the notoriously angsty, bad boy Duke. Only, she doesn’t know he’s a Duke…

You’re the Duke That I Want is a historical romance spin on the movie Grease, complete with the good girl going bad and the bad boy trying to be good. There are also the London bad girls that Sandrine starts hanging out with who call themselves “The Pink Ladies.” In case you weren’t sure if this book was based on Grease, that should help clear things up for you. 

Sandrine flirts with being a bad girl, while Dane tries to be the good guy that Sandrine deserves. However, Dane has a bit more existential angst than Danny Zuko did which, to me, felt a bit over the top. I enjoy reading about a character who doesn’t think he deserves anything good to happen to him, but there was something about Dane that just seemed a bit disingenuous to me. Perhaps it was because he’s a Duke and already has had a pretty good and comfortable life. However, I did enjoy their meet-cute and how the events unfolded surrounding Sandrine finding out Dane’s true identity. 

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of Grease or historical romances, but, like Sandrine, I wanted to explore something outside my comfort zone. I’m glad I did because I can appreciate the draw of historical romance, and why this subgenre captivates so many people; unfortunately, it just didn’t captivate me. However, if you like Grease and historical romances, this book is right up your alley.