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The Subtle Craft of Courting Kate
242 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 2, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 4, 2026
3.5 stars. I love Aydra Richards, but I prefer her betrayal and grovel novels. Elliot is a golden retriever hero and his intentions were clear as day to me from the beginning. Though I found the premise to be sweet and romantic, the plot didn’t hold my attention. It revolved around Elliot acting unobtrusive and pretending to be nonchalant toward Kate as possible while Kate was just completely oblivious. If they’d just communicated, all of the misunderstandings would’ve been avoided because they loved each other all along! I wanted more angst, as usual.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 6, 2026
DNF @ 25%
I love a pining H but this one didn’t really work for me. It was somewhere between the plot and character development that the story lost me.
I love a pining H but this one didn’t really work for me. It was somewhere between the plot and character development that the story lost me.
July 8, 2026
“The subtle art of Courting Kate” is the story of Elliot and Kate.
This book can be described as a warm hug.
A very sweet friends to lovers romance between an utterly smitten, loyal and charming hero, a very oblivious and serious heroine, a friendship that has lasted decades and a love that transcends time.
He asks her help to “find a wife”- knowing all along he just wants her to be it- she is a lonely, on the shelf shepherdess who eventually agrees to her best friend’s shenanigans. Between waltzes, delicious cakes and heated kisses, they realize their feelings.. topped with a pinch of jealousy, a long awaited confession and a heartwarming ending.
Low on angst but high on feels.
Safe
4/5
This book can be described as a warm hug.
A very sweet friends to lovers romance between an utterly smitten, loyal and charming hero, a very oblivious and serious heroine, a friendship that has lasted decades and a love that transcends time.
He asks her help to “find a wife”- knowing all along he just wants her to be it- she is a lonely, on the shelf shepherdess who eventually agrees to her best friend’s shenanigans. Between waltzes, delicious cakes and heated kisses, they realize their feelings.. topped with a pinch of jealousy, a long awaited confession and a heartwarming ending.
Low on angst but high on feels.
Safe
4/5
July 20, 2026
This book was cute.... but Elliot kind of got on my nerves.
He was too flighty, too goofy, too just.... everywhere.
I couldn't get on board with the story.
Nevermind, the fact of when Kate got wind of Elliot's plans and everything just went to hell.
If I were Kate in this story, I would have been INCENSED. You drag me from my home, where I'm comfortable, take me to London, re-vamp my wardrobe and then have me tail all of these potential suitors for my best friend and then come to find out, it was all for NOTHING?! That it was just a ploy because my best friend was too chicken to tell me he was in love with me?! No. Nope. Nada.
Solid 3 stars. I hate to do that but Aydra DEFINITELY has better than this...
He was too flighty, too goofy, too just.... everywhere.
I couldn't get on board with the story.
Nevermind, the fact of when Kate got wind of Elliot's plans and everything just went to hell.
If I were Kate in this story, I would have been INCENSED. You drag me from my home, where I'm comfortable, take me to London, re-vamp my wardrobe and then have me tail all of these potential suitors for my best friend and then come to find out, it was all for NOTHING?! That it was just a ploy because my best friend was too chicken to tell me he was in love with me?! No. Nope. Nada.
Solid 3 stars. I hate to do that but Aydra DEFINITELY has better than this...
July 14, 2026
The middest of mids--and I really mean that in the best way possible! Sure, I love me some romantic angst and steam and passion, but there are days, like today, when all I need is a pining, country-boy-at-heart third son of a duke, who's been in love with his best friend Kate since they were 13.
Aydra Richards created such a sweet story in The Subtle Craft of Courting Kate. There's no big drama, just miscommunications and misunderstandings, and even the class difference and position in society isn't as big as all that. Even being an aristocratic family, the Holbrooks are raised with privilege but not so much stricture and severity--they seem to also have relatively warm relationships with their parents. Kate Littlefield, on the hand, while not in the upper echelons by a long stretch, is still a proper gentleman's daughter. And the biggest barrier to Elliot and Kate getting together was not class at all, but his inability to properly express his feelings, and her inability to rise from her lack of self-confidence.
It's also lovely, the way they discovered physical intimacy together. It felt appropriately not-quite-bashful, but it was definitely more thoughtful and affectionate, because it's obviously built from theoretical knowledge rather than learned experience.
This was just the sweetest, sweetest historical romance. and it was exactly what I needed. I haven't gone aaaawwww in such a long, long time.
Aydra Richards created such a sweet story in The Subtle Craft of Courting Kate. There's no big drama, just miscommunications and misunderstandings, and even the class difference and position in society isn't as big as all that. Even being an aristocratic family, the Holbrooks are raised with privilege but not so much stricture and severity--they seem to also have relatively warm relationships with their parents. Kate Littlefield, on the hand, while not in the upper echelons by a long stretch, is still a proper gentleman's daughter. And the biggest barrier to Elliot and Kate getting together was not class at all, but his inability to properly express his feelings, and her inability to rise from her lack of self-confidence.
It's also lovely, the way they discovered physical intimacy together. It felt appropriately not-quite-bashful, but it was definitely more thoughtful and affectionate, because it's obviously built from theoretical knowledge rather than learned experience.
This was just the sweetest, sweetest historical romance. and it was exactly what I needed. I haven't gone aaaawwww in such a long, long time.
July 9, 2026
You know, I want to encourage more golden retriever heroes as a type, but I did have some real problems with this book and with Elliot in particular. Argh, Aydra Richards is so close to being an author I really like, and I'll always give her stuff a shot, but man, I felt like what Elliot did to Kate in this book was pretty damned cruel, and not really worthy of the "golden retriever" type.
For someone you're supposed to be in love with forever... for Elliot to put Kate in the position of assuming she's going to lose him because she's socially beneath him, and forcing her to evaluate and imagine his upper echelon privileged life with another woman - that SHE WAS FORCED TO VET FOR HIM - while she returns to scraping by tending her sheep. Ugh. It really didn't sit well with me, especially the longer it went on.
Like man the fuck up dude and tell her how you feel. The scenario just made me increasingly uncomfortable as Kate kept ruminating on their class difference. Of course it would never occur to her that they could be together! It's not on HER to overcome that social gap, it's on Elliot as the person of privilege/power to reassure Kate the gap isn't an issue for either him or his family, but all he cares about is making her jealous? She's clearly not enjoying writing in that damned notebook. What a horrible exercise to put her through.
That dynamic really kept me from truly enjoying this story. I kept wanting to skim ahead to when he would finally tell her - and he never really did! His brother did it first. Took way too long, and all his other "sweet" characteristics couldn't make up for it.
For someone you're supposed to be in love with forever... for Elliot to put Kate in the position of assuming she's going to lose him because she's socially beneath him, and forcing her to evaluate and imagine his upper echelon privileged life with another woman - that SHE WAS FORCED TO VET FOR HIM - while she returns to scraping by tending her sheep. Ugh. It really didn't sit well with me, especially the longer it went on.
Like man the fuck up dude and tell her how you feel. The scenario just made me increasingly uncomfortable as Kate kept ruminating on their class difference. Of course it would never occur to her that they could be together! It's not on HER to overcome that social gap, it's on Elliot as the person of privilege/power to reassure Kate the gap isn't an issue for either him or his family, but all he cares about is making her jealous? She's clearly not enjoying writing in that damned notebook. What a horrible exercise to put her through.
That dynamic really kept me from truly enjoying this story. I kept wanting to skim ahead to when he would finally tell her - and he never really did! His brother did it first. Took way too long, and all his other "sweet" characteristics couldn't make up for it.
July 8, 2026
Just Perfection!
Looks like this may turn into a new series with this as it's first book.
It tells us about the wonderful romance between the youngest Holbrook son, Elliot and his lifelong love-of-his-life and best friend, Kate, who is totally oblivious to his feeling for her.
So as his best friend, she is tasked with having to find him a suitable wife - someone he can fall in love with.
Can you just imagine that scenario? It was so perfect for all kinds of thing to happen - and they did. Just perfection!
These two characters pulled, no, they yanked at my heartstrings, over and over again and their story - it was so fresh, funny, sensual and very entertaining.
I would be very happy to read more from this new-to-me author!
Looks like this may turn into a new series with this as it's first book.
It tells us about the wonderful romance between the youngest Holbrook son, Elliot and his lifelong love-of-his-life and best friend, Kate, who is totally oblivious to his feeling for her.
So as his best friend, she is tasked with having to find him a suitable wife - someone he can fall in love with.
Can you just imagine that scenario? It was so perfect for all kinds of thing to happen - and they did. Just perfection!
These two characters pulled, no, they yanked at my heartstrings, over and over again and their story - it was so fresh, funny, sensual and very entertaining.
I would be very happy to read more from this new-to-me author!
July 23, 2026
I’ve never read this author before, and she seems talented enough…but I couldn’t finish this one. I understand the whole deception trope but in this case it just feels extra silly. The MMC is going to all this trouble to trick his friend just to convince her he is serious about wanting to marry her? Has he ever tried just…using words? All I read was him lamenting about how he is such a goofy goober around her that she never takes him seriously. Well, that could be rectified easily by BEING SERIOUS FOR FIVE MINUTES.
I don’t know. And honestly the book says it’s six hours long and that seems a little long winded for a story based off such a flimsy premise.
I might try this author again, but there were also quite a few grammatical errors that were distracting as well so we will see.
I don’t know. And honestly the book says it’s six hours long and that seems a little long winded for a story based off such a flimsy premise.
I might try this author again, but there were also quite a few grammatical errors that were distracting as well so we will see.
July 27, 2026
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Okay, the relatively low rating pains me because I love this author, but I just could not get into this one. It took me way longer to read, while being on the shorter side.
I find that I’m super picky with childhood friends-to-lovers, and while Kate and Elliott were fine, I just didn’t feel much about their relationship. Truly, just give me more Rebecca!!
There were moments when I felt that usual angsty pang in my heart that I’m used to when reading AR’s novels, but compared to her others this just doesn’t “hit” quite as well.
I’ll definitely read about Elliott’s brothers finding love when their time comes!
Okay, the relatively low rating pains me because I love this author, but I just could not get into this one. It took me way longer to read, while being on the shorter side.
I find that I’m super picky with childhood friends-to-lovers, and while Kate and Elliott were fine, I just didn’t feel much about their relationship. Truly, just give me more Rebecca!!
There were moments when I felt that usual angsty pang in my heart that I’m used to when reading AR’s novels, but compared to her others this just doesn’t “hit” quite as well.
I’ll definitely read about Elliott’s brothers finding love when their time comes!
July 6, 2026
this book is a keeper!
What a fabulous storyline. The characters were very real as they are in all of Aydra’s books. I fell in love with Elliot within moments and Kate was his perfect foil. He certainly is a Golden Retriever of a man that anyone could love. I laughed out loud at some of his quips and Kate couldn’t stay cross at him for any length of time. I shall be re-reading this story over and over again because it brought me so much pleasure. Thank you Aydra, you’ve done it again.
What a fabulous storyline. The characters were very real as they are in all of Aydra’s books. I fell in love with Elliot within moments and Kate was his perfect foil. He certainly is a Golden Retriever of a man that anyone could love. I laughed out loud at some of his quips and Kate couldn’t stay cross at him for any length of time. I shall be re-reading this story over and over again because it brought me so much pleasure. Thank you Aydra, you’ve done it again.
July 7, 2026
the perfect wife guy
Ahhh Elliott, you could just talk to the woman! But then we wouldn’t have this fantastic romp of a slow burn courting-your-best-friend book with the sweetest ending 🥰
Ahhh Elliott, you could just talk to the woman! But then we wouldn’t have this fantastic romp of a slow burn courting-your-best-friend book with the sweetest ending 🥰
July 14, 2026
Another good one, and I’m thrilled for a new series. Unlike the reviews of those who weren’t as enamored, I understood the reasoning of Elliot and his subterfuge. I enjoyed how everyone knew his heart, how Katie came into hers, and I loved how the truth came out. A sweet, fun read.
July 15, 2026
Could not put this one down finished in 2 and a half days and we are in the process of moving .I'm counting on his brother's courtship to be just as entertaining. Both of them Thanks again for another great read
July 4, 2026
Very…banal?
July 25, 2026
2 stars
pros:
- each others’ first kiss and dual virgins
cons:
- no personality or plot
pros:
- each others’ first kiss and dual virgins
cons:
- no personality or plot
Did Not Finish
August 11, 202610%
I like this author, but I struggled to get into this one.
I like this author, but I struggled to get into this one.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews