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Never a Wallflower #2
Much Ado About Dukes
As far as William Easton―the Duke of Blackheath―is concerned, love can go to the devil. Why would a man need passion when he has wealth, a stately home, and work to occupy his mind? But no one warned the duke that a fiery and frustratingly strong-willed activist like Lady Beatrice Haven can also be a stunning, dark-haired siren who tempts a man’s mind, body, and soul.
Lady Beatrice is determined to never marry. Ever. She would much rather fight for the rights of women and provoke the darkly handsome Duke of Blackheath, even if he does claim to be forward-thinking. After all, dukes―even gorgeous ones―are the enemy. So why does she feel such enjoyment from their heated exchanges?
But everything changes when Beatrice finds herself suddenly without fortune, a husband, or even a home. Now her future depends on the very man who sets her blood boiling. Because in order to protect his esteemed rival, the Duke of Blackheath has asked for Beatrice’s hand, inviting his once-enemy into his home...and his bed.
Lady Beatrice is determined to never marry. Ever. She would much rather fight for the rights of women and provoke the darkly handsome Duke of Blackheath, even if he does claim to be forward-thinking. After all, dukes―even gorgeous ones―are the enemy. So why does she feel such enjoyment from their heated exchanges?
But everything changes when Beatrice finds herself suddenly without fortune, a husband, or even a home. Now her future depends on the very man who sets her blood boiling. Because in order to protect his esteemed rival, the Duke of Blackheath has asked for Beatrice’s hand, inviting his once-enemy into his home...and his bed.
327 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 23, 2022
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September 9, 2022
✨Be still thy ‘wandering uterus’ o’ mine.✨
This was just absolutely delightful!! I went into it knowing absolutely nothing and I couldn’t have been more pleased. Whenever an outspoken bluestocking finds home with an aloof yet gooey on the inside duke, well boy do I just melt. It’s one of my favorite plot set-ups and it didn’t disappoint.
Will doesn’t believe in love and is literally horrified of the concept—like fleeing ballrooms, falling off horses, blaming indigestion type of scared. Beatrice is similarly horrified, but of marriage, since she doesn’t believe love like her parents’ exists anymore and that’s all she will accept in a match. But as soon as they lay eyes on each other across a ballroom, they’re both absolutely gone.
✨
I swear I just kept picturing the genie from Aladdin and the sound effect of his jaw hitting the ground:
- Why is he so beautiful??? Oh nooooo I did not plan for this (no other duke has a chest as broad and forearms as sexy) (woe is me but also whoa there he can get it..I literally said hi to him and he fell off his horse into a lake and now I can see that very broad chest through his very thin shirt and…now we’re both wet) (great, just great).
- Why is she so stunning??? Lord give me strength (or the ability to vanish on the spot) (apparently turning around after making lusty eye contact across a crowded ballroom doesn’t actually make you disappear it just makes your breeches tighter) (marvelous, simply marvelous).
Will literally lost his mind. It was glorious. The book felt like enemies (very briefly)-to-acquaintances (very briefly)-to friends-to best friends-to lovers.
✨
If you’re a Shakespeare fan, particularly Much Ado About Nothing (I do hope you saw that one coming lol), there are plenty of references. I also loved the Ancient Greek mentions and the flow of the narrative. I was immediately hooked and read the book super fast because I never wanted to leave them.
One of my favorite things in historical romance is a band of brothers (either found or family) who aren’t afraid to tell the hero he’s being a fool in love, especially if the hero claims he doesn’t believe in that little thing called love. So much scoffing! So many knowing looks! We even got boxing (aka punching out (or in) our feelings time)! Ben and Kit, and their camaraderie with Will, were a fabulous addition to the story. There were just so many good scenes between them. Give me a drunk scene any day of the week and I’m yours forever. And I can’t forget their relationship with Beatrice…
Be still my heart (and wandering uterus because damn I cannot wait for Ben to get his own book, just thinking about who his heroine will be…the potential!!!).
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5*/5 🌶🌶.75**/5
*I’m oscillating between 4.25⭐️ and 4.5⭐️ and I know that doesn’t seem like much, but it does influence if I round up or down. Right now, I’m choosing 4.5⭐️ because love wins! aka the ending was adorable and the progression of their love was super organic and a great blend of fluffy and substantial. His grand gesture was grand and I was fighting back the happy tears.
**The only thing the story really lacked was steam. There were two scenes, but we either needed them to be longer and more explicit or just more frequent. It was pretty slow burn; I think kissing commenced at around 40%. My one note says it best: “I did want more aching cocks.” And I think it sums me up as a reader, really. I also wanted more of an education theme or even just a explanatory sex talk because girlie still didn’t know what her clit was called by the end of the book.
- However, I didn’t think I’d be losing my mind at hand-holding, but here we are. I also hope we get to see her pregnant/with kids in the next book(s) because I want to see them both absolutely lose their minds over a cute little spitfire baby.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book! All opinions are honest and my own.
This was just absolutely delightful!! I went into it knowing absolutely nothing and I couldn’t have been more pleased. Whenever an outspoken bluestocking finds home with an aloof yet gooey on the inside duke, well boy do I just melt. It’s one of my favorite plot set-ups and it didn’t disappoint.
Will doesn’t believe in love and is literally horrified of the concept—like fleeing ballrooms, falling off horses, blaming indigestion type of scared. Beatrice is similarly horrified, but of marriage, since she doesn’t believe love like her parents’ exists anymore and that’s all she will accept in a match. But as soon as they lay eyes on each other across a ballroom, they’re both absolutely gone.
✨
I swear I just kept picturing the genie from Aladdin and the sound effect of his jaw hitting the ground:
- Why is he so beautiful??? Oh nooooo I did not plan for this (no other duke has a chest as broad and forearms as sexy) (woe is me but also whoa there he can get it..I literally said hi to him and he fell off his horse into a lake and now I can see that very broad chest through his very thin shirt and…now we’re both wet) (great, just great).
- Why is she so stunning??? Lord give me strength (or the ability to vanish on the spot) (apparently turning around after making lusty eye contact across a crowded ballroom doesn’t actually make you disappear it just makes your breeches tighter) (marvelous, simply marvelous).
Will literally lost his mind. It was glorious. The book felt like enemies (very briefly)-to-acquaintances (very briefly)-to friends-to best friends-to lovers.
✨
If you’re a Shakespeare fan, particularly Much Ado About Nothing (I do hope you saw that one coming lol), there are plenty of references. I also loved the Ancient Greek mentions and the flow of the narrative. I was immediately hooked and read the book super fast because I never wanted to leave them.
One of my favorite things in historical romance is a band of brothers (either found or family) who aren’t afraid to tell the hero he’s being a fool in love, especially if the hero claims he doesn’t believe in that little thing called love. So much scoffing! So many knowing looks! We even got boxing (aka punching out (or in) our feelings time)! Ben and Kit, and their camaraderie with Will, were a fabulous addition to the story. There were just so many good scenes between them. Give me a drunk scene any day of the week and I’m yours forever. And I can’t forget their relationship with Beatrice…
Be still my heart (and wandering uterus because damn I cannot wait for Ben to get his own book, just thinking about who his heroine will be…the potential!!!).
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5*/5 🌶🌶.75**/5
*I’m oscillating between 4.25⭐️ and 4.5⭐️ and I know that doesn’t seem like much, but it does influence if I round up or down. Right now, I’m choosing 4.5⭐️ because love wins! aka the ending was adorable and the progression of their love was super organic and a great blend of fluffy and substantial. His grand gesture was grand and I was fighting back the happy tears.
**The only thing the story really lacked was steam. There were two scenes, but we either needed them to be longer and more explicit or just more frequent. It was pretty slow burn; I think kissing commenced at around 40%. My one note says it best: “I did want more aching cocks.” And I think it sums me up as a reader, really. I also wanted more of an education theme or even just a explanatory sex talk because girlie still didn’t know what her clit was called by the end of the book.
- However, I didn’t think I’d be losing my mind at hand-holding, but here we are. I also hope we get to see her pregnant/with kids in the next book(s) because I want to see them both absolutely lose their minds over a cute little spitfire baby.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book! All opinions are honest and my own.
October 15, 2022
William Easton, the Duke of Blackheath has spent his adult life avoiding emotional entanglements or the slightest mention of love. He has his work to occupy his time and his mind along with a secure fortune. What he didn’t account for was his reaction to headstrong, outspoken women's rights activist Beatrice Haven, or his reaction to her.
Lady Beatrice has always sworn she’d never marry but instead spend her life and her inheritance fighting for women’s rights. She’s happy to provoke the duke even if he does claim to agree with her own beliefs, as she firmly believes all dukes are inherently her enemy. She can’t account for the pleasure she derives from her verbal sparring sessions with the duke.
When Beatrice suddenly learns her fortune is gone and she could soon lose any semblance of security, she reluctantly agrees to a marriage of convenience with the man who makes her blood boil. He’s not prepared to tap into his emotions, but he knows they can at least enjoy one another in the bedroom if they can put their animosity aside.
Phew. This book. It had some good qualities, and the writing was solid, but the characters and dialogue, mainly the heroine, just did not work for me. I’m all for women’s rights, of course, don’t get me wrong there, but I do read romance to try to escape from the problems and injustices of the world at least to some extent, so having the feminism thrown in my face constantly and belligerently by this heroine got old fast. I also feel like I’ve read this book before with the bluestocking, loudly feminist, manhating heroine and it’s honestly getting old for me as well. This review may devolve into a bit of a venting session, but oh well; it happens sometimes.
This particular heroine specialized in monologues and diatribes that grew very repetitive very quickly and she literally never said anything new. She believes her way is the only way and is very judgmental and set in her ways from the get-go. She starts out very clearly stating her view that all dukes are her enemy and must be against her cause, not men with titles or rights to sit in Parliament, just dukes, even though she doesn’t actually know any dukes. She came off as arrogant, judgmental, and very narrow-minded, which I found ironic given her goals. She put me off from the beginning of the story when she was belaboring all the reasons, she hates the duke (brother to her cousin’s fiancé) and making her cousin’s courtship all about her, then we find out she has never actually even met the duke. She’s just decided to hate him because he has that particular title. What rubbish. She basically hates all men, even those who support her cause, because they have rights where she doesn’t and I’m not a fan of this blanket generalization. She built the duke up in her imagination and then was somehow surprised that he was different from her stereotype, and she amazingly seems upset that he doesn’t fall in line with her presumptions.
For his part, William suffers from depressive tendencies, and I found this to be very relatable and it was admirable that he admitted this weakness fairly readily, at least to himself. Beatrice didn’t seem too concerned about William or his feelings and actually did her best to alienate him for a while, despite the fact that he was the one man who agreed with her and might be able to help her cause. Even as he was telling her he agreed with her, she was still coming after him. Because he was a man, she refused to listen to anything he had to say. This wasn’t helped by the fact that William feels connected to Beatrice (though for the life of me I can’t see why), and this makes him terrified because she makes him feel. These two may have agreed on a great many things, but Beatrice wouldn’t concede that they had anything in common or give him any credit, so I was just puzzled about the connection that was supposedly growing between them. Beatrice spends a great deal of time bemoaning William’s arrogance, but I found her to be much more arrogant than he was, perhaps made even worse by the fact that she thinks she knows everything but it’s very clear that she’s incredibly naïve and has a lot to learn.
Beatrice saw her parents’ love match and somehow determined from this that no man could ever possibly catch her eye and that love is a myth. This makes no sense to me that she’d be so jaded and not believe in love after seeing it so firsthand. I’m not a fan of this trope and William’s background wasn’t much better. His mother left him and his two younger brothers when they were all children and never saw them again, so he has abandonment issues and is determined never to love again so as to never be hurt. I’m not a fan of that trope either so this might’ve just been a lose-lose for me. Even after their marriage, I struggled and it’s probably only the narration that kept me going here because I never felt any romance between these two. Somehow, they develop feelings for one another, and William’s infatuation with her did come across on the page, but true love between these two just didn’t really show well, especially on her part and we never saw any change in her. In fact, she was angry when William was giving her space after their marriage, though she’d done nothing but made it seem as if her freedom and a separate life is exactly what she wants. It was honestly a bit sickening the way he bows and rolls over and does anything she says to do. He gives her a lot of support, but it never feels mutual because she castigates him so much without ever really praising him. When their big disagreement comes about, and he cares more about his brother than women’s rights she decides she’s done with him, and she can’t see why he’d think that way.
This heroine was just incredibly arrogant in her own ignorance and the hero didn’t hold up well against her. I wanted to see a partnership and some actual romance, and I never felt like we really got that here. Nonetheless, that’s merely my take on things and I think there are tons of readers who will, and clearly already do, love this incredibly headstrong, feminist heroine, it just didn’t quite do it for me.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
Lady Beatrice has always sworn she’d never marry but instead spend her life and her inheritance fighting for women’s rights. She’s happy to provoke the duke even if he does claim to agree with her own beliefs, as she firmly believes all dukes are inherently her enemy. She can’t account for the pleasure she derives from her verbal sparring sessions with the duke.
When Beatrice suddenly learns her fortune is gone and she could soon lose any semblance of security, she reluctantly agrees to a marriage of convenience with the man who makes her blood boil. He’s not prepared to tap into his emotions, but he knows they can at least enjoy one another in the bedroom if they can put their animosity aside.
Phew. This book. It had some good qualities, and the writing was solid, but the characters and dialogue, mainly the heroine, just did not work for me. I’m all for women’s rights, of course, don’t get me wrong there, but I do read romance to try to escape from the problems and injustices of the world at least to some extent, so having the feminism thrown in my face constantly and belligerently by this heroine got old fast. I also feel like I’ve read this book before with the bluestocking, loudly feminist, manhating heroine and it’s honestly getting old for me as well. This review may devolve into a bit of a venting session, but oh well; it happens sometimes.
This particular heroine specialized in monologues and diatribes that grew very repetitive very quickly and she literally never said anything new. She believes her way is the only way and is very judgmental and set in her ways from the get-go. She starts out very clearly stating her view that all dukes are her enemy and must be against her cause, not men with titles or rights to sit in Parliament, just dukes, even though she doesn’t actually know any dukes. She came off as arrogant, judgmental, and very narrow-minded, which I found ironic given her goals. She put me off from the beginning of the story when she was belaboring all the reasons, she hates the duke (brother to her cousin’s fiancé) and making her cousin’s courtship all about her, then we find out she has never actually even met the duke. She’s just decided to hate him because he has that particular title. What rubbish. She basically hates all men, even those who support her cause, because they have rights where she doesn’t and I’m not a fan of this blanket generalization. She built the duke up in her imagination and then was somehow surprised that he was different from her stereotype, and she amazingly seems upset that he doesn’t fall in line with her presumptions.
For his part, William suffers from depressive tendencies, and I found this to be very relatable and it was admirable that he admitted this weakness fairly readily, at least to himself. Beatrice didn’t seem too concerned about William or his feelings and actually did her best to alienate him for a while, despite the fact that he was the one man who agreed with her and might be able to help her cause. Even as he was telling her he agreed with her, she was still coming after him. Because he was a man, she refused to listen to anything he had to say. This wasn’t helped by the fact that William feels connected to Beatrice (though for the life of me I can’t see why), and this makes him terrified because she makes him feel. These two may have agreed on a great many things, but Beatrice wouldn’t concede that they had anything in common or give him any credit, so I was just puzzled about the connection that was supposedly growing between them. Beatrice spends a great deal of time bemoaning William’s arrogance, but I found her to be much more arrogant than he was, perhaps made even worse by the fact that she thinks she knows everything but it’s very clear that she’s incredibly naïve and has a lot to learn.
Beatrice saw her parents’ love match and somehow determined from this that no man could ever possibly catch her eye and that love is a myth. This makes no sense to me that she’d be so jaded and not believe in love after seeing it so firsthand. I’m not a fan of this trope and William’s background wasn’t much better. His mother left him and his two younger brothers when they were all children and never saw them again, so he has abandonment issues and is determined never to love again so as to never be hurt. I’m not a fan of that trope either so this might’ve just been a lose-lose for me. Even after their marriage, I struggled and it’s probably only the narration that kept me going here because I never felt any romance between these two. Somehow, they develop feelings for one another, and William’s infatuation with her did come across on the page, but true love between these two just didn’t really show well, especially on her part and we never saw any change in her. In fact, she was angry when William was giving her space after their marriage, though she’d done nothing but made it seem as if her freedom and a separate life is exactly what she wants. It was honestly a bit sickening the way he bows and rolls over and does anything she says to do. He gives her a lot of support, but it never feels mutual because she castigates him so much without ever really praising him. When their big disagreement comes about, and he cares more about his brother than women’s rights she decides she’s done with him, and she can’t see why he’d think that way.
This heroine was just incredibly arrogant in her own ignorance and the hero didn’t hold up well against her. I wanted to see a partnership and some actual romance, and I never felt like we really got that here. Nonetheless, that’s merely my take on things and I think there are tons of readers who will, and clearly already do, love this incredibly headstrong, feminist heroine, it just didn’t quite do it for me.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Blog link: https://mustreadalltheromance.blogspo...
May 25, 2022
The edge of his hand touched hers ever so slightly. So slightly that it might have been but an illusion.
She did not seem to notice, and he felt a wave of ridiculous disappointment. Of course she hadn't noticed. What a ludicrous fool he was...
And then, much to his amazement, her hand moved, and her fingers brushed the top of his.
For one brief moment, her hand rested atop his, and the weight of it, the softness, the power of that touch nearly undid him. And he could scarce believe that something so small could feel so great.
Beatrice is a bluestocking with no plans to marry, but many plans to improve women's circumstances. She spends much of her time staying active in multiple charities and passing out pamphlets outside of parliament, and occasionally shouting at MPs.
The Duke of Blackheath--William, is one of the MPs. As a Duke, he has many responsibilities and has not shunned marriage because producing an heir is of course required of a Duke, but he has certainly shunned love.
Imagine this in Stefan from SNLs voice:
This story has EVERYTHING: insta-lust, intellectual rivals to friends to lovers, marriage of convenience, enjoyable subplot and side characters, and tension galore.
This is exactly what I want from a historical romance and it really has it all!
______________________________
Initial thoughts: My initial ratings are always tentative but I feel pretty confident in this one... this was JUST what the doctor ordered after a bout of recent meh reads.
December 3, 2022
2.5 stars
I really wanted to love this one, but there wasn't a whole lot going on in the plot beyond there being a marriage of convince. Because of this, the beginning and end were really boring to me and only the middle was interesting. But even then, they got married pretty quickly and then more of nothing happened. The hero had an emotional depth because of his parents dying young and him becoming duke very young, but that was really all there was to him. Even the heroine wasn't that interesting. Overall, I was just left disappointed and bored with this one.
I really wanted to love this one, but there wasn't a whole lot going on in the plot beyond there being a marriage of convince. Because of this, the beginning and end were really boring to me and only the middle was interesting. But even then, they got married pretty quickly and then more of nothing happened. The hero had an emotional depth because of his parents dying young and him becoming duke very young, but that was really all there was to him. Even the heroine wasn't that interesting. Overall, I was just left disappointed and bored with this one.
August 23, 2022
Lady Beatrice is a bluestocking who is dedicated to pamphlet writing and public speaking to further her cause while despising Dukes and all they represent. She has no desire to marry believing the love her parents had an impossibility for her. Will, the Duke of Blackheath, has no desire for love or passion, but has secretly admired Beatrice for a while.
When Beatrice finds her financially independent spibsterhood dreams ruined, Will offers her marriage in name only. Because they definitely won't fall in love.
Shakespeare quotes and themes are thrown around, marital duties happen, the Duke grovels and they get their happily ever after.
The premise of an on the nose bluestocking and the Duke who helps her hand out pamphlets is a hard sell for me. It's very, very difficult for this premise to dwell in subtleties and nuance without being over the top. And that's exactly what happened here. It was too obvious in tone and theme.
This is a pleasant book, but not outstanding, and lacking grit and tooth for a feminist historical that will work for me.
The narration was good, a solid audiobook performance.
I received an audio ARC for review
When Beatrice finds her financially independent spibsterhood dreams ruined, Will offers her marriage in name only. Because they definitely won't fall in love.
Shakespeare quotes and themes are thrown around, marital duties happen, the Duke grovels and they get their happily ever after.
The premise of an on the nose bluestocking and the Duke who helps her hand out pamphlets is a hard sell for me. It's very, very difficult for this premise to dwell in subtleties and nuance without being over the top. And that's exactly what happened here. It was too obvious in tone and theme.
This is a pleasant book, but not outstanding, and lacking grit and tooth for a feminist historical that will work for me.
The narration was good, a solid audiobook performance.
I received an audio ARC for review
October 4, 2022
‘As far as William Easton―the Duke of Blackheath―is concerned, love can go to the devil. Why would a man need passion when he has wealth, a stately home, and work to occupy his mind? But no one warned the duke that a fiery and frustratingly strong-willed activist like Lady Beatrice Haven can also be a stunning, dark-haired siren who tempts a man’s mind, body, and soul.
Lady Beatrice is determined to never marry. Ever. She would much rather fight for the rights of women and provoke the darkly handsome Duke of Blackheath, even if he does claim to be forward-thinking. After all, dukes―even gorgeous ones―are the enemy. So why does she feel such enjoyment from their heated exchanges?
But everything changes when Beatrice finds herself suddenly without fortune, a husband, or even a home. Now her future depends on the very man who sets her blood boiling. Because in order to protect his esteemed rival, the Duke of Blackheath has asked for Beatrice’s hand, inviting his once-enemy into his home...and his bed.’
________________
2.5 stars, rounded down to 2 stars.
Much Ado About Dukes is the second book in Eva Devon’s Never a Wallflower series and is a historical romance.
This is the first book in the series and by this author that I have read. I wanted to like this book and it definitely had its merits. It was amusing at points and sweet in others, there was a good balance there. But I found that this book relied too much on tropes. From the beautiful blusetocking with glasses who will never let a man tell her what to do, to the perfect duke with a 12-foot wall and a moat around him to hide his emotions because he’s actually hurt inside, amongst others. I wasn’t really a fan of the tropes this book leaned on and so it wasn’t really a match for me.
Beatrice’s character was the biggest issue in this for me, she’s a dangerous combination of arrogance and ignorance. I have a real problem with ‘feminist’ characters that feel the need to be misandrists to show their support of women’s rights. William supports her and her work and genuinely seeks to improve once he’s seen he has been ignorant or lacking in certain areas, but she only sees the negative. She doesn’t appreciate any of his efforts or good works.
This all sounded very negative of me, but it wasn’t a bad book. I see that many people enjoyed, however it was just okay for me. The tropes got in the way and so it wasn’t for me and that’s okay. I do not plan to continue with the series
_____
I would like to thank NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Amara for sharing an eARC of Much Ado About Dukes by Eva Devon. This is my honest review.
Lady Beatrice is determined to never marry. Ever. She would much rather fight for the rights of women and provoke the darkly handsome Duke of Blackheath, even if he does claim to be forward-thinking. After all, dukes―even gorgeous ones―are the enemy. So why does she feel such enjoyment from their heated exchanges?
But everything changes when Beatrice finds herself suddenly without fortune, a husband, or even a home. Now her future depends on the very man who sets her blood boiling. Because in order to protect his esteemed rival, the Duke of Blackheath has asked for Beatrice’s hand, inviting his once-enemy into his home...and his bed.’
________________
2.5 stars, rounded down to 2 stars.
Much Ado About Dukes is the second book in Eva Devon’s Never a Wallflower series and is a historical romance.
This is the first book in the series and by this author that I have read. I wanted to like this book and it definitely had its merits. It was amusing at points and sweet in others, there was a good balance there. But I found that this book relied too much on tropes. From the beautiful blusetocking with glasses who will never let a man tell her what to do, to the perfect duke with a 12-foot wall and a moat around him to hide his emotions because he’s actually hurt inside, amongst others. I wasn’t really a fan of the tropes this book leaned on and so it wasn’t really a match for me.
Beatrice’s character was the biggest issue in this for me, she’s a dangerous combination of arrogance and ignorance. I have a real problem with ‘feminist’ characters that feel the need to be misandrists to show their support of women’s rights. William supports her and her work and genuinely seeks to improve once he’s seen he has been ignorant or lacking in certain areas, but she only sees the negative. She doesn’t appreciate any of his efforts or good works.
This all sounded very negative of me, but it wasn’t a bad book. I see that many people enjoyed, however it was just okay for me. The tropes got in the way and so it wasn’t for me and that’s okay. I do not plan to continue with the series
_____
I would like to thank NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Amara for sharing an eARC of Much Ado About Dukes by Eva Devon. This is my honest review.
September 9, 2022
Overall: 3.5 rounded to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥
Humor: A bit
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
This is the second book in the Never a Wallflower series by Devon, but I found it totally fine to pick up alone. I am not sure how/if the two books are related.
Basic plot:
Lady Beatrice, who has sworn off marriage, has been trying to get the Duke of Blackheath to do the right thing and fight harder for women’s rights with parliament. Now that his brother is marrying her cousin, she wants to use her family connections to corner him and motivate him.
Give this a try if you want:
- A touch of...adversaries to lovers feel – they aren’t really enemies, they agree on things but spunky personalities clash and Beatrice rather loves badgering him
- Duke hero that is active in parliament and attempts to make changes for equal rights
- Bluestocking heroine
- Low to mid steam – 2 full scenes and some kisses
- I believe this is Regency though I couldn’t find a date. The heroine mentions the comfort of the clothing and compares to older style clothing that sounds like earlier Georgian period.
- Marriage of convenience/necessity
- Most of the focus around the couple and joining forces for women’s rights (no mystery/villain focus)
- Soldier hero
My thoughts:
I ended up liking a lot about this story! Sometimes I can dislike the stories that really focus on the suffragette battles because the romance has gotten lost for me on a few of them. But I thought this has a nice balance. It really gave the characters more depth and passion and I felt like I was more invested in their happiness.
I like that things were pointed out that we know are problematic now – just the fact of being a duke at all has some serious negative marks in Williams corner. But smaller things like the fact Beatrice stopped using sugar in her tea because she knows it contributes to abuse. The biggest thing I loved here, though, was the fact that the hero was ON BOARD from the beginning. He is enamored with Beatrice’s passion for women’s rights and he is ready for this battle in parliament. Sure, he’s a man in a man’s world and obviously still has some ignorance he needs shaken out of him. And Beatrice is the perfect one to educate him. I felt like he actually listened to her, the problems women faced, and was willing to make change. It was refreshing she didn’t have to spend the entire book educating him on his privilege.
Beatrice believes she will never marry. Her parents had a loving marriage and she will only marry for true love. William’s parents did not have a good marriage and his mother left his father and abandoned her own children so he vows to never love. I did struggle a bit with the hero thinking he can control love and if he falls in love or not – it’s been a common theme in romance I’ve read and I guess I’ve just read too much of it to get behind that plot dilemma here.
So, overall I thought there were some really sweet scenes and I really enjoyed them together. This was my first Eva Devon and I would definitely like to try more from her. I enjoyed the side characters in this one, especially Beatrice’s cousin and William’s brother, whose engagement is what brought them together in the first place.
I did listen to the ARC audiobook on netgalley narrated by Sasha Higgens. At 1x speed, it was great, but I had some echoing issues with it when I sped it up. It was a bit distracting. Her voice rather reminded me of Galadriel from Lord of the Rings when she goes ethereal talking about the ring of power. I’m not sure what was happening with it.
A few other notes:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥
Humor: A bit
Perspective: Third person from both hero and heroine
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
This is the second book in the Never a Wallflower series by Devon, but I found it totally fine to pick up alone. I am not sure how/if the two books are related.
Basic plot:
Lady Beatrice, who has sworn off marriage, has been trying to get the Duke of Blackheath to do the right thing and fight harder for women’s rights with parliament. Now that his brother is marrying her cousin, she wants to use her family connections to corner him and motivate him.
Give this a try if you want:
- A touch of...adversaries to lovers feel – they aren’t really enemies, they agree on things but spunky personalities clash and Beatrice rather loves badgering him
- Duke hero that is active in parliament and attempts to make changes for equal rights
- Bluestocking heroine
- Low to mid steam – 2 full scenes and some kisses
- I believe this is Regency though I couldn’t find a date. The heroine mentions the comfort of the clothing and compares to older style clothing that sounds like earlier Georgian period.
- Marriage of convenience/necessity
- Most of the focus around the couple and joining forces for women’s rights (no mystery/villain focus)
- Soldier hero
My thoughts:
I ended up liking a lot about this story! Sometimes I can dislike the stories that really focus on the suffragette battles because the romance has gotten lost for me on a few of them. But I thought this has a nice balance. It really gave the characters more depth and passion and I felt like I was more invested in their happiness.
I like that things were pointed out that we know are problematic now – just the fact of being a duke at all has some serious negative marks in Williams corner. But smaller things like the fact Beatrice stopped using sugar in her tea because she knows it contributes to abuse. The biggest thing I loved here, though, was the fact that the hero was ON BOARD from the beginning. He is enamored with Beatrice’s passion for women’s rights and he is ready for this battle in parliament. Sure, he’s a man in a man’s world and obviously still has some ignorance he needs shaken out of him. And Beatrice is the perfect one to educate him. I felt like he actually listened to her, the problems women faced, and was willing to make change. It was refreshing she didn’t have to spend the entire book educating him on his privilege.
Beatrice believes she will never marry. Her parents had a loving marriage and she will only marry for true love. William’s parents did not have a good marriage and his mother left his father and abandoned her own children so he vows to never love. I did struggle a bit with the hero thinking he can control love and if he falls in love or not – it’s been a common theme in romance I’ve read and I guess I’ve just read too much of it to get behind that plot dilemma here.
So, overall I thought there were some really sweet scenes and I really enjoyed them together. This was my first Eva Devon and I would definitely like to try more from her. I enjoyed the side characters in this one, especially Beatrice’s cousin and William’s brother, whose engagement is what brought them together in the first place.
I did listen to the ARC audiobook on netgalley narrated by Sasha Higgens. At 1x speed, it was great, but I had some echoing issues with it when I sped it up. It was a bit distracting. Her voice rather reminded me of Galadriel from Lord of the Rings when she goes ethereal talking about the ring of power. I’m not sure what was happening with it.
A few other notes:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
August 24, 2022
This was great! Eva Devon writes fun, steamy historical romances with modern sensibilities. Much Ado About Dukes is a self-aware take on Much Ado About Nothing, with a firebrand women's rights activist as our heroine and a sympathetic duke haunted by his past.
This takes on toxic masculinity and the nuances of how women are and were treated as less than- and it's quite explicit that this is the project of the book. So if you don't like activism in your romance, this might not be for you, but I found it to be delightful.
I will say, there's not much hatred between the main characters, and whatever antagonism exists dissipates pretty quickly. So if you're looking for that element as part of a retelling you might not find it. But I enjoyed how both characters needed to grow emotionally and become more self-aware, in order to become great partners for each other. And the hero is absolutely SMITTEN but refuses to see it because he's afraid of love. But he supports everything she does and it's adorable. Definitely worth the read! The audio narration is a bit mixed- it's great for the female perspective, but the narrator doesn't do men as well and adding a second narrator might have made this stronger. That said, I still enjoyed it. I received an audio copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This takes on toxic masculinity and the nuances of how women are and were treated as less than- and it's quite explicit that this is the project of the book. So if you don't like activism in your romance, this might not be for you, but I found it to be delightful.
I will say, there's not much hatred between the main characters, and whatever antagonism exists dissipates pretty quickly. So if you're looking for that element as part of a retelling you might not find it. But I enjoyed how both characters needed to grow emotionally and become more self-aware, in order to become great partners for each other. And the hero is absolutely SMITTEN but refuses to see it because he's afraid of love. But he supports everything she does and it's adorable. Definitely worth the read! The audio narration is a bit mixed- it's great for the female perspective, but the narrator doesn't do men as well and adding a second narrator might have made this stronger. That said, I still enjoyed it. I received an audio copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
July 27, 2022
Much Ado About Dukes is the newest release from Eva Devon. I have read a handful of books from this author in the past and the premise of her books always pull me in. While I have had some issues with some of her other books in the past, this one I really enjoyed and is easily my favorite from this author yet!
After throwing herself into the field of pamphlet writing, public speaking, and the joining of a bluestocking league, the truth was Lady Beatrice Haven had grown to hate dukes. All dukes, because they represented the thing she loathed most—the upholding of laws that kept her without rights. Beatrice has plans to take on injustices and fight the battle for those without voices/unable to do so. She has been sending her pamphlets to William Easton, Duke of Blackheath, who is the brother of her cousin’s betrothed. Will never responds to her or agrees to her requests to meet and chat, but they do finally meet when the story starts. While he would never confess it to anyone, Will has actually had a secret admiration for Beatrice and thinks very highly of her.
Will and Beatrice meet again at the theater while both are watching a production of Much Ado About Nothing. They realize they actually have a lot in common with one another, including the presence of Shakespeare all throughout their lives, and they realize they could actually be friends. Shortly after Beatrice’s Uncle informs her that he not only lost his fortune, but he lost hers as well. He had been Beatrice’s guardian and put in charge of her finances and investments. He informs her she should find a husband quickly, before word spreads she no longer has a dowry or fortune and that now her future as a wealthy spinster is no longer a reality. When she laments her woes to Will, he offers her marriage. He never planned to marry for love and she just needs the funds to help causes and the family name to have a say/entrance into politics, so he thinks their alliance will be the perfect arrangement since they will share a cause and not love.
Moments I liked: Will gives Beatrice boxing lessons and agrees to teach her how to throw a punch, Will’s relationships with his brothers who he raised for the past decade after their father died young and their mother left them, all of the Shakespeare. While attempting to keep love out of their relationship, they do give into their lust right away (starting on their wedding night) which was refreshing to see! Will and Beatrice also begin working side by side for ladies’ rights, he even joins her outside of Parliament to hand out pamphlets! And of course I loved the grovel at the end, his speech of all the things he hated before and then the things he actually loves.
Thank you to the publisher (Entangled) for an e-ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own. Much Ado About Dukes has a publish date of August 23, 2022.
After throwing herself into the field of pamphlet writing, public speaking, and the joining of a bluestocking league, the truth was Lady Beatrice Haven had grown to hate dukes. All dukes, because they represented the thing she loathed most—the upholding of laws that kept her without rights. Beatrice has plans to take on injustices and fight the battle for those without voices/unable to do so. She has been sending her pamphlets to William Easton, Duke of Blackheath, who is the brother of her cousin’s betrothed. Will never responds to her or agrees to her requests to meet and chat, but they do finally meet when the story starts. While he would never confess it to anyone, Will has actually had a secret admiration for Beatrice and thinks very highly of her.
Will and Beatrice meet again at the theater while both are watching a production of Much Ado About Nothing. They realize they actually have a lot in common with one another, including the presence of Shakespeare all throughout their lives, and they realize they could actually be friends. Shortly after Beatrice’s Uncle informs her that he not only lost his fortune, but he lost hers as well. He had been Beatrice’s guardian and put in charge of her finances and investments. He informs her she should find a husband quickly, before word spreads she no longer has a dowry or fortune and that now her future as a wealthy spinster is no longer a reality. When she laments her woes to Will, he offers her marriage. He never planned to marry for love and she just needs the funds to help causes and the family name to have a say/entrance into politics, so he thinks their alliance will be the perfect arrangement since they will share a cause and not love.
Moments I liked: Will gives Beatrice boxing lessons and agrees to teach her how to throw a punch, Will’s relationships with his brothers who he raised for the past decade after their father died young and their mother left them, all of the Shakespeare. While attempting to keep love out of their relationship, they do give into their lust right away (starting on their wedding night) which was refreshing to see! Will and Beatrice also begin working side by side for ladies’ rights, he even joins her outside of Parliament to hand out pamphlets! And of course I loved the grovel at the end, his speech of all the things he hated before and then the things he actually loves.
Thank you to the publisher (Entangled) for an e-ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own. Much Ado About Dukes has a publish date of August 23, 2022.
August 21, 2022
This was very cute! Sasha Higgins did a really nice job narrating this one. Her voice was easy to listen to and she got me excited to see what came next for Beatrice and William.
The theater scene touched my heart and I loved what a feminist William became with Beatrice by his side. They made a great team until one of them fell in love and seemed to “ruin everything.”
I loved the relationships between the characters. Maggie and Beatrice and William and his brothers Kit and Ben. I’d love to read a story about Ben! He was hilarious.
The theater scene touched my heart and I loved what a feminist William became with Beatrice by his side. They made a great team until one of them fell in love and seemed to “ruin everything.”
I loved the relationships between the characters. Maggie and Beatrice and William and his brothers Kit and Ben. I’d love to read a story about Ben! He was hilarious.
April 4, 2023
Ok so this book is a bit difficult to rate, so I'll jot down my thoughts and then decide on a rating.
The beginning of the book was pure RELISH. I loved the anticipation of their first meeting, how their preconceived ideas of each other had nothing on how they actually found each to be. I also really enjoyed every time Will and Beatrice were together, their witty dialogues and undeniable attraction to each other.
However, I grew tired of Beatrice's whole Women Are Not Given The Same Rights As Men and You Are A Duke So Everything Goes For You thing. I understand that she's very passionate about it, but to fault Will for not being conscious about this with every word that comes from his mouth, that was a bit much. Example:
Dude, come on *eyeroll*.
Also, there seem to be pages and pages of roundabout-saying-the-same-things-over-and-over-again that had me skimming through the parts with no dialogues. Lots of skimming towards the end.
But the attraction though. The pining, the ✨️ache✨️. Very well-done. Sadly, the parts that I really enjoyed would probably come down to 25% of the whole thing, which is why this is only 2 stars for me.
Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
The beginning of the book was pure RELISH. I loved the anticipation of their first meeting, how their preconceived ideas of each other had nothing on how they actually found each to be. I also really enjoyed every time Will and Beatrice were together, their witty dialogues and undeniable attraction to each other.
However, I grew tired of Beatrice's whole Women Are Not Given The Same Rights As Men and You Are A Duke So Everything Goes For You thing. I understand that she's very passionate about it, but to fault Will for not being conscious about this with every word that comes from his mouth, that was a bit much. Example:
Dude, come on *eyeroll*.
Also, there seem to be pages and pages of roundabout-saying-the-same-things-over-and-over-again that had me skimming through the parts with no dialogues. Lots of skimming towards the end.
But the attraction though. The pining, the ✨️ache✨️. Very well-done. Sadly, the parts that I really enjoyed would probably come down to 25% of the whole thing, which is why this is only 2 stars for me.
Thank you to the publisher and author for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
August 20, 2022
*Thank you to NetGalley & Amara for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
I had my ups and downs with this book. One thing that stands very strongly on the positive side for me was the hero, William. For a good part of the book anyway. I loved that he was dazzled by the heroine right from the beginning. I loved that he genuinely wanted women's rights before the heroine ever thought to shake a pamphlet at him. And I really loved how much he loved his brother.
This book had a rocky beginning for me and I think it took too long getting these two into a friendship, I wish they had already been in one. Because we wasted a BIG part of the story bringing that about and then they just say "We are friends" and I'm supposed to believe it. I rather would have had their friendship already established and then had them start to crush on one another. Cause it just felt so rushed for me yet... slow at the same time.
I liked how the Marriage of Convenience came about and how much they were working together. But then... it just.. froze. Their relationship development stopped dead in it's tracks after their wedding night. How the heroine decides her feelings have progressed is beyond me, because I didn't see it.
I really don't want to be a negative Nancy about this one, so I'm going to stop there. I was hopeful that this Historical Romance about a Blue-Socking Lady and a Duke, where the Duke isn't her adversary in women's rights would have a more sensible couple, but one hard conversation about love and it crumbled right apart. :/
There was lovely pining from the hero though, as I said. And the scenes where he is helping her learn to box were adorable.
3 stars
1.5 on the spice scale
TW: grief (hero for his mother)
I had my ups and downs with this book. One thing that stands very strongly on the positive side for me was the hero, William. For a good part of the book anyway. I loved that he was dazzled by the heroine right from the beginning. I loved that he genuinely wanted women's rights before the heroine ever thought to shake a pamphlet at him. And I really loved how much he loved his brother.
This book had a rocky beginning for me and I think it took too long getting these two into a friendship, I wish they had already been in one. Because we wasted a BIG part of the story bringing that about and then they just say "We are friends" and I'm supposed to believe it. I rather would have had their friendship already established and then had them start to crush on one another. Cause it just felt so rushed for me yet... slow at the same time.
I liked how the Marriage of Convenience came about and how much they were working together. But then... it just.. froze. Their relationship development stopped dead in it's tracks after their wedding night. How the heroine decides her feelings have progressed is beyond me, because I didn't see it.
I really don't want to be a negative Nancy about this one, so I'm going to stop there. I was hopeful that this Historical Romance about a Blue-Socking Lady and a Duke, where the Duke isn't her adversary in women's rights would have a more sensible couple, but one hard conversation about love and it crumbled right apart. :/
There was lovely pining from the hero though, as I said. And the scenes where he is helping her learn to box were adorable.
3 stars
1.5 on the spice scale
TW: grief (hero for his mother)
September 1, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advance audiobook.
I had to DNF this title at 12%. I rarely DNF a title, but I couldn't listen to any more of this book.
I love historical romances, particularly ones with dukes;) They're like palate cleansers—a feisty female protagonist, a brooding duke (or lord, viscount, prince, etc.), and the unique circumstances of that time in history. But this book didn't fulfill its promise to the reader.
The first chapter consisted of a carriage ride to a soiree. Lady Beatrice's cousin was about to be engaged to Duke Blackheath's brother. Lady Beatrice, a proponent of women's rights, planned to use the party to speak to the duke about her cause. The entire carriage ride was Lady Beatrice railing on and on about how she was going to confront the duke, but of course, she would be proper, she would finally pin him down, but she would never do anything to upset her cousin, etc. I found her tiresome in the first chapter—lacking any artfulness or subtlety.
In chapter 2, we find out that the duke secretly admires Lady Beatrice. Then the entire second half of the chapter, we were treated to a play-by-play of his first time seeing her. I think the word 'magnificent' was used two or three times.
Fine, now can we move on? Oh no. The first half of the third chapter was another play-by-play, this time of Lady Beatrice's first impressions of the duke. 'Beautiful' was used three times in as many sentences. We found out that he 'positively towered,' had the 'thighs of a demigod,' and a voice with a 'delicious, tempting timbre.' Those are just a few highlights of a description so long that I started to zone out. I know I'm reading a romance book, but shouldn't the descriptions be tucked here and there throughout the first few chapters instead of creating word vomit on the page?
Then the second half of chapter 3, Lady Beatrice and the duke danced while having the most stilted, boring conversation full of overdramatized reactions and emotions. After that, it was over for me.
My last comment: The narrator might have been a big part of the problem. Her reading style was snooty, vapid (that's how it sounded to me), and like a high-pitched fifteen-year-old. Unfortunately, her voice was also used for the duke's with very little change.
I had to DNF this title at 12%. I rarely DNF a title, but I couldn't listen to any more of this book.
I love historical romances, particularly ones with dukes;) They're like palate cleansers—a feisty female protagonist, a brooding duke (or lord, viscount, prince, etc.), and the unique circumstances of that time in history. But this book didn't fulfill its promise to the reader.
The first chapter consisted of a carriage ride to a soiree. Lady Beatrice's cousin was about to be engaged to Duke Blackheath's brother. Lady Beatrice, a proponent of women's rights, planned to use the party to speak to the duke about her cause. The entire carriage ride was Lady Beatrice railing on and on about how she was going to confront the duke, but of course, she would be proper, she would finally pin him down, but she would never do anything to upset her cousin, etc. I found her tiresome in the first chapter—lacking any artfulness or subtlety.
In chapter 2, we find out that the duke secretly admires Lady Beatrice. Then the entire second half of the chapter, we were treated to a play-by-play of his first time seeing her. I think the word 'magnificent' was used two or three times.
Fine, now can we move on? Oh no. The first half of the third chapter was another play-by-play, this time of Lady Beatrice's first impressions of the duke. 'Beautiful' was used three times in as many sentences. We found out that he 'positively towered,' had the 'thighs of a demigod,' and a voice with a 'delicious, tempting timbre.' Those are just a few highlights of a description so long that I started to zone out. I know I'm reading a romance book, but shouldn't the descriptions be tucked here and there throughout the first few chapters instead of creating word vomit on the page?
Then the second half of chapter 3, Lady Beatrice and the duke danced while having the most stilted, boring conversation full of overdramatized reactions and emotions. After that, it was over for me.
My last comment: The narrator might have been a big part of the problem. Her reading style was snooty, vapid (that's how it sounded to me), and like a high-pitched fifteen-year-old. Unfortunately, her voice was also used for the duke's with very little change.
July 2, 2022
Much Ado About Dukes follows Lady Beatrice Haven and the Duke of Blackheath as they gather to celebrate an upcoming wedding. Beatrice’s sister is engaged to Will’s brother, and as happy as Beatrice is for her sister, she is also frustrated because she has repeatedly mailed letters to Will and has received no response.
Beatrice is an intelligent and passionate bluestocking who doesn’t want to marry and lose her independence. Determined to fight for the voiceless, her drive to fight for women’s and civil rights is admirable and so relevant. Sadly, women in today’s world can relate all too well the frustration and anger Beatrice feels over the limitations placed upon her because she is a woman. Unconventional and unwilling to back down, Beatrice confronts William, as he is a duke, and she has implored him to support her causes.
Unbeknownst to Beatrice, Will was beyond impressed by her letters and is even more intrigued when he meets her. Quickly, Beatrice realizes there is much more to the aloof and dismissive Duke, and after one dance, they can’t deny their chemistry.
Beatrice and Will are both well-developed protagonists, and they have a great love story. They have great chemistry, their banter is fantastic, and I love the way they challenge each other. However, both are hesitant to commit to another, though for very different reasons. She fears losing her autonomy, and he fears losing someone he cares deeply for. I like how they both explore their misgivings and fears as they fall deeper for each other. They are definitely a well-matched pair that brings out the best in each other!
I adore how much Will supports, admires, and encourages Beatrice and feel like this makes him even more swoon-worthy! He is such a good man, and his genuine interest in Beatrice’s thoughts and ideas is refreshing to her. He really listens to her and respects her, which she is not used to when talking to men. Like Beatrice, he is forward-thinking and willing to fight for causes and people he believes in. And throughout the story, he shows Beatrice just how much he believes in her.
I enjoyed the secondary characters too, especially Will’s brothers and Beatrice’s sister. Their relationships with their siblings say so much about them and about Beatrice and Will, and it highlights how important their relatives are to them. The story also includes several fun romance tropes, including grumpy/sunshine romance, marriage of convenience, enemies-to-lovers, and more. Thanks so much to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
Beatrice is an intelligent and passionate bluestocking who doesn’t want to marry and lose her independence. Determined to fight for the voiceless, her drive to fight for women’s and civil rights is admirable and so relevant. Sadly, women in today’s world can relate all too well the frustration and anger Beatrice feels over the limitations placed upon her because she is a woman. Unconventional and unwilling to back down, Beatrice confronts William, as he is a duke, and she has implored him to support her causes.
Unbeknownst to Beatrice, Will was beyond impressed by her letters and is even more intrigued when he meets her. Quickly, Beatrice realizes there is much more to the aloof and dismissive Duke, and after one dance, they can’t deny their chemistry.
Beatrice and Will are both well-developed protagonists, and they have a great love story. They have great chemistry, their banter is fantastic, and I love the way they challenge each other. However, both are hesitant to commit to another, though for very different reasons. She fears losing her autonomy, and he fears losing someone he cares deeply for. I like how they both explore their misgivings and fears as they fall deeper for each other. They are definitely a well-matched pair that brings out the best in each other!
I adore how much Will supports, admires, and encourages Beatrice and feel like this makes him even more swoon-worthy! He is such a good man, and his genuine interest in Beatrice’s thoughts and ideas is refreshing to her. He really listens to her and respects her, which she is not used to when talking to men. Like Beatrice, he is forward-thinking and willing to fight for causes and people he believes in. And throughout the story, he shows Beatrice just how much he believes in her.
I enjoyed the secondary characters too, especially Will’s brothers and Beatrice’s sister. Their relationships with their siblings say so much about them and about Beatrice and Will, and it highlights how important their relatives are to them. The story also includes several fun romance tropes, including grumpy/sunshine romance, marriage of convenience, enemies-to-lovers, and more. Thanks so much to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
August 22, 2022
***4.5/5 Stars***
Much Ado About Dukes was romantic, charming and impossible to put down! With characters that were full of life, a story-line that kept me turning the pages faster and an ending I adored, this book was everything! If you love historical romance or adult romance, you definitely need this book in your life!
Beatrice was convinced that love was never in her future. Being raised by her Uncle, and having her cousin as a best friend, she was happily living her life and speaking out about women's rights. But when her fortune disappeared, she found herself in trouble and complete disarray. To the rescue came Will. William Easton, the Duke of Blackhearth, was the man she wrote to about women's rights and never heard back from. He was a formidable presence and she was convinced he was the enemy. But when he proposed they marry and that they would both avoid the pitfalls of love, Beatrice paused to consider and I was already addicted!
Beatrice made a name for herself and she seemed so put together, driven and I loved that she would never settle for less when it came to love. She had seen how much her parents truly loved one another, before they died, and she only wanted that. She was perfectly content remaining single and I loved the relationship she had with her cousin, Margaret. They truly loved and cared for one another. Yet, Beatrice felt so lonely. Except when Will was in her vicinity, her life felt less lonely and fierier during those moments!
I am officially obsessed with William Easton, the Duke of Blackheath! To a stranger he could come across as focused on his work and maybe closed off, but getting to see the side of him with his brothers....ohhhh there was so much to Will! He was such a good guy *cries because I want to steal him from the pages!*. I loved the interactions he had with his brothers but I loved even more all of Will's thoughts that we got to hear as we alternated between him and Beatrice. He proved again and again why he was trustworthy and good. He apologized. He stood up. He surprised Beatrice time and again. But best of all he could joke and tease her, and those moments made my heart beat faster! Will was considerate, thoughtful, kind and extremely sexy.
Much Ado About Dukes made me laugh out loud and smile! The banter between Beatrice and Will was so much fun and I loved how it showed their other sides! From the moment they met, there was chemistry and the tension between them that was electrifying. But they were both weary of love. So the moments they caused each other to faulter was exciting and left me hoping for more! And as they spent more time around each other, they helped each other see who they truly were and open their eyes to the ways of the world. I loved that they brought out the best from each other. When their moment together led to more, this book was sensually seductive!
Much Ado About Dukes was romantically addictive! I loved the way this book unfolded, I loved the moments that tugged at my heart and I also love that it made me scream out loud for how something played out. This book constantly pulled on my emotions! And fyi, you definitely don't have to read the first book in this series to enjoy this one! I just have to say one more thing.... I absolutely loved Ben, Will's brother. He needs his own book please!
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
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Much Ado About Dukes was romantic, charming and impossible to put down! With characters that were full of life, a story-line that kept me turning the pages faster and an ending I adored, this book was everything! If you love historical romance or adult romance, you definitely need this book in your life!
His head lowered ever so slightly. “Are you blackmailing me?” And then he smiled, a beautiful, teasing, devastating sort of smile. “Are you going to make every family dinner a complete catastrophe until I agree?”
She cocked her head to the side. “Possibly.”
Beatrice was convinced that love was never in her future. Being raised by her Uncle, and having her cousin as a best friend, she was happily living her life and speaking out about women's rights. But when her fortune disappeared, she found herself in trouble and complete disarray. To the rescue came Will. William Easton, the Duke of Blackhearth, was the man she wrote to about women's rights and never heard back from. He was a formidable presence and she was convinced he was the enemy. But when he proposed they marry and that they would both avoid the pitfalls of love, Beatrice paused to consider and I was already addicted!
“Perhaps we have more in common than we thought,” he said softly.
“The horror,” she teased before she inclined her head. “Who’d have thought it?”
Beatrice made a name for herself and she seemed so put together, driven and I loved that she would never settle for less when it came to love. She had seen how much her parents truly loved one another, before they died, and she only wanted that. She was perfectly content remaining single and I loved the relationship she had with her cousin, Margaret. They truly loved and cared for one another. Yet, Beatrice felt so lonely. Except when Will was in her vicinity, her life felt less lonely and fierier during those moments!
There was only one word for her.
Magnificent.
He did not know what he had expected, but this was not it. She was a positive force of a woman, and he was… stunned.
I am officially obsessed with William Easton, the Duke of Blackheath! To a stranger he could come across as focused on his work and maybe closed off, but getting to see the side of him with his brothers....ohhhh there was so much to Will! He was such a good guy *cries because I want to steal him from the pages!*. I loved the interactions he had with his brothers but I loved even more all of Will's thoughts that we got to hear as we alternated between him and Beatrice. He proved again and again why he was trustworthy and good. He apologized. He stood up. He surprised Beatrice time and again. But best of all he could joke and tease her, and those moments made my heart beat faster! Will was considerate, thoughtful, kind and extremely sexy.
“Beatrice, we shall make London quake underneath our polished boots, for you and I can make the world sit up and take notice. Nothing will ever be the same."
How right he surely was.
Much Ado About Dukes made me laugh out loud and smile! The banter between Beatrice and Will was so much fun and I loved how it showed their other sides! From the moment they met, there was chemistry and the tension between them that was electrifying. But they were both weary of love. So the moments they caused each other to faulter was exciting and left me hoping for more! And as they spent more time around each other, they helped each other see who they truly were and open their eyes to the ways of the world. I loved that they brought out the best from each other. When their moment together led to more, this book was sensually seductive!
Will smiled down at her.
She met that smile with one of her own. A smile full of determination to succeed.
Yes, this was the beginning of something beautiful, and he would not let them fail.
Much Ado About Dukes was romantically addictive! I loved the way this book unfolded, I loved the moments that tugged at my heart and I also love that it made me scream out loud for how something played out. This book constantly pulled on my emotions! And fyi, you definitely don't have to read the first book in this series to enjoy this one! I just have to say one more thing.... I absolutely loved Ben, Will's brother. He needs his own book please!
She beamed at him. “Together?” she whispered. “How can we lose?”
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book, provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
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August 19, 2022
A confident bluestocking and a Duke guarding his heart made quite the pair. I love it when the complicated characters just work so well together when they push eachothers buttons.
Beatrice had an ideal of how men view women and let's just say that she was surprised when she got to know well. I liked how Will got involved in the fight for women's rights even though dome of it may have been attributed to his past hurt. Of course both characters deny love and begin their journey on common interests.
The supporting characters in this book were great since they helped aid the plot and some parts really showed comraderie. The addition of boxing was a nice touch, especially Beatrice getting into it too. I'm looking forward to the next book!
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this Audiobook for my honest review.
Beatrice had an ideal of how men view women and let's just say that she was surprised when she got to know well. I liked how Will got involved in the fight for women's rights even though dome of it may have been attributed to his past hurt. Of course both characters deny love and begin their journey on common interests.
The supporting characters in this book were great since they helped aid the plot and some parts really showed comraderie. The addition of boxing was a nice touch, especially Beatrice getting into it too. I'm looking forward to the next book!
Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this Audiobook for my honest review.
March 23, 2023
I liked this book. I listened to it on audio and enjoyed it. I felt like at times I was kind of zoning out at times, but whatever. I thought the character's were good. And I liked the plot. Not really sure what else to say about it other than it took me way too long to get through it.
September 22, 2022
3.5 stars for this low-key romance about Beatrice, feminist who is determined Never To Marry, and Will, duke who will Never Fall In Love. That's right, folks, we've got some classic archetypes for you today!
The best part of the book for us is definitely that when Beatrice realizes she might actually have to consider marriage, she does so both logically and emotionally. She doesn't abandon her feminist principles; instead, she realizes that her situation as a second-class citizen leaves her very little choice in her future, and she decides to make the most of the opportunities she gets.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
The best part of the book for us is definitely that when Beatrice realizes she might actually have to consider marriage, she does so both logically and emotionally. She doesn't abandon her feminist principles; instead, she realizes that her situation as a second-class citizen leaves her very little choice in her future, and she decides to make the most of the opportunities she gets.
This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.
September 19, 2022
Much Ado About Dukes follows Lady Beatrice Haven and the Duke of Blackheath as they gather to celebrate an upcoming wedding. Beatrice’s sister is engaged to Will’s brother, and as happy as Beatrice is for her sister, she is also frustrated because she has repeatedly mailed letters to Will and has received no response.
Beatrice is an intelligent and passionate bluestocking who doesn’t want to marry and lose her independence. Determined to fight for the voiceless, her drive to fight for women’s and civil rights is admirable and so relevant. Sadly, women in today’s world can relate all too well the frustration and anger Beatrice feels over the limitations placed upon her because she is a woman. Unconventional and unwilling to back down, Beatrice confronts William, as he is a duke, and she has implored him to support her causes.
Unbeknownst to Beatrice, Will was beyond impressed by her letters and is even more intrigued when he meets her. Quickly, Beatrice realizes there is much more to the aloof and dismissive Duke, and after one dance, they can’t deny their chemistry.
Beatrice and Will are both well-developed protagonists, and they have a great love story. They have strong chemistry right from the start, their banter is fantastic, and I love the way they challenge each other. However, both are hesitant to commit to another, though for very different reasons. She fears losing her autonomy, and he fears losing someone he cares deeply for. I like how they both explore their misgivings and fears as they fall deeper for each other. They are definitely a well-matched pair that brings out the best in each other!
I adore how much Will supports, admires, and encourages Beatrice and feel like this makes him even more swoon-worthy! He is such a good man, and his genuine interest in Beatrice’s thoughts and ideas is refreshing to her. He really listens to her and respects her, which she is not used to when talking to men. Like Beatrice, he is forward-thinking and willing to fight for causes and people he believes in. And throughout the story, he shows Beatrice just how much he believes in her.
I enjoyed the secondary characters too, especially Will’s brothers and Beatrice’s sister. Their relationships with their siblings say so much about them and about Beatrice and Will, and it highlights how important their relatives are to them. The story also includes several fun romance tropes, including grumpy/sunshine romance, marriage of convenience, enemies-to-lovers, and more. Thanks so much to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
Beatrice is an intelligent and passionate bluestocking who doesn’t want to marry and lose her independence. Determined to fight for the voiceless, her drive to fight for women’s and civil rights is admirable and so relevant. Sadly, women in today’s world can relate all too well the frustration and anger Beatrice feels over the limitations placed upon her because she is a woman. Unconventional and unwilling to back down, Beatrice confronts William, as he is a duke, and she has implored him to support her causes.
Unbeknownst to Beatrice, Will was beyond impressed by her letters and is even more intrigued when he meets her. Quickly, Beatrice realizes there is much more to the aloof and dismissive Duke, and after one dance, they can’t deny their chemistry.
Beatrice and Will are both well-developed protagonists, and they have a great love story. They have strong chemistry right from the start, their banter is fantastic, and I love the way they challenge each other. However, both are hesitant to commit to another, though for very different reasons. She fears losing her autonomy, and he fears losing someone he cares deeply for. I like how they both explore their misgivings and fears as they fall deeper for each other. They are definitely a well-matched pair that brings out the best in each other!
I adore how much Will supports, admires, and encourages Beatrice and feel like this makes him even more swoon-worthy! He is such a good man, and his genuine interest in Beatrice’s thoughts and ideas is refreshing to her. He really listens to her and respects her, which she is not used to when talking to men. Like Beatrice, he is forward-thinking and willing to fight for causes and people he believes in. And throughout the story, he shows Beatrice just how much he believes in her.
I enjoyed the secondary characters too, especially Will’s brothers and Beatrice’s sister. Their relationships with their siblings say so much about them and about Beatrice and Will, and it highlights how important their relatives are to them. The story also includes several fun romance tropes, including grumpy/sunshine romance, marriage of convenience, enemies-to-lovers, and more. Thanks so much to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.
August 6, 2022
William Easton, the Duke of Blackheath is a brilliant statesman with a bright political career and he has a secret that he would never confess to anyone and even tries to deny it to himself, that secret is he greatly admires Lady Beatrice Haven. She is smart, outspoken, unconventional, and unashamedly feminist, and since she is the cousin of the woman his brother hopes to marry, unavoidable. She writes to him constantly urging him to support women’s rights, a cause he is happy to support. But William learned long ago that love is a myth and marriage is hell, so despite his attraction to the lovely Lady Beatrice, without offering marriage, there is no possibility of him acting on his attraction.
Wealthy, independent, and smart, Lady Beatrice has no desire to give the little freedom she is afforded to any man and she too has a secret, that despite all her protestations about men and marriage, she is a romantic and will settle for nothing less than a love match like her parents shared. And while the duke intrigues her like no man ever has, she senses a sadness in him and knows that he doesn’t believe in love, so logically, he is not the man for her. But when her circumstances change and William offers a marriage of convenience, she accepts and tries to keep her heart in check. But soon is it clear that she is falling for him and that her love will be the reason she loses him unless he can open his heart before their chance at HEA passes them by.
This was a very well-written, emotional story featuring a cast of very likable and relatable characters. The story has a secondary romance woven into Beatrice and William’s story, but it adds to the story rather than becoming a distraction, additionally, there is plenty of witty banter, interesting historical facts, lots of familial love, emotional healing, steamy love scenes, and finally a lovely HEA complete with an epilogue. I will admit that I wasn’t a big fan of Beatrice at the beginning, she was a bit too aggressive for my taste, but as the story unfolded, my opinion changed and by the end of the book, I greatly admired her. This is the second book in the series, but the books are very loosely connected and can be read as standalone titles. I enjoyed this story and am happy to recommend this title.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*
Wealthy, independent, and smart, Lady Beatrice has no desire to give the little freedom she is afforded to any man and she too has a secret, that despite all her protestations about men and marriage, she is a romantic and will settle for nothing less than a love match like her parents shared. And while the duke intrigues her like no man ever has, she senses a sadness in him and knows that he doesn’t believe in love, so logically, he is not the man for her. But when her circumstances change and William offers a marriage of convenience, she accepts and tries to keep her heart in check. But soon is it clear that she is falling for him and that her love will be the reason she loses him unless he can open his heart before their chance at HEA passes them by.
This was a very well-written, emotional story featuring a cast of very likable and relatable characters. The story has a secondary romance woven into Beatrice and William’s story, but it adds to the story rather than becoming a distraction, additionally, there is plenty of witty banter, interesting historical facts, lots of familial love, emotional healing, steamy love scenes, and finally a lovely HEA complete with an epilogue. I will admit that I wasn’t a big fan of Beatrice at the beginning, she was a bit too aggressive for my taste, but as the story unfolded, my opinion changed and by the end of the book, I greatly admired her. This is the second book in the series, but the books are very loosely connected and can be read as standalone titles. I enjoyed this story and am happy to recommend this title.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*
August 22, 2022
William Easton, the Duke of Blackheath isn’t interested in love afterall why would a man need passion when he has wealth, a stately home, and work to occupy his mind? But no one warned him that a fiery and frustratingly strong-willed activist like Lady Beatrice Haven could find a way to get under his skin...and that he might enjoy it. Lady Beatrice is determined to never marry. Ever. She would much rather fight for the rights of women and provoke the darkly handsome Duke of Blackheath. So why does she feel such enjoyment from their heated exchanges?
This is the second book in the series & it could easily be read on its own. I thoroughly enjoyed it & really liked both William & Beatrice & loved their verbal banter, which was the highlight for me. I loved how their relationship developed & changed but I didn’t feel any passion between them & felt it could easily have been so much more
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
This is the second book in the series & it could easily be read on its own. I thoroughly enjoyed it & really liked both William & Beatrice & loved their verbal banter, which was the highlight for me. I loved how their relationship developed & changed but I didn’t feel any passion between them & felt it could easily have been so much more
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
August 15, 2022
3.5 rounded up
I was entertained by this enemies to lovers historical romance.
The Duke is a likable hero and perfect leading man material. The heroine, Lady Beatrice struck me as a little one dimensional. I liked that she was fighting for women’s rights, but I wanted more from her character. I thought her internal machinations slowed down the plot - I wanted more dialogue.
I am a huge enemies to lovers fan, so I would have liked more sparks between the hero and heroine before they ultimately got together.
I liked the links and references to Shakespeare, which is always fun.
I received a free eARC from the publisher via Netgalley.
I was entertained by this enemies to lovers historical romance.
The Duke is a likable hero and perfect leading man material. The heroine, Lady Beatrice struck me as a little one dimensional. I liked that she was fighting for women’s rights, but I wanted more from her character. I thought her internal machinations slowed down the plot - I wanted more dialogue.
I am a huge enemies to lovers fan, so I would have liked more sparks between the hero and heroine before they ultimately got together.
I liked the links and references to Shakespeare, which is always fun.
I received a free eARC from the publisher via Netgalley.
July 20, 2022
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley and publisher, Entangled Publishing, LLC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Publishing: August 23, 2022
Series: Never a Wallflower #2
Pages: 336
Eva Devon, a refreshing author in this, the only second book I’ve read by her, has made a mark on this reader. “Much Ado About Dukes” is a standalone novel that is quite the entertaining and enjoyable Shakespearean story that takes the tropes of enemies-to-friends-friends-to-lovers to another level. Not to mention throwing in a marriage of convenience.
Lady Beatrice is an activist for women’s rights and William, the Duke of Blackheath has only time for the House of Lords. Both are determined to never marry. She is content with her rights for women, and he his wealth, home, and work. Beatrice life unfortunately changes due to the bad investments decisions made by her uncle…investments that included her money. She is now left penniless, no dowery, no place to live and not even a husband to protect her. She tells Will of her disastrous circumstances and is now solely depending on the very man that irks her extremely. An unlikely friendship begins, and William helps Beatrice in her cause…proposing a marriage of convenience until she can get on her feet. A friendship that started out with unbridled banter and heated exchanges turns into passion, the one thing that doesn’t exist between the two but simmers in their blood all the same.
I truly enjoyed the whit and fun behind this story. This was indeed a well-written story, although the plot was somewhat mediocre. In any case, it kept me glued from start to finish. However, as relationship go, I think the relational interactions between the main characters was a lot quicker than I’d anticipated. The author’s character development of Will and Bea was moderately nice and brought to light their true personalities and not what was impressed on the surface. Although they did not plan to marry out of love, in the end, love blossomed between the two. There was steamy, heat and desire and it was nice to bring that out after the wedding and not something jumped into prior to that occasion.
This was a wonderful story, although a bit rushed to get to the ending. Very nice historical romance with all things Shakespeare in the mix. Absolutely delightful…Highly recommend the read.
Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Publishing: August 23, 2022
Series: Never a Wallflower #2
Pages: 336
Eva Devon, a refreshing author in this, the only second book I’ve read by her, has made a mark on this reader. “Much Ado About Dukes” is a standalone novel that is quite the entertaining and enjoyable Shakespearean story that takes the tropes of enemies-to-friends-friends-to-lovers to another level. Not to mention throwing in a marriage of convenience.
Lady Beatrice is an activist for women’s rights and William, the Duke of Blackheath has only time for the House of Lords. Both are determined to never marry. She is content with her rights for women, and he his wealth, home, and work. Beatrice life unfortunately changes due to the bad investments decisions made by her uncle…investments that included her money. She is now left penniless, no dowery, no place to live and not even a husband to protect her. She tells Will of her disastrous circumstances and is now solely depending on the very man that irks her extremely. An unlikely friendship begins, and William helps Beatrice in her cause…proposing a marriage of convenience until she can get on her feet. A friendship that started out with unbridled banter and heated exchanges turns into passion, the one thing that doesn’t exist between the two but simmers in their blood all the same.
I truly enjoyed the whit and fun behind this story. This was indeed a well-written story, although the plot was somewhat mediocre. In any case, it kept me glued from start to finish. However, as relationship go, I think the relational interactions between the main characters was a lot quicker than I’d anticipated. The author’s character development of Will and Bea was moderately nice and brought to light their true personalities and not what was impressed on the surface. Although they did not plan to marry out of love, in the end, love blossomed between the two. There was steamy, heat and desire and it was nice to bring that out after the wedding and not something jumped into prior to that occasion.
This was a wonderful story, although a bit rushed to get to the ending. Very nice historical romance with all things Shakespeare in the mix. Absolutely delightful…Highly recommend the read.
July 20, 2022
Much Ado About Dukes draws loose inspiration from Shakespear’s Much Ado About Nothing, loose enough to keep the intrigue going but inspired enough to recognize some character dynamics and plot points.
We follow William, a Duke, and Lady Beatrice, who is an activist for women’s rights. I was positively surprised how much I enjoyed the activist part of this book, as I tend to not enjoy this in Regency Romances. The author tackled this aspect in an era-appropriate manner and showed that you don’t need to hold activism to a 21st century feminist benchmark for it to be impactful.
The romance was overall well developed throughout the book, though just looking at the timeline (as in in-story days) a little too fast. I wish the main couple had spend more time together, furthering their connection and getting to know each other a little more, but I can see how well Beatrice and Will fit together.
One of my favorite aspects of the book were the characters, they felt like real, sensible people and not like overdrawn caricatures. Additionally the family relationships (Will and his brothers & Beatrice with her uncle and cousin) were just lovely.
I also very much enjoyed the writing, there are some really poetic lines in this book!
I was provided an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
We follow William, a Duke, and Lady Beatrice, who is an activist for women’s rights. I was positively surprised how much I enjoyed the activist part of this book, as I tend to not enjoy this in Regency Romances. The author tackled this aspect in an era-appropriate manner and showed that you don’t need to hold activism to a 21st century feminist benchmark for it to be impactful.
The romance was overall well developed throughout the book, though just looking at the timeline (as in in-story days) a little too fast. I wish the main couple had spend more time together, furthering their connection and getting to know each other a little more, but I can see how well Beatrice and Will fit together.
One of my favorite aspects of the book were the characters, they felt like real, sensible people and not like overdrawn caricatures. Additionally the family relationships (Will and his brothers & Beatrice with her uncle and cousin) were just lovely.
I also very much enjoyed the writing, there are some really poetic lines in this book!
I was provided an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
July 26, 2022
This is a witty, and poignant story based on,Shakespeare's .Much Ado about Nothing.
As far as William Easton—the Duke of Blackheath—is concerned, love can go to the devil. Why would a man need passion when he has wealth, a stately home, and work to occupy his mind? But no one warned him that a fiery and frustratingly strong-willed activist like Lady Beatrice Haven could find a way to get under his skin...and that he might enjoy it.
Lady Beatrice is determined to never marry. Ever. She would much rather fight for the rights of women and provoke the darkly handsome Duke of Blackheath, even if he does claim to be forward-thinking. After all, dukes—even gorgeous ones—are the enemy. So why does she feel such enjoyment from their heated exchanges?
But everything changes when Beatrice finds herself suddenly without fortune, a husband, or even a home. Now her future depends on the very man who sets her blood boiling. Because in order to protect his esteemed rival, the Duke of Blackheath has asked for Beatrice’s hand, inviting his once-enemy into his home...and his bed.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.
As far as William Easton—the Duke of Blackheath—is concerned, love can go to the devil. Why would a man need passion when he has wealth, a stately home, and work to occupy his mind? But no one warned him that a fiery and frustratingly strong-willed activist like Lady Beatrice Haven could find a way to get under his skin...and that he might enjoy it.
Lady Beatrice is determined to never marry. Ever. She would much rather fight for the rights of women and provoke the darkly handsome Duke of Blackheath, even if he does claim to be forward-thinking. After all, dukes—even gorgeous ones—are the enemy. So why does she feel such enjoyment from their heated exchanges?
But everything changes when Beatrice finds herself suddenly without fortune, a husband, or even a home. Now her future depends on the very man who sets her blood boiling. Because in order to protect his esteemed rival, the Duke of Blackheath has asked for Beatrice’s hand, inviting his once-enemy into his home...and his bed.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.
May 23, 2022
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
Lady Beatrice Haven knows that as the daughter of an Earl, and ward to her uncle, she should marry, but her ideals and goals for women's rights make the idea of becoming the property of a man wholly abhorrent to her being. So finding herself attracted to William Easton, Duke of Blackheath, and the man she's sworn as the enemy for ignoring her pamphlets and refusing to meet, is definitely a problem. And for William, the very same is true. He doesn't want to marry, especially not for love, because he's seen what love can do to a person, and he can't imagine finding himself in that situation, not after his mother's betrayal and abandonment caused such suffering. As a fledgling friendship begins, they soon find themselves needing to marry, in order to protect each other, but can they harden their hearts against love, or will it be inevitable?
When I saw that a new book in the Never a Wallflower series was available to request, I couldn't stop myself. I adored the the first book, and had such high hopes for Much Ado About Dukes, that I was a little wary, but it did not disappoint! This book is a pseudo-retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, and a fantastic one at that. Beatrice and William were the perfect main characters for the tale, and their romance was a joy to read. They both were very much against marriage, but whereas William was wary of love, Beatrice knew that only love could entice her into the horrid state of matrimony. Their feminist ideals, and wish to fight for the rights of women, and those less fortunate than themselves was so great to see, and the moment when William leaves parliaments, sees his new bride on Parliament Square with a load of leaflets, and joins in, was utterly perfect! Of course, there were moments of angst, and they were really heartfelt, but the ending of this book definitely made up for any suffering the reader had. I've just seen that a third book is scheduled for next year, and I'll be impatiently waiting for it!
Lady Beatrice Haven knows that as the daughter of an Earl, and ward to her uncle, she should marry, but her ideals and goals for women's rights make the idea of becoming the property of a man wholly abhorrent to her being. So finding herself attracted to William Easton, Duke of Blackheath, and the man she's sworn as the enemy for ignoring her pamphlets and refusing to meet, is definitely a problem. And for William, the very same is true. He doesn't want to marry, especially not for love, because he's seen what love can do to a person, and he can't imagine finding himself in that situation, not after his mother's betrayal and abandonment caused such suffering. As a fledgling friendship begins, they soon find themselves needing to marry, in order to protect each other, but can they harden their hearts against love, or will it be inevitable?
When I saw that a new book in the Never a Wallflower series was available to request, I couldn't stop myself. I adored the the first book, and had such high hopes for Much Ado About Dukes, that I was a little wary, but it did not disappoint! This book is a pseudo-retelling of Much Ado About Nothing, and a fantastic one at that. Beatrice and William were the perfect main characters for the tale, and their romance was a joy to read. They both were very much against marriage, but whereas William was wary of love, Beatrice knew that only love could entice her into the horrid state of matrimony. Their feminist ideals, and wish to fight for the rights of women, and those less fortunate than themselves was so great to see, and the moment when William leaves parliaments, sees his new bride on Parliament Square with a load of leaflets, and joins in, was utterly perfect! Of course, there were moments of angst, and they were really heartfelt, but the ending of this book definitely made up for any suffering the reader had. I've just seen that a third book is scheduled for next year, and I'll be impatiently waiting for it!
August 26, 2022
Beatrice is a delight. She's not afraid to speak her mind and does so often. Determined not to marry, why would she want to lose her fortune and freedom to become some man's property? She is an activist for women's and children's rights. Reading the news sheets every day, she enjoys cursing at the writers who were clearly mistaken in their interpretation of events. She has never met William Easton, the Duke of Blackheath, but she knows he's a toad. All Dukes upheld laws that withheld hers and other's rights. She's been sending him letters and pamphlets about her cause and has only received a few arrogant replies. Now his younger brother is going to marry her cousin Margaret. He'll be in the family! William has issues. His mother abandoned the family for another man she loved and he never saw her again. He feels responsible for his two younger brothers. Love? it's an emotion he's going to stay away from. He admires Beatrice, but that's it. Until he discovers her Uncle lost Beatrice's fortune and she's destitute. He finds himself blurting out a proposal! The ever practical Beatrice has a decision to make. A Duchess or poverty? Hmmm. He's insufferable but she can't let her charities down. Maybe William isn't so bad after all. Sasha Higgins's narration brings Beatrice to vibrant life and gives William masculine charm. Cousin Margaret was a little too perky and high-pitched to listen to for long but luckily she wasn't the focus of the book. I recommend listening to this audio version. I received an ARC of this audio book from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
August 13, 2022
5/5 stars
A bluestocking, feminist activist meets duke that gives her his undivided support by going to meetings with her and handing out pamphlets on the rights of the ladies.
If you check my status updates you will see how this book took me for a ride in the first half mostly because I don't read blurbs of books before reading them I go on vibes mostly so I will be very honest at some point I was certain we were headed for a catastrophe, but hot damn it turned out to be the most delicious and romance-like turn of events. Needless to say I was exstactic.
I was giggling a lot in the beginnig because she had not chill with him slaying him with words and he was just internally singing her praises. She had him wrapped around her fingers from the start and she didn't know it.
This book had the historical romance equivalent of mmc rolling up his sleeves. We had our forearm porn, a period man gave us that. Beatrice being a true lady also had very indecent and lusty thoughts about it and we get it girl and we stand beside you in your lusting.
I was a little bit annoyed when her cousin became the main reason Beatrice and William had an argument in the end, but I will allow it only because he finally took his head out his ass and stopped being such a stoic lying liar admitting his own feelings and he also had a very nice moment with his two younger sibilings (who make amazing side characters by the way).
A bluestocking, feminist activist meets duke that gives her his undivided support by going to meetings with her and handing out pamphlets on the rights of the ladies.
If you check my status updates you will see how this book took me for a ride in the first half mostly because I don't read blurbs of books before reading them I go on vibes mostly so I will be very honest at some point I was certain we were headed for a catastrophe, but hot damn it turned out to be the most delicious and romance-like turn of events. Needless to say I was exstactic.
I was giggling a lot in the beginnig because she had not chill with him slaying him with words and he was just internally singing her praises. She had him wrapped around her fingers from the start and she didn't know it.
This book had the historical romance equivalent of mmc rolling up his sleeves. We had our forearm porn, a period man gave us that. Beatrice being a true lady also had very indecent and lusty thoughts about it and we get it girl and we stand beside you in your lusting.
I was a little bit annoyed when her cousin became the main reason Beatrice and William had an argument in the end, but I will allow it only because he finally took his head out his ass and stopped being such a stoic lying liar admitting his own feelings and he also had a very nice moment with his two younger sibilings (who make amazing side characters by the way).
December 13, 2022
This is a story mainly about Lady Beatrice Haven and William Easton, Duke of Blackheath. Beatrice is right up there with women's rights. I was a little bored with some of the story, but liked some other parts. Not my favourite ED story. Why couldn't Will just go to Beatrice to say "sorry and I do love you" - he waited too long. I didn't like much of the Duke's character to begin with, but got better near the end. 3☆
July 8, 2022
The fear of allowing yourself to love and become vulnerable to another person is at the heart of this story.
I found both Will and Beatrice to be honest and forthright people. Will was mostly level-headed and it was refreshing to see a hero who assessed a situation before reacting. Beatrice was similar in her mannerisms and practicality. I highly enjoyed the scene where he teaches her to box. Who knew boxing could advance a romantic arc?
Unfortunately, something with the pacing of the story kept me from fully connecting to-and empathizing with-Beatrice and Will, although I highly enjoyed seeing such unique and interesting characters.
I would recommend this book if you liked The Spinster and the Rake and enjoy intelligent characters, a marriage of convenience, and a low-angst romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this eARC thanks to Entangled Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
#MuchAdoAboutDukes #NetGalley
I found both Will and Beatrice to be honest and forthright people. Will was mostly level-headed and it was refreshing to see a hero who assessed a situation before reacting. Beatrice was similar in her mannerisms and practicality. I highly enjoyed the scene where he teaches her to box. Who knew boxing could advance a romantic arc?
Unfortunately, something with the pacing of the story kept me from fully connecting to-and empathizing with-Beatrice and Will, although I highly enjoyed seeing such unique and interesting characters.
I would recommend this book if you liked The Spinster and the Rake and enjoy intelligent characters, a marriage of convenience, and a low-angst romance.
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this eARC thanks to Entangled Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
#MuchAdoAboutDukes #NetGalley
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