Something I love about romance novels is that (for the most part) you can jump into series at any point. However, this also means I end up with a bunch of half-finished series on my TBR. I'm so happy that I finally carved out time to read Eva Leigh's Would I Lie to the Duke—the second book in the Union of Rakes series and the only one I hadn't read.

Jessica McGale needs financial backing for her family's soap business and (using her employer's clothing) sneaks into London's yearly Bazaar in the hopes of securing funds from investors. Noel, the Duke of Rotherby, is charmed by Jess' sharp wit and the way she approaches business but has no idea that he's falling for a woman who hasn't been honest with him.

The book takes place over the course of five days and yet the connection between Jess and Noel felt incredibly real. Leigh giving them the time and space to be vulnerable together forged a genuine connection between them where Noel was seeing Jess' true self and that made me root for them on every page. Their chemistry and banter hooked me, but Jess' growth in learning to share business responsibilities with her siblings and Noel's awareness of his own privilege and desire to use it for good stole my heart.

I feel as though Eva Leigh is an author I enjoy more and more with each book I pick up, and this is definitely one of my favorites from her.

I LOVED My Fake Rake, but for some reason I struggled with Would I Lie to the Duke. I don’t love deception plots, but I was really interested in the hero when I read the first book. I lost interest somewhere around 40% and never picked it up again. DNF, but I’m still planning to read the third book.

Romances, in which one of the main characters is deceptive about their identity for a portion of the story is not one that I tend to enjoy. In 'Would I Lie to the Duke', the deceit goes almost to the end of the story which makes any feelings of love between the main characters seem disingenuous.

Jessica McGale may have been desperate to help her family business and the lies she told a necessity, but to believe that Noel, the Duke of Rotherby. was truly in-love and not just in-lust needed to show more time between the couple being their authentic selves.

Not my cup of tea this time around.

This book took to long to get to the good stuff (if you know what I mean). The entire first half is quite boring. When we finally get to the relationship and the sexy time, I'm not so sure I like the heroine. Anyway, give it a try...maybe you will like it.

SO good. So, SO good. Leigh's solidified herself as one of my all-time favorite histrom authors and this book is the perfect encapsulation of why. A maid and hopeful entrepreneur secretly poses as a newly-widowed lady in an attempt to secure investors for her family's soap business, only to cross paths and wits with one of London's most notorious and generous rakes. Jess is one of the few people who can match Noel on every level and isn't interested in his titled status, which intrigues him instantly. I love the way this book subverts traditional power dynamics, not just in terms of social status but in the bedroom, and all the ways in which Jess discovers she enjoys making Noel kneel for her (not a euphemism!). Bonus points for a sexually submissive hero that very much enjoys taking direction from his love interest!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for the copy of Would I Lie to the Duke. I was intrigued by the cover and synopsis for this one. I tried to pick it up a few times, but I was not able to connect with the story line and characters. I was not feeling the chemistry and the story was moving too slowly for me.

Unfortunately, it did not work for me. I'm sure that others will like it and I have seen several favorable reviews for it. Thank you again for the opportunity to read Would I Lie to the Duke.

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. I will not be sharing my thoughts/reviews outside of Netgalley in a review

Eva Leigh does not disappoint. Filled with a strong woman with business sense, is a not so often story line in a historical romance. However, she is smart, hardworking, and saavy. The Duke is captured by her and does not seem to be afraid of a woman with a brain! Fun read, enjoyable characters, and interesting plot all wrap this up for a great read!

This is the second book in the series, and it was a great followup to My Fake Rake. The main characters - Jess and Noel - were very likeable and you really rooted for them to get their HEA. They had a fun and wittty repartee as well as some serious chemistry which led to some serious steam! Yummy!

A very modern Regency Romance with a touch of The Breakfast Club, Shark Tank, and an early preview of Twitter. Jess in one progressive farm girl with a Type A personality. A paid companion, she steals her employer's clothing, lies about who she is, and infiltrates an investment bazaar. She's looking for investors to save her family's soap making business. Noel is the sweetest milquetoast of a supposedly debauched Duke ever. His one caveat is that he hates liars and sycophants. He instantly is entranced with her strong personality. Here starts an affair where she is the dominant and he is the submissive. I was enjoying the story until this point but found these scenes laughable more than anything else. I liked the investors storyline and his childhood friends (The Union). I can appreciate that Jess was trying to save her family, but her overbearing, I'm always right personality was tiresome, but it seems to be exactly what Noel was looking for.

First off I was excited for Noel's story. He was a duke who at first knew no life outside of being a duke and being catered to. Only to meet a group of guys who didn't see his title and instead saw a guy to be a great friend. He hands down probably is the one who would drop everything for everyone of those guys. This is also a man who does the same for a woman.

Jessica not of rank , trying to save her families business , is headed to london. Working girl. I love a good story of a girl who is of working class who falls for a man with rank and still managed to snag him.

This story had a lot of hiccups , I have a hard time with stories where the characters lie about who they really are or what status they are until the end. You know it'll end up happy but at the same time the whole time your worried about how the other main is gonna find out what's gonna happen in between and than also why the main first doesn't just say everything is fine let's work this out.

Eva leigh is a talented author. This book wasn't a let down at all. I felt I needed more romance out of this story. But overall it was still a great read

Would I Lie to the Duke (Union of the Rakes #2). By Eva Leigh. 2020. Avon (ARC eBook).

With her family’s business in trouble after suffering a fire, Jessica McGale takes McGale & McGale’s sweet-smelling honey soap to London’s top shops. But without investors and a strong word-of-mouth presences among the ton, no one is willing to carry the product. So Jess attends a business bazaar under the ruse of being Lady Whitfield, a wealthy widow of standing. If she can strategically generate hype and get London’s elite championing McGale & McGale, her family will be able to keep the business. Jess did not expect however that she would fall in love with one of the bazaar’s most wealthiest guests, the Duke of Rotherby.

The characters of Would I Lie to the Duke did not win me over completely, but it’s a satisfactory read for a summer romance that’s easy to read and flows smoothly.

I decided to DNF at 40%. The premise of Would I Lie to the Duke sounded great, but the storyline wasn't holding my attention. I wasn't feeling the chemistry between Noel and Jess or their relationship. I wanted there to be more conflict or angst, but it was slow moving for me and I wasn't invested in the characters.

I recieved a free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really don't understand myself but I really had a hard time getting through this book and felt like I was forcing myself to finish because I recieved an ARC. I have enjoyed this author before but I also couldn't get pass the first couple of chapters in the first book in this series. And I don't think I will try anymore in the series.
I wanted to like this book. The book blurb was interesting but again I just never really got into the book.
Jess's family owned soap manufacturing factory has suffered a catastrophic fire and in order to rebuild they need capital. With her parents dead it is her job as the eldest to salvage the business so her siblings can stay together. So when she gets a chance to be part of an investment bazaar she goes whatever she has to in order to attend even going so far as pretend to be a baronet's widow.
As a duke Noel has always had sycophants and liars around him seeking his favor but for the first time he meets a woman who treats him just as a man.
The plot was unique and the relationship between Jess and Noel was of common interest and mutual respect. This book didn't work for me and I can't put my finger on why but I do recommend checking it out and giving it a chance.

Eva Leigh's latest historical romance asks "Would I Lie to the Duke?" and the answer is yes, yes Jess would. But it's for a good cause and everything works out, so perhaps we can forgive Jess and forgive the author for all the 80's earworms.

Jess is working as a lady's companion and needs to find an investor to save her family's floundering farm and soapmaking operation which was ruined in a fire. When her injured employer takes some time to recuperate in the country and leaves Jess in London for a few weeks, Jess pretends to be a wealthy widow and finagles her way into what is essentially an extended investors' conference. Noel, the titular duke, first meets Jess on Bond Street when she butts into a conversation to dispense some investment advice. He is immediately struck by her intelligence and when he sees her again at the "business bazaar" he is determined to start an affair. I appreciated that Noel was passionate about ethical investment and there's even mention of where sugar comes from and ethical consumption.

While I found My Fake Rake to be laugh-out-loud funny, Would I Lie to the Duke is sexier and more romantic. Noel doesn't have a tortured past, social awkwardness or any of the other classic hero trappings, but he's a genuinely good, fun-loving man who falls hard. There's a dash of femdom in this romance, with lots of Noel asking to be bossed around and reveling it just as Jess does. In some ways, Leigh gives Jess the better character arc and flips the more common Regency romance gender dynamics. Her readers expect this from her by now, but it's still refreshing.

Would I Lie to the Duke is second in this Breakfast Club inspired series and I look forward to the next installment and to the fourth and fifth men in the Union of the Rakes to get their HEA with each other.

Readers who want more nerdy heroines but outside of the shy bluestocking (soap)mold will enjoy this romance.

Now I'm off to listen to Hungry Like the Wolf and watch Ladyhawke because Eva Leigh is a monster who inserted so many 80's references into this book that I've got a serious case of nostalgia.


***

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher for review and purchased her own.

If you've already read My Fake Rake, the first book in Eva Leigh's Union of the Rakes series, you'll already know that Eva loves making tongue-in-cheek references to 2020 in her historical romances. And let's be honest, I love reading them! Jessica McGale's family soap-making business is in jeopardy and she'll do whatever she must to find investors... even if it means faking her identity at an exclusive party full of aristocrats.

There's not much that I didn't love about this book. Lying aside (which I know will prove problematic for some readers), Jessica & Noel are #couplegoals. I was most surprised (and impressed) by the dynamic of their kinky relationship. FINALLY, we get to see a sexually-dominant woman and her submissive (but dirty-talking) submissive male lover.

Heart: 9/10
Humor: 7/10
Heat: 10/10

Read more reviews like this at www.boobiesandnoobies.com/blog

*Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC

Jessica McGale's family soap business is in desperate need of investors, but her lack of connections in high society make finding those investors difficult. When an opportunity comes up to mingle with some of society's brightest investors, Jessica jumps on the opportunity - even though it means lying to the Duke of Rotherby, one of the only man to see her financial brilliance despite her gender. Noel enjoys the perks of being a duke, but what he would enjoy more would be to have the brilliant and beautiful Jessica for his own.

The chemistry between Jessica and Noel is definitely steamy, but, more importantly, their relationship is built on a foundation of mutual respect. Noel is drawn to Jessica for her wit and financial knowledge. Jessica can't resist the hidden thoughtful side of Noel. This mutual respect allows the characters to move from infatuation to a love that readers root for. The underlying tension throughout the novel - Jessica's lie about who she really is - keeps readers on the edge of their seat throughout. While readers look out for possible reveals of Jessica's true name and background, it doesn't take away from the romance between Jessica and Noel. The characters, through both their strengths and their flaws, are relatable to a broad range of readers. Noel's friend group - loosely based on The Breakfast Club - are a promising group for future romances.

Thank you for the ARC, NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

And I LOVED this book, my favorite of Leigh's so far. The BEST sexual tension, delightful scenes with all of the Rakes, and promising set-up for the rest of the series.

I really enjoyed this romance and in some ways felt it had a refreshing twist to it. That being said, I'm not sure if you are a true-blue historical fan that this book is going to work for you. If you are willing to have an open mind and not be obsessive about the historical accuracy, I think you will find this steamy read quite fun. Jess and Noel made quite the pair. Jess was so fierce, spunky and determined. I could sympathize with her loyalty to her family and her desire to do what she had to do to help them and their business. As for Noel, I found him a delightful blend of surprising contrasts. He was funny and charming. Trust me when I say that these two generate enough heat to add to global warming!!! Things get blazing hot when these two come together.

Would I Lie to the Duke is a very well written book with a fun premise. I found this story to be the perfect escape and devoured every page. I loved Jess and Noel story and their relationship development. It was sweet and vulnerable throughout the book, Despite some necessary lies, their encounter and dynamic was steamy, sexy and entertaining. Overall, I highly recommend this book by Eva Leigh! I can not wait to read more of the Union of the Rakes series!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.

Would I Lie to the Duke by Eva Leigh is book Two in the Union of the Rakes Series. This is the story of Noel, the Duke of Rotherby and Jessica 'Jess' McGale aka “Lady Whitfield". I have read the previous book, wish did add to my enjoyment of this one, but I did feel it was a standalone book. Noel of course being a Duke is used to people fawning over him and not being all to honest. This of course has lead him to be somewhat less trusting. But, when he meets 'Lady Whitfield' he is intrigued by her from the start. Jessica is working to save her family bee farm and their soap business after a devastating fire. So while working as a lady's companion she learns of a business bazaar that she wants to attend where she feels she could find the backing for her family business. But to have people accept her and to achieve her goal, she pretends to be "Lady Whitfield". Jessica tries not to distance herself from the Duke but end the end can't do so. Both become engaged with their feelings but what will happens when the truth comes out? Enjoyed their story and this author's writing.