Misleading a Duke by A S Fenichel is the second book in The Wallflowers of West Lane. The series focuses on Poppy, Aurora, Mercy and Faith; four women who were sent to a finishing school in Switzerland. The four women bonded over shared experiences and now are working on living life on their terms. They are determined to learn what information they need about the men they might be married to.

Poppy has found her happily ever after with Rhys, but now Faith is on the marriage block. She has been investigating the man her family has chosen for her, although finding information is difficult. Nicholas Ellsworth, Duke of Breckenridge, is not liking Faith’s questions. For too long Nicholas has had to protect himself and his life from too much exposure due to his job.

Faith decides to set up a secret meet with Nicholas in secret to help them talk and find out if they can get along. Only to have Nicholas’s past catch up with him while they were there. Now they need to survive…

This book reminds me of some of the historical romances from the past as things just keep happening to Faith and Nicholas. These two characters were not my favorite set from this series, but the book was interesting. Misleading a Duke by A S Fenichel was a good read.

September 29th is about to be a date to remember. Too many sensational releases will be coming out by that time. One of them is A.S. Fenichel's Misleading a Duke.

Misleading A Duke is the second installment of the "The Wallflowers of West Lane" series. Our heroine is Lady Faith Landon, one out of the four eccentric members of the aforementioned Wallflowers. Much to her dismay, she has become engaged to the Duke of Breckenridge without her knowledge and consent. Wary of her bewildering engagement, Faith recruits her friends to hatch a plan to get to know the Duke better before committing to the match after a botched investigation on her fiance'. Little does she know that she is in for an adventure of a lifetime...

Nicholas Ellsworth, Duke of Breckenridge, is a man of mystery and intrigue, but even an ace of action wants a life of tranquility. While trying to achieve some peace and stability, he has one last case to solve: Why does his fiancee' not trust him? Just when he thinks that he has solved it thanks to being roped into an outlandish scheme by his future wife, another threat is around the corner. This time, his life is on the line.

Of all of Fenichel's novels to start with, I'm glad that this was my first! The journey I experienced while reading was phenomenal. My heart was racing as I delved deeper. My worry grew for these characters as if they were real people. The story gripped my attention from the start, and the reigns tightened as I continued reading. Something in my gut told me that this novel would become a favorite; thank goodness I paid attention.

Faith was the perfect heroine for this book. The defining trait of all four Wallflowers is strength. Throughout the story, Faith's growth was a welcome one, as she discovered her true potential through pain and pleasure. She is headstrong yet empathetic, which allows her to thrive in even the direst situations. She held her own when necessary.

Nick is a superb foil for Faith. Dashing and dangerous, he sparks interest in Faith that neither of them expected. He is friendly at his core, but due to his line of work and past experiences, he has become quite jaded. While exhausted, he is not relentless to the point of boorish. He's a gentleman at heart, which creates a lovely balance regarding his character. Nick treats Faith with kindness at every turn, respecting her enough to trust the decisions she makes for herself.

I cannot forget about the Wallflowers! I smiled from ear to ear whenever they were on-page. They remind me so much of my friend group. They are not friends; they are SISTERS. The sisterhood between the four of them is a huge highlight as they are all treated as well-rounded individuals. Their interactions felt natural as much as the romantic relationship in the novel. I could feel their love for one another radiating off the page.

Overall, I will continue to sing high praises for this novel. I even bought the first one, so that I can become more acquainted with the rest of the Wallflowers! Misleading a Duke is a must-read!

Julia and her 3 best friends depend upon one another, trust one another and care for one another. When Julia’s parents arrange for her to marry a Duke, she and her friends decide to investigate this man. He seems to have a mysterious history.

When the Duke, Nicholas, finds out he is being investigated he is not a happy man. In fact, he is furious. He makes certain Julia knows that. Nick is a spy for King and Country. So, he is big on keeping secrets and not being investigated by anyone.

Julia has some ideas about Nick, but she wants to really get to know him. So, like any normal young lady during the Regency period, she has a plan. She arranges to get Nick to go to the country home of a friend. Her plan is that the two of them will be alone and have the opportunity to get to know one another.

Unfortunately, some French spies who are angry at Nick come to the same country house for a meeting.

They are not nice men. In fact, the reader is given precise information about their ability to torture and maim Nick. This is not a story for anyone who is not into abuse of a human being.

This book has two basic plots.

The first is the story of Julia and Nick becoming familiar with one another. They each learn about the other. Nick learns about Julia and Julia’s friends, The Wallflowers. Julia learns about Nick’s devotion and commitment to doing a good job for his government. She also learns that he came from a happy family. That is nothing like Julia’s parents who have done nothing but find fault with her for her entire life.

The second story is about Nick and the French spies who want him dead. They have been his enemies and now they realize how he interfered with their plans. These 3 men are dangerous and vicious.

I read the first book in this series and that plot and those characters were more what one would expect in a historical romance. I like mysteries and adventure stories. But, I prefer to know that is what I will be reading.

This mystery and adventure were well written. I enjoyed that part of the story once I got into it. But, the descriptions of torture were at times too definitive for me.

The thing I did not enjoy was the on again – off again feelings that Julia had for Nick. Her expectations that he would give her secrets about his work was a little out there. He did open up much more than anyone would expect. His feelings for Julia were evident and she kept being uncertain. I did like her strength and courage.

In fact, Julia and the other Wallflowers are not to be taken lightly. Those French spies had no idea what they were facing.

Ms Fenichel is a talented author. Her characters are well drawn. Her plots move at a regular pace with little or no slow periods.

I know that the next two books in this series will be well done and involve the remaining 2 Wallflowers. Those two young ladies will be interesting characters I am sure.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.

This is a it of a convoluted story with tons of espionage and twists. I would recommend that readers read the first book in the series before starting this as it picks up where the last left off. A good story, and each time you think things are beginning to run smoothly you are forced to think again. I’m looking forward to book three in the series as the author has already sown the seeds for the next Wallflower’s romance.

"Misleading A Duke" by A.S. Fenichel
I did so enjoy reading this story and trying to second guess just how all would play out. The story moved right along at a good pace while keeping me needing to read just one more chapter before taking a reading break. It is a stand alone story that is part of The Wallflowers of West Lane series If the story description caught your eye… then I am pretty sure you will enjoy this story.
note: I received an ARC of this story from the publisher with the request to publish my honest review.

Misleading a Duke is a second book of the Wallflowers of West Lane series by A.S Fenichel. If you look closely at the cover, you can see how beautifully the silhouette of Faith( one of the main characters) is filled with flowers hinting the name of the series, The Wallflowers of West Lane. Really clever!

This historical romance book is packed with action: love, hate, passion, horror- you have it all. The story follows the two main characters: Faith and the duke Nick. Faith is pushed by her mother to marry Nick. She has never seen him before, and does not know a thing about him. How could she marry the duke? No. She decides she will not marry the guy until she finds out his real intentions. Is he really a spy for the Queen? Is he really a bad guy? He could be? You will have to find out!

I, personally, thoroughly enjoyed the book. So glad that I came across this one. Sadly, being silly me, I started the series from the second book, the one I am reviewing. It did not ruin the fun of reading it whatsoever. I'm sure, I am in for the treat with the rest of the books from these series.

I give this book solid 3.5 stars out of 5.

What a charming read! Delightful beach reading. I really enjoyed the banter.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After her friend had suffered through a horrific marriage, Lady Faith Landon had no intention of marrying the man her mother had engaged for her without knowing a little about him. With the other Wallflowers of West Lane, they spied on Nicholas, the Duke of Breckenridge, who took great offence to it all. Now, Faith needs to make up for it all, and organises for both herself and Nicholas to be holed up alone at a country estate, to learn more about each other, and decide whether marrying is right for them. Nicholas knows a lot about keeping secrets, being an spy an all for his king, but someone spying on him doesn't sit right. He wants to imagine that that life is behind him, but when some old 'friends' discover he was spying on them, against Napoleon, and want their revenge. Will Nicholas and Faith manage to make it through the appearance of three French spies, and overcome their own differences in the meanwhile.

Now, one thing I will say about this book, is that it jumps right into the action. The official synopsis made it seem as if this book would show Faith and the Wallflowers spying on Nicholas, but that all happened in the first book, The Earl Not Taken, which I haven't read, so I felt like I was missing something for a good few chapters. I enjoyed Faith and Nicholas as a couple, but do think that if the spying aspect hadn't been in, nor the involvement of the three french spies come for their revenge, the book would've been lacking much of a plot. Faith was perfect for this book, and her strength of character than came through again and again, in a multitude of situations, made me really care for her. Nicholas was a bit of a mystery, and still is when it comes to his childhood, but I liked seeing his own vulnerabilities through his injuries, and his past spying life. I am intrigued enough by the rest of the wallflowers to want to read the next book, so I guess we'll see what I think of that when the time comes.

I normally enjoy Fenichel’s historical romance books and I was looking forward to Nick and Faith’s story after meeting them in the first book. However, this book is really hard to read. Nick’s past as a spy catches up to him and the story becomes very violent and graphic. Too much so for me. Then I feel the romance lags because they are separated for so long, but then the past comes back again. At that point, I just wanted the book to end. The violence of the story overshadows the sweet romance that is lurking, but gets lost. And the end makes little sense - all he’s endured for his country and they deny him the one thing he asks for. Left me scratching my head.

I do still want to read Mercy and Aurora’s stories and just hope they are lighter than this one was.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.

This was an entertaining read over all. I enjoyed the mix of romance and historical fiction. My favorite part was the friendships and my least favorite part was how violent it got, since that's not my cup of tea.
I agree with many here that the cover is gorgeous is what really caught my eye.

This story was a solid three stars, but it could have been much better.

my biggest problem was writing and pace. It was really difficult for me to understand what was happening and after I understood what the story was about I was like "was this really necessary?", I feel like the first part didn't fit the story or what the author was trying to do.

I wish we would have seen a little more of development of the relationship between Nick and Faith because it felt a bit rushed, but I think it is understandable after the situation that pushed them together. Anyway, there were things that I liked and made me enjoy this book, such as the fact that most of the POVs were from Nick (something unusual for a romance), humor and friendship between the secondary characters.

Faith and Nick have had a rocky start to their relationship because of miscommunication and misunderstanding, so in an effort to get to know him better, Faith works to get him alone for a few days. But Nick's past catches up with them, leading to unexpected danger.
I love the premise of this series and enjoy all of the Wallflowers of West Lane! The characters and situations are interesting and there is enough humor to lighten the darker subject matter of this installment to make sure it doesn't get too heavy. I also liked how much of the novel was told from Nick's perspective instead of Faith's since it gave the story more balance than is usual in romance. And of course, all of the secondary characters, including Rumple, make the story three-dimensional and also makes the reader interested in knowing more about them, which is great for a series!
I would have liked to see more development of the relationship between Nick and Faith - the way it is set up makes their relationship feel rushed and less genuine because they seem to go from mistrust of one another to love unrealistically fast. Granted, the situation they get put into might lead to a faster attachment than normal, but it ends up feeling a little forced. Likewise, the pacing of the action also felt uneven with a quick plot climax in the first half of the book and then weeks of nothing in between the next bit of action.
Overall, I would give it a 3.5 - it was an enjoyable read with likable characters, and I look forward to the next installment of the Wallflowers of West Lane!

This is the first book I have read by this author, and I was a little confused. I was put off by some silly dialogue and the graphic sexual encounters, but I liked the characters. I also liked the mystery involving spies and French agents. I expect they will be heard from again before all the Wallflowers lives are resolved. I want to find out what happens to all of them, especially Aurora, so I will look forward to the next story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

I really enjoyed Misleading a Duke. We find Faith, a extraordinary young woman who doesn't quite fit with the "ton." She tries, but it's just against her nature. Faith is engaged to a Duke, Nick, but doesn't know him at all. So all the craziness starts when Faith tries to get Nick alone for a few days to get to know him - so she can decide if she is going to marry him! It's all downhill from there...well, except that while sliding they discover that they are quite a good couple!

We spend time with the other Wallflowers and now I can't wait to see what happens to the rest of these wonderful young women! Enjoy!

Very well written and enjoyable. Loved the characters and can’t wait to see the next book in the series!

I liked this book much more than I did the first book in this series. Faith and Nicholas are both thoughtful characters who are thrown together into a situation with heightened emotions that really intensified their connection. Their worry and care for each other while they are still getting to really know each other made them a couple that you could believe in. The action in this book was exciting and enjoyable up to a point. There were at least two occasions where I thought the story was ready to wrap up but it continued on and on.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book better than the first book in the series. I loved how Faith was so brave and resourceful. I liked Nick as a leading man. The action in this book was more than usual for a romance novel, but it was very fun.

This one fell a bit short for me. Love the characters, but their romance wasn’t very believable. I just didn’t feel the connection especially after what they went through for 6 days. It wasn’t very realistic to me. Faith and Nick on their own are fantastic and they’re not bad together...I just needed more. The entire story was a conflict and there really wasn’t time when they were just together under normal circumstances. Still looking forward to Mercy and Wesley!

Nicholas Ellsworth, Duke of Breckenridge, didn't realize that his engagement to Lady Faith would also include the three other ladies known as the Wallflowers of West Kane. Angry because the ladies investigated his background
(spying), he wants to call off the engagement. Nick gives Faith the right to do it first, but she's undecided. With help she arranges for a quiet week for just the two of then to get to know each other. Their week is interrupted when a French spy decides to take his revenge against Nick. Even though this book includes violence, I enjoyed reading the antics of these four ladies getting into and out of trouble.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book

Good historical romance. It did not particularly pull me in or catch my eye, but I believe that was due to me not the book itself. Well written with good plot.