Will he be able to make her see right for the future of his kind...

While I am first a historical romance reader, I do like a good paranormal tale so when I saw both categories set in one book, I jumped on the occasion to read it.
And this was an unexpected read for sure.
It has the slow pace of many historical stories and the danger vibes of some PNR tales but it lacks true actions, it looks like more a day to day recounting of life in this strange estate than a pack’s dynamic with a alpha who subjugated at every turn his subjects.

The opening scene sets the story in regency England with an over the top alpha hero taking the marriage mart by storm and a heroine bordering spinsterhood who has others views than wedding bliss for her future.
While I liked Felicity immediately as she is a woman who after loosing everything tried to find a way to better her life and refuses to give up because she is said to, Lowell is an other affair, so set on his alpha position, he quite uses and sometimes overuses his power as such. Even by trying to subdue the heroine to bend to his desire. Luckily she is rather immune to his will-stealing aura.

So when he fails to get her to follow her voluntary, he kidnaps her and thus ruins her in the eyes of the ton.
It is from there that the story takes its turn on the paranormal side. As Felicity now navigates an unknown place surrounded by people who appear to be more than whom she thinks they are.
She is a force to be reckoned as she does no cry nor shout, she refuses to give up and plots alternative exit ways.
Lowell is at loss, completely lost about what to do with this unexpected twist in his mate’s hunt. He not really anticipated a human, so he does not know how to react around her, how to break the news he is not what he seems to be nor his people. So he most often than never runs away instead to having to answer her questions.
I understand the answers were not easy to present but slowly offering clues could have soften the blow.

The story touches many tropes, like the vile uncle, he was painted a bit to flatly greedy. Then where is the missing horse. Will the side characters have their own story or will it focus on another Duke...
The part around and after the wedding was too long, I felt like the story dragged for length and length as nothing truly happens along these pages.
3.5 stars rounded up because it has many promises of a good series but needs to find its marks to sit it in both genres.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen lovemaking scenes

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher Sourcebooks Casablanca, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

The ball was a veritable crush and little did Felicity Templeton know that her life was about to change forever.... a wallflower all too happy to hold up the wall and bide her time and avoid any notice she gets the shock of her life when suddenly she is noticed and by a Duke no less. A Duke with a secret who had been trying to find his soul’s mate all over the world the last five years. Only to stumble upon her at a ball.... so naturally he kidnaps her.

With no parents and her only family being her shady uncle and two male cousins Felicity’s life hasn’t been great the last few years. Her uncle’s insistence that she enter the marriage mart was not welcome after her father’s death. She knows making a match is unlikely for her so she has set her sights on an independent life and making her dreams come true. She wants to breed horses and all she has to do is stay unmarried until her upcoming 25th birthday to receive her inheritance... except she didn’t count on being kidnapped by a Duke...

Alfred Blakesley, Duke of Lowell, is not what he appears to be. While yes he is in fact a Duke he’s also a Wolf shapeshifter. He’s also got a whole pack of shifters waiting anxiously for him to find his mate... even if she happens to be human. Damage and consequences of his parents’ misdeeds have left him with much to make up for. And his desperation in finding his true mate leads to him kidnapping her from a party and declaring her his duchess. The problem though is that she doesn’t know anything about the shifters and telling humans this secret has proven dangerous in the past....

I liked this book how could I not? Historical romance with a supernatural twist? It’s like the book was made for me to want to read. However... Felicity for all her good sense was so naïve. In those days women couldn’t so much as own their own children so why on Earth did she actually believe that she was coming into an inheritance that would come directly to her? And only if she didn’t get married? Wasn’t the whole point of life back in those days getting married? And why did she believe anything her uncle who clearly had a distain for her father as well as for her ever said?

Most of the time in romance it seems like most things could be resolved if people just had simple conversations. Yet of course that seems completely beyond them which is frustrating. Despite complaining about being kidnapped and all Felicity never actually bothered to escape and was never being held against her will. As for Alfred he was frustrating too even putting aside the whole shifter secret. Instead of just talking to Felicity or even attempting to court her he just went from zero to kidnap. Though I suppose had he actually attempted to court her following the ball nothing would have cons of it with her meddling family. But even once he had kidnapped her he didn’t try too hard to win her over her just acted like everything was perfectly fine when it wasn’t. Acting like someone has consented to bring your wife isn’t really the way to make it so. And I even get that men would “ruin” women to force them into marriage back in those days but full on kidnap is rather crazy.

The uncle as a villain was mostly just in the background. Sure he was plotting and obviously up to no good but he wasn’t much of a threat. This book was basically like a lot going on without anything actually going on at once.it was very focused on building the world and both keeping it a secret from Felicity then later introducing it to her. It seemed though that her affinity for animals made her a magnet for shifters whether she knew they existed or not which is interesting. I had wondered if there had been shifters in her family line that she didn’t know about. She seemed to connect to this secret world before she ever realized it was there. The whole scene towards the end where they confront the uncle in front of an audience was a bit tedious. And the book as a whole felt a bit long.

All in all it was a good story with likable characters and I’m excited to see what comes next in the series.

Finally shapeshifters and historical romance have come together!

This may not be the first time- but it is a first for me!

Felicity Templeton has made herself an antidote on during her seasons in order to remain unmarried to gain her independence and freedom upon her 25th birthday… only weeks away and she is literally swept away by the mysterious and stern Duke of Lowell.

The Duke has been searching for years for his perfect mate.. wife… and when he finds her at a ton ball, nothing is going to stop him from having her. Not mannerly conventions or her resistance to his charms!

Ok this is a big red flag for the plot: Felicity is literally abducted by the duke and kept on his estate util he wears her down to his suit. Now, he doesn’t physically harm her, but she is definitely there without her consent. For a character doing everything to gain her independence and freedom, this is. Difficult thing to get over, when a good old romance and seduction would have sufficed if the Duke was willing to put in the time.

Eventually, Felicity starts to notice things are off at the Lowell residence and she comes to find out the Duke and all his people are actually animal shifters… this was done pretty well, except some of the vernacular was a bit long winded and made reading this book difficult.

Another issue I had with this book was the plotting ing at the end. At about 80% into the book we get the big resolution to the external and internal turmoil for Felicity. A simple wedding and mating scene afterwards would have neatly wrapped up the story. Instead the story continues with a. Drag out wedding and mini honeymoon and end abruptly. So abruptly, that I had to double check that I didn’t miss a page!

I may should like I have a lot of complaints, and that’s only because my hopes were so high. In the end I did enjoy the romance between the Duke and Felicity, the shapeshifter element was a fun edition to the plot and the side characters were excellent and will definitely bring me back for the next instalment of this series.

A Wolf in Duke’s Clothing by Susanna Allen is scheduled to release April 27th, 2021.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.


#AWolfInDukesClothing #SusannaAllen #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads

I love the occasional historical paranormal, but this one read super awkwardly, as if it was trying to do the really proper historical textual style, resulting in a bit of clunky read. I also wasn’t super invested in the Wolf pack system, as while they used familiar terms, it really stands out to see them calling each other “Alpha” and “Beta” against this awkwardly proper text. And I just didn’t care for either of the main characters...Alfred is alpha in more than one sense of the word, and a reminder of why I typically stay away from paranormals (although historical paranormals are usually better in this regard), as he has no respect for the heroine’s agency. And I can’t think of anything remarkable about Felicity that I haven’t seen before in many other historical heroines.

A Wolf in Duke’s Clothing by Susanna Allen starts Shapeshifters of the Beau Monde series. It’s a Regency romance with paranormal elements, not a paranormal romance set in a Regency world. It might seem like a small difference, but it can mean a lot for readers who like one but not the other genre. Luckily, I like both.

All the tropes are from Regency romances. We have an orphan heiress at the mercy of a dastardly guardian, a duke who sweeps in to rescue her, Ton parties, ball gowns, and a lot of floral language that borders on incomprehensible as a synonym after another is thrown at the reader.

As a Regency romance, the book works fairly well, but it drags on far too long after the plot has already ended. Nothing significant happens after the consummation of the marriage and some storylines are completely forgotten, like the missing horse. And I don’t think the author understands what an epilogue means. The ending was positively bizarre.

The weakness of the book is in its paranormal elements. There’s a lot of mythology, but none of the excitement. The dynamics of the pack are really off. Everyone shows constant deference to the alpha—Alfred, the romantic hero—and the moment they aggravate him, he subdues them with his alpha power. They seem to believe he’s a great man, but I couldn’t help thinking that they were hostages to his power and said whatever he wished them to. I certainly wasn’t shown otherwise.

His behaviour is at worst in his dealings with Felicity, the heroine. First he abducts her. Then he tries his alpha powers on her. It’s bad enough in an ordinary situation, but then he tries to subdue her with the power when she refuses sex. The moment she says no, his first instinct is to take her will away. Not once but several times.

That she’s able to resist him isn’t relevant (it could’ve been demonstrated in a different situation completely), nor is it relevant that he was, for the most part, a nice man. The point is that he’s the kind of man who naturally considers taking a woman’s will away to have his way with her the moment she resists him. He stops this after a while, but only because he knows it doesn’t work. That he shouldn’t do it isn’t even addressed.

Not all alphas need to be the same. That would make a boring read. But all romantic heroes, regardless of the genre, should be strong enough that their weaknesses don’t manifest as bullying. I was so disgusted with Alfred that I ended up skipping all the sex scenes. Luckily they were at the end of the book, which was overlong as it was.

This could’ve been a good book, a fresh take on two genres. Now it sort of failed both because the hero was such a disappointment. Fans of Regency romances might find this a refreshing change of pace, if they can ignore the hero. Fans of paranormal romances might want to give it a pass. However, I think I’ll read the next book too, if only to find out if it has a better hero.

I love historical romance and paranormal stories but I have never read a book with both genre at the same time. This is a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed and a new author for me. Alfred, the Alpha, has been on a five year quest to find his mate and when he finally returns home, he finds her unexpectantly at a ball where he promptly steals her away. The story tells of Felicity’s struggle to understand what has happened and why. Of course, there is a HEA but a lot happens first which adds to the story. Both Felicity and Alfred are strong willed individuals who disagree at times but also compliment each other. It is a great story that is worth reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley and are voluntarily leaving a review.

"Fate! I believe in choice, although choice is as elusive to women as is the opportunity to address the House of Lords."

In this love child of regency and paranormal romances, Felicity's reputation is decimated after a wolf shifter duke spirits her away in the middle of a ball. Our heroine is incensed, not by the attentions of an attractive man but by the destruction of her own carefully laid plans to (literally) ride off into the spinster sunset and start a horse breeding business with her inheritance. It turns out that the duke in question might support her dreams and in fact add to their number if given the chance.

I enjoyed the mixed genre tropes in this book, the combination of regency social conventions with shifter mythos. Felicity was a pleasant protagonist with a heart of gold, and her inner monologue about "That Chest" whenever she saw the duke was both amusing and completely fair. The only issue for me was that paranormals shine best when the balance of romantic and supernatural plots balance to create the perfect formula of tension and drama. I felt this recipe was slightly off. The romance is primarily in the first and last quarters of the story, disjointed by the greater focus on dramatic plot in the central half. By the time the slow burn was intended to catch fire near the end, I only experienced cooled embers as a reader.

This was an elegant introduction to a new world with a promising cast of characters, so if you're less picky with your romantic pacing, I recommend this as a clever genre mash-up and the start of a sparkling new series. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the opportunity to read and review this book. It's out 4/27!

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review, my thoughts are my own.

So this had everything I wanted at first glance, paranormal soulmate romance in a time period Victorian setting, YES PLEASE. Unfortunately it did not deliver with my most wanted guilty pleasure read.

This book left me disappointed, I had the urge to skim parts and felt highly uncomfortable with the setting the ML was making, I am all for a mate alpha possessive ML (when well done, not that is healthy in any way, but as a "would do anything to protect you' type of read when the mood strikes) in a guilty pleasure read, but this was just not it. HE RUINS HER REPUTATION, which if you know anything about that time period could be equivalent to social suicide since woman cannot own properties and rely on a man to survive, which a good match comes from the reputation you have, which is weirdly not an issue in this book since she can inherit her stuff at 25 ???? that baffled me...; TO MAKE HER FORCED TO BE WITH HIM. This is just no no no no NO, he basically closes all other doors, she is left with no free will.

I could not get behind a romance that completely ripped any choices our MC Felicity had, she wanted to not get married and inherit her dues, but he was like nope your my mate, here you are ruined now I am your only option. WHICH EUW.

I was also SOOOOO bored thought the read, thing were much longer than they needed to be and the writing style drawn out which made for a lot of instances where sentences could've been shorter.

ANYHOW disappointing read, a book really not for me.
1/5 stars
Bookarina.

While I love the idea of a historical paranormal romance and the premise holds so much promise, the writing is trying too hard to be Regency. The convoluted sentences, Random Capitalization, and obscure vocab distanced me from the story, which is a shame because it's interesting at its core. I soldiered on to 20% but when the heroine's agency was taken away from her and luxury was used like a bribe to keep her happy, I was out.

Normally paranormal historical is a hit or miss - sometimes I'm all for it and other times it just doesn't work for me. In this case, it really wasn't the story so much as the writing style that ended the fun early for me. While I agree with some reviewers that it started off slow, the pacing wasn't really the issue. I found that the writing was odd. Lots of very obscure words that I had to look up - and that's saying something, as I have an excellent vocabulary and rarely have to look anything up. I'm somewhat of a human dictionary. So when I say I don't know a word...it's really weird. For my blog and general writing, I stick to well known vocabulary so that all can enjoy. This author wrote as if only those with an elite knowledge of the English language could truly enjoy the book. It was a shame really, because through my struggle of wading through the writing style, the story actually seemed pretty good. My issue is that I read for fun, and it's not fun when I have to look up a word every few pages, and my brain has to translate the written word into modern-day English. Hopefully the author can take in some of the critique and alter her writing style for the next book - I would definitely try to read again, if that improves.

Alfred, the Duke of Lowell, the Alpha of his pack has spent 5 years looking for his true mate for the security of his packs lineage. Only he wasn't expecting Felicity to be quite so.... human. As he struggles with what he know he should do and what his wolf wants, we see the relationship grow into something beautiful (even if it did start with a kidnapping)! There isn't anything an Alpha wont do to protect his mate, even if it is from someone she wouldn't have expected.

I absolutely loved this book, I couldn't put it down. This intriguing story runs you through a myriad of emotions that will keep you turning pages!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I think this has a lot of interesting ideas.
I liked the blend of the paranormal and regency historical romance genres. I think this created a new, unique world for readers that we haven't seen a lot of before. Reminded me a bit of the Parasol Protectorate series.
I also liked the main characters. I think Alfred and Felicity made a cute couple but I definitely wanted more scenes with them.
However, I think the opening scenes (first two chapters) could have been better. They felt super info dumpy. There were some paragraphs throughout that were overly descriptive.
I think my main issue was that there was so much going on and there were too many characters/names to keep track of. I think trimming the amount of characters and giving more time for the couple would have made me like the book more.
Regardless of the issues I had, I would be interested to see where the story goes from here. Also, I love this cover!

This book combines two great genres, Regency England romance and werewolf romance. Felicity is an aristocratic wallflower trying to remain unmarried so that she come into her inheritance and live independently.. But,when she bumps into the elusive Duke Alfred he sweeps her off her feet and into his carriage. Leaving a party alone with a Duke is the surest way to become a ruined woman. Duke Alfred, who happens to be a werewolf shifter, is thrilled that he has finally found his destined mate. Now he just has to figure out how to explain to Felicity, a human, what he is and why she has to marry him immediately.

I liked all the characters, both main and side. Many of the side characters were so interesting I found myself wanting to know more about their stories. The story took a while to get going and sometimes I felt like there needed to be more worldbuilding. The pace of the love story didn't make sense.it would go from hot to non-existent and back to hot. That said, I think the author had some original ideas and a fresh perspective on both paranormal and historic romance and I will be interested in reading the next in this series.

I made it about 75% through this one, but it just bored me so much I've decided to stop. It isn't an easy read, lots of old English, some of the words can't even be defined by my iPhone's dictionary. I appreciate what the author was trying to do but it made getting through this already slow story a slog. Ultimately, I just didn't find myself enjoying it enough to proceed to the end.

A charming romp; a Regency Romance and part Shifter novel. Felicity has not ‘taken’ but is anxiously looking forward to her 25th birthday when she will inherit. She plans to establish a horse breeding business and remain as independent as possible- out from under the odious guardianship of her uncle. Alfred, a duke but also a wolf shifter is the alpha of Britain’s largest pack. He has literally searched the Earth for his true love. One sniff at a ton ball and he has found her. He kidnaps Felicity that very night. However, his courtship skills are a bit rusty. Felicity is only human and must be courted and reassured of her continued autonomy. But she is whisked away to his ducal seat where she meets a variety of ‘unusual’ servants. There is something odd about them...
The storytelling is light and fun and the characters draw you in. It is a delight to try to guess which animal is which servant. I would recommend this book to my patrons.

When Alfred Blakesley, Duke of Lowell, steps into a ballroom after five long years abroad, he has little hope that he will find the mate. At least, not until he encounters the Honorable Felicity Templeton. Now he has to convince her that she is the one for him, without revealing all of the secrets about his pack.

But Felicity is no ordinary miss. If she manages to stay unmarried, she can enact her plan to be independent. But her attraction to the Duke places her in an odd predicament. Can she trust him to let her follow her dreams? And how does he convince her that they are meant to be?

The author draws you into the story of this unconventional courtship and you begin to understand what pulls them together. The supporting cast does an excellent job of keeping the story from being heavy and brought a smile to my face several times throughout the book. I would definitely read this author again.

A Wolf in Duke's Clothing is a wonderfully refreshing and stunningly phenomenal story of learning how to see the world around you with your heart and not your eyes. Oh, what a wonder to experience something so precious through the eyes of one laden with burden and yet so full of hope! Sometimes our greatest miracle is following us around waiting for us to accept it all the while it wears a face of one we are unsure of. When given the chance at grabbing the one thing you want the most, will you walk away for fear of the opinions of others, or will you take it before it disappears forever?

Alfred is on a mission that will change his life. His goal is to find that which will change the very course of his own life as well as those he takes care of. He will do whatever it takes to accomplish his prize. Felicity is a woman who is intimately aquatinted with loss. She refuses to lose her dream above all else, so she agrees to play the role thrust upon her until such a time as she can see her dream fulfilled. One dance chances everything. It upsets and threatens her dreams, but she finds herself unable to push this partner away. Can she reconsile her wayward heart with her steadfast mind, or will she watch her future go up in flames?

This pair is truly a wonder to behold. They are the ultimate push and pull of the heart and mind. The primal and the civil rectifying their rightful place at home and in society. I truly enjoyed this incredible journey of the gentle yet fierce heart as it tempts and seduces the stubborn mind. How my heart yearned and devoured every single word and reveled in each precious emotion!

Susanna Allen is a wonder and gifted author. I immensely enjoyed the speech, the dress, and the society of the time portrayed. It was wonderfully authentic and always true to its beautiful heart. What a marvel and a joy to experience and savor!

I have been craving a book like, A Wold in Duke's Clothing and a heroine such as Felicity. The duality of an aristocrat and a wolf, the uptight and the wild make for an exciting ride. You do not expect to find a beast in the ballroom or to be abducted from a crowd.
Susanna Allen has built an amazing hidden world to Regency England. Shifters are hidden in pockets on estates trying to blend in and survive and they need Felicity dearly. Can the Alpha, the Duke of Lowell, convince Felicity that it is love at first sniff in time? They only have a few days until her birthday when she looses her inheritance and Lupercalia and all important shifter holiday.

Fans of Lydia Dare's Westfield Werewolves books will be in love. An amazing combination of Jane Eyre and a paranormal romance this series will appeal to many romance readers. I am excited at the hint of a second book in the epilogue.

This is the first book in a new historical/paranormal romance. Alfred Blakesley, Duke of Lowell is a shape shifters and he has spent the last five years searching the world for his true mate. While Felicity Templeton is being forced by her uncle and cousins to attend society events in the hope of finding her a husband, she has other plans. While I do wish that Alfred let her in on his secret a little sooner it was still a good ride. The story is so much fun, I can't wait to read the next one.

This paranormal romance about a shape shifter that meets his mate that is human was a fun read. I enjoyed getting to know the characters. Loved that there was more than one shifter form in this book. Looking forward to more books by this author.