2-2.5 Stars! Not a fan of this one. I think I missed something. I was very confused while reading this one. I’d say you COULD read it as a standalone but I wouldn’t recommend it. If you’ve read the previous books in series, the ‘Rogues to Riches’ series (this is book #6 in said series), you’d most likely enjoy this book more than I did.
Other than feeling I missed the first few chapters, I also felt like an idiot because I had to Google the definition of a fair amount of ‘big words’. I understand that some of it was simply using historically correct language but I’d prefer the author ‘dumb it down’.
Confusing, the feeling of missing the beginning of the story, sesquipedalian - long worded (yes, I looked up a ‘big word’ & hopefully used it correctly!), anti-climatic ending with main characters I wasn’t interested in & they had absolutely zero sexual chemistry and/or romance. That sums this book up. However I did enjoy the surprise revelation at the end.
*I received this book at no charge from NetGalley & I voluntarily left this review.*

Sadly, this story just didn't work for me on a lot of levels. To begin with, while there was definitely an attraction between our two leads, it seemed more like a platonic sort of relationship for me rather than romantic. Added to that when Stephen casually mentions that he had a sexual relationship with both an ex, and her new husband (and how they might discuss his sexual prowess between them), Abigail just accepts it without question or comment, something that most definitely would not have happened during that time period. I could have overlooked that, had the rest of the story seemed to be filled with other things like it. Things that did absolutely nothing to move the plot forward.

Even the culmination of who was after her and why fell flat for me. It seemed as though parts of this story were rushed, and cobbled together to try and make sense which simply leads to things feeling more disjointed than anything else. For example, how did Stapleton not know of the role that his daughter-in-law played in him getting (or not getting) what he wanted? How did no one realize the secret Harmonia kept when it took Abigail less than ten seconds to figure it out?

However, I will say that these characters were definitely not your typical historical romance characters, Stephen had a bad knee forcing him to use canes in order to walk, and Abigail was not only nearly as tall as him, but able to support his weight when needed to take some of the pain away (not to mention she worked as an inquiry agent). These things made them stand out from other novels of the same time period.

All things considered, the things that didn't work for me with this one will no doubt work for other reasons. Take what I've said into consideration, but not let that stop you from reading this if it sounds like something you will enjoy.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. How to Catch a Duke by Grace Burrows is the sixth book in her delightful Rogues to Riches series.
Any book that has the heroine asking the hero to murder her in the first sentence is definitely going to attract my interest, and I had been looking forward to reading Lord Stephen Wentworth’s story as he was very much a fascinating character in the earlier books. I was also charmed by the heroine Abigail Abbott in the previous books, and I guess this is my roundabout way of saying yes, you do need to read the books in order. This story of opposites finding that they have very much in common along with an intriguing mystery, a nasty villain and answers to many of the questions I had in the previous books made this a very entertaining read. Steam Level: Medium. Publishing Date April 13, 2021. #HowToCatchADuke #GraceBurrows #ForeverGrandCentral #HistoricalRomance #HistoricalMystery #OppositesAttract #bookstagram #bookstagrammer

Stephen Wentworth is the brother of, and heir to, The Duke of Walden. This is a far cry from their childhood, which was a life of near starvation and abuse from a drunken lout of a father. This same father even intentionally crippled Stephen, thinking that he would appear more sympathetic as he was sent out on the streets to beg. Now nearing thirty, Stephen has all the wealth he needs, and his father is long dead. He has to walk with a cane, sometimes two, sometimes the pain incapacitates him for days. Stephen’s lifelong anger over his condition has caused him to take a liberal sexual path, constantly seeking pleasure, and becoming quite proficient as a lover.

Abigail Abbott has the unusual career of being an investigative agent, a vocation not common for women at the time. When she finds herself the prey of the schemes of a titled lord, she seeks the help of Stephen, who she knows from helping his sister with a case. Though she wants Stephen to make it appear she died, he insists on fighting Marquess Stapleton, the villain, openly. He suggests they fake a courtship, giving society the impression that Abigail is under the protection of the Wentworth family, including the duke. Truth be told, Stephen has been attracted to Abigail from the moment he met her, and is eager to aid her, as well as spend more time with her.

I’ve followed this Rogues-to-Riches series from the beginning, and I really loved the character of the Duke of Walden, but I became more intrigued with each glimpse of his complicated brother, Stephen, and anxiously looked forward to his story. I’ve always been “hero-centric” in my reading, meaning I’m more interested in the male lead, and I ended up with mixed feelings about Stephen. First of all, the good – he’s brilliant, he’s charming, he’s generous, and he wants no one’s pity. He also has a dark side. As a child, he made a soul wrenching decision which left a stain on his soul. His anger with his own physical limitation has caused him to irrationally resent his brother. He also chose a path of sexual exploration which did not discriminate based on marital status or sex. Despite his jadedness, I believe that he truly fell for Abigail, quickly and deeply. Abigail, too, has a past, though it’s very tame compared to Stephen’s. I appreciated their willingness to be accepting of each other without judgment, though their attitudes seemed very modern. Some of Stephen’s past affairs, as well as many of his comments about bondage and spanking seemed jarring, and almost gratuitous, as I don’t feel they really were pertinent. Still, a lovely genuine romance develops between the couple, one that is strong enough for them both to put aside their doubts and plan a future together. One of the most emotional moments for me was a touching meeting between Stephen and the duke, where they finally have a long overdue conversation and embrace. There is an event which unfolds near the end that I really didn’t see coming, one that explains why the Marquess had Abigail in his sights. I finished HOW TO CATCH A DUKE hoping that Stephen had it within himself to keep his promise of faithfulness and that he and Abigail truly have a happy ever after. I recommend this book for fans of Grace Burrowes, as I am, with the caveat to be prepared for a different, somewhat grittier story.

Stephen Wentworth’s story!!! This is story I have been waiting for since reading book one of the Rogues to Riches series!!!

I have definitely become attached to the Wentworth family as I’ve read the series and Stephen has always had a special place in my heart. He’s always been there for every family member in their pursuit of love, so to finally get an HEA his own- I was all in for it!

When the brilliant inquiry agent Abigail Abbott (We met her in book 5, The Truth About Dukes) needs help matching wits against a marquess- who can she turn to, other than a duke’s heir! Stephen is more than happy to assist the intriguing Abigail and unites her with to the powerful Wentworth family through a sham engagement while they find a solution to her problem...

In their case two brilliant minds are definitely better than one and two passionate heart are even better! I simply adored seeing these two fall for each other and their ensuing sparks!

These two have sparks from the get-go, but their circumstances prevent them from believing that this match could be a turn into a real engagement… I adored how Stephen and Abigail are matches in both wit and in the bedroom! They made such a great pair that I was rooting for them to find a way to get to their HEA from the beginning.

This was a good romance, but like any pairing with mixed backgrounds, there was a lot of talk about how they could never truly be together. At some times I felt that drag down the story, but overall true love and their quirkiness won out, making this a delightful romance!

How to Catch a Duke by Grace Burrowes is scheduled to release April 13th, 2021.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Forever Grand Central Publishing) through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#HowToCatchADuke #GraceBurrowes #Netgalley #pinkcowlandreads

Trigger Warnings:
-Miscarraige

Miss Abigail Abbott wants Lord Stephen Wentworth to “kill” her. Actually, she wants word to get out saying she was killed. Evidently, Abigail has some damaging information about Lord Stapleton, a marquess, who is now intent on seeing that she does not release this information. Abigail was raised in a Quaker family, yet she is tall and a very sturdy woman with a very healthy appetite. She works for the government as “an inquiry agent."

Stephen is heir to his older brother, Quinton, the Duke of Walden. Stephen uses two canes to walk. His knee was broken when he was a boy after his drunken father stomped on him. Stephen convinces Abigail that they enter into a pretend engagement. She can stay with his brother’s family and be safe while Stephen courts her.

Soon, the pretend engagement becomes more than that as their attraction quickly grows. They attend events and watch out for key people.

It didn’t take me long before I realized that this was a series that needs to be read in order. The characters were new to me as were the various family situations. Oh dear. Series can be so complicated and it’s a shame that each book cannot be read as a stand-alone. It leaves the reader confused and quite bored.

I could not bond with this book at all. Stephen and Abigail seem perfect for one another but the rest of the book just didn’t make sense. Again, felt like I walked into a movie in the middle of it.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Out of this series this was my least favorite and took a bit for me to get into and enjoy. Stephen we know a lot about and can't wait for his chance especially when its with Miss Abigail Abbott who we meet before their story. But this just was flat from the start, I don't know if it was the flow, no chemistry when there should have been or what. But I'm a bit bummed about it...
I liked that it tried to add in some bisexual aspects to it but that also felt a little too forced, as well. There are a lot of Stephen's past lovers in the book so maybe that is why it feels like the chemistry is off between the two. I don't know it just felt off the whole book compared to the rest of the series, also like the author just gave up but that is just my feelings...

3 stars

I really liked this book. I appreciated that the characters were English nobility but came from the lower class. They seemed more human and down to earth than the rest of the ton. I also appreciated that this was not just a love story but also had some adventure and mystery within the plot line.

The brilliant and enigmatic Lord Stephen Wentworth has met his match in a no-nonsense inquiry agent. I was looking forward to seeing what kind of woman Grace Burrowes would pair Stephen with and she did not disappoint. How to Catch a Duke is an engaging read thanks to its two well-drawn, unique leads and the refreshing openness that characterizes their romance.

Abigail Abbott is exhausted and at the end of her rope when she goes to Stephen for help. Someone is after old letters for reasons she cannot understand. But she won’t continue to put her household in danger so her last resort is to go to Stephen for help faking her own death. Except for as clever as Abigail is, Stephen is far more conniving and isn’t about to let the most intriguing woman he’s ever met vanish. He convinces her to agree to a fake courtship; his family is untouchable and thus the protection will extend to her while they figure out why someone is after the letters. Abigail knows there’s no way a match between her and a duke’s heir could ever be made real. But Stephen is a Wentworth. And Wentworths never let anything like society’s silly opinions stand in their way.

Abigail and Stephen make a great match. Stephen has a big heart and he loves deeply, but he also has a devious mind and would likely have gone down the wrong path at a young age if his cousin hadn’t taken him in hand and redirected his energies. Abigail is a straight-talking inquiry agent who cuts right through the façade Stephen wears and sees him for all that he is. I loved their frank talks and the banter between them. I also really loved that both of them are vulnerable. Abigail is statuesque and comments from others about her looks have made her a bit self-conscious. And Stephen, whose knee was smashed and didn’t heal properly is incredibly self-conscious about his scars, the use of his canes, and his fear of humiliation. I loved that each of them saw the other for the gorgeous person they were. Neither dismissed the other’s vulnerabilities but they made it clear how they saw them and helped build their confidence. They truly fell for each other in a fairly low drama way and their support for one another gave their romance a rock-solid feel.

The mystery of who is after Abigail and why is interesting and played out in a mostly satisfying manner. More importantly, the mystery served to draw Abigail and Stephen together and I was most invested in the love story. And it wouldn’t be a Rogues to Riches novel without at least a few additional Wentworths playing a role and I enjoyed visiting with Quinn, Jane, Duncan, Matilda, and Ned. If you’re new to the series, Burrowes avoids spoilers so you can easily start with How to Catch a Duke and pick up on the family dynamics. All in all, I greatly enjoyed How to Catch a Duke. The Wentworth family is refreshingly different from the norm and any outing with them is guaranteed to be entertaining.

Verbose.

While I liked the premise, Abigail needs help in disappearing and she goes to Stephen for his assistance as he's a duke's brother and heir. That's all good. What I did not like at all? That second chapter is with Stephen in bed with his mistress and Babette knows him very well. I was so put off by Stephen going from Abigail to Babette it turned me off the book. That he proposes marriage to Abigail as her solution to "disappearing" from a marquess would have all worked, but for the part that he has a mistress and bedded her while Abigail was staying under his roof. That was just too of-putting and did not work for me.

I normally find Grace Burrowes' books verbose as she is a lawyer and the dialogue always reflects that penchant. Her tone is very much in time with the timeframe. All stuff I'm down with, just not the whole mistress situation.

Abigail has plans to disappear permanently and asks Stephen for help. Instead, he proposes a fake engagement to keep her safe. What will happen when sparks begin to fly between them. Fast-paced, entertaining historical read with loads of drama, plenty of twists and turns and steam. I liked it.

I accidentally fell into the first book in this series and have overall enjoyed all the books in the series. Stephen was a character who appealed to me from the get go so I was very excited to read his book. Ms. Burrowes has done full justice to Stephen's character in this delightful story. Abigail is a very fitting mate for him.
Of course when the book opens with a request for murder it's the perfect taste of what the rest of the book will be like. At times sad, at times funny the story hits all the emotional notes with a bit of mystery thrown in. I was starting to suspect who the culprit might be in the matter of the letters but even so I was totally caught by surprise at how the story evolved and the so surprise ending.
The series in my opinion has ended on a really high note and I for one can't wait to see where the author will take us next.

I loved the premise of this book! Abigail being an amazon among women of that time. Stephen having a difficult time with his injured leg but still able to pull of being a rake of the highest order. He’s to help her thwart attempts on her person. But, in the meantime, they might just succeed in falling in love. I admit the end of this book had me a bit choked up.
4 stars.

As a female inquiry agent, Abigail is very intelligent and independent. As an inventor, Stephen is also very intelligent and independent. When Abigail seeks out Stephen’s help with a personal problem they discover that, while they each have their secrets, they are very compatible. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Forever Publishing for my honest review.

I’m sure I should have read this prior books before reading this one. I felt, since the beginning, that I was dropped in the middle of the story. I was so lost for most of the book. The writing didn’t work for me either. It felt like someone trying to sound like it was written during that time period. There were some moments I liked but I just felt so much disconnect that I couldn’t really enjoy it. Maybe if I read the prior books first it would have helped but I don’t think this series is for me.

*Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

I was super intrigued by the premise but I think this is one of those series where the books need to be read in order. I haven’t read the others so that’s completely my fault but I still felt a disconnect with the characters.
The story itself was good. I liked the whole idea of the fake murder plot the hero and heroine had. It offered something I'm not used to reading in this genre and for that it gets points.
I think what really took me out of the story was the prose/writing style wasn’t my cup of tea.
Loved the plot idea but sadly this wasn’t for me.

Absolute perfection!

When a book's opening line has the heroine saying to the hero, “I have come to ask you to murder me, my lord.”

You know you're going to be in for a wild ride!

Once again, I'm swept away by the exquisite literary experience of a Grace Burrowes romance. This author truly is gifted with words, a lexicographer's dream who deftly arranges just the right expression to fit the story, the historical timeframe, and the gravitas of the emotions being conveyed. For that alone, her books are a joy to read.

The story itself is more than worthy of the effort. Stephen is the last single Wentworth, a man with more than enough cause to be a selfish reprobate who can't help being kind, generous, and loyal. Abigail seeks his help to extricate herself from a situation involving a member of the peerage who is seeking to do her harm, but as she and Stephen get deeper into the secrets underlying the subterfuge, they also fall deeper into each other's hearts.

Abigail is a simple woman of inordinate intelligence and more than a few insecurities. Stephen is certainly her intellectual match, and while he has his own demons to battle, insecurity isn't really one of them. Their carefully-orchestrated dance around their mutual attraction reveals so much about their hearts and their histories, and I was amazed at the many intersections their lives had shared even before they knew each other.

And just when it looks like ALL the secrets have been laid bare, the author drops the biggest secret imaginable! One that I didn't see coming at all, though in hindsight the author certainly left enough hints to support its plausibility. I was truly stunned, and couldn't wait to figure out how they were going to salvage their HEA from this.

Of course their HEA was triumphant and in perfect harmony with the characters' true natures. The way this played out was in perfect step with everything Abigail and Stephen had built into their relationship right from the start, and I absolutely loved these two all the more for how well they work together. If you love historical romance, you owe it to yourself to read this and every book by Grace Burrowes. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. 3.75 stars rounded up to 4. How to Catch the Duke can be read as a stand-alone although the characters have made an appearance in previous books. Stephen Wentworth grew up poor with an abusive father who broke his leg and permanently crippled him as a young child. As an young man, his fortunes (and his family's) changed when his brother unexpectedly inherited a dukedom; angry with his elder brother and his injury, Stephen spent his late teens and early twenties recklessly rebelling. His tutor (and cousin) saved him by taking him on an extended tour of the Continent. Now, Stephen is restless but finds himself fascinated by investigator Abigail Abbott when she arrives on his doorstep asking him to murder her. Abigail finds herself in danger as someone is attempting to steal old letters sent to her when she was younger. The mystery behind the letters is well done and kept my interest.

Fans of Ms. Burrowes will not be disappointed by this title; all of her trade marks are present. Both Stephen and Abigail are well written likeable characters who have experienced difficulties in their past that they need each other to help move beyond. I always appreciate that Ms. Burrowes writes books with characters who not only have life experience, but act as mature adults. You never have to worry about Too Stupid to Live Heroines or actions that are too beyond the realm of the time period. This book is no exception and an excellent way to spend an afternoon.

How to Catch a Duke is the sixth book in the Rogues to Riches series, it appears to be the final book, but one never knows.
Lord Stephen Wentworth is the youngest son and heir to the dukedom. He's best known for his injured knee and amazing mind. Stephen doesn't expect to find happily ever after and he abhors the London social scene with it's crush of bodies as navigating with his cane can be difficult. He would much prefer creating his gadgets and making the newest creation.
Abigail Abbott is an unconventional woman for the time. She's an inquiry agent which is unusual in and of itself that a woman would be employed to search out the secrets and find missing items, think private investigator for the time period. When she cannot solve a mystery against herself she seeks out the one person that may be able to help her. Abigail had been enamored with Stephen when she met him through his sister and the plan has them in a fake relationship. Yet nothing is fake about their reactions to each other. And Stephen is determined to protect Abigail yet he fights his attraction and desire to make her his future duchess.

I don't know if it's because this is the first book I've read in the six book series, or if it's the author's style, but I felt like there was a lot of context I was missing with this story. Both characters show up and it seems like the book knew more about them than I did. Maybe with more context, you'd get more from this story.

It's a solid meh from me. I read it and had no particular problems with it. But I also didn't feel strongly about it in any positive way. The characters didn't move me. It was easy to read and just as easy for me to forget. It's been about a week, and I'm having to remind myself of many things.

The writing was fine, the characters were fine. It just lacked some sort of spark for me. Your mileage may vary.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.