"Much Ado About Dukes" by Eva Devon
Learn to LISTEN !!
Oh yes, this was a great story. It caused my eyes to leak, even while I was smiling. I may have needed to survive some rough patches in my life… But ever so very grateful that gender equality has come so far in 200 years. Although, being a stay-at-home parent does seem to be frowned upon in today's culture. Love, perseverance, and the ability to listen and then working for change can make change a reality, one person's beliefs at a time. Because people can change their ways, attitudes, beliefs, if they truly want to change. By now you have figured out that I loved this story. Happy Reading ! !
NOTE: I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley.
This review expresses my honest opinion.

3.5 stars rounded to four. I loved the premise of this book, but the first half dragged. I think there was too much internal monologue and not enough plot, honestly. The second half was much better—the pace picked up, and we didn’t spend so much time inside the characters’ heads. I liked both Beatrice and Will and found them appealing, but that couldn’t make up for the slow start.

Much Ado about Dukes is perfect for anyone who absolutely adores Bridgerton!! Lady Beatrice reminds me a little bit of Eloise and this book is kind of like if Eloise got the story she deserved.

What a great read! I highly recommend this if you like strong, intelligent heroines, swoonworthy heros and all things Shakespeare.

Lady Beatrice is about to meet her self-declared nemesis: the Duke of Blackheath. She is an avid activist for women's rights, but limited in her actions. He is a powerful Duke who could actually change the world for better. She comes prepared to fight an arrogant aristocrat but instead meets an ally...

As you can guess this has a very modern, feminist take, but doesn't lack all the goodness we know from our favorite historical romances. I loved the side characters (hoping for Ben to get his own book!!!) and let me just say: if you like the Bridgerton Boys, you have to read this!!

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

Do you want a SUPER modern take on historical romances, than look no further--- this is YOUR book!!! So modern that I read this and keep thinking over and over, "whaaaaaaat?!?!?!"

Drive-by Summary:
Lady Beatrice is a girl with such an immense fortune that she has the privilege to vow never to marry and instead concentrate on fighting for the rights of women. She write a million letters to William, Duke of Blackheath, for his support and gets enraged when his responses lacks the passion she feel the cause merits. Little does she know, that Will is completely enamored by her letters but keeps his distance becaaaause.......you can guess it.....he hates feelings. Plot twist: she looses her fortune, eats her "I'd-rather-be-independent-than-marry"/ "down-to-the-patriarchy", and enters into a marriage of convenience with Will.

Things I like:
* Will's relationship with his brothers were THE best! It's rare to see such a great brotherly relationship in the forefront of stories.
*Shout out to his brother Ben, because he's the best.
* I liked Beatrice and her 'no drama' attitude. She never blew anything up or make a mountain out of a molehill. She was steady in all things (which leads me to a think I don't like)
* The weaving in of Shakespeare and other playwrights was a joy.

Things I was like "huh?!?"
* Although I liked Will, not even the most enlightened, emotionally mature man would have the self control that he had. It all lent a "in a perfect world, someone would behave this way" but made the story, to me, past the 'romance' genre into ''majestical' (I dont know if that's a genre, but it should be).
* Beatrice- sure she was as cool as cucumber in all things (from learning she is a pauper with no change of supporting herself, to being woken up by two belligerent brothers.). This just made her heartbreak, again unbelievable. You just couldn't fathom a person who was calm when she lost her fortune, to being heartbroken because her husband can't admit he loves her. When she declared her love, even I was like "whaaaat?!?!"
* Too much repetitive narration-like stop hitting me over the head about the fact that they are partners and this is great!

Conclusion:
Not for me, but is Eva wrote a story on the Ben, I would read it in A SECOND!

Thank you #NetGalley and the puslisher for the e-ARC of this book for my honest opinion and review.

This was adorable but man I wish it wasn’t lacking in the steam department! What a let down!! The heroine wasn’t my favorite, but I warmed up to Beatrice after a while. Will, the hero, was wonderful.

"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 notic, and he felt a wave of ridiculous disappointment. Of couse 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.
Imaging 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, tension galore.
This is exactly what I want from a historical romance and I really got it all!

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!

I was hooked from the first introduction of the heroine! Who wouldn’t love the love story of the man supporting women’s rights and the woman who lives fearlessly outside society norms? The back story of the dukes pain and suffering is very well written. I will for sure be reading more from this author.

Lovely romance set in the backdrop of the women’s rights movement in England. Beatrice can pursue her passion for equality because of her own fortune. She does not need nor want to marry. However, she does want the backing of the powerful and respected Duke of Blackheath, a reform advocate. The characters are strong and intelligent and passionate about their ideas. It makes for interesting dialogue and opportunities to quote William Shakespeare, a favorite of both hero and heroine. Society, past emotional wounds and family make the plot interesting, emotional and relevant..

* 5 out of 5 stars *

YALL I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH OMIGOD!!! I've read some of Eva Devon's other stuff before, but I was never *in love in love* with them -- like I'd give them a 4 stars (so good, but always missing something). But this book had everything!

I loved Beatrice - she's headstrong, determined, intelligent, endearing, and adorable, but boy oh boy, I absolutely adored Will. His inner thoughts are utter perfection. Broody-boxer and in love. Sexy and strong with a killer jaw. And his name is Will, so that's another bonus. Aside from Beatrice's and Will's sizzling chemistry, I loved the pacing of this book. There was never a time where I wasn't fully engaged with the story. In addition, the side characters did not at all take away from the focus of our love interests, but instead enhanced their story and kept the story flowing, so A+ for that.

To be honest, at first, I was a bit apprehensive going into this book. I love Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing", and I didn't want this book to read like a cheesy ripoff of such a great play/story. Eva Devon's "Much Ado About Dukes" uses all of the iconicness of "Much Ado About Nothing" and puts it to fantastic use (even better than the play what), so that you get all the butterflies felt with the original characters, but in a new, creative, and steamier way.

I'm definitely going to purchase the physical copy of this book when it comes out on August 23, 2022, since I really need this on my shelf.

Also, just to give an idea as to how good this book is, here is a little taste of what you'll be getting, should you read this gem:
"He missed the way the light played on her skin, as if it adored her as much as he did. He missed the caress of her long hair across his chest as they slept. He missed the feel of her body next to his, taking up most of the great bed." WILL! YOU STUBBORN MAN I LOVE YOU!

Beatrice lives for her cause: women's rights. Will lives for his duty as a duke and protecting his younger brothers. Each of them has formed preconceived opinions of the other, and neither of them expects - or wants - the strong attraction that springs up when they actually meet in person...

This is an affectionate homage to Much Ado About Nothing, not only the character names, but also several direct references to (and a theatre visit to see) the play itself. The two main characters are a delight: Will is not the reticent grump I thought he would be, but rather a thoughtful, decent man constrained by his past, and his relationship with his brothers is full of affection and banter. (And also, gin. There's a drunken scene which made me laugh quite a lot.) Beatrice's zeal comes across as a bit much to begin with, but she is self-aware and fiercely earnest and also quite pragmatic in her outlook. The two of them together are wonderful, not to mention a study in 'just wake up, get over yourselves and admit you love each other already', and the plot plays out in a beautifully satisfying manner.

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 edition 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 I 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%. 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 did 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.

Will the Duke of Blackheath had a really strict view on not letting his emotions get the better of him due to the heartbreak of the past and when he received letters from Beatrice which were full of passion, which definitely peaked his interest, but he decided to ignore her and just write vague replies back. His brother Kit had met her cousin who he was planning to marry so he had no choice in meeting her.

There the problem started, she was determined he would listen to her and her views and unbeknown to her he had read and agreed with her reviews. He knew he couldn’t ignore her and when he first saw her with her spectacles on, he realised she was just amazing, beautiful and as passionate as he imagined and he wanted to run away and hide from her and his feelings.

They both decided for family reasons to get on with each other, they became friends and whilst he taught her the basics of boxing, he couldn’t resist her and had a mad passionate moment with her. He really wanted her but knew she was an innocent young lady which he could not take advantage of, although all his nights were filled with thoughts of her.

When her Uncle told her that he had lost all their money on investments, she confided in Will and although neither of them wanted marriage, he proposed to her but an official agreement had to be made that they would remain just friends and not fall in love even though they would share a bed. Beatrice would get everything she wanted and Will would get what he wanted, Beatrice in his bed every night. He felt that they would be strong allies as well as friends which was a great basis for marriage. Until it all blew up in his face. Beatrice loved him and he would not admit that he loved her back!

Will had to make a big gesture to get her back, which he did to fulfil their HEA.
A lovely well written story with historical facts to enhanced their adventure into love quite beautifully. If you love strong willed passionate men who care and strong willed women, this is the book for you and of course some well intended steamy moments. I really enjoyed the book and once started could not put it down.

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

A sweet story. William, Duke of Blackheath closed himself off to love when his mother ran away when he was still a young child. He has been looking after his two brothers ever since. Enter Beatrice, the cousin of his younger brother Kit's fiancee who has been trying to enlist him to her rights for women cause with little success. When they finally meet his worst fears are confirmed... she's wonderful and therefore very much best avoided.

This plan of his is clearly doomed to failure but the path to happiness is pitted with obstacles... most of them in Will's mind.

Good story, lovely supporting characters (Ben! I want a book of Ben!).

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.