Much Ado About Dukes definitely tug on the heart strings. I love romance books where one of the main characters is dead set against love. There is always so much emotional growth and vulnerability in these plots. This is a very good example of that. I would highly recommend this book!


I received a copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Beatrice is a feminist. She is independently wealthy, though her uncle controls her fortune at the moment. She uses her wealth to help women and fund organizations fighting for women’s rights. She is as involved in politics as a woman of her time is allowed to be, and expect not like like Will, a duke who will be related to her through marriage once her cousin Maggie marries his little brother Kit. But once she meets Will, the two become quick friends – with a spark, of course. Will is an excellent example of an ally – always willing to listen, lift up the voices of the marginalized, take advice from those whose causes he cares about, and adapt his opinions. But there’s one opinion Will is not willing to budge on. He thinks emotions, especially love, are dangerous after his mother left his family for love and was unable to maintain a relationship with her children as a result.

Despite this, when Beatrice’s uncle makes a poor investment and she loses her fortune as a result, Will proposes to his friend. Beatrice never wanted to marry, but knows poverty isn’t an option and that in order to keep funding the causes she believes in, she needs money. People rely on her. She doesn’t like that Will does not want or plan to fall in love with her, but agrees to their marriage of convenience anyway. Of course, falling in love is inevitable. But their relationship is tested once Will is forced to deal with the pain that comes with big emotions. As a result of losing her money, Maggie starts to question her relationships with men, including Kit, and calls off her own wedding. Will is unable to protect his brother from heartbreak. When Beatrice refuses to accept anything other than love from her partner, his brothers help him see that love – between family, between friends, and between romantic partners – is a beautiful emotion everyone deserves to experience.

Wow, what a book! The romance was lovely, but the storyline really hit home for me. This was the perfect example of how to be a good ally, and how to defeat patriarchal beliefs that hold men back when it comes to making important emotional connections. It was a clear 5 star read for me!

This is a story written so that it will immediately draw you in. This story has a few surprises, but the emotions are what will hold your attention and keep you turning page after page. I would have liked it more if there had been an extended epilogue.

Lady Beatrice is determined never to marry. She has a fortune of her own and she would rather spend her days fighting for women’s rights. Unfortunately, she needs the assistance of a male so other males will listen.

Even though William Easton, the Duke of Blackheath agrees with Lady Beatrice on many issues, their encounters often end in heated exchanges- while each one is secretly attracted to the other.

When Lady Beatrice suddenly finds herself penniless, with no husband or home, the Duke of Blackheath impulsively offers for her hand in marriage. They agree NOT to fall in love; their marriage will be strictly a cordial arrangement!

MY THOUGHTS: I found the storyline in this one to be quite engaging. Even though I felt the main characters fell “in lust” too quickly, I did enjoy the banter between the couple; and - I always love the lavish settings and amusing situations in regency romance novels! This book is a fun read. If you like historical romance, you need to give this one a try. 

Each book in the NEVER A WALLFLOWER series can be read as a stand-alone novel:
* The Spinster and the Rake
* Much Ado About Dukes

Thank you @entangled_publishing @EvaDevonAuthor @netgalley and @tlcbooktours for my gifted copy and my spot on the tour. My thoughts are my own.

The passion and intensity of these two proper members of the ton is strong. I am loving how the Duke who admires Lady Beatrice and her activism and all her writings, though he isn't doing much to help her, is internally wanting to rip her clothes off. He seems to be falling fast whereas she is just trying to lobby his support and teasing him. I can't wait to see what happens when these two are left alone!! 🥵🔥♥️

Ok so now that I've finished this book I can tell you that this turned quickly into a marriage of inconvenience. Since Lady Beatrice wished to be independent and not wed.

Then the agreements of not falling in love which is impossible if there's such great chemistry between two characters. The depth of pain that Blackheath harbors over his past and punishes those around him. Love that Beatrice tries to get through to him even when he's blinded by pain and shows him a view point that he couldn't see.

And the historical steam!! 🔥🔥

Thank you entangled_publishing and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

An enjoyable historical fiction/romance that brings a bit of a different story-line to the two main characters, Lady Beatrice and the Duke of Blackheath - William Easton. Lady Beatrice is a women's rights advocate who is quite used to being ignored by the men of the peerage who can make the laws to protect women. With her cousin marrying into the Duke's family, she sets her sights on the Duke as the one she needs to make understand the plight and lack of rights of women. She quickly comes to understand that the Duke already tries to help with women rights, but does not approve or condone the way that Lady Beatrice attacks the matter in public. As the two are thrown constantly together - they make it perfectly clear that neither of them believe in either love or marriage. Of course that is soon put to the test. Their journey has its ups and downs, and its tests of what love truly means. At the heart of it all is women's rights to be seen, heard, and be treated as equals (quite a timely subject). The story includes the usual pitfalls of financial ruin and public scrutiny, but with a bit of a different spin. The touches of humor throughout help to bring the characters to life. Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC: Amara for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #MuchAdoAboutDukes #NetGalley

A historical romance that sees a financially well off bluestocking finally meet her perceived political foe. She is anxious to pour all of her wrath on her perceived enemy and bombard him with her political pamphlets and views. What she is unaware of is her enemy, the Duke, is more than aware of her and many of her views and his are in complete agreement. So the battle lines are drawn and the skirmishes begin.

A delightful tale that will keep the reader's attention. I enjoyed this offering by the author and have rated it four stars.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased opinion and review.

Both Beatrice and William are guarding their hearts. She is a passionate advocate for the rights of women, and he is a powerful member of the aristocracy. They are forced together by the impending marriage of his brother to her cousin. When Beatrice finds out that her inheritance has been gambled away, William offers her his protection.

The main characters are very likable individuals, smart and articulate, and with close relationships with their families.

I'm always frustrated when the plot turns on the character's failure to be honest with each other. There is a lot of that in this book, and it made the book a bit less fun for me than it could have been.

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

Living her best bluestocking life, Lady Beatrice has little need to ever marry. Duke of Blackheath, William, is similarly decided against marriage until absolutely necessary, and refuses to ever love. After many letters petitioning the Duke to her cause of the rights of women, Beatrice and William finally meet in person, and discover they are on the same side. When Beatrice is suddenly without a fortune, a marriage of convenience is struck between the two allies, but can they truly just remain friends?

This book is filled with lust at first sight and characters who truly try to do the right thing for one another. While the ending felt like it drug on a little longer than necessary, I enjoyed the character development and the growing love between MCs. My favorite aspect was the relationship between William and his brothers, Kit and Ben, and would LOVE a novel all about Ben! Side note: this is book two but I have not read the first in a series of interconnected standalones and I never felt like I was missing anything!

Thank you to Netgalley, Entangled Publishing, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book! Much Ado About Dukes is available now!

3.5
I usually enjoy Eva Devon’s books a lot, but I think this one wasn´t for me.
As far as William Easton—the Duke of Blackheath—is concerned, love can go to the devil. Why would a man need passion when he has wealth, a stately home, and work to occupy his mind? Lady Beatrice is determined to never marry. Ever. She would much rather fight for the rights of women and provoke the darkly handsome Duke of Blackheath, even if he does claim to be forward-thinking. But everything changes when Beatrice finds herself suddenly without fortune, a husband, or even a home. Now her future depends on the very man who sets her blood boiling. Because in order to protect his esteemed rival, the Duke of Blackheath has asked for Beatrice’s hand, inviting his once-enemy into his home...and his bed.
I really liked William. He seems honest and deep. Unfortunately, I had a lot of issues with Beatrice. I loved the concept of someone so sure of herself and her ideals, but she didn´t seem real to me. She was almost a contemporary character in a historical romance. I was a bit frustrated with her by the end of the story.
The book is well written and there are really interesting side characters.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Unfortunately, I did not really enjoy this novel. While the author had a reasonably good outline of a story, the message she wanted to share through this story overtook everything else. The theme was so heavy-handed throughout that it overshadowed the thin development of characters and story. This would have been a much better novel if the theme were secondary to the story, rather than being the focus.

William and Beatrice story evolved from nemesis to friends to lovers, In this marriage of convenience that became a true love story, William and Beatrice HEA was sweet but filled past trauma issues based on loss. I enjoyed the detail for the writer in expressing Williams emotions. The interaction of the families was well-done and added to the story. I really enjoyed this book.

✨Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this book!✨

I dearly loved the first book in this series and I did love the hero in this book.

William was a wonderfully refreshing character and I loved that he wanted to use his station as a Duke to help others, women included. I also loved just how smitten he was with Beatrice, even if the stubborn man took his sweet time admitting it! 😂

Now, let’s talk a bit about Beatrice. I’m sorry to say I didn’t quite connect with her. She just fell kind of flat for me. I love the *concept* of a heroine like Beatrice, but it came across as very ham-fisted at times. Like, I get it. She’s a badass when it comes to fighting for women’s rights, but is there anything more to her? She felt one-dimensional to me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

My biggest issue, though, was that there just wasn’t much chemistry between the two main characters. When Beatrice suddenly decided she was in love with William, I just didn’t buy it. It was very much “tell” and not “show.”

The pacing was also slow, especially the first half. I started to enjoy it more as the book went on, but the initial setup of the premise felt like it took FOREVER.

Also, the grand gesture at the end was kind of cute, but I wish he had done something a bit more private, rather than put Beatrice on the spot very publicly. I don’t know, that’s just kind of cringe worthy to me. 😬

Having said all that, I had a fun time watching these two characters struggle to work through their issues and make their marriage work. I love a good marriage of convenience when two unlikely people are forced to figure out how to build a life together. 🥰

I also loved the boxing scenes (William teaches Beatrice to box!) and the gift he got her at the end. It was perfect for her and very thoughtful. 🥰

I’m absolutely going to continue this series, even if this one didn’t completely work for me.

A marriage of convenience with enemies to lovers? Maybe.

Lady Beatrice is a bluestocking who is dedicated to the women's cause in search of rights while despising Dukes and all they represent. She has no desire to marry believing love is an impossibility for her. Will, the Duke of Blackheath, has no desire for love or passion but has secretly admired Beatrice since receiving letters from her.

When Beatrice finds her financially independent spinsterhood dreams ruined, the duke offers her marriage in name only. Because they definitely won't fall in love. Right?

This was good, solid, and dependable to deliver a more modern historical romance, Looking forward to seeing what the author puts out next.

This book was mostly about one’s emotions, passions and ways to keep them inside or... not being able to do so. Because of that, you could quickly find yourself reading on. When you read about an emotion for 100 pages or so, you’re bound to do just that, but trust me when I say - stick around for the ending. It was perfect..

It was a sweet love story that i didn't saw coming, i enjoy it a lot and i recommended specially for those who love historical romance books, it wasn't lighthearted because the main characters overcome their traumas, but it isn't heavy either is just perfect.

The book suffers a bit from trying to do all the things, but it's an easy, not-unpleasant read. There were some good character moments, and several moments of intention and unintentional humor made me laugh. However, the biggest highlights were the male lead's brothers, who were smarter than everyone else (Ben, particularly) and really, just adorable puppies.

My thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lady Beatrice Haven is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to women's rights. William, Duke of Blackheath, greatly admires Beatrice even though he does not want to. Her cousin Margaret is engaged to one of his brothers. With a family connection they would see each other quite often. Once they meet, Beatrice and Will, a powerful and wealthy Duke, would be movers and shakers if they can work together. Unforseen circumstances put Beatrice in an unwanted situation. She has no choice but to marry for security. Will cannot think of Beatrice married to anyone else. The rightness for them to be together is jeopardized when love is involved. One of my favorite couples is a strong heroine who can hold her own with the hero.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

William and Beatrice are two very intelligent, very political people. They are both so caught up in their work, that they have no time for romance or marriage. They respect each and are friends. And there is definitely a chemistry there. Both are emotionally unavailable.
They are thrown together, constantly, due to his brother and her cousin getting engaged. Their mutual attraction 🧲 is growing. When Beatrice's Uncle, informs her that he has lost her fortune in a bad investment, it is William who comes to her rescue. He offers a marriage based on their mutual respect and friendship but not love. Beatrice accepts. The fun now begins as they both try not to fall in love.
I loved all the characters in this book, especially Ben. I hope he gets his own story soon . 5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I want to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

This is my second Eva Devon novel and I find her writing quite charming. At times, my breath caught by much of the inner and outward dialogue. While this book is quite steamy, one scene in particular, was quite remarkable:
"Before he could stop himself, he angled himself so little that it was a feather's breadth of movement. The edge of his hand touched hers ever so slightly. So slightly that it might have been but an illusion...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 under him. And he could scare believe that something so small could feel so great."
Devon provides and almost electric chemistry between Beatrice and Will, that you, as the reader, enjoy the insta captivation they have for one another. Will is unknowingly almost in love with Beatrice from her letters alone. Beatrice takes a bit more time to come around to accepting her attraction to Will. The dialogue is rife with sharp, witty banter, and gorgeous inner monologues.
The one con I have regarding the book is that it seems to circle quite a bit. I felt there was some repetition in both action, thoughts, and, at times, dialogue. I don't think that should dissuade anyone from partaking. Just be aware, this isn't really an enemies-to-lovers; I would categorize it as a clashing acquaintances to friends to lovers.