Much Ado about Dukes is the story of Will, the Duke of Blackheath and Lady Beatrice, who are soon to be related as Will's brother is betrothed to Beatrice's cousin, Margaret. Beatrice lives with Margaret as her parents are both deceased and her uncle is now her guardian. Lady Beatrice is determined not to marry and has been spending her time and pin money supporting various causes and Will is in no hurry to marry as he has two younger brothers who could serve as his heir and also provide future heirs for the dukedom. The authors writes a captivating story of Will and Beatrice interacting with each other as they meet at various social engagements. Once it is revealed that her beloved uncle has lost his fortune and Beatrice's endowment from deceased parents, Will must come up with a way that will allow her to remain in society and also continue to support her charities. The story is well written with a storyline that will keep the reader engaged with the developing relationship between Will and Beatrice and also the drama that her cousin Margaret and her fiance, Kit.have to endure as Margaret reacts to a change in her circumstances. I received this story as an ARC from Netgalley and I am voluntarily leaving this review.

The Heroine
Beatrice's parents had a loving marriage, but unfortunately died when she was a young girl leaving her to her Uncle and cousin, whom she adores. She is strong activist for women's rights, especially when it comes to marriage and being a husband's property. She has no desire to be trapped in a marriage, except on the rare chance that she finds a love like the one her parents shared. She has felt quite alone in her passions, although supported by her Uncle and cousin, so when she meets William and is ready to fight him for his backing, she is shocked to find they share many of the same ideas and morals. Beatrice made me nervous at first; I was really worried she would be one who would fight William and resist his help cause he is a Duke and a man, so he couldn't possibly understand. I appreciated that she was able to have her strong opinions and still be open the possibility of William's help and possibly being more to her.

The Hero
William's mother left her husband and three boys in the middle of the night when he was a small child. She was in love with someone else and, he believes, chose that man over him. Ever since then, he has stepped up to care for his brothers, be the man his father coldly formed him to be and believed that 'love' ruins peoples ability to reason and behave properly. He vows NEVER to succumb to such feelings. But then he starts receiving letters from Beatrice and he is completely in awe of her even before they meet in a crowded ballroom. They form a friendship of sorts and offers to help her with her causes because he admires and sees the brilliant woman she is. At least that's what he tells himself. I really adored William; his awe and adoration for Beatrice was incredible and he truly was her biggest advocate and fan. He could have very easily dismissed her, but he sought to understand her point of view and conceded when he was in the wrong. That takes a big man!

The Plot
Oh, how I loved this book! I was so worried reading the first couple of chapters that it was going to be drowned down with political talk. Nothing against it as I know the lack of rights women had at that time, but I was afraid the romance would be soured by it. Boy was I wrong! Ms. Devon walked a fine line between the two characters and their stubbornness both politically and romantically. And it was so much fun! The side characters, William's brothers and Beatrice's sisters, were delightful and I am hoping they all get books as well!

Stand Out Moment
When, just the day after their marriage, William comes out of the parliament building to see Beatrice yelling her views and passing out pamphlets! I was so worried her was going to lose his mind...and he was. But then he stopped and reasoned with himself that this was what he admired about her and even joined her group of friends!

Tropes
Historical Romance, Regency Romance, Beta Hero, Politician Hero, Puglist/Fighter Hero, Titled Hero, Bluestocking Heroine, Activist Heroine, Hoyden Heroine, Independent Heroine, Virgin Heroine, Friends to Lovers, Marriage of Convenience/Arranged Marriage, Loss of Nobility/Riches to Rags

William Leonidis Maximilian Easton, Duke Of Blackheath, outwardly reserved and very much a loner, is a duke to love and admire. He is determined to remain single but is happy to play matchmaker for those he loves. He is also blissfully ignorant about women’s lives under the laws of Victorian England, that is, until he meets Lady Beatrice Haven, an enthusiastic champion of women’s rights. I love that for him at least, it’s lust at first sight. Despite his intentions to remain single I enjoyed watching him fall under Beatrice’s spell. She’s a magnificent character herself. Tall and lean, she has a commanding presence, and when she gets on her high horse, she’s a force to be reckoned with. Like Will, she plans to remain single. The battle of wits between these two is emotionally engaging and thoroughly entertaining, and their story moves along beautifully. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Nope. As soon as Beatrice asked her uncle if he was on her side I was done with her because I could already picture the type of heroine she’d be: her opinion is the only correct one. No, thank you. And then immediately after she thinks about her parent’s perfect marriage filled with love and how she’ll never find that. I can’t stand romances where an MCs parents had a wonderful marriage so of course that person won’t be able to have the same.

Much Ado About Dukes is the second book in the Never A Wallflower series. It is a stand alone read.

Lady Beatrice Haven has grown up to be very independent. As a result she is waging the fight for women's rights. She has been sending her pamphlets to William Easton, Duke of Blackheath, who is the brother of her cousin’s betrothed. Unfortunately, Will has not responded to her. Beatrice is not happy that the Duke will be a part of the family and is determined to confront him. The Duke actually admires Beatrice but does not let Beatrice know how he feels.

Beatrice notices her Uncle is not feeling his normal self, to which he informs her that he not only lost his fortune, but he lost hers and Margaret's as well . He tells her she should find a husband quickly, before word spreads she no longer has a dowry or fortune. Unfortunately this goes against Beatrice's cause about women being the property of their father's and then husbands. Something she is totally against. Will comes to apologize but ends up telling Will her predicament. He offers her marriage to resolve the problem with the condition that they be friends never anything more. Beatrice and the Duke will enjoy each other's company and strengths but will they be able to keep their promise not to fall in love.

This is an interesting twist on a regency romance. These characters are likeable and entertaining. The story had entertaining twists on journey to love.

They are single minded with their life’s goals and agreed never to fall in love with each other.oh, foolish, foolish couple, who were drawn to each other at first sight. Good thing, siblings are around to surround them with love and wisdom. Love the witty, funny, educational and philosophical exchanges in this story.

I received an ARC of this book and leaving my review voluntarily.

In this take on Much Ado About Nothing, Will and Beatrice experience multiple misunderstandings and assumptions about one another. Both are outspoken, free-thinkers, who are ahead of their time, in terms of societal expectations and social justice. While their forward-thinking is admirable, and leads to some enjoyable conflict and plot-points, it also feels a bit disjointed from the time period in which the book is set. However, the story itself and the evolving relationship of Will and Beatrice, as well as several secondary characters, was an enjoyable, engaging read.

"If he moved just a breadth to his right, his hand would touch hers. For her hand, too, was resting on her knee. Did he dare? Would she think that he'd done it on purpose, or could he perhaps... 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 an illusion."

***** SQUEAL OF UNMITIGATED DELIGHT *****

"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."

***** HERE LIES MY DELIGHTED HEART R.I.P DEAR HEART *****

These quotes and this scene gives me the same fluttering heart as the hand flex seen in Austen's P&P 2005 adaptation. I LOVED this book!

We have Beatrice Haven, a bluestocking, whose fortune has allowed her to champion women's rights and vow to never marry (how could she ever settle for anything less than love). Her will to change the political landscape around women and children as possessions cannot be hindered by the very act that would place her in such a position. That is until she no longer has her fortune and in order to continue her causes, forms an unlikely alliance with William Easton, the Duke of Blackheath. A man who cannot deny that the passions he's kept at bay, align so well with Beatrice's. The barbs they trade soon ignite into a friendship that both promise couldn't possibly turn into love. But can William's inability to allow himself to love after having been abandoned by his mother at a young age, set the two at an odds that neither of them are willing to come back from?

Add in the perfect retelling/inspired by elements of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and the witty banter that made the play the perfect comedy and you have Eva Devon's amazing novel. As a reader who often doe not enjoy retellings/inspired by novels, I feel like Eva Devon kept the perfect amount of connection to the Bard's work while creating a story that felt fresh.

As a very hero-centric reader I absolutely loved the relationship between the William and his brothers and cannot wait to find out if his younger brother Ben gets his own novel. The love and comradery between these three men, had me smiling until my cheeks hurt.

The only tiny downside was that there was a little less steam than I would like, we had about two scenes which I wish could have been extended. But other than that tiny (slightly) insignificant detail, I really felt the longing and stifled passion so characteristic of any of Jane Austen's novels. How a simple touch of hands could make me feel like I needed a chaise close at hand to swoon onto and some smelling salts.

3 stars

There were two things going for this book when I went into it: my thorough enjoyment of the first installment of this series and my deep, passionate love for Much Ado About Nothing. I went into this book ready for some enemies to lovers goodness along with some bracing social commentary on the patriarchy.

Much Ado About Dukes unequivocally has plenty of the latter, but is immensely scant on the former. While I think that Devon's updates to the Hero-Claudio storyline were absolutely excellent, the Beatrice-Benedick version of the storyline did not completely land for me. While the first ten percent sets up what promises to be a fantastically caustic relationship of banter that disguises the passion underneath, William and Beatrice's first meeting turns the story more into a love-at-first-sight story. What followed felt to me like a fairly toothless take on Much Ado that was more of a vehicle for the social commentary than an actual romance.

While this particular book was a bit of a miss for me, I really enjoy Devon's writing and will definitely continue to pick up her books in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled: Amara for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

An absolute delight! I love how Beatrice and William listened and learned and grew throughout the book, both individually and together. It is such a lovely, lovely romance.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

I was entertained by this enemies to lovers historical romance.

The Duke is a likable hero and perfect leading man material. The heroine, Lady Beatrice struck me as a little one dimensional. I liked that she was fighting for women’s rights, but I wanted more from her character. I thought her internal machinations slowed down the plot - I wanted more dialogue.

I am a huge enemies to lovers fan, so I would have liked more sparks between the hero and heroine before they ultimately got together.

I liked the links and references to Shakespeare, which is always fun.

3.5 rounded up

Stand up for women. Stand up for yourself. Stand up for what is right and fair. Stand up for love and embrace it fully. These are the backbone of this story, with the rights of women being center stage.

Lady Beatrice is strong, self assured, committed to her cause and is not afraid to speak her mind. She can hand out her pamphlets and ask the people of London to think while being a caring, calm and gentle voice of reason. She is determined that if she marries it will be for the same devotion and love her parents were the example of.

William Easton, the Duke of Blackheath, is content with the life he has. He fights for those that have no voice. He has no cares and takes his position and power for granted. He says he is fighting for the rights of women, but hasn't really talked to any of them to truly understand their issues.

When Beatrice and William come together they are a wonderful team. She is the voice he has been missing in his pursuit of rights for women. He genuinely admires her for her strength and passion so he listens. He has the position and his peers listen to him. They may not agree, but he spends a great deal of his time planting the seeds of ideas.

Ms. Devon brings us her characters that are witty, fun and filled with purpose. They have been given depth and humor. With William she has created the perfect dilemma that forces him to come to grips with the loss of his mother as a young child. He sees that it was not his fault or ultimately his mother's, it was the pride and arrogance of his father. He sees how lack of rights for women added to his loss. His grand gesture had me reaching for a tissue.

Disclaimer: I received a complementary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in anyway.

This is such a delightful book! Love a strong, intelligent heroine? You will adore Beatrice! She’s an outspoken, advocate for women’s rights and she takes on the Duke of Blackheath, her soon to be brother-in-law, to plead her cause. He is inspired by her boldness and enthusiasm and vows to help her in her endeavors. He has been trained his entire life to be a Duke, and a Duke takes charge and fixes things. He does his job well, but doesn’t allow for emotion or feelings, and definitely not for love. They may become great friends but he assures her that he will never love her. What happens when one of them doesn’t play by the rules?

Breathtaking, unique story of women's rights!

With more than a few references to Much Ado About Nothing as well as a few other Shakespeare plays, this romance covers a lot of ground while giving us a delightful love story set amid a charming cast of characters.

Beatrice assumes that William, the elder brother of her cousin's fiancé, is as arrogant as dukes usually are. I loved how it turned out that Beatrice was, herself, a little bit arrogant (though not in an offensive way) until she realized that no matter how hard she tried to captain her own ship in life, she was still at the mercy of the men who controlled everything.

I adored the banter between William and Beatrice, and the growing respect that allowed them both to confront their ideals and examine how to live them out with their actions. The conflicts they face are similar in content though very different in results when compared to what Kit and Margaret have to deal with. The author brilliantly compared and contrasted these two relationships in order to explore the overall theme of women's rights.

There are some heavy issues highlighted along the way, especially the history William had with his parents, giving us a highly emotional climax as he finally comes to terms with what happened to him as a child and who ultimately was to blame. The author cleverly demonstrated that both men and women stood to gain by giving women the same rights as men.

Everyone gets an HEA by the end, as love wins out over all the issues of control and scandal. Still, one can't help but be thankful that we no longer live in such restrictive times. It's a tremendously satisfying story, one that I highly recommend. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Will his fears tear them apart …

Upon the first pages, I immediately disliked the heroine, while she is in her rights to be angry at men in general for having the upper hand on any woman’s fate, she has no real reason to hate them all when she has known good men like her father and uncle.
Being so prejudiced and spiteful did not endear her to me, only mildly happy for her cousin, only focused on her goal, blind to others’ challenges and actions.
I love a feminist voice but not much when it is partial and biased against everything male.
Hopefully she quickly sees this duke is not like all dukes or what she imagines them to be, he is compassionate and rather understanding about those without much rights.

I like immensely Blackheath, he is kind and fair to everyone’s plight, and a tender soul at heart. Had he not been a duke, poetry might have been his calling to help to release himself from his spleen, a melancholic duke.
Being a duke comes with its responsibilities and duties, but it does not make him too obtuse to acknowledge when he is wrong, well so I thought.
As at the same time, he is scared by love. The pain the feeling can inflict when it vanishes or is not shared. Why even if he is fascinated by Beatrice, he fears the sentiments she awakens, too much risks it would be for him to follow his inclination and the pull he feels for her.

Yet once they go beyond their initial assumptions, they are good together, fast friends, just too stubborn to acknowledge what is between them, , especially Blackheath, something deeper than mere lust. Until feelings are hurt or revealed, at this point, Beatrice is the stronger of them both, looking life and their heart straight ahead and choosing to protect who needs the most.
4 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen lovemaking scenes

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

William Easton―the Duke of Blackheath, has vowed to never marry. He keeps tight control of his emotions while making sure his brothers are well taken care of. He is logical, methodical, and undeterred in his work with Parliament trying to improve the lives of commoners and especially women. When Lady Beatrice Haven storms toward him at a ball, his carefully kept control wavers as the fiery beauty accuses him of not doing enough to help promote the rights of women. He secretly admires Beatrice, and when she loses her fortune, he offers her the only protection he can--marriage. Beatrice is not foolish enough to understand her predicament, and after much negotiation, she agrees to marry the stoic duke. But what she finds is hardly an unfeeling duke. Can she maintain her disdain for William while every fiber of her being cries out to be near him?

I love a feisty, intelligent heroine and Ms. Devon certainly delivers with Lady Beatrice. She's almost too much until she realizes that perhaps William's quiet ways of getting things done have merit. William's character grew throughout the book as he realizes and understands what Beatrice needs. The author teases out William's tortured past and why he feels love is the ultimate betrayal. I thoroughly enjoyed William's brothers and Beatrice's cousin Margaret. They added much to the story. I look forward to reading more in this series.

William Easton, the Duke of Blackheath is determined not to love. His parents showed how love could destroy a family. Yet when he meets Lady Beatrice, he finds himself drawn to the fiery and frustratingly strong-willed activist. Beatrice is determined not to marry, preferring to fight for the rights of women as a single woman. Yet when she finds her future in peril and Will offers her marriage to save her from a life of destitution, Beatrice begins to view her future, quite differently.
Both Beatrice and Will are strong characters who are wonderful together, sparing and throwing intense glances at each other. Whilst Beatrice fears that marriage will diminish her, Will shows her the utmost respect, supporting her endeavours. Yet their self talk and reflections of each other, could at times be a bit syrupy. Yet when they become more comfortable in themselves, this does become a bit more realistic. I enjoyed the secondary characters of Beatrice’s cousin and Will’s brother, who added another dimension to the story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and Entangled Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
William and Beatrice are two of the most charismatic, original, organic characters I’ve had the pleasure of reading. The story is eye-catching and entertaining. William and Beatrice shone so brightly within the pages. This is a character-driven plot, and William and Beatrice demand attention from the beginning.

Willian was a lovely character. He is emotionally closed off due to a traumatic past. As a Duke, he is powerful and arrogant, yet he is also forward-thinking and open-minded. I loved how earnestly William listened to Beatrice. William could not say love in words and thought he was incapable of the emotion when in reality, he conveyed it through actions for his family and Beatrice. It took a long time for William to realize this; his journey of self-discovery was enjoyable to read.

Beatrice is fiercely independent and is devoted to fighting for women’s rights. Beatrice has her future planned out. She wants to champion her causes and never marry…unless it is for love. When Beatrice finds herself in dire circumstances, she is forced to act against everything she is fighting for. Beatrice’s humbling experience from being well off and happy to destitute and scared was exquisite.

I enjoyed how the couple’s intellectual connection developed alongside the passion. I loved the verbal sparring and witty dialogue. Much Ado About Dukes is the second book in the Never A Wallflower series. Eva Devon has created an intellectual, passionate world for two vivid, endearing characters. This book caught my attention early on, and I loved turning every page!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

Sadly, I did not finish this one, which I hate doing, but I just couldn't get past the intensity of the main characters' defining traits. As I believe another reader had said, it is all well and good to have some of the modern sensibilities present in historical fiction, but there is a limit that I feel was exceeded here. I found the feminist passion of Beatrice, the female lead, to be a little too anachronistic and distracting in its intensity, and more than that, I actively despised Will (male lead)'s self flagellation about his station and privilege in THAT time period. Just killed the entire vibe for me. Since it's a DNF, I will limit my review to the NetGalley website.

All that being said, I appreciate the opportunity I was given to read this book and thank the publishers and NetGalley.

Beatrice has been trying to get the Duke of Blackheath's attention for her cause(women's rights) and William has been doing his best to ignore the woman because even her letters draw him in far to much and he doesn't like that she can push his emotions off kilter with just her pen. So when she strides up to him in a ballroom and calls out his name he immediately asks her to dance.
Both characters have no desire to marry, Beatrice won't without love, William only wishes to find a companion so he never has to feel that evil love emotion. Then tragedy strikes in the form of Beatrice's uncle losing his entire fortune and her's as well, so now she must marry and as soon as Will hears the news he immediately proposes to her.
I had a weird, all over the place relationship with these characters, as they fluctuated between being really strong and sure of themselves to being boring and repetitive, but the final grovel did manage to make me misty eyed, so more good than bad at least. I really loved that this is a retelling of Much ado about nothing as well and that Beatrice was a really strong character.