“The Duke's Accidental Bride” by Eva Devon
OOPs ! (or maybe not?)
Yes, a fun filled story with a couple of spicy scenes that I skipped; and, then thoroughly enjoyed the story. I had some chuckles and shed a few involuntary tears. I do love a story that grabs my attention and tangles with my emotions. Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did. Happy Reading ! !
NOTE: This review expresses my honest opinion.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

“Young ladies should not, definitely not, fling themselves through a duke’s window”
“Now, let’s go about finding out what it is that pleases you”
“Lists are what make the world go round”
This book was otherworldly good!!!
I was already a fan of Eva Devon’s books but when I read the synopsis for this one … I simply had to try it !!!
And I was right !!!
A childhood friends to strangers to lovers story when she makes a vow for spinsterhood but cannot, because of her family’s economic situation, and he is a duke but also a matchmaker, who will never marry himself, because he doesn’t believe in love !!!
And they even have to work together to help her find The One !!!!
There is so much tension in this book !!!
The attraction and the forced proximity between the two is amazing and their banter is something I had so much fun reading !!!
And don’t let me start of the fact that she is HIS BEST FRIEND’S LITTLE SISTER!!!
Jaqueline, or Jack, and James are so good together and despite everything they had to get through, they managed to find peace and love in each other, something, he believed, couldn’t even exist!!!
The past trauma he had, the doubts and insecurities about his own future and the respect and deference he constantly shows her … I’m absolutely in love with this man !!!
Thank you so much to everyone who made this happen !!!
And check the book out as soon as it will be out !!!
“When you are near me … all I want … You … all I want is you”
“He knew that he should never kiss one of his best friends’ sisters. It was an unwritten rule”
“I will always protect you, Jack. Always”

This was my first Eva Devon book and wow, she really impressed me. Within the first few pages, we have a clear picture of what our leads are like and the draw they feel. I also admire how simple but 3-dimensional Jacqueline and James are. (BTW, I'm not using "Simple" as an insult. Swords are simple but they still take a lot of work and are really cool). I enjoyed their moments together and the comfortable back and forth in their dialog. You could feel their chemistry and you understand why they're drawn to each other.

I enjoyed how Devon played with gender norms. Numerous times, the ways men and women are trapped by what society demands and have to play games to get what they want/need. Also, Jacqueline is frequently called Jack and at one point, they quote Romeo and Juliet, with Jack in the role of Romeo. (Her asking James if men could be grabbed and taken certainly got a hearty laugh from me! GET YOUR MAN, JACK!)

Unfortunately, Sibling's Best Friends isn't my favorite trope and this book was more angsty than my usual fare. James has PTSD from past trauma and understandably has been guided by the fear of his past and for his future. I think Devon handled his trauma well. That said, I wanted more scenes of them just enjoying each other's company or just less angst about the brother-sized obstacle in their way. Also, I feel like the book spins its wheels in the middle. It does get better towards the end for a really sweet and fitting HEA for our pair! That said, it did have some pacing issues.

That said, I give the book a wobbly 4 stars. It has its issues and I'm not a fan of the tropes but I'm definitely willing to give Eva Devon another chance.


TW: Domestic abuse, parent death, PTSD, some sexual harassment, forced hospitalization, and parent with Alzheimer's


Thanks to both NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the ARC. I received it in exchange for my honest review of Eva Devon's The Accidental Bride!

The Duke’s Accidental Bride is the first Eva Devon book I’ve ever read, but not my last! It was just such a light and easy read, and a total binger!

The book follows Lady Jacqueline (Jack) Peabody and her childhood friend James Haven, the Duke of Stone, who are thrown together when Jack breaks into the bedroom window to give him an earful after he pairs her elder sister with a vicar. Because of his scheming ways, it now puts the pressure on her to find a match for money to save her family’s tarnished reputation, and Jack demands he help her find a husband. James agrees, enamored by Jack’s tenacity, and sets out to find her the best match.

Unfortunately, his schemes do not go according to plan—Jack is unlike any other lady of the ton and therefore not marriageable to most. His extreme denial of his feelings for her don’t help the situation either. The Duke is legit so blind (*cough* stupid) and hellbent on never marrying to see that his plans for finding Jack a husband are failing because he wants her for himself.

No seriously, the man has some major relationship hang ups thanks to some childhood trauma, and doesn’t get his shit together until his hand is forced when a scorned suitor threatens Jack’s reputation. Cue third act conflict, a scandal, and him finally pulling his head out of his ass. Jack gets the happily ever after she deserves with the man who loves her for her.

Cute, but....
Let's put it this way, I wont remember this story in a week. That's not to say you shouldn't read it, because it is cute, but don't expect to be thinking about it after it. Which, now that I stop to think about it, seems like the perfect summer read.

Quick and dirty:
The Duke of Stone, James, is society's matchmaker. He thrives on making the perfect, sans passion, happy match. Surprise! This is all due to his childhood demons and fears, which have made him vow never to fall in love. Oops! He falls in love...with his best friend's sister (not a surprise!). Enter Jaqueline Peabody, aka Jack-- a woman who has dreamed of spinsterhood, the closest thing to freedom she can think of. UNTIL, her family looses their fortune and she is forced to save them. Who is she going to ask to help her? No other than her childhood crush, James! Feelings happen....HEA!

I really liked the friendship between Alexandre, Jack's older brother, and James. I felt like that friendship was pivotal in the story. Jack is smart and direct--my favorite kind of heroine! James...well, he's too good to be true!

Eva Devon is not an author I have read alot. But after reading this book, I think she will be one of my go-to authors. It's a beautiful love story, but also a story about facing one's fears, and embracing life in all its myriad forms. James and Jacqueline are an interesting pair of characters. Each is dealing with an internal struggle, but events beyond their control push them to face their fears. A pair of secondary characters is facing the same dilemma, having to deal with issues that they had no control over. Of course, things end in hea, but not without a little bump towards the end. One character I did not like at all, because it was clear he had no other purpose than to cause trouble. I know most romances have to have a villain, but this particular one was just pure annoying. Other than that, this was a most enjoyable book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this ARC, which I voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lady Jack is upset with the Duke of Stone, her brother's best friend and childhood neighbor. She's upset that he set up a match with her sister and a vicar. Since Louise didn't marry for money, it will be left to her to secure a match wealthy enough to keep her family from financial ruin. Jack was hoping she would be left to pursue her love of music and remain unmarried. The Duke, James, is known for his matchmaking skills. After Jack sneaks into his bedroom window to confront him he offers to find her a match that will allow her some freedom and financial security for her family. James was never interested in marrying for love after he saw how marriage turned out for his parents. How will he find a match for Jack when no one will be good enough for her?

The Duke's Accidental Bride is a novella by Eva Devon. For a book that I should have been able to finish in one night, it ended up taking me four days to get through it. The book was actually an enjoyable read but it didn't feel like love between the hero and heroine only lust. I loved that the matchmaker trope was turned around having the hero be the one making matches. There were plenty of sweet scenes between Jack and James that I really enjoyed but something was just missing. I've come to the conclusion that this author is hit or miss for me. I wasn't interested enough in the secondary characters to continue in a series if there is one.

Overall, I give this 3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this eARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Tropes include: matchmaking, compromised, best friends brother, childhood friends, wannabe spinster, musical heroine, tortured hero, marriage is for everyone but me

#netgalley #thedukesaccidentalbride #entangledpublishing

Lady Jaqueline “Jack” Peabody is a force to be reckoned with. James Haven, The Duke of Stone, learns this lesson when Jack climbs a tree in breeches in the middle of the night to tell him how he has ruined her life. After James’ matchmaking abilities found Jack’s sister a husband of little means, Jack blames him for her new duty to save the family and fill their coffers when she is forced to marry a wealthy husband. Once James agrees to help her find a husband, he thinks he can wed her to someone who will die shortly after the I do’s to give Jack the freedom she craves. This plan does not go well.

James has sworn off marriage due to medical issues his father experienced and which he would never want to inflict on a wife or children. Jack will do anything to save her family, even after she realizes she’s always been in love with James.

Devon creates a hauntingly beautiful story. The pain James suffered as a child had me wanting to reach through the pages and hug him. Jack’s devotion to her family is incredibly brave and emotionally gripping. Their forbidden passion boiled to the surface so many times, yet they resisted, for awhile.

This is a brother’s best friend/childhood friend/second chance romance all rolled into one. While it took an extraordinary set of circumstances to make Jack the new Duchess of Stone, the build up is an exquisite climb.

I received The Duke's Accidental Bride for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

3.5 stars

This is a childhood friends story. The hero is her brothers best friend, he's also a duke and enjoys matching people up with others. He isn't keen to marry becuase his parents relationship was passionate and obsessive, His father ends up being 'looked after' at home and his mother goes to London on her own to find some peace and another life. He also doesn't want to continue the line.

Jack the heroine is annoyed because the Duke has curated a match for her sister which means Jack needs to find a monied husband to rescue the family. For me it semed to drag in places. Jack is unusal , a musician and also sorts out a way of getting a life for herself. Eventually passion overcomes the James's scruples...so much for safe sex and curtailing the line.

Not sure whether it's a series or not but I don't feel that I'd want to continue with the characters.

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

I voluntarily read this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This novel was pleasant to read. Jack and Stone are lovely characters and it was nice to see they had a childhood together. I liked that it wasn't overly dramatic, and that Jack's family had a lovely upbringing.
The only issue that probably needs fixing, is near the end, the chapter begins with 'A week later', and during Alexander and Stone's conversation, Alexander says 'would've understood if you'd killed Drexel today', even though the incident happened a week ago. I'm sure this will be fixed before print :)
Overall, it's an easy regency romance to read.

A 3.5 stars.

I believe this is a new to me author, though I’ve read so much histrom that I may be mistaken. This has the hallmarks of my favorite tropes and I loved the initial 25%—Jack is such a strongly written heroine and was captivating from the start. By the middle though, the story started to drag for me. It became a bit derivative, with the characters becoming stale. By the time the premise that is promised with the title comes…it’s 70% and then the finale was a bit rushed. I would have loved for introspection to really get into James at that point, or even Jack in the time between the events at around 85% to the end.

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley and my opinions are my own.

The duke in this book is an interesting character. James, Duke of Stone, had a terrible childhood with a father who was abusive to both his wife and son. It sounds like the father had some form of early Alzheimer’s that led him to not recognize his family or to be extremely paranoid and violent. So Stone has decided not to ever marry out of fear that the same thing would happen to him and he might be abusive to his new family. What made him different from all the brooding romantic heroes who, for one reason or another, is that he has also devoted himself to matching up others with spouses who could be their best friends rather than some passionate romantic partner. I thought that was a nice twist, though we don’t see him in action actually matching up such couples and how he does it; we’re just told that he has.

This leads to the beginning of the book as his best friend’s little sister Jacqueline (or Jack as she’s nicknamed) has to make a wealthy match since her father lost all the family’s money. She’s supposed to be a virtuoso piano player who only wanted to spend her time abroad studying music, but now has to get married. It wasn’t clear how this young girl has spent the past four years in Vienna. Was her family with her? What about her siblings who seem to have been in London? This is just skated over because now she’s back and demanding that Stone helps her find a husband who will allow her to keep studying music.

Well, you know where this is heading. And the title tells you that Jack and Stone are going to end up marrying so there is no surprise there. I found myself getting impatient for the book to reach that point so we could find out how Jack figures out his personal fears about marriage so that he and Jack can reach their HEA.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

4 🌟's | this novella was so fun and cute from the beginning omgggg✨ the heroine sneaks into the hero's chambers (yes, romeo and juliet style LOL) and asks him to find a husband for her (YES WE GET A MATCHMAKING TROPEEE) / this is a quick, fun and entertaining read friends, definitely would recommend!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the publisher Entangled Amara for the e-ARC via Netgalley.

📝 tropes: matchmaker, forced marriage of convenience, anti-heroine, brothers best friend
🌶 spice: 2.5/5
CW: memory loss, domestic violence, harassment

The Duke's Accidental Bride by Eva Devon was an entertaining historical romance read. The premise was interesting, even if the action seemed a bit far-fetched at times. Jacqueline was a fun character. James I liked well enough, but I found his struggles a bit tedious and repetitive. Overall, I would say I enjoyed the story, as it kept me entertained until the end, but it didn't capture me so absolutely that I'd want to read it again. Still, on the strength of this story, I would try more works by this author in the future. Check it out if you like historical romance that is more at the bodice-ripper end of the scale.

3.5 out of 5 stars rounded up :)

Ok so I'm giving this a 3.5 because it wasn't nearly as good as the other Eva Devon books I've read in the past -- even just a few months ago, her Much Ado About Dukes book was excellent. This one, though, didn't have any sort of OMG factor. That said, I was hesitant to give this a 3 star rating because maybe I'm just in a bit of a reading slump.

The chemistry between Jack and James was lovely most of the time -- sometimes spectacular but other times a bit flat. There is one part that I absolutely adored, so I thought I would share it:

- "May I come in?" he asked, his lips curving in a tentative smile, as if he was certain she'd tell him to climb back down and hie himself fence.
Instead, she kept ahold of his hand, stepping back.
In one easy and surprisingly confident movement, he swung himself through the frame.

I DON'T KNOW THAT IS JUST SO CUTE TO ME. I LOVE ROMEO STUFF DONE IN SUCH A CASUAL AND COCKY MANNER.

I'm looking forward to Eva Devon's next book and I'll be sure to read whatever she publishes as soon as it is available!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LCC, (Entangled Amara) for this ARC!! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Duke’s Accidental Bride is a new historical romance novella from Eva Devon. I’ve read a handful of books from this author and was excited to see what this novella would bring! This is a brother’s best friend romance where James, Duke of Stone, is a matchmaker and tries to find the “right husband” for Lady Jacqueline “Jack”.

The story starts with Jacqueline climbing through the Duke’s window. She’s upset with James that he set up her sister with a vicar, while they’re very happy with their love match, Jack’s family is low on finds and now it means Jack will have to marry for money and position. She’d much rather spend her time with her music and out in nature, not at balls looking for a husband. After spending 4 years abroad with her family and her lessons with the pianoforte in Vienna, Jack is upset to be back in London now on the marriage mart. She sets out to let James have all of her wrath but then he tells her that he will help her find a worthy husband she will be happy with.

Shortly after agreeing to help her, he realizes it’s going to be quite the task since Jack is unlike the other ladies of the ton. First off she climbed a tree into his home to talk to him, shows up in breeches, and demands a husband who will give her freedom to do as she pleases. He very quickly starts to feel desire for Jack, but has to keep reminding himself she is off limits as his best friend’s younger sister. James also is dealing with has things from his past to overcome, which had lead him to put love, marriage, and children off the table for himself. Once they’re caught during their kissing lessons, a marriage of convenience is forced upon Jack and James to save her from ruin.

I thought this was an okay read. I always get pulled in by the premises of this author’s books, but once I’m in the read I do find the writing style and dialogue a bit bland and dry. There is a lot of inner thoughts and telling instead of showing. I did like that they had history, Jack always joined her older brother and James, as they adventured when they were children.

Thank you to the publisher (Entangled) for an e-ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts in this review are my own. The Duke’s Accidental Bride has a publish date of August 1, 2022.

There are two things that could have made The Duke’s Accidental Bride better and more competitive with other books in the historical rom-com genre: if the writing and plot was less rushed; and all the characters were more developed. The premise and tropes was really cute (matchmaker falls in love with the person they’re matchmaking for), friends to lovers, older brother’s best friend, etc.

Lady Jaqueline Peabody is vexed. because her childhood nemesis and her brother’s friend, the Duke of Stone, has matched her sister with a younger son with no fortune. That means Jack is tasked with marrying well—and forgoing her planned spinsterhood with her pianoforte.

James Haven has a respectable title and a rogue’s reputation. While he’s eschewed marriage for himself, he enjoys success matching London’s eligible ladies and gentlemen. So if Jack needs a wealthy husband, he’ll just find her one.

There was so much telling and the insta-lust was a little over the top. I almost didn’t make it through the first two chapters. This is a strong “I like her because she’s not like other girls” from both James and the villain. James’s backstory has its trauma, but I still got tired with his back and forth.

This is a new author for me but this book was a miss because the dry telling made this a struggle to get in to. I didn’t like James or Jack because I never got to know them. Nothing that was told to me made me care about these two.

After watching Bridgerton I was dying to read a historical romance, and it did not disappoint. This is the first book I read of this author, but it certainly won’t be the last. During this book you feel the burden of being an unmarried woman in those times and you fall in love with the duke. You feel the urge to get married and find a suitable match. It was a fast-paced page turner and I couldn’t stop reading. The tension was building and I was eating it up. Definitely a recommendation!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
I enjoyed the characters of James and Jaqueline, “Jack,” as her friends call her. I thought the concept of the book was interesting. I thought James’ struggle with his past was honest and tragic. Jack’s empathy and recklessness gave her depth. I did feel that the book moved slowly. James’ inner battle of denying then begrudgingly accepting his feelings for Jack went on for too long. These back and forth battles from James became tiresome at times. The last fourth of the book picked up speed, and I enjoyed reading James and Jack’s happily-ever-after.

That being said, this wasn’t a bad book. I liked it; James and Jack’s journey was entertaining. I felt room for improvement, but this was still a solid read. The bottom line is The Duke’s Accidental Bride was enjoyable; however, it lacked luster for me.

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