I’m not sure why I don’t read more Regency Romances. I always love them when I do, and Much Ado About Dukes is no exception. Beatrice and William are the perfect enemies to lovers, with their witty dialog and steamy chemistry. Books like this make me wish dating customs were still like the 1800s and men were more gentleman than scrubs. Although with women treated more like property, I’m happy for the time I live in. However, it doesn’t make me want to dive back in time and enjoy these romances any less.

This is the second book in the Never a Wallflower Series and features a self-made wallflower whom dreams of being an activist and the Duke she is trying to influence.

After sending pamphlet upon pamphlet to the Duke of Blackheath, heiress and activist Lady Beatrice finally gets her chance to meet the aggravating man at a party where her cousin is set to meet up with his cousin.

But instead of the mutual loathing and animosity each expects from each other , when they finally meet, Beatrice finds a new ally and supporter for her causes and the Duke finds himself enthralled by her passion!

But neither one wishes to marry… so they will be friends and allies… that is until the truth of one of their circumstances changes, prompting a marriage of connivence between these friends!

This was a fun read and I loved seeing and the Duke both come full circle on their views of marriage and love. A perfect paring from the start in my opinion!

The only thing that nagged on me as I read this book, was that I could not easily see the connection between this book and the characters in the first of the series. Perhaps I missed something or it is simply just about different wallflowers finding their matches, but I was looking intentionally while reading for the connection.


I was fortunate to receive an audiobook to listen to and found that Sasha Higgins was absolutely delightful. Her voice work for Beatrice and the Duke was well done and reflected the characters. The pacing of the narration was appropriate and allowed for differentiation of scenes and characters. Her accent and style leads well to historical romance.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook from Dreamscape Media through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#MuchAdoAboutDukes #EvaDevon #NetGalley #pinkcowlandreads

DNF. It is very rare that I stop reading a book before finishing it. Even when it’s bad, I tend to push through. But, I just couldn’t do it with this one. It was so boring and cliché. There were way too many assumptions and misunderstandings that you could see exactly where the story was going. I just
couldn’t continue.

Thank you to the publisher and author for the arc via Netgalley

William Easton, the Duke of Blackheath has spent his adult life avoiding emotional entanglements or the slightest mention of love. He has his work to occupy his time and his mind along with a secure fortune. What he didn’t account for was his reaction to headstrong, outspoken women's rights activist Beatrice Haven, or his reaction to her.

Lady Beatrice has always sworn she’d never marry but instead spend her life and her inheritance fighting for women’s rights. She’s happy to provoke the duke even if he does claim to agree with her own beliefs, as she firmly believes all dukes are inherently her enemy. She can’t account for the pleasure she derives from her verbal sparring sessions with the duke.

When Beatrice suddenly learns her fortune is gone and she could soon lose any semblance of security, she reluctantly agrees to a marriage of convenience with the man who makes her blood boil. He’s not prepared to tap into his emotions, but he knows they can at least enjoy one another in the bedroom if they can put their animosity aside.

Phew. This book. It had some good qualities, and the writing was solid, but the characters and dialogue, mainly the heroine, just did not work for me. I’m all for women’s rights, of course, don’t get me wrong there, but I do read romance to try to escape from the problems and injustices of the world at least to some extent, so having the feminism thrown in my face constantly and belligerently by this heroine got old fast. I also feel like I’ve read this book before with the bluestocking, loudly feminist, manhating heroine and it’s honestly getting old for me as well. This review may devolve into a bit of a venting session, but oh well; it happens sometimes.

This particular heroine specialized in monologues and diatribes that grew very repetitive very quickly and she literally never said anything new. She believes her way is the only way and is very judgmental and set in her ways from the get-go. She starts out very clearly stating her view that all dukes are her enemy and must be against her cause, not men with titles or rights to sit in Parliament, just dukes, even though she doesn’t actually know any dukes. She came off as arrogant, judgmental, and very narrow-minded, which I found ironic given her goals. She put me off from the beginning of the story when she was belaboring all the reasons, she hates the duke (brother to her cousin’s fiancé) and making her cousin’s courtship all about her, then we find out she has never actually even met the duke. She’s just decided to hate him because he has that particular title. What rubbish. She basically hates all men, even those who support her cause, because they have rights where she doesn’t and I’m not a fan of this blanket generalization. She built the duke up in her imagination and then was somehow surprised that he was different from her stereotype, and she amazingly seems upset that he doesn’t fall in line with her presumptions.

For his part, William suffers from depressive tendencies, and I found this to be very relatable and it was admirable that he admitted this weakness fairly readily, at least to himself. Beatrice didn’t seem too concerned about William or his feelings and actually did her best to alienate him for a while, despite the fact that he was the one man who agreed with her and might be able to help her cause. Even as he was telling her he agreed with her, she was still coming after him. Because he was a man, she refused to listen to anything he had to say. This wasn’t helped by the fact that William feels connected to Beatrice (though for the life of me I can’t see why), and this makes him terrified because she makes him feel. These two may have agreed on a great many things, but Beatrice wouldn’t concede that they had anything in common or give him any credit, so I was just puzzled about the connection that was supposedly growing between them. Beatrice spends a great deal of time bemoaning William’s arrogance, but I found her to be much more arrogant than he was, perhaps made even worse by the fact that she thinks she knows everything but it’s very clear that she’s incredibly naïve and has a lot to learn.

Beatrice saw her parents’ love match and somehow determined from this that no man could ever possibly catch her eye and that love is a myth. This makes no sense to me that she’d be so jaded and not believe in love after seeing it so firsthand. I’m not a fan of this trope and William’s background wasn’t much better. His mother left him and his two younger brothers when they were all children and never saw them again, so he has abandonment issues and is determined never to love again so as to never be hurt. I’m not a fan of that trope either so this might’ve just been a lose-lose for me. Even after their marriage, I struggled and it’s probably only the narration that kept me going here because I never felt any romance between these two. Somehow, they develop feelings for one another, and William’s infatuation with her did come across on the page, but true love between these two just didn’t really show well, especially on her part and we never saw any change in her. In fact, she was angry when William was giving her space after their marriage, though she’d done nothing but made it seem as if her freedom and a separate life is exactly what she wants. It was honestly a bit sickening the way he bows and rolls over and does anything she says to do. He gives her a lot of support, but it never feels mutual because she castigates him so much without ever really praising him. When their big disagreement comes about, and he cares more about his brother than women’s rights she decides she’s done with him, and she can’t see why he’d think that way.

This heroine was just incredibly arrogant in her own ignorance and the hero didn’t hold up well against her. I wanted to see a partnership and some actual romance, and I never felt like we really got that here. Nonetheless, that’s merely my take on things and I think there are tons of readers who will, and clearly already do, love this incredibly headstrong, feminist heroine, it just didn’t quite do it for me.

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

Much Ado About Dukes is a delightful surprise. Lady Beatrice Haven is a bluestocking who is passionate about her causes. She has her own wealth with no plans to marry. But her beloved cousin Maggie is marrying the younger brother of a Duke who has been ignoring her numerous letters. When they meet at ball she expects to find him as dismissive as his replies (written by his secretary). Instead she finds someone willing to listen and unbeknownst to her, he finds Beatrice's fire, arguments and zeal magnificent. William the Duke of Blackheath never wants to fall in love as he was enormously hurt by his mother leaving him when he was a child. Later when Beatrice learns that her uncle has not only lost his fortune but hers as well (he was her guardian) the Duke proposes a marriage partnership of friends.

There are many delightful scenes. I touch of a hand during a theater performance, a first dance. and my favorite is him teaching her to box. These two are great together. But he doesn’t want love. I truly enjoyed the main characters. There are many nods to Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing but this isn’t a retelling. I thought the angst moment and ending were a little weak and had hopes that maybe his mother might make an appearance but overall a good book.

I'm new to the author and I can look forward to her back catalogue of novels when I have the time. I’d say this is on the low side of medium for my spice range. Enough details to know their enjoyment but not overly graphic. This is the second in the Never a Wallflower series but I read as a standalone and don’t know how or if the stories interconnect. Sasha Higgins brought the characters to life in the audiobook. Her narration caught the humor and the pompousness just right. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I loved being transported back in time while reading this book. It was full of romance, drama, and humor. There are a lot of similarities to The Bridgerton series but I did not mind that at all. The world needs more Regency-era-themed books/ shows. I think it all brings us together. These characters went through so many ups and downs, they deserved their happily ever after.

Lady Beatrice is such a fiery character. She is very passionate about what she believes in and will not change that for anyone. Luckily, the Duke of Blackheath would never try to change her and, in fact, admires her strong will. They make such a perfect pair together! They support each other's goals and are best friends. They were practically made for each other.

If you loved Bridgerton and as itching for your next fix, I highly suggest you pick up this series. I would definitely be up to reading the rest of this series. Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled: Amara for letting me review the audiobook. I think the narrator did a fantastic job of telling the story.

Eva Devon has written a smart, witty, and emotional historical romance in her latest release, Much Ado About Dukes. Headstrong and smart, Lady Beatrice Haven and strong, capable William Easton, the Duke of Blackheath, make for a splendid pairing. They ultimately come together under stressful circumstances and watching their friendship, and then their love, grow for one another is truly beautiful.
I received an advance audiobook narrated by Sasha Higgins, whose performance was terrific. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher and producer of this work in exchange for my own honest and unbiased review.

Listen, I hate to say it but this book does not work for me. I've tried to get into it but I just can't. Beatrice is a feminist, but in an awkward, hostile way. She is determined to push her agenda even to the point of ruining her family's lives. William is hopelessly smitten with her from the beginning but of course he doesn't have time for love. Why, I ask? What is the attraction here? What is the conflict? They are both in love with Beatrice. I want to be into these modern-spins on historical romance, but I just found this cheesy and annoying. I think this would be a good book for someone looking for more humor in their historical romance.

Everything about this opposites-attract, enemies-to-lovers romance is happiness-inducing.
Both William and Beatrice are interesting characters with personalities that practically breathe within the pages and are the perfect complement to each other. Beatrice's self-assurance and determination help her show William that his tidy, loveless life is not the only way to live. Seeing them learn that they make each other better and accept that they love each other is a treat.
And I'd be remiss to not mention the wonderful relationship between William and his brothers. I know each book in this series is standalone, but I really, really want to read about younger brother, Ben, getting his HEA.
The narration by Sasha Higgins is fun and lively or serious as needed and really brought the story to life for me. Her voice is perfect for the characters and the English accent super clear and easy to understand for those of us not used to them.
Overall, I highly recommend giving this one a chance if you're a fan of determined heroines who know their minds and heroes who learn to love.

Very happy thanks to Dreamscape Media for the swoon-worthy early listen!

This was very cute! Sasha Higgins did a really nice job narrating this one. Her voice was easy to listen to and she got me excited to see what came next for Beatrice and William.
The theater scene touched my heart and I loved what a feminist William became with Beatrice by his side. They made a great team until one of them fell in love and seemed to “ruin everything.”
I loved the relationships between the characters. Maggie and Beatrice and William and his brothers Kit and Ben. I’d love to read a story about Ben! He was hilarious.

This book was really enjoyable.
I loved the bluestocking heroine, Beatrice and the Duke, William, was swoon worthy!
Their dynamic made this an entertaining read. There's a lot of presumed assumptions made by Beatrice about William in the beginning of the book but after the two talk they actually become friends. Then the romance becomes a friends to lovers/marriage of convenience story.
I will say, I think the story did have a pacing issue. The beginning was great but after the marriage the story and romance slow down a lot and it made the ending a little hard to believe.
But the characters are fun and I love the message of women (and men) fighting for women's rights. Overall this book was a fun time.
The narrator was good too. I enjoyed their voice.

Thanks Netgalley and Dreamscape Media.

I got to read this book and enjoyed it then. I like the couple and the feminist topics. But found it hard to get into the audiobook. The audiobook version bored me some and I couldn’t really distinguish the narrators different character takes. The book I found to be an easy enjoyable read. I just didn’t get the same feeling with the audiobook.

Audiobook rating a three stars.
Book reading four stars.

Adding my book review of this one.

I enjoyed this Second book in the Never a Wallflower series. Much Ado About the Duke was a easy read that flew by for me. I liked Will, the Duke of Blackheath and Lady Beatrice romance. I thought the political tie ins where the to much. Did enjoy Will and Beatrice as characters. Both strong willed and loved their belief systems. The way Will wanted to help her was endearing. Will’s trauma with abandonment was relatable though the not believing in love seemed a little inconsistent. Beatrice wanting and understanding of women’s rights was a plus. Enjoyed the side character a lot and like the Kip and Lady Margaret side story. The twist at the 40% mark kind of came out of nowhere and the evacuation somewhat poor. I know that it was a plot diverse for the marriage of convince and Kip/Margaret futures but still felt like it thru off the pace of the book some what. Even with that I enjoyed the book and will continue reading Eva Devon I and this series.

A confident bluestocking and a Duke guarding his heart made quite the pair. I love it when the complicated characters just work so well together when they push eachothers buttons.

Beatrice had an ideal of how men view women and let's just say that she was surprised when she got to know well. I liked how Will got involved in the fight for women's rights even though dome of it may have been attributed to his past hurt. Of course both characters deny love and begin their journey on common interests.

The supporting characters in this book were great since they helped aid the plot and some parts really showed comraderie. The addition of boxing was a nice touch, especially Beatrice getting into it too. I'm looking forward to the next book!

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this Audiobook for my honest review.

This is my first time listening to a historical romance and ur were a delight. I mean the voices were distinct and clear. Exactly what I would have a thought for these characters

Now the story was awesome. The more Eva Devon I read the more I want to read. She makes her female characters pop and has these personalized we wanna see. And the men are level-headed and supportive

The conflict is relevant and makes sense for the storyline. The spice is on point. A wonderful story


I am going to enjoy reading Eva back catalogue

Audiobook review:

I’m so excited entangled released this audiobook so early!! I normally have to wait a while to listen to their books, so this is a nice treat.

I listened to the first book in the series and enjoyed that one immensely. I believe the narrators are the same and I really have no complaints. Her voice is a little high, but nothing that’s too distracting. I listen at 2.0x speed so it’s a pretty quick listen!

General review:

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 addition 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 the story 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%. My one note says it best: “I did want more aching cocks.” And I think it sums me up as a reader, really. 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 I’d 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.

William doesn't have any interest in falling in love: he has wealth, a home and his work; what else does he need? Beatrice is determined to never marry, occupied that she is at fighting for women's rights. But now, her future depends on William, who makes her blood boil...
This second book in the Never a Wallflower series is a regency romance with modern writing (it sometimes feels anachronistic). I couldn't relate to the characters, and it was too long. The chemistry between the characters was great, and I enjoyed the themes (feminism and equality).
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

After being abandoned by his mother as a boy, the Duke of Blackheath is determined never to fall in love. Lady Beatrice, meanwhile, has determined she'll never marry for any reason *but* love. When her fortune is lost, Blackheath offers to marry her. Can these rivals come to an understanding?

I loved the banter and the light-hearted tone of this book. The writing is brilliant. The pacing felt a little slow leading up to the loss of her fortune. After that, the plot picked up, and the novel was a joy to read. The audiobook narration was first-rate.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I loved the couple, especially Beatrice, who is worthy of her namesake. She’s an independent woman who cares deeply for others. Will is desperately in need of some TLC! Seeing them come together is delightful. The narrator does a great job with character voices.

A cute but pretty standard Feminist Blue Stocking meets takish Duke who doesn't believe in love tale. Perfect for new readers to the historical romance but forgettable for anyone immersed in the genre 3.5⭐️