Lily Martin is the local dressmaker in the ton and a popular one at that. In elder to keep her business a float, she takes out a loan from one of the cities most corrupt individuals and now she has to pay the consequences. She must pay back the loan or her sister faces ruin. While this is happening, we meet Ship Captain James Blake, fresh from America. As the Duke of Ashbridge, he is only in London to secure his estate before he returns home to America. After learning about Lily’s money troubles, he decides to take custody of her sister. This means that Lily and her sister will move in with the Duke and no chaperones will be in sight. While they have an immediate and intense attraction that they don’t do a very good job of avoiding, James has a secret that could ruin everything. This book is a great historical romance that will keep you interested and excited.

The Duke and the Dressmaker was a delightful read featuring a romance between a seamstress and a ship captain turned duke.

Dressmaker Miss Lily Martin just wants to make enough money to take care of her sister and to open her own dress shop. When Lily borrows money from the wrong person, she isn't sure how she'll repay the loan now that it has come due as moneylenders aren't known for their patience. After ship captain James Blakefield, the new Duke of Ashbridge, offers assistance, Lily is hesitant to take it but she has little choice. As the new legal guardian of Lily's sister Violet, James just wants to ensure the girl's care before he returns to America. But after meeting Lily, James finds himself questioning if six weeks with her will be enough.

I really enjoyed Lily's character in the first book in the series, The Beast and the Bookseller, so I was excited to see that The Duke and the Dressmaker was about her character. The book opens with Lily trying to persuade her moneylender to give her more time to pay which James sees and steps in thinking she needs help. I like that she pushed back against his idea that she was a damsel in distress, leading to him trying to make amends as he made her situation worse. After it is discovered Lily's sister Violet is his new ward, the two make a deal for Lily to continue caring for Violet while they both live with the duke.

I really liked the connection Lily and James developed while living together. Lily ends up helping James a lot with how he should act in society as he has no idea how to navigate the ton now that he's part of it. I like that he trusted her instincts and that he let her take over a lot of the running of the household. Their romance is a little slow at times in large part due to Lily's hesitations as she's adamant she won't fall in love. I did get a little frustrated with her at times for that but once her reasoning was revealed, her behavior made a lot more sense. I liked how the two worked through their issues and ultimately I was really happy with how the pair's relationship played out.

Overall I really enjoyed The Duke and the Dressmaker and I'm looking forward to picking up the next book in the series, The Rake and the Rose, soon.

This was a really good historical romance, with great characters and romance! I would definitely recommend to those who think it sounds interesting!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher

This was a sweet and quick story that was just an all around pleasant read. I have really been enjoying this trend with Regency books of having a series but the stories themselves being standalone. The two MC of this book are witty and amusing. I wouldn't really call their connection a slow burn, but it isn't insta love either. Very much annoyances to lovers, which was my favorite part. My only downside was it was honestly a little slow to get into.

What can I say, part of me will always love Regency romance and Eva Devon is one of the best at it I've ever read.

Reading this book, it's one of those books that makes you think about how one person can change your life, now I'm not saying everyone will end up with a Duke taking them in, but at one point or another most people will have that one moment where one decision can change their lives.

Growing up Lily knew love, her parents, they were in love, they loved her and they gave her a life filled with happiness, until the unthinkable happened.

Watching Lily grow, learn to stand up for herself, how trust not only James but herself, and find a home for herself and her sister.

Now we all know how these stories go so I won't spoil the details of this one, but it's unique and fun and makes you appreciate the people around you.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy of this E-Book, I have voluntarily read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was such a fun and sweet read!!! I loved these two together! The whole story was just lovely and refreshing. I can’t wait to read more by the author!

I loved this book!! It was fabulous and well done. The characters were on point and I thought the plot was well developed. I would recommend this book to others.

Thank you to Entangled Publishing for the ARC of this book!

This was a fun, quick, historical romance read. Lily is a dressmaker who lives in a terrible situation so she can support her younger sister. Her dream is to open her open dress shop with designs inspired from the time she spent growing up in France. After their parents died, their Duke grandfather disowned them and left them to live on their own. Now the Duke titled has passed to some distant relative and he's come to town (and he's hot).

It's a very cute romance for fans of Bridgerton.

I love marriage of convenience tropes even though they usually pair with miscommunication. The banter and the denied feelings were well written. It was a quick and I liked the humor that was added. The characters were both loveable and very independent. I loved the grand gesture at the end, despite being annoy with the actions that caused it to be needed. It was a quick but cute read.

Thank you netgalley and entangled publishing for the gifted copy

A great addition to the series. I enjoyed seeing Lily and James’s relationship develop with a slow burn. The author excels in descriptions and detail.
Many thanks to Entangled and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I liked the concept of the book but the writing style and perspective was not for me. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

This is the second standalone book in the Once Upon a Wallflower series. In this story, we get glimpses of the characters from the Beast and the Bookseller while getting a whole new set of characters. Miss Lily Martin is a seamstress working herself to the bone to keep her little sister off the streets. When her grandfather, the old Duke of Ashbridge, died, he left his title to a distant American relation and, along with his title, left his younger granddaughter as his ward. James Blakefield may be the new Duke, but he does not agree with many of the old Duke's thoughts and practices, so when he finds out how Lily and his ward are living, he makes arrangements for them to benefit from everything that is rightfully theirs. In this, he develops feelings for Lily and eventually decides to marry her, but can they both get over their pasts to live blissfully in their marriage? This was an interesting and entertaining historical romance.

The Once Upon a Wallflower series by Eva Devon is absolutely charming and entertaining. The Duke and the Dressmaker is a perfect delightful and well paced read. Devon's writing shines, her character entice, and this second installment works so well hand in hand with the first in illustrating Devon's mastery of her craft. This novel is engaging, fun, humorous and sensuality all woven together to create a delicious romance.

The Duke and the Dressmaker explores a romance between two people who are interacting in a social class world they both don't fully agree with. James is an America ship captain who has just inherited an English Dukedom and Lily is a dressmaker whose Mother was the daughter of the recently deceased Duke. Lily is not part of the aristocracy because her Mother was disinherited after she married below her station, but Lily's younger sister is listed as the new Duke's ward. So Lily and James enter into an agreement in order to support Lily and her sister, which soon becomes a marriage of convenience. Lily and James prove to be a great team, supporting the others when necessary as well as providing a delicious temptation to explore. This romance is sweet and sexy. I loved watching these two fall in love, prove their strengths, and learn to understand each other.

If you are in the mood for a truly beautiful historical romance that shows off the wonderful nature of this romance sub-genre, than please pick up with book, or the first in this series, or any Eva Devon book. Eva Devon is truly a historical romance author to explore!

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book two in the Once upon a Wallflower series. I have to say that this was definitely better than the first book. I was not a huge fan of the first one but this one was quite enjoyable. The characters were likeable and I enjoyed the read.

I was sucked in from the very start. I love a good lost souls story. James & Lily both have tragic backstories that leave them more than a little apprehensive of love. But they learn to lean on each other when circumstances push them together. I was instantly taken with James as you could see his softness in every interaction with Lily and with Violet. Lily, who has had to be strong for so long needs someone to take care of her for a change and James is the perfect candidate for the job. Despite outward appearances he longs for love, for someone to want him. I especially loved the way we see friendship portrayed in their story. They have a group of friends who love them, and I enjoyed seeing them rally to help these two see the truth so plain to the world. This story is told with beautiful flow and a tender care to detail.

Dressmaker Miss Lily Martin knows too well the sordid dealings of London’s corrupt underbelly. She should have known borrowing from one of the city’s most reviled moneylenders was risky. Horribly so. Now the loan has come due—and there’s nothing standing between Miss Lily and her darling sister’s ruin. Until a dashing American with flashing, defiant eyes intervenes…

Ship captain James Blakefield may be the new Duke of Ashbridge, but he’s only in London for six weeks to secure his estate before returning to America, and far from the watchful eye of the ton. He’ll be damned if he’ll attend another society event where eligible ladies fling themselves at his title. But when he discovers Miss Lily’s desperate predicament, James realizes he might have the perfect arrangement.

By assuming the legal guardianship of Lily’s sister, he can keep them both safe and ensure someone cares for the estate. But it means having Lily under the same roof for the next six weeks. No chaperones. No betrothal. As their undeniable attraction charges the very air between them, both propriety and restraint are threatened. But scandal is the least of their concerns when James’s secret threatens to pull everything apart at the seams...

Miss Lily Martin has been working as a dressmaker for ten years since escaping from France after the death of her parents. Her mother was the daughter of a Duke and committed the sin of eloping with an artist. Lily was refused by her grandfather when she came to England with her younger sister Violet. American ship captain James Blakefield is the new Duke of Ashbridge. He was a distant relation of the previous Duke. He has come to organize the affairs of the Dukedom and run it much like he does his shipping business. He doesn’t see the need for the rules of the ton other than to make contacts that will be good for business. He also learns that he has a ward Violet.

4.5 Stars.

Two scared and lost souls, each longing to be seen and loved!

Both Lily and James have ties to England. Lily's are much more recent, where James' are "but a twig on the family tree." Each of them have built enormous walls around their hearts. They desperately want to be seen, loved and treasured, but their personal fears guard those walls with a vengeance.

Lily Martin is determined, resourceful, smart and caring. She has struggled for ten years to provide for her younger sister and herself. Through very hard work and being taken advantage, she has made ends meet, not always the way she had hoped.

James Blakefield, the new Duke of Ashbridge, is a shipping magnate from Boston. He is not a fan of the English or the ways of the ton. He wants to do his duty to his newly discoveted ward, see her settled and return to Boston.

Together they are a force to be reckoned with. They help each other find what they have been missing. Once they combine their personal strengths they find a freedom they never dreamed of. This was an excellent story and I adored the characters. This series is a great one to curl up with on a snowy weekend and get lost in!!

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this story and all opinions are my own.

The Duke And The Dressmaker appears at first glance to be an opposites-attract romance, however it’s not long before we see that James Blakefield, Duke Of Ashbridge and Lily, the adult sister of his ward Violet, are actually very similar both in terms of the difficulties they faced growing up and in terms of their approach to life. Both are driven to succeed in their business, James in his role as a duke as well as the owner of an international shipping fleet and Lily in her efforts to own a dressmaker’s shop. I loved his respect for Lily and that he found time to take Lily and Violet for walks in Hyde Park each morning.
It was easy to cheer for Lily and James as their loved for each other blossomed. On the negative side, the grammar is appalling and pulled me out of the story again and again. Nonetheless, this if you overlook these blips, this is an entertaining story.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this ebook and this is my freely given opinion.

This is book 2 in the series by Eva Devon and the story of a secondary character from book 1. The FMC is Lily Martin, a dressmaker and friend of Elizabeth, the new Duchess of Montrose (book 1). Lily is the daughter of the estranged daughter of the duke of Ashbridge, who eloped with her French art teacher. Their family was rejected and reviled by the Duke, and English society. Instead, they made their lives in France, with Lily's father starting to make a name for himself as an artist. They formed a loving family life in France when they were caught up in the Revolution. But rather than try to escape the chaos and reach out to her English family, and seek safety in England, Lily's mother chose to stay by her husband's side in France. Unfortunately young Lily and her sister, Violet, were witness to the execution of both their parents, and forced to escape with just the coins she had squirrelled away in her clothes. Lily and Violet managed to make their way to England, and approached her grandfather, the Duke, to seek refuge from the only remaining family she was aware of, only to be rejected in the most appalling manner.

Lily, disillusioned, bitter, and realizing she can depend on nobody but herself, was forced to seek employment utilizing the only skills she had, sewing and dress design. For the next many years, to gain some semblance of safe shelter for herself and her young sister, Lily essentially lives the life of indentured servitude to a modiste who makes her business based on Lily's design. In a desperate bid to gain her independence and ultimate goal of owning her own business, Lily borrows from a notorious money lender.

James Blakefield wants nothing to do with London Society and the aristocracy. Not surprising as he is American... but because of circumstances beyond his control, he ends up being the heir to the dead Duke of Ashbridge. He already is a wealthy American merchant, but is forced to go to London to take over the responsibilities of the dukedom. He hopes to deal with them swiftly as well as meet his business goals, including using the ducal powers to persuade others to work with him to bring down the corrupt East India Company, then swiftly return to America and manage the dukedom from afar. He finds out that part of his responsibility is taking care of a missing ward of the Duke, his young granddaughter, Violet. James is frustrated in his life as it is, having to play nice with the aristocracy by attending their balls and social events to try to bend ears to his desire to take down the Company, and unable to locate his ward as yet.

Lily and James find each other when Lily tries to renegotiate with the money lender, and James, with his overly developed hero complex, tries to intervene, thinking he is saving a damsel in distress, but instead she tears him a new one, making him realize that he may have saved her in the instant, but in the long run worsened her situation. He is stunned further when he discovers she has a young sister, who may be the ward he is searching for.

James and Lily end up in a marriage of convenience that becomes more as they spend time together and learn more about each other. It fits James sense of justice when he finds out her relationship and treatment by the previous duke. But they fail to communicate with each other, and while they are attracted to each other, they are afraid to express their feelings to each other. Even worse, James fails to speak to Lily about his original ultimate plan to return to America... and she has suffered such profound loss and abandonment in the past that it almost breaks her when she discovers his plans.

A lovely romance of two social rejects finding each other. Their relationship was originally a mutually beneficial deal, but they quickly grow from a friends to love - except they fail to communicate with each other and this leads to growing fears and doubt on both their parts that almost tear them apart and stop them from finding their HEA. Luckily they are forced to face their fears and their mistakes by the intervention of good friends who see things more clearly than they do - including appearances of the Duke and Duchess of Montrose.

3.75 stars out of 5

I have gotten to love Eva's work so much recently, like she balances her story so well, her characters are charming and it's so easy to read from beginning to end.