I was extremely fortunate to receive an ARC of A Duke Never Tells written by the fabulous Suzanne Enoch via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Margaret Elizabeth Pinwell has been told that she her marriage has been arranged to James Clay, the new Duke of Earnhurst. She has absolutely no desire to marry a walking drunk scandal who is always in the tabloids. She decides to visit the Duke's home (while he is not at residence) with her aunt, while pretending to be a lady and her companion visiting homes in the area. On her arrival, they are greeted by a drunk butler, and a very austere severe looking older than expected Duke. What ensues is a comedy of errors and a domino of lies with a dash of truth because the butler actually happens to be the Duke, who is beginning to be attracted to the companion, Meg, and the pretend fake Duke is falling for Meg's aunt who is pretending to be a lady.
This is a great story first and foremost because it teaches us the importance of not always knowing what someone is going through til we literally step into their shoes, as well as teaching us the importance of character over rank. A fun read!

A Duke Never Tells is a very funny historical rom com. It's a loose adaptation of the 1930s screwball comedy My Man Godfrey with a bit of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest thrown in.

Lady Meg Pinwell is engaged to James Clay, Duke of Earnhurst, but they've never met. Before entering into marriage, she wants to find out more about her fiance, so she and her aunt/best friend Clara devise a ruse to make a brief visit to the ducal estate with Clara posing as an earl's daughter and Meg as her companion. Shortly after arrival, Meg sprains her ankle and the duo are forced to stay in the crumbling house for several weeks, giving them ample opportunity to get to know the duke. There's just one problem: the actual duke is pretending to be the butler and the estate manager is pretending to be the duke.

I liked this book a lot. It's a little light on the romance, since there are two couples (Meg and the duke/butler and Clara and the fake duke/estate manager), but the romances are very sweet. Of course, there's a lot of very funny conflict and mixed feelings involved in both romances, given that Meg thinks she's falling for her fiance's butler and Clara thinks she's falling for her niece's fiance, while the real and fake duke think they're falling for women who are far above and far below their respective stations in life.

My only issue with the book is that the romances felt a bit underdeveloped, since the story deals with two couples. But I really did enjoy the story, and the screwball comedy aspects of it worked really well. This book is perfect if you're in the mood for something light.

I have now read three of Suzanne Enoch's historical screwball romcoms. I disliked one (Something in the Heir) and absolutely adored another (Every Duke Has His Day). This one, A Duke Never Tells, falls somewhere in the middle. The writing is just fine, but I expected a little something extra (probably because I loved her most recent book so much.)

This is, yes, a screwball comedy/mistaken identity farce. Lady Meg is about to be married, sight unseen, to the new Duke of Earnhurst. She and her BFF Aunt Clara decide to travel to his estate under assumed identities to do some intelligence gathering on him. On their date of arrival, James (the Duke) is fed up with his man of business, Elliott. So when a hoity toity lady and her companion show up for a tour, James pretends to be the butler, forcing Elliott to masquerade as the duke. All of them expect their assumed identities to be short-lived, but when Meg twists her ankle, they all have to hunker down for two more weeks before she can leave.

While the comedic elements hit (the evolution of the mistaken identities was particularly funny), I didn't love the romances. And yes, there are two: one between Meg and James, and the other between Clara end Elliott. (Or perhaps I should say, one between lady's companion Mildred and butler James, and one between Lady Sophronia and His Grace, James.) There were a lot of "not like other girls" moments in both romances; some of these were refuted, especially from Clara, outspoken feminist, but many of which went by unnoticed by any of the characters (but not by me, obvs). There's even one moment, where Clara calls out her love interest by informing him that plenty of women are intelligent and funny, like her, he internally thinks about how this just proves that she really ISN'T like other women - because she is willing to be open with her intelligent witticisms.

I was also expecting a little more class commentary (as in a French mistaken identity satire), but instead, the final revelation of their identities just reaffirmed that their romances were, indeed, class dependent. I have heard that the audio adds a little something - my guess is that it makes the humor more evident and the weaker parts are less in evidence - so I'd probably recommend that route for enjoying this one.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

This was such a fun nod to Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, but set during the regency. Lady Meg Pinwell is betrothed to renowned rake James Clay, the new Duke of Earnhurst, without ever having met him. Intending to spy on him with her Aunt Clara to see if the rumors are valid, Meg and Clara assume fake identities as traveling companions. It’s just that when they arrive, the Duke and his butler seem to be a little different from what Meg imagined. They’re also thrown for a loop when Meg’s visit becomes extended unexpectedly—can Clara and Meg sustain their charade? And just who is the actual Duke of Earnhurst?

This book is so fun because the characters get more and more twisted up in their own farce that as a reader I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop, revealing everything. Enoch brilliantly creates an unexpected DOUBLE romance with lovable characters that despite their secrets and identity swapping, I just wanted to see happy at the end.

For readers that are interested in spice level, this is a closed door romance which suits the novel perfectly (it would seem out of place for high steam given the plot). I’m really curious to see what types of romances Enoch writes in the future since she can write anything from traditional histroms to screwball comedy. I’ll say that if she’s writing it, I’ll read it. I received an early copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Steam: 1/2🪭 (closed door but intimacy and lots of kissing is mentioned)
Humor: 🪛⚾️🪛⚾️

A Duke Never Tells by Suzanne Enoch is a delightful Regency romcom filled with mistaken identities, witty banter, and a touch of chaos. Lady Meg Pinwell, determined to uncover the truth about her betrothed, disguises herself as a maid in his household. Meanwhile, James Clay, the new Duke of Earnhurst, also assumes a false identity, leading to hilarious misunderstandings and unexpected romance.
The story balances humor and heart, with engaging characters and a well-paced plot. While Meg and James have great chemistry, the secondary romance between Aunt Clara and the practical Elliott Riniken is just as compelling. The novel leans more into comedy than romance, and while there is little steam, the charm and fun of the story make up for it.
With its entertaining twists and lovable characters, this book is a lighthearted and enjoyable read, perfect for fans of historical romance with a comedy twist.
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

This was a sweet romantic comedy inspired by elements of The Importance of Being Ernest and My Man Godfrey. I was initially unsure how I was going to feel about the (actual) duke, James, since he had apparently spent a long time ignoring every responsibility. However, I was eventually charmed by his redemption and obvious love for Meg. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-Arc.

I wanted to like this book despite the cover. I just kept finding so many flaws after I finished it. The author has a serious issue with "showing not telling" for the female character development. It's repeated Clara is "a strong crusader for causes, suffragette, practical, logical" but nothing the character actually does reflects that. In fact, the part where she sees the duke next to the old duke's picture and goes to "Duke's bastard" instead of having that moment be the "oh...so that's why things aren't lining up!" moment shows how badly her actions don't reflect her description. The male characters feel more fleshed out but that's because the book is less a romance and more about resolving the relationship between a petulant adult Duke and the man of business who he thinks his Daddy liked better. The women are really just there so that the Duke can talk to someone else about his Daddy issues and his immaturity and give him a wakeup call that his actions have consequences. There's a pointless robbery subplot in there, thrown in so we can have a dramatic scene. If it seemed like there was character development in this book there wouldn't be a need for a dramatic scene. There is also a really huge gaping hole with this whole "duke pretending to not be the duke" thing when he goes into town multiple times a week to get bakery items and other stuff with the FMC without a single townsperson calling him "Your Grace" because they wouldn't be in on the whole "switched identities" thing and the guy looks like a Xerox of his Father. The whole farce should've ended at the first bakery scene. Honestly the whole thing is based on a farfetched premise that her "high stickler for propriety" parents would say "no one else in Mayfair wants this man for their daughter even as a duke's heir because he's got such a bad reputation but we know his Dad so seems cool to betroth our not even out of the school room kid to him. He's totally going to be a great husband instead of ditching his new bride with Daddy or not bothering to show to his own wedding"

Lady Margaret “Meg” Pinwell was planning her debut when she learns that her father has betrothed her to the Marquis of Duffy (heir to the Duke of Earnhurst) a man she has never met and that she will be married in six months. But the next day her father gets notice that the duke has died, and they have to enter a year of mourning. During that time Meg hears nothing from her betrothed but learns a lot about him via the gossip sheets and has second thoughts about marrying him. With the help of her aunt Clara, who is only eight years her senior, they form a plan. They will visit the duke’s estate incognito and see what the staff has to say about the new duke and decide if she will in fact marry him or if the rumors of his wildness and rakishness are true, she will cry off. The tell her parents that they are going to London early to shop, but the set off to the duke’s estate, planning on spending a few hours there before continuing on to London. What they find is an understaffed estate that seems to be crumbling to the ground and to their complete shock, they are introduced to the duke – who is supposed to be in London. A duke who is nothing like Meg expected. In order to save her reputation, she and her aunt continue with their ruse, hoping to escape as soon as possible and praying the duke won’t recognize her when they meet again. But that plan is crushed when Meg is injured, and they are forced to stay at the estate for at least two weeks!

For the last six years, the Duke of Earnhurst’s estate has been falling into disrepair as the late duke had told his man of business that his son and heir, James Clay, the Marquis of Duffy was in charge of the estate and that nothing could be done without his approval. An order that his man of business, Elliott Riniken, took very seriously. Elliott has been trying for years to get James to be responsible, but his letters are ignored, and his pleas fall on deaf ears. But now that the new duke is going to marry in six weeks, he has finally come to the estate but still refuses to pick up the reins. That is until they have unexpected guests and James claims to be the butler and says that Elliott is the duke. But when Meg/Mabel gets hurt and everyone has to continue their ruse – things get a little (a lot) crazy!

This was a fun historical rom com with very likable characters and a mistaken identity trope. There is plenty of shenanigans and people falling in love, there is also some emotional healing, but sadly – no steam. Overall, it was a fun, albeit sometimes silly story with multiple happy endings and thankful no third-act breakups. This is a standalone title that I am happy to recommend.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

4.5⭐️

This was such a charming and delightful book. It's not over the top but I really had lot of fun with this book.

An arranged marriage that neither party wants. I girl getting ready to debut and a rake of duke. It's not what either expected. This was a really easy read and I really liked all four main characters. I really also appreciated that we got the four separate POVs. Each character were unique and I appreciated that each had their own growth and character arc by the end of the book.

The pacing was also well done. There was times in the middle it may have drag some in the middle but overall it went along at a decent pace,

I thought the story was pretty cute with the switched identities of both the main FMCs and MMCs. Although it was a cheesy at times. Not a perfect read but really enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Lady Meg Pinwell is told by her parents that she will soon wed the infamous future-Duke, James Clay. James’ reputation of womanizing and debauchery has reached even Meg, a fairly isolated and young heroine. Hoping to scope out the situation more thoroughly, Meg and her aunt, Clara, decide to go undercover as a noblewoman and companion to ask James’ staff about his true nature. Due to circumstances, James and his butler also pretend to be other identities, and soon the quadrant of people are enraptured while pretending. Hilarity ensues.

If you love a farcical comedy, similar to The Importance of Being Earnest or The Birdcage, you will enjoy this book. I would say that it triumphs more as a comedy than as a love story, but this may be desirable to some readers. There are lots of reveals and escapades that keep the reader silently (or audibly) chuckling. There’s even a bit of an “Undercover Boss” element that is rewarding and fun.

This book features one of my all-time favorite tropes, and that is the double romance. James and Meg each have a lot of maturing to do, and while I love their premise, I struggled to cheer for them. However, it is easy to cheer for the caring and progressive aunt and the practical, authentic man of business. In this case, the secondary romance seems more engaging, innovative, and relevant.

This was my first time reading Suzanne Enoch’s work, and I was impressed with her bold style and witty compositions. Readers should be aware that the scenes of intimacy are very low steam, and this choice also leaves me feeling that the story shines more as a comedy.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity. As always, these opinions are mine alone.

This book was absolutely hilarious! The dedication compares it to The Importance of Being Earnest and it definitely lives up to the hijinks in that story. The mistaken identity plot led to an absolute romp of a plot. The story rotates between the perspectives of the four main characters and I found myself coming to care about all of them and rooting for them to untangle the hilarious mess they were in. Among all the humor and the mishaps the author also wove a good amount of heart into this story. The chemistry was palpable between the characters and because the book's tone leaned towards screwball comedy I didn't miss having open door scenes. Real life can be so stressful so this hilarious escape came at the perfect time. I recommend this book to anyone who needs a good laugh.

A+ title choice. I really enjoyed this book! It had "The Importance of Being Earnest" vibes and was thoroughly entertaining. At first I was nervous about it being closed-door, but that actually fit the book very well. Open-door would have been out of place.

Anyway, the characters were likeable, compelling, and the story came together well. The relationship that the real-Duke had with his servants was really funny and I enjoyed seeing how he came into his own as the new duke. I loved the relationship development between the man-of-business and Clara, as they seem perfect for each other. This is a really fun book, so I definitely recommend it.

In terms of the audio book, the voice actors were chosen well. There was nothing cringey to note.

4.5 rounded up to 5!

I really enjoyed this lighthearted romance by Suzanne Enoch. Oddly enough I read it right after a different book where there were 4 main characters and I really didn't like that other one, but Enoch does a great job of introducing the 4 main characters and causing us to care about each one of them.

Mistaken identity is a huge theme in this book. Meg has been betrothed to James, a new Duke and she brings her aunt to his country home in order to learn more about him before deciding whether to go ahead with the marriage. Meg and Clara pretend to be another peer and her companion touring the country homes in the area. When they get there James decides to pretend that his father's "man of buisness", Elliott, is the new Duke, and he himself is the new butler.

Over the book Clara gets close to Elliott and James gets close to Meg, while Elliott tries to get James invested in remodeling the house which has been left to ruin by James' father. Meanwhile, everyone is pretending to be someone else.

There is a small side story about the former accountant who stole money and comes back to blackmail James. He ultimately becomes the way that everyone figures out who is who, but really his part of the story could have been removed entirely, and they could have been outed just as easily by Meg's parents, who come to the country house at that exact time as well.

That detraction aside, I enjoyed all the main characters and it was nice to see someone do a non-standard romance with two couples and not feel like I had no idea who was who because there were so many characters (though there were a lot in this book, it generally worked.) it was an interesting change to an otherwise standard mistaken identity trope.

I received an advanced copy and am giving an honest review.

Fake identities, unlikely romance, and being trapped in the same house together as four people figure out what lies ahead of them when the truth comes out. When a heiress disguises herself as a maid at her fiance's household to see if he really is the rake and scoundrel his reputation says he is the last thing she expects is to fall for a handsome butler while her aunt falls for the duke of the house. Lady Meg Pinwell 's family has arranged for her to marry James Clay, the new Duke of Earnhurst. It was an agreement made by both their parents... but Meg has her worries because said new Duke has a reputation for gambling, drinking, and sleeping around with everyone. She comes up with a plan with her Aunt Clara, go in disguise to the Duke's estate and pretend to be her aunt's maid/companion to see the true state of affairs at Earnhurst Manor. James Clay has never had a good relationship with his father and his father's dying wish has him coming back home to the estate he vowed never to see. James has avoided his estate and inheritance all his life, instead indulging in women, gambling, and drinking. He is determined to stay single and deal with the fact that he has to marry lady Meg and to just come to the estate to finally get his father's business partner off his back. James immediately gets drunk and when two women come to his home to ask to see it he decides to pretend to be the butler and that his dad's business partner, Riniken is actually the Duke... what he never expects is to start falling for the gorgeous lady's companion... and realizing that he might actually have to fix his estate and break off his supposed engagement since he's falling for this maid.... only Meg is also falling for him thinking he is a butler and not the Duke... and her aunt Clara is falling for Riniken but both think they are the lady and Duke the other one has been warned about. A comedy of errors and misunderstandings ensue as two different romances unfold in the same house. I adored the romance between Clara and Riniken so much, it was so cute and honestly I wish they were the main romance for me because theirs was so good. I really couldn't stand Meg and James at all, James gave me such an ick. So while this story had one great love story the other love story just did not work for me at all.

Release Date: April 1, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Bramble for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Pub April 1
Read March 23

I wanted to love this but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I was going to try to summarize but it’s complicated so let me sum up. There are four main characters and every one is pretending to be someone else. What starts as a harmless information gathering mission turns into two weeks of everyone stuck pretending to be someone they aren’t. A Duke, James, is a (very bad) butler, gambler and illegitimate son. The man of business, Elliot, is acting as the Duke. Meg, who’s engaged to the Duke but never met, is pretending to be a ladies companion. Clara, Meg’s aunt and BFF, is acting as a Lady.

Meg wants to learn more about the Duke she’s engaged to, ends up bonding with the butler, who really is the Duke. But the Duke can’t marry a simple companion and he’s engaged to someone else.

Clara is pretending to be a Lady and is really clicking with the fake Duke. Elliot is super into Clara but he’s pretending to be a Duke and as a regular dude can’t marry a Lady.

Every chapter is from one of these 4 characters POV. It takes a moment to keep track of who is who and their real and fake names. The lies/cover stories start to get more complicated as the week goes on.

It dragged in the middle for me as the author had to complicate and then uncomplicate things for the characters to set them up for love then work out their HEA’s. There’s a bad guy thrown in and a whole bunch of house renovations too.

Love the concept of this, and appreciate that Enoch took a swing at something different.

A Duke Never Tells by Suzanne Enoch

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Duke Never Tells is a delightful read! A fun, closed door regency read with secret identities, humor, romance, and a happy ending. The plot was super entertaining and the supporting characters add even more excitement to the story.

Intelligent and independent Lady Meg is not pleased that her father has organized for her to marry James, Duke of Earnhurst, without even consulting her. She has never met James and he has a horrid reputation. So, Meg comes up with an innovative solution. She’ll pretend to be her aunt’s companion and go undercover at James’ estate to learn more about him.

James doesn’t want to handle with the crumbling estate. He’s angry at his father and doesn’t want to deal with women who just show up at his door. So, he decides to pretend he’s the butler. Meg sprains her ankle and ends up having to stay for two weeks. In the meantime, feelings begin to develop between Meg and James.

This read is so fun! The secret identities bring loads of chaos and laughs, the romance is super sweet, and the plot is well developed. Overall, this is a lighthearted, closed door read with lots of adventure, excitement, and fun set in Regency England.

Utter antics and multiple cases of mistaken identity lend to the best holiday Meg Pinwell and her aunt Clara Bosley have ever had.

Lady Meg Pinwell is about to become engaged to a duke's heir with a terrible reputation as a rake, and then the very day the announcement is printed in the papers, the duke dies and suddenly several things happen: 1) Meg and her family must observe formal mourning for a man she's never met, 2) her Debut Season is must be postponed, and 3) she's now engaged to an actual duke. A year and two days out of mourning, Meg and Clara, her aunt (her mother's much younger sister) and outspoken suffragette best friend, journey to the estate of Meg's betrothed under false identities, only to be turned away by someone who seems to be a rather intoxicated and foul-tempered butler. They are then greeted by a rather surly man who appears to be the duke, but who seems to curse his own poor behavior and neglect of the estate. Except that the foul-mouthed butler is actually the duke, and the surly duke is actually the man of business, and everyone thinks they'll only need these false identities for a few hours. When Meg injures her ankle and cannot travel however, it's clear that for two weeks they'll be stuck in each others' company, with the wrong names, and likely falling in love with the wrong people.

This is an incredibly fun read. It has all the vibes and tone of The Importance of Being Ernest with a fresh historical romance plot and a much-aggrieved valet. We are rewarded with two strong romance plots, hand wringing over propriety, and while some might consider this miscommunication or characters hiding their identities for too long, the lighthearted tone and overall silliness makes it all acceptable.

A Duke Never Tells is closed-door romance, but similar to Enoch's last book, the screwball comedy antics don't make you miss any explicit scenes.

Thank you to Bramble for an ARC and Dreamscape Audio for an ALC for review. A Duke Never Tells is out 4/1/2025.

This was so much fun!

The premise of Meg and her aunt going undercover to investigate her betrothed is not only fun but not something you read every day. And then Enoch doubles down by putting the Duke and Riniken in disguise as well, and while I was always on the edge waiting for someone to slip and give up the ruse I was not dreading it, I was I excited for it!

I enjoyed the four POVs (and guest POV!) and really appreciated that each chapter was labeled with whose POV it was to prevent confusion.

However, I did feel the prologue was a bit long and the reveal played out too quick. Also Meg and the Duke's romance was almost secondary to the other romance,

I was not sure what to expect going into this but I enjoyed it so much!

This was absolutely delightful. I really didn’t know what to expect nor did I even read the summary beyond a glance. I was truly TICKLED when I realized that not only was she hiding her identity but he also was!! And the side characters too!! Whenever I encounter this specific type of hidden identity, it’s my FAVORITE thing EVER because the biggest barrier to the couples being together is actually a nonissue. It’s like dramatic irony to the point of screwball-esque. Also I just eat up a side character romance.

I didn’t think there’d be any spice because it was absent I her last trade paperback I read, so I wasn’t disappointed to learn I was correct. I’ll always want it, but the story worked without it and I was okay. I do think the secondary romance seemed almost a bit more developed than the main one, and an extra layer of intimacy would’ve strengthened their connection to perfection.

4.5/5

I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are honest and my own.

To assess her soon-to-be husband, duke James, Lady Meg and her aunt devise a plan to investigate his country estate. Their scheme of disguise and deception, however, backfires hilariously when the duke swaps places with his man of business, leading to a series of mistaken identities and unexpected romances.

This book is so much fun! It’s a bit of a romp, but not so over-the-top that it’s not believable. The characters are each unique and likeable, and I loved all the different points of view.

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