Cover Image: Misleading A Duke

Misleading A Duke

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Member Reviews

This series is quickly looking to make the top of my recommendation list for people looking for the lightest and fluffiest of historical romances. Quick to read but absorbing enough to be completely swept up in the story.

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Lots of action and romance! This was such an enjoyable read. This is book #2 in the series and I will be seeking #1. I was kept engaged from the beginning and loved the characters, especially the Wallflowers.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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First of all, I didn’t know this was a sequel but I read somewhere that it could be read as a standalone and since I was really excited about it I picked it up. However, as soon as I started reading it I was so over this whole thing.

This is a standard insta love story and maybe I got this feeling because I didn’t read the first book. Still, the main characters fell from hate to love in the first I would say 10% of the book and honestly, I hate that and find it ridiculous. It is full of cliche tropes such as: 'I’m not like the other girls', 'I’m a monster who cannot be fixed' and 'She is the one who warmed up my cold heart'. I can easily name at least 30 other books that have those exact same themes in them.

Everything went downwards from that. The whole plot was a bit stale and boring to me and I wasn’t feeling it at all. I wasn’t into the love story either and to be honest this was painful to read. I just couldn’t wait for it to be over.

I’m rating it 2 stars only because it’s my fault because I haven’t read the first book and maybe I would’ve found it more enjoyable if I did read it.

My biggest problem is that there is nothing that differs this from a million other romances and I must be cruel but honest and say that even though I usually love regency romances, this is the worst one I’ve ever read.

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It feels like all the other historical romances I’ve read lately where the main plot is miscommunication. While I wasn’t a fan of that trope it was a somewhat fun read,

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This was cute! Much different than my normal genre but change is always good. Royalty, regency, and love make a pretty good combo.

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An interesting story, did not realize it was a romance with the cover it had. Thought it was going to be a lot different. I fault it for the same as all romance books, overuse of the term sweetheart by the Duke, enough to take me out of the story many times, the constant amount of miscommunication and the chatter about the miscommunication, come on already! The desperate work to keep bringing in "challenges" to the storyline and happy ever after. Though I'm intrigued enough to want to read the first and keep reading the series as the characters were interesting, just a little played out. The sex scenes were pretty good, which I guess is all the purpose of romance books anyway.

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I loved this book! I love a good regency novel with some love and adventure mixed in. Thought it was easy to read and entertaining.

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The second book in the series still a bit interesting and still a lot going on though the first book was a bit better still I’m interested in seeing where the rest of the series goes.

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Faith refuses to marry a man she knows nothing about, even if it is already arranged. After the disastrous marriage of dear friend she cannot risk it, so she has her wallflowers try to get some information on him. Well that enrages Nicholas and now he does not know if he can trust her. Faith decides one more deception is necessary to show him she was sorry. But soon Nicholas' past deceptions prove to be much more dangerous than Faith's. As they face his past (over and over) they have to decide if there is a future for them together, if they survive.

This book starts off so good. I love a good spy read and this one did not disappoint until towards the end. While I loved the suspense and intrigue of Nick's past it lingered longer than necessary. However, I did like this read and find the group of wallflowers so fun!

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Lady Faith London is engaged to Nicholas Ellsworth, a man she has never met. He acts very mysteriously and Faith's already active sensors beeping on a high frequency. She does some sleuthing of her own and discovers the terrible truth. Nicholas is a spy! And he has just returned from a very dangerous mission, involving none other than Napolean.
They are miffed with each other and go off to bond, but trouble follows them all the way. Will they be able to escape the villains and live peacefully? Or will they always be on the run?

The story is good. The characters, not so much. I found Faith irritating after a point (who is so foolhardy?) Nicholas also seems superficial. The bad guys act out like Bond villains, and although that is not a bad thing in itself, the genre becomes more action and less romance.

I'd love to read the other books in the series as well.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Books for giving me this ARC in return of an unbiased review.

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If you feel like you’ve just stepped into another chapter of Misleading A Duke when you first open the pages… well, actually, you have in a manner of speaking. Faith’s and Nicholas’ story is the perfect example of why I try my best and encourage readers to start a series from the first book.

The Wallflowers of West Lane is not a series where you can easily just pick up the book because the cover or the blurb appeals to you. These stories are a bit darker, involve more graphic situations than you’d normally find in a Historical or Regency Romance novel. The danger faced is very real, historically real, and the villains are as vile as you will ever see on the pages of a romance novel. If you want or need to understand why Faith and Nick are at this particular crossroad of mistrust because of Faith and her friends’ shenanigans while investigating Nick in the first book, The Earl Not Taken… then you really need to start with that book, not this one. Sure, you could start here and pick up what went on… but, for me, that leaves far too many holes in the story I’m reading right now. But then, you do what works best for you in deciding whether to go back or continue on at this point.

Nick wants Faith to call off their betrothal for it’s far better for her reputation if she takes that action, not him. But he has no intention whatsoever of marrying a woman who does not trust him, who believes him to be a spy for the enemy, or who would lie and deceive as she has. No. He is done. And in my own opinion, rightfully so.

Faith is beginning to understand exactly what type of man she’s tossing aside… a good man. And knowing that she’ll be right back on the marriage market if her parents learn that Nick has no intention of marrying her, Faith has not broken their betrothal. In fact, she and her friends are about to set in motion events that will have dire, dangerous, and irreversible consequences by planning to get Nick and Faith to a remote location to work out their differences.

Misleading A Duke and really, this series so far, give very good, relatable reasons for why some of the main characters are acting as they are. I understand Faith’s and her friends’ frustration at being told they are to marry a man they do not know, who (as it has been proven) could be cruel and harmful to them. I get that, I really do. But to use a phrase often found in Regency stories – Faith’s actions went beyond the pale for me. And that in turn affected how I reacted to her story greatly.

The writing is smooth, the plot well executed, the characters come alive on the pages both the good ones and the nasty ones as well. My reaction to Misleading A Duke centers around one character, Faith – and perhaps some of her friends’ actions as they were helping her. Yet, you should be the one to decide if Faith and Nick have any chance at a happy ending after all they’ve been through so far. I enjoyed the story, I didn’t agree with the actions of one character, and I’ll continue because I want to know more. But those details should be left for you to discover on your own.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Kensington Books via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

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I’m sorry to say this book did not hold my interest. I tried really hard to relate with the character but I just found her being superficial and boring. I really wanted to like this book at the description was right up my aisle. I have faith A.S. De i Hel will catch my interest again and I will give them another try. This one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Kennington Books for the E-ARC in exchange from my honest opinion.

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The suspense and high drama made this a thrilling read. I love a little bit of danger in romance novels so this one fit the bill perfectly. I love how feisty the Wallflowers are. Faith wasn't afraid to go after her man once she realised she wanted him and she went to great lengths in order to spend time with him.
The hostage scenes were quite intense and had me glued to the page. A really good read.

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It took me a bit longer to get into this book than the first in the series. The reason for the initial drama was petty and stupid, and Nick was honestly pretty obnoxious. However, once that cleared up it was much more enjoyable.

This turned out to be way more action-packed than I would’ve expected, which I loved! The characters are all wonderful although I wish a little more depth would be given to the servants, especially since several of them play such big roles.

I enjoyed Poppy & Rhys story in the first book a bit more but I love Faith and I came to like Nick, too. I will definitely continue the series!

Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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It's an exuberant, action-packed, and fast-paced story. I think the synopsis kinda mislead me into thinking that this is just a harmless romance history story but to my surprise, there are some violent scenes. There are quite unforgivable scenes whereby the female lead just acted rashly like I didn't understand why was she always putting herself and others in danger? Or maybe it's just me, that I found myself difficult to resonate with her. I just dislike shallow-minded characters especially when they are assigned to be the main lead of the story. Do I still recommend this book? Yes, of course. I recommend for those who love dramatic contract marriage tropes, mystery, and women empowerment.

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** I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review."
This series is fun but this was not quite as good as book one.

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The premise of this book was really good, and I was curious about Faith's character since the last book. Nicholas was immediately an interesting character with his first appearance and the ballroom scene with him and Faith. While I enjoyed their relationship, Faith was a bit immature and childish at times but nevertheless it doesn't detract too much from their chemistry. The supporting cast, Faith's group also known as the Wallflowers of West Lane were a fun addition and I can't wait to read Aurora's story.

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Nick already had trust issues, and what Faith and her friends had perpetrated only succeeded in putting a wedge between the newly betrothed. Faith wanted to know more about the man who she was going to marry but realized she went about it the wrong way. Now, once again, she and her friends concocted another plan, one that should allow them the opportunity to become better acquainted with each other. The thing was, nothing worked out as she had hoped, Nick was disappointed by her machinations, but somehow he couldn’t walk away, he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. A home invasion by acquaintances from Nick’s spying job almost cost them their lives, changing everything between them. Through their painfully torturous and distressing incarceration in the cellar, they found the greatest thing of all. This has been an exciting, intriguing, gripping, engaging, and enticing read where the writer entwined you and kept you stimulated with her every word, through the sensual pages to the very end.

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A lot happens in this book, maybe too much. I haven’t read book one as I didn’t realize this was a sequel when I requested it. I felt I missed some things (the beginning of Faith and Nicholas’s relationship, i.e. the meet cute). We jump right into their relationship troubles. So, I would recommend reading book one first. I will say it’s almost more historical action than historical romance. There is violence which you don’t normally find in romance books. I still found their relationship to be cute, if a bit darker than most relationships in historical romance novels.
3 stars
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Enjoyable Regency romance that I happily recommend. Misleading A Duke is the second in the Wallflowerseries of West Lane series about 4 women who became fast friends in finishing school. I plan on going back and reading the first and am looking forward t0 reading the next 2.
Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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