New to this author, I found myself swept up in the charming and fast paced historical romance of Lady Faith and her fiancé, the Duke of Breckenridge. Although Nicholas has a rather shady past that has suddenly caught up to him, Faith is the ideal leading lady of wit, determination, and gumption. This is a perfect read for anyone wanting to be swept away and I can happily say that I’ve discovered a new author to follow.

Heroine, Faith, has always been told she is too fat. Hero, Nicholas, likes her just fine. Nicholas’s spying job gets in their way of happiness several times. He finally, after being tortured (that part was a bit gruesome), shot and endangering Faith and others several times sees the light. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Kensington books for my honest review.

This was a slow start for me but once I got into it I couldn't read fast enough. Those four girls are described so well you can picture each of them as you read. And the men in their lives...great chemistry! Can't wait for the next book!

This second Wallflower book has a much different tone to it than the first. Nick has put off Faith's inquiries about what he was doing on the Continent the past few years. She is determined to find out if he is a spy and for whose government. He is determined to thwart her. They got off on the wrong foot when he discovered she and her friends were spying on him. Her apologies won't erase her highhandedness and lack of trust. Tired of getting the cold shoulder, Faith comes up with a plan to get him away where he will have to listen to her. She succeeds but her plans go horribly awry when Nick's past catches up with him. I enjoyed the action and intrigue in this story and will happily read the next installment of this series.

I received an ARC of "Misleading the Duke" by the fabulous author A.S. Fenichel and Netgalley. Nicholas Ellsworth and Lady Faith Landon are set up to be in an arranged marriage. Nick wants not to marry Faith as she had wanted to investigate his background. Faith wants to be sure she is marrying an honorable man, and not just a handsome face. She tries various times to ask him questions to see if they will suit but he always avoids her. Faith and her friends figure out a way to force Nick's hand into being isolated where he will have no choice but to answer her queries. They then learn to accept their feelings and attraction for each other while fighting off an enemy from Nick's past.
^It is pure ignorance that leads to such hate," Faith states when she is referring to some of her fellow countrymen who disdain others who dont look like them. When I read this line, I was completely hooked and couldn't and didn't put the book down until I finished it as it related so well to today's worldwide events.
I can't say enough about how fabulous and beautiful this love story is. A. S. Fenichel is a master story teller, drawing her audience in to the scene and making is feel every emotion the character is experiencing. I can't wait to read the next installment of the Wallflowers series

Cover art is beautiful 😍 It doesn't exactly match with the action/adventure plot, but still a lovely design.

We were introduced to Faith and Nick in the fist "Wallflowers of West End" book. The wallflowers snooped into Nick's life to try and figure out what kind of man he is before he married Faith in an arranged marriage. Instead, he finds out about their snooping and is angry and wants out of the engagement.

In this book, Faith and Nick are still in engagement limbo with him wanting nothing to do with her, and her not sure of what kind of man he is. He won't speak to her b/c he's still in a big ol' huff about her wondering what kind of total stranger she's being forced to marry. BTW, he's a spy with a million shady secrets.

Anyhoo, the Wallflowers get together to hatch a plan to decide if Faith is going to marry Nick (totally ignoring the fact that he doesn't want to marry her). Since he was so angry about their lying, they decide what is needed is another scheme... Yay more lying. The book is called Misleading a Duke, so I'm not going to get crazy about compounding their poor plan with a worse one.

The plan works like a charm, but they hit a snag when three of Nick's spy frenemies show up to take everyone hostage and exact revenge/torture on Nick.

There is a lot of action and the author does a lot of telling in lieu of showing us the characters. Also, Nick and Faith's relationship comes together in a highly stressful hostage situation. Following their ordeal, they continue to misunderstand and doubt each other, almost willfully, which is slightly grating.

More intrigue, yadda yadda, HEA.

We do get a slightly better look at the other Wallflowers, Mercy and Aurora, but, these are pretty one dimensional... Also, there is some teasing of the next book in the series, which will follow poor, logical Mercy and the handsome rich Earl who is supposed to be marrying Aurora.

The ONE character of color in this book is used to forward the story, and does not get his own independent personality. Geb, an Egyptian we meet in book 1, is Nick's BFF. He is used as a barometer to set who is good vs. bad in London society (good= treat him like a person). While he admires and is kind to all the Wallflowers, the idea of him having a relationship is never discussed or hinted. I'll take a wife back home, a lost love, an affair with the hot butler -- anything! Something!

He is dark, mysterious, unfailingly kind/grateful and tolerent to bigotry or small-mindedness. I hate when authors write characters this way. I will say most of the characters are kinda flimsy, so this is not that much of a departure, but still.

If you like a lot of action, a little romance and some amazing cover art, this is for you.

#MisleadingADuke #NetGalley

Misleading a Duke was a surprisingly action-packed and suspenseful read. I couldn’t put this book down!

When requesting this I had been expecting a typical historical romance with the wallflower and arranged marriage tropes. That’s not what this was. Instead, strong themes of mystery, action and suspense were included. I’m not entirely sure what genre this story should go under as it’s quite unique. That said, the romantic aspect of the story was predominant throughout.

FINALLY a historical romance that actually has an INDEPENDENT woman. A truly independent woman who isn’t afraid of being a spinster – nay she welcomes it – and is quite content being the stronger emotional partner of the pair. It was refreshing. Lady Faith London was brilliantly strong, intelligent and confident. Yes she had her flaws and doubts but she remained true to her character throughout the entirety of the book.

Nicholas was an equally strong character however it was hard to connect with him at the start of the story. His anger toward Lady Faith London seemed unjustified (mainly because we had not been provided sufficient information regarding the back story – this was just presumed from having read the premise).

The relationship between Nicholas and Lady Faith was not always easy to follow. At times it was not clear whether they liked/hated each other. I’d just get a grasp on this, only to become completely lost again after their latest interaction. After the first half of the book this seemed to even out as they had a ‘suddenly-in-lust/like’ moment however due to their exceptional circumstances this seemed quite realistic.

While I enjoyed all of the unexpected facets and themes in this story, they caught me unaware. The light torture scenes should either be forewarned to the reader or the story’s premise should hint at the darker tones present in this book.

Otherwise, this was a surprisingly entertaining read. The connection between Faith and Nicholas was beautiful to read once they were forced together.

4 Stars.

I had been having a bad few days: washer quit, faucet leaking, I decided to read for a while and try to regain my sanity. All I can say is " This book hooked me from the very beginning. A heroine who is not typical at all:, practical, and willing to go toe to toe for what she thinks is rightfully hers. No shrinking violet here! The hero is handsome, .' if you like strong heroines, flawed but gorgeous heroes, and witty dialogue....this is it!

I could not put this book down. Ms. Fenichel writes characters that you are fully vested in. Faith and Nicholas were no different. Lady Faith Landon was promised to Nicholas Ellsworth, Duke of Breckenridge. Not knowing who he is or what he is all about, it seems the Wallflowers took it upon themselves to find out. The Duke was having none of it. He is a private man and his wife should be satisfied. He had no clue what he was going up against. When he past rears its ugly head and Faith becomes the target, all bets are off. The Wallflowers spring into action as does The Duke. They save the day. You would think that Nicholas could obtain a special license to wed Faith in the gardens. Nope. The ending was perfect!

Misleading a Duke
The Wallflowers of West Lane #2
A.S. Fenichel
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lady Faith Landon has been betrothed to a man she has barely met. So what does a wallflower do? Why she calls upon her three best friends the other self proclaimed Walflowers of west lane (and Poppy's new husband) to help her uncover the secrets of her mysterious fiancè. Her suspicions seem truer by the moment when she learns that he has recently arrived back from France. So now she has a question. Is he a traitor to his country? But she cant just jump to her first conclusion because the truth is quite the opposite. Nicholas Ellsworth, Duke of Breckenrige, is a secret agent for the English Crown who has just completed a risky mission to infiltrate Napoleon's spy network.

Nicholas, Duke of Ellsworth craves the peace and quiet of the country after all of his adventures and settling into a sort of domestic bliss with his new bride. That is until he discovers Faith's deceptive investigation which irks him to no end. How is he supposed to marry a woman who so obviously doesn't trust him? But beyond either one of their control a powerful spark has ignited between Nicolas and Faith that could bring about a change of heart. At this point Faith seizes her second chance to prove to Nicolas that they are a true love match, but before that can happen Nicolas's past catches up on him when three french spies show up ready to exact revenge. So now it seems survival rather than wooing has become the order of the day.

A.S Fenichel writes and incredible book of love and happiness. The main characters were absolutely perfect for each other. Neither of them wanted to bend for eachother in the beginning which was really cute. I really like it that Ms. Fenichel brings a story to life. I believe that Nicolas is the perfect man for Faith. He seems to really care about lady Faith and wants to make her happy, but what he really needs to learn is to let her be herself. She is an inquisitive lady and won't stop until she has an answer. Right off the bat there there is action with Lady Faith caught in the middle of it all, but amazingly enough it brings them closer. Her fellow wallflowers are always there for her and will go along with what ever Faith wants. Slowly Nicolas let's his walls down and starts to tell her about her past and faith is determined to keep those walls down what ever the cost. Having their friend Geb Arafa there is a very good thing as he helps Nicolas immensely. Nicolas has a lovely sister and Faith and her hit it off right away.
The book has Villians in it and all I wanted to do was strangle them myself. The Villians even have the utter gal to attack the rest of the wallflowers in their own home, but the wallflowers show no fear and send them running from the house. They then decide it's time they go to Scotland to marry because the laws are different and they can forgoe the posting of the bans. These two become madly in love throughout their ordeal. Finally after they are married one of them says "I will love you for a hundred lifetimes and shower you will all the love you give me in each one." I found this book to be utterly enchanting. Ms. Fenichel you have once again outdone yourself and this has become my favorite series. I can't wait to read about the next wallflower. Thank you for all of the hard work you put into a book so that we the readers can enjoy it.You are truly a talented Lady.

I was first drawn to Misleading a Duke by its gorgeous cover. It's eye-catching, yet simple; and I love that there is a dog. I wish the book had lived up to the cover. This is one where I probably should have really read the first book in the series because it appears that much of the introduction to Nick, Faith, and their relationship happens in the first book. If I ever read the first book I may need to revisit this one and revise my review of it.

This book had the same problem that sooooo many historical spy romances have... EVERYONE IN THE BOOK KNOWS HE'S A SPY. Literally, you have to be the worst spy on the planet to have that many people know you're a spy. The book itself couldn't quite find the right balance between romance and historical spy novel. Instead of the two genres being blended together it was like two parallel stories involving the same people but without one adding to the other. It just didn't work for me. Was I entertained for an afternoon? yes. Will I continue with the series? probably not.

Misleading a Duke (The Wallflowers of West Lane, #2) by A.S. Fenichel The Wallflowers books is a great series. This one had so many feelings...attraction, mistrust, kidnapping, terror, misunderstandings, love, steamy stuff, racial bias, intrigue, and a HEA. I can't wait for the next book.

If you read the last book in the series - you'll know some of the back story to Faith and Nick. Faith's parents wanted to arrange a marriage to Nick and then her mother wrote letters to Nick pretending to be Faith to encourage the match. All without Faith having a clue. As a result, when Faith meets Nick for the first time. She is pretty unpleasant and then proceeds to investigate him because he won't immediately disclose his secrets and past to her. To say Nick wasn't happy about this is an understatement. He offers to let Faith break their engagement - but she doesn't.

The start of the book continues that arc and I have to say - doesn't go a long way to rehabbing Faith's character. All things considered - I just didn't like her for the first 1/4 of the book. She comes across as spoiled and entitled. Nick isn't that great either - he seems to only want a superficial relationship and is a little aloof. When Faith maneuvers them to have some alone time at an isolated estate, things take a turn for the better. Nick's past as a spy comes back to roost and they both undergo some pretty serious and difficult events. CW - <spoiler>Scenes of fairly explicit torture. </spoiler> Those events bring them very close together and really show their real character.

The Wallflowers play a critical role in later scenes - but the true winning part of this book, the parts that push it into a four star read, are the parts without them. Where Nick and Faith focus on their relationship. Nick supports Faith and allows her to make her own decisions. He doesn't expect her to change for him or to make concessions.

Overall - this is a good book and much better than the first in the series. I think there are still some things out of place (like having a nurse for Nick - that concept really didn't exist until the crimean war. A female servant to care for him - maybe - but not classifying her as a nurse) and some language that was far beyond the time. I was really impressed, however, by how far the author brought Faith around for me as a character. It went from a story I was annoyed with - to one I couldn't wait to find out what happened next.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

I definitely liked this book better than book 1 in the series, mostly because I liked Faith much more than I like Poppy, although to be fair, Poppy was much, much less whiny in this one.

There was a lot going on with this plot, in a pretty good way. The first party of the book invoked Faith and Nick getting to know each other, for reasons that probably only make sense if you read the backstory in the first book. Then, the plot takes off quickly from there. Part of what kept me reading way too late is that there are so many Regency books where the hero is a spy but it gets totally sugarcoated. Here, it doesn’t. While reading torture scenes isn’t my cup of tea, if it adds depth to the story, it’s fine with me to include. It certainly shows you here what Nick and Faith are made of.

There were some frustrating moments after Faith gets back to London that made me want to yell at the two of them to just communicate, but once they do, there’s a final obstacle which shows just how much Nick and Faith love each other.

I’m excited to see Mercy’s story next. I hope we continue to see more if Geb going forward, he’s an awesome character!

Man, this book was a lot of fun to read! We were introduced to these characters and their struggles in the first book, with Faith and her friends investigating Nicholas. Well, now there's fall out, and yeah, I really enjoyed watching these two interact!

The first third of this book is them actually getting to know one another, and working out their differences. And then the next third, yeah, that was pretty intense, and the pages just flew! It was so very entertaining!

I felt bad for the both of them, because this whole situation that they were in, from start to finish, they both had different levels of guilt and responsibility. Not all earned, but it was just another issue for them both to deal with, which was great to read!

We also saw the introduction of Mercy's love interest, so it was great to start to get to know him. Between his introduction and the synopsis of the next book, well, there's going to be some conflict there, and I can't wait!

I really enjoyed this book, it was a lot of fun to read, and I'm so glad that these characters found their happy ending!

First sentence: The home of Geb Arafa, a mile outside of London The last person Nicholas Ellsworth expected to find at his good friend Geb Arafa’s dinner party was Lady Faith Landon. Yet there she was, Nicholas’s fiancée, maddeningly pretty and equally aggravating. She fit perfectly with the lush décor and priceless artifacts in Geb’s parlor.

Premise/plot: Misleading a Duke is the second book in the series. The heroine of this one is Faith Landon; the hero is Nicholas Ellsworth, Duke of Breckenridge. The two are engaged before the novel opens, but not happily engaged. Apparently a good bit of their story is told in book one--though I don't think Faith is the main character of book one? Long story short, it's an arranged marriage and Faith doesn't want to marry a stranger. Since he is not as forthcoming as she would like him to be, she sets out to manipulate him into a situation where there really isn't much of an escape: a secluded country home with just two or three servants. But unfortunately for them all his past isn't just haunting him emotionally but quite physically leading to a dangerous, hostile situation where all their lives are endangered. Will this couple live long enough to wed?

My thoughts: Are plots necessary to smutty romance novels? Is characterization a must? Would I find the characterization completely lacking if I'd read book one? Would I find their romance more believable if I'd read it from start to finish instead of middle to finish? Perhaps. Though I will say this, whether I'd read book one or not...I would find the graphic what-goes-where-ness of this novel to be not to my taste or preference. That's me. I get that. I completely and totally get that every romance reader has their preference: completely clean, mostly clean at least until the 'I do's', a bit off-screen but obvious, a few scenes in graphic detail BUT plenty of characterization and story and wit and charm, graphic details and the plot and characters are of secondary importance, a LOT of graphic details and names don't matter as there isn't any bother at all about making heroes and heroines at all unique. It's not my job to judge other readers for their personal preference as far as smut level is concerned. This may be a five star read for other readers. But for me, it definitely is not. If anything it proves how stubborn this reader can be that I'll finish just about anything no matter how much it's not working for me. Is that a good thing? a bad thing? a thing thing?

I will definitely not be reading other books by this author now that I know her idea of romance. But check out other reviews (higher reviews) to see if her books might work for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books in exchange for my honest review.

I did not read the first book in this series, I did not realize it was a series until I started it. I was able to follow along, but I do think it would have been helpful to read it. The backstory of our main characters, Nick & Mary, clearly took place in the first book before we jumped into this book. That being said, I did enjoy the adventure in this book. I would recommend if you're looking for:

-Close proximity romance
-A strong group of girlfriends watching out for each other
-Spies and intrigue
-historical romance with a more modern writing
-A cute puppy
-plenty of steam

While set in the past, ultimately this was a bit more modern to me. There was not a lot of the hallmarks of a regency romance, the characters were upfront with themselves from the beginning about their attraction. This is an open door romance and not a slow burn as is typical in this setting. If you like historical romances but are looking for something different, and a sense of adventure I would encourage you to give it a try. I think where it missed the mark for me was that the characters switched their feelings for each other so quickly. It was written up as an enemies to lovers romance, but never came across that way. I enjoyed it, and may have more if I read the first one.

3.5 stars

This book took awhile to get into but once the story actually started I enjoyed it. That being said, I was probably a 1/3 of the way through before that happened. I’m not exactly sure what genre it was supposed to be. Romance? Historical fiction? Something else?

I felt like it was more of a story about a French spy vs. a story about the romance between the two main characters. I thought it would be more of a love story. I wish we could have gotten more of Nick and Faith’s journey at the end. I felt like it was a bit rushed and the author skimmed over some parts.

Overall, a solid 3 star story. I could have done without the beginning, it was a little confusing and didn’t really “fit” the story very much. But the middle to end was great! A good amount of action and romance. It was a fairly fast read.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review! #MisleadingADuke #NetGalley

The characters in these novels are so lovely. The Wallflowers of West Lane series centers on a group of four friends - Poppy, Faith, Mercy, and Aurora. Poppy is the heroine in Book 1, and Faith is our leading lady in Misleading a Duke. Faith's love interest is Nick, who is both a duke and a British spy. He was introduced in Book 1. He arranged a marriage to Faith through letters with Faith's family, and Faith and her friends wanted to learn more about him, so they set out to do a little spy work of their own. Because they were spending so much time sneaking around Nick, he is suspicious of them and wants Faith to call off the marriage, even though he is very attracted to her. Faith, however, recognizes Nick is a good man and wants things to work out. Because of this back story, unlike most romance novels, I think the reader would benefit from reading Book 1. Does Misleading a Duke operate as a standalone? Sure, but the background knowledge would make for smoother sailing.

The plot of this one was... a lot. It starts off with Faith and her friends creating another scheme to get to know Nick better, since he is not a good communicator. However, soon there is even more action than the blurb lets on. And that was exciting! We have a trio of French spies hellbent on revenge from Nick, which leads to some thrilling situations. Trigger warning: Nick is BADLY abused by his captors in this one. There's a lot of blood. (I should also not the trigger warning that Faith's friend Aurora had an abusive first marriage, which is mentioned in Book 1 as well.) These scenes are scary and exciting, and the villains are far from cartoonish. One is pure evil, another has clear motivations, and the third doesn't seem like too bad of a person. However, later in the book, there are some more action scenes that I don't want to spoil. I found them to focus too much on the movement and not enough on what the characters were feeling, which made it hard to connect.

The romance between Nick and Faith is hot. I really love both of their characters, and most of the love scenes were super steamy. Nick is the right amount of sweet and broody, mysterious and interesting. Faith has some insecurities from her youth, but her friendships have bolstered her and helped her to become the confident, interesting woman she is today.

Overall, this one was okay for me. I think the plot was a little too all over the place to connect with the characters as much as I did in Book 1. However, I am excited for Book 3. The ladies in this series are fabulous. Book 3 is about Mercy, who I really like, but I am very eager to see Aurora's POV down the line! This was a 3 star read for me. My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review!

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for an advance reader’s copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Having read and enjoyed the first book in this series, I requested and started reading this book right away when it was approved.

I enjoyed the romance between Faith and Nick.. The characters in this book are well developed, and I do enjoy all the friendships in this series, one thing I was very uncomfortable with, however, was the extended torture scenes in the book. This is something I don’t like reading at all - and definitely was not expecting it in a romance novel. I skimmed over those pages tbh .

I’m looking forward to the third book in this series .