Have you ever sat through a movie needing to go to the restroom but afraid you would miss something good? That is the way this book is. From the moment Edward Stanhope, the Duke of Thornfield, finds Georgiana Bly sitting in his favorite chair and he kisses her you are hooked. There is definitely something going on with the Duke of Thornfield and I am a little sad that the author didn't explain the malady but Georgiana is determined to fix him. She sees a cold and distant Duke and she wants a warm and affectionate husband. Once I started this book I just could not put it down. The life and marriage this couple was building was so fragile that you pray that it holds together while at the same time looking for it to fall apart.

Thank you Eva Devon and Entangled Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

Miss Georgiana Bly has a very thin thread attached to the aristocracy. Her mother, the daughter of an earl, married a mere mister, a mister who is quite inept when it come to the family finances. Georgiana and her sisters are so far down on the ton ladder, she never expects to ever marry. That is until she mistakes the Duke of Thornfield for a servant and is caught with him in an unusually passionate kiss.

Edward, the Duke of Thornfield, at first believes Miss Bly is a schemer like all the rest of the single ladies at his house party. Even after he accepts his fate to make her his duchess, he has severe doubts about her abilities to stand by his side. To ready her for the position of a lifetime, Edward with his Aunt Agatha, begin giving Georgiana “duchess lessons” to teach her what her mother never thought to prepare her for. As things progress and the wedding date nears, the duo can’t deny the passion that flairs between them even if Edward is somewhat frosty most of the time.

While Devon keeps an air of mystery around the reason for Edward’s personality traits until later in the novel, I understood his slow thaw where Georgiana was concerned. Georgiana was true to herself throughout the entire novel. While she found herself in a situation she never expected to be in, she wanted to learn all she could about being a successful duchess and wife. I really loved the little moments between the duo that brought them inches closer. By the time the end of the novel arrived, they were so naturally at the perfect place for their burgeoning relationship.

Devon has a five star novel to begin this unforgettable new series. While we know Georgiana’s sister begins a romance in this novel, we don’t get all the juicy details. Maybe Devon will grant us the story of a jovial earl and another Miss Bly as the Never a Wallflower series continues.

I received The Spinster and the Rake (Never a Wallflower, #1) for free. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Georgianna and Edward are an interesting couple that had my attention from the get go. I loved their initial meeting, especially since it was not only a great display on how different they are between their own social classes, but how they have great chemistry despite that.

I loved that their first meeting lead to a compromising situation in which they had no choice to marry: I love that we didn’t have to wait for it, as it meant there was more time throughout the story for them to interact with one another.

I especially loved that Georgina didn’t cower to Edward and constantly kept him on his toes. And the fact that he’s on some sort of spectrum was really intriguing to how they navigated their budding relationship.

But I can only give this a 3. As I enjoyed it but it felt like I was missing something. I can’t really pinpoint it, I just didn’t love it.

Georgianna and Edward end up in a compromised position and are forced to wed when neither of them wanted to marry at all. Both have very interesting personalities. Gerogianna is very new to whole London and the various ton practices making her refreshingly straightforward. Edward might be someone on the spectrum who has anxiety and is high functioning.

It was interesting to see how two people with such interesting personalities come together and handle their marriage. The first half of the book was on the slower side and the plot gets more interesting only midway so readers will need to push through to get to the good part.

ARC received for review

I really enjoyed this book. Georgianna maybe have been a virgin but she was not a simpering one. She's actually pretty knowledgeable for one. She gave as good as she got, if not better. She was willing to learn anything and everything she needed to be a Duchess.

Now Edward is an interesting Duke. He is on the spectrum. Things have to be done just so and his brain gets taken over by numbers and procedures. He reminds me of Lord Ian from The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie.

They both work to overcome with stumbling blocks in their relationship to fall in love.

I wonder who's going to be next...maybe one of her sisters.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Miss Georgiana Bly is more at home in a library than on a dance floor, but her propensity to hide soon finds her in hot water when she is seen embracing Edward Stanhope, the icy Duke of Thornfield, in his private library. Now they are forced to marry, lest her and her family are ruined. For Edward, he knows he should marry, if only to beget an heir, but he hates being in company, and when his solitude is broken. Georgiana is as far away from the perfect duchess as you could find, but Edward, and his Aunt Agatha, must work together to support her, and she might just turn out to be the making of Edward, after all.

This book just blew me away, and I could not put it down as soon as I started it. I hated even clicked on about the Pride and Prejudice reference when I first read the synopsis, but thinking back to the plot, I can see that link. Georgiana is from a genteel family in Yorkshire, but they don't have any connections, and it's only really luck they happen to be at the Duke of Thornfield's ball. She is a lovely character, who faces some difficulty in her transition to Duchess, but she is strong, and her caring nature allows her to blow off all naysayers, and even melt Edward's icy heart. Their relationship was swoony, from near strangers when they met - and kissed - to slowly getting to know each other's history, and what makes them tick. I loved Edward too, who lost his parents when he was young, and had been treated abominably by his nurse and tutors for his behaviour - I think he may be on the autistic spectrum - and really felt ill at ease when with near strangers. He pushed against Georgiana's attempts to learn more, at first, but soon softened, and it was then it was clear they really loved each other. Yes, there are some moments of angst - a la Lydia and Wickham's elopement, but not quite, and I can't wait to read more from this author.