Oh my goodness, this is probably Lenora's best book yet. You're lulled into thinking this is going to be a nice easy, laid back read and then Bam! You don't want to put it down. You read and the chapter end and it's all I need to know what happens next, or I need to know what's going to happen with that information.

The side plots worked well with the major plot of this story.

Ash and Hetty had a spark that got bigger and bigger as the book went on.

Ash is definitely my new favorite hero of hers. He's such a well rounded character with so many different facets.

I will say there was one scene and then one other small part I could have done without. - They are just not my personal cup of tea.

Overall, this Cinderella inspired with a bit of the big bad wolf thrown in, was amazing. Granted one slightly predictable set up, but again this one was a page turner and you just wanted to keep reading and hoping it didn't end.


*Thank you to Avon, HarperCollins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read early.*

This story features bluestocking and wine maker Hetty and an orphan, Ash Ellis, who clawed his way out of the gutter to run a successful gambling hell. Ash has one last "game" to conquer and that is to prove he's the duke's long lost heir. This sets up an interesting plot with Hetty adamantly opposed to accepting Ash as the next duke. Can these two come to a mutual understanding?

I thought the beginning of the story was a bit slow and it took a while to really get into the story. I thought Hetty's father was a joke. I can't imagine a duke being so cavalier about the future of the duchy. He immediately accepts Ash's story, then runs off to the continent to marry his mistress leaving Hetty to deal with the aftermath. There are a number of twists and turns later in the book that kept me turning the pages. I did appreciate that it takes place far from the glittering ballrooms of London and Hetty's dedication to her wine business was intriguing. The final twist wraps up the storyline of who Ash really is and how he fits into Society.

The Devil’s Own Duke features a bluestocking winemaker in Hetty and a gambling house owner who’s clawed his way up from the orphanage in Ash. The pair are well matched, both stubborn and determined to be successful in their own ventures. The secondary story about growing and processing grapes into wine helps make the book more unique than most regency romances, and is probably one of the better things about it. There were many times throughout the book where I admittedly found myself exasperated by the characters. Ash decides to pose as the heir to the dukedom of Hetty’s father, an action that sets up some tedious and silly interactions between the characters. Hetty’s father is a careless drunk that’s mismanaged his estate and treats his daughter like the solutions to his problems so he doesn’t have to take responsibility. Hetty makes stupid decisions to keep Ash away from the estate but makes little effort to take serious actions to do so. Ash meanwhile comes off as flamboyant and unprepared on follow-through once he actually becomes duke. Merely my own feelings on the characters, and other readers may feel differently, but my annoyance with them was difficult to overcome for a plotline that’s steady, if not spectacular.

I really enjoyed the plot twist of this book. Girl meets boy and they like each other and then finds out he is to inherit her families title. I enjoyed the chemistry between these two from the first page to the last. All of the characters were great.

This book was the perfect historical romance summer read! It included perfect aspects of historical romance while having amazing tropes like long lost heir and arranged marriage. The relationship between Henrietta and Ash was perfect as was the friendships they both had! An all round great read!

Trope: enemies to lovers/rags to riches/different classes

This is the second book to the Wallflowers -v- Rogues series but can be read as a standalone.

I absolutely adored this book. It caught my attention immediately from the beginning to the very end. I highly recommend this book.

The book features Hetty Prince and Ash Ellis. Both characters are very likable and headstrong. Hetty lives by a schedule to a T writing down appointments, and taking care of her household. She dedicates her life to continuing her mother's goals. Those goals are to restore the family's vineyards into a profitable sparkling vine venture. Ash on the other hand lives a dangerous life. He lives day by day on the edge. He's the owner of a gaming den and his goals are to protect the children and to change the child labor laws to end suffering. He himself suffered the same fate as an orphan child, which only makes him more devoted to completing the task. When he sees the opportunity to make the changes, he charges at it with no regrets.

The story goes on to Ash pretending to be the heir to Hetty's fathers title "duke". Hetty will not let that happen and will do her best to dissuade him but he never backs down. She vows to never trust a scoundrel like him but fate is not on her side and they're forced to marry when he provides proof and evidence of his birth.

The attraction between the two is definitely there. She fights it to the end but instead falls head over heels over him. Then she realizes its love. He starts to fight it off too. He feels he's not worthy of her because of his past, and the blood on his hands. With everything going on between the two they still work together as a team giving eachother the benefit of doubt. As the storyline goes on you'll witness two very different people fall beautifully in love hard.

The story was focused and on point. It had it's funny moments along with the sexy. Again I highly recommend this book.

3/5 Stars

** I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review, Thank you!**

This felt like a very middle-of-the-road book for me. While It was not my favorite I was still entertained. I think It just felt a little slow for me. I really enjoyed the fact that we have this fierce heroine, but I felt like she gave in to a lot of things very quickly. I will also admit that I really wasn't the biggest fan of the hero in this story. Again there were parts that I did enjoy and would still recommend giving this a read, however for me I just really wanted more between our couple and more of a plot.

I enjoyed reading this book and loved that the main characters meet and interact early on in the novel. The development of their relationship was so fun, with neither of them wanting to fall in love, and each of them focusing on their own goals and desires. I loved Hetty's independence and intelligence and I loved Ash's spoiling of his hellion of a cat. I especially love bringing back our favorite friends (and dukes) from previous books. Another excellent book from Lenora Bell!

This was a really fun and entertaining read!

While I enjoyed the first book in this series Love Is a Rogue mainly because of Ford, this one was much more of a page-turner and read more smoothly than the first book. Though I will say, there will still times that I found myself looking up words (never a bad thing, I love expanding my vocabulary!) and the writing felt a bit old-fashioned. As if it were a contemporary being written in the time, rather than a current-day historical novel. I don't know if that makes sense, but it took me out of the story from time to time.

Honestly, who doesn't love a tough gambling club owner turned cinnamon roll? Lenora Bell writes fantastic heroes and strong and capable heroines, but I would have loved to have seen more interactions with their friends through all of this! Everything felt very closed-circle, and it was missing a lot of that camaraderie, though that did make the scenes that there were stand out!

If you like secret (cinnamon roll) heirs, enemies-to-lovers, wine, and cats (Lucy was a highlight for me, I can't even pretend) then you'll enjoy this!

Was the plot a bit far-fetched? Yes, but delightedly so! Just like Hetty and Ash, I was hooked from the first waltz! I can't wait to see where the series goes next!

Lenora Bell write's characters that are strong and not afraid to be themselves in a time when that wasn't expected, which makes her books fun for me. We have a lady who makes wine, a man claiming to be the hair of her father's hairless dukedom. Its a perfect situation for some enemies to lovers. The hero and heroine had great chemistry and I loved their little battles. I think the outside conflict was crazy but fun. I loved the wine that played a part all throughout the story which I found refreshing. Great steam especially that purple room! We see a few characters from pervious books but you do not have to have read them to enjoy this one. Still it can build some knowledge to know them and enjoy some of their dialogue. The cover goes great with the story and the title is the perfect fit. Great story and I can't wait until Bell's next great book!

This book is fine. The writing style is lively and the characters are relatable. Unfortunately, it was very predictable. A third of the way through, I knew exactly how the entire plot would unfold and resolve. I'd recommend this title to someone new to the genre, but a seasoned vet might find it tedious.

Loved Ash and Henrietta. The chemistry between them was fantastic! If I could give more than five stars, I would. I highly recommend reading this book . Ms. Bell is one of my favorite authors.

Lady Henrietta Prince is dedicated to turning her family vineyards into a profitable sparkling wine business. Ash Ellis, a gaming den owner, is claiming to be the heir to her father's title. They have an instant spark, until Hetty learns who Ash is. When they are forced to marry, Hetty vows that Ash will never have her trust or love.

This is the second book in the Wallflowers vs Rogues series. The previous couple make appearances, but this book can stand alone.

This story is another winner from Lenora Bell, and I just loved it! Hetty has goals, plans, and no time to deal with charming opportunists. Ash doesn't think much of the aristocracy, but has no qualms about pursuing a claim that will help him change the child labor laws to improve lives of children suffering as he did. These character came alive for me and I adored getting to know them. The storytelling was focused, fun, and sexy.

Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Class Difference, Working Heroine, Bluestocking, Rags to Riches (sort of)

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review. #TheDevilsOwnDuke #NetGalley

** Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for a honest review **

I've been meaning to Lenora Bell for a long time now, so I'm glad I finally did because this was such a fun read! I absolutely loved how headstrong and independent Hetty was. Despite having to fight against a system that wants to see her fail and all odds stacked against her, she doesn't let anything stand between her and her dreams. Ash's character was such a great compliment to this, as I never felt like he tried to stifle her independence or stop her from reaching her goals (even when her goals conflicted with his own plans). Especially since Hetty is the type that runs head on into a situation without thinking things all the way through, Ash is a great balance in that he is very strategic and thinks of every possible outcome. I enjoyed the almost slow burn nature of their relationship. While there was an obvious physical attraction between the two from the beginning, it took Hetty and Ash a while to work through their hatred / resentment towards each other and to develop a meaningful and trusting relationship. I liked the comedic threads interwoven throughout as it acted as a good balance to some of the more serious aspects of the plot. I did find the mystery subplot to be a little lackluster. I definitely liked the inclusion of it and felt that it contributed a lot to the plot and Ash's character, however I didn't really feel the pay off from it by the end. I just wanted so much more from it.

All of that to stay this was a super fun and entertaining read. I'm now obsessed with Lenora Bell''s writing style and characters, so I definitely plan on picking up more from her in the future!

It's been a while since I read this author. I loved, loved, loved this story. Hetty was an absolute delight. She was a woman who knew the strictures of her time but fought in small ways to change her future. Her chemistry with Ash was off the charts. I love the gruff, angry hero who has a heart of gold.

I have to be honest and say I love anything Lenora Bell writes and it still holds true after reading The Devil's Own Duke. The characters are well developed, unique and interesting and the story caught my interest and kept it until the last. I couldn't put it down so once I started I stayed up late to finish. Don't miss this delightful, fun story by Lenora Bell!

The Devil's Own Duke is book 2 in Lenora Bell's latest series, Wallflowers vs. Rogues.
This book is the story of Boadicea Club member, Lady Henrietta Prince, and the gaming hell owner, and rogue, Ash Ellis.
I loved this book. The story had me captivated from the jump, because Hetty isn't like most other women in the regency. She's nearing her spinster years and is happy to be there, because she's helping her father manage the estate and tending to the vineyards at her country home. Something her late mother was incredibly passionate about. Ash shows up, and sweeps her off her feet, only for her to find out he's at her home, party crashing, to lay claim to the dukedom. Hetty's passion for her vineyard and putting English wine on the map is palpable. And our noble Ash has BIG plans for upending the nobility and fighting for laborers and children.

As Lenora herself has said about her own books, it's a lot of trope-y goodness. An excellent enemies-to-lovers story, combined with a marriage of convenience. It's a bit of a loose spin on Cinderella, with all of Lenora's clever wit woven throughout. I loved the detailing of wine making, coupled with a complete set down for our hero.
Lenora's books aren't high stakes or high angst and that's something I learned right away not only from reading her books but in various observations of her own descriptions and this book continued her streak of delivering sexy, smart, feel-good romance. She's done a wonderful job of delivering more peeks at her other background characters for this series, but not so much that they distract from the overall love story. She also gave us a glimpse of past characters and it's always fun, to me at least, to be able to revisit them.

Many thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A fiery and independent lady and an ambitious scoundrel combine and combust in this passionate novel! Hetty and Ash come from two completely different worlds, but the air sizzles every time they are near each other. I loved both characters very much and their interactions lit up the page, whether they were fighting or kissing, tender hearted or angry! A thrilling pairing of romance and adventure!

I loved many elements of their story,
but also felt at times the tropes were a bit over the top.
Pros: The relationship between Hetty and Ash begins with insta-lust (stolen kiss) then leads to some super steamy on-screen love scenes without diving head-first in to the full wedding night. This made the chemistry intriguing, but not overly obsessive, which I loved. Not many HRs have that and do it so well. Hetty's passion for winemaking and independence are impressive and add a lot to her character's charm.
Ash's heart of gold hidden by the rough exterior isn't quite as hidden as he thinks it is, and it's fun to watch him realize and fight to keep up the illusion while Hetty sees right through him.
Cons: The beginning felt a bit like we're thrown right in without much backstory, especially for Ash. I would have preferred a bit of a Prologue featuring Ash and Jax as young ruffians. Later in the book the intrigue and plot of Ash's past cominig back to haunt him balanced with Hetty's efforts to make her wines profitable was tough to follow, maybe because her ambitions felt less serious than the threat to their lives.

I'm looking forward to more from this series featuring strong female leads with serious talents and ambitions. Lenora did a great job with the tertiary characters leaving us intrigued to know what happens next!

I love Lenora Bell! She's the nicest, funniest, kindest cat mom ever! And she can really write some swoony romance. Unfortunately, not this one. It was so incredibly predictable and full of every possible cliche that it made parts of it (including the cheese-fest denouement and epilogue) seem like a parody of historical romance. I cringed and rolled my eyes so many times trough this book I lost count. The fact that I'm fed up with unlikely feminism and societies of ladies is probably due to the fact that I read a lot of HR but that should kind of be the expectation. My favorite character in the book was the hero's best friend. I found Hetty terribly annoying and Ash had no depth in spite of his rather Dickensian past. And while I am a diehard cat lover, Lucy and Bacchus could not save this book, they just added to the feeling of elements readers generally like, randomly gathered together in hopes of making them work. They don't. It's almost as if the publisher doesn't trust this book either and decided not to invest in the cover. I've seen self-made ones looking a lot better. I won't give it two stars because this is Lenora Bell and her writing is beautiful. The story and the characters didn't work for me at all. I'm not even talking about Hetty's father because he's just a caricature, along with his Italian lover. I'm bummed that this was so far from what I was expecting. I got a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.