Chaotic and a little slow, but I’m obviously going to enjoy any historical romance where one of the MCs is a damn shapeshifting Duke.

So like, come on.

Not my favorite, definitely still a lot of fun, probably shouldn’t have done audio but ya win some ya lose some.

I will never stop reading these nonsensical books, however.

I didn't even get through this whole book. The best advice I can give this author is to burn their thesaurus. What needed to be said could have been done just as eloquently with only half the text and no need of a dictionary. While I understand that she may have been attempting to enhance the "classical time period" feel, when I pick up Jane Austen I can at least understand what they are trying to say. If there is a word that's unfamiliar you can figure it out from the rest of the conversation. At times there were entire sentences I was unable to decipher. That being said it did not help that this was my first attempt at a shapeshifter regency romance and I have come to find that is just not my cup of tea.

I love the combination of Historical Romance and Paranormal, I believe this is the second book in this series, and they are both amazing. They are a bit on the dark side, but I enjoy that about them. It has very detailed writing that can draw you into their world. Can't wait for the next book in the series!

A new to me author who shows her creativity with the development of a unique historical romance with whimsical characters. Thank you for the opportunity to review.

This is the 2nd in the Shape Shifters of the Beau Monde series. An arranged marriage between an reclusive alpha Duke and a widowed young woman who has a reputation for being cold.

They both have damaged and traumatic pasts that have made them a bit guarded and surly. But once they open up to eachother it gets steamy. They find out they are better suited than they thought.

I enjoyed that the prince regent and the nobility were all animal shifters such a fun fantastical historical romance.

Read if you enjoy:
🐻 Marriage of convenience
🔥 Alpha males
🐻 Slow burn to sizzle

Thank you sourcebookscasa and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Regency Historical romance widow Beatrice force to wed bear shifter Duke Arthur to protect their secret. I like this book because of the uniqueness of a regency paranormal book. The interaction between Beatrice and Arthur does have humor. But needs more heat as Arthur tries to breakdown the shield around Beatrice heart. It is slow going but worth it as the story develops with their romance. Family influences and helps gets the romance going. This is a new author for me. This is an 2nd book in the Shapeshifters of the Bea Monde series. I will be putting this author on my to watch list and look forward to read more of her books including the 1st in this series.


**I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

3.5 stars

When Beatrice, the widow of the Marquess of Castleton sought to secure her independence by blackmailing the Prince Regent of England, things did not go as planned. Not only did she find herself married again, but her reluctant groom is also a Shifter. But unlike her first husband, Arthur Humphries, the Duke of Osborn is not a decrepit old man and neither is he a wolf.

When Arthur’s father was challenged and lost his life to the challenger, Arthur vowed to never claim his position as Alpha in his bear sleuth. But his cousin, Prince George (also a bear Shifter) demands that Arthur do his duty, if not he will make sure that Arthur’s brother and his young family will suffer. With no choice, Arthur agrees to marry Beatrice but insists theirs will be a white marriage. At the prince’s command, they retire to Arthur’s family estate, a place that Arthur hasn’t seen since the night he lost his father. He manages to keep his feelings for the sleuth and his new bride in check, that is until his brother and his family show up, making him long for things he has sworn to never have.

This was a very interesting, well-plotted, thoughtful story about second chances, love, and acceptance. Beatrice and Arthur are wonderful characters, both with painful pasts, yet they haven’t lost themselves to bitterness. I enjoyed watching their slow-burn romance unfold and loved the secondary characters who added lightness and levity to the story. I liked the story, but the reading was slow-going, the author has and utilizes an amazing (if somewhat obscure) vocabulary, which did break the flow for me, as I had to continually stop to look up a word, or foreign language phrase (which were not italicized) to understand the story and many times the author chose to use a very archaic/obscure word instead of a common word, and while I love to learn new words, I don’t need to learn one on just about every page. Overall, it was entertaining to read with a somewhat anti-climatic ending but did manage to set up the next book rather nicely. This is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone title with no issue.

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

I love it when my two favorite genres come together. Historical Regency and paranormal. This book was a perfect blend of the two.

My God did Beatrice suffer at the hands of her first husband. If anyone deserves a happy ever after it's her.

I really enjoy the forced marriage trope and this book is an excellent example. I highly recommend giving this book a read


I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The plot was slow and repetitive. I thought I would like a shapeshifter historical romance but I was wrong. This book wasn't for me.

Unfortunately, I just couldn’t ever get into this book. A Most Unusual Duke was a combination of paranormal romance and regency…and it just didn’t work. The paranormal aspect overshadowed the regency setting for me and could have been blended together better. I wanted more from the relationship between Arthur and Beatrice and I never really felt their connection. I’m sure many will love this book, but it’s just not for me.

Susanna Allen’s second book in her Shapeshifters of the Beau Monde is an unexpected mash-up of historical and paranormal romance that features a duke who can transform into a bear. But it works.

Arthur Humphries, Duke of Osborn, has been commanded by the Prince Regent (a fellow shape-shifter) to wed Beatrice, a widowed marchioness, to further their species. But Arthur intends to make his marriage to the frosty human beauty one in name only. He has no intention of rebuilding his clan, which dissolved years ago when a challenger killed his father.

While not pleased that she must wed again, Beatrice makes the most of it and relishes getting Arthur’s abandoned, decaying family home back in shape. As Beatrice’s cold facade begins to thaw as she and Arthur work together, attraction grows and they begin to rethink their cold marriage. But while their connection grows, an old danger returns to threaten them.

Allen blends humor and fantasy with passion for a charming twist on historical romances.

An entertaining historical paranormal romance, the characters were interesting but were lacking in a bit of on page chemistry. The story itself was decent but it was missing a bit of an element to put it over the top into the great category.

This was a most unusual historical PNR and I very much enjoyed it. Susanna Allen took the shapeshifter and Regency genres, mashed them up just enough to be both familiar and a little different, threw in a touch of fated mates mixed in with an arranged marriage, again all with a bit of a twist, and ran with it. The resulting book felt like something familiar, yet just slightly off-kilter. In addition to the paranormal shapeshifter aspects, there was also a real focus on rebuilding a family and a home after both were destroyed and I loved how respectful Arthur and Beatrice were of each other, even as they both were upset and resentful of the arranged marriage they found themselves in.

Adding to it all, the author's writing style was very much in keeping with the rest of the book, combining sometimes formal writing with occasional ribald touches and old-style words that had me looking things up on my Kindle dictionary more frequently than usual. It took me a few chapters to get into her writing style, but once I did, I found myself really enjoying it. It was a change of pace to read a Regency set book that actually used older words and didn't throw in modern phrases and slang. I picked this book up without having read the first in the series, and while I assume I missed some of the initial world building, this entertaining and fun book stands alone very well. I do intend to go back to read the first book, and definitely want to read the third. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

The Prince Regent has lost patience with his cousin and fellow bear shifter, Arthur Humphries, the Duke of Osborn, and insists he take a mate and shore up their bloodline. Arthur needs to set an example as an alpha and the prince is determined to make that happen by forcing marriage on the confirmed bachelor duke.

As the widowed Marchioness of Castleton, Beatrice has established a reputation amongst the ton for her icy demeanor, but her wealth and knowledge of shifters thanks to her terrible late husband, make her a dangerous liability to the prince. The prince must protect the secrets of his kind and his best solution is to force her marriage to another shifter.

Neither Arthur nor Beatrice desires marriage, much less to each other, but this union should be safe enough since there’s no chance of their falling in love.

This was a truly unique story, different than anything I’ve read so far, including the first book in the series, and I found it very refreshing. I still got the everything I like about the historical time period, but with a twist brought by the addition of paranormal/shifter elements that intrigued me. This story gives a new spin on forced/arranged marriage and enemies to lovers with a slight hint of the forbidden about it too. I will say that Beatrice frustrated me to no end, especially in the first third or so of the book with her insistence on rigidity and frost when Arthur had done nothing to deserve her animosity. He was definitely gruff, but I didn’t understand her disdain for him. It also annoyed me that she is so often referred to as madam. He eventually made this a sort of affectionate pet name for her, but still for some reason it just bugged me. I was relieved when that protective veneer of ice eventually melted away and Beatrice and Arthur became a real couple, a true team working to reestablish his shifter sleuth, but the change from rigid to a love match was so abrupt it nearly gave me whiplash. Nonetheless, I enjoyed these characters and the family dynamics in this story. It’s incredibly different, but entertaining and I will continue the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

***1/2 - Arthur Humphries is the Duke of Osborn and cousin to George the Prince Regent. Arthur is a bear shifter who has sworn never to marry and fall in love. Arthur’s father was challenged by another bear shifter who wanted everything he had. Arthur’s father had to defend his right to lead the Osborn bear clan. Arthur’s father lost and was killed. George has decided that Arthur will marry Beatrice, the Marchioness of Castleton. She is human and is known as Lady Frost. George wants Arthur to take his place as the Alpha of his clan.

Beatrice was married to a nasty wolf shifter who died. Neither Arthur nor Beatrice wants marriage but they are forced into a marriage of convenience by the Prince Regent. Beatrice wants a child and Arthur will do his duty. Her first husband was cruel and unpleasant. They both awkwardly try to live together without offending each other. Arthur must melt the ice of Lady Frost. Arthur shows Beatrice a sweet side that no one has seen before. They both slowly fall in love. Beatrice slowly opens up to Arthur and their love blossoms. Arthur’s inner bear knows Beatrice is meant for him. Arthur fights his inner bear but eventually he realizes Beatrice is his fated mate, his vera amoris. It took a while for Arthur to open up to Beatrice. She did not know what kind of shifter he was for most of the book.

The story started out slow. It took a while for me to care about Arthur and Beatrice. The premise of the book is what first caught my attention. Shifters in London Society sounded intriguing. This is the second book in the series but the first one I have read. I will read the first book about Alfred, Duke of Lowell and Felicity Templeton. They get married at the beginning of the book. They are involved with helping Arthur and Beatrice. We also meet Alwyn Ap Lewin, Duke of Llewelyn, and Tabitha Barrington towards the end of the book. They will be featured in the third book. There were many fascinating and interesting side characters. Overall the book is good. I love the idea of shifters in the Beau Monde. I will read more books in this series. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Interesting concept but the story was a little confusing and dragged. I also didn't warm up the male lead; I found him childish and rude though he did, in his awkward way, take good care of the female lead. Still, I found myself dozing off while reading so I probably won't read more in the series.

A unique and well-woven story, with a dynamite plot, but a tendency to blog itself down in purple prose and archaic (or "fancy") language. A good read with the potential to be great.

This was a fun blend of paranormal with historical romance! I would be interested in reading the first book in the series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I was pleasantly surprised by this paranormal twist on a Regency romance. It has been years since I have read a paranormal novel, and I am happy I chose this one. I am doubly delighted that this shifter story took place in Regency England. A Most Unusual Duke had romance mixed with just enough of the fantastical to create a brilliant, savvy read.

Warning: this is a paranormal romance book with shifters. Shifters are humans who can transform into animals. However, this did not detract from the historical romance. I found the combination stirred my interest and kept me reading. I did have trouble with the vocabulary. The words were often too difficult to understand and detracted from the story. I was distracted by looking up words for meaning when I could have been enjoying the book.

Arthur and Beatrice were strangers who were forced to marry. Arthur is a shifter, and Beatrice is a human who has been married to another shifter. Her first marriage to an insane man damaged her spirit. Arthur and Beatrice are opposites and clash at every turn. This animosity eventually converts into a fiery passion. Arthur and Beatrice’s relationship was genuine and believable.

The secondary characters were brilliant and added a touch of humor to the plot. The story stopped and started and made the it feel jumpy at times. However, the plot kept my interest. I know this is a different book for me to review; however, I embraced the opportunity for diversity. A Most Unusual Duke is the second book in the Shapeshifters Of The Beau Monde series. If you are looking for a unique read with plenty of character-driven plot, I would recommend this book. Susanna Allen creates a lush, fantastical world full of romance and passion that kept me turning the page.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Most Unusual Duke is the second book in the Shapeshifters of the Beau Monde series by Susanna Allen. A steamy paranormal romance with a bite! I look forward to reading the next book in this series, which is teased towards the end. It is sure to be as entertaining, if not more so than this one.