I liked this one. I think there was good storyline and good character growth. I didn't realize it was part of a series until I was part way through but it was very easy to pick up as a solo read as well. I liked the characters and the different take on the regency period romances. I liked the mystery aspect to the story as well and loved the "found family" feel. The twist at the end wasn't what I was expecting but was fun none the less. A sweet and fun story overall.

Never A Duke by Grace Burrows is a poignant historical romance that had me hooked from page one. I simply didn’t want this story to end - loved the hero and heroine, the supporting characters were fantastic and I am eager to see if we will get some of their stories.

5 Stars and high recommendation

This was very in line with what I expect from Burrowes. Her books never knock me off my feet, but she puts out a consistent product that I can turn to reliably as a Regency era book without too many Big Feelings. She writes in a detached way that keeps things even keeled, but then means, just as there weren't any low lows, I didn't experience any high highs! But I would still recommend her.

I found this book to be incredibly slow. I never felt a connection between H and h. They had some nice conversations but that was about it. The mystery was very boring and took up most of the book.

Hello

Apologies for the late notice, but I have decided not to review this title.

While I am certain it's obvious by now, I wanted to also clear this off NetGalley, so it's not showing as open for either of us.

I look forward to continuing to work with you in 2023 and beyond.

Laura

Grace Burrowes is a top historical romance author of mine and I was so glad to be back into this rag to riches world. Great romance filled with angst and real world issues too!

Loved the format of this book. The approach of how the Mcs first become friends and slowly something more is how good story progression looks like.
Add in meddling family and complicated past and it was a lovely story.
Also, fake boyfriend alert.

**SPOILERS**

What a fun plot! Young, pretty women are being abducted from the well to do areas of Mayfair but since they are maids and companions, no one notices or cares until our heroine, Lady Rosalind, notes that two of her maids have gone missing over the last few months and she is concerned for them. She engages our hero for assistance, Mr. Ned Wentworth, a banker with a questionable (by the ton's standards anyway) past.

I felt that the plot was original and interesting. At the same time, the romance had good pace and character development. While I enjoyed watching the relationship between Ned and Rosalind develop, I will say I was disappointed by the level of steam in this story. Perhaps this is normal for Ms. Burrowes writing style (I have not read many of her books before this one, if any).

That Ned's older brother comes back from the dead (and his father, too!) at the end of the story I was fine with, but I would have preferred to see some pages dedicated to understanding more of what happened and rekindling the relationship between the brothers. Also, it seemed a little too easy that Ned's older brother happened to see Rosalind abducted and also knew where the maids and companions were being taken. Other than this being a little too convenient for my taste, I really enjoyed the book.

I received a free copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

An emotionally thrilling, heart-racing and action-packed adventure filled with engaging charters, witty dialog, heart racing twists and undeniable passion. Really enjoyed this highly entertaining journey from beginning to end.

This was, unfortunately a DNF for me. I was not the biggest fan of the writing style and could not get into it. The writing also seemed to jump into the thick of things which I later realized was probably because it was the last in the series. Despite that, I think it could have had a little more build-up in the first few chapters before jumping right in. That being said, it seemed interesting so if you enjoyed the rest of the series I am sure this would be another one you would enjoy!

Thank you netgalley and forever publishing for the opportunity to read. All thoughts are my own.

In Never a Duke by Grace Burrowes we readers of the Rogues to Riches series finally get to see Ned Wentworth get his HEA as well. If you have followed the series then you know that Ned was adopted into the Wentworth family but has become a very integral and indispensable part of them all. He was always colorful, always enigmatic, and always there in the background. We got the teaser of the first time he laid eyes on Lady Rosalind in another title and boy was their book worth the wait. Just as with the other installments, we get glimpse of the other family members and characters as well as intrigues, mystery, the bond of families with some serious steam thrown in. The romance gets life when Lady Rosalind approaches him to help her find the reason behind her vanished lady's companion. This leads to the fact that these disappearances are occurring all over London and that clearly something is very rotten right now. When Lady Rosalind speaks to the glover you literally connect even more hearing him say lay bare the hopes of those of us living the mundane, perhaps shabby life, but in want of more. This seems to be how these young ladies are being lured and shows how real, vivid and in line with actual lives, hopes, dreams that Burrowes writing is. I was not disappointed with this one in the series and I know that anyone that picks it up for a read won’t be as well. I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving this review.

This is the second Grace Burrows book I have read and without a doubt I am drawn in by her writing. Never a Duke, being the seventh novel in the Rogues to Riches series, and the first book of this series I have read, has me admitting to having been a bit lost. In the first chapter particularly, I was a tiny bit confused but loving the premise of the novel, I continued reading and am so glad I did.

Most particularly I loved the Wentworth family and how even in their meddling ways the only thing they ever wish for is Ned to be happy. The found family trope is quickly becoming one of my favourite tropes. I love the fierce loyalty and love that was not only between Ned and the Wentworth family but that was quickly formed between Ned and Rosalind. And how it all unfolded in the search for women who would otherwise be forgotten. There was the perfect amount of mystery to keep me intrigued and the necessary romance to make my heart happy.

All in all I really loved Never a Duke and know I will be reading the rest of the Rogue to Riches series starting from the beginning!

I really enjoyed the addition to this series about a favorite child character all grown up! Burrowes didn't disappoint with this one.

I discovered this series a few months ago and devoured it. I liked watching Ned grow up through the course of this series and was pleased to see he got his own book to round out the series. I love everything about Ned. He's respectful and intelligent. Rosalind is a great compliment to Ned. Enjoyed the mystery of the missing maids and how the whole Wentworth family rallied around and supported Ned as he discovered the man he wanted to be.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this historical novel. I loved all the characters and I spent the whole book feeling excited about what was going to happen next!

Ok so I requested this on NetGalley (and then given an ARC) but I read it first on Libby. I wanted to read it twice to give it a chance, but yeah, I don't think this was for me. Man oh man I wanted to love it -- the cover?? So beautiful!! And when I was at the bookstore the other day and saw this book's spine!! It's so beautiful like it's a freaken book spine and I was in love. Unfortunately, my love for the book's aesthetic did not hold up for the book/story itself.

I know it says it's a romance, but I just didn't feel the romance -- I don't think it helped that Ned's last name is Wentworth because then I was like umm where is the Wentworth energy (looking @ you Persuasion) -- I really did love Ned, though. Sweet teddy bear with a heart of gold -- extra .5 for him. It's not that Rosalind and Ned didn't love each other, or that the book had a weak plot because I was still like yeah they have feelings for each other and this whole deep plot and mystery is clever. But did it WOW me?? No. In fact, I was bored.

You know when you're reading a romance and you're searching for the love interests' names on the pages to be like "hiii when are we gonna see y'all together because I thought this was a romance:)))"? Yeah, that was the energy I had reading this book.

The reason I'm gonna give it a 3.5 stars is because my lack of connection to this book could be due to the fact that this is my first time reading anything by Grace Burrowes -- and I haven't read any of the previous books in this series. So that's my bad.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC. All opinions are my own :)

Ned and Rosiline seem opposites but that is far from the fact. Great fun with the two. Each wanting what they think they cannot have. As they work together to solve a mystery.

Another story in Grace's Rogues-to-Riches series, this is the story of the calm, all-business-no-fun Ned Wentworth who doesn't know his own worth (no pun intended). Having saved the duke's life in prison, Ned is adopted into the family and rises to become VERY wealthy and very important to the financial wellbeing of the family. And he's the one who Lady Rosalind trusts when she has a problem.

Slowly, as they spend more and more time together, their mutual respect turns into something much more in this emotional tale about self-esteem and loyalty.

Ned Wentworth has to be one of the most endearing heroes I've ever read. I adored him. And that's without experiencing his back story in the first six books of the series. I can only imagine how much deeper my affection for this character will be once I've read those other books. And I will be reading them! Meeting the couples from the earlier books in Never a Duke has guaranteed that.

It was going to take a strong, special heroine to convince Ned that he deserved a happy ending and Rosalind was just that. I loved how her values lined up with his. I loved the chemistry and banter between them. Burrowes' dialogue simply sparkled and there was plenty of it. These two talked, often, and about a variety of topics from the lighthearted to the deeply emotional. It was a wonderful way for them to get to know one another while working to find the missing maids, unveiling hidden depths - and surprises - about each of them. I loved the respect between them, the genuine affection (they liked each other), Ned's determination to protect Rosalind, and the way she supported and defended him. I loved how she defended him!

Secondary characters were plentiful in this book with Ned's adopted family members (meddling but good people) sharing the spotlight with Rosalind's greedy, cold-hearted ones. I do love a well-developed villain and Burrowes gave readers one in particular who was easy to despise.

Never a Duke is the final book in a seven-book series with many characters from the earlier books having significant page time in this last story. Kudos to the author for creating a story that never left me confused or out of the loop. Instead of feeling like I was missing something, meeting the earlier couples so important to Ned's life only made them more intriguing, and me more eager to read their stories.

I initially started this book when I was lucky enough to get an ARC through NetGalley, but then life happened and I didn't end up reading the rest of it until I picked up a finished copy. Once I dove in for real, I devoured Never a Duke. Ned is a great character from the earlier books, and it was so exciting to have him get his own book.

Starting off the book, Ned is approached by Rosalind, who needs his help. Her maid has gone missing and Rosalind doesn't think she ran away. Ned and Rosalind quickly discover that many young women are going missing, all ones that wouldn't be missed enough to be looked for.

The mystery of the missing women is mixed well with Ned and Rosalind's romance. While Ned has been living with the Wentworth family for around 10 years, he still isn't seen as truly upper class. That means a relationship with Rosalind, a fancy lady, should be off limits. But what starts as clandestine meetings for innocent purposes quickly heats up. I loved watching them fall for each other, and while they had to put in some hard work to make their happily ever after, it was definitely worth it!