Ned Wentworth will always be grateful being plucked from prison and given a job at the Wentworth bank by the Duke of Walden. He's loyal and works hard for the family, but he hasn't found a lady who captures his heart, that is, until Lady Rosalind Kinwood asks for his help in locating her missing maids. The more time Ned spends in the lady's company, the more he enjoys it. Rosalind has been bullied by her family and the ton over the years and she tries hard not to let them upset her. When she asks Ned for help, she has no idea he's exactly what she needs.

I loved Ned. He was so honorable, kind and compassionate and enjoyed spending time with Lady Rosalind. He's the first man that has actually listened to her and she plans more outings with him much to the disapproval of her family. There's a nefarious plot afoot kidnapping young women off the streets of London and Rosalind knows Ned will not stop until he finds them. The pace of the book moves along nicely with the slow burn romance and the mystery of who the villain is. There's a great twist at the end when the villain is finally revealed. Through a lot of bumps along the way, Ned and Rosalind finally find their HEA much to the delight of the Wentworth family. It might be helpful to read the previous books in the series especially the first one to understand how Ned met the duke.

Lady Rosalind survived a terrible childhood and first few seasons. Teased and downgraded by her family and the ton, she got by with the help of her maid. When one, then another disappeared and her family was unwilling to help, she went to Ned Wentworth for aid.
He came to believe she was correct in her fears and set out to solve the mystery, falling more in love with her with each interaction....as she was with him.
The story is well written with intrigue, romance, good multi-faceted people...and the requisite villain. I recommend it highly for those who love a great historical...and those who love a mystery.
I was granted an ARC gratis from NetGalley and offer my opinion in the same.

I am so happy I was invited to read this book, I really enjoyed it. I have read, and savored, other Grace Burroughs books; however, this was my first in this Series. The book works well as a stand alone but now I intend to read the other books.

Ned Wentworth is a fantastic character who really appeals to me. He is humble, loyal, honest and caring. Rosalind is strong, determined but vulnerable and together they are magic. The secondary characters are interesting and appealing. All in all this book left me feeling happy and satisfied. 4-1/2 Stars

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this ARC for my honest opinion.

When I finished the book, I was quite sad. I wanted to continue to know Ned and Rosalind, and spend time in their world. I do not write spoilers, so I won't tell you the plot of the story. When you meet Ned, and see what a wonderful, honest, responsible man he is, you will be captivated by him. He is a man whose childhood was simply horrible, but who has always been special. Then you will meet Rosalind who comes from a family that doesn't want her. Her father is a mean bully, and her brothers make constant fun of her. She is, thankfully, a woman who is unique and does and says what she believes in.

I absolutely loved every page of Never A Duke. The secondary characters will capture your heart also. Grace Burrow's understand of what family really is - is second to none! Splendid read, enjoy!

I'm a fan of this author. Ms. Burrowes always writes with warmth, wit and intellegence. Even though this is book #7 of the series it is still unique and refreshing. There are references to characters and happenings in previous books, but this is still a very good standalone novel. (The references will make you want to read those books, if you missed them) The mystery of what happened to the Lady's maids is very surprising and I never saw it coming. You will enjoy this terrific escape into the 19th century.

I received "Never A Duke" from Netgalley and voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Grace Burrowes is a superb historical romance author. Her beautiful stories have so much sizzle, and wittiness. The rapport between all the characters is outstanding... romance at it's best. She talks about issues such as poverty, illiteracy, helplessness and sex trafficking, that unfortunately still exist in today's times as they did back then.
Ned Wentworth, the son of a tailor, a banker now, but who, as a youth, had been in gaol for thieving, was befriended by the head of the Wentworth family who was also incarcerated at the same time, is now lovingly and admirably a part of the Wentworth family.
Lady Rosalind Kinwood, daughter of an Earl, is worried about her two missing maids and asks Ned for help. What ensues next is a mystery that unravels and brings two broken and lonely souls together and whose hearts learn to beat as one. Another superb story of love and endurance.

For some reason yesterday—probably for many reasons yesterday—I needed cheering up. So I deviated from my reading plan, my careful list of what I thought I’d read for the month, and bulldozed through this baby. Grace Burrowes is a guaranteed winner for me at this point, and hanging out with the scrappy Wentworth family always gives me a lift.
Ned and Rosalind’s book turned out to be one of my favorites of the series. I thought Rogues to Riches was finished when Stephen’s book came out, and I was delighted to be wrong when I found out the adopted member of the family, young Ned, would get a book too.
Even though the Wentworths all came from humble beginnings, Ned’s experience was still a contrast, and it gave him a different perspective on class, law, and how the country was run. Burrowes did a good job of portaying this through his conversations with Rosalind, and it explained his strong drive to find the missing women.
One of the things I like about these romances is that the characters are usually straightforward about their feelings and team up to solve a problem, rather than being the problem themselves. I loved the minimum of angst in this book, and it was wonderful to see Abigail and Robert supporting Ned in ways the other Wentworths didn’t realize he needed.
The ending was more deliriously happy than I could have imagined, and a couple of the revelations were very sudden. But the level of love I feel for this book is definitely 5 stars’ worth, and Burrowes fans will not be disappointed.

Wow! This book is SO GOOD! It is romantic, intriguing, gripping full of heart, and so much more! Whenever I picked up “Never a Duke”, I was whisked back in time, and went on such an emotional journey with this story.

This is the first book I have read in Grace Burrowes “Rogues to Riches” series, and I am so excited to go back and read her previous novels. Her writing style is visceral, vivid, detailed, well-thought out, and her storytelling is spectacular. The character development she writes is phenomenal, and I was hooked from the very first page to the last.

Ned is such a kind, strong, and intelligent man. Rosalind is such a smart, brave, and caring woman. Both are unfortunately treated poorly by those around them. Ned is sadly judged by society due to his being adopted, as many sadly see him as beneath them. Rosalind’s family is very cruel to her, which is absolutely heartbreaking.

When Rosalind’s maid goes missing, she turns to Ned for help. Working together to find her, and as more women go missing, will Rosalind and Ned be able to find out what is going on, and save them?

(Possible Spoilers!)
Ned and Rosalind truly bring out the best in each other, and make one another happy. They deeply understand and listen to one another, and are not afraid to discuss things both good, bad, and in between. They can open up to each other in ways they haven’t with others before, and watching them fall in love was so special.

If you enjoy historical romance, I highly recommend this book! It kept me turning the pages chapter after chapter to see what was going to happen next, and I look forward to reading what Ms. Burrowes writes next.

Thank you so much to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for the ARC of this book, it is amazing! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Ned Wentworth will be forever grateful to the family that plucked him from the streets and gave him a home, even though polite society still whispers years later about his questionable past. Precisely because of Ned’s connections in low places, Lady Rosalind Kinwood approaches him to help her find a lady’s maid who has disappeared.
Rosalind is too opinionated—and too intelligent—and has frequently suffered judgment at the hands of polite society. Despite her family’s disdain for Ned, Rosalind finds he listens to her and respects her. Then too, his kisses are exquisite. As the investigation of the missing maids becomes more dangerous, both Ned and Rosalind will have to risk everything—including their hearts—if they are to share the happily ever after that Mayfair’s matchmakers have begrudged them both.
This is an interesting book which makes me think of a very good point of treachery and love.
Grace Burrowes has written a wonderful story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

Never a Duke is book #7 in a series by Grace Burrows. I read this book not having read the previous six books in the series; but, I have read other titles by Burrows that I thoroughly enjoyed. I went into this book just taking the story at face value and hoping that I wouldn’t be too lost not having read the other books in the series. Luckily, with the exception of some complicated (not a bad thing!) relationships with family members, one doesn’t need to have read other books in this series to enjoy this romantic tale.

The way this romance unfolded was a treat to read. Ned’s mischievousness with a certain pocket watch and Rosalind’s reaction were to die for! I caught myself smiling a little and I’m not one to have big reactions to reading.

Rosalind was depicted in the very beginning as a sharp-tongued ice queen, but she thawed toward Ned very organically. It felt natural, like she grew to like and trust him as the story unfolded and so she started to show him her soft side. I appreciate that her change in character from what Ned originally knew about her didn’t feel forced. It was an excellent case of showing, not telling.

My biggest gripe about this is that it’s labeled at romance, but my experience is that the plot of the missing women took the driver’s seat and the love story was relegates to the second row of the back seat. There is a lot of side story, too, that sometimes felt unnecessary. However, maybe those bits were to set up more books in the series.

After a bit of a slow start (or it is possible that I just wasn't feeling it for whatever reason), I could not put this book down once it really got going. Do you have to read the other books in this series? Probably not, but I do think it would explain the family dynamics better if you have read them. (Although I did read them all, it has been a minute and that was good enough to fill the backstory and enjoy this one). There is very little angst between the hero and heroine of their own making, which is refreshing, though the little bit near the end of the hero being all "wait, I am not good enough for you" seemed somewhat out of place given how healthy their relationship already was. There is plenty of dramatic tension from their families and the mysterious kidnappings of nice young women right in their own backyards to keep the story interesting without having "Romantic Angst". This is a keeper, for sure. Go and get yourself a copy.

Burrowes is a master at writing a story that feels really familiar and predictable yet still manages to be compelling. I enjoyed the vulnerability of these characters; Ned like many adopted children struggles with survivor's guilt, impostor syndrome, and the extreme desire to please his adopted family. Rosalind's vulnerability is understood through her childhood trauma from stuttering, and her struggle to feel seen, heard and valued by her brothers. They make so much sense as a couple, and the way the plot designs to bring them together is interesting and feels plausible.

Four strong stars.

*I received a review copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

I really enjoyed Stephen’s book from this series, the only one I’d read and thought I could read Ned’s story without having read any of the others. And I was wrong on that front.

This book has a lot more backstory that it pulls from and made it difficult for me to be in the moment in the book. Complicated relationships with other members of the family that Ned was dealing with that I didn’t fully grasp.

Putting all of that aside and focusing just on the story in this book…I thought the story was slow. I was waiting for the plot to move a bit quicker, but it dragged for me.

I recommend everyone reading the entire series first and I’m not sure how to rate this one because I don’t feel like I was really set up to win with this one.

I’ll go four stars, because the main complaint I had was the pacing and the…bizarre last few chapters, but I think I wouldn’t be put off by the pacing so much if I’d known about all these characters.

Never a Duke by Grace Burrowes is an enjoyable addition to her Rogues to Riches series.. Through Ned Wentworth , Burrowes explores how an adopted person feels that he is not entirely a member of his adopted family even though they treat him well, and how he longs for his birth family. As a counterpoint Rosalind Kinwood, has never felt accepted by her birth family and has been treated badly by them. The interactions of these two characters helps them to find more information about their families and gives each of them perspective about their past. A fine Regency romance with a surprise ending..

Ned Wentworth has been adopted by a duke and works in the family bank. He’s honest, sincere, and is gossiped about due to his hard childhood. This gossip of Ned’s being from the slums and in Newgate are the reason Rosalind, an Earl’s daughter, asks him to help her look for her missing maids. Both characters were likable, intelligent and interesting; their romance seemed to be a done deal as soon as they had their first conversation. The mystery of the abducted maids was a page turner and there were satisfactory surprises.

This book is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone.

Thanks to Net Galley snd the publisher for an ARC.

I really enjoyed this novel, more than the previous novels in the series (though admittedly I've only read books 5 and 6). A large part of that is that Ned and Rosaline are both genuinely good and likeable people, despite their past and Rosaline's despicable family.

I loved Ned and Rosaline's determination to save the abducted women and the eventual frank discussion of Ned's past. I especially loved all the little details, my favorite being Ned's embroidery. Oh and the proposal scene was delightful. As was Ned's tiger Artie, and I greatly hope to see more of him in the future.

I spent portions of the novel feeling as if I had read it before which was very strange as it is an arc and I am quite sure I haven't. Maybe that was a combination of familiarity with the secondary characters and some backstory from previous novels and a somewhat predictable plot in general? Nevertheless, whatever the reason for the feeling, I still very much enjoyed the journey.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing an e-arc for review.