Much Ado About Dukes by Eva Devon is book Two in the Never a Wallflower Series. I am a big fan of Romance books and I found this one to be a very enjoyable read. I will be looking for more books from this author.

Beatrice is very strong willed and a fighter for those of the lower classes. William is a duke who is a very responsible and stoic Duke. These two are not well suited. But opposites attract. A story of allowing Beatrice to be who she is and allowing her to be an equal. The only thing she realizes she really wants after all is his love that he is determined not to allow himself.

I love Eva Devon’s passionate and stubborn characters. Throw in a marriage of convenience and there is bound to be some interesting agreements and promises meant to be broken.

Lady Beatrice is a very vocal activist for women’s rights in a time when women are treated like property. It’s this very reason that she swears never to marry. To get her message across she must find a parliamentarian who will support her cause and, unfortunately, it is her future arrogant and dismissive brother-in-law who she seeks out. However, she finds him more amiable to her cause and her person than she once thought.

William Easton, the Duke of Blackheath, is a well-respected orator in parliament and doesn’t believe in love until a feisty, outspoken activist catches his attention. She is soon to be his sister-in-law and he feels an obligation to help her in her endeavors, but he has a secret. He has an intense admiration for her, but he would never confess it to anyone. And he never figured he would have to change his single status in order to help her unfortunate demise.

I loved Will and Beatrice’s intellectually-stimulating verbal sparring about the issues facing women and the poor in their time. But I adored how they slowly fell for each other with their misgivings about love and marriage. Beatrice is a strong female character who is in tune with what she wants and is not afraid to go against the norm. She’s also not afraid to tell Will how she really feels when their life appears to be falling apart. Will is truly a good man and he really listens to Beatrice and respects her. Will’s abandonment of his mother is a major milestone in his life which is the motive behind his support of women’s rights and also his refusal to let himself love someone. It’s lovely to find out how much Will and Beatrice have in common and becoming friends is a natural progression. The boxing lessons are a great addition. But it’s when Beatrice’s financial woes lead them to a marriage of convenience and new feelings which changes their circumstances and causes havoc in their relationship. Don’t worry, there is definitely a happy ever after with a grand gesture to remember.

What I loved most in this book was the band of brothers. Will’s brothers Ben and Kit are a splendid support system for both Will and Beatrice. Their relationship with Beatrice is so heartwarming and their devotion to their brother is touching.

I highly recommend this delightful historical romance filled with humor and lovely characters. I hope to read a future book about Will’s brother, Ben, who stole the show for me in this book.

Thank you to Ms. Devon for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

I really enjoyed this regency book. Lady Beatrice is a independent modern woman who plans on never marrying. Duke Blackhealth determined never for fall in love. However, Beatrice fortune is lost and the Duke offers her marriage. They marry and begin to trust each other and themselves. It was a light HEA that was fun and steamy. The book had a strong set of supporting characters and will not disappoint. I am looking forward to the next book by this author in this series.

**I received this book free from Netgalley.

This historical romance was not nearly as engaging as I had hoped, and I am a HUGE historical romance fan. In my opinion, the characters lacked depth and the romantic payoff took far too long to reach.

Much Ado About Dukes is a regency romance about a perfect-fit pair of social justice warriors determined to live non-traditional lifestyles in stuffy old England.

This was my first Eva Devon book, and overall I enjoyed the characters, especially the sensitive and thoughtful Duke of Blackheath, and really liked the storyline. The heroine, Beatrice, wasn't an entirely likable character and I was a bit baffled at her appeal to the Duke. The glasses-wearing librarian that I am loved that she wore glasses herself, but her relentlessness regarding the situation toward drawing every conversation to her agenda was a bit off-putting. The very open and honest communication between Will and Beatrice regarding their marriage that carried over into their conversations during their steamy encounters was swoony. I would definitely read more Eva Devon.

Sorry but I just had to give up on this book, the characters were boring and the pace was making me fall asleep. I do not DNF many books but this may have been a combination of my mood and the knowledge that I had much better books waiting to be read.

This story followed Lady Beatrice and William Easton the Duke of Blackheath, both characters are strongly independent and strongly abhor marriage. Lady Beatrice is an activist she has been writing pamphlets to William, but he never responded and when they finally do meet sparks fly. What I liked about the duke's character was that he fully supports Beatrice in both her work and passions even though Beatrice doesn't fully trust his support. I also liked how despite the fact that both characters are wary of love once they fall for each other they are all in. I think the story progresses pretty quickly, but I enjoyed this book. I have read a couple of Eva Devon's books in the past she writes entertaining stories. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fun lighthearted reads. Thank you to Net galley for the ARC!

I like independent heroines and feminism but this book put more focus on the women's rights than on romance between the MCs. Once they were married nothing much was happening. The ending was predictable.
2.5-3 stars.

Much Ado about Dukes by Eva Devon caught my interest with the summary. I thought Beatrice was well developed and with her focus on women's rights, she doesn't have any interest in marriage. When she finds herself attracted to the Duke of Blackheath, the man she considers her enemy, she doesn't really know what to think. Blackheath also has no desire to marry but when they start to realize they could actually help each other, they begin to form a friendship.

Because of things, they find that they need to marry and it was great to see how they balance their initial thoughts around marriage and where they ultimately end up. I enjoyed this book and look forward to more books by Devon in the future.

Beatrice has planned out her future meticulously. After her uncle's death, when she gets control over her own fortune, she will embrace the spinster life and throw herself even more into pamphlet writing, public speaking, and altogether being a typical bluestocking. But then her uncle informs her that not only did he lose his own fortune, he also lost hers. He advises her to find a rich husband as soon as possible, lest it become public knowledge that Beatrice and her cousin are now without dowries. Luckily, Beatrice can confide in William, the Duke of Blackheath and coincidentally also the brother of her cousin's fiancé. He offers to marry her, since he has no need of a dowry and he had never planned on getting married anyway. And that will solve all of their problems, since there is no way that Beatrice and William will ever fall for each other.

It's an Eva Devon historical romance, so of course it's a guaranteed good time. The story took a bit to really get going, but once it had found its footing, it was simply impossible to stop reading.

The story takes a lot of inspiration from Shakespeare's 'Much Ado About Nothing', as evidenced from the title, but the dislike between Beatrice and Williams is never as intense as that between Beatrice and Benedick. They quickly find themselves behaving friendly towards each other, and they also have no issue whatsoever giving in to lust.

One warning: there is a lot of activism in this book. It explicitly deals with the inequality between men and women, and Beatrice is a serious activist. So be aware of that if that's not really your jam.

This book did have some cute parts. I liked the bantering they had like when she said she didn't know the sight of her gave him pleasure when he said the pleasure was all mine.

That part did make me smile as well as other bits. It was a three star read because the pacing was sometimes a little slow.

Thank you Netgalley and publishers for allowing chance to read and review. This will be up on blog soon.

‘As far as William Easton―the Duke of Blackheath―is concerned, love can go to the devil. Why would a man need passion when he has wealth, a stately home, and work to occupy his mind? But no one warned the duke that a fiery and frustratingly strong-willed activist like Lady Beatrice Haven can also be a stunning, dark-haired siren who tempts a man’s mind, body, and soul.

Lady Beatrice is determined to never marry. Ever. She would much rather fight for the rights of women and provoke the darkly handsome Duke of Blackheath, even if he does claim to be forward-thinking. After all, dukes―even gorgeous ones―are the enemy. So why does she feel such enjoyment from their heated exchanges?

But everything changes when Beatrice finds herself suddenly without fortune, a husband, or even a home. Now her future depends on the very man who sets her blood boiling. Because in order to protect his esteemed rival, the Duke of Blackheath has asked for Beatrice’s hand, inviting his once-enemy into his home...and his bed.’
________________

2.5 stars, rounded down to 2 stars.

Much Ado About Dukes is the second book in Eva Devon’s Never a Wallflower series and is a historical romance.

This is the first book in the series and by this author that I have read. I wanted to like this book and it definitely had its merits. It was amusing at points and sweet in others, there was a good balance there. But I found that this book relied too much on tropes. From the beautiful blusetocking with glasses who will never let a man tell her what to do, to the perfect duke with a 12-foot wall and a moat around him to hide his emotions because he’s actually hurt inside, amongst others. I wasn’t really a fan of the tropes this book leaned on and so it wasn’t really a match for me.

Beatrice’s character was the biggest issue in this for me, she’s a dangerous combination of arrogance and ignorance. I have a real problem with ‘feminist’ characters that feel the need to be misandrists to show their support of women’s rights. William supports her and her work and genuinely seeks to improve once he’s seen he has been ignorant or lacking in certain areas, but she only sees the negative. She doesn’t appreciate any of his efforts or good works.

This all sounded very negative of me, but it wasn’t a bad book. I see that many people enjoyed, however it was just okay for me. The tropes got in the way and so it wasn’t for me and that’s okay. I do not plan to continue with the series
_____

I would like to thank NetGalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC, Entangled: Amara for sharing an eARC of Much Ado About Dukes by Eva Devon. This is my honest review.

Oh I had such a fun time with this one, I honestly am having a hard time NOT fangirling through this review! I've read the other books in this standalone series, and have yet to be disappointed. Within each novel, you get all the feels and then some.

Here, we have Beatrice...a headstrong young woman, unafraid of speaking her mind, seeking to raise awareness of those suffering in plain sight while working to end their plight, and aid woman in getting their own rights. She may have lost her parents early in life, but her uncle and cousin are the next best thing, and her own parents planning have left her with enough scratch to keep her living comfortably, and free all her days...at least until an unexpected disaster strikes, leaving her filled to the brim with passion, and willingness, but without the backing to be heard. All her talk of remaining on her own two feet, never to be tethered to a man like property turn from resolutions to dreams overnight. Funny how life can take you down a few notches at the slightest inclination. Good thing for Beatrice, she's found a match...in everything but the heart...or so they tell themselves.

Enter stage left, the Duke of Blackheath...akaWilliam. A fetching pair they make in more than just Shakespearean names. They both have so much strength of will, force of character, belief that they can fight the good fight and win against the injustices of the world...expect the world tends to listen to William more so than Beatrice. First, he is a man...and times were what they were; second, he is a Duke, and there's not much they can't get by with. Come to find out though...William, for all his talk of never falling in love, or marrying until he must to carry on the line, seems to find himself the savior of the moment, and willingly so...no matter how much he says otherwise. All the conditions placed on this marriage of convenience won't be enough to stop the inevitable....but they'll have to weather a pretty severe storm if they are to see happier days ahead. Good thing for BOTH of them, they are made of stronger stuff than most...and have family willing to set them to rights.

I adored watching them grow together, even if they BOTH protested too much! Seeing them navigate the unfamiliar waters they were in while trying to understand what they were feeling, what they desired, and how their focus could have remained the same and yet changed so very much...it made my heart glad. I cheered when they got closer and closer. I sighed in frustration each time they tried to walk away. I came close to tears when the darkness of the past seemed to be getting the better of him...but in the end, we get a HEA that they (and we!) deserve.

“If there was going to be a war, it would be a merry one.”

Channeling the characters of Shakespeare, this read is a giggle filled journey (with a few bumps along the way).

What a cute book! From page one, Beatrice and Will are recognizable as riffs on Beatrice and Benedict from Shakespeare’s classic comedy. That absolutely worked for me because that’s my favorite of the bard’s plays. The Much Ado About Nothing references were many and beautiful. They gave me life.
The writing is fresh and laugh out loud funny. There’s a scene where Will and his brother Kit come home tipsy, and it was so hilarious.
I did like our main characters, especially Will. However I had to take a star off my rating for Beatrice, because at times she didn’t make sense to me and downright annoyed me. For someone fighting passionately for the rights of others, Beatrice doesn’t seem to see that there is suffering beyond her own. It’s a little annoying that she thinks just because he’s a duke Will’s life must be all parties and sleep. Toward the end when other characters are suffering, she expects them to just push through. Then a couple paragraphs later she is weeping openly over her own problems. It made her seem selfish and heartless. Other than this one character trait I really loved Beatrice. She and Will have excellent chemistry, and they’re both so motivated.
The side characters were a lot of fun. I almost wish this was a connected series so we could see more of these characters return!
The historic details were really well done. There’s a lot about the lot of women at the time. I also loved the details about Regency dresses; they were much more comfortable than the outfits just a few years before, which was a huge deal to women of the time. Showing that fact was a great attention to detail.
In summary, I thought this was a fine book- but it never hit truly great for me. There’s a lot to enjoy, whether you’re a Shakespeare fan or not!

Tropes: Marriage of convenience, stuffy Duke
CW: Toxic relationship, parental abandonment, alcohol

I received an eARC of this book via NetGalley. Opinions are all my own.

I finally admit that I may have the start of an appreciation for romance novels of a certain time period. This novel had me laughing a bit at the characters and how they interacted. The interactions and thoughts were simply comical to me at times, even though that's most likely how people thought and acted during that part in history. I usually do not find politics in these stories to my liking, but this novel did a decent job expressing the main character's political view without being extremely overbearing. I honestly wish Beatrice had more to her character than just the activism part. I believe she could have been fleshed out more so she wouldn't seem so... not shallow, but definitely two dimensional. I did feel as if the love interest was trying too hard to tell us about how he believes in women's rights instead of showing us for the majority of the time. The romance was there, but the political side was a bit too heavy at times.
Overall, this was an enjoyable and I look forward to seeing what the author writes in the future!

I love regency romances, and this gave me everything I enjoy about them while giving me a fresh story. Politics in books are always a hit or miss for me, and in this one it is a hit. I love that politics was initially what brought them together and with it being a huge part of the conversation the banter between them made the topic interesting to follow. Beatrice is a strong woman that does not need a man’s help but smart enough to know when it comes to woman and politics it may be needed. The book followed the dukes POV a little more than others I read but he seemed to be the one who struggled with his feeling initially and I loved the banter with his younger brothers. I liked how the two were brought together turned out to be a marriage of convenience trope that had good spicy scences without being overly explicit.

Thank you @entangled_publishing @evadevonauthor, @netgalley and @tlcbooktours for the gifted copy.

I read and loved the previous book in this series and I was so eager to get to this one.

I really liked Beatrice and Will. She's smart, stands up for herself, and knows what she wants out of life. He's stoic, used to always being right, and charmed by Beatrice. Together they have a great friendship, loads of respect, and a willingness to learn from the other. I loved that Will was a champion for the cause of women's rights, it was easily one of the best parts of the story. Oh, besides his brothers, of course.

Plot wise, it was good. I longed for actual on the page, in depth conversations instead of a glossing over mentioning them. I wanted more chemistry as it felt like there was a vague passing interest. There was more telling than showing and that did make the story seem to miss a spark that I was expecting.

Overall, it was a delightful and quick read with characters who were very easy to root for, I just wanted a lot more.

**Huge thanks to the publisher for providing a digital copy free of charge**

I will say right off the bat, the main thing that didn't work for me was the author's style, so other folks may enjoy this way more than I did! I'd definitely recommend giving it a try if you're interested in the premise, because if the style works for you, this could be a really fun read. But I really struggled with it; it felt like she was trying to write in an older style, but it just felt over the top and stilted.

I also don't typically enjoy when a heroine's entire personality is her activism? Like yes, we get it, women's rights. Absolutely. I've got nothing against that plotline in a historical. But it gets real old real quick when that's the only thing she ever talks about, which is doubly frustrating when you're already getting the same argument repeated over and over between the main characters. And on top of that, most of their bickering initially just...didn't make sense? It was set up as if we were meant to believe they were enemies/rivals, but they were literally on the same side. There was no reason for them to be fighting.

Last thing: the third act and resolution really killed me, but not in a good way. I think the whole *hero who believes love is Bad* thing can work in some situations, but here it was more frustrating than compelling. And then the resolution is a public grand gesture, which I will openly admit is not a flaw of the book it's just something I have personal beef with.

I want to say as I wrap this up that it wasn't a wholly unenjoyable reading experience, and I will certainly be giving the author's other work a try, this just wasn't the one for me. Perhaps without the initial framing of Much Ado About Nothing I would've liked it more, but that combined with the style and the repetitive arguments was too much.

CW: Grief, abandonment, misogyny, sexual content

Absolutely enjoyed Williams and Beatrice's story. The author did a good job with the story line and all the character's. Will's mother left when he was a small boy for love and he swore he would never submit to this emotion. He has always been determined to protect his two younger brothers after his mother left. That is until he meets the young women writing to home about women's rights when her uncle loses her fortune Will comes to the rescue but the rule is the will only be friends and no love aloud. But when one of them breaks the rules the.other puts up a wall. It will take the truth to come out regarding the true reason Will's mother left to never be seen again to let go of the past and to find true love.

This was a very good read and I recommend it.