Ugh such an amazing addition to this series! I love reading this author. It was such an easy breezy read. I literally laid in a sunny spot of my home and read this book in one sitting. Ugh cant wait to read more!

I adore Eloisa James’ historical romance novels, and Not That Duke was a treat! I really enjoyed this enemies-to-lovers story featuring Stella and Silvester. There is witty banter, memorable characters, and a sincerely convincing romance. Recommend to fans of Julia Quinn or Tessa Dare! Thank you to Avon and Eloisa James for the advance copy.

I love you Eloisa, but my feelings are so complicated.

Ok. Eloisa James is one of my very favorite authors. But this book just had so many things that aren’t for me. I really dislike time jumps, which this had. I usually prefer the hero’s POV, and I felt there wasn’t enough of that here.
The writing, of course, is phenomenal. The bones of great characters are there but you don’t get to see them shine in the framework of the plot. When it ended I honestly felt a little let down.
However, of course I recommend it, because it’s Eloisa James and even her meh books are better than most anything else!

Star Rating: 3/5
Tropes: Wallflower, curvy heroine

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

Always a fantastic read penned by Eloisa James. I enjoyed tagging along on Silvester and Stella’s story.

I have been reading and enjoying Eloisa James's books for many, many years and can't think of one that I didn't love. They remain on my book shelves every time I have had to cull the volume and are read over and over again. The characters she creates are marvelous. The heroines are feisty and a bit "different". No wilting flowers here. And the heroes have their own issues that they need to overcome, making them a bit dense, before they realize that they love the heroine.

This book runs concurrently to the previous one. Silvester Parnell, Duke of Huntington's parents were free spirits, not caring at all about what the members of the ton thought of them, after all they were inventors. But they also neglected their children. At eight years old, Silvester decide that he would make himself into the ultimate charmer and he did. When Yasmine (from the previous book) comes on the scene, he decides to pursue her, partly just to provide competition for his friend Giles Renwick, the Earl of Lilford. His mother is pushing for him to pursue Lady Stella Corsham, a smart red headed freckled orphan, who only wants to be loved for her self, to be someone's first choice. If she can't find that, she would rather live alone next to a bookstore. Mother knows best, but he is too stubborn to listen to her. So while he appears to be wooing Yasmine to the ton, he really prefers to spend time verbally sparing with Stella. She has not made friends with the other debutantes, who all seem to be mean girls. And she lets them get into her head, so when Silvester finally realizes that she is the one he wants, she doesn't believe him and despite their chemistry she still believes that he loves Yasmine. For a charmer, Stella gets him all tongue tied so he can't say the words that she needs to hear and he resorts to blackmail.

I would say that Eloisa James writes historic RomComs. The dialogue is full of lively banter, and the characters very well developed. Once the series is done, I will re-read binging all the books, back to back. I read an ARC which I received from the publisher via NetGAlley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

4.4 🌟's

so good omg!! im a sucker for heroines like stella who think they can't be loved and hero's that just love them regardless -- so swoony! the cast of characters (specs and all) was so lively and fun and i had such a wonderful time reading this book <3 stella deserves the world!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the publisher Avon and Harper Voyager for the e-ARC via Netgalley!

Not That Duke is another great read from Eloisa James. Lady Stella is forced into marriage with the WRONG Duke, but is he really the wrong duke? Read Not That Duke and find out for yourself.

You know when you KNOW a couple is perfect but must go through the agony of watching them dance around each other- well, you'll get that here, but it does give the couple time to get to know each other and build a relationship based on friendship and honesty first. Stella and Silvester show each other what they don't to others, and feel things for the other they don't feel for any other (no matter how popular or beautiful others may be).

The first half of the novel does correspond with the previous book in the series, so it was interesting to see what went through Silvester's mind and what else was happening. The second half we see Silvester and Stella really take center stage as he finally truly fights for what he wants.

The characters were very human in their faults of competitiveness, lying (to get what you want), and fear of sharing their feelings. It could be frustrating to read, but kept you engaged in the story and I couldn't put it down. Silvester especially learns the error of his ways...

Overall, an enjoyable read with lots of pining because they are so so infatuated with each other from the beginning.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

feat: pining, possessive hero, friends to lovers, arguing as foreplay, only open to you <3

3.5 stars
2.5 spice

Always a big fan of eloisa james and we will definitely be getting this book for our collection here at the library. Loving this series and would recommend it

🙅🏻‍♀️ Book Review 🙅🏻‍♀️

There's a reason Eloisa James is an autobuy author for me. Her books always deliver an elite level of swoony romance: a perfect mix of longing and pining, making mistakes, groveling, forgiveness, character growth, and ultimately figuring out love and happiness. Not that Duke delivered on all of that.

✔️ Crushing on the Wrong Person
✔️ Friends to Lovers
✔️ Opposites Attract

Not that Duke is the third book in her Would-Be Wallflowers series but you can dive in as a standalone - I did, though I will read the others at some point!

This book is about Stella who isn't exactly what you'd call a Diamond of the season. Her hair is red and wild, she has freckles and glasses - things that the beautiful ladies make fun of her for. The Duke of Huntington has been pursuing someone else even though his mother thinks Stella would be perfect for him. She thinks he's hot, but she does not even consider him since he is obviously in love with someone else. However the more time they spend together as friends, the more he is attracted to her, making things complicated.

Ok, some of you might be like - this sounds like there can be a lot of miscommunication here. And sort of? But it's more about the assumptions we make about ourselves and other people. Stella guesses at his feelings based on her observations and even when he says hey that's not true, she thinks he's just being nice. So even when he tries to communicate, it doesn't feel true to her.

I also loved the many funny bits here where Stella and the Duke are just having fun together, from playing chess to playing with her friend's kids at a party.

The end was probably my favorite part where Stella is the most vulnerable and articulates her feelings about being his second choice and then reading what is going on in his head as he finally hears her and understands how she was perceiving his actions. It made my heart hurt a little. But of course it healed with the swoony section right after. 5⭐️!

Steam 🔥🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕💕💕

Was eagerly waiting for this book. One will never go wrong reading an authentic historical novel. Every page was so much fun to read. There is humor, a little angst, even the upper crust of the tin face issues was drawn out well. Love the side of the clever women Dewan to science and engineering during the period amazing touch. I can go on and on, loved every single page. Grab the book.
There is friendship, romance, strong men and stronger women. I always waiting for Ms James’ next book.

The audiobook is equally smashing.

I love Ms. Eloisa James, so I will gladly read any of her novels. Sadly, I haven't been enjoying her current "Would-Be Wallflowers" series. I really like the heroine and side characters, but I haven't fell for the romances. I think the males are a little shallow so I am not very invested in the romance. BUT, I adore the dowager so I am so happy we got to see more of her here. Thank you Eloisa James and Netgalley for an arc.

"Or otherwise indicate that in demanding her son marry a version of herself— a short, opinionated woman, albeit with spectacles rather than a monocle— his mother had lost her mind. “

“Men like to be listened to, and they all think they have something worth saying.” She tossed Stella’s robe onto a chair and dropped a billow of sweet-smelling silk over her head. “They want to be charmed,” Merry said, unsurprisingly. “The easiest way to do that is to convince them that they are charming."

“As a young lady, I have no responsibilities other than to be charming enough to attract a husband,” Stella said, in the spirit of fairness. “It’s not fair of me to criticize you. Sometimes I feel my entire life is bounded by a tea tray.”

Not That Duke is a fun enemies to lovers historical romance that had me turning pages. I loved the wallflower Stella and even Silvester grew on me. He’d be perfect if he did a bit of groveling.

I wanted to love this. Too much of the book was the hero into someone else and Lydia is a pill. The second in the series is great though!

I really liked the two leads and that made the book good for me, even though the storyline was a little draggy

The heroine of this book, Lady Stella Corsham, is charming, like kitten in her pocket sweet. I really enjoyed her, and I felt her pain when the hero, Silvester Parnell, Duke of Huntington, says something cruel about her. I liked the heroine and the side characters more than I did the hero. I don't really feel like he deserves her. There is a lot of the hero not telling her what he feels and making her feel miserable. Overall, the writing is good, but the plot of this romance left me frustrated.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.

Not That Duke was a delightful yet problematic read that focuses on a wallflower who is forced to not only endure insults of her looks from the ton but also from someone she admires. The hero, in love with someone else, decides to pursue the heroine after the love of his life chooses his bestie. What happens next is a vague comedy of errors building a romance filled with doubt and insecurity. Yet, the heroine, her friends, and her aunt made the story for me. The heroine doesn't need saving or a makeover. She is secure in herself and enjoys her life. While I did dnjoy this one, I wish the hero hadn't been such a putz.

Silvester, the duke of Huntington, is handsome, charming, and funny. He's also in love with someone else. Stella knows herself to be a bit of a bluestocking and couldn't care less. Her goal: spinsterhood. Unfortunately, when the duke proposes, Stella, an orphan, is left little choice but to accept. Can these two, who have completely different plans and outlooks, make a marriage of convenience work? And will Silvester ever be able to convince his bride that his former infatuation is just that--former?

Not That Duke is the third in the Would-Be-Wallflowers series. I have to admit that this has not been my favorite series of James's, and this book was on par for the rest of the series. Though there are some memorable female characters, Eloisa James's males have become fairy cookie-cutter copies of one another. It does manage to be funny--she's always funny--but I would definitely recommend the Desperate Duchesses over this series.

So I love me a good historical romance, and getting the chance to read one of Eloisa James’s ARCs was truly amazing. Big shout out to NetGalley for making this happen.


If you need a good friends to lovers this one really hit the marker for me. Our main character is a short, red head, with freckles and glasses - and a lowered self esteem no thanks to the debutants around her. But does that stop our duke from befriending our quirky lead absolutely not, he gets a kick from her very blunt words to her silly antics. But alas his heart belongs to another, the bell of the ball but will he choose the regal tall beauty or the short voluptuous woman that he friended.

As always I love Mrs. James characters and simply could not put this book down.

Rated 4.5/5 Stars

James is one of my top three romance authors. "Not that Duke" keeps her winning streak going. The characters are well developed. The plotting is tight. A wonderful romance overall.