We both really, really enjoyed this book while at the same time recognizing that ... maybe we shouldn't? It has been our favorite of the series so far, featuring an actual wallflower (instead of a "would-be wallflower" as implied by the title).

Stella is "plump" (she's got big boobs and doesn't look good in Regency garb, which, *sigh*), smart (ugh men hate smart women), and is kind of the opposite of a mean girl (she doesn't gossip and tries to think the best of everyone).

Silvester is a hot Regency duke, and he's determined to marry Yasmin. But he soon realizes that he's not really /into/ Yasmin, he just thinks she'd probably look good on his arm and be an OK duchess. He's /actually/ into Stella. Does he tell Stella this? No. Does he tell ANYONE this? Also no.

Stella, in fact, is his actual second choice, and no one (NO ONE) ever forgets it. And, like, this makes Silvester sound like a jerk (or maybe he's actually a jerk), and we recognize this, and yet we were still into this one. Would we have loved a grand gesture or an amazing grovel? Sure! That said, probably thanks Eloisa James's writing, we just ~feel things~ for both Stella and Silvester, and Stilvester the couple (we're still workshopping that portmanteau).

Final rec? If you read book 2 in the series, you should DEFINITELY read this one. We felt that it was the palate cleanser we needed. Yes, it's 4.5 stars rounded to 5, we need to just accept it.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

.
The smart, pudgy, shy, girl might get the guy in this read.
But the question still remains.
Is he the right one?
You would think that would NOT be an issue. Given the 'beggers can't be choosers' tone of her family and the people around her.
But choose she does.
Problem...
The person she chooses is not leading man, Sylvester Parnell, Duke of Huntington.
Nope.
She instead is carrying quite the bright torch for Giles Renwick, Earl of
Lilford.
Problem.
Giles has a thing for one Lady Yasmine Regnier!
But then, EVERY breathing male on two legs seems to have a thing for the beautiful, blonde, willowy, and very French, Lady Yasmin.



While it is true that things in this story would be a lot less complicated if someone had just bothered asking the lady who SHE WANTS.
This is one a Regency Romance.
So no chance of that.
So...
On we go with the confusion and misunderstandings that make this story a story. And leave readers shaking their heads and looking for the nearest exit.
Because even though Sylvester spends more and more time with Stella.
Is known to be longtime friends, and ONLY friends with Lady Yasmin.
And is doing everything but climb the walls and beat his chest in attention to Stella.
She is still consumed by the belief and fear that he is in love with Yasmin.
Ohhhh kayyy!

This is one of those reads that you want to enter into without having read the previous book.
In fact.
In order to really enjoy this series.
This reviewer suggests that you read the series last book first.
The reason.
The ends of books #1and #2 give away the pairings of the books to follow.
Self spoilers ahoy!
And one of the major reasons for the 3.5 star rating.
That and the incessant misplaced whining about Yasmine by EVERYONE!

Much to the book's credit, however.
The character development and flair as seen in the devious Lady Lidiya.
The Sylvester's eccentric moth mother.
And even Stella's kitten 'specs'.
Not to mention Lisa James' Stella writing.

Reviewer's Note
Thank you to Netgalley and Avon for providing the review copy on which this honest critique is based.
Not That Duke is part of a closely related series. It may be read in any order.

4 Stars! This is the 3rd book in the ‘Would-Be Wallflowers’ series & can be read as a standalone. I really liked the female main character, Lady Stella. She was a spitfire that didn’t take poo from nobody & reminded me of me, freckles, glasses, shortness, clumsiness, chubbiness & all! The main male character, Silvester, the Duke of Huntington, I was on the fence about. Sometimes I liked him, sometimes I didn’t. I don’t think he had to grovel enough and didn’t really convince me of his love for Lady Stella. He was kind of a huge ‘Richard’ & did whatever he had to to win. The woman he was in love with for most of the book was Lady Yasmine, her story is told in the second book of the series and I wish more of her story was mentioned in this book since I didn’t get to read book 2. All in all, this was an entertaining book with an HEA ending, eccentric duchesses, and a few steamy ‘sexy times’ scenes. Worth checking out if you like historical regency romance.
*I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

The female interactions and relationships were the highlight of this story! Stella, Merry (from "My American Duchess"), and the dowager countess of Huntington were a fun and feisty trio. We also get a reformed gossip girl and several other secondary characters who aid in showing Stella's strength of character and her enormously kind and gentle heart.

For the first half of the book Silvester, the Duke of Huntington, is courting another woman whom he wishes to marry. When she agrees to marry someone else (Giles from book two in this series), Silvester immediately returns back to London to propose to Stella. Silvester is a man who was raised in an eccentric family and he compensates by acting as the perfect golden boy of the Ton. That comes into play in how I viewed him as a golden retriever type of personality who just wants to have fun and be loved. He didn't seem to have much in the way of introspection when it came to how he was treating Stella as a second choice, and second best. I was never fully convinced that he loved her deeply, but lusted after? Well, he indeed have that going for him.

Overall, I found this to be a very entertaining story around Stella and her interactions with everyone else. She was a lovely heroine who I enjoyed spending time with. The other female characters also made the story more dynamic and interesting. While the romantic development was not fully realized, I am happy that Stella found peace with her relationship in the conclusion of this story.

I read and reviewed an advanced DRC of this book thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager via NetGalley. All honest opinions are my own.

Stella is officially one of my top favorite historical romance heroines to date. I absolutely adored her and how she stood up for herself. Especially to Silvester.

I am so glad we got to experience the karma that a side character received, it was so needed especially after the previous book!

This book is the 3rd in the series, and could be read as a standalone. There is a large time overlap with the second book, so be aware if you’re skipping around in this series.

I love how the author really leaned into the heroine being the odd one out. Definitely make sure you read the authors note at the end.

There are some fantastic side characters in this book/series, and definitely ones you’ll love to hate!

I really enjoyed this romance with humor and different societal relationships mixed in. Stella is awkward, wears glasses, blurts out random facts, has red hair and is freckled. All the things that should not be appealing, but seems to draw Silvester in. Silvester's mother is very unconventional and informs him that Stella would be perfect for him. Of course, he doesn't want anything to do with Stella. He is in love with another woman and is pursuing her. Silvester is the darling of society, and everyone knows that Stella would not make a good match for him, but the more he interacts with Stella, the more he realizes his mother is correct, Stella would be a good wife for him. Stella is used to being second choice and now Silvester has to convince her that she really is the one for him. Will she believe him?

"Inexplicably compelling" is the best way to describe Not That Duke. I have long been a fan of Eloisa James and while this book was very much in her style (which I loved) it didn't seem to have the overall panache of the author's other works.

Presented in two parts the first section is largely a retelling of The Reluctant Countess from a new perspective. While this makes a great foil for the gentle enemies to lovers romance, if you haven't read the previous book, it will feel like a lot of exposition on another relationship. However, part one wrapped up with everyone paired off as needed for the narrative and now we get to the marriage of convenience, but oops we love each other that readers so desire.

However...the entire second half of the book centers around a conflict that could be solved through roughly three sentences of communication. I get that plots need some conflict, and that Stella's whole character arc is learning to stand up for herself, but it is a lot of heavy lifting just to get Silvester to say "I choose you and only you." When all is said and done, the characters use their words and we get a lovely HEA.

Despite these criticisms, I 100% loved reading this book. The pace was solid, the plot kept moving, the characters were well developed and I was genuinely invested in finding out how this would circle around the ending we expect from the genre. Even though this series might not be a perfect trilogy, I will always read an Eloisa James and this was no exception.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! From the first page, all the way through to the author's note it kept me entertained and gave me everything I wanted and hoped for. I loved the banter between Stella and Silvester, they had so much chemistry Im surprised flames weren't shooting off the pages, And I just loved how they were together when no one else was around, They really let each other see their soft spots and it just made my heart melt.

Stella had a bit more to overcome when it came to her feelings for Silvester. She was always the person picked last, and her family always had something to say about her appearance, like her glasses and freckles.. Which Silvester loves by the way. So when Silvester decides to marry her, she can't get past that he wanted Yasmine first, and a lot of her interactions with him are colored by that. But I think Silvester does his best to tell her in his words and actions that he never had real feelings for Yasmine, they are all for Stella... And Stella does an amazing job of seeing the real Silvester, the guy behind the armor he shows to the rest of the ton, and when we learn about his childhood why he is the way he is, and why he thought he wanted Yasmine. Stella and Silvester are one of my favorite couples, I thought they were absolutely perfect for each other... Plus there is an amazingly adorable kitten named Specs who is definitely one of the stars of this book, and seeing Silvester play with her was so adorable and made me smile..

I'm super excited to read the next book in this series!

I really, really enjoyed this one. Honestly going into it I didn’t know how I would feel about Silvester and Stella. We met Stella briefly in Yasmin’s book and Silvester seemed really smitten with Yasmin. It felt like a recipe for disaster for them to be together.
I loved their banter and there is one scene that shocked me to my core. I had to reread it because I was like “what?! He did not just say that!” Oh but he did!
I really felt for Stella, she just wanted to be chosen first, she just wanted to be loved and she felt she was never good enough. My heart went out to her.
Now for the next book, I’m going to assume the FMC will be Blanche and I’m excited for her to give up her mean girl ways. Let’s hope we also get to see the downfall of Lady Lydia. 😬

Favorite quote:
I’m on f****** fire for you.”

This is the third book in Eloisa James Wallflower series. I really liked Stella and the Duke of Huntington but for the first part of the book he was I. Love with someone else then suddenly had a change of heart that was kinda hard to believe. They do finally get their HEA at the end.

Bespeckled and freckled, Lady Stella Corsham at least has a hefty dowry, and that has attracted a crowd of fortune-hunting suitors—which definitely doesn’t include the sinfully handsome Silvester Parnell, Duke of Huntington, who laughingly calls her “Specs” as he chases after elegant rivals.

After his friend marries the very woman he's been wooing, Silvester proposes marriage to Stella. How can he convince here's come to love her when she knows he preferred Yasmin?

Eloise James writes delightful romances, and keeps readers turning the pages far into the night. Highly recommended. #NotThatDuke #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthorSeries

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Pub for this earc

This book was cute. It was kind of nice to read a story where both characters know they’re going into a marriage because of lust and not insta love. It also gave me a little bit (just a tiny tiny bit) of Anthony from Bridgerton when he thought he should marry a certain type but at the same time was absolutely in lust with someone not of the right type. It’s always so much fun to watch characters fight the attention.

I also like the support system Stella got from other duchesses. And how she stood up for herself in face of haters.

Honestly, there are a lot of good scenes in this book but something was just missing and that’s why I was not completely in love with this book.

The third book in Eloisa James's Would-Be Wallflowers definitely took me for an emotional ride. Having read the previous book in the series, I know how Yasmin and Giles's love story ends so to have Stella and Silvester's story overlap with their's gave me a bit of a love triangle vibe. Stella's knowledge and Silvester's own belief that Yasmin was the one for him slightly overshadowed my ability to fully enjoy part one. At the outset of part two I really loved how Silvester was determined to have Stella as his wife and I felt the scene with the aunt after they had been left alone in the such a fresh take on the notion of having been 'compromised' followed up by the 'You're mine" in Stella's bed chamber was perfection.

There were so many scenes within the novel which had me laughing and giggling from the duchesses and Stella in the river to the Trent family war games. I LOVED Silvester showing up in his costume with his partially bare chest and arm, the teams that were formed and all the shenanigans that ensued.

I will note that at certain points I felt Stella might have gotten in her own way. I get that she believed Yasmin had been his first choice, but I wanted her to believe in him a bit more. To fully realize she was the only one who saw the true him. Yet I know that wouldn't have made for such a richly tense plot and the whole miscommunication making us all white knuckle our e-readers/physical novels. And consequently I wish Silvester could have figured out that his believed infatuation/lust for his wife was more than that for both their sakes.

I need to mention that I am so grateful to Eloisa James and Not That Duke for pulling me out of a rather big reading slump. Your writing is captivating and I loved seeing Stella and Silvester both 'win' in the end.

This was such a fun one! I loved it! I know, I always say that.

Stella was fantastic. She’s not the most confident girl in the room but that makes her so relatable. I was 100% the girl who wanted to get rid of her freckles with lemon juice, so I GET IT Stella! She was also smart without having to just ask a million questions or just say random big words. I liked Silvester too. He’s one of those heroes who is just all in… for the wrong girl…. Even though he has so much chemistry with the right one. I love that.

I was supporting this relationship from the beginning. Our boy did do some silly things, but I think he’s forgiven. I liked that Stella usually wanted to TALK through issues instead of just ignoring it and everyone walking off mad. I mean this didn’t always happen but it happened enough.

As usual, we get some great side characters. The Dowager Duchess and and Mrs. Thyme were both great and we get to see quite a bit of Merry and Yasmin as well. And Lydia (could have done with less of her, tbh). And don’t even get me started on Specs! Y’all know how I love a cat!

All in all, this was a fun romance and I loved the characters. It’s divided into part one and part two and that works really well! This whole series has been so good!

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

Stella is trying to finish this season so that she can settle into the life of a spinster, a quiet life that will hopefully be near a bookshop. She has a crush on Silvester but knows that will never develop into more than acquaintanceship. Silvester has made up his mind to marry Yasmin, but she is interested in someone else. Other characters have their own agendas, and all of these merge into this story. I liked Stella's intelligence and gumption. I liked Silvester's kindness and practicality. They make a good couple once they get out of their own way. I really enjoyed the role that Merry and Silvester's mother played in this book, though. They were so funny and helpful to Stella and Silvester. The wooden sword fight was just perfect.

Eloisa James takes readers on a witty banter-filled journey through Regency England in the third installment of the Would-Be Wallflowers series, "Not That Duke."

Silvester Parnell, the Duke of Huntington, and the bespectacled redheaded heroine Lady Stella Corsham, began as secondary but essential characters in The Reluctant Countess. Initially dismissing Lady Stella because he believes himself to be in love with someone else, Silvester's perception changes when he realizes she is far more than meets the eye under those eyeglasses.

Lady Stella, with her substantial dowry, attracts fortune-hunting suitors who barely pretend to tolerate her bluestocking ways in order to bolster their flagging finances. Meanwhile, Silvester, whom she perceives as a sinfully handsome but unsuitable choice, doesn’t need her money and finds her eccentric ways magnetic.

Though their relationship morphs into something far deeper than friendship and mutual respect, they aren’t the ideal fairytale, as Silvester is accused of marrying Stella for all the wrong reasons. He grows increasingly desperate as he tries to convince Stella that his love for her is genuine, despite her belief that he remains in love with someone else.

Eloisa James masterfully crafts the relationship between the couple, infusing it with both passion and vulnerability. Their interactions are filled with clever wordplay and deep emotion.

What sets "Not That Duke" apart is the complex and multi-dimensional characters. Silvester is not just a dashing duke but a man who is willing to fight for and protect the woman he loves. Stella, despite her quirks, is strong-willed and intelligent, refusing to settle for anything less than true love.

Beloved characters from James’ other works “How to Be a Wallflower," "The Reluctant Countess," and "My American Duchess" make frequent appearances. "Not That Duke" can be enjoyed as a standalone novel but works best placed in the timeline of the previous series novels.

_____
Tropes: bluestockings/spinsters, Big Duke Energy, enemies to friends to lovers, Regency Romance
Heat Level: 1.5/5, open door, on page, emotional intimacy
_____
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon/Harper Collins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication date July 25th, 2023.

This series has been a head scratcher! I think this is the last one because I dont know how much longer it can sustain itself! This was a solid 3.5 stars

I will say this has been my favorite of the 3. One thing they all share in common is that they tend to have little, or insignificant, conflict. That translates as very one note to me, but it was easy and fun.

Things I liked:
* I really liked both Silvester and Stella. They were both flawed MCs but there was some magic when they were together.
* Silvester's mom was hilarious
* I liked the second part of the book and wished we had more of it

Things that turned me off:
* I wanted to hit Silvester over the head several time for being a dunce. How did he not see that he needed to have done more to convince Stella that he wasn't in love with Yasmin. That last ballroom scene drove me bananas.
* UGHHHH LYDIA is back and it was annoying that she still didn't get her just desserts.

All in all, not a bad book, but not the best.

Thank you #NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I feel like Eloisa James is every other book, but this was supposed to be the good one after the disaster of the countess and I didn’t like this much better. Not explicitly bad, like the countess but just very meh.

More like, Not That Girl. I felt so bad for Stella. Maybe it's because I also have red hair and wear glasses. Growing up was horrible for me. Kids can be very mean. But Stella lives with the mean people even in her adulthood. And her own family is at fault also. I am so proud of the way that she sticks up for herself and isn't afraid to speak her mind. And what a mind she has too.
Silvester is confused by the feelings that he has towards Stella when he is actively pursuing another girl. One that is perfect for him and would be the perfect Duchess.
This book has two parts. Part one is Silvester courting another lady while fighting his feelings towards Stella. Part two is Silvester realizing it was Stella all along and Stella feeling like she is second choice in everything. For Stella words speak louder than actions. Silvester spends so much time showing her how he feels and what he wants. She just wants and needs to words.

I liked this romance and wanted to love it. And for Stella, I really could've. An absolute cracker of a heroine. However, it relies too much on what went on in The Reluctant Countess for this to be a stand-alone, or for the romance between Stella and Silvester to be fully believable.

I'm sure you can read this without having read The Reluctant Countess, but I imagine that would be confusing at times. Much of this book is seeing scenes that take place in the other book from different characters' perspectives. Giles and Yasmin--the leads in that book--are front and center here as well. And I'm sorry to say, so is the execrable Lady Lydia. If you didn't read that one, the most important things to understand for this book are that Silvester is courting Yasmin, and everyone expects Lady Stella and Giles to be married because it seems he might be courting her.

Only, Stella recognizes even perhaps before Giles does that he loves Yasmin. That doesn't bother her much at all--not like it pains her heart that Silvester is clearly in love with Yasmin. And the thing is, throughout much of the early part of this book, he seems to think himself in love with her as well--that love is for adorable Yasmin, but lust and friendship are for Stella. (As a reader of both of these books--one who even liked Yasmin--I can tell you that Stella does not deserve the shabby, secondhand treatment.)

I really did enjoy the friendship between Stella and Silvester, and I would have liked to see more of them without Yasmin or the figurative specter of Yasmin in the middle of their relationship. I would have liked to see Silvester start to realize he loves her, not just because it's not how he felt about Yasmin, but simply because he's focused just on Stella. It's just that too much of the romance here has to do with Yasmin and Silvester's relationship with Yasmin as a yardstick. And frankly, Silvester needed to earn Stella; he gets off far too easily from conflict over the Stella/Yasmin contrast in a moment that becomes a perfect example of intent being far less important than impact.

Stella is a wonder, though. She will make you wish you too were a smart, kind, curvy, freckled, bespeckled ginger. And I liked Silvester, even when he had his head up his ass. I think this pairing would have been stronger if their romance was not so yoked to his attempts at romance with another woman.

Also, please for the love of God, do not bring back Lydia again in this series. There are fun villains, and there are fun to hate villains. Lydia is neither of those: she is straight up evil and has the worst personality. She was a blight on the previous book, and I hated ever moment we had to interact with her here--and it was a lot, like 2/3 of the text. Just send Lydia to the continent or have her fall off a boat in the Channel or something.