This book was absolutely hilarious! The dedication compares it to The Importance of Being Earnest and it definitely lives up to the hijinks in that story. The mistaken identity plot led to an absolute romp of a plot. The story rotates between the perspectives of the four main characters and I found myself coming to care about all of them and rooting for them to untangle the hilarious mess they were in. Among all the humor and the mishaps the author also wove a good amount of heart into this story. The chemistry was palpable between the characters and because the book's tone leaned towards screwball comedy I didn't miss having open door scenes. Real life can be so stressful so this hilarious escape came at the perfect time. I recommend this book to anyone who needs a good laugh.

A+ title choice. I really enjoyed this book! It had "The Importance of Being Earnest" vibes and was thoroughly entertaining. At first I was nervous about it being closed-door, but that actually fit the book very well. Open-door would have been out of place.

Anyway, the characters were likeable, compelling, and the story came together well. The relationship that the real-Duke had with his servants was really funny and I enjoyed seeing how he came into his own as the new duke. I loved the relationship development between the man-of-business and Clara, as they seem perfect for each other. This is a really fun book, so I definitely recommend it.

In terms of the audio book, the voice actors were chosen well. There was nothing cringey to note.

4.5 rounded up to 5!

I really enjoyed this lighthearted romance by Suzanne Enoch. Oddly enough I read it right after a different book where there were 4 main characters and I really didn't like that other one, but Enoch does a great job of introducing the 4 main characters and causing us to care about each one of them.

Mistaken identity is a huge theme in this book. Meg has been betrothed to James, a new Duke and she brings her aunt to his country home in order to learn more about him before deciding whether to go ahead with the marriage. Meg and Clara pretend to be another peer and her companion touring the country homes in the area. When they get there James decides to pretend that his father's "man of buisness", Elliott, is the new Duke, and he himself is the new butler.

Over the book Clara gets close to Elliott and James gets close to Meg, while Elliott tries to get James invested in remodeling the house which has been left to ruin by James' father. Meanwhile, everyone is pretending to be someone else.

There is a small side story about the former accountant who stole money and comes back to blackmail James. He ultimately becomes the way that everyone figures out who is who, but really his part of the story could have been removed entirely, and they could have been outed just as easily by Meg's parents, who come to the country house at that exact time as well.

That detraction aside, I enjoyed all the main characters and it was nice to see someone do a non-standard romance with two couples and not feel like I had no idea who was who because there were so many characters (though there were a lot in this book, it generally worked.) it was an interesting change to an otherwise standard mistaken identity trope.

I received an advanced copy and am giving an honest review.

Fake identities, unlikely romance, and being trapped in the same house together as four people figure out what lies ahead of them when the truth comes out. When a heiress disguises herself as a maid at her fiance's household to see if he really is the rake and scoundrel his reputation says he is the last thing she expects is to fall for a handsome butler while her aunt falls for the duke of the house. Lady Meg Pinwell 's family has arranged for her to marry James Clay, the new Duke of Earnhurst. It was an agreement made by both their parents... but Meg has her worries because said new Duke has a reputation for gambling, drinking, and sleeping around with everyone. She comes up with a plan with her Aunt Clara, go in disguise to the Duke's estate and pretend to be her aunt's maid/companion to see the true state of affairs at Earnhurst Manor. James Clay has never had a good relationship with his father and his father's dying wish has him coming back home to the estate he vowed never to see. James has avoided his estate and inheritance all his life, instead indulging in women, gambling, and drinking. He is determined to stay single and deal with the fact that he has to marry lady Meg and to just come to the estate to finally get his father's business partner off his back. James immediately gets drunk and when two women come to his home to ask to see it he decides to pretend to be the butler and that his dad's business partner, Riniken is actually the Duke... what he never expects is to start falling for the gorgeous lady's companion... and realizing that he might actually have to fix his estate and break off his supposed engagement since he's falling for this maid.... only Meg is also falling for him thinking he is a butler and not the Duke... and her aunt Clara is falling for Riniken but both think they are the lady and Duke the other one has been warned about. A comedy of errors and misunderstandings ensue as two different romances unfold in the same house. I adored the romance between Clara and Riniken so much, it was so cute and honestly I wish they were the main romance for me because theirs was so good. I really couldn't stand Meg and James at all, James gave me such an ick. So while this story had one great love story the other love story just did not work for me at all.

Release Date: April 1, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Bramble for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Pub April 1
Read March 23

I wanted to love this but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I was going to try to summarize but it’s complicated so let me sum up. There are four main characters and every one is pretending to be someone else. What starts as a harmless information gathering mission turns into two weeks of everyone stuck pretending to be someone they aren’t. A Duke, James, is a (very bad) butler, gambler and illegitimate son. The man of business, Elliot, is acting as the Duke. Meg, who’s engaged to the Duke but never met, is pretending to be a ladies companion. Clara, Meg’s aunt and BFF, is acting as a Lady.

Meg wants to learn more about the Duke she’s engaged to, ends up bonding with the butler, who really is the Duke. But the Duke can’t marry a simple companion and he’s engaged to someone else.

Clara is pretending to be a Lady and is really clicking with the fake Duke. Elliot is super into Clara but he’s pretending to be a Duke and as a regular dude can’t marry a Lady.

Every chapter is from one of these 4 characters POV. It takes a moment to keep track of who is who and their real and fake names. The lies/cover stories start to get more complicated as the week goes on.

It dragged in the middle for me as the author had to complicate and then uncomplicate things for the characters to set them up for love then work out their HEA’s. There’s a bad guy thrown in and a whole bunch of house renovations too.

Love the concept of this, and appreciate that Enoch took a swing at something different.

A Duke Never Tells by Suzanne Enoch

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Duke Never Tells is a delightful read! A fun, closed door regency read with secret identities, humor, romance, and a happy ending. The plot was super entertaining and the supporting characters add even more excitement to the story.

Intelligent and independent Lady Meg is not pleased that her father has organized for her to marry James, Duke of Earnhurst, without even consulting her. She has never met James and he has a horrid reputation. So, Meg comes up with an innovative solution. She’ll pretend to be her aunt’s companion and go undercover at James’ estate to learn more about him.

James doesn’t want to handle with the crumbling estate. He’s angry at his father and doesn’t want to deal with women who just show up at his door. So, he decides to pretend he’s the butler. Meg sprains her ankle and ends up having to stay for two weeks. In the meantime, feelings begin to develop between Meg and James.

This read is so fun! The secret identities bring loads of chaos and laughs, the romance is super sweet, and the plot is well developed. Overall, this is a lighthearted, closed door read with lots of adventure, excitement, and fun set in Regency England.

Utter antics and multiple cases of mistaken identity lend to the best holiday Meg Pinwell and her aunt Clara Bosley have ever had.

Lady Meg Pinwell is about to become engaged to a duke's heir with a terrible reputation as a rake, and then the very day the announcement is printed in the papers, the duke dies and suddenly several things happen: 1) Meg and her family must observe formal mourning for a man she's never met, 2) her Debut Season is must be postponed, and 3) she's now engaged to an actual duke. A year and two days out of mourning, Meg and Clara, her aunt (her mother's much younger sister) and outspoken suffragette best friend, journey to the estate of Meg's betrothed under false identities, only to be turned away by someone who seems to be a rather intoxicated and foul-tempered butler. They are then greeted by a rather surly man who appears to be the duke, but who seems to curse his own poor behavior and neglect of the estate. Except that the foul-mouthed butler is actually the duke, and the surly duke is actually the man of business, and everyone thinks they'll only need these false identities for a few hours. When Meg injures her ankle and cannot travel however, it's clear that for two weeks they'll be stuck in each others' company, with the wrong names, and likely falling in love with the wrong people.

This is an incredibly fun read. It has all the vibes and tone of The Importance of Being Ernest with a fresh historical romance plot and a much-aggrieved valet. We are rewarded with two strong romance plots, hand wringing over propriety, and while some might consider this miscommunication or characters hiding their identities for too long, the lighthearted tone and overall silliness makes it all acceptable.

A Duke Never Tells is closed-door romance, but similar to Enoch's last book, the screwball comedy antics don't make you miss any explicit scenes.

Thank you to Bramble for an ARC and Dreamscape Audio for an ALC for review. A Duke Never Tells is out 4/1/2025.

This was so much fun!

The premise of Meg and her aunt going undercover to investigate her betrothed is not only fun but not something you read every day. And then Enoch doubles down by putting the Duke and Riniken in disguise as well, and while I was always on the edge waiting for someone to slip and give up the ruse I was not dreading it, I was I excited for it!

I enjoyed the four POVs (and guest POV!) and really appreciated that each chapter was labeled with whose POV it was to prevent confusion.

However, I did feel the prologue was a bit long and the reveal played out too quick. Also Meg and the Duke's romance was almost secondary to the other romance,

I was not sure what to expect going into this but I enjoyed it so much!

This was absolutely delightful. I really didn’t know what to expect nor did I even read the summary beyond a glance. I was truly TICKLED when I realized that not only was she hiding her identity but he also was!! And the side characters too!! Whenever I encounter this specific type of hidden identity, it’s my FAVORITE thing EVER because the biggest barrier to the couples being together is actually a nonissue. It’s like dramatic irony to the point of screwball-esque. Also I just eat up a side character romance.

I didn’t think there’d be any spice because it was absent I her last trade paperback I read, so I wasn’t disappointed to learn I was correct. I’ll always want it, but the story worked without it and I was okay. I do think the secondary romance seemed almost a bit more developed than the main one, and an extra layer of intimacy would’ve strengthened their connection to perfection.

4.5/5

I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are honest and my own.

To assess her soon-to-be husband, duke James, Lady Meg and her aunt devise a plan to investigate his country estate. Their scheme of disguise and deception, however, backfires hilariously when the duke swaps places with his man of business, leading to a series of mistaken identities and unexpected romances.

This book is so much fun! It’s a bit of a romp, but not so over-the-top that it’s not believable. The characters are each unique and likeable, and I loved all the different points of view.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This book was SO MUCH FUN! I now have a new historical romance to recommend to people that are new to the genre. This book reminded my so much why I love the genre. It was a perfect palette cleanser between my heavier romantasy books. One thing Suzanne Enoch succeeds at is making me laugh, which is hard for a book to do! I am just so in love with her heroes and the humor she brings to her stories.

What a hilarious and fun Regency romp through a crumbling estate with all kinds of mishaps, secrets, and all the love. I laughed so many times and felt some legit emotional pull and feelings too.

High-spirited, smart, and independent-minded Lady Margaret is none too pleased that her dad signed a contract for her to marry James, Duke of Earnhurst, without even asking her. And she’s never even met the guy who—btw—has a horrid reputation. What’s a girl to do? Well, if she has a like-minded, creative aunt only a few years her senior, she comes up with a creative solution: pretend to be her aunt’s companion and go undercover at James’ estate to learn about him…

Frustrated James REALLY doesn’t want to deal with the crumbling estate. At all. He’s bitter at his now-deceased dad, drunk, and has no tolerance for ladies who just show up at his door for a tour. What does he do? Pretend he’s the butler, of course! They’ll be gone in a couple hours, right? Only Meg sprains her ankle and has to stay for two weeks (who knew sprained ankles could be so serious).

This book is SO MUCH FUN. The secret identities bring chaos and havoc, and there are tons of laughs. But in between, true feelings develop not only between Meg and James, but also between other characters. The four points of view really worked for me—I loved getting to see things from everyone’s point of view and kind of see how it would all come together. Overall, a lighthearted, no-spice, bit of fun in Regency England. Enjoy!

Rating: 4
Themes and Tropes: Arranged marriage, secret identity, multiple points of view, close proximity, English estate
Steam: None

This book was cute, the multiple POVs were a bit confusion. The couple was sweet. I enjoyed the setting and the story.

This book is light and fun. Plenty of secrets and romance to keep the story going. This author always does a great job of spinning an entertaining read.

Imgur link goes to Instagram post scheduled for April 1st
Blog post goes live April 1st
Will be covered in Youtube wrapup

**TL;DR**: This was very fun, a unique premise for a historical.
**Source**: NetGalley, thank so much to the publisher!

**Plot**: Meg and her Aunt Clara change identities to find out more about the Duke she’s arranged to marriage. But they aren’t they only ones lying about their identities.
**Characters**: They were all pretty good but honestly the men were the strongest for me. Though James seems to be very alcoholic and I did NOT care for that.
**Setting**: It stays inside the Duke’s manor, so the setting isn’t the strongest here.
**Romance:** This was cute, I had no idea for a minute there how this would work but I enjoyed seeing the relationships come together.

**Thoughts**:

The premise on this one is super fun. Meg is setup in an arranged marriage, much to her and her aunt’s dislike. Immediately after the father of the man she was to marry dies, and the necessary time of mourning has to pass before the wedding occurs. So over a year later the two hatch a plan to hide their identities and scope out the lands of the now Duke to see what he’s like, because the papers and gossip doesn’t seem to paint a good picture. At the same time James, the Duke, is finally returning to his estate and butting heads with his man of business. When two society ladies show up on his doorstep he pretends to be the butler and forces Elliot to play the part of duke.

With everything going on you’d think this would be a difficult one to pull off but our author did a great job and it ended up being very fun. We bounce between the four points of views (with one or two new views occasionally popping up) so we get the full story and character thoughts. While Meg and Clara are focused primarily on the duke and his personality, the men are wrapped up not only in the women but the restoration of the estate. I think maybe that was my only big issue with the book is that I was WAY more interested in their stories and the estate. What was it like for the Duke to work with the servants, how did he feel having done that and realizing what it was like, what did the servants think of pretending he was a butler? I loved that portion.

I found this fun, yes. For me ultimately though the best part of the story was the surrounding estate and the two men. I also truly did not like James very much as he seemed alcoholic, downing multiple bottles of wine in the first few chapters. He grows a bit on you but still Elliot was the far more ‘romantic’ hero in this. If you like the premise it is fun! Give it a go.

First of all, I want to address something in the synopsis that isn't true. Riniken is not, nor has he ever been the butler. He was the former (and now the current) Duke's man of business. The former butler quit which was the entire reason James was downstairs and opened the door to the two women to begin with.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, let's talk about the novel itself. For me, it was a solid middle of the road kind of story. Entertaining, but nothing that (for me) really made it stand out against any of the other historical romance books that I've read recently (other than the downright confusing plot).

Don't get me wrong, I don't fault Meg for wanting to learn more about the man she is supposed to wed, but her plan seems rather lacking. She intends to dress and act the part of companion to her aunt who is pretending to be a lady so that they can gain access to the Duke's home (and seriously was showing up at someone's home and getting to tour it really a thing), but had she found nothing to complain about, had she found that everything she had read about the Duke had been grossly exaggerated, then what? How would she explain herself to the servants when she arrived weeks later as Lady Meg, their soon-to-be mistress? She says over and over that no one pays any attention to the servants and therefore no one would remember her, but not only was she pretending to be a servant herself, but she also seems to have very recognizable raven dark hair and blue eyes.

Speaking of Meg, I found her instant dislike of Elliot to be a bit off-putting. It was like she clung to her belief that he was this horrible person and no matter what anyone else told her, she would not entertain the idea that her preconceived notions were wrong. In fact, I honestly would have liked to have seen more of her and Elliot together just to watch him win her over as a friend, especially once it became obvious that he had an interest in Clara.

Don't get me wrong, there were moments between the characters that I found to be endearing if not downright entertaining (especially the banter between the would-be couples), and it was easy to see how they would start to fall for one another. I also liked how Clara and Meg unknowingly pushed both Elliot and James to become better men, and also helped to mend the rift between them by getting to the core of the dislike and animosity. However the constant shifting between all of the different points of view (mainly that of James, Elliot, Clara and Meg, but with two chapters thrown in from the valet's perspective, two from the villain of the piece, and one from the perspective of Meg's mother), at times was hard to keep up with.

I honestly believe that the chapters as told from the valet, the villain and the mother could have been eliminated altogether as they were not necessary to the plot at all and could just as easily been reworked to fit the perspective of one of the four others. As an example, when the valet overhears a conversation he shouldn't have? There is no reason James or Elliot couldn't have been the one to overhear it. The chapter of him internally complaining about how under appreciated he is? Not needed at all. The chapters from the villain? What was the point? We knew from discussions between Elliot and James what they were after, we could have had a discussion about what they had chosen to do, and a critical moment in the book still could have happened as a result. The same with the POV of the mother, once she and Meg's father showed up, they could have easily explained why they were there.

Despite all of that, as I said I did enjoy the banter between the characters, and I do think this book will appeal to other people who enjoy historical romances. I would read more from this author.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

DNF at 52%. I’ve read 17 chapters and I’m finding this a slog. I don’t think sticking it out is going to grip me (confession: I went ahead to skim through the last three chapters and yeah, nothing to compel me to stick with it). The premise is great - Shakespearean chaos as Jamie Clay, the new Duke of Earnhurst, infamous for his gambling and many dalliances pretends to be his own butler. His betrothed Meg Pinwell pretends to be a lady’s companion to find out more about the man her father organised to marry with Jamie's late father.

The problem is, I didn’t expect we’d also be treated to four points of view (Meg’s aunt Clara and Jamie’s man of business Elliott) and it’s just so slow and repetitive at times as there’s some overlap from the previous person’s chapter. I’m all for slow burn as characters get to know each other, but adding Clara and Elliott dragged this out longer than it needs and I really can’t buy their chemistry. I’m also squicked out by all the age gaps (10 and 15 years) even if it’s historically accurate. Clara is also bewildering for defending fake Jamie as soon as they visited Earnhurst after trying to get Meg to refuse the arrangement for a year. Plotwise I’m not a fan of the ankle injury forcing them to be there (or the fact they spent a year in mourning and no contact). I thought this would be a fun romp featuring Jamie and Meg working as servants and being kinda crap at their jobs in some sort of Upstairs/Downstairs comedy.

This book is missing good banter that would keep me turning pages. Oh well. I’m sure this will be fun and frothy for someone else. I’m afraid not me.

Thanks to Tor Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

A Duke Never Tells is a lighthearted historical romance. Thanks to Tor Publishing Group/Bramble and NetGalley for an advance reader's copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
This novel is the story of a an affianced couple who meet under false pretenses. Meg, the future bride, wants to meet her fiance and get to know him without him realizing who she is. James, the new Duke of Earnhurst, is her fiance and has a poor reputation as a rake and a gambler. Meg and her aunt Clara set out to the Earnhurst country estate in disguise, and soon find themselves stuck in the home for several weeks. When they arrive, the Duke claims to be Riniken, the butler. So the butler is now the Duke. The Duke (actually the butler) spends a lot of time with Aunt Clara, helping to plan the many needed repairs to the estate, and they fall in love, but aren't aware of each other's actual identity. Meg, who is injured early in the visit, is bedridden with a badly sprained ankle, and must rely on the butler and other servants in the estate for her care. The butler, who is actually her fiance, the Duke, is attracted to and interested in her. Meg initially plans to gather information on the Duke in an effort to convince her parents to break the engagement, but changes her mind as she gets to know the Duke. The more she gets to know the butler (actually the Duke), the more she likes him.
I enjoyed this book, and thought the premise humorous, but I was often confused about the characters. The two female main characters had different names to hide their true identities, and I honestly hard a time following the story. I also found some parts of the novel to be repetitive. It felt like all of the characters would question what to do, and discuss a great deal, and it felt that the plot moved slowly. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and the plot had a fun premise, if a bit hard to follow.

I really enjoyed this as a historical romance novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed from the description. Suzanne Enoch has a strong writing style and was engaged with what was going on in this world. I was engaged with the characters and thought it had that feel that I was looking for.

Suzanne Enoch is back! "A Duke Never Tells" is a delightful Regency rom-com that blends humor, charm, and heartfelt romance. With mistaken identities, secret disguises, and a cast of eccentric characters, this standalone story is a great example of why Enoch remains a beloved voice in historical romance.

The premise: Lady Margaret “Meg” Pinwell isn’t about to dive headfirst into an arranged marriage with James Clay, the new Duke of Earnhurst, without doing her due diligence. Rumors about his rakish behavior have reached her, and she’s determined to find out the truth before committing her heart—or her future. With her lively Aunt Clara as her partner in crime, Meg heads to Earnhurst Manor under the guise of a maid/companion. But James, equally uninterested in this matchmaking scheme, swaps identities with his butler to dodge the visitors' prying eyes. As roles reverse and secrets pile up, chaos ensues—and so does chemistry between the four pretenders.

This is a book that leaves you smiling and wishing for more. I can’t wait to see what Suzanne Enoch has in store next!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.