The Devil’s Own Duke by Lenora Bell
Wallflowers vs. Rogues #2
Historical Romance
09/28/2021 by Avon
ARC

Review by Angela

The second book in the Wallflowers vs. Rogues series by Lenora Bell, reminded me quite a bit of the first. A heroine who wants to do her own thing versus be stuck in a loveless marriage of convenience, a hero who is not a titled gentleman, and a story that was pretty low angst given the storyline.

Henrietta (Hetty) needs to marry her father off so he can father an heir. That’s the only way they will keep their property and Hetty her beloved vineyards. The only problem is that her father isn’t all that willing. So when a mysterious man turns up out of the blue claiming to be a long-lost relative and heir to the estate her father jumps on his chance to get out of picking a bride, Hetty seems to be the only one dubious of this Ash Ellis’s claims. Especially when she finds out he is none other than the infamous The Devil’s Own Scoundrel, owner of the gambling den The Devil’s Staircase.

Ash Ellis has plans. Plans to change England’s child labor laws and hopefully keep the poor children of London from having to work in dangerous conditions from sunup to sundown. But he needs power and influence to do those things, so he devises a plan to steal a dukedom. Posing as the heir (or is he?) to the estate he cons his way in and is surprised when the current Duke all but accepts him immediately. Even going so far as to proclaim that Ash and Hetty should marry immediately to solidify the bond, something neither of them is too excited about.

This is very much a mix-up of the marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, and rags to riches tropes. There is even a dastardly villain from Ash’s past that lingers in the background of this storyline. One would think that this romance would be heavy on the angst, but it really wasn’t. Hetty wants her vineyards to be successful and is determined to have her sparkling wine known throughout the world, Ash wants to build stables for racehorses in their place so that he can make the estate profitable again. They butt heads but ultimately come up with an agreement so that Hetty can prove to him that their future lies in her grapes.

This was a slow read for me, but ultimately Lenora Bell’s writing pulled me in. I did enjoy Hetty’s passion for wine and making a name for herself and Ash’s desire to change labor laws. I also liked seeing some of the characters from this author’s previous books. While this wasn’t my favorite by this author, I do think historical romance readers will enjoy.

Final grade- B-

AMAZON * APPLE * GOODREADS