The Devil's Own Duke

by Lenora Bell, Beverley A. Crick (Read by)

Overview

USA Today bestseller Lenora Bell returns to her Wallflowers vs. Rogues series with a romance between a lady and the scoundrel claiming to be next-in-line for her father’s title.

Lady Henrietta Prince is far too busy for romance. She's dedicated her life to turning her family vineyards into a profitable sparkling wine venture. But when she shares a thrilling kiss at midnight with a handsome stranger, she's captivated...until he claims to be the distant heir to her father's dukedom.

Ash Ellis is a gambler who lives life on the edge. Now he's locked his sights on a glittering prize and nothing will stand in his way.

When Henrietta is forced to marry the wicked rogue to keep her beloved vineyards, she vows that Ash will never have her trust, or her love. Even if his kisses are more intoxicating than the finest champagne.

His new bride is certainly beautiful, but biddable? Not so much. Ash will settle for nothing less than Henrietta's total surrender...but is he the one in danger of losing his heart?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798200743063
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	09/28/2021
Series:	Wallflowers vs. Rogues Series , #2
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 5.50(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Lenora Bell is a USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of historical romances. In 2014, she won Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award for Best Historical Romance, and in 2016 she won RT Book Reviews' award for best first historical. She grew up in a small Alaskan town that still has no traffic lights, and she blames those long, dark winters for turning her into a lifelong bookworm. She has lived and worked on five continents but can currently be found in an old farmhouse in the Pacific Northwest with her carpenter husband and two tiger-striped rescue kitties.

Beverley A. Crick is an actress, narrator, and accomplished voice-over artist. Her credits include film, television, commercials, radio, corporate narrations, looping, theater, comedy, and hosting.

Editorial Reviews

07/19/2021

A vintner meets her match in the owner of a gaming house in Bell’s enchanting second Wallflowers vs. Rogues Victorian romance (after Love is a Rogue). Lady Henrietta “Hetty” Prince wants her widowed father, the Duke of Granville, to remarry so he can get an heir and save his property, Rosehill Park, from reverting to the crown upon his death. Then rakish gambling hall owner Ash Ellis steps forward, claiming to be the Duke’s long-lost heir. Uninterested in any of Hetty’s candidates for duchess, Hetty’s father is quick to accept Ash’s claim. Though Hetty is convinced that Ash is a fraud, she accepts her father’s wish that she marry Ash to secure her claim to Rosehill, treating the marriage as a business proposition: in exchange for Hetty helping Ash integrate into the aristocracy, he offers her six months to prove the profitability of Rosehill’s vineyards before he considers razing them to raise thoroughbreds. This convenient arrangement quickly becomes much more as their mutual attraction gives way to deeper emotions. The romantic tension is ever-simmering, enhanced by Ash’s determination not to fall in love and Hetty’s single-minded quest to gain recognition for her wines. Fast-paced plotting keeps the pages turning, making for a magnetic historical romance. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, ICM Partners. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Lenora Bell should have the name recognition of historical romance authors such as Sarah MacLean, Tessa Dare, and Julia Quinn. Her warm, witty stories are like delicate pastries, absolutely gorgeous on the surface and even more delectable when you really dig in.”  — Entertainment Weekly

"The romantic tension is ever-simmering, enhanced by Ash’s determination not to fall in love and Hetty’s single-minded quest to gain recognition for her wines. Fast-paced plotting keeps the pages turning, making for a magnetic historical romance." — Publishers Weekly

"The second book in Bell’s Wallflowers vs. Rogues series is a charming enemies-to-lovers tale... With lots of winemaking detail and good attention to the obliviousness of the ton, it’s a historical romance with great depth. A sweet slow burn of a Regency romance." — Kirkus Reviews

"With a perfect sense of aplomb and plenty of whimsical wit, Bell continues her Wallflowers vs. Rogues series in splendid fashion by offering readers a cleverly-crafted marriage-of-convenience plot that delivers not only a spot-on cast of characters... but also a generous dose of smoldering sexual chemistry and combustible love scenes." — Booklist (starred review)

“If you’ve been looking for a bold, new voice in historical romance, the search ends here. Lenora Bell is it.” — Sarah MacLean, New York Times bestselling author

“Message to my readers: You’ll love Lenora Bell!”

— Eloisa James, New York Times bestselling author

"Lenora Bell is a true delight to read.” — Lorraine Heath, New York Times bestselling author

“[A] sparkling launch … Witty, insightful dialogue and expertly developed characters fill the chapters of this page-turner. Gripping and emotionally charged, this romance promises more good things from the series to come.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) for Love Is a Rogue

"Brilliant and intoxicating.”  — Booklist (starred review) for Love Is a Rogue

From the Publisher

"Brilliant and intoxicating.” 

Booklist (starred review) for Love Is a Rogue

If you’ve been looking for a bold, new voice in historical romance, the search ends here. Lenora Bell is it.

Sarah MacLean

Message to my readers: You’ll love Lenora Bell!”

Eloisa James

Bell is skilled at crafting a warm world, populated with inviting characters. The dialogue is sparkling, lilting across the page... Love Is a Rogue is a love letter to bookish girls, a reminder that our greatest power often lies within ourselves—if we’ll only have the courage to unleash it.

Entertainment Weekly

"Lenora Bell is a true delight to read.

Lorraine Heath

"With a perfect sense of aplomb and plenty of whimsical wit, Bell continues her Wallflowers vs. Rogues series in splendid fashion by offering readers a cleverly-crafted marriage-of-convenience plot that delivers not only a spot-on cast of characters... but also a generous dose of smoldering sexual chemistry and combustible love scenes."

Booklist (starred review)

Fresh, flirty, and fabulous! Lenora Bell is the new Belle of Historical Romance!

Kerrelyn Sparks

09/24/2021

A sensual waltz with a notorious rogue sets spinster Lady Henrietta Prince on the path to marriage in the enjoyable second book in Bell's "Wallflowers vs. Rogues" series (after Love Is a Rogue). Hetty is unhappy when she realizes that marrying the gambler Ash Ellis is the only way to save her family's vineyards, but the pair soon find that their ambitions clash even as their attraction grows. Some of the secrets and circumstances that keep Hetty and Ash apart throughout this Regency romance border on the absurd, but there are also snatches of commentary on early 19th-century working conditions and Hetty briefly struggles with the ethics of one of the sources of her family's wealth—a subject that is still rarely tackled in historical romance. Excellent chemistry between the romantic leads and a headstrong, intelligent heroine to root for will keep romance fans reading. Fans of the series will look forward to reading about the next bluestocking to get her happily-ever-after. VERDICT Some much-needed historical context and a steamy, satisfying romance between the two well-written protagonists tempers some of the sillier aspects of this delightful Regency romance.—Jenny Kobiela-Mondor, Midwest Collaborative for Lib. Svcs., Lansing, MI

Library Journal

2021-07-28
A duke’s daughter becomes a future duke’s wife.

Lady Henrietta Prince is the 24-year-old daughter of the Duke of Granville, but she’s not the one on the marriage market—her father is. Hetty’s set up a grand ball in their home for him to meet more than a dozen eligible women, all eager to become a duchess. She wants him to marry fast and produce an heir so she can get back to her true love: winemaking. When she finds that a rogue has snuck into her party, and the man begins recklessly flirting with her, she’s intrigued enough to kiss him. But as the clock strikes midnight, she learns that her rogue is a man named Ash Ellis, and he’s claiming to be “the long-lost heir to the dukedom of Granville.” Ash is unsuitable for the dukedom in every way: He owns a gaming den, and the tabloids have branded him the Devil’s Own Scoundrel. Secretly, he only wants to become the duke in order to enter the House of Lords and bring an end to child labor, having worked 16-hour days in a bottling factory as a young boy. When Hetty’s father suggests that they marry, she resists at first but then realizes it’s the only way to save her vineyards from Ash’s plans. Though they know they have chemistry from their midnight kiss, as newlyweds, they only slowly come to trust that they can fall for each other. But Ash’s pre-heir past has dark secrets, and one of those may mean the end if they can’t trust each other entirely. The second book in Bell’s Wallflowers vs. Rogues series is a charming enemies-to-lovers tale, though the clear chemistry from the couple's second-chapter kiss leaves little doubt about the outcome and the many steamy scenes that will happen on the way there. With lots of winemaking detail and good attention to the obliviousness of the ton, it’s a historical romance with great depth.

A sweet slow burn of a Regency romance.

Kirkus Reviews