The Devil's Own Duke

July 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.

August 15, 2021
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.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 1, 2021
If Ash Ellis thinks Henrietta Prince is going to sit quietly while he ruins the future Hetty has carefully planned for herself, he is in for a big surprise! Ash, aka the Devil's Own Scoundrel, might be able to fool some people into thinking he is actually the long-lost heir to her father's title, but Hetty knows better. Once Ash becomes the new Duke of Granville, his plans for a horse-breeding program at Rosehill Park will mean an end to Hetty's ongoing efforts to make her mother's vineyards a viable business. However, if Hetty were to agree to marry Ash and help smooth his way into society, perhaps she can convince him to leave her grapes alone. With a perfect sense of aplomb and plenty of whimsical wit, Bell continues her Wallflowers vs. Rogues series, following Love Is a Rogue (2020), in splendid fashion by offering readers a cleverly crafted marriage-of-convenience plot that delivers not only a spot-on cast of characters (including a delightfully finicky feline), but also a generous dose of smoldering sexual chemistry and combustible love scenes.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from August 1, 2021
If Ash Ellis thinks Henrietta Prince is going to sit quietly while he ruins the future Hetty has carefully planned for herself, he is in for a big surprise! Ash, aka the Devil's Own Scoundrel, might be able to fool some people into thinking he is actually the long-lost heir to her father's title, but Hetty knows better. Once Ash becomes the new Duke of Granville, his plans for a horse-breeding program at Rosehill Park will mean an end to Hetty's ongoing efforts to make her mother's vineyards a viable business. However, if Hetty were to agree to marry Ash and help smooth his way into society, perhaps she can convince him to leave her grapes alone. With a perfect sense of aplomb and plenty of whimsical wit, Bell continues her Wallflowers vs. Rogues series, following Love Is a Rogue (2020), in splendid fashion by offering readers a cleverly crafted marriage-of-convenience plot that delivers not only a spot-on cast of characters (including a delightfully finicky feline), but also a generous dose of smoldering sexual chemistry and combustible love scenes.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

August 27, 2021

A sensual waltz starts spinster Lady Henrietta Prince down the road to marriage with a notorious rogue 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 the book border on the absurd, but the story also provides snatches of commentary on working conditions in Regency England, and Hetty briefly struggles with the ethics of a source of her family's wealth, a subject that is 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 leads tempers some of the silliest aspects of this delightful, well-written romance.--Jenny Kobiela-Mondor, Midwest Collaborative for Lib. Svcs, Lansing, MI

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 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

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.