Book Review: Misleading a Duke by A.S. Fenichel

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Title: Misleading a Duke (The Wallflowers of West Lane #2)

Author: A.S. Fenichel

Description:

Finishing school failed to turn them into proper society ladies. Now these four friends vow to remain single until they find suitors worthy of their love and devotion…

Betrothed to a man she has barely met, Lady Faith Landon calls upon her three best friends—the self-proclaimed Wallflowers of West Lane—to help uncover the secrets of her mysterious fiancé. Her suspicions are aroused when she learns that he has recently returned from France. Is he a traitor to his country? The truth is quite the opposite. Nicholas Ellsworth, Duke of Breckenridge, is a secret agent for the English Crown who has just completed a risky mission to infiltrate Napoleon’s spy network.

After his adventures, Nicholas craves the peace and quiet of the country and settling into domestic bliss with his bride. Until he discovers Faith’s deceptive investigation. How can he wed a woman who doesn’t trust him? But a powerful spark has ignited between Nicholas and Faith that could bring about a change of heart. Faith seizes her second chance to prove to Nicholas that they are a true love match but his past catches up with them when three French spies come to exact revenge. Surviving rather than wooing has become the order of the day.

RATING

I don’t know what it is about this month but every book I read seems to be worse than the previous one. If I don’t finally pick up something good this month will be a cursed one for me.

First of all, I didn’t know this was a sequel but I read somewhere that it could be read as a standalone and since I was really excited about it I picked it up. However, as soon as I started reading it I was so over this whole thing.

This is a standard insta love story and maybe I got this feeling because I didn’t read the first book. Still, the main characters fell from hate to love in the first I would say 10% of the book and honestly, I hate that and find it ridiculous. It is full of cliche tropes such as: I’m not like the other girls, I’m a monster who cannot be fixed and She is the one who warmed up my cold heart. I can easily name at least 30 other books that have those exact same themes in them.

Everything went downwards from that. The whole plot was a bit stale and boring to me and I wasn’t feeling it at all. I wasn’t into the love story either and to be honest this was painful to read. I just couldn’t wait for it to be over.

I’m rating it 2 stars only because it’s my fault because I haven’t read the first book and maybe I would’ve found it more enjoyable if I did read it.

My biggest problem is that there is nothing that differs this from a million other romances and I must be cruel but honest and say that even though I usually love regency romances, this is the worst one I’ve ever read.