I have enjoyed Lucy Morris’ books set in the medieval era so was looking forward to reading one with such a different setting.
The tone of the book was engaging from the start and the details and plot gave no indication that this was the author’s first Regency at all. The characters were likeable, the plot entertaining and the whole story was fun to read.
I will continue to enjoy the author’s Viking romances but will also certainly look forward to her next Regency novel as well.

This story is a lovely Regency romance set mainly at a country house party, which is the perfect setting for unexpected meetings and romantic adventures. Brook is the spare who never expected to be the heir. He finds being a Duke tiresome, especially with settling debts and a neglected estate. He is also troubled by his past. Marina is a talented musician and the daughter of a successful architect. She is happy with her life and won't contemplate marriage except for a love match. Brook and Marina meet at a house party at the Duke's country estate, where her father competes for a renovation contract with his arch-nemesis. The other family provide the conflict in the story, and they are unlikeable characters. Brook is a likeable protagonist, although he is unwittingly careless of Marinia's feelings as a fake romance develops into something tangible. I like the characters, the romance, and the storytelling, which keep the reader invested.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This is a proper romance that makes your heart clench and a little smile and sigh escape when the couple make it all work. An interesting tale of the haves and have nots, and the impact of a title and money. A sub plot in a boys boarding school to keep the story moving onwards, and romance galore in rainy walks and servant passages. Just lovely.

This was a cute and easy read that fellow Bridgerton fans would love. Marina reminded me a lot of Francesca so fans of her and her story would love this! I loved that the romance, although obviously a major component of the book, wasn’t necessarily the main focus for the protagonist. She had interests and ambitions related to her music career separate from the Duke which I always love in Regency Romances as it makes each one unique.

The chemistry between the two was great, but I did feel I wanted a little more depth to most the characters independently. Though Marina had her music, and Brook wanted to travel, their characters outside of that needed a little more for me to feel connected to them.

I felt, particularly with Brook, you were sort of expected to rely on conventions of the genre to get his character which as a regency romance reader I was able to do but still made me feel a little less attached to him than I ought to.

Overall though, it was a fun and quick read that satisfies a post Bridgerton season 3 itch I can’t seem to get rid of (and don’t want to!)

Review will be posted to Instagram on 19/8 and has been submitted to Amazon

Charming story of the girl who doesn't want to be seen, until she does.
Nicely plotted and a good writing style and phrasing.

How The Wallflower Wins a Duke is a historical romance novel by Lucy Morris. I enjoyed this novel. The only thing that I found wrong was that it was a little slow in places but once I got past these, the novel was more enjoyable. I liked the historical setting of the book and enjoyed the story. I also liked the characters. I would recommend it to other romance readers.
💖 Thank you to netgalley, Mills and Boon and the author, Lucy Morris for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Not a bad read but I was a bit confused. It started out as a clean read with a lot of romance and then we suddenly got the trope : I'm going to get left on the shelf so I need to see what I shall be missing and have sex with the Duke. One thing I didn't understand...it was his house so why did she need to climb through priest holes and go to his room. If she'd got caught she'd have been ruined. No one would have batted an eye lid at him wandering around his own house. The other family in the competition for being the Duke's architects were a bit 2D villains. His mother wanted to build a relationship with him and she ended up being sent on her travels The writng was good but I failed to see some of the logic.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own