The Duke and the Dressmaker by Eva Devon

Tracy’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Once Upon a Wallflower, #2

Release Date: September 4, 2023

Despite being the granddaughter of a rich and powerful duke, Lily Martin has not had an easy life. Her grandfather disowned Lily’s mother when she married for love and she and her new husband fled to France. They raised a family and lived quite happily in France, but then the revolution claimed her parents, leaving Lily all alone. So Lily took her baby sister Violet and escaped the terror by returning to England, but England was no refuge for them when her grandfather refused to see them. Lily got work as a seamstress and soon found herself working long hours for pennies, and no matter what she does, there seems to be no way to stop being a drudge and fulfilling her dreams of owning her own shop. But all that changes when a very bad decision ends up changing her life for the better.

American shipping magnate, James Blakefield, never expected to become an English duke and had no desire to stay in England, but he too has dreams and knows that being a rich and powerful duke could come in handy for stopping the atrocities being done by the East India Company. He just needs to find a way to garner support in Parliament, and then find someone trustworthy to manage his estate, so he can return to Boston. But first, he must find his ward – the old duke’s granddaughter Violet Martin. So far he has had no luck, but a chance encounter in a tavern with a damsel whom he thought was in distress, turns out to be his ward’s sister and may be the answer to all his problems. He just needs to convince her that they can solve each other’s problems, without any messy emotions like love getting in the way. It is a perfect plan until it isn’t…

This is another well-written, nicely-paced installment of the “Once Upon a Wallflower” series, this time featuring Lily, the best friend of Elizabeth from the previous book. It is clear from the start that Lily and James share an amazing connection, but they have both been hurt by those who should have loved them, and both refuse to let themselves fall in love. But they both soon learn that love doesn’t always give you a choice and that trusting someone with your heart may be the scariest thing you have ever done, but the reward is far greater than the risk if you are willing to take a chance. This book is filled with dreams, fears, great secondary characters, bad choices, grand gestures, friends who tell it like it is, second chances, and finally a HEA complete with an epilogue. I enjoyed this story, not quite as much as the first book, but still a book I would be happy to recommend. This is the second book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone title as the books are loosely connected.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*