The Story Behind the Book: The Story Behind Misleading A Duke by A.S. Fenichel

I write books set in Regency England. The time leads one to believe you will find ladies of leisure and little spine on the page. It was a time when women were considered property and had few rights. In my

books the women are never mousy or weak. I prefer my heroines to have a feminist bent. You might think those kinds of women didn’t exist in 1812, but you’d be surprised by how many remarkable women there were in Georgian times. There were artist, scientist and geniuses who wore skirts. My ladies are fictional, but they show how to be an upstanding part of the Haute Ton while still holding their personal standards very high.

When I first thought of the Wallflowers of West Lane, it grew from my desire to show the kind of friendships women share. Many Historical Romances highlight the friendships of men. It seems natural to have these men have close friendships because they went to school together from a young age and developed strong bonds.

In the Wallflowers of West Lane series, the four ladies have been sent away to a Swiss finishing school as a result of willful behavior. They are fifteen at the time they leave England and do not return for three years. Because Poppy, Faith, Mercy and Aurora needed and liked each other from the beginning, they formed the kind of bond between women that is unbreakable.

Upon their return to England the first of their band of loyal friends is married to a man who treats her very badly. While none of that marriage is on the page, it shows how earnestly the women care for each other. When the abusive husband dies under notorious circumstances, the “Wallflowers” make a pact to protect each other from disreputable or cruel men.

There is nothing these four won’t do for one another.

About the Book

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.

Praise for Misleading A Duke

Fenichel’s high-octane second Wallflowers of West Lane Regency romance (after The Earl Not Taken) follows a reluctantly betrothed couple as dire circumstances help them to see past their bad first impression. Lady Faith Landon earns the ire of her fiancé, Nicholas Ellsworth, the Duke of Breckenridge and a spy for the English government, when she and her friends snoop into his past. Faith hopes to explain that she was anxious and trying to learn more about him before their wedding day, but she needs the help of Nick’s friend and fellow spy Geb Arafa to convince him to hear her out. Geb requests Nick meet him at his hunting lodge, Parvus Castle, to discuss an urgent matter that Nick assumes to be of national importance. But when Nick arrives, he finds Faith waiting to plead her case. Her explanation is interrupted when French spies invade Parvus, take both captive, and torture Nick for information about the movement of English troops. Imprisoned together, Nick and Faith form an unshakable bond as Faith tends to Nick’s wounds and Nick witnesses her kindness and unflinching bravery. Fenichel juxtaposes the mannered world of Regency aristocracy with the gritty, life-or-death situation of Nick and Faith’s captivity to excellent effect. This immersive, fast-paced novel will have readers on the edges of their seats.

–Publishers Weekly

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About the Author

A.S. Fenichel gave up a successful career in New York City to follow her husband to Texas and pursue her lifelong dream of being a professional writer. She’s never looked back.

A.S. adores writing stories filled with love, passion, desire, magic and maybe a little mayhem tossed in for good measure. Books have always been her perfect escape and she still relishes diving into one and staying up all night to finish a good story.

Multi-published in historical, paranormal, erotic and contemporary romance, A.S. is the author of the several series, including Forever Brides, Everton Domestic Society, Wallflowers of West Lane and more. Strong, empowered heroines from Regency London to modern-day New Orleans are what really excites A.S., and that’s what you’ll find in all her books.

A Jersey Girl at heart, she now makes her home in Southern Missouri with her real-life hero, her wonderful husband. When not reading or writing, she enjoys cooking, travel, history, puttering in her garden and spoiling her fussy cat.