Never a Bride audiobook

This is not an author I read very often but I think I will go back and read the other books in this series now. I really enjoyed Griffith and Della’s story. Griffith Davies is a ship captain who comes home to find out he is heir to a Dukedom, which is not happy about. Lady Della is the disgraced daughter of a duke who had a child out of wedlock. Together they were perfect. This book had plot holes and at times sounded too modern/American but I liked it anyway. It was a light, fun read. I loved, loved, loved the fact that the heroine was not only not a virgin but someone who enjoyed sex and was willing to take what she wanted. I loved that it was her suggesting an affair. You don’t see that enough in historical romance.

Lady Della Howlett is the disgraced eldest daughter of the Duke of Marymount, she ran off with her dance master and had a child. When her lover ran off, she was taken in by Sarah Wattings and she planned to never return to her family - but her sisters had other ideas and convinced her to return to London. She is not welcomed by her parents, but her sisters and their husbands helped her and Sarah buy a house and now she wants nothing more than to reunite Sarah with her husband Henry. When she learns that the captain of the last ship Henry was on is in town, she wastes no time finding him.Griffin Davies, Viscount Stanbury is in a dockside pub when Della stalks in wielding a hatpin and demanding answers - when he saves her from an ugly confrontation, she learns he is the man she is looking for - but before she can get answers - he is arrested and taken away. Griffin is in a bit a trouble over his actions on his last voyage - but when his old friend Robson shows up and gets him out, he learns that his life is about to change - he walked away from his life of privilege years ago and hasn't been back since - but much has changed and he learns that he is the heir presumptive to the Duke of Northam and that the duke, his cousin Fredrick is ill and expects Griffin to take up the duties of the dukedom immediately - it is overwhelming and when Della shows up at the Duke's home the next day - Griffin strikes a bargain with her.Griffin will help her find Henry, but he wants her to pretend to be his betrothed to keep the marriage-mined Mamas and title hungry debutantes away from him - she tells him that she is not welcomed in society, but that just makes him want her more. They strike an agreement and Della is a little surprised to find herself attracted to the arrogant man - she thought she was done with men, but since you can't be ruined twice, she suggests they add an affair to their bargain and so it begins...I thought this was a 5 star read right up until the last 3 chapters, then I wanted to smack Della and tell Griffin to grow a set - I was enjoying the story immensely, it was well written, flowed nicely, it was amusing and there was great chemistry between them and then it devolved into some weird Dom/Sub thing. Don't get me wrong, I like strong, resilient, independent heroines - but Della came off as a little hypocritical - she can't have anyone help her - but she can help others? Combine that with the fact Griffin never met her daughter, the incorrect formal address and the unresolved legal problem Griffin had at the beginning and the rating for this book dropped. I also have to wonder - where did Griffin get his title? His father was the Duke's brother - so his title would be his honorific of Lord Firstname and Griffin would just be plain Mr. Davies - so where did the title of Viscount come from?? Even as the heir presumptive, he wouldn't have a courtesy title - it is little things like this that just niggle at my brain and demand answers - did he have the title bestowed by the Queen for something? No idea and I guess I'll never know - SIGH. This is the fourth book in the series, but it could easily be read as a standalone and if you have been following the series - you will definitely want to read this one! *I am voluntarily leaving a review for an Uncorrected eARC that was provided to me by Edelweiss and the publisher.*

Loved this series and I think this was my favorite. I had read Megan Frampton back in 2016 and marked on my notes I didn't really like the books and didn't pick up another until last week. Not sure what drew me in this time but I loved these books. I loved the stories, the characters, the sex :)Really liked Della's fire and she found the perfect partner with Griffith.

I received an ARC of this book to read through Edelweiss+ in exchange for a fair review. Never A Bride by Megan Frampton is the 4th book in her delightful Duke’s Daughters series. It can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend the series. Captain Griffin Davies, Viscount Stanbury heir to the Duke of Northam meets Lady Della Howlett when she searches him out as she is helping her best friend locate her missing husband and he had been a seaman on one of Griffins ships. Griffin agrees to help her out locating the missing man if she will help him navigate the ton by pretending to be his betrothed. His cousin the Duke is quite ill and Griffin will need to learn how to be a Duke. Lady Della Howlett is a scandal, she ran off with her dancing master and had a daughter and has been disowned by her ducal parents. I loved the banter between these two. Going along with them on their journey to HEA was a delight. It was so nice to read a light hearted book for a change. Quite steamy. Publishing Date April 30, 2019#AvonBooks #MeganFrampton #Edelweissplus #NeverABride

I have enjoyed this series but I think this be one of the best. It is not necessary to have read all the books or in order to enjoy this book. Della is a disgraced daughter of a Duke, one of five. She has returned to London with her daughter and her friend and her daughter. Della needs Griffin's help and Griffin needs her resulting in a bargain. Griffin has just returned from sea and finds out the her is heir to a dukedom and must reenter society. I loved how independent della was and I really enjoyed her relationship with Griffin. Griffin was a fun character.

Two nonconformists collide for fun and trouble and mayhem as they fall in love. Della and Griff's irreverent camaraderie create a delightful sense of underlying humor as serious themes about the consequences of rebellion are explored.

I have read previous books by Megan Frampton, but none in the Duke's Daughters series, so I was a bit worried that I would feel lost by starting with book #4. However, "Never a Bride" stands very well on its own and I didn't feel like I had missed anything at all. I loved the relationship between the main characters, Lady Della Howlett and Captain Griffith Davies, Lord Stanbury, especially their banter and amusing nicknames for each other. Their chemistry was apparent from the first time they met, and watching them get to know each other and fall in love was delightful.Both Della and Griffith were wonderful characters, individually and as a couple. I particularly loved Griffith's cocky attitude and how he was so sure of his own irresistibility. I also appreciated how much he cared for others and tried to look out for Della, his cousin Frederick, and the members of his crew. As for Della, I admired her independence and tenacity, as well as how much she valued her relationships with Sarah and her sisters. One thing I would have liked to see more of in this story is Griffith's relationship with Della's daughter, Nora. Della herself only interacted with Nora a few times over the course of the book, though a lot of the actions she took were out of love for her daughter, and to protect her from Society's ridicule. I can't think of a single time Griffith even met Nora in passing, much less had a meaningful interaction with her. However, as Della's prospective husband Griffith was Nora's future stepfather, so establishing a relationship with her should have been just as important as the one he was establishing with Della. I'm sure Griffith will grow to love Nora over time, but I would have liked to see the beginnings of that relationship on the page.Overall, "Never a Bride" was a very enjoyable book. I plan to go back and read the earlier books in the series and look forward to reading future books by Ms. Frampton as well.*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Fun and light read.The biggest strength of this book is definitely the heroine: Della was mentioned thorough the three previous books, her "scandal" whispered about and portrayed as the worst thing that could ever happen to the Howlett family. Despite that her sisters still loved her fiercely, and even if her parents shunned her, she wasn't about to let that destroy her. I enjoyed how the book described her "scandal" - not focusing on it, but also not leaving any doubt she understood her relationship with Mr. Baxter was doomed form the start. Even if the fruit of that affair was her precious daughter. I liked her relationship with her friend, and they both bravely build their lives.Della was awesome and quite unconventional heroine. I simply loved she (view spoiler)[was the one proposing, and that Griffith actually wore her (fake) engagement ring, and her's was fashioned from his officer's uniform. (hide spoiler)] Lovely little detail!Griffith was such a charming and fun hero. I loved his banter with Della, the way he was fiercely protective of her, but quickly understood her need for independence. How he was worried about his cousin's health, and despite being terrified of becoming a head of his family, he bravely left the comforts of the being at sea behind. They had great chemistry together. I really liked how unapologetic Griffith was about enjoining Della's dominant side. Wonderful, and hot scenes there!4/5 stars

Reviewed on my blog, Becky on Books, on 5/1/19.I really enjoyed Della and Griff's story. Her many, many nicknames for him cracked me up ("Captain Enormous, Viscount Whatshisname of the Broad Shoulders" and "Lord Skilled with His Fingers" are but two of them) and his love for his cousin and his men (and, of course, the heroine, eventually) was wonderful to observe. Della's been a bit of a mystery in the series thus far, so I enjoyed seeing things from her point-of-view even when it was mildly aggravating at times (like the reason for their relationship black moment; though to be fair, she forgave him without making him go through excessive hoopery, though she did employ a rather interesting--ahem--instructive method to help make her point. ;) )Della's sisters do play a bit of a role here--it's really just a supportive one--which you'll appreciate if you've read their stories but you can still enjoy even if you haven't yet. (I still haven't read the first book in the series yet; I know, the horror! I will, though, soon!)Rating: 4 stars / A-I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

So, first of all, I am a Megan Frampton fangirl. I think her stories are so funny and sweet. I fell in love with Eleanor in Lady Be Bad and I have enjoyed every Duke's Daughters book. This one was no exception. I was very curious about Della's story as we heard about her for three books before meeting her. I loved how strong she was. She's clever and independent and she loves her kid. The hero in this book is really swoony too. He loves Della's independence and experience. He sees her and appreciates her for who she is and it's so lovely. My only critique is that we are told so many times how huge and arrogant the hero is. I mean it is stated plainly over and over. Frampton does an excellent job of showing how arrogant he is, and after one or two mentions, I understood, this dude is a big motherfucker. So it wasn't really necessary to tell me every time he's in the scene that he's large and arrogant. It got distracting after a while. That's the only reason I didn't give this book five stars.

This is one of my favorite historicals I've read in a long time. I've read the earlier books in the series but was always WAITING to hear from Della and I wasn't disappointed. I absolutely loved her. Her arc, finding a way to demand what she wanted, and to find a way to continue the hard-earned independence she paid for dearly, was masterful. She was formidable but kind. Everything in her story made me ache, especially those moments with her daughter.And Griffith, I adored him as well. I loved how he learned to listen to her and wanted her trust more than anything, and trust her with his own vulnerabilities and insecurities. I also loved how much of himself he saw in her and how much of his attraction was based on her kindred spirit. Their chemistry was delicious and I just devoured this book. A great read.