Romancing the Duke

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

Isolde Ophelia Goodnight lives in the mind of millions of Englishman as the beautiful and imaginative daughter of famous storyteller Harry Goodnight, but the reality is quite different as Izzy is plain and destitute. When she receives a letter that she has inherited a Gostley Castle, she rushes there only to find that the very handsome and mysterious, Duke of Rothbury, is in residence and the former owner is in no hurry to give up his familial estate. Ransom Dane has shut himself up in his crumbling and decrepit castle ever since a duel with his former fiance's new husband left him scarred and mostly blind. He is not a fan of this loud and energetic woman taking over his life and trying to force him into society and his castle into the 19th century. Izzy knows this is her last chance as she is completely without funds and the fan's of her father's novel, while numerous and generous, are not people whom Izzy enjoys depending on. When Ransom realizes that something must be horribly wrong with his solicitors and his funds, he hires Izzy to read his correspondence and discover the truth of what has been going on.

Ransom is not at all impressed with Izzy's army of fans, who still believe she is the little girl from the stories, but is quite impressed with Izzy herself. What little sight he has left and the way that she is helping him acclimate to real life now, makes him wonder if he is deserving of the love the world has denied himself since his mother died in childbirth. But Izzy has hope for him and as she fixes up his castle, and provides quite the temptation to him, he starts to believe that their is hope for him as well. When Izzy's fans, the Moranglian Army, comes to visit, Ransom wants her to claim her independence from the little girl from the fairy tales. But when Ransom's solicitors attempt to take control of his fortune by having him declared insane, it will take Izzy, Ransom, and the entire Moranglian army to carve out a happily ever after for Ransom and Izzy.

This story was Beauty and the Beast with some twists that nicely avoided the whole Stockholm Syndrome element as Izzy was free to leave whenever she wanted. Izzy was very interesting and I love how she was independent and capable, but also felt a need to live up to the expectations of her father's fans by pretending to be something she wasn't. It was both frustrating and admirable, but was well explained by Dare who is remarkable at writing characters motives and back stories. Ransom was definitely dark and brooding locked up in his crumbling castle, determined to shut himself off from the world. He was both heroic, especially when some truths about him are revealed, and difficult to like because he repeatedly pushed Izzy away. However, there were many times when he showed how wonderful he was by sticking up for Izzy and only wanting what was best for her, even if he did come across as surly while he was doing it.

Izzy's exuberance and positive outlook in life, even with all that life has thrown at her, was in direct contrast to Ransom's inability to see anything but the worst in everyone and everything. With Izzy's help, he was able to overcome a lot of that, but it just seemed a little off that two people who were so different could form a real connection. They spent quite a lot of time together, fixing up the house, getting to know each other, flirting madly, and preparing for the competency hearing and I really liked seeing how they acted together under so many different circumstances. There was a lot of heat between them, and they were always madly flirting and making inuendos about sex, but there was truthfully very little sex and it was rather boring and not what I expected from Dare.

Rating: Two very different protagonists who had an almost unbelievable romance, but I did like the modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

Any Duchess Will Do

Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare

Griffin York, the Duke of Halford, is kidnapped by his mother one morning and taken to Spinster's Cove where she tells him he must find a bride. He negotiates a deal to choose any woman he pleases and his mother will turn her into the toast of the ton within a week or she will cease to pester him about marriage. Thinking to get the best of her Griffin chooses the most unsuitable young lady he can find: Pauline Simms, a barmaid at the local tavern. Pauline is having an incredibly awful day after the closed minded villagers pick on her sister who is mentally retarded. At first she thinks Griffin's attentions are a joke, but when he offers her money for spending a week being a disappointment, she accepts his offer. She is fascinated by London and by the lifestyle that Griffin and the rest of the aristocracy leads, but she knows that it is not a life she is destined for as she has her sister to look out for. She quickly realizes that behind his facade of carefree elegance, Griffin has a streak of melancholy and her curiosity is piqued when she discovers he has a set of rooms that he does not allow anyone to enter.

Griffin is surprised at how well Pauline takes to his mother's Duchess training and it quickly becomes apparent that Pauline was destined for something more than being a mere barmaid. Pauline and Griffin form a team of sorts as they work with each other to fool the ton and joke about life, the people around them, and their own situations. Pauline also gets to know the Duchess, Griffin's mom, and is surprised to learn that she is truly a caring woman who just wants what is best for her son and she feels bad about her agreement with Griffin. Pauline also feels comfortable enough with Griffin to reveal that she longs to open a library for the ladies of Spindles Cove and Griffin is immensely supportive, even going so far as to recommend books. But as much as they've bonded over this week, Pauline has a family and a future to return to and it is up to Griffin to show Pauline how much he is willing to work towards a future for them.

Dare has always been a solid writer and this book is definitely one of her better ones, even if it is not quite as good as I know she can write. Pauline does not really work as a barmaid as she has so much knowledge, common sense, and life skills that someone who had had her life would really not have had. I do overlook unrealistic aspects of romance novels though so this did not really bother me and I saw that it was necessary as a Duke and a barmaid would, in reality, have so little in common as to make a relationship between them ridiculous. She is spunky (in a good way), she is compassionate and caring and her relationship with her sister is so admirable that it would be impossible not to like her. Griffin is also funny and smart and he suits Pauline so well in these aspects and, typical of the romance novel hero, he has a past as a rake and a bit of a hell raiser. References to this are sporadic and irritated me as at one point he talked about liking variety among women's breast sizes and I felt it tasteless and awkward.

There were many little things between them that really made their relationship so great; little moments where they'd joke or share a private secret or memory and are so hard to completely express in a review. They were so supportive of each other and I really appreciated that in a romance and they did get to spend quite a bit of time together in moments both happy and sad which went a long way towards showing how they would get on together as a real couple. I really enjoyed the the relationship between Griffin and his mother because it was so complex and so full of past hurts and misunderstandings when really they both wanted the other to be happy. And I liked that Pauline was able to be a part of this part of the story as she wanted to help the man she loved. I also liked reading about Pauline's sister and how Pauline cared for her and how she got along in society.

Rating: A very fun, enjoyable book that was a very fast read. Both characters were likable if not entirely realistic and I always like romances that bust out of societal norms in a big way.

Three Weddings and a Funeral

Three Weddings and a Funeral

The Scandalous, Dissolute, No-Good Mr. Wright by Tessa Dare

Eliza Cade is the youngest of four sisters and because of a scandalous misunderstanding as a child she is not allowed out into society until all of her sister's are married off. She chafes under these restrictions and finds herself running into Mr. Harry Wright, a rake of the first order, at nearly every opportunity. They meet in abandoned drawing rooms, at house parties, and slowly get to know each other over the years. Harry also begins to realize that he needs to make a change in his life and he wants to earn the respect of the uncle he is going to inherit a Dukedom from and from Eliza. They fall in love during these little tete-e-tetes until finally they are both able to admit their love and marry.

This story was very short but a lot was accomplished as Dare did a wonderful job portraying a full romantic relationship. Eliza and Harry were both super fun characters who worked so well together and their meetings were entertaining and sweet at the same time. I admired Harry's desire to become a better person and Eliza's dedication to her family. There was very little sex in this novel and it was romantic and fit well into the story and there was some nice sizzle throughout the story. I enjoyed this story and how it was written a lot differently than other stories I've read.

The Misbehaving Marquess by Leigh LaValle

Catharine, the Marchioness of Forrester, has run the estate for years since her husband ran off to Europe. She is stunned to find him in the library and shocked when he announces he is back because he needs to create an heir. Forester knows that he made a mistake by disappearing shortly after their marriage when his wife had been young and foolish and created a scandal by appearing alone with a notorious rake. He knows he has a lot to make up for and is determined to show Catherine that he is not going anywhere, but Catherine does not know how she will ever trust him again. They will both have to overcome the past to move on and create a future together.

I very much enjoyed this story and loved reading about a couple learning to forgive and falling in love all over again. The story was very emotional and both sides of the story were skillfully told so it was clear no one was to blame and both of them were so in love with the other and deserved to be happy together. Catherine was strong and vulnerable, capable and intelligent and so full of love while Forester was a strong hero who learned to be more open about his emotions who needed to let the woman he loved into his life. The story was sexy, but that was definitely not the focus of the story and everything worked very well in this novella.

The Lady Always Wins by Courtney Milan

Ginny grew up poor and after moving in with her aunt, she met Simon, the boy next door who's wealthy parents disapproved of their relationship. When Simon demanded she marry him despite his parents threats to cut him off, Ginny panicked at the thought of being poor and married another man. After her husbands death, Simon shows up to win Ginny back and finally the woman he has loved for years. The two fall back into their old habits, verbally sparring and challenging one another, and Simon fears that Ginny will discover that his current finances are in danger. He finally realizes that he cannot trick Ginny into marrying him because he loves her, but Ginny has a few tricks up her own sleeves to prove that she is more than a match for Simon.

I really liked Ginny right off the back, because she was so realistic and practical, and it was refreshing to see a romance character who wasn't scared to admit how important money was to a happy life. I didn't find her mercenary because it also was for Simon's own good as well and I loved that he had not dropped the torch he was carrying for her. I did not really like that so much of their relationship seemed to be founded on verbal sparring, which typically annoys me and doesn't seem very romantic. There was some hot sex in this book as both of them were adults when the story took place so it was a necessary and nice addition to the story. I found myself drawn into his business dealings and reading on to find out what would happen there and the ending was absolutely perfect and satisfying.

Solomon's Wisdom by Carey Baldwin

Anna and Charlie were best friends in small town Texas even though Charlie was the star of the football team and Anna was destined to become the town librarian. The night Anna declares her love for him is also the day Charlie's ex-girlfriend commits suicide and, freaking out, Charlie leaves town and does not return for years. Anna is determined to keep her distance, but Charlie wants to prove to Anna that he is ready for a relationship with her. But things don't go as planned as their friend and her son disappear and someone is obviously out to keep a secret from the past from coming to life. Anna and Charlie work together to solve a long buried mystery and to create a relationship together.

This was a modern romance, which I tend to avoid, and this book did not do much to change my mind. It was well written, but I guess I just find it too unbelievable when these things happen in modern times, then when they happen in historical novels. Anna and Charlie were well developed characters and I liked reading about their past together, but it was really a stroke of misfortune that it was thrown into an anthology with another reunion story, since that was much better done. Their relationship was too rushed for my taste, and the mystery side plot, which was very interesting, really took over the book. Overall the story wasn't to my taste and the romance should have been more the focus.

A Lady by Midnight

A Lady by Midnight by Tessa Dare

Kate Taylor has been looking for a place to belong her entire life after being abandoned at a girls' school as a young child and having only hazy memories of her past. She has found friends and happiness in Spindles Cove but she is still determined to find out the truth about her past. Captain Samuel Thorne, a militia leader stationed in Spindles Cove, recognized Kate immediately upon seeing her after many years, but is happy when she does not recognize him. He knows he must keep his distance; despite his attraction to her he believes she is far too good for him and she mistakes his standoffish attitude as dislike. But she is slowly coming to realize that maybe he is more kind and generous than he is letting on and wants to delve more into this handsome man. Everything is thrown into the air when the Gramarcy's, a titled but very unconventional family, show up and claim that Kate is their long lost relative. Kate cannot believe her good fortune in finally having a family of her own, but Thorne is wary of trusting them and does not want them to learn the truth about Kate's upbringing.

To protect her he declares that the two of them are engaged and though they decide it is temporary it does not stop everyone they know from being thrilled at the idea of their marriage. Neither thinks the marriage will happen, but they do find that they are spending far more time together than usual and Kate is noticing little things about Thorne that go against the taciturn image he has built up. Thorne has dreams about moving to America and working his own plot of land and when Kate starts talking about going with him as his wife, he knows that he wants this future but does not want to drag her down with him. When papers surface that make it clear Kate is the legitimate daughter of a marquess neither knows what path to choose as she now stands to inherit piles of money and property even while it means her family may go broke. As her past starts to resurface Kate discovers that Thorne has been keeping secrets from her and while she is furious she cannot see a future without him. She must make him see that, no matter their social standings, they belong together wherever the future takes them.

I loved Katie and how caring she was for those around her, how determined she was in everything she did. I liked her insecurities and her naivete, which is unusual for me but Dare portrays these foibles with such a deft touch that it was impossible not to like her. She was strong and capable and had a great sense of humor but did have a tendency to do things that were a little too stupid to live. Thorne was obviously a dedicated captain with a checkered past and I did enjoy that he felt comfortable enough with Kate to finally share the truth with someone. He is dark and unsmiling and, although he has flashes of kindness she has to look deep to find them, and I felt like it was a very unusual pairing as they were so different. He was trying to protect her by keeping the past from her but that just seemed ridiculous and the inevitable fight that arose from his deception was equally so. His past, while haunting, did not really justify in my mind such an unhappiness that pervaded him and I quickly grew tired of his moodiness. Because of their differences I just did not see how a relationship between them would work.

The two of them spent quite a lot of time together and while it was no hampered by any distracting side plots of crazy circumstances, I just did not see how this time would lead to the two of them falling in love. He seemed infatuated with her partly because of their past together and she was very attracted to his muscular good looks, but neither was particularly in love with the other because of real reasons that I could understand. There was a nice amount of sex in the novel and Dare does a great job of imbuing her novels with great buildup and this book was no exception however, as romance novels break more sexual boundaries, she does begin to seem tame. Unfortunately, one incident particularly disturbed me; Thorne had a flashback to war and entered a different mindset and ended up flinging Kate against a wall. The fact that she does didn't get hurt proved to her that he could never truly harm her, but I do not like this new trend of mentally disturbed, almost violent, heroes who need the heroine to make him all better.

Rating: A fun heroine with a brooding and damaged hero, but the relationship was sorely lacking. This book definitely did not live up to the Spindles Cove, or Tessa Dare, standard.

A Week to Be Wicked

A Week to Be Wicked by Tessa Dare

Minerva Highwood, eldest of the three Highwood daughters and long overshadowed by her younger sisters' beauty, has been enjoying her summer in Spindle's Cove away from the pressures of society and with the freedom to pursue her own interests. Minerva is interested in rocks and Spindle's Cove has plenty of caves that offer a budding young geologist lots to explore and study. When Minerva discovers the footprint of a giant lizard in one of these caves she knows she must present it at the next meeting of the Scottish Geological Society and she knows the best way to get there. Colin Sandhurst, Lord Payne, is whiling away his time in Spindle's Cove until he comes into his majority and his older cousin has no choice but to give him access to his funds. He does not find playing nursemaid to the women of "Spinster's Cove" amusing and has no love for the local militia his cousin is so interested in. But even he admits that butting heads with the bookish Minerva has its high moments, but even he is unprepared when Minerva comes to his house in the middle of the evening to share her plan for how to get to Scotland. She wants the two of them to fake an engagement and they can travel together to Scotland and afterwards they will break the engagement and she will live out her life in Spindle's Cove.

Colin knows the idea has no chance of working but he is intrigued by the offer and the chance to spend more time with this fascinating women, however he is swept along by the moment and the two of them are off to Scotland before he realizes what is happening. He is determined to protect Minerva and her fossil, intrigued by this woman who has more passion in her than he has ever had for anything in his life. The two run into quite a lot of trouble on their journey and Minerva discovers that the carefree facade that Colin presents to the world is a way to escape the horrors of his past and forget about the tragic deaths of his parents. Both realize they have misjudged the other and all those nights spent in close proximity bring out the desire they have had for each other since the beginning. But as they get closer to Scotland Colin's doubts about his past and Minerva's fear that she is not good enough for the beautiful rake come bubbling to the surface and it is only one more little hiccup on the journey that will prove to both of them that they can make a happily ever after for themselves.

Tessa Dare consistently writes fun, entertaining, and easy to get lost in romance novels with sympathetic and lovable characters who have a real, have to root for, relationship and this book continued her winning streak. Minerva was the perfect mix of independence and intelligence with some naivete and understandable fear and self-doubt thrown in and it this realistic mix that makes her so perfect. I love that she wasn't stereotypically beautiful, especially loved that she was dependent on glasses and didn't just have to wear them to read, and that she was so passionate about something. Colin was not so different than many romance novel heroes in that he had a tortured past and a reputation for trouble. He's desperately gorgeous and a lord, however his youth and his fortune being controlled by someone else are certainly new and I liked that he wasn't all powerful and did have someone to answer to. The two have a history in previous book that the reader is given a hint of and apparently they are quite opposed to each other, probably as a cover for the attraction they feel. The two are very compatible, despite being almost complete opposites, because they have such respect for the other. She admires the way he has overcome the circumstances of his parents' demise and offers him comfort as a means of continuing to move past it. He is so respectful of her chosen career path, even when he acknowledges he does not really understand it, and is so helpful in furthering her career and determined to see her succeed. Even while they didn't seem to have all that much in common, what they did have in common was their mutual love for each other and a desire to see the other happy and it was quite beautiful really. One of my favorite scenes was when she compared her need for spectacles to make the world right to their need for each other in order for the world to make sense. There was some pretty hot, and frankly very humorous, sex scenes that were sprinkled nicely throughout the book. As usual, Dare's writing was spot on; humorous, entertaining, fast, and enjoyable and she set up the next book in the Spindle's Cove series very nicely and I look forward to reading it.

Rating: Avery well written and enjoyable book with two great characters and a romance that was so wonderfully done.

Once Upon a Winter's Eve

Once Upon a Winter's Eve by Tessa Dare 1221

Violet Winterbotom is a wallflower who escaped to Spindle's Cove after she fell in love with her next door neighbor, gave him her virginity, and he promptly left to go exploring. She finally found her voice and a place where she feels welcome and accepted but her family wants her to come back and marry. Until one day a French farmer appears at a ball, bloody and weak, bearing a striking resemblance to the man Violet had named The Disappointment. She uses her skills with languages to try to find out what the man is hiding something and when she is left alone with him the truth inevitably comes out. Christian had fallen in love with Violet but when his brother was killed in the war he saw it as a sign that he needed to do something more, but leaving Violet was the hardest thing he ever did. Hearing of her family's marriage plans he comes back to make one last desperate plea for a future with Violet even while knowing he cannot give up his career. Both of them have a lot to work through but together they can move beyond their past and start a new life that suits both of them.

The story was incredibly short but it was enough time to fall in love with Violet as a character because she was so intelligent and quick thinking, not to mention quite caring for a man who could have been the enemy. Christian's motives were well explained but I did not really enjoy not knowing who he was until about halfway through a really short book. They had fallen in love with each other before the book began but throughout the course of the novella their feelings changed because the person they had fallen in love with had changed as well. I really enjoyed that they both had to get to know the new person and how it added to their feelings because it was a nice change from many short stories. There was a little bit of steam, nothing major but I did not feel like anything was missing and it fit well in the story and in the progression of their relationship. There was a lot of intrigue in the book because they had to escape from the people in Spindle's Cove and it was not my favorite thing because it took up a lot of space in an already short story but it was an interesting little addition.

Rating: A good little short story that continued the story of a very interesting little town about two people who were well suited to each other but the shortness did mean some things were left out.

A Night to Surrender

A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare 1112

Susanna Finch is the de facto leader of Spindle's Cove which has become a haven for women who have trouble fitting in with society and need a place to explore and be themselves. She enjoys herself and the environment of welcoming she and her fellow townspeople have created. Victor Bramwell is desperate to regain his commission to help fight Napoleon and he turns to his father's friend, the amorist, Lewis Finch. Finch informs Bram that he can get his command back but that he has been honored with the Earldom of Rycliff and he must raise and train a militia in Spindle's Cove. Bram is not pleased to hear this but he sets about trying all he can to find eligible men, a hard task since the community has turned into a haven for women and even the local tavern has become a tea shop. Susanna does not like Bram for coming in and disturbing her peace and his actions threaten to ruin the reputation of Spindle Cove; a reputation she has worked so hard to maintain. She needs Spindle's Cove as a safe place for herself and for all the women of England who need to be welcomed somewhere.

Bram has been an officer his whole life and when his knee injury threatens to ruin his career it also threatens his sense of self so he sees his enterprise in Spindle's Cove as his last chance and he doesn't want anyone standing in his way. They are at cross purposes and bickering and bantering over the future of Spindle's Cove, but they also come to an agreement that their two groups can work together. Bram thinks he is just what Susanna needs; she is loud and tall and takes charge and he is just the man who can stand up to her and not allow her to run roughshod over him. Susanna feels that she has finally found someone in Bram who she can depend on but she worries that his military career will always be more important and he will end up abandoning her. With the officer's ball and the militia review coming up tensions are running high and Susanna and Bram are both unsure of where their relationship is heading and how much they will have to give up to be together. But when an accident threatens Spindle's Cove and their lives it is clear to both of them that they will do anything for the love they share.

I really liked Susanna because she was genuinely strong and brave and capable and presented herself as so confident and had hidden vulnerabilities. I take issue with romance novel heroines who are presented as so strong but Susanna really was; she built Spindle's Cove to protect other women like her who needed a safe haven and took pride in what she had accomplished. She had a purpose in life beyond the mere charity work and because Bram had one too, it made them more equals. Bram was a very well developed character because he so identified with his role in the army that he couldn't see his life without it. It was only with Susanna coming into his life that he could see life beyond being an officer and enjoy that prospect. And similarly he made her take risks with her own hopes and desires and come to recognize that she was hiding in Spindle's Cove and could take a chance on him and on her life. This really made their relationship pop to me because they complemented each other so well and each of them needed the other in some way and became a better person with the other's help.

There was a good amount of sex in the novel and it was well written and pretty hot and inventive. While I understood that Bram was presented as so different from all the men she had met her life up to this point because he did was not intimidated by her and presented a challenge, I found it odd that such a big deal was made over how he could stand up to her and wouldn't be pushed around. The men in Spindle's Cove did tailor their work to suit the needs of women because that's how they made their living and Bram was personally affronted by this. There was a little too much of a theme of making real men out of people and I found it insulting that Bram couldn't appreciate that a blacksmith who fixed lockets was just as good as one who spent his life throwing horseshoes or whatever. The militia buildup was interesting and I liked that Bram and Susanna worked together for much of the novel to make things work out and helped each other. The book was a typical length but for some reason I became bored about half way through and felt like the book dragged after that.

Rating: Two well developed and well suited characters with a strong relationship but I was bored during the book even if I can't put my finger on precisely why.

Three Nights with a Scoundrel

Three Nights with a Scoundrel by Tessa Dare 1107

After Leo Chatwick's is murdered Julian Bellamy is bound and determined to find the killers and to see Leo's twin sister, Lily, married off to a suitable man even though he has been secretly in love with her for years. With the help of other friends in the Stud Club he makes some headway into finding the murderers but he continues to go to dangerous places trying to gain more insight into the tragedy. Lily is tired of Julian putting his life in danger and wants him to accept that Leo is dead and learn to live again. When Julian is brought to her house after passing out she lays down the law and tells him to give up on his investigation and then kisses him. He is terrified that his feelings for Lily will be discovered so he agrees to escort her out on the town for three nights and hope that she finds someone to marry. Lily has no intention of finding someone else as she has her own sights set on Julian.

It quickly becomes clear to Julian that watching Lily with other men is not something he can stand and on their second night together on the town he admits his lust for Lily. But Lily demands that he give up searching for Leo's murderers and he begins to think that a life with Lily would be worth giving up anything for. Unfortunately Julian then discovers that the beating meant for Leo may have been meant for him and that someone may know that Julian has a secret life. He knows that he is taking a huge risk but he cannot risk any harm coming to the woman he loves and he can no longer continue to deceive her about his past and his true identity. Lily must come to terms with Julian's past and the risk it poses to their future and learn that there is something more driving him to find Leo's killers. They must work together through the danger and through the secrets to end up together and happy.

As usual Dare's writing style shines and the book is hard to put down and moves really fast. I would like to give her mad props for taking on a deaf heroine as it can not be easy to write for a character who can't hear as speech is very important in romances. I was disappointed that the deafness was really downplayed in the book and caused minimal problems for Lily and those around her. She can read lips (a necessity really in a book) and basically gets a long mostly find without her hearing. The few instances where it did come in to play were very well done though. Lily was altogether rather bland with no fiery temperament and no big secrets, but I felt like this was what made her so perfect for Julian who was so exciting. I really liked that both of them were in love with each other for awhile and were trying so hard to hide it but were so unsuccessful.

Julian had this great secret life and I really admired him and what he had made out of so little and I felt like his disdain of the ton was explained very well. He was brooding and determined to find Leo's murderers and seemed like someone who could fall off the edge if he didn't have a steadying influence. Lily was definitely this steadying influence and she was a perfect accompaniment to him and kept him grounded. There was plenty of sex and much of it was really hot, however by the end I was kind of thinking that it was a little too much for my taste (and that's saying something). Leo's murder was a large arc throughout the entire series and ended in this one and the reader was really kept guessing until the last possible second. It was exciting, it was surprising, and I was really happy with the way the whole thing played out. There were numerous appearances by previous characters- but nothing overly obnoxious.

Rating: These two were a great accompaniment to each other but I felt like something was missing in the book and it was lacking and it times it dragged.

Twice Tempted by a Rogue

Twice Tempted by a Rogue by Tessa Dare 923

Rhys St. Maur, Earl of Ashworth, has survived several attempts on his life and chalks his still being alive up to fate. After fourteen years away he returns to his ancestral home on the moors of Devonshire where he runs into Meredith Maddox. Meredith is the daughter of his father's old head groomsman and she had harbored a secret crush on him. After her father was maimed in a housefather that burned the castle to the ground and forced Rhys to run away she married a man much older who left her an inn to manage upon his death. With no lord to provide jobs and spur the economy the small town is forced to rely on the business the inn does and the flourishing smuggling ring run by Gideon Myles. Meredith has worked her tail off for years to make the inn run smoothly and to make things good for the town, but when Rhys comes to town it throws everything out of sync.

He threatens the existence of the lucrative smuggling ring and his talk of fate and destiny make Meredith feel like he does not appreciate the effort she put into the inn. Reconnecting with Meredith has made it clear to Rhys that the reason he survived the war is so that he could come back to his hometown, marry Meredith, and set things to right. Meredith does not quite fall in line with Rhys' marriage plans but he knows how to win her over. He starts building a cottage for her father to live in and agrees to help pay for fixing her in up to quality standards. But Meredith knows Rhys' secret about his father beating him mercilessly and when he reveals his guilt over the fire that destroyed the castle, Meredith reveals a secret of her own that threatens everything. He knows that she loves him but he has some things to settle within his own past before he can let go and love her in return.

I will admit that Dare has a lot to live up to with the previous installment in this book which I absolutely adored. She is great at writing characters it is impossible to not like and this book was not an exception as Meredith was certainly great. Meredith is one of my favorite heroines because she was a genuinely working woman who liked what she did and most importantly, took a lot of pride in what she had accomplished. Rhys was not quite as likable as he was driven by some inner demons that turned me off and that I felt he should not have been quite as crazy about. His entire outlook on life was repellent as he admitted that he had been throwing himself into fights and battles in an attempt to lose his life. Then his sudden change of heart where he felt like the reason he had survived all of this was so that he could marry Meredith seemed a little out of character.

I would have liked more to be made of Merry's little crush/ love for Rhys because what happened when he confessed made him seem like an ass. He discovered that she had known that his father had beaten him and he literally freaked out and ran away. I thought it was weird. Their relationship in general just seemed to be lacking as they were at cross purposes for much of it and even when things were going well one of them was having issues and it didn't really make for much happiness. The sex between them was rather bland and I know that Dare could do much better in both quantity and quality. This book also continued the Stud Club mystery of who killed Leo and it led to a really great little extra romance between the smuggler and a reformed prostitute who had information about Leo's death. The mystery itself chugs along a little bit here but isn't resolved because we need to read the final book in the series.

Rating: Really Dare is a victim of her own success as she had a lot to live up. While the book was enjoyable I know that she can do better and I expected more.

One Dance with a Duke

One Dance with a Duke by Tessa Dare 911

Every night Spencer Dumarque, the Duke of Morland, has the ton in an uproar as every night he shows up at the most popular ball at midnight and asks one lucky lady for one dance set. One night he shows up right after Lady Amelia d'Orsay discovers that her younger brother Jack is once again in on the brink of bankruptcy. She marches across the ballroom and coerces him into asking him to dance and throws his world into chaos. When his old fear of crowds returns he hauls her outside where he is confronted by two of the other gentlemen who are members of "The Stud Club" who inform him that the other member, Leo, has been murdered. Amelia goes with them to tell Leo's sister, Lily, and before the night is over he has decided they must marry as rumors will no doubt have begun about their hasty exit from the ball. He is desperately attracted to her buxom good looks, but she is worried it will be all to easy to lose her heart.

To protect herself she tells him that she won't sleep with him until his innocence in Leo's death has been proven and so he wastes no time trying to do so. The two have a lot of time together during their marriage and he admires her love for her family and the way she puts others happiness above hers. And she is shocked to discover that his obsession with gaining Osiris, a famous horse, is actually because he wants the horse to keep company with his favorite mare in her old age; he is a closet romantic! When the two finally do manage to sleep together it brings them even closer and it is both know they are falling in love. But things threaten to come tumbling down Jack shows up wanting more money and Spencer can't stand that she has more love for her brother than she does for her. It is not in her nature to give up on her brother but she knows she wants the happiness and love she can find only with Spencer.

Dare is simply amazing at writing complex and interesting characters and she completely lives up to expectations here. I absolutely loved everything about both Spencer and Amelia and it was made so much better because they were perfect for each other. Amelia had to go through some immense issues during this book and her emotions were realistically all over the place as she got married and dealt with cutting loose her brother. While sometimes I would be a little wary of a heroine who was so intent on providing for other people's happiness it was done very well here and really made Amelia so great. It also worked because Spencer wanted to make her happy and seeing him undergo some massive changes because of having her in his life. The hidden depths that Dare built into his character were understated and important yet did not come across as flighty and out of character.

These two together were great as well and that is besides the very obvious and well done physical attraction between them. I liked that Amelia was a larger woman and that Spencer was completely smitten with this and this made for some steaming hot scenes between these two. The scenes I liked the best where were he was making changes in his life to make her happy by going out in crowds and how she worked so hard to make him comfortable in these situations where he felt uncomfortable. There was some great moments involving Jack the wastrel and Amelia learning to grab happiness for herself as well as some involving Claudia, Spencer's ward and him learning to put people above his horses. I will admit the "Stud Club" business and all the rules accompanying it were more than a little ridiculous, but I do look forward to reading the resolution of Leo's murder.

Rating: Absolutely wonderful book with amazing characters that had a truly great relationship and romantic development.

A Lady of Persuasion

A Lady of Persuasion by Tessa Dare

Sir Toby Aldridge is not at all happy to see that his former fiance and her dashing new knighted husband have returned to London. However he is very happy to make the acquaintance of Gray's half-sister Isabela Grayson who is quite a beautiful lady. While at a ball the two are immediately taken with the others extreme attractiveness and Toby decides a nice way to get a little revenge on Gray would be to seduce the woman right out from under him. By the time Toby finds out that Isabela is Gray's sister, not a lover, he knows that he could never hurt her that way. Isabela has revealed to Toby that she is looking to marry a man of influence so she can be a lady of influence and work her good deeds around the nation (such as the abolition of slavery). When Gray confronts Toby he proposes to Isabela, both because he desires her and because he can't help but like the way she views the world. Isabela says yes in the hopes that Toby can become her man of influence and help her improve the country.

To make Isabela happy Toby agrees to run for MP of his district, even though he has no intention of winning, or trying to do so, but he just wants to keep his new wife enamored of him. Isabela is very excited that her new life with her husband can be filled with good works but she can't help but feel guilty of her new wealth, her husband's spending vast amounts of money on her, and especially guilty of pleasure in the bedroom. Isabela loves what Toby does to her but she fears that she will go mad with love like her mother did for her father. Toby meanwhile is determined to keep up the pretense of running for MP because he wants Isabela to fall in love him. After being jilted by two woman he desperately wants a woman to love him for him even with all his faults. For now Toby knows that Isabela looks up to him and believes that he can do no wrong and he is terrified that when he inevitably disappoints her she will withdraw all affection from him. When everything hits the fan Isabela feels betrayed by Toby and Toby is horrified that Isabela does not love him now that she has discovered his flaws. The two of them are forced to confront their own flaws and work together to make each other better.

Once again Dare writes, with remarkable deftness, two characters that I absolutely love. Both are so flawed and perfect at the same time and work so hard throughout the novel because they both just desperately want to protect themselves and be loved. Toby tries so hard and yet it is the very fact that he's trying hard that makes it so difficult to love him and it's only when he can be fully comfortable with his own faults that Isabela can love him. And Isabela is so amazing as the philanthropic gentle-woman as she is so genuine in her desire to save the world and very principled. Her fear of going mad by loving Toby too passionately is, while crazy, totally believable given her past and it creates some quite interesting steamy scenes. The book sets it up that Isabela has so much passion in her that she's been repressing and is scared to let it out which is why she likes when Toby takes control from her/ orders her/ ties her up in bed. It is also tied in to her desire to please others and do good works. It makes sense and it works in the book and is definitely mild and does not play out for the entire book as Isabela certainly holds her own too.

There was quite a lot of Sophia/ Gray and Jeremy/ Lucy from Dare's previous books but for reasons I'm not entirely sure of it did not bother me. Maybe because their appearance was natural and did not really interfere with or take away from the story of Isabela and Toby. It probably also had to do with the fact that I absolutely loved those characters. In addition there is a little side romance between Joss, Gray and Isabela's half-brother who is half African, and Hetta Osborne, a female physician who is friends with the whole gang. While the book was not exactly fun there were certainly some very fun scenes including those involving judgmental society matrons and mad political candidates who believed the country was still in the midst of the Revolutionary War (where America gained independence). Some of the greatest moments in the story were those where Isabela and Toby were together as they each were such a perfect foil for the other: Toby all light and happy and charming and Isabela intense and charitable and fearful.

Rating: An excellent book that is the best of the three books in the series. Loved the characters and the plot and the wrap up and basically everything.

Surrender of a Siren

Surrender of a Siren by Tessa Dare

At the end of "Goddess of the Hunt" we learn that Lady Sophia Hathaway has abandoned her sedate life and her fiance, Toby, to find adventure and Surrender picks up with Sophia bargaining her way onto Mr. Grayson's, ship bound for Tortola where she has struck up a correspondence with Lucy's cousins on the island. Giving a false name and claiming to be a governess Gray knows that everything isn't all as it appears with his new passenger but that doesn't stop him from being immediately charmed, among other things, with Ms. Jane Turner. But recognizing her innocence in the ways of the world he is determined to stay away from her and does all he can, including being incredibly blunt/ mean, but Sophia knows that this could be her chance at passion. Seeing as how she ran away from England to escape a passionless union with a man who couldn't see past her virture and purity, she takes things into her own hands to seduce Gray. While doing so she ingratiates herself with his crew by composing beautiful pictures of the sea and portraits for each of them.

Gray is also distracted by his brother Joss who is Captain of the ship Sophia and Gray travel on as Joss is still bitter over several "betrayals" Gray pereptrated against him, how overprotective Gray is and the death of his wife. When Gray learns that Sophia has lied to him more than he expected he is furious but that can't stop him from desiring her. When his crew commandeers a burning ship and places the incompetent captain in the brig he takes her aboard the new ship where he realizes that her lies don't matter and that it's only important that they spend the rest of their lives together. However, Sophia is terrified that when he learns the truth about her he will have no choice but to abandon her. Gray is determined that his sister Bell be given a grand London season but having a completely ruined and ostracized sister-in-law will not stand Bell in good stead. When the two ships land in Tortola everyone is arrested as the 2nd ship's captain has pressed piracy charges and Sophia tells Gray that they have no future even as she plots to save him from a hanging. Said pirate charges and the ensuing drama is the most fun part of the book, but Sophia is still worried that perhaps Gray won't love her once he discovers the truth.

It seems as though Sophia left one man because he couldn't see past her purity, virture, beauty and downright lady-ness for someone who is just as entranced by all those things. Although he briefly is a little freaked out by her virginity he quickly gets over it and into the "you're mine and only mine" stage. The only difference between Gray and Toby is that Gray doesn't stop, as Toby did, but continues on in the seduction. I wouldn't necessarily say that makes Gray better, especially seeing as how Toby planned on marrying her from the beginning and Gray has no such intentions until the end. Sophia has a talent though as she is an exceptionally talented artist and of course our hero is entranced by said talent and the way her drawings "captured the boy Davy was and the man he would become." I do not even understand what that means- literally it just sounds ridiculous. Not being an artist myself a painting is a painting and while movement can be portrayed in a painting his reaction just seems crazy.

This book was much much slower going than "Goddess of the Hunt" and many of the problems other saw in that book I found present here. If Lucy was somewhat of a risk-taker/ denyer of reality than Sophia takes the cake. She laughs after almost being dragged into shark infested waters, she continually teases and flirts with Gray even after he has repeatedly told her he doesn't want her, and she literally waits until the last possible second to tell him the truth when it would have served everyone better if she'd just done it when they admitted their love! As with Goddess this book is extremely hot, even more so than Goddess really with some lovely lovely little bits in there, but all the angst in it is just plain annoying. All the angst and so many of the problems in this book just arise from Sophia being too scared to tell the truth even when she should know that she can. And he gets angry because when she illustrates her very risque novel she uses his likeness for the gentleman! It was just too much for me. Even if the great courtroom pirate scenes were so much fun the book just didn't do it for me.

Rating: So much potential with such great characters behaving so stupidly. It was between a 2 and 3 and I'll give it 3 because, despite my rantings above, the book was not horrible, just had so much misplaced potential.

Goddess of the Hunt

Goddess of the Hunt by Tessa Dare

Lucy Waltham is the sheltered and hoydenish sister of Lord Henry Waltham and has missed being presented the last three years because her sister-in-law is incessantly pregnant or dealing with children. When she realizes that Lord Toby, the man she has fancied herself in love with since she was a young child because he has never treated her in the typical condescending manner of older men, is soon to propose to the pampered and beautiful Sophia she determines that she needs to win him over. She believes that the surest way to do this is by seducing him and she wants to practice her wiles on another of her brothers' friends, Jeremy Trescott, the Earl of Kendall. Things don't go precisely as planned and Lucy and Jeremy are both quickly in over their head as everytime the two are together an explosive passion ignites. Despite all evidence to the contrary Lucy is convinced that Toby is the one for her and it isn't until she discovers that Toby's touch doesn't affect her nearly as much as Jeremy's that she realizes she has made a huge mistake. Unfortunately Jeremy is still convinced that Lucy is in love with Toby.

When a hilarious mix-up with a forged letter leads to Lucy's reputation being called into question Jeremy offers for her to ward off any problems. Lucy is quickly coming to recognize that she is falling in love with Jeremy but she thinks that he is only marrying her out of duty and obligation. The two begin their married life off on the wrong foot as Lucy is terrified of growing closer to Jeremy and as Jeremy is increasingly dependent on Lucy to chase away the demons from his past. However he remains scared that his cold demeanor will end up ruining the full-of-life Lucy and so he pushes her away which leads Lucy to believe that he is regretting their marriage. She attempts to become the countess her brother led her to believe Jeremy wanted and this in turn further causes him to believe that he is losing the real Lucy. After Jeremy reveals to her the truth about his family; his brother's death, his father's chilliness and his mother's nervous attacks, Lucy knows that it is time to fight for Jeremy and the happiness she knows they can find together if Jeremy will only let them.

It is very difficult to imagine that this is Dare's debut novel as it is simply amazing. Both Jeremy and Lucy are perfectly well-written, realistic, flawed, damaged, lovable, caring, and ultimately perfect for each other characters. And what makes them so readable is that they recognize all these qualities in themselves and work them so well and together they bring out the best in each other. I have heard complaints that at times Lucy can be a little over-flawed in the way it takes her awhile to recognize her feelings, but I did not find that at all the case- she's superb. Other characters are equally as flawed and yet so likable from Lucy's amazingly inept and still overprotective brother to Lady Sophia, the woman Toby is in love with who fancies herself the center of a grand romance she has yet to find to Albert, the young boy who poaches off Jeremy's land and holds him responsible for his family's troubles. It is remarkable the way she writes these characters and while I know that I shouldn't like some of them because they, at varying times, stand in the way of Lucy's happiness, it's just impossible to dislike any of them.

Other elements of this book are equally perfect. Her writing is beautiful without being overly flowery and there is no need to skim through vast descriptions or unnecessary bits as it's all so eminently readable. There was a wonderful bit of angst and, like all truly great strong heroines Lucy didn't allow herself to wallow in it and instead set her mind to fixing what it was that was causing her unhappiness. I love it when characters do that. And our two protagonists are definitely incredibly attracted to each other and go at each other at nearly every opportunity; in the forest (twice!!), in a large wardrobe, in the bedroom, in a study, and in a hillside cloister. Very hot, as well written as the rest of the book, and a very important part of the actual plot development as it affected and was influenced by the way the characters dealt with their feelings for the other. There were so many scenes in the book that I read and told myself I had to remember so I could mention it in the review as being a must read, but there ended up being too many to actually write about.

Rating: Amazing book, very fun, and I am very much looking forward to the sequel. It wasn't very fast and it wasn't as "fun" as I tend to like in my romance novels. Between 4 and 5.