Say Yes to the Marquess (Castles Ever After, Book Two): Tessa Dare

"Your presence is requested at romantic Twill Castle for the wedding of Miss Clio Whitmore and...and...?

"After eight years of waiting for Piers Brandon, the wandering Marquess of Granville, to set a wedding date, Clio Whitmore has had enough.  She's inherited a castle, scraped together some price, and made plans to break her engagement.

"Not if Rafe Brandon can help it.  A ruthless prizefighter and notorious rake, Rafe is determined that Clio will marry his brother - even if he has to plan the dratted wedding himself.

"So how does a hardened fighter cure a reluctant bride's cold feet?

"He starts with flowers.  Ladies can't have too many flowers.  Or harps.  Or cakes.

"He letters her know she'll make a beautiful, desirable bride - and tries not to picture her as his.

"He doesn't kiss her.

"If he kisses her, he definitely doesn't kiss her again.

"When all else fails, he puts her in a stunning gown and vows not to be nearby when the gown comes off.

"And no matter what, he doesn't fall in disastrous, hopeless love with the one woman he can never call his own."

This is the second book in Tessa Dare’s “Castles Ever After” series.  Like the first book, I read this one quite some time ago and – for some mysterious reason – the review no longer exists.  I don’t know if this was a glitch on the part of the site or human error (which is entirely likely).  Therefore, I had to do the unthinkable:  I reread this book.  Those of you who know my reviews know that I never reread books – not even my favorites (not because I don’t want to, but more so because I don’t want to “waste time” rereading something when I can experience a totally new adventure contained in a new book).

I cannot quite recall when I first read this book, but I definitely remembered more of it than I did the first in the series.  This, however, did not really lessen my pleasure.  I thought the characters were lively, the story was sweet, and the writing – as always – was very well-done and enjoyable to read.

I’ve said this before, but I find the premise of the overarching series to be fun and interesting.  Dare has a knack for creating the wonderful little realities in which to base her series (her “Spinster Cove” series is another excellent example of this).  She has a knack for interweaving her stories, characters, and plots with one another, while leaving them open enough to continually add more (much to my joy).

This particular installment felt more believable (realistic?) than the first.  I’ve read a couple of other books with rough-and-tumble male “leads” with a knack for fighting, but I enjoyed Rafe (even though I’ve probably read several dozen books where the male leads have this name) nonetheless.  I thought it was interesting that he was a disowned second son of a rather high-ranking peer; I don’t think I’ve experienced quite that twist.  The books with similar male leads in my recollection usually have men who grew up on the streets.  I did like his “flaw” (see some of my other reviews of Dare for more on this; I always love how she brings her characters to life with realistic flaws and trials).  It explained why he had conflict with his father, why he was so different from his father and brother, and why fighting was his outlet and his salvation.  It all made very good sense.  His difficulty with reading and attention issues, as well as his almost desperate and insatiable need for physical activity and movement ring of ADD; however, I loved that Dare didn’t make it seem like there was something “wrong” with him (not that there is anything wrong with anyone who has ADD – I married into a family with a couple of cases of it), but Dare could have so easily crossed the line and she didn’t.  I liked how she made him so different from his elder brother, Piers, in so many different ways; mentality, education, affectations, behavior, temper, and appearance.  I also thought all of the history between him and Clio was very sweet.

I think I enjoyed Clio so much because she was so relatable.  She spent so much time caring what others thought and whether or not she fit into the neat little box that everyone expected of her that she forgot about her own wants and desires.  Her anxieties about perfection and the well-meaning but oft-hurtful comments and behavior of some of her family members were all easy to connect to.  I think Dare has really mastered the creation of believable characters to which so many of her readers can connect.  I loved that Clio was tired of waiting around and made the leap to doing what shewanted instead of what was expected of her.  She showed tremendous bravery to finally go for something she desired, face her own challenges, and have a hand in her own fate.

The story was filled with sweet touches that showed a much deeper side to Rafe than I expected; it also told so much about how long he had feelings for Clio.  I don’t think it would have been nearly as believable had they not grown up together.  The shared history (along with his constant rivalry with Piers) makes for such a great love story.  My criticism lies in Bruno.  I realize he was meant to be over the top, flamboyant, and odd, but it was a bit much.  I may be getting a bit too technical, but allow my history nerd a little bit of a voice.  Bruno not-so-subtly talks about sex with men and women alike (go for it, buddy, if that’s your desire), but the fact that he discussed sex with a man would have been highly taboo.  Sodomy was a crime and one could be hanged for such an offense (Lord Byron suffered from these accusations) and many men fled to the Continent or the exotic East to A) indulge in curiosities, B) live as they pleased, or C) to escape persecution for and accusations of sodomy.  Even literary references to sodomy and sodomites had to be veiled.  The ease with which Bruno talked about sleeping with a footman was a touch too unbelievable from a historical standpoint – even amongst a very close friend like Rafe was to him.  Rant over.  I hope I didn’t sound too pretentious.

I’m a sucker for a big, strong man with a big, soft heart and Rafe fulfilled this role perfectly.  (Actually, I may be reading too much into this, but I know Dare likes to pick names that also describe her characters – could she have chosen his name because it sounds like “rage”?  Very fitting for a champion fighter!)  I thought having Ellsworth as a part of the story was a very nice touch.  I was pleased with the way everything wrapped up and the acknowledgment that it was a good thing both Clio and Rafe learned from the years it took them to finally come together; I enjoyed it much more than had they just continued to pine for lost time.  The setting of Twill castle was a great backdrop for this story as well.  I enjoyed the story overall and it fit in very well with the rest of the series.  Now I just find myself hoping that Piers gets a story of his own – I think Dare was hinting at it and I hope I’m right!  This book was a fun, sweet installment in this series.  I don't know if I could put the three books from this series I've read thus far into any sort of "favorite" order.  Each one of these books has been so different with such different, vibrant characters.  Dare impresses yet again.

Side note:  I looked into it and Piers DOES get his own book!  Not only that, but it's actually a crossover book between her "Castles Ever After" series and "Spindle Cove"!!!   I can hardly contain myself.  I love Dare's series when they're separate, but together?!  How will I manage?!  Now I just have to make sure I'm caught up on my "Spindle Cove" series before I snatch it up.  Happy reading to all!