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!

Romancing the Duke (Castles Ever After, Book One): Tessa Dare

"In the first in Tessa Dare's captivating Castles Ever After series, a mysterious fortress is the setting for an unlikely love...

"As the daughter of a famed author, Isolde Ophelia Goodnight grew up on tales of brave knights and fair maidens.  She never doubted romance would be in her future, too.  The storybooks offered endless possibilities.

"And as she grew older, Izzy crossed them off.  One by one.

• Ugly duckling turned swan?
• Abducted by handsome highwayman?
• Rescued from drudgery by charming prince?

"No, no, and... Heh.

"Now Izzy's given up yearning for romance.  She'll settle for a roof over her head.  What fairy tales are left over for an impoverished twenty-six year-old woman who's never even been kissed?

"This one."

I set a new reading record with this book:  The Kindle version states it's 404 pages (there are some additional pages that include an excerpt from the second book of the series, but I'm not counting those) and I started this book on my lunch break at work (12:45) and finished reading it just a few minutes after 10:00 pm the same day.  I think my prior record was a 600+ page book by Teresa Medieros that I read within 24-hours, but the reading pace for this Tessa Dare book would have beaten that had it been double the length.  What can I saw?  I am a little bit of a sucker for a good Tessa Dare romance novel.  However, I have to admit that I have read this book before (I think it was at least a couple of years ago, but still a re-read, nonetheless).  I don't know if that fact aided my reading speed this time around, but I must say that I read this one long enough ago that I was still pleasantly surprised by some of the twists.  If you read my review for When a Scot Ties the Knot (the third book in Dare's "Castles Ever After" series), then you know I was shocked to discover that my reviews of the first two books in the series were missing from this site!  I know I read them (my Kindle account has them bookmarked at the last page of each book), but I can't remember when I did so!  I remember enough of the plots where I couldn't have imagined it all.  So, I did something you know I NEVER do...I reread this book.I have the second book in the series queued up on my Kindle account, so that one will be next.

I stumbled across some unfavorable reviews for this book on Amazon.com when I had to look up the back-cover-text for this review.  It's not one of Dare's most popular books, but please do not let this deter you from giving it a chance.  You have to get past some of the fanciful notions and nods to popular modern literary and film fandoms (yes, I admit I recall finding these references jarring the first time I read the book, but I was far more accepting this time around) and then you should be fine. I think that the negative Amazon reviews crucifying Dare for these fandom references fail to realize (or just don't know) is that there were clubs and societies for like-minded people during that time in England; therefore, the fandom created by The Goodnight Tales wouldn't have been that far our of the realm of possibility.  Cos-play, clubs, and societies are not just modern phenomena.  Granted, Dare has still created a borderline ridiculous situation, but I was still able to get lost in the story and enjoy myself.

Part of this aforementioned "borderline ridiculous situation" is attributed to the way in which all of the other characters treated Ransom (my opinion of his naming will be discussed later).  I feel like it would have been a bit more believable had he had any other rank than duke.  I don't know if this was because this book was one of Dare's earlier works, but she seemed to disregard (I'm not sure if this is the proper word for what happened in this case, but it'll have to do) the fact that a duke is an extremely high-ranking peer.  There aren't many of them and they're typically very high in the line of succession to the throne.  They're practically royalty.  I get that she wanted to emphasize the budding relationship and intimacy between Izzy and Ransom, but it was almost too casual.  I don't recall an actual significant moment where he was shown the deference due to him because of his rank -- not even when he and Izzy were "properly" introduced.  The casual way in which he was addressed, spoken to, and treated felt a tad more unrealistic than they could have been.  Don't get me wrong; I completely understand that he had resigned himself to living out his days in isolation in a decrepit castle and Dare was trying to create a juxtaposition between the warm way in which Izzy treated him and  the impersonal way he was addressed in correspondence from everyone else, but there was still a bit too much quick familiarity.

I liked Izzy as a female lead, but the aforementioned familiarity between her and Ransom occasionally suspended my belief in the story and her character.  It didn't matter that she'd been to Court or that she'd interacted with any number of fans of her father's stories, I am still convinced that encountering a duke (even a broken and battered one like Ransom) would have intimidated her more than she was in the story.  At the very least, I think she would have attempted to show him more deference (at least in the very beginning).  Going along with this, I occasionally struggled with the informality of some of the dialogue.  While the internal dialogue was brilliantly well-paced and engaging, some of the actual dialogue between the characters felt "off."  I think there were too many contractions and some of it was too simplified (and I don't mean the parts where Izzy was intentionally altering her speech to make her "fans" happy).  Part of reading an historical romance is being able to escape into the time period; part of this is to have dialogue that feels authentic to the past rather than the present.  While I didn't find the dialogue to be overly-off-putting, I obviously took note enough to comment on it here in my review.

I did enjoy Izzy's inquisitive personality.  She was clearly intelligent and it was very easy to relate to her (i.e. her insecurities, the way she has to deal with preconceived notions everyone has of her, and how she feels the need to protect everyone's perception of her deceased father).  She was a unique blend of practical and fanciful.

I also liked Izzy's unique "flaw" (I always praise Dare's ability to craft unique characters with "flaws" that make them stand out in this genre and add new depth to her character development); however, I enjoyed Ransom's "flaw" more so.  While the "flaw's went hand-in-hand rather well, Ransom's overshadowed Izzy's in its complexity and severity -- blindness is no simple flaw.  I think Dare did a spectacular job describing Ransom's point of view and disability.  The foreword mentioned the research she did to write the book (she's taken these steps in some of her other works -- must be the librarian in her) and I really, sincerely appreciate this about her.  She never fails to impress me with the attention to detail she pays to things like this (I was particularly impressed with her maritime knowledge in Surrender of a Siren).

Where do I start with Ransom?  I did mention I wanted to discuss his name, didn't I?  Dare has a knack for very appropriately naming her characters -- something I've noted in past reviews as well.  I think she was testing the waters with this early book of hers.  A duke named Ransom?  It feels a little bit too contrived and romance novel-esque (like she tried a tad bit too hard).  I didn't hate it, but it's not her best work (though I adored Izzy's full name).  Dare, however, did a spectacular job of describing Ransom's senses and his blindness.  I recall thinking it got a bit "Daredevil"-y (think the film version with Ben Affleck) the first time I read this book, but I feel less like this the second time around.  I can appreciate the research Dare did in an effort to try to get this type of blindness right.  I have read another book with a blind male lead (I don't have time at this precise moment to go back through my reviews, but I think it was a book by Lisa Kleypas), but this story was made unique and fun by the underlying plot with The Goodnight Tales.  Overall, I really did love Ransom as a battered male lead.  He was rude, crude, vulgar, and didn't give a damn.  Like Izzy, I liked him a lot for this rather than in spite of this.  I thought his backstory was tragic, though I could have used a bit more information on why he didn't have any friends.  He said a few times that no one liked him, but I don't feel like I got a really good explanation of why.  I get he can be cold and unfeeling because of his past, but I din't think that necessarily made him a terrible person.

I found this book enjoyable because I didn't take it too seriously.  It's fiction.  Lighten up, people.  Sure, I found a few things that rubbed me the wrong way a little bit, but I would not have devoured it had I not found a lot to enjoy despite my little criticisms.  Dare's characters are rich and creative, it's hard not to develop a connection with them; the plots for her books (and overarching series) are lively, exciting, and engaging; her writing style is well above-par for this genre (especially her later works).

Do I recommend this book?  I am a huge fan of Tessa Dare, so of course I do.  I will, however, say you must take this book with a grain of salt.  It is a work of fiction.  It's meant to be fun, so just take it for what it is and enjoy it.  Is this my favorite book by Dare?  No, and it's not even my favorite of the series thus far, but I did like it.  I think the premise for the series is very fun and intriguing.  I'm definitely going to reread the second book in this series next, so be on the lookout for that review!

When a Scot Ties the Knot (Castles Ever After, Book Three): Tessa Dare

"On the cusp of her first London season, Miss Madeline Gracechurch was shy, pretty, and talented with a drawing pencil, but hopelessly awkward with gentlemen.  She was certain to be a dismal failure on the London marriage mart.  So Maddie did what generations of shy, awkward young ladies have done:  she invented a sweetheart.

"A Scottish sweetheart.  One who was handsome and honorable and devoted to her, but conveniently never around.  Maddie poured her heart into writing the imaginary Captain MacKenzie letter after letter...and by pretending to be devastated when he was (not really) killed in battle, she managed to avoid the pressures of London society entirely.

"Until years later, when this kilted Highland lover of her imaginings shows up in the flesh.  The real Captain Logan MacKenzie arrives on her doorstep--handsome as anything, but not entirely honorable.  He's wounded, jaded, in possession of her letters...and ready to make good on every promise Maddie never expected to keep."

You guys...something tragic has happened...I KNOW for a fact that I read the first two books in this series and I went back to read the reviews for those for fun, but they're not here!?  I have both books in my Kindle account and I KNOW I read them (not only do I remember the plots rather clearly, but I can SEE that I finished them, thanks to the tracker on Kindle).  What the heck?!  Man that's really disheartening...  I don't think I've ever just "lost" reviews like that before.  I know I read these books, I know I enjoyed them; I cannot remember when I read them or all of the details.  I may just have to go back and re-read them *gasp* (something I NEVER do) to be able to write decent reviews of these books.

Anyhow, off to my review of this book (hopefully it doesn't ghost on me too).  I was excited to read this book because I specifically remember really enjoying the other two in the series.  I devoured the 376 page paperback in 24-hours...so I think it's safe to say I really, really, really enjoyed this one too. This may well be one of my absolute favorite books by Tessa Dare.  I may have chucked at a few of her books or smiled at a funny or awkward situation, but this one genuinely had me laughing and grinning like an idiot on quite a few occasions.  This reason alone earns this book extremely high marks in my mind.

The plot was tremendously creative and unique.  I am so impressed with Dare's daring (no pun intended) storyline.  There was an enormous chance for it to go very wrong, cheesy, or way too "out there" to be at all believable, but she managed to pull it off with flying colors.

Logan MacKenzie is now up there on my list of favorite male leads.  I love the way Dare wrote his dialogue (I've read quite a few books in which there are characters with Scottish brogues and the ones in this book were some of the most readable and believable ones I've ever read (also, I love the little nod Dare made to the oft over-the-top brogues some authors feel compelled to include - well played, Dare, well played)) and gave him a personality that was definitely more than meets the eye.  I wondered if he would turn out like a few of the male leads in her "Spindle Cove" series (being a soldier with a very strong sense of duty and loyalty to his men), but she made him unique.  I loved his banter with Maddie; it definitely seemed to fit both of their personalities, but his, especially.  I got a very good sense of his character and physical appearance (something I've noted in a few of Dare's older books were a lack of physical descriptions (i.e. hair and eye color) of some of her characters, but she did a very good job of this in this book - for both characters).  I will say that I wanted a tiny bit more of his backstory, but what snippets that were provided were rich enough to suffice and gave me a good sense of how he was shaped into the man he had become.  I found him captivating, endearing, attractive, and a highly-enthralling male lead.

Maddie was sweet.  I loved how Dare included some of the letters she wrote to the imaginary Captain Logan MacKenzie in the very beginning of the book.  It really made the story come alive and said a lot about Maddie's character.  Like Logan, I was a touch worried I would find Maddie, a naturalist sketch artist, too similar to Minerva in Dare's "Spindle Cove" series or Sophia in her "Toby and Isabel" series, but I am happy to report that Maddie was made unique enough so I didn't feel like Dare was "recycling" characters or plots.  I will say that her "flaw" (which I will not directly give away) was a bit similar to one I encountered with a male lead in her "Stud Club" series, though it differed slightly.  I enjoyed Maddie (and I liked her last name; it suited a woman who tended to be as withdrawn and quite as a church mouse - Dare has a knack for having rather appropriately-named characters) and, despite her timid personality, I still found her strong and brave in her own way.

I especially loved the setting.  I got a very good sense of Scotland and the people and politics of the time.  This may be a romance novel, but I can still appreciate a good setting and sense of historical time period.

Overall, I'm so pleased with this book.  The banter between Logan and Maddie was definitely what made the story come to life.  The plot was unique and extremely captivating.  I highly recommend this book and, as always, I am absolutely in love with Dare's writing.  I never want her books to end.

The Virgin's Lover (Tudor Court, Book Six): Philippa Gregory

"Elizabeth I has ascended to the throne of England, a position she has waited and schemed for all her life.  She is surrounded by advisers, all convinced that they know what would be best for the country and certain that a young woman cannot form political judgements.  Elizabeth feels that she can rely on just one man:  her oldest friend, Robert Dudley.  it is soon plain that he is more than merely a friend.  In a house in the countryside waits a very different woman, Amy Robsart -- Robert's wife.  She has no taste for life at court and longs for the day when her husband will return home and attend to his family.  She has loved him since she was a girl, but now they are adults she hardly sees him.  Meanwhile, the pressure grows for Elizabeth to marry, for it is unthinkable that a queen should rule on her own.  Elizabeth's preference is clear, but he is unavailable.  But what if the unthinkable were to happen...  Philippa Gregory blends passion, personalities and politics in this stunning novel of the Tudor court and a country divided."

This installation in Philippa Gregory's Tudor Court series took me a bit longer to read than I thought it would (and I'm not entirely sure why).  I very much enjoyed and appreciated the way in which Gregory tied together all of her prior books (even The Queen's Fool, which focused on the life of a fictional character to insert the readers into the time period and give them a better "insider's" view of Mary and Elizabeth, as well as the time period).  Readers were introduced to Robert Dudley in The Queen's Fool.  While I liked his character there, I found him to be very different in this book - perhaps because the readers are given insight into his mind and machinations instead of a rather biased opinion from a besotted young girl (i.e. Hannah from the book prior to this).  Knowing what I know about the real Robert Dudley (being the British history buff that I am), I found this portrayal to be very interesting and fairly in-line with what I know of him.  I struggled a little bit more with the portrayal of Elizabeth I; maybe because I've seen her presented as a powerful, self-sure woman in a man's world so many times over in both fiction and non-fiction.  This specific portrayal and her character quirks were also introduced in The Queen's Fool, but this book really made them evident.  I understand that Elizabeth was still a young woman when she took the throne, but I have long had such a high opinion of her as a queen that this was occasionally difficult for me to swallow (perhaps this is why it took me so long to read?).  Amy, on the other hand, was the character who garnered all of my sympathies.  I didn't care for her at all in The Queen's Fool, where she was portrayed as irrational, clingy, and borderline-insane (granted, this also came from the point of view of a very young woman (Hannah) who fancied herself in love with Amy's husband).  Maybe she seemed more sane and pitiable in this book because we got to see things from her point of view (I wonder if the difference was intentional on Gregory's part because what madwoman really sees her own madness?).  The amount of loyalty, devotion, and love she felt for Robert regardless of his faults and incessant slights against her - his veritable abandonment of her - was truly heartbreaking.  Gregory's artful juxtaposition of Elizabeth and Amy - two very different women in love with the same man - was extremely well done.  This is, I believe, what made the book a worthy read.  There was still a great deal of politics and religious issues, which - though necessary - made the reading a touch dry at times; however, I will say it did not get quite as dry as The Taming of the Queen (the amount of religious information in that book made it a bit of a struggle at times).  I will have to say that The Other Boleyn Girl is still my favorite of all of Gregory's books.  I can absolutely appreciate the common threads and characters Gregory was able to weave into this series (I especially enjoy seeing Mary Boleyn's daughter and granddaughter in this book).  My disclaimer is this:  The Other Boleyn Girl can be a standalone read for almost anyone, but that is not the case for the rest of the books in this series.  The time period becomes more and more complex and, to understand the subterfuge, familial relations/rivalries/interplay, and have any chance of grasping the politics and religious turmoil, one must read all of the books in this series.  This is not for everyone.  Be prepared to delve very deeply into English politics, policies, and religion(s) - yes, that plural was intentional - when reading these books.  I don't want to scare you away, but simply make you aware that not all of the books in this series are as easy to read as The Other Boleyn Girl...this book included.  I recommend this book as a must-read for the series (it's very interesting to see so many things converge), but I didn't love it as much as others (though I will say I liked parts of it much better than some of Gregory's other books).