The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke: Book Two): Tessa Dare

"HE'S BEEN A BAD, BAD RAKE--AND IT TAKES A GOVERNESS TO TEACH HIM A LESSON

"THE ACCIDENTAL GOVERNESS

"After her livelihood slips through her fingers, Alexandra Mountbatten takes on an impossible post:  transforming a pair of wild orphans into proper young ladies.  However, the girls don't need discipline.  They need a loving home.  Try telling that to their guardian, Chase Reynaud:  duke's heir in the streets and devil in the sheets.  The ladies of London have tried--and failed--to make him settle down.  Somehow, Alexandra must reach his heart...without risking her own.

"THE INFAMOUS RAKE

"Like any self-respecting libertine, Chase lives by one rule:  no attachments.  When a stubborn little governess tries to reform him, he decides to give her an education--in pleasure.  That should prove he can't be tamed.  But Alexandra is more than he bargained for:  clever, perceptive, passionate.  She refuses to see him as a lost cause.  Soon the walls around Chase's heart are crumbling...and he's in danger of falling hard."

What a pleasant way to start the new year:  reading a new book by one of my favorite authors.  And this latest installment in the Girl Meets Duke series took me only a single day to enjoy.  I very much enjoyed the first book in this series and really looked forward to reading the second.  Unfortunately, at that time, it hadn't been released yet.  So I had to wait...and it felt like forever (when it was really only a few months) and I was thrilled when I finally got my hands on a copy of "The Governess Game".  There is little I love more than an excellent series with recurring characters who were once secondary and now have books of their own -- especially when those characters are vivid, lively, unique, and have very strong personalities.

We first met Alexandra and (very briefly) Chase in Emma and Ash's story, "The Duchess Deal".  Alexandra is presented as rather quiet, extremely intelligent, and devoted to her work.  The glimpse of Chase we are given hints that he's in charge of small girls -- though why, we do not know -- and that he's a devilishly handsome flirt.  This book stayed true to that information, though Alex really seemed to find her voice.  I'm glad because a shrinking flower rarely makes a fantastic female lead.  Alex turned out to be determined and interesting, with a very unique and captivating backstory.  I really enjoyed how she handled her accidental position as governess and her reaction made it much more realistic.  I appreciated her methodical thought processes and her determinedness to give Daisy and Rosamund what they so desperately lacked.  Her unconventional tactics were charming and lent an air of fun and fantasy to the story.

Chase was, for the most part, a very good male lead.  I thoroughly enjoyed his personality and his very quick wit.  I believe I said something very similar about Ash; I think Dare has really perfected the art of the charming, intelligent, humorous male lead without making him seem too goofy or macho.  This is one of the things that can really make or break a story in this genre.  So many think it's easy to write good romance (even my husband -- who rarely takes note of my reading materials -- has mentioned that he thinks books of this genre are far too common), but these critics have no idea what it takes to write really captivating male leads.  It takes another level of author entirely to write excellent romance.  They key is to make the readers fall in love with the characters.  To be able to write unique characters (and not simply spout out very slightly different versions over and over again because the formula works) is an art.  I know I can hear some scoffs out there, but I assure you that I've read enough books -- both romance and other genres -- to say that it is not as easy as one might believe to craft characters with whom the readers can truly connect on numerous levels.  Chase is a good example of this.  He has a good backstory and a complicated life.  While there was a good portion of the book from his point of view, I felt like a vast majority of it was dedicated to his feelings about Alex or his past/present/future as it might relate to or impact her.  I can understand the rationale behind his decisions, but he bordered ever so slightly on a dramatic martyr.  This is, perhaps, one of my only critiques.  I just wanted a touch more about his personal life or experiences -- not necessarily solely as they related to Alex.  What were some of his hobbies -- other than perfecting the libertine arts?  I found his personality charming (as charming as the rake was intended to be) and his humor was fun to experience.  By far the quick banter between Chase and Alex had to be one of my favorite aspects of this book.  He was a man after my own heart with his subtle caring ways and his willingness to play along with Daisy's penchant for holding funerals for her beloved doll after gruesome "illnesses."

Daisy and Rosamund were, quite obviously, the most prominent secondary characters.  And I found them spectacular.  They were quick little girls who were bruised by their past and reluctant to open their hearts.  Some might feel them a bit over the top (I'm referring to the repeated doll funerals), but I had cousins just about their ages exactly and I can tell you that these were some rather perfect characters.  Their precociousness and knack for trouble made them fun, but their unique personalities and fascination with "unwomanly" things made them special.  They suited the plot and the other characters quite well.  I was charmed by their determined little spirits and their delightful torture of their guardian and governess(es) -- yes, that was intentionally plural.

We also see Nicola, Penny, Emma, and Ash once more.  Emma and Ash seem to have settled quite nicely into their marriage (yay!  I do so love happy endings); Penny is her usual, animal-loving self; and Nicola is baking away and tinkering -- ever protective of her friends.  I've some reason to believe Penny's will be the next in the series and, with her trusting and open-hearted nature, that could make for a very interesting story, indeed

I absolutely recommend this book; was there ever a question that I wouldn't?  As much as I've always loved Dare's writing, I think it's only continuing to get better.  Her characters are becoming even more alive and their stories are fun and unique.  Her writing has a way of drawing you in and you never want to put the book down.  My only regret is that I finished reading this book so darn quickly.

The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke, Book One): Tessa Dare

"WHEN GIRL MEETS DUKE, THEIR MARRIAGE BREAKS ALL THE RULES...

 

"Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury's to-do list has been short and anything but sweet:  brooding, glowering, menacing London ne'er-do-wells by night.  Now there's a new item on the list.  He needs an heir--which means he needs a wife.  When Emma Gladstone, a vicar's daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that she'll do.

"His terms are simple:

They will be husband and wife by night only.
• No lights, no kissing.
• No questions about his battle scars.
Last, and most importantly...  Once she's pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again.

"But Emma is no pushover.  She has a few rules of her own:

• They will have dinner together every evening.
• With conversation.
• And unlimited teasing.
• Last, and most importantly...  Once she's seen the man beneath the scars, he can't stop her from falling in love."

And we're back to Tessa Dare!  This is her newest book and I was SO excited to start reading it.  I've plowed (no pun intended) my way through the rest of her books and was desperate for some new reading material.  Dare is easily my favorite period romance author.  I have some others whom I very, very much enjoy, but none quite so much as Dare.  Her characters always manage to charm me with their quirks and their extremely unique personalities.  Dare is one author I could never accuse of "recycling" plots or characters; each is so individualistic that I find this to be her trademark.  She writes unique, powerful characters -- each with their own mannerisms, speech patterns, and appearances.  One of my favorite aspects of her writing is probably the fact that she imbues each of her characters with some sort of "flaw," whether it be physical, emotional, or psychological.  This book was no different.

I'm about halfway through this book and Ash has very quickly become one of my favorite characters of all time.  His personality and penchant for Shakespearean insults are spectacular.  I will say that some of his (more comedic) comments thus far feel a bit more "modern" than I am used to in a period book, but I still found them incredibly amusing.  His wit and sense of humor are wonderful.  It took me a minute to understand just why he spoke so archaically, but, once I did, I appreciated him all the more.  It's no secret that he's horribly scarred from his accident at war.  I very quickly saw this book as a variation on Beauty and the Beast, but there is so much more to this book than that...think Beauty and the Beast meet Batman.  This sounds utterly absurd, I know, but you'll understand what I mean once you read it.  I picked up this book believing I would find another physically-and-emotionally damaged, gruff, surly male hero, but I have discovered so much more in Ash.  His character is so refreshing and so very different from the stereotype I was anticipating.  This is not to say that there's anything horribly wrong with the stereotype, just that I am extremely pleased to have encountered such a different hero.  Of course, Ash certainly is physically and emotionally damaged, but it's how he handles his life and his encounters that is so fun (not a very good word, but oh well) and enjoyable to read.

I really enjoy Emma thus far.  She's so spunky and I particularly appreciate that she's so far outside the realm of a "shrinking miss" that they're not even on the same continent.  This needed to happen for the plot to work and for her to match Ash's very powerful personality.  His character very easily could have overpowered his female counterpart in the story, but Dare has managed to make a very nice pairing with both their backgrounds and personalities.  Her backstory is rich and I can believe that it helped to shape her into the woman she was when she met Ash.  Having just read another story with a vicar's daughter as the female lead, I can confidently say that I enjoyed this rendition a bit more.  She felt more human and flawed.  Granted, Emma and the other female lead had very different backgrounds and experiences with their families, so this probably played a big role.  As a character, Emma successfully bridged the chasm between vicar's daughter and romantic lead -- things I, personally, have never really felt went together well.

The reading continues onward and I'll return with the completion of my review.

***

So I ended up devouring the rest of the book mere hours after finishing the first part of this review.  Ash is easily the best male lead I've encountered in a very, very long time -- if not my all-time favorite.  His sense of humor was absolutely charming and wholly unexpected.  He's a goofball.  (I suspect I may have enjoyed him so much because it reminds me a bit of my husband -- he can be very gruff and abrasive sometimes, but he's a totally different man and his personality really shines when it's the two of us and he's comfortable and can just be himself.)  He feels a great deal younger than he actually is, which was rather fun.  I was still completely enamored of his use of Shakespearean insults, even at the end of the book.  While his damaged body, mind, heart, and soul were a huge part of who he was, I sincerely appreciate the lengths Dare went to in order to make him more than just the sum of his broken parts.  He was SO much more than another beast waiting for his beauty to heal him and make him whole; to show him that he was worth loving.  His personality was outstanding and really made this book a success.

Emma, as I suspected, turned out to be the absolutely perfect foil for Ash.  She remained fiery and determined, no matter the circumstances.  She was strong and willful, romantic and sweet.  She was going to prove to Ash that she was attracted to every single thing about him -- whether he liked it or not.

There are a few good twists and turns in this book that kept the plot moving along at a very pleasant clip.  The Monster of Mayfair was a particularly fun aspect and I'm sticking to my earlier statement that this book is Beauty-and-the-Beast-meets-Batman.  It makes complete sense once you read the book...I promise.

I already CANNOT wait to read the next book in this series.  The premise was already put into place in this story and we were introduced to some fantastically unique female characters in this book -- I can only expect that Dare plans on creating a story for each of them.  I'm already itching to get my hands on the next story!

Dare has once again solidified her place as one of my favorite (if not my VERY favorite) author of this genre (or even in general).  This is supremely high praise and I don't think it is overblown in the slightest.  Her characters are rich, charming, and easy to love.  She imbues each and every last one of them with personalities and quirks which really bring them to life.  Her plots are exciting, unique, and steamy.  The romance is believable and fun.  I am absolutely enamored of her writing style and creativity.  I simply cannot say enough about Dare and I HIGHLY recommend her to anyone who is a fan of period romance, or is even just interested in this genre.

EDIT:  I forgot to add one of the main reasons I enjoyed Emma so much...  I mentioned before that she's no shrinking miss, but I failed to mention just how naughty she is.  As opposed to feeling over the top or bordering on just plain erotica (usually where there is very little substance to the characters), it was fun and playful!  She wasn't afraid of experimentation, nor did she shy away from Ash's appetites.  While the mentality was probably a bit more modern, it was SO refreshing.  I didn't realize how tired I'd grown of cautious women who shirk away from anything but the most vanilla of acts.  Few characters (and authors) can pull this off with such ease and believability:  Emma and Dare are the perfect example of this.

Any Duchess Will Do (Spindle Cove: Book Four): Tessa Dare (UPDATED)

This is now the second iteration of my updated review of this book.  The organizer in me hated the fact that I wasn't getting "credit" for re-reading this book in my post tally because I'd originally just tacked on my updated review to the original post from 12/28/2013.  The updated review was added 02/10/2018, so I'm not going to get credit for it in my February posts, but at least I'll get credit for it in my 2018 posts.  The original review can be found HERE.  Below, you will find the updated review from my reading in February.  Enjoy!

I thought I'd continue with my Tessa Dare reading and re-read the very first book I'd read by her (especially because Griff and Pauline made an appearance in another short story I recently read.  I enjoyed this book just as much - if not more - this time around.  I still found the interactions between Griff and his mother to be excellent.  They're a fun and witty duo.  While moments are a bit silly and absurd, I think this is one of Dare's most poignant and moving stories.  Pauline has had a rough life, to say the least.  Griff certainly takes the cake for most-reformed rake and, I also feel, for one to he most moving and tragic backstories in all of Dare's books.  Dare has a knack for making you truly care about her characters, but I don't think there's been a story quite so gut wrenching.  Pauline is still a great female lead.  I really enjoy her spunk and tenacity.  While I found the blossoming romance between Griff and Pauline to be well-written, enthralling, and believable, I still found the overarching plot (i.e. Griff's mother's plotting and scheming) a bit far-fetched.  I suppose the premise of the entire series (Spindle Cove) is a little "out there," so maybe I'm not being fair or I'm a bit hypercritical.  Regardless, I continue to be enthralled by Dare's writing style, her amazing characters, creative and imaginative stories, and extremely passionate romance.  This book - as it also brought back some other memorable characters - has made me curious to re-read others in the series  I think this continuing desire to to re-read Dare's works truly speaks volumes about just what a spectacular author I believe her to be.  I never re-read books...though it would seem Dare is changing my ways.  In general, I think this book fit in very will with this series.  It's another great work by Dare and I certainly recommend it as a part of this lovely, whimsical series (just be sure to read the series in proper order!).  Happy reading!

Do You Want to Start a Scandal (Spindle Cove: Book Five, Castles Ever After: Book Four): Tessa Dare

"On the night of the Parkhurst ball, someone had a scandalous tryst in the library.

"Was it Lord Canby, with the maid, on the divan?  Or Miss Fairchild, with a rake, against the wall?  Perhaps the butler did it.

"All Charlotte Highwood knows is this:  it wasn't her.  But rumors to the contrary are buzzing.  Unless she can discover the lovers' true identity, she'll be forced to marry Piers Brandon, Lord Granville--the coldest, most arrogantly handsome gentleman she's ever had the misfortune to embrace.  When it comes to emotion, the man hasn't got a clue.

"But as they set about finding the mystery lovers, Piers reveals a few secrets of his own.  The oh-so-proper marquess can pick locks, land punches, tease with sly wit...and melt a woman's knees with a single kiss.  The only thing he guards more fiercely than Charlotte's safety is the truth about his dark past.

"Their passion is intense.  The danger is real.  Soon Charlotte's feeling torn.  Will she risk all to prove her innocence?  Or surrender to a man who's sworn never to love?"

One word to describe this book:  fun.  I was thrilled to see Piers have his own story (I'd been keeping my fingers crossed for as much when I read the story of his former betrothed and his younger brother), as much as I was excited to see the merger of Dare's highly-creative Spindle Cove and Castles Ever After series.  I absolutely adored being able to see the characters and plots coming together.  Charlotte had been a consistent character in many of the Spindle Cove books and Piers had made such an impact in "Say Yes to the Marquess" so I found it thrilling when these seemingly self-sufficient worlds Dare created, collided.  The book was fun, well-paced, and more light-hearted than I expected to find a story with Piers as the male lead.  He was so cool and calculated that I loved seeing the realistic shift in his character as he learned and grew.

Charlotte was a ball of energy; all over the place, messy, disorganized, yet intelligent and endearing.  I liked her a great deal and she was a very believable character.  Sweet, caring, and determined and reckless to a fault, I found her to be an excellent foil to the staid seriousness of Piers.  They were wonderful counterparts to one another.  Piers, on the other hand, was remarkably well-written.  I will say that I found marked "James Bond" influences in his speech and some of his mannerisms -- especially in the latter part of the book, "darling."  However, this didn't deter my enjoyment.  I found the book fun and took it for what it was:  A giant game of "Clue" set in Dare's eloquent, imaginative world with lively characters, amusing situations, and passionate lovers.  The premise of the book, itself, is pretty straightforward, but the complexity and entertainment comes in with the characters she crafts.  As I mentioned, I really enjoyed Charlotte...though I truly believe Piers made this book the success that it was.  Dare managed to craft him in such a way that he 1) stayed true to the Piers I knew from her other book, 2) was allowed to grow and change in a plausible way, and 3) was still supremely sexy and attractive as a male lead, with far more complexity than I was expecting from a Bond-esque character.  The plot is a little bit silly and a couple of the characters are slightly over-the-top, but (remember) it's supposed to be an enjoyable read.  Take it for what it is and you'll love it.

By far, one of my favorite parts of the book was getting to relive anecdotes and revisit characters from both of the series of which this book is a part.  It's no secret how much I enjoy this little "Easter eggs" and I get all giddy excitement whenever an author successfully incorporate such information (by successfully, I mean stays true to the characters I know and love from previous installments in the series.  Another author particularly good at this is Sherrilyn Keyon - she has a vastly-different writing style and a completely different setting/time-period than Tessa Dare, but I wanted to mention her because she's another author noteworthy for writing complex series (see her Dark-Hunter series for an example).

I absolutely recommend this book, but with the disclaimer that you ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY MUST be current on BOTH the Spindle Cove and Castles Ever After series or you will not be able to appreciate or understand this installment.  It seems silly to say this of a book in this genre, but Dare puts a lot of time and effort in writing her books, weaving a story that is rich and multifaceted, that you really need to follow the reading order in order to do it justice.

Happy reading!

Lord Dashwood Missed Out (Spindle Cove, Book 4.5): Tessa Dare

"A Snowstorm hath no fury like a spinster scorned.

"Miss Elinora Browning grew up yearning for the handsome, intelligent lord next door...but he left England without a word of farewell.  One night, inspired by a bit too much sherry, Nora poured out her heartbreak on paper.  Lord Dashwood Missed Out was a love letter to every your lady who'd been overlooked by gentlemen - and an instant best seller.  Now she's on her way to speak in Spindle Cove when snowy weather delays her coach.  She's forced to wait out the storm with the worst possible companion:  Lord Dashwood himself.

"And he finally seems to have noticed her.

"George Travers, Lord Dashwood, has traveled the globe as a cartographer.  He returned to England with the goal of marrying and creating an heir - only to find his reputation shredded by an audacious, vexingly attractive bluestocking and her poison pen.  Lord Dashwood Missed Out, his arse.  Since Nora Browning seems to believe he overlooked the passion of a lifetime, Dash challenges her to prove it.

"She has one night."

Another little gem by Tessa Dare.  She has a knack for these short, sweet little novellas.  I always tend to approach these less-lengthy works with some reservations:  How could an author possibly make her readers care enough about her characters in such a finite expanse of time, all while developing the story in a way that makes sense and, as a whole, fits in well with the series?  It is no secret that I wasn't the biggest fan of the first novella in the series (there are currently three, counting Lord Dashwood), but this one was quite good - leaps and bounds better.  I can see how it worked out so well with the rest of the series.  Nora is intelligent, self-sufficient, and longs to show women that they should not lose themselves, nor should they apologize for their accomplishments - not to anyone.  I thought that suited Spindle Cove quite well.  I like how she's carved out a life for herself in the "real world" outside of Spindle Cove.  It's nice to see a "spinster" doing so well without claiming a spot as one of the residents of the relative "bubble" of the seaside retreat.  She is proof that Dare believes -- while there is a safe place for everyone -- that everyone can find their niche.  The backstory was understandably and necessarily brief, but Dare did manage to cram enough into this short story to make me care about her characters.  I feel like there could have been so much more to the death of Nora's brother and her acquired fear of riding, but I can understand why she omitted the information. As far as male leads go, I found George extremely likable.  He started out gruff and overconfident.  I thought I would find this overdone or obnoxious, but I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't.  His Dare-trademarked "quirk" was definitely a new one (see my other reviews of Tessa Dare for an explanation of these oft-endearing quirks) and one about which I'm feeling just okay.  I think it's more believable only because George is a cartographer and spent so much time traveling.  I understood the logical explanations with which he provided Nora, but I'm a bit on the fence.  It didn't keep me from liking George or the plot in general, I just think it's worth mentioning.

By far, one of my favorite parts of the book is the fact that we see SO many characters from her other books!  I grinned from ear-to-ear when I realized that Dare was incorporating so many plot threads and amazing personalities.  I liked the framework of the novella, how it jumped around between different points of view.  It certainly made for a well-paced read.

Overall, I read this book very, very quickly.  It was a fun, light-hearted read with mild drama, relatively steamy romance, and fun twists.  This was the definition of short and sweet.

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.

A Lady of Persuasion (Toby and Isabel, Book Three): Tessa Dare

"Tessa Dare spins a witty, wanton tale of passion and conquest, as a reformer and a rake find unexpected love.

"Only one thing could convince Sir Tobias Aldridge, an incorrigible libertine, to profess undying fidelity to a woman he's just met.  Revenge.  What better way to get back at an enemy than by stealing that scoundrel's sister?  Not that Toby finds it a chore, seducing a beguiling, sultry beauty freshly arrived from the West Indies.  When the prize is Isabel Grayson, vengeance is doubly rewarding.

"Isabel is determined to marry a wealthy, powerful lord and become a lady of influence, using her rank and fortune to fight social injustice.  Sir Toby, with his paltry title and infamous reputation, is unsuitable husband material--but he makes her blood race, her heart pound, and her long-buried passions come to the surface. If she can reform the charming devil, she'll get exactly what she craves:  society's respect.  But it's a dangerous gamble.  For if Toby wins this battle of persuasion, Isabel could lose her heart."

Another gem from Tessa Dare!  A Lady of Persuasion is the culmination of this trilogy and I thought it fitting and appropriate.  Dare’s worlds are lately my absolute favorite into which to escape.  She writes such vivid stories and lively characters!  Her style is highly-readable and extremely enjoyable.  She is definitely a notch above even a large number of non-romance authors.  In fact, I would gladly read any book of hers if she decided to branch out and write other genres.  For now, however, I’m very happy to be reading Dare’s romance novels.

I went into this book very happy to finally see Toby get his own story (side note, I really fell in love with the name “Toby” – I struggle a little bit with the proper name “Tobias” because of the Divergent series, but Toby is so sweet).  He was essentially absent from the second book in the series (Sophia and Grey’s book following Sophia’s flight from her marriage to Toby), but he had a larger role in the first book (Jeremy and Lucy’s story where Lucy fancied herself in love with him, but he proposed to Sophia instead).  Toby felt a bit flat in the first book – probably just because he was not actually the “male lead” in that story.  I absolutely loved him in this book, however.  He was charming, witty, fun, intelligent, and devoted; such a dynamic character.  I love seeing characters grow throughout the duration of a story or series.  We were introduced to Isabel (Bel) at the end of the second book in the trilogy; she is the younger sister of Joss and Gray, and Sophia’s sister-in-law.  (The complex character- and family dynamics make for a very interesting overarching plot.)  Personally, I’m not a very religious person, so that little taste of hyper-religious and philanthropic Bel from the second book made me apprehensive about what her part in a romance novel would be and just how much Bel would talk about God.  She seemed so pious and goody-goody that I became nervous that Dare had pigeonholed her too much to make for an interesting “female lead” in the third book.  Thankfully (for my personal tastes, that is) Dare seems to have toned her pious nature down quite a bit for this book.  It certainly helped make the story more palatable and believable.  I came to enjoy Bel's selflessness.  While a bit extreme, it added character and made her quite unique in this genre.

Along the same lines of the other books in this early series of Dares, I've noticed she tends to leave out a lot of physical descriptions that I, personally, find necessary to "play out" the book like a film in my head (and no, I'm not talking about that kind of physical descriptions...).  For Toby, she seemed to rely upon minor physical descriptions from the first book in the series because very little time is spent on his physical description in this book.  I think she mentions his hair color, but I can't recall what color his eyes are.  Bel is only slightly more developed, but, again, I doubt I could recall her eye color if asked.  This is a trend upon which Dare improves in later books (and I can say this from experience).  Personally, I like when authors use these kinds of things to help bring the characters to life.  To be sure, Dare provides her characters with some of the richest backstories I've ever encountered, but I still need a way to be able to shape them in my mind.  She did a great job of this in the second book of this series (likely because of Sophia's artistic eye), slightly less so in the first book, and this third one in the trilogy was the least proficient in this field.

Additionally, I have to note how a little romance for Joss was brought into this book (don't worry, I won't give too much away).  While I liked what Dare did (I really wanted to see Joss come out of his shell), I found myself wondering if its inclusion was because she didn't have enough material for Bel and Toby, or she crammed it into Bel and Toby's story because she knew she couldn't come up with enough for Joss to have his own book.  However, the little snippets were well-placed and broke up some of the tenser parts of the book, which was nice.

As always, Dare provided her fans with an extremely well-written and well-thought-out book.  She has found a lifelong fan in me, to be sure.  I will say this, however:  The conclusion of this book (prior to the epilogue) was awkward.  Jem and Gray (somewhat inexplicably) show up at the official closing of the polls in Toby's borough.  Dare seems to realize the awkwardness and nonsensicalness of this situation and voices it in Jem's bewildered and annoyed commentary.  It's as if she's saying, "I get it, it's strange that all of the men would be here in this place because there's no real reason, but here they are."  I wonder if she was told to write it this way, because their presence was not really integral to the conclusion.  It seemed uncharacteristically awkward for Dare - especially because Jem and Gray didn't even seem to behave as I would have expected them to, given all I'd learned about their personalities from the prior books.  I will say that I really enjoyed the epilogue.  I love a good, clean wrapping-up of a series, and this served that purpose perfectly.  I loved the conversation between Lucy and Toby; it was really amazing to think how differently everything could have turned out had Lucy gone to Toby as she'd intended instead of Jem.  It's amazing how many lives one little decision can change!

Overall, I love Dare's writing.  This book was not one of my favorites of hers, but that should by no means deter you from reading it.  She's eloquent, creative, and captivating.

Surrender of a Siren (Toby and Isabel Trilogy, Book Two): Tessa Dare

"New author Tessa Dare takes passion to the high seas in this steamy tale of a runaway bride and a devilishly disarming privateer.

"Desperate to escape a loveless marriage and society's constraints, pampered heiress Sophia Hathaway jilts her groom, packs up her paints and sketchbook, and assumes a new identity, posing as a governess to secure passage on the Aphrodite.  She wants a life of her own:  unsheltered, unconventional, uninhibited.  But it's one thing to sketch her most wanton fantasies, and quite another to face the dangerously handsome libertine who would steal both her virtue and her gold.

"To any well-bred lady, Benedict 'Gray' Grayson is trouble in snug-fitting boots.  A conscienceless scoundrel who said the seas for pleasure and profit, Gray lives for conquest -- until Sophia's perception and artistry stir his heart.  Suddenly he'll brave sharks, fire, storm, and sea just to keep her at his side.  She's beautiful, refined, and ripe for seduction.  Could this counterfeit governess be a rogue's redemption?  Or will the runaway heiress's secrets destroy their only chance at love?"

I finally get to do my RAIR method again!  (Granted, I’m nearly done with the book, but I’m just going to say this counts because I’m not done yet!)  I was happy to see Sophia get a book of her own.  She was very flat and almost non-existent in the first half of Goddess of the Hunt.  She felt more like a doll than an actual human being; that was, until she and Lucy bonded over Lucy’s budding romance with Jeremy.  I was very surprised by the ending of that book – I hadn’t expected Sophia to run off like she did; especially after Toby finally showed some physical and romantic attention toward her, just as she’d desired.

Sophia is a far more complex character than she seemed in the first book in the series.  Her knack for lying/weaving tales is interesting – if a bit bolder than I would have thought her capable.  This is probably the only thing I find a bit shaky about the story thus far – the ease with which Sophia spins lurid tales.  It is one thing for her to imagine them and make up stories for Lucy, quite another thing for her to tell them to Gray.  I like that “Gervais” made another appearance in this book.  I get that Sophia was drawing a lot of inspiration for her stories from the “dirty” book Lucy had given her, but I think her boldness with some of her audiences was a bit unbelievable

I like Gray thus far.  Unlike Jeremy in the first book, I felt like I got a very good sense of what he looked like from the get-go.  I also appreciate how the descriptions of him are told from the mind of an artist; the details are managed very well and I think they keep very true to Sophia’s mindset and training as an artist.  As for Sophia, I already learned about her from the first book, though I still feel like Dare is doing a good job writing from Gray’s point of view.  She threw in a bit of a character quirk about him (I won’t reveal it here, even though it’s not some jaw-dropping revelation) which, thinking back on it, I realize Dare kept very true to throughout the story.  I’m impressed.  She clearly gives a lot of thought to her characters.

Thus far, I feel like both Sophia and Grey are well-developed characters.  Dare will sometimes develop either her male or female lead more than the other, but she has done a great job of balancing this out in this book.  When she does do this, the chemistry is excellent and it’s so easy to fall into the book and lose yourself.

I’m finding Gray’s self-deprecating behavior and statements a bit annoying.  I struggle with the fact that even I, the reader, don’t think Gray has done things “evil” enough to warrant his poor opinion of himself.  Maybe some worse confession is coming?  I’m not sure, but I’m nearly done with the book and I can’t quite see why Gray thinks he’s such a bad person.  He wasn’t a real pirate, but a privateer and sanctioned by the Crown.  Sure, he was sometimes selfish when it came to his brother, but he’s genuinely trying to make things right and it seems like he’s taken great strides toward doing so.  He’s trying to keep his promises, but I’m sometimes left frowning at the voracity with which he sometimes does this.  I guess his motivation is a little bit unclear and I’m wondering if it will be clarified as I read further.

I really like the book so far.  It’s a fun read and I’m having a difficult time putting it down.  I’m looking forward to finishing it and seeing how everything ends up!

…

Tessa Dare has done it again.  I sincerely enjoy her writing style, her storytelling abilities, her captivating plots, and the vibrant characters she weaves.  As a follow-up to Goddess of the Hunt, I thought this was a very appropriate book.

I will admit that I became a little bit annoyed at both Sophia and Gray.  Gray’s self-deprecating behavior felt a little bit overly dramatic and Sophia’s own self-deprecating behavior was overblown.  However, I will say that I got over this and really enjoyed the book nonetheless.  I realize there has to be some conflict and personality quirks to make the characters believable and create an interesting plot – Dare was only doing what she needed to do in order to create a unique story and (what I feel to be) her trademark captivating characters.  I’m always so impressed with how different her characters are from book to book.  I’ve read quite a few books by Dare (as I’m sure you can tell) and not once have I even sensed a hint of laziness or repetition in the creation of her characters.  This is a pretty remarkable accomplishment and one I think I’ve only ever experienced with Sherrilyn Kenyon’s works (very different branch of the romance novel genre – much darker and more paranormal).  A few authors I’ve read have fallen into this trap where they need to write another book and they recycle traits or personality quirks from other stories; part of me wonders if they always realize they’re even doing this because some of those authors are such prolific writers.  Still, Dare continues to impress me.

Overall, I thought the book was very good.  It’s definitely still one of Dare’s earlier works, but I enjoyed it a great deal nonetheless.  As I mentioned, there were points when I grew frustrated with some of the characters’ adamancy that they were “bad” people.  I never did quite understand why Gray thought himself such a wretched human being.  Sophia’s anxieties were a bit more solidified, but still a tiny bit frustrating.  I loved the chemistry between Sophia and Gray, though.  Gray was a powerful, confident male lead.  Sophia was so much better developed than she was in Goddess of the Hunt (of course, this is to be expected because this is, after all, her book).  I thought the dialogue was witty, the romance was sweet, and the characters were unique.  There was one bit toward the end that literally had me laughing out loud (I’m pretty sure my dogs thought I was crazy), but I won’t give it away so you can all enjoy it as much as I did.  I thought the last two chapters wrapped everything up quite nicely – even if I am a bit “unsatisfied” (for lack of a better word) about how Sophia chose to spend her trust (while a nice gesture, I don’t think it quite fit with everything else).  Sophia was brave, Gray was selfless, and we were introduced to Bel, a.k.a. Isabel – she stars in the final book in this trilogy.  As of right now, I’m a bit unsure about Bel.  While I realize she’s supposed to be selfless and pious, I just don’t see her being much of a romantic heroine at this point in time.  She was too good, too pure, too much a servant of God and missionary-like that I am unsure how Dare is going to pull off the final book.  I have faith in her abilities as an author, though, and that’s what’s driving me to read the final installment in the series.

I don’t think this is much of a spoiler, but I thought I would warn you just in case:  I liked how Lucy was brought back in at the end of the story.  I love seeing former “leads” return in other books in a series; it lends an air of realism and really rounds everything out.  I just thought Lucy might say something about how Sophia had changed because, at the very least, her appearance would be far different from when she’d last seen Lucy – before spending months at sea.  This is a small note, however.

I recommend this book.  Dare obviously did an insane amount of research after she decided to have this book set (at least 95% of it) on a ship.  She used excellent sailing terminology and it really helped to sell the story.  I already have the third book in this series waiting in my purse for me to read on lunch at work today, but I’m torn about whether or not I should dive into it just yet.  I love Dare’s writing, but I don’t know if I necessarily want to plow through this series in the span of a couple of weeks.  I should probably take a break and do some more of my Shakespeare reading for grad school.  While I absolutely love Shakespeare, I think I might love Dare’s writing just a smidgen more.

Goddess of the Hunt (Toby and Isabel Trilogy, Book One): Tessa Dare

“Ever the bold adventuress, Lucy Waltham has decided to go hunting for a husband.  But first she needs some target practice.  So she turns to her brother’s best friend, Jeremy Trescott, the Earl of Kendall, to hone her seductive wiles on him before setting her sights on another man.  But her practice kisses speak a smoldering passion – one that could send all her plans up in smoke.

 

“Jeremy has an influential title, a vast fortune, and a painful past full of long-buried secrets.  He keeps a safe distance from his own emotions, but to distract Lucy from her reckless scheming, he must give his passions free reign.  Their sensual battle of wills is as maddening as it is delicious, but the longer he succeeds in managing the headstrong temptress, the closer Jeremy comes to losing control.  When scandal breaks, can he bring himself to abandon Lucy to her ruin?  Or will he risk his heart and claim her for his own?”

 

I’ve said it before and I am sure I will say it many times in the future:  I love Tessa Dare.  She is easily one of my favorite authors.  It is rare that I encounter an author who is so fun, so readable, and so creative as Dare is.  I enjoy each and every single one of her books that I pick up, and I have a very, very hard time putting them back down.  This is one of Dare’s earliest books and, while I can tell (because I’ve read so many of her books now), it doesn’t make the book any less enjoyable.  Her style has shifted a bit over the years and her characters have become more well-rounded, but the common thread of fun, exciting, creative plots remains.

 

I am thrilled this book is a series because I have really enjoyed a lot of the characters; however, I’m a bit baffled by the fact that I’ve found a couple sources that call the series “Toby and Isabel Trilogy.”  I have no idea who Isabel is after finishing this book, but I’m sure she will come into play eventually.  I have some suspicions, but I don’t want to divulge them just yet.  I also feel like there could even have been a prequel!  Henry, Lucy’s older brother, and his wife, Marianne, seem to be very much in love.  In fact, Jeremy even says his friends’ marriage is a love-match.  They seem rather happily married because Marianne keeps popping out little ones.  I want to know more about them and their story!  Even though Henry rubs me the wrong way as a brother and guardian, I am interested in his character as a man – especially because he steps up in the latter half of the book.  I hope Dare might consider writing a prequel for Henry and Marianne, even though Marianne fell a little bit flat in this book (of course, she didn’t exactly play a major role).

 

As with a few of her other books, I think Dare developed one of her lead characters a little bit more than the other.  In the case of this book, I think Lucy was more developed than Jeremy.  Jeremy had a much better backstory, but his present-self (does that make sense?) was a bit flatter than Lucy’s.  She was all energy, life, and fire.  Jeremy – while I understand Dare was trying to make him into a cold, stoic, monolith of a man, I felt as if I didn’t see nearly as much from his point of view; nor did I quite feel satisfied with the shift into his realization that he did, indeed, love Lucy.

 

Lucy’s pursuit of Toby was amusing.  Her shenanigans – while a little bit over the top – were funny.  (I still find myself asking where in the heck she got the book from which she learned her “seduction” techniques.)  I got a good sense of who Lucy was and Dare gave us information on her upbringing, but I don’t feel as if her backstory was quite as developed as Jeremy’s (as previously stated).  Everyone told me how they thought she felt about missing seasons in Town and not having her “coming out,” but I don’t recall ever really knowing how Lucy felt about it.  Knowing what I do of her character, I think she may well have been fine with it, happy to remain free in the country.

 

Jeremy’s character was developed rather differently.  I don’t think I got a decent sense of what he actually looked like until very late in the book (much later than normal), which felt a bit strange.  I don’t recall even learning his eye color until quite a few chapters in the book.  This was a little bit strange for a book in this genre, which relies so heavily upon its readers’ imaginations and ability to (for lack of a better phrase) “be attracted to” its male leads.  Thinking back on it, I don’t think I got a good description of any of the male characters in this book!  How odd.  I think this may have just been an oversight because it is one of Dare’s earliest published works.  She’s gotten much better about this.  It is because of this that Jeremy remained rather ambiguous in my imagination for quite some time and it felt a bit odd.  I did enjoy his backstory very much.  Dare has a knack for developing male leads who have some powerful, unique backstories; this is something I always find impressive and one of my favorite aspects of her work.  Jeremy (by the way, I adore his nicknames “Jem” and “Jemmy” enough where I have a newfound love for the name and would consider it for one of my as-yet-non-existent-future-children) was a decent character.  I was frustrated with the poor communication he and Lucy shared, but I suppose that means that I genuinely cared about them and I was invested in them – always a good sign.  Bits and pieces of the story were a bit over the top, but I didn’t mind this overmuch.

 

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of Dare’s books; therefore, of course I am going to recommend this one.  I would not go so far as to say that this book was my favorite of hers, but I will say it’s up there on my list.  I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this trilogy (and I’ll keep not-so-secretly hoping for a prequel for Henry).  It is a fun, easy read and Dare is by far one of the best romance authors I’ve ever read.

Three Nights with a Scoundrel (Stud Club, Book Three): Tessa Dare

“In Tessa Dare’s dazzling new trilogy, the men of the Stud Club live and play by their own rules – until passion changes the game.

“The bastard son of a nobleman, Julian Bellamy is now polished to perfection, enthralling the ton with wit and charm while clandestinely plotting to ruin the lords, ravish the ladies, and have the last laugh on a society that once spurned him.  But after meeting Leo Chatwick, a decent man and founder of an elite gentleman’s club, and Lily, Leo’s enchanting sister, Julian reconsiders his wild ways.  And when Leo’s tragic murder demands that Julian hunt for justice, he vows to see the woman he secretly loves married to a man of her own class.

“Lily, however, has a very different husband in mind.  She’s loved Julian forever, adores the man beneath the rakish façade, and wants to savor the delicious attraction they share – as his wife.  His insistence on marrying her off only reinforces her intent to prove that he is the only man for her.  Obsessed with catching a killer, Julian sinks back to the gutters of his youth, forcing Lilt to reach out with a sweet, reckless passion Julian can’t resist.  Can her desire for a scoundrel save them both – or will dangerous secrets threaten more than their tender love?”

I brought this book on my honeymoon back in June (Yes – I’m now a married woman!  Planning a wedding was just one more thing that took up my time over the last year and kept me from posting these reviews!)  This book was an easy read – perfect for lying out on the beach or by the pool while sipping a pina colada or strawberry daiquiri.  (Writing this makes me want to go back…)  I had already enjoyed the first two installments in this trilogy, so it only made sense to bring the third along on the plane and enjoy while winding down from all of the wedding planning chaos.  As always, Tessa Dare’s writing style is pleasant, easy to read, and overall enjoyable.  She makes for a nice author to enjoy if you want a good, mindless, pleasant read.  (This is, of course, not to say that her writing is sub-par in any way; only that she is easy to follow and entertaining.)

As always, Dare has crafted a creative story with interesting characters.  I will readily admit that I was wrong in my assessment of Julian from the first book in this trilogy.  I found him extremely enjoyable and entertaining in this story – the one in which he is finally the male lead.  His chemistry with his female counterpart, Lily, was electric.  I found myself falling for Julian as the story went on (not something a VERY recently married woman should probably admit to happening while she was on her honeymoon!).  He was endearing, surprisingly sweet, and I loved the way he handled Lily’s deafness and his interactions with her.  His dedication to finding Leo’s killers was very honorable.  Contrary to the other books in this series, I found Lily to be equally as strong and interesting a main character.  In the other books, there was either a strongly developed male lead and a less-developed female lead, or visa-versa; this was not the case in this story.  I was just as interested in Lily as I was in Julian.  Once again, Dare has successfully created characters with compelling backstories and unique traits.  Julian’s secret life was creative and interesting; Dare handled it extremely well.  Lily’s deafness was handled so well that I did not feel any pity for her; I saw her as a strong, capable woman.  While Julian was acutely aware of Lily’s deafness, he looked out for her instead of babying her.  I particularly enjoyed the moments where he took advantage of her deafness to tell her everything he didn’t dare say to her face.  Their romance was well-developed and fun to read.

The connecting thread – Leo’s murder and the fate of the Stud Club – obviously remains in this story.  The mystery, however, comes to a very shocking conclusion – one I really did not see coming!  Well done, Dare!  I’m not an easy reader to lead astray and she’s managed to do this two times in this series.  This trilogy is definitely worth the read.