In One Dance with a Duke—the first novel in Tessa Dare’s delightful new trilogy—secrets and scandals tempt the irresistible rogues of the Stud Club to gamble everything for love. A handsome and reclusive horse breeder, Spencer Dumarque, the fourth Duke of Morland, is a member of the exclusive Stud Club, an organization so select it has only ten members—yet membership is attainable to anyone with … attainable to anyone with luck. And Spencer has plenty of it, along with an obsession with a prize horse, a dark secret, and, now, a reputation as the dashing “Duke of Midnight.” Each evening he selects one lady for a breathtaking midnight waltz. But none of the women catch his interest, and nobody ever bests the duke—until Lady Amelia d’Orsay tries her luck.
In a moment of desperation, the unconventional beauty claims the duke’s dance and unwittingly steals his heart. When Amelia demands that Spencer forgive her scapegrace brother’s debts, she never imagines that her game of wits and words will lead to breathless passion and a steamy proposal. Still, Spencer is a man of mystery, perhaps connected to the shocking murder of the Stud Club’s founder. Will Amelia lose her heart in this reckless wager or win everlasting love?
From the Paperback edition.
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Delicious!
I’m so in love with Tessa Dare’s books! This one was especially wonderful! Spencer Dumarque loves his horses above all else, but he knows he needs to make a good impression in society for the sake of his young ward, so he dances one set at midnight with a young lady of the ton, thus earning his reputation as the Duke of Midnight. …
An Insufferable Duke
Lady Amelia’s brother owes the Duke of Moreland four hundred pounds. Determined to take care of his debt, Amelia approaches the “Duke of Midnight” for a waltz to negotiate payment. Before the night is over, Amelia finds her self in the middle of the Stud Club, a murder and an offer of marriage. On the shelf, Amelia isn’t …
This was fun and an okay read. The pacing was a bit slow but managed to gather itself halfway through. The two leads’ chemistry wasn’t what I expected.
This story did set up the following book characters quite nicely though.
The heroine of One Dance With a Duke is a loving, smart, almost-spinster who isn’t afraid to speak her mind. Especially not to the Duke of Midnight, who has a fearsome reputation but actually just doesn’t like crowds. I love the mutual respect that instantly builds between these two as well as how much of their bond comes from caring for other …
I’m a fan of Tessa Dare. This historical starts off exactly how you’d expect. A wallflower has had enough of taking care of a scoundrel brother, so when “the Duke of Midnight” walks into the dance and her brother owes him money, she walks up to the duke and demands a dance with the intention of reclaiming her brother’s debt. One dance later, their …
This is the first book in a 3-book series. A great story- the author has developed the characters into very interesting people and sets the tone for the next two books. The story was entertaining and included a few unexpected twists. A really good read!
I highly recommend this book. Both the hero and heroine are such amazing full people, and you can really see the connection between them. The story is good, the romance sweet, and the supporting characters are fantastic. But my favorite part is the creative ways the author creates the relationship between the two characters. The card games are …
I loved it!
Loved, loved, LOVED this book! I had a smile on my face from page one. Swoony, romantic, funny … my kind of book!
This is actually 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I enjoyed the romance in this book even though the plot seems a bit muddled to me and the murder isn’t ever solved. Even though it was explained, I never understood why Spencer used such a secretive way of getting the horse he wanted. That whole part of the story just didn’t make sense to me.
Then, …
This book was not a great read for me. The characters had potential but left me deflated, I wanted more intrigue. Several plots were introduced but not developed. The murder takes place in chapter one, mentioned throughout the entire book, and who did or the why is never resolved, very disappointing. There are three books in this series and I …
Really enjoyed this one.