When girl meets Duke, their marriage breaks all the rules… 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…
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This book was recommended by some reading friends, and I have been looking forward to reading it. It is written in third person from a dual POV. The bedroom is open door and the humor is fabulous.
I was hooked into this book on the first page, and I must say that is a rare occurrence. I love a strong heroine, and Emma is definitely strong. At the same time she has a soft heart that has been broken several times, yet she has not allowed that to harden her optimism. Ash is the perfect grumpy, wounded hero. I love his dry sense of humor when Emma brings it out of him. He has so many insecurities resulting from his disfigurement and previous rejection and I love that Emma sees past the surface and sees the wounded heart of the man under the scars. I love that she challenges him at every turn, forcing him out of his shell. I love that she meets his challenges in the bedroom full on and the chemistry between these two is outstanding. I especially loved when they open up to each other and share their emotional wounds and their dreams. I really love that Ash is so possessive and protective of Emma before he even realizes that his feelings have become involved (despite his best grumpy efforts.)
The characters are well-developed, the writing is superb, and the pacing of the story is just right. I enjoyed the secondary characters and their roles in the story, especially the friendship they bring to Emma and then to Ash. I really loved this book. I will be reading more of the series and definitely will be reading more of this author.
Good original story. Great character building. Not your normal love story. I enjoyed watching the characters get to know each other in this heartwarming story.
I loved this book so much. I wasn’t sure about it going in to be honest, I’ve never read a mass market paperback romance before, honestly because of the stigma that surrounds them. But let me tell you it was just some raunchy story, it was lovely and beautiful and best of all funny. I can’t tell you how many times I laughed at the characters witty banter and turn of phrase.
I’d definitely recommend you try this book or a book in a genre you’ve never tried before because you may just find a gem.
Read for hrreadathon weekend addition 2020
Audiobook Review
Overall 5 stars
Performance 5+++++ stars
Story 5 stars
This book was an absolute delight! I don’t normally read historical romance often, but so many friends recommended this book/series, and it definitely lived up to the hype. This marriage of convenience romance felt very much like a beauty and the beast retelling and I ate it all up. I loved grumpy and ornery Ash and how Emma always challenged and went toe to toe with him. Their banter and chemistry was amazing and it all added up to some very, very sexy times. I really didn’t expect this book to be so hilarious. It was so funny that I actually woke my husband up while listening in bed. The secondary characters were just as wonderful and I loved how Ash’s staff all conspired to have them fall in love. There was just the right amount of drama to hit you in the feels and the epilogue left my heart so full and happy.
I loved the narration by Mary Jane Wells. This is my first time hearing her perform and now need to listen to everything she has ever recorded. Her comedic timing was perfection and she gave each character (male and female) a wonderfully unique voice. I had no problem differentiating between characters and I think her performance truly enhanced the stellar writing. I can’t wait to listen to the next book!
Absolutely love it
I have loved reading Tessa Dare books for some time now. She weaves wit and humour throughout her books and she has a way of making you love her characters. Ash was badly injured by a cannon accident…his fiancé has walked away and darn it, the Duke wants to do the right thing and get himself an heir. Problem is he wants to send who ever he marries away once they are with child. His scars are more than physical…but Tessa makes not just his new Duchess Emma sees the real Ash…now to get Ash to see her and keep her with him always!
So funny!
I lost count of the number of times I laughed out loud during this audiobook! The narration by Maryjane Wells was outstanding, one of the best I’ve ever heard! The story was fun, sweet, emotional, smart, and sexy. All the things I love in a romance!
I’m such a sucker for this series. It’s fun, swoony, and delightfully sexy. Banter, tension, laughs, and a feel good happily ever.
This is the best kind of historical romance to read—a witty, hot, love story that delightfully captures the life, language, habits, and attitudes of times but which also wrenches free human realities that transcend historical period. While there was plenty about the time period—peerage and society and gender roles and class—the lesson that Dare drilled into you was the timeless truth that relationships make us vulnerable, healing is hard, and both companionship and love can find us unexpectedly.
Yes, there’s an element of wistfulness, to make these women confined to such a sexist time, as empowered and feisty as they are (while I know they existed, those women had very very hard times in society), but it’s a powerful reclaiming of western civilization’s sordid reliance on patriarchy. As a feminist, a modern woman, a lover of literature, it’s delightful to travel back in time and read fictional women living and thinking and talking as women back then *should* have been empowered to. This was—I cringe to admit it—my first Tessa Dare, but I know it won’t be my last. Also: the audio is gold! She brings out the humor, comedic timing, and sparkling wit even more. I went back and forth between mass-market paperback and audio, and it was an absolute delight.
“Most times, a girl needed to rescue her self.
Tonight, Emma would be her own fairy godmother, her own dashing prince. Even her own knight in shining armor – or rather, her own lady and a sparkling gown.
She could do this.”
“He made a silent vow to her – and to himself – that he would never hide the scars again. The entirety of his wretched past had led to this moment, and to deny them would be to deny her. Others might view the scars as his ruin. Ash knew the truth. They were his making. And Emma was his salvation.”
Laugh out loud funny, heartwarming, emotional read. Wonderful characters. Loved it! Can’t wait for the next book in the series…a true beauty and the beast storyline with a twist. This book will definitely become a keeper on my shelf!
Prepare to be Besotted
The Duchess Deal is filled with wit, humor, charm, intelligence, and passion. I was overjoyed by the great world building and character arcs. There is sexual tension and verbal sparring that palpate from the pages. Comic relief is brought to life via meddling servants, quirky friends, and a cat named Breeches. Emma is a fierce and resilient heroine. The Duke of Ashbury is loyal, protective, and guarded. These two vulnerable souls are an absolutely exquisite match.
A war hero horribly scarred by a misguided rocket, and a poor, jaded seamstress. What could possibly go wrong?
When Emma shows up at the Duke of Ashbury’s home to demand payment for a wedding dress she made for his ex fiance Ash offers to make her his Duchess instead. There are rules of course, no kissing, and once Emma falls pregnant she will be sent to the country.
That is where any similarities to other Regency romances end. Tessa Dare is a new to me author, and I’m already in love with her! Her side characters, plot and witty writing style take what might be a normal historical romance and add a layer of humor, love, and action not often found.
There were several scenes with The Monster and The Menace that had me laughing until I cried, and Emma’s friends are awkwardly hilarious! On top of all that Ash is that perfect mixture of brooding, hurt, sexy AF hero that has been missing love for far too long. Emma is one of the best Regency heroines I’ve read in a long time. Sweet, kind, and always ready with a spicy retort.
Tessa Dare made me fall in love with historical romance again, and The Duchess Deal is definitely 5 material!
OMG Loved it. Light, funny, charming, heartbreaking and heartwarming. Laughed out loud in several places. Whimsical, clever dialogue. So happy and satisfied at their HEA, I might go back and read it again immediately…On my 2017 Favourites List.
Oh, Tessa Dare how I have missed you…
[…]From his expression, one would think she’d suggested nightly abdominal surgery. Performed with a knitting needle and a spoon.
Tessa Dare. The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke #1) (Kindle Locations 767-768). Harpercollins. Kindle Edition.
One of my absolute favourite historical regency authors of all time. Her books are always so full of comedy – she comes up with the most humorous things, like when our dear Duke of Ashbury here, only blasphemes with swear words from Shakespeare!
[..]You. You crusty botch of nature. You poisonous bunch-backed toad.[…]
Tessa Dare. The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke #1) (Kindle Locations 2826-2827). Harpercollins. Kindle Edition.
I was laughing so hard at times I had to wipe my eyes!*g*
This book is about conquering your fears, overcoming life’s obstacles and to learn to trust again – after you have been so severely hurt, in our Duke’s case he was severely injured at Waterloo (view spoiler) and when he came home and after over a year of recovering – he was treated most appalling by his then-fiancé. :'(
We meet dear Emma, the daughter of a Vickar, turned seamstress. Their very first encounter had me in stitches and sold from the beginning – I mean what is more romantic than your hard work being called unicorn vomit? *g*
“I can’t even take the whole thing in. It looks like unicorn vomit. Or the pelt of some snow beast rumoured to menace the Himalayas.”
Tessa Dare. The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke #1) (Kindle Locations 116-117). Harpercollins. Kindle Edition.
The whole book is full of fantastic interactions between our couple. A deal is struck – but can they keep to it?
The Duke of Ashbury is by far a very interesting character – he’s got a lot of what I would call “gallows humour” and he’s also a bit full of himself in the start, haha.
But to quote him: He’s a Duke. *g*
A book series I highly recommend. It’s light, humoristic, it’s def. saucy and has GREAT steamy sheet scenes – sometimes not even making it to the bed 😉
Emma gets some great friends, though def. peculiar for the time period, but strong women none the less – and we follow them later in the series, her friend Alexandra, for example, is in our main female hero in book 2: The Governess Game
If I could give this book 10 stars I would – but alas I have to give it “only” 5.
A must-read!
You KNOW I love Tessa Dare…she does dialogue (including internal) better than anyone else I know. An awesome start to a new series!
I think I have mentioned this before, but I am not a historical romance kind of gal. I remember trying to read them when I used to spend the summers with my grandma. She was a fan and had them laying around everywhere. I was probably too young to read them, but it helped past the time. Don’t judge. The first thing I noticed was they usually had the same plot – an incredibly young virginal girl forced to wed to some rich asshat. I never understood the appeal. Oh, and the love scenes were cringe-worthy. Throbbing member and sweet nectar should never, ever be used to describe the human anatomy. |shivers|
While it seems that arranged marriages, rich asshats, and war will always be a big part of historical genre, I will be able to stomach it as long as they feature a heroine like Emma. She was wonderful. She had goals. She had a independent nature that I adored. She had a heart that had gotten her into trouble, but she never stopped loving. She was smart. I could literally go on and on.
Her beast, as I like to call him, was extra snarky – just how I like ’em! He was a wounded war vet that was in need of a bride. So when sassy Emma appeared wearing a wedding dress, Ash knew that he had to have her. Why was she wearing a wedding dress? Well, why don’t you read it and find out! Their chemistry was palpable from the their first meeting. They had a ton of quick witted conversations that I loved. I was rooting for Emma to break through to Ash. I had absolutely no doubts that she would because she was brilliant!
I also really enjoyed the cast of characters and the whole vigilante subplot. It was very unexpected, and I loved how much it added to the story. Oh, and the love scenes didn’t include any weird metaphors for the human anatomy. YES!
So it seems like I may have judged this genre a little too hard. I am not sure when I will pick up another, but I now know that I can trust Tessa Dare to deliver a good story!
Thanks to Melanie and Monique for the recommendation. xx –
4 STARS!
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For a Beauty and the Beast story, a tale as old as time, he’s not much of a Beast. Halfway through their first amusing encounter, I took a look at the cover and saw Tessa Dare as the author. So okay that made sense and apparently I need to read more Tessa Dare.
Not much to say about the story as “Beauty and the Beast” pretty much covers it, but the banter and wit, especially from Beast, is sparkling and fun.
“How did you know where to find this shop?” she asked, suspicious. “Did you follow me?”
“I am a duke. Of course I didn’t follow you. I had you followed. It’s an entirely different thing.”
*******************
He straightened, arching a sardonic eyebrow. A fortunate thing, that he still had one eyebrow intact. What was being a duke, if not arching a sardonic eyebrow?
*******************
“Your Gra—” She broke off mid-syllable, frowning. “What do I call you now? Not Your Grace, surely.”
“Ashbury. Or Duke, if you must be more familiar.”
The h propositions proposes within minutes of meeting the heroine who thinks he’s crazy. Once married, just like the Disney version, the servants are in full support of the heroine winning the H’s heart and plot to get them to fall in love. The servants are disappointingly all in human form.
A cock-blocking cat, “Where did you acquire this pestilent, mewling jackanapes?”, a rare hero who loved and admired his father,
“He was a wise man. A good man. I may not be a wise or good man, but I at least possess a sense of duty. His legacy, and everything and everyone he protected, has fallen to me. I won’t let that wither and die.”
“And you still draw your curses from Shakespeare.” “I try, in speech at least, as a way to honor his memory.
And an evil OW without whom the heroine would never have married the hero.
The hero walks London at night and reports of the Monster of Mayfair are reported as he does such evil deeds of rescuing ladies of the night and in general defends the defenseless. He also picks up a wannabe protege named Trevor that admires his nightly adventures that the H can’t seem to shake. I wonder if Tessa dare isn’t poking a little fun at the Ghost of St. Giles from Elizabeth Hoyt’s Maiden Lane series.
Intense romance/sex scenes, humor without being too cutesy and just a very fun read.
Historical romance used to be my favorite sub genre of romance but it’s really been hit or miss for me these days. But Tessa Dare never let’s me down!
This book was fantastic! Usually when the hero has a ‘unlovable complex,’ it’s for some dumb reason that makes me roll my eyes. But Ash’s physical appearance and the way his ex-fiance treated him, is a completely valid reason for his beastly behavior and constant stubbornness.
I found the heroine to be his perfect match. She pushed when he pulled and vice versa. She never really saw his scars. She had a very interesting background as well and I liked her character growth in coming to terms with how a father should be, even though hers was horrible.
The sexy scenes were very sexy! And there were quite a few of them, so if you’re not into that, skip this one. There’s four uses of the f word, one right after the other in the third to the last chapter.
I can’t wait to start the next book!
This was one fine book. I haven’t laughed so hard over a story in Victorian setting in a while. There is Emma the seamstress who is beautiful, gentle-bred, has wits about her and is NOT a doormat. And of course there is our soul-tortured duke Ash who despite being a complete hot mess at being the monster he claims to be is frankly a decent man with big self esteem issues. Since in Victorian times vanity thy name was every noble in existence his battle scarred appearance was a source of great torment for him and in turn his entire household. I loved his servants and how they conspired to bring those two together. Some moments were truly something else.
All in all this was a very entertaining read with well-developed and well-rounded characters, some nasty naysayers and a possible rescue goat. It was amusing, steamy and witty. It was also heart-breaking, romantic and sweet. (I would have rebelled if anywhere there was a phrase like “his hot rod filled her love grotto with his juices as he exploded in a fit of passion” – thank goodness this author didn’t disappoint in this). I highly recommend it!
There are no words I could type that would do this book justice. Suffice it to say, the only thing I’m unhappy about is that it took me so long to read this book! I devoured this book in just a few hours. The dialogue was witty (seriously, does anyone write funnier historical romance?), the characters were perfectly imperfect, and the story has left me feeling like all is right with the world. As a reader, I couldn’t ask for a better escape when I open up a new book! This book deserves more than 5 stars!