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…
more
Independent women are a theme with Tessa Dare. Alexandra Mountbatten is smart, quirky, and likable. Beautifully written and researched, the story is a study in self forgiveness and the ability to let others love you. It was wonderful to have the Duke of Ashbury make an appearance in this story. Both Ashbury and Reynaud bring the book to life. Who says great things don’t happen in a bookstore?
Absolutely delightful!
Clever, fun read.
This is a very entertaining book. I love how the heroine never gives up
I loved these characters and laughed out loud at the interactions between the two. I didn’t want the story to end, and will definitely read more of Tessa Dare!
In the book the heroine is able to see beyond the physical scars incurred by war to the man with a caring heart. He decides he must wed because he must protect his tenants from his irresponsible heir. The women in the book are not the typical insipid debutants but rather intelligent nonconformists.
Perfection in every way! It is impossible not to fall in love with Emma and Ash. A perfect mix of humor, brilliant dialogue and two main characters who readers will not be able to get enough of, The Duchess Deal is definitely a keeper!
One of the best…..funny….insightful…….happy smart and kind characters. These people would be really good friends of mine
I love Tessa Dare’s funny and entertaining regency romances. Great for Jane Austen fans!
A wonderful book with amazing characters and a great story.
Big fan of Tessa Dare’s books. Looking forward to the 2nd book in this series.
Well written, well crafted, amusing, lighthearted, free of irritating tropes of people acting stupidly … all in all a delightful, fun read
Very good
I loved this book! The two main characters are fabulous. They are both funny, a little bit snarky, and totally fall for each other, but are in denial.
I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this. I loved the story line, the characters, the flow and details, and the amazing wit and charm. This was wickedly entertaining. I loved it!
Oh, words cannot describe how much I enjoyed The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke, #1) by Tessa Dare.
I wasn’t really expecting that much from this and it jumped up and hit me by surprise.
So The “The Duchess Deal” tells the tale of vicar’s daughter turned seamstress Emma Gladstone and The Duke of Ashbury’s “Ash”.
Ash Horribly disfigured after the war needs a wife and heir after his broken engagement and Emma a seamstress but a lady nether the less fits his bill precisely.
But there will be some rules to follow.
.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 sets a few stipulations 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
What follows is nothing short of sublime as Emma wagers one-woman guerrilla warfare against her new unsuspecting husband.
Emma can’t help falling for the grumpy bad tempered Duke and She will Teach Ash the real meaning of Love and care as she falls further down the rabbit hole herself.
So This was a fantastic read not only did it manage to keep my attention I found myself chuckling throughout.
Ash’s intriguing use of language had me grinning from ear to ear.
That original bed scene where it was like a game of blind man’s buff as Ash was feeling around in the dark for Emma was fantastic, so amusing.
Then there was that stray cat Emma just picked up from the street to take with her, lucky cat ay.
And as this story progressed you couldn’t help to fall along with Emma for the gruff, sarcastic stubborn but wholly worthy of love Ash.
It reminded me so much of a beauty and the beast tale just more risque and raunchy as Emma and her Duke proceed to christen all rooms in there home lol.
Ash may be disfigured but without his impairment, Emma and Ash would never have married so maybe it was a blessing in disguise resulting in his happiness and escape from his previous shallow engagement.
The many terms of endearment used throughout “The Duchess Deal” By Emma were brilliant and kept me smiling along.
And the added story of the “Monster of Mayfair” was also quite sad, I felt for Ash but at the same time wanted him to realise he was much more than just his face.
And when Ash did do sweet in his own particular snarky way well just SWOON GIRLFRIEND!!!!
“You are wet, and you are cold. You don’t like being cold. Therefore, I despise you being cold. I would go about murdering raindrops and setting fire to the clouds, but that would take slightly more than an hour. Perhaps even two. So we’re here, and you will cease complaining about it.”
Listen to me talking as if these characters are really real lol.
But that, in my opinion, is the sign of a well-written story that by the time I was finished here I felt I was leaving behind me, two old friends.
I was actually sad to leave Emma and Ash in the background.
But so happy they got to live there very own HEA.
“The Duchess was so refreshing to read and left me with such a happy feeling inside.
I was provided with an ARC of “The Duchess” By Netgalley of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/9460945-bex-beckie-bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
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I love Tessa Dare’s books, this is one more for the list that I will re-read at some future date. If you haven’t discovered Tessa’s work, this is a good place to start, but do not miss her “Spindle Cove” series. Every story is a delight.
Tessa Dare books tend to be hit or miss for me. I found this one very entertaining. The banter between Emma and Ash was clever. I also found the nod to current events enjoyable. I listened to the audio and the narrator did a fantastic job with tone and inflection. I look forward to reading about the other women in her tea group.
Writing: 5 Stars;
Characters: 5 Stars;
Plot: 5 Stars;
Entertaining: 10 Stars;
Read Again? Yes. Yes. Yes!
Total: 5+ Stars;
Perfect. I would not change a single moment in this book. The story was the most entertaining I have listened to in a long time. I was beginning to doubt Tessa Dare, but now all doubts are gone. I think I smiled throughout the book, except for the moments when I laughed and cried.
This book is why I love romance novels. It delivers on comedy, clever repertoire, charming characters, ridiculous situations that somehow are made to make sense in this fantasy world. It is my perfect book. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next one. It better not disappoint.
WARNING for those of you looking for a historically accurate novel with angst and drama that eviscerates your soul: this book is not for you. This story is pure romantic fantasy . Though it touches on some very serious topics, the tone is chiefly light and entertaining. Though some historical events are mentioned, there is no historical accuracy in this book. The behavior of characters is very modern. The intimate scenes are graphic, but not overwhelmingly so.
The characters had me cracking up. It was kind of a beauty and the beast kind of story. You won’t regret reading it.