Author: Tessa Dare
Series: Girl Meets Duke
Series: Girl Meets Duke
Publication Date: August 22, 2017
Rating: ★★★★½
Synopsis via Goodreads: 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…
GUESS WHO POPPED HER HISTORICAL ROMANCE CHERRY?
Before I get into my review, I want to give a shout out to Nick who convinced me to give historical romances a try and now has me eating my words. When I say that I never thought I'd see the day where I marked a historical romance as 'read' on my shelf, I mean it. I've always avoided these types of romances because the cover were too cheesy for my liking and romances with fair maidens and charming princes just didn't appeal to me. Also, with it being 'historical' romances, I thought there would be a lot of politics involving high society and politics in romances are another turn-off for me. Like I said, I'm now eating my words because pretty much all the preconceived notions I had about historical romances ended up being wrong and I'm kicking myself in the ass for not giving the genre a chance in the first place. *Insert Nick saying '"I told you so".*
The Duchess Deal is a historical romance with Beauty and the Beast vibes that follows a broody Duke and a sassy-mouthed seamstress. After his ex-fiancée calls off their wedding, the Duke of Ashbury becomes desperate to find a new wife who will produce his heir. When Emma Gladstone comes marching into his home wearing the wedding dress she had designed for the Duke's future wife, he decides that she will do and proposes an arrangement. But when a spark is ignited between the pair, rules will be broken and a marriage of convenience will end up becoming an inconvenience
It only took one chapter for me to the change how I felt about historical romances, and no I'm not being dramatic...THIS BOOK IS JUST THAT GOOD! The Duchess Deal has just about everything I look for when it comes to finding the "perfect" romance. From the flawless writing to the humorous banter to the eclectic cast of characters, this story will suck you in from the start. Tessa Dare is witty as hell and she absolutely slays at writing sassy banter. I may have spit out my water a few times from laughing too hard, but seriously, don't mess with Emma because she has a comeback for everything. I also adored the secondary characters in this book because they are all schemers. They were forever plotting ways to get Ash to fall for Emma because like me, they too wanted to see them happy and together.
Ash and Emma are kindred spirits of the sorts as they've both been rejected by the people they loved. Emma was put out of her home at a young age for her behavior that was deemed "rebellious" by her father who is a vicar. Being on her own at such a young age has made her guarded when it comes to love. After a war injury left half his body burned and scarred, Ash becomes reclusive and finds it very hard to trust people as he fear that they will judge him on his physical appearance. Their past experiences is what makes this romance so epic because we get to see these two guarded hearts find an unconditional love where they are accepted for all their flaws. Ash and Emma deserve y'all. After everything they've been through, they truly deserve all the happiness life has to offer. They are #OTPGoals and I need more of them.
Also, can I just say I totally underestimated the sexy times in historical romances. I was wondering how this couple was going to get wild with all this tulle and frill in the way, but clearly that ain't a problem for these two. Like who knew a lil flash of the ankle could be a turn on?? If someone had told me sexy times in HRs were so scandalous, I probably would've read the genre sooner.
The Duchess Deal may be the first historical romance I've read, but it most certainly won't be my last. This genre is my new crack and I need more of these types of romances. The hype is definitely no overrated when it comes to this new release so if you're like me and you're looking to dip your toes into historical romance, The Duchess Deal is the perfect book to start with.
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