A Lady of Persuasion (The Wanton Dairymaid Trilogy, #3)

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A Lady of Persuasion (The Wanton Dairymaid Trilogy #3)

by Tessa Dare (Goodreads Author)

3.45 of 5 stars 3.45 · rating details · 975 ratings · 114 reviews

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 the scoundrel’s sister? Not that Toby finds it a chore, seducing a b...more

Paperback, 345 pages

Published September 29th 2009 by Ballantine Books (first published September 22nd 2009)

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Apr 11, 2012 Dinjolina rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, drama-queens, historical-romance, lite-romace, pretentious-read, love-your-fellow-man, moron-hero, stupid-plot-development, took-me-a-while-to-read, why-did-i-do-it

Well...
I loved the first two books.
And Toby?
I just could not wait to read about him!

But Bel annoyed me so much I could not even read it to the end.
I just skipped it all and read the epilogue.

She was a horrible whiney person.
Yes, charity is admirable,and your faith in God is a good thig.
But please don't be a darn Mother Teresa if you are not one.
We had the constant motive of her oh-so-sizzling Spanish blood that clashes in a big CAA-BOOOM! with her want to be all prim,proper and saint like.
I hate...more

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Dec 07, 2009 Barbara M. rated it 2 of 5 stars

2 Stars...It was just ok

I'm so very disappointed...and very very shocked!

I've been a HUGE fan of Tessa Dare ever since I read "Goddess of the Hunt" and as you all know I do not give ratings where ratings aren't due, and I'm not going to start now.

This author built two perfect and entertaining characters in her previous books...And I can't believe this is how she decides to tell their stories. We all get to know Sir Toby in "Goddess" and I found myself in awe of him...I liked Toby from the start...more

9 likes · like · see review

Nov 18, 2009 Missy Ann rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, library-borrowed, romance

Made it almost a third of the way in. I can't stand it. It's awful. I want to choke the life out of Bel. It's a shame, I really like the first book - but this one was a waste of time.

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Sep 13, 2011 Alexis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, my-reviews

Isabel Grayson is a half-British and half-Spanish beauty, born and raised in the West Indies and newly arrived in London. It's her first season, and Bel is determined to find a husband - and fast. Her main goal in life is to help those less fortunate than herself, and nothing makes her happier than devoting all of her time and energy to charity. After all, it's the only way she knows to channel the fiery passion that burns within her, a passion she fears is too like the madness that ripped her m...more Isabel Grayson is a half-British and half-Spanish beauty, born and raised in the West Indies and newly arrived in London. It's her first season, and Bel is determined to find a husband - and fast. Her main goal in life is to help those less fortunate than herself, and nothing makes her happier than devoting all of her time and energy to charity. After all, it's the only way she knows to channel the fiery passion that burns within her, a passion she fears is too like the madness that ripped her mother apart. With a sizable dowry provided by her older brother, Benedict "Gray" Grayson (you'll remember him and his new bride Sophia from Surrender of a Siren), she just needs a titled, principled husband to turn her into a true lady of influence.

Sir Toby Aldridge is not exactly titled - or principled - enough for her charitable needs, but as far as Bel is concerned he's the most handsome man in London, and he makes her all hot and bothered. He's also a favorite of the gossip rags, a fact which, as he points out, can only help her causes. So when the "Rake Reborn" promises to run for office in his borough and proposes to her in a very public setting, she accepts.

Oh, and whoops, Toby is the man Bel's new sister-in-law Sophia jilted when she ran off and booked passage on Gray's ship, where they of course fell deeply in love. When Toby spots Isabel it's pretty much ~~love~~ lust and possessive desires at first sight, and when he finds out she's Gray's younger sister, well, it's the icing on the revenge cake. (That's best served cold? Okay, this metaphor is falling apart.) Gray stole his fiancé, so Toby will marry his sister. Done.

Unfortunately, Toby has no intention of serving in Parliament, at least not yet. As their families become more entwined and Bel devotes herself to fighting social injustice in London, he pretends to campaign in Surrey. His real campaign, though, is winning his wife's heart before she realizes the truth about his lack of political goals. Because as confident, charming, and genuinely kind as Toby is, it really hurts him that one fiancé ran away from him and his wife only married him because of his potential for influence in Parliament. Isabel, meanwhile, must deal with her outrageous desire for her husband, and the fear that her passion for him will get in the way of her passion for helping others - to the point of real obsession and madness.

I really like Tessa Dare's writing. The timing and pacing sometimes jump around, and ridiculous things happen (as they do in most silly historical romances) but the growth of affection between the characters feels real, and their love definitely doesn't come out of left field. That relationship development is really where Dare excels in her stories. Both characters are likable, and the desire between them is palpable.

There's also a secondary romance that plays out during their story, and all three of the couples in the trilogy get face time. It's nice to see how the men slowly develop respect, and then admiration, for each other. Toby's a great, multi-faceted male lead, and Bel goes through a lot of character development on her journey. While I still haven't read Goddess of the Hunt, the first in the Wanton Dairymaid trilogy, I really enjoyed reading Sophia and Isabel's stories, Surrender of a Siren and A Lady of Persuasion.

(While this in no way affected my enjoyment of the book, I really hated the painting on the cover. That girl looks way too modern, and with that hair she could be on Jersey Shore.)(less)

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Oct 01, 2012 Rachel (BAVR) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: care-package-ageddon, i-did-this-for-you-karla, buddy-read, 21st-century-disease, anachronistic-heroine, blame-bavr, avon-pocalypse, constanticrap, feisty-heroine-nitwits, heroine-with-a-bad-attitude, historical-romance, hr-challenge-to-finish, worst-person-ever-heroine

Warning: GIFS and light spoilers ahead!

Blergh di blah crap.

There are no words to describe what a tedious experience reading this book was. I have no one but myself to blame. Well, I suppose a portion of the blame can fall on my GR buddy Karla for this buddy read. We went into it for the LULZ and suffered instead, the blood of bad romance staining our hands forevermore. Our mistake, I guess.

A Lady of Persuasion isn't much of a story. Reading it was like watching one of those reality shows where...more

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Mar 13, 2010 Cheryl rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, books-i-own, tessa-dare

Loved this book, Loved this series, and Love this new author!! I actually won this book from Tessa Dare's website and she wrote a little note in it and autographed it! This book was my favorite of the three in the trilogy.

Toby was so sweet, funny, charming and such a gentleman! I am so glad he got his happy ending! I have been able to relate to the leading females in each of the three books in one way or another. It was so wonderful reading their stories and watching them grow and work through...more

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May 17, 2011 Mara rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, romance, this-heroine-be-cray, you-think-you-so-smart

God, how I hated this heroine. She was absolutely obnoxious. I could see how she came to be that way, but I still found it hard to care for her. *insert random muttering and grumbling*

This book is a perfect example of why romance trilogies/series often piss me off. I liked the hero in the previous two books, he was a charming rogue. But then, in time for his own book, he got a personality transplant, and became this boring, eager to please, sappy wuss. WHY??? Was that really necessary, Dare? *in...more

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Dec 19, 2011 Janusz rated it 3 of 5 stars

The third volume of the "Wanton Dairymaid" trilogy was a major let-down and confirmed my dislike of family-tie romantic series. Goddess of the Hunt got the series off to a flying start with a fascinating assortment of characters and a captivating love affair. Surrender of a Siren, the second volume, followed the convention of plucking one of the secondary characters from the previous book and bringing her love affair to the fore. Easy enough to do, and an economical (lazy?) way of churning out a...more The third volume of the "Wanton Dairymaid" trilogy was a major let-down and confirmed my dislike of family-tie romantic series. Goddess of the Hunt got the series off to a flying start with a fascinating assortment of characters and a captivating love affair. Surrender of a Siren, the second volume, followed the convention of plucking one of the secondary characters from the previous book and bringing her love affair to the fore. Easy enough to do, and an economical (lazy?) way of churning out additional volumes without having to re-invent a cast of original characters, but in most such sibling series the baggage from previous volumes tends to stifle and bore.

In Surrender of a Siren Ms Dare side-steps this problem by whisking Sophie, her heroine, away from family and friends and sending her off on a high-seas adventure to the Virgin Islands.

A Lady of Persuasion brings us right back to the characters and milieu of Goddess of the Hunt, with unfortunate results. Isabella (Bel) and Toby, the romantic leads, appeared briefly in previous books but were drawn as two-dimensional and slightly unsympathetic characters. Bel was portrayed as a ravishingly beautiful young woman with a compulsive do-good obsession and enough stubbornness to persuade her brother to invest a small fortune in reviving a financially unviable sugar plantation cooperative. Toby was introduced as a likeable but air-brained rake who is left at the altar by Sophie, the heroine of the second book.

In A Lady of Persuasion Ms Dare has the daunting task of fleshing out these two characters and revealing unsuspected emotional depths. Unfortunately she does this by throwing them together in frequent and repetitive sex scenes that show intense physical attraction, but deliver few if any fresh insights into character. Bel and Toby are just as boring at the end of the book as they were at the beginning.

But the real dead-weight in this story is the supporting cast. Many of the attractive characters we met in the first two volumes reveal foibles and flaws that deflate their credibility as historical romance archetypes.

Something, somewhere, went astray in the plotting of this trilogy. One small pointer may by in the almost complete sidelining of the "Diary of a Wanton Dairymaid" book that gives the trilogy its name. Passed on from Lucy to Sophie, the heroines of Books One and Two, it should have gone to Bel, but after a quick peak at the contents she decides not to read it because of Sophie's personal notes and drawings, is given a mint copy as a replacement, and then promptly passes it on to another lady, an interesting but otherwise minor character in the story.

A disappointing ending to what promised to be a captivating and original trilogy.

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May 23, 2011 Perdani Budiarti rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, cuma-pinjam, historical, reviewed

Well, walaupun ini buku terakhir dari sebuah trilogi, tapi aku membacanya sebagai buku pertama karena kedua buku pendahulunya sedang "I'm not available" di rental langganan :P

Sebenarnya yang pinjam adikku, tapi karena memang kami sering berbagi bacaan novel romance, maka tak kulewatkan kesempatan untuk membacanya.

Referensi mbak yang jaga rental mengatakan kalau buku terakhir ini kurang menarik dibandingkan dua buku sebelumnya, namun ternyata aku cukup puas membacanya.

Beruntung aku tidak tahu kar...more

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Nov 29, 2009 Amy C rated it 4 of 5 stars

After reading Goddess of the Hunt and Surrender of a Siren, I was eager to read this third in the trilogy about Bel and the poor jilted Toby. And what a wonderful set of books these are.

Toby's determined to gain some sort of revenge on the man who 'stole' his intended, the beautiful Sophia, and Bel is determined to find a man with decent political standings in order to become a 'lady of influence' among London society. There's no room in her life for love and desire, not with her goals for chari...more After reading Goddess of the Hunt and Surrender of a Siren, I was eager to read this third in the trilogy about Bel and the poor jilted Toby. And what a wonderful set of books these are.

Toby's determined to gain some sort of revenge on the man who 'stole' his intended, the beautiful Sophia, and Bel is determined to find a man with decent political standings in order to become a 'lady of influence' among London society. There's no room in her life for love and desire, not with her goals for charity and helping the less fortunate. Yet Toby awakens within her a craving for passion that terrifies her.

Their marriage is nearly doomed from the beginning, for Toby promises things that he shouldn't, only to appease Bel in order for her to find him to be the one suitable husband she seeks. Each of them have their doubts of worthiness regarding their own significance to the other. I think Tessa Dare did an outstanding job formulating how Toby and Bel struggle with their issues and realize and come to terms with their shortcomings.

I wasn't sure what I thought of Bel in the beginning, with her rather 'holier than thou' attitude in her quiet and innocent sort of way. But over the course of the book, I began to understand and accept her behavior and beliefs. That's the one thing about how a person is shaped after tragic incidents in their past. You just don't know. Everyone deals with things differently and takes from them what they will, shaping them into who they will become. And with what Bel suffered with her mom, her father, and her brothers, well, I can understand how she would grow to want the things she does and fear the things she fears, such as desire and love.

I greatly enjoyed the conclusion of this trilogy with Bel and Toby. And I loved the way all three books tied into the other. Such wonderful characters. It was a pleasure spending more time with Lucy and Jeremy, and Sophia and Gray. And even the side story with Gray's and Bel's brother, Joss and Lucy's physician, Hetta. That was a sweet surprise and one I was very thankful to read!

A fine historical trilogy, one I would not hesitate recommending to others!(less)

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Oct 06, 2009 Katie(babs) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lady of Persuasion is the third and final book in this marvelous trilogy by Tessa Dare. Tessa has written a beta hero who is a gentleman in public but quite the tiger in the bedroom. This is quite the change from those heroines who embody the Madonna/Whore complex. They are women who are polite and proper in public, but when they are alone with the men they desire, off goes their proper mask and out comes a seductive and lustful woman who will do whatever they want with the hero in terms of bedr...more Lady of Persuasion is the third and final book in this marvelous trilogy by Tessa Dare. Tessa has written a beta hero who is a gentleman in public but quite the tiger in the bedroom. This is quite the change from those heroines who embody the Madonna/Whore complex. They are women who are polite and proper in public, but when they are alone with the men they desire, off goes their proper mask and out comes a seductive and lustful woman who will do whatever they want with the hero in terms of bedroom acrobatics. Toby makes sure to rip off the mask of his heroine and their bedroom activities are very steamy and hot.

This time Tessa gives the hero his due. Toby Aldridge puts Jeremy and Gray to shame. He is one hero who will have you swooning just like Isabel Grayson (the sister of the hero in Surrender the Siren) does.

Toby was first introduced in Goddess of the Hunt. Lucy, the heroine of that story wanted Toby for her own. He was also engaged to Sophia, who ended up jilting him in Surrender the Hunt. A Lady of Persuasion begins with Toby at a ball thinking about murdering someone. Not that Toby would ever think of going through such a horrible act, but Toby is upset and angry because the woman who left him at the altar has returned home with her new husband by her side. Her husband Benedict Grayson, or “the scoundrel who stole Toby’s bride, his future and his respectability” has returned to England and is welcomed back with open arms. Toby is not opening his arms. And you can’t blame the poor guy because he feels that he was ridiculed and embarrassed. Even though Toby wasn’t in love with Sophia, that fact of the matter is that she dared to marry a man with a shocking reputation, while Toby is everything proper. He has the credentials and respect. How could this woman leave him for a feared privateer?

As Toby stews, or rather pouts much like a little boy whose favorite toy was taken from him, he notices a lady who stands out from all the others. His mind, body and soul are overwhelmed by this beauty and Toby decides he wants her even though he has no clue who she is. It seems that his dark haired angel only has eyes for that dastardly privateer Grayson. Now Toby will have his revenge and steal the young woman’s favor from Grayson and make her turn her appreciation towards him.

The woman in question is Benedict Grayson’s sister Isabel. She thinks Toby is one of the most handsome men she has ever seen. She also thinks he is too perfect with his smooth poetic words and will simply not do as a husband.

Isabel comes to the conclusion that Toby isn’t a paragon of virtue. She needs to marry a man of honor and principles, one that won’t turn to any vices. Toby doesn’t understand why Isabel would want such a fuddy duddy. He doesn’t know that the reason Isabel wants this specific type of man is because of her mother’s own fiery natures that backfired on her. Isabel wants a life with a man that will be simple and understated. Unfortunately for Isabel the moment Toby walked into her life everything she wants no longer matters because Toby has laid claim to Isabel and won’t settle for anything less than marriage with her.

What Toby wants, he will get and maneuvers things in a way where Isabel accept his proposal. He promises Isabel something that he knows he cannot deliver. He lies, plain and simple, to get what he wants and even though he knows it will backfire on him, he hopes by the time Isabel finds out his deception, she will be so in love with him and will forgive him.

Now you are probably thinking what a low down dirty skunk Toby is for lying to Isabel right from the start of their relationship. I couldn’t help but think Toby was going to be in for a world of hurt because Isabel holds him in high esteem because of this promise he makes to her. But Toby wants to be that type of man Isabel can admire. Toby has a way of making Isabel desirable and loved. He uses those honey coated words of his to make her lose all sense. Toby wants to be Isabel’s knight in shining armor, her protector and hero.

Isabel comes across as a bit too righteous. The reasons stems from her past and because of her issues with her mother. Toby is the perfect man for her because he is able to show Isabel that the passion she holds deep inside of her is perfectly alright to give into, especially with him. And the intimacies Toby and Isabel share, and the emphasis on share, are steamy, emotional and some of the best I have read in any historical romance this year. These two cannot keep their hands off of one another.

Not only do we see Isabel and Toby together as married couple, and it was such a joy to see Toby loved being married (YAY to a hero who loves marriage), but we also see past characters such as Lucy and Jeremy. The scene where Lucy is going through labor is so laugh out loud hilarious and not to be missed. Also Tess makes sure to give Gray’s half-brother Joss, who made quite the impression in Surrender the Siren, his own story. Because I promised not to give anything away about Joss and what happens with him, I will say his was a very welcomed secondary one. I really wished Joss would have had his own book because his character is so interesting and just as worthy as the other Dare heroes.

A Lady of Persuasion is close to a perfect read as you can get. Toby and Isabel’s story was everything I was looking forward in a romance.(less)

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May 22, 2012 Ellyce rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2012, historical-romance, pain-to-get-through, boring-people-have-boring-sex

This book was definitely the weakest of the trilogy; I couldn't wait for it to be over while reading it.

I think this book suffered from the main characters: the heroine is a complete shrew who spouts strong view of religion and reform. Those two points are common among characters of the Regency set, but in Isabel the author attempts to foist "extreme" views so that it's of conflict to the hero, who has opposite viewpoints. The hero is someone we've heard and seen in the past few books, but he's...more

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Aug 08, 2010 Lynne Tull rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: regency-romance

This is the third book of a trilogy. (I always read series in order. Otherwise, I will have to reread so I can tie the story together. I like to think of the three books of 300+ pages each as one big book of 900 pages.)

This series only rated a "Like" from me. Although the characters were appealing, I didn't feel much depth to them. They were mostly two dimensional. Ms. Dare finally redeems herself in the last 75 pages. I actually felt deep down for the characters. I liked all of the characters a...more

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Dec 17, 2009 Beanbag Love rated it 3 of 5 stars

This one actually only rates 3.25 from me.

Isabel and Toby are somehow the title for this series, and their story really doesn't deserve to be elevated that high. While I still love Dare's writing, I was disappointed in several aspects of this book.

First of all, Dare loses one star right off the top for squeezing Joss and Hetta's HEA into a tiny side story. Their back stories and their personalities, the difficulties inherent in an interracial marriage during the Regency era, are enough to fill...more This one actually only rates 3.25 from me.

Isabel and Toby are somehow the title for this series, and their story really doesn't deserve to be elevated that high. While I still love Dare's writing, I was disappointed in several aspects of this book.

First of all, Dare loses one star right off the top for squeezing Joss and Hetta's HEA into a tiny side story. Their back stories and their personalities, the difficulties inherent in an interracial marriage during the Regency era, are enough to fill a whole book. This felt rushed, forced and, frankly, like a cop-out. At least give them a novella fer cryin' out loud.

Sorry to rant, but they're two of the most interesting characters in the whole series and I think they got ripped off.

Okay, that huge mistake aside, I didn't like the heroine all that much throughout. She had her moments. She was funny at times with her inner thoughts, but mostly she was just tedious. She's very devout and pours her energy into charity work, which unfortunately makes her pretty darn judgmental and pushy. Devotion to civic duty doesn't have to make one that way, but that's the way she acted and it really hurt her story. Her history is interesting but, although we saw those inner thoughts and got some insight into the hell she'd experienced as a child, the hero really never does.

Toby's a nice, if vapid, hero. He's pretty dashing, saving everyone from ruin and potential serious injury or death. He comes off a bit selfish at times, but he's gone the extra mile to keep several people from being hurt badly. His need to keep his happy-go-lucky lifestyle is challenged, however, by his fiance/wife's demands that he help her change the world.

World-changers annoy me. Sorry. When someone sets out to "change the world" it's the most arrogant and narcissistic motive for whatever action they're taking. It's all about them. As if they have the ability or even the right to "change the world". There's a fine line between feeding the poor and the poor feeding your ego. I thought Isabel crossed that line a few times.

HOWEVER -- I do love Dare's writing. I was frustrated because I felt this couple was well-suited, but I never got to see their true personalities outside of their inner thoughts. When they do reconcile at the end it seems contrived. Like they just decided they had to be together, but I didn't see a rational thought process on getting there. It's not unromantic. It's just not as well put together as the other ones.

If this were the first book of Tessa Dare's I'd picked up, I still would go for the backlist, and I'm still very much looking forward to her next release, so I guess it can't be all that bad. It's just that I know for a fact she can do better and good characters were not served as well as they could have been. :^((less)

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Apr 26, 2012 Kate rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, romance, regency-romance

I found this book really disappointing, mostly because I found Isabel borderline insufferable. For all her so-called angelic goodness, she was completely selfish and very self-centered. She was a know-it-all and self-righteous and I spent half the book wanting to give her a good shake. Every time she started nagging Toby to do these things that she wanted without thinking about him at all? I went a little nuts. She was also sort of hopelessly naive, and I didn't understand that at all. How can s...more

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May 10, 2012 Nicol Althea rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: narrative-mode-3rd-person, hero-titled-wealthy, heroine-virgin-naive-inexperienced, sex-b4-marriage, a-disppointment, torture-read, gnr-historical-romance, hero-rake-rogue-scoundrel, hero-wants-heroine, heroine-heiress, sp-vengeance-is-mine, heroine-needs-smacking, plot-needs-improvement, to-avoid, steam-1-dearth, plot-dragging-repetitive, hero-straitlaced-staid-proper, disappointed-at-author, 2012-reads

This book was very exhausting. Why? Because i had to constantly berate myself to finish it for Toby's sake..because after being jilted i think his story deserves to be read no matter how vastly disappointing and annoying it is mainly because of Isabel. Kept on rolling my eyes all throughout the book that i think i've strained them.

Toby came out childish at first for me because of his petty revenge against Gray. But throughout the book, his character improved. I cannot say the same for Isabel th...more
This book was very exhausting. Why? Because i had to constantly berate myself to finish it for Toby's sake..because after being jilted i think his story deserves to be read no matter how vastly disappointing and annoying it is mainly because of Isabel. Kept on rolling my eyes all throughout the book that i think i've strained them.

Toby came out childish at first for me because of his petty revenge against Gray. But throughout the book, his character improved. I cannot say the same for Isabel though. I tried to like her, i really did but she was really annoying! I feel guilty saying this about her but it's the truth! Isabel doesn't eat sugar not unless its imported by her brothers' company coz its most likely the product of slave labor. First she kept hounding Toby about running for Parliament, next she's insisting he doesn't.

Make up your mind Isabel!! Countless of times, I was so close to pulling all my hair out because of her! I pity Toby, i wish Tessa Dare could have given him a more worthy partner. But she didn't, so im really bummed and disappointed.

“No,” he repeated firmly, walking past her to exit the room. “You’re not welcome. This is a family matter, not a charity event.”

Woohoo! Good one Toby!! Isabel deserves to hear that!! But hey, if Toby really fancies himself happy and in love with Isabel then i won't quibble further about it. I just hope Isabel keeps him happy and loved.

One small consolation from this book was Joss and Hetta's story. I wish Tessa Dare gave them their own book instead of cramming their story into Isabel and Toby's. I think they really deserve it. Oh well, what's done is done.

Her eyes opened and looked to his. There was something there. Not the respect he’d been seeking, but something better and worse at once. Emotion, raw and intense. She did care for his feelings. She cared a great deal. Good Lord, the girl was half in love with him, the devil knew why. For weeks now, he’d been searching for her weakness, and the truth had been staring him in the mirror all the while. He was her weakness. And now that they both knew it, she trembled. -Capt. Joss Grayson

All in all, Tessa Dare's Wanton Dairymaid Trilogy was a huge disappointment for me. Although i'm a bit of her fan coz I went gaga over her "A Week To Be Wicked" of Spindle Cove Series, i won't be reading her Wanton Dairymaid Trilogy again in the future. Reading through them once was torture enough.

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Sep 05, 2011 Sara ♥ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, historical, romance

4.5 stars... Toby and Isabel

It was good! I like that Toby is instantly drawn to Isabel and the "revenge" is only an excuse to speed the plot along and get them married right off the bat. Toby was this kind of immature dandy who resists changing for the better I like that he falls in love first! Isabel was so principled. I like that for as much as Isabel tries to be a saint, she can't get rid of the passion she feels for her husband (as if that is bad)!

I like how Tessa Dare descried Isabel's iss...more

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Apr 25, 2010 Elizabeth Lloyd rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 18, 2011 Brenda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, tessa-dare, read-2011

Finally, selesai juga baca Goddess Trilogy =)

The final book, adalah cerita tentang Isabel(adik-nya Gray) dan Toby(mantan tunangan-nya Sophia). Jujur Bel adalah heroine yg paling gak gue suka dari 3 buku ini. Bel itu tuh peduli baget sama orang2 di sekitar-nya, saking care-nya dia ampe ngak pedulian sama Toby, bahkan diri-nya sendiri-__-

Geram bgt aku pas baca Toby ngasih ice cream ke Bel, terus si Bel nolak karna cuma gara2 masalah gula, hah?! gula, ya ampun, tambah bt deh sama si Bel ini. Alasan...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Alexandria Tale rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2-stars, bad, borrowed, cliche, despicable-heroine, disappointing, give-up, historical, lost-interest, novel, reviewed, sub-stories, translation, tessa-dare

Really, I was so sick of the heroine. I gave up. The heroine was soooooo unlikable with all her saint-like ramblings about couldn't eat sugar unless it was from her brother's company because it was likely created by a slave labor. She forced Toby to enter the parliament despite him didn't want to. Etc, etc. She was such a selfish girl coated in saint-like attitude. Well, I found her annoying instead. I despise people who thought of themselves as a saint. Despise them very much. And since Isabel...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Mujias Arai Asmani rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gairah, hahaha...
ga tau kenapa, pertama baca ini itu yang muncul.... hampir-hampir mirip Fifty Shades of Grey, atau karena mungkin semua novel terjemahan dewasa selalu seperti ini. Saya tidak terlalu banyak tahu tentang novel dewasa yang terjemahan, karena saya bukan pembaca rutin novel terjemahan. tapi novel ini sungguh memikat, seperti Isabel yang berhasil memikat Toby. Dan yaahh... saya suka banget sama karakter Toby, di balik bajingan-nya, dia itu punya cinta yang dalam banget buat Isabel. T...more

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Feb 26, 2012 Lauren Acton rated it 2 of 5 stars

The third book in this trilogy was my least favourite. The characters weren't as relatable as in the earlier books, and I was much more excited to get glimpses of Lucy & Jeremy and Sophia & Gray than I was in reading about Isabel and Toby. I think this might have been because the writing was more removed - even when we got Isabel's viewpoint, or Toby's, there was still a sense of distance so that I wasn't always sure of their motivations or what they were feeling and that they didn't kno...more

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Sep 24, 2011 Allison rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-in-2011, from-the-library, historical-romance, format-mass-market, series-wanton-dairymaid

I was anxious to read this after finishing the first two books in the trilogy because I wanted Toby to finally get a happy ending. I definitely didn't see some of the twists coming, which is always appreciated in any story. However, I found myself less interested in Toby and Bel's story and more interested in Joss and Hetta; I really wish they had gotten a separate book rather than the equivalent of a chapter or two throughout this book. All told, I did enjoy this book, but Goddess of the Hunt i...more

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Oct 13, 2009 Sarita rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

4.5 Stars

I ended up loving this book as well. Great series!

I had a hard time relating to the main female character in the beginning, but as I came understand why it was because she was having a hard time understanding herself as well!

I think what I have enjoyed most about these last two books is the ladies have a strong sense of passion, but feeling like it must be put away or locked up. I love joining them on their personal journey as they find how to embrace their true passionate selves.

Beaut...more

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Oct 14, 2009 Rane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: regency-romance-napoleonic-era

What happens when the well known and infamous rake Sir Toby Aldridge and a reformer for all causes in need of help Isabel Grayson surprisedly fall in love!

The last in the trilogy by Tessa Dare, A Lady of Persuasion was a wonderful ending to this amazing trilogy. Bel Grayson (The sister of Gray hero from Surrender the Siren) is a true do- gooder willing to help any and all causes while at the same time fighting down her passions and feelings due to a harsh life lesson by her mother whom went ma...more What happens when the well known and infamous rake Sir Toby Aldridge and a reformer for all causes in need of help Isabel Grayson surprisedly fall in love!

The last in the trilogy by Tessa Dare, A Lady of Persuasion was a wonderful ending to this amazing trilogy. Bel Grayson (The sister of Gray hero from Surrender the Siren) is a true do- gooder willing to help any and all causes while at the same time fighting down her passions and feelings due to a harsh life lesson by her mother whom went mad and her father who had one affair after another. Bel’s hot and cold personality got on my nerves, while I liked her she would suddenly show her self then like a shield of ice would incase her and she would focus only on her causes. Making her come across as narrow-minded to others that needed her like her husband Toby. But through Toby she starts to see she can be herself, she can get mad, laugh , she doesn’t have to be perfect she can be human with feelings. The change throughout the book of Bel was one of the true golden moments of the book.

I *(heart)* Toby (who first appears in Goddess of the Hunt) in ALOP he’s PO’d for good reason, the woman he wanted to marry jilted him and comes back married to another man, thinking he may get some revenge he sets his eyes on a woman whom he thinks has eyes for Gray, instead he’s capture and floored by this woman whom he’s surprised to learn his Gray’s sister. Toby sets out to win her over throughout the book even going as low as to lie. Dare makes it where you just can’t hate Toby, who’s trying every which way to truly be the knight and shining armor that Bel dreams about. Like Toby taught Bell to laugh and be herself, Bel taught Toby do something, not just waste away being a Sir, but to do something he wants to do to better himself in the end. Toby does that in spades and through his love for Bel he becomes a better man and Bel through her love for Toby becomes a more open person.

The passion between these two is smokin’ hot with Toby and Bel burning up the pages. The need of a cool glass of water or a fan is requirement or fair warning if you read this book and comes to these pages *grins*

Although I wanted him to have his own book, Joss who really capture my attention in SOTS got his own HEA as he finally was able to move away from his grief after the death of his first wife. I was really happy to see him finally in love!

Dare doesn’t disappoint with the humor which is now classic in her other books, with Toby’s crazy family to Lucy’s labor and Bell finally getting pissed off and showing someone a walking stick can be used as a weapon. These parts had me laughing until I was crying... and there’s also the lambs...

Overall: fun read that will have you cheering for two leads as they find their way to each other through love, a great ending to a great series!(less)

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Nov 08, 2011 Lauren Miller rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 26, 2011 Ilze rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: tessa-dare

Gave up on this one because I just didn't care about the 2 main characters. I got as far as the wedding chapter near the middle of the book and I still didn't have much insight into Isabel's character or motivation and decided this was a good place to stop. There didn't seem to be much going on with Isabel besides her worry about her "too-voluptuous" figure and her desire to be a do-gooder. And it seemed like her figure is pretty much all that Toby sees in Isabel. (There is more to Isabel's char...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Huma Rashid rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 19th-century, england, fiction, romance

The heroine is WILDLY annoying, and the hero, who I LOVED in the first book of this trilogy, turns into a dim-witted pansy about 20 pages in. And I couldn't STAND the constant moralizing and the heroine's focus on marrying someone powerful so she could cure society of its vices. Ugh.

But his family is awesome, and her brothers are great, and the secondary plot with Joss and Hetta is pretty good, and the chapter with Jeremy and Lucy (and their baby!) is the BEST. But I'm biased, because I love Jer...more

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May 14, 2010 Maureen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-it, spring-challange, 13

Jilted and now scandalous rake,Sir Toby Aldridge, sees his ex-fiance sophia and her husband Gray at a ball. He sees Gray's beautiful dance partner, and seeking revenge he whisks her away. When realising its Gray sister Isabel he does something rash, he proposes.

Isabel Gray while dancing with her brother is swept out on the balcony by a beautiful stranger. Isabel has a plan, she must marry a titled man with money, and political views. This way she can become a influential member of society so th...more

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Apr 17, 2012 Mutia fatimah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Setelah merasa kasihan sama Toby karena ditinggal tunangannya, akhirnya he found Isabel, his love. Walaupun awalnya pernikahan mereka didasari ketertarikan fisik dan kepentingan pribadi masing2, tetapi pada akhirnya masing2 ga sadar mau berkorban untuk pasangannya. Dimana Toby mau berkiprah di politik demi Isabel (walaupun ga mau), disamping itu Isabel pun merasa bersalah karena terlalu memaksakan kehendak pada Toby, dan lebih milih Toby apa adanya. Bagian rayu-merayunya juga yahud, secara Toby...more

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About Tessa Dare

Note: Tessa has a Goodreads group! All readers welcome.

Tessa Dare is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nine historical romance novels and three novellas.

A librarian by training and a booklover at heart, Tessa makes her home in Southern California, where she shares a cozy, cluttered bungalow with her husband, their two children, and a big brown dog.

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Goddess of the Hunt (The Wanton Dairymaid Trilogy, #1)

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A Lady of Persuasion (The Wanton Dairymaid Trilogy #3)

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