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One Dance with a Duke (Stud Club #1)

by Tessa Dare (Goodreads Author)

3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 · rating details · 4,093 ratings · 325 reviews

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 att...more

Paperback, 384 pages

Published May 25th 2010 by Ballantine Books (first published May 13th 2010)

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Jul 21, 2010 UniquelyMoi *Dhestiny* BlithelyBookish rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Historical Romance Lovers

Recommended to UniquelyMoi *Dhestiny* BlithelyBookish by: Cheryl Robbins

Shelves: author-tessa-dare, historical-romance, 2010-reads, gambling, 5-stars, historical-romance-series, reviewed-by-me, romance-historical, virgins, plain-jane, horses-horse-racing, top-heroes, first-read-of-an-author, series-stud-club-trilogy-dare, ebook-own-have-read, mind-candy

Spoilers are marked

It seems that lately I’ve been doing a lot of “first reads” of an author and in keeping with that trend, this is my first by Tessa Dare and overall I was quite pleased.

I’ll start out by saying that I’ve seen reviews and comments by people who thought the Stud Club idea for a plot was dumb, boring, and lacking believability, but I actually thought it was a great jumping off point and foundation for the trilogy. After all, when you think about it, it’s not too hard to believe t...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Laura the Highland Hussy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought this was great. I read a few reviews where Amelia's affection for her brother Jack was overdone,but I thought it worked with the way her relationship and self-martyring personality was. And to be fair, the self-martyring wasn't really all that bad...that was more Spencer's take on Amelia, not mine.

Amelia and Spencer meet at a ball, minus any romantic impulses. They are married just days later, as a business arrangement, and fall into friendship and love. I loved how Spencer was able to...more

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Nov 06, 2011 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fv-review, 2read2

Arousing. That's the first word that comes to mind. Handsome, debonair, sensual, passionate, romantic.(although he won't admit it) These are just a few of the many qualities of Spencer, The Duke of Moreland. Arousing on the dance floor, riding a purebred horse and most important riding a woman to ecstasy!

This was the first Tessa Dare read for me and I have to say it won't be my last. My goodness, Ms. Dare can bring the romance and sensuality to the reader! Just her description of a kiss will me...more
Arousing. That's the first word that comes to mind. Handsome, debonair, sensual, passionate, romantic.(although he won't admit it) These are just a few of the many qualities of Spencer, The Duke of Moreland. Arousing on the dance floor, riding a purebred horse and most important riding a woman to ecstasy!

This was the first Tessa Dare read for me and I have to say it won't be my last. My goodness, Ms. Dare can bring the romance and sensuality to the reader! Just her description of a kiss will melt you into madness. The anticipation, the delivery, the reaction. I was glued to Spencer and Amelia's story from the go.

Spencer and Amelia are both strong, robust characters who pull you into the pages as if you are in the room watching Amelia put Spencer in his place or watching Spencer put Amelia in his lap for some lovin! I love a strong heroine, honest and true, especially in a historical read. Amelia, while having some self esteem issues, given her age and lack of a husband, still could hold her own with any man that crossed her path. Spencer hid several secrets in the beginning which led you to believe he was all self centered but throughout the story showed his true, caring nature and eventually gave in to love and loyalty of the richest kind. Their interaction together is both passionate and intense which provides a lush, rich read leaving me wanting more!

Favorite Quotes:

"She hadn't known kissing could be like this: not a conquest, but a trade. She'd never known the corner of her mouth to be so exquisitely sensitive, until he touched the spot with his tongue."

"He kissed her. Without warning, without permission. Without even deciding to do it, but simply because he couldn’t have done anything else. He needed that breath she was holding. It belonged to him, and he wanted it back."

"Watch yourself, he commanded her. Watch yourself as you come. Every other man can see you as you were downstairs. Witty. Desirable. Charming. Elegant. But this is when you're goddamned beautiful, and this beauty is mine. It's for me, and me alone. Now and forever. Do you understand?"

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Jun 24, 2010 Shawna rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of steamy regency historical romance

Shelves: historical-romance, tessa-dare, rt-book-reviews-top-pick, historical-romance-regency, heroine-odd-spinster-wallflower, heroine-naïve-virgin-like-a-virgin, heroine-curvy-plump-not-stick-thin, hero-stud-mantel-hall-of-fame, hero-alpha‎, married-couples-married-convenience, 2010-reads, enemies-to-lovers-opposites-attract, humorous-at-times-or-fluffy-fun, i-read-no-longer-own-sold-swapped, pregnancy-fertility-baby-kids-drama, hero-cold-cruelbrute-dark-dangerous, hero-mix-of-alpha-beta, animals-matter, hero-gambler, wager, 4-stars, hero-duke-heir-to-dukedom, hr-regency-napoleonic-era-wars

4 stars – Historical/Regency Romance

This is my first read by Tessa Dare, and I enjoyed the writing, humorous dialogue, witty banter, rather unique plot, and steamy romance. The main reason it didn't get a 5-star rating is that I just didn't quite connect fully with the characters, and I never really became emotionally invested in their relationship. I liked curvy, spirited, strong-willed spinster Amelia and arrogant, alpha with a hidden, tender, romantic side Spencer, Duke of Morland and enjoye...more

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Oct 28, 2011 willaful rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of Anne Gracie

Shelves: bye, heroine-is-chubby-zaftig-or-amazon, made-me-laugh

3 1/2 stars. Although I was disappointed that this didn't have the freshness or originality of some of Dare's previous books, it was an engaging read that often made me laugh at lines like these: "Spencer stared at the words so fiercely, Amelia would not have been surprised to see the scrawled letters roust themselves from the paper and rearrange to spell different words, just to escape his displeasure." I keep wanting to compare it to Julia Quinn, except I've developed such an intense Quinn all...more

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Nov 12, 2011 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-read

I have such mixed feeling for this romance. The beginning just didn't work at all for me and I had a really hard time getting into the story.

It did have elements that I typically love strong demanding hero, forced (sort of) marriage. But when it comes down to it I just didn't like more than I liked.

I did read it fairly quickly but feel that it was a bit wordy. The editor would have been correct in cutting about 50 pages or so.

In the end the h/h grew on me. While I really liked Amelia the Duke...more

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May 30, 2010 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, historical, regency

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. After reading “One Dance with a Duke” my first impression is that the title should be changed to “The Alpha Horsebreader and the Lady who loved him, but wanted to kill him at times”.

This alpha horsebreader being the hero Spencer Dumarque, Duke of Morland. Now Spencer is the alpha and he’s not afraid to let you know it. He titled, large, and always in charge. So far he’s gathered seven of the ten “Stud Club” tokens and is determined to have them all. Most of all he wants the stud horse Osiris....more After reading “One Dance with a Duke” my first impression is that the title should be changed to “The Alpha Horsebreader and the Lady who loved him, but wanted to kill him at times”.

This alpha horsebreader being the hero Spencer Dumarque, Duke of Morland. Now Spencer is the alpha and he’s not afraid to let you know it. He titled, large, and always in charge. So far he’s gathered seven of the ten “Stud Club” tokens and is determined to have them all. Most of all he wants the stud horse Osiris. Spencer, being the lover of all things Equus ferus caballus, knew a good piece of horse flesh when he saw it and Oisiris was a good piece of horse flesh. Spencer also knew how to be theaterical. For the last month he’s been gracing parties at the stroke of midnight and dacing with one girl. He then departs and not to been sceen again till the next stroke of midnight. On a night in June in 1817, he showed up at a ball ready to choose a wallflower, but instead got choosen by a Miss. Amelia d’Orsay. His troublesome night gets worse when he soon learns that the founder of the Stud Club has just been killed. He wishes to go learn more and talk to the founders sister. Unfortunalte for him Amelia wishes to go with him and she’s not taking no for an answer.

Amelia d’Orsay is quite on the shelf. Near the age of thirty and not possessing great beauty, nor wealth, nor thiness she’s quite given up ever marrying. During a rather dull ball in June 1817, her happy thoughts of going to the family summer home is rudly interruped by her brother Jack telling her that they have to rent out the family summer home to pay back his gambling debt to the Duke of Morland. With this knowledge, Amelia sends Jack away and becomes determined to make the Duke release her brother of his debt. So determined in fact that she decides to make herself his partner for his annual midnight dance. Come hell or highwater, the Duke will release her brother from his debt. The one thing Amelia didn’t plan on was a sudden murder.

I sort of have mixed impressions with this book. I really liked Amelia and I was cheering with her like “you go girl *snap snap snap*”. I really loved the fact that Amelia did not put up with any bull from Spencer. He might be the alpha male, but he’d sure to know she was the alpha female. She knew what to say and just how to say it. She was the perfect woman to go against such a strong alpha male. I also liked that she wasn’t descibed as a thin women. Her description had me imaging her as looking like January Jones. I believe that if Amelia could come up with a saying about herself it would be “Real heroines have curves”.

There was other times though I was like “what are you doing? Kick him where it hurts”. One of these later moments happened on pages 258-261. This incident moved the book down a rating. A brief bit of information for this scene Amelia said that she wouldn’t bed him till Spencer’s innocence was proven in Leo’s death and that had to be proven by finding the “Stud Club Coin”. Spencer then said he would take everything from her and there was nothing she could do. Well Jack had it and Spencer won it from him in cards after hitting him from a supposed insult to Amelia. In this moment, Spencer has just thrown Jack out of the house and Amelia was pissed. I was like you tell! Don’t let him control you. Then Spencer was like “I AM YOUR HUSBAND” and then basically had angry sex with Amelia in which I didn’t feel that Amelia was all consenting. She said she was at the end of the chapter, but no.. I don’t like it when men force themselves on women. I felt Spencer had forced himself on her since she was in a very emotional state and not thinking all clearly. I have no tolerence for men forcing themselves upon women and this single incident knocked the book rating down in my opinion.

Another one of my pet peeves was that Claudia, who had the opportunity to be a really good character basically transported herself into Sense and Sensibility. Funny enough since I had just watched the movie the night before I finished the book. Basically Spencer turns into Colonel Brandon and Claudia into Eliza Williams. I mean really turned into. Claudia and Eliza are the same age (15), run away, and both end up pregnant by a man who had claimed to love them. The only thing missing was Willoughby. I found myself scraching my head at this since the similarity was extremely stricking down to the fifteen year old being a ward of a bachlor man. I really didn’t like this at all. I understand taking things from other books and Jane Austen is a good inspiration, but there was too many direct simialiries for me to over looked.

All that aside I really rather liked Spencer and Amelia’s relationship. I found it to rather cute how they started to get to know each other after their marriage of convience. I also really loved the witty banter between the two of them. It really made for some interesting and funny scenes. I highly recommend this book to everyone seeing as I really only had two problems with the book. My issues with the book might not be issues for other people. I would recommend this book to those who like Sense and Sensiblity mixed with a bit of “The Seducation of Sara” by Karen Hawkins.

Rating: 4 stars. I had some issues with it, but it was still a rather delightful read.
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Oct 19, 2011 Roxanne rated it 2 of 5 stars

"My virtue? You were--" Oh, there was no use in mincing words now. "You were able to divine my virginity, by fondling my leg."
"Yes."
She covered her eyes with one hand, then traced her left eyebrow with a fingertip. "Forgive me, Your Grace. Are you suggesting a woman is some sort of ... piece of fruit to you? One squeeze, and you know if she's ripe?"

2.5 Stars

Hmmm what to say about One Dance With a Duke, this book was mediocre. I enjoyed it but it didn't have me racing through the pages trying t...more "My virtue? You were--" Oh, there was no use in mincing words now. "You were able to divine my virginity, by fondling my leg."
"Yes."
She covered her eyes with one hand, then traced her left eyebrow with a fingertip. "Forgive me, Your Grace. Are you suggesting a woman is some sort of ... piece of fruit to you? One squeeze, and you know if she's ripe?"

2.5 Stars

Hmmm what to say about One Dance With a Duke, this book was mediocre. I enjoyed it but it didn't have me racing through the pages trying to find out what happens next. I found the whole 'stud club' absolutely ridiculous, I know men were fond of their special clubs in that time but I couldn't help but giggle everytime I read it.

Here's a quick summary of the book, this story starts of with Amelia attending a ball. Everyone is anxiously waiting around for the hour to strike midnight, for that's when the Duke of Morland aka the Duke of Midnight shows up, picks an available lady and dances with her. Right before he shows up Amelia is informed by her no good brother that he is yet again in debt...to Morland, and he can't pay it back. So when the Duke shows up Amelia takes away his choice of dance partners and drags him onto the dance floor to try and convince him to forget her brothers debt. Spencer arrogantly refuses her, propositions her and insults her all in the matter of a few minutes. Needless to say their relationship doesn't get off on the right foot.

Spencer was unbelievably rude for 80% of the book, if he said half the things to me that he had Amelia he wouldn't be standing. She does manage to get a backbone for parts of the books, it was just frustrating at times to see her slide back into that meek person she was at the start. The whole horse issue was stupid, however by the time I reached the end of the book I was happy with how it was resolved. Last and final problem I had with this book was her brother Jack, she really should have kicked that mans ass. What kind of family member takes all their sisters money then ditches her at a ball by herself. I was worried that Amelia would never see what her brother truly was like, she made every excuse under the sun for him. But again it was a happy ending and I kinda want to see how he manages to make something of himself in future books.

Overall not the best book I've read, I mostly read these books because I love the different settings and all the social differences. Sad to say this book lacks quite a bit and I don't think I'll be continuing this series. (less)

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Jun 11, 2010 April rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, historical-romance

I am beginning to think it is literally impossible to read One Dance With A Duke by Tessa Dare without a silly grin. Now, this book was my first foray into romance, a genre which I sort of had this tendancy to ridicule. I know, I know, not nice to make fun of heaving bosoms and what not. However, I guess that's what happens when I read one Danielle Steele book and judge a whole genre based off of it. Guys, I would never do that to the YA category -- read one book and judge all YA based off that...more

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May 26, 2010 Kit rated it 4 of 5 stars

Loved it! There were a few pages where I was bewildered by Spencer or Amelia's temperament but the story as a whole was enchanting. I am very grateful the rest of the "Stud Club" is being released in quick succession-I'm looking forward to Rhys' then Lily & Bellamy's stories.

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May 23, 2010 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 144-books-in-2010, may-2010, read-in-2010

This is the first book by Tessa Dare that I've read. Based on the reviews I read of her first trilogy, I wasn't sure they were for me. This one, however, sounded right up my alley.

While I loved most if it, I'm really struggling to come to terms with the actions of the heroine at the end of the book. But protagonists made mistakes throughout, but I don't understand why the heroine made the choice she did.

Otherwise I really loved it. The story itself was wonderfully told and the characters were...more

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Dec 21, 2011 Jenny E rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: all-time-favorite, england, erotic, favorite-couple, favorite-heroine, have-kleenex-handy, re-read-potential, romance, swoony, library-copy, on-my-kindle

ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITES! There are not words for how much I enjoyed this book! It had everything I like in a romance novel...an awesome hero, a likeable sassy heroine, a little intrigue, a little comedy, not too much angst, a little (HOT) spice, and a tight plot with easy readability and great dialogue!

This was such an enjoyable read! I clearly wasn't expecting much from a book in the "Stud Club" series, but I got it at the library for free and it had great reviews, which is unusual for a...more

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Feb 27, 2012 Lelyana rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. BAru kali ini baca buku yang ada heroine nya cemburu sama kuda...OMG ! Kuda ????

Gini cerita nya :

Spencer,Duke of Morland sebenarnya paling gak mau menghadiri2 pesta2 yang sering di adakan masyarakat London, namun demi Claudia,anak perwaliannya, dia berkompromi dengan dirinya sendiri,dia akan hadir tengah malam dan hanya satu dansa dengan satu lady yg di pilih nya.
Jadilah dia legenda dan mendadak terkenal dengan sebutan si Duke Tengah Malam.

Amelia sang perawan tua dari keluarga nigrat yang mi...more

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May 31, 2011 Jan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, z-2011, historical-romance

I liked this so much more than I expected!

I want to write a lot, but Kiss of Snow just arrived, and I'm barely holding on to my excitement. I'm lucky that Magic Slays hasn't arrived yet, or I wouldn't know what to do with myself faced with the impossible choice what to read first.

Anyway, I wanted to read this series, the moment I saw the most excellent trailer Tessa Dare created for it. Even if you're not a fan of historical romance, I recommend you watch it.

However, I postponed reading them, ev...more

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Sep 14, 2010 Lady Valee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

I absolutely loved this book. So many amazing quotes from it. It was breathtaking more than once.

This was such a sweet story. In it, you will find a lovely, shy and extremely caring wallflower. She would have never been noticed by the duke in any normal circumstance, but that's what is so nice about books, isn't it? He did. So we see how this couple -one very different from the other- struggle and try to move on every problem they go through. As the story goes on, we see how they were meant to...more

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Jul 09, 2010 Anja rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book started off slow for me. I did not feel like there was any spark between the leads and wasn't particularly interested in either character. A third of the way into the story I started to see a change in them. They had already married and were on their way to the country estate and started to actually spend time together talking and getting to know one another. I could see a friendship forming and their personalities started to become clear. Their relationship developed slowly but realis...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Suzanne the Mighty ~Satin Seductress~ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, fugly-cover, hero-i-wanna-hug, pdf-kindle

Review @ Under the Covers

3.5 Stars

Amelia isn't impressed with the Duke of Midnight. He descends upon a ball at midnight dances a set with one of the young and the brainless before leaving again, the ladies sighs of both desire and fear follow in his wake. However, her wastrel brother owes him money so when he next makes his melodramatic entrance she commendeers his hand; however, little does she know that that one action will cause her life to change drastically.

I know 3.5 stars doesn't seem lik...more Review @ Under the Covers

3.5 Stars

Amelia isn't impressed with the Duke of Midnight. He descends upon a ball at midnight dances a set with one of the young and the brainless before leaving again, the ladies sighs of both desire and fear follow in his wake. However, her wastrel brother owes him money so when he next makes his melodramatic entrance she commendeers his hand; however, little does she know that that one action will cause her life to change drastically.

I know 3.5 stars doesn't seem like much, especially as I did really enjoy this book. I liked the hero Spencer, The Duke of Midnight, he was arrogant in a way only a Duke and a hero of a romance novel can be and yet still have you lusting after him. He was also endearingly vulnrable as well at times, which just made him even more irrestible. And Amelia, I have mixed thoughts on the heroine of this story, most the time she was witty and sensible and I really liked her. BUT when it can to her brother she was totally blind. Her brother Jack was a complete leech, he takes and takes and takes from her and gambles it all away, but still she keeps on giving him more, he take complete advantage of her loving and nurturing nature and it really bugged me how blind she was to it, especially when it almost ruined her marriage to Spencer! This complete stupidity really really annoyed me and it tainted how much I liked her.

But, the writing in this was really good I liked her style, she creates a window in to her story, showing you her well crafted characters through dialogue, which flowed naturally and description that never bogged you down with too much unnecessary detail. I think what has stopped me from giving this more then 3.5 stars was that although I liked it, I didn't love it, it didn't have that extra spark that makes me think I will be remembering this book for a while to come. It made me smile, it was romantic, I liked the characters but nothing jumped out at me as being fantastic.

This was a great read, despite what seems a luke warm review, I do recommend you read this if you are looking for a good romance with likable characters and great writing. (less)

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Jun 18, 2011 KarenF rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, own, romance

This probably isn't the best book I've ever given 5*s to but I realized after I read it that I kept going back to re-read passages that made me smile or made me sigh. It's great fun for the reader to watch Spencer and Amelia fall into friendship and then love in fits and starts. Other reviewers seem to have a problem with Amelia but I really didn't. Being blind to her bother's faults is part of who she is and it's established pretty early on. Dare is often compared to Julia Quinn and while I thi...more

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Jul 05, 2010 Kim H rated it 4 of 5 stars

Superior to most things I've read by TD, with the exception of Surrender of a Siren. It doesn't really come close to that kind of brilliance, and it's a tad wallpapery, but I greatly enjoyed it. The writing is witty and engaging, and what it lacks in unique setting & storyline, it compensates well for by being just an all-around enjoyable read.
I gave it an A-

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May 22, 2013 A. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: that-s-amore

I made the solemnest of vows to myself that I would review every book I shelved on Goodreads, and so here I am, here you are, here we are, standing alone together as the music softly plays, &c.

My girlf told me this book was delightful, but I was not prepared for the degree of delight contained within!!!!!!! Like wow, what the frick, way not to get me ready for this, Rawles. Or maybe she tried to and I just didn't take her seriously, but why don't we just put away all these pointing fingers a...more I made the solemnest of vows to myself that I would review every book I shelved on Goodreads, and so here I am, here you are, here we are, standing alone together as the music softly plays, &c.

My girlf told me this book was delightful, but I was not prepared for the degree of delight contained within!!!!!!! Like wow, what the frick, way not to get me ready for this, Rawles. Or maybe she tried to and I just didn't take her seriously, but why don't we just put away all these pointing fingers and let that music play. So: YO, DE LIGHT FUL. The #1 source of delight in this book is that it's so frigging funny, like holy shit, I spent like half the book just cracking up, sometimes inappropriately I think, like there's a scene where SPOILER ALERT she's all like ~*~he wants me so much he'll chase me~*~ and I don't know why but I was just LOSING IT at how hilariously messed up these two people are, SPOILER ALERT they are soooooo messed up. DOVETAILING:

For the most part this book is really good about consent and also preserving and even encouraging Amelia's agency. Dare consistently enforces the idea that Amelia and Spencer (THE SPENCE) are and must be equals both within and without the bedroom, and so Amelia's boundaries, sexually, are respected; ultimately it is up to Amelia to initiate most of the sexual encounters, which also ties in nicely to the premise, that Amelia kicks everything off by making the decision to go after Spencer for the titular one dance. It's also a surprising, welcome element to Amelia's character arc, as she discovers that she too can be bold and demand things, not only of herself in favor of others but of others, of Spencer, of her brother, of society. Many times in romance novels, the heroine's character arc, if such truly exists, is subsumed into the hero's arc, as, often, the hero's arc is the driving force of the plot. Here, Amelia and Spencer are equals. Spencer desires Amelia not as a possession or as a subordinate, but as an equal; a wife, in One Dance with a Duke, is not an ornament, but a partner, a dear friend, a companion to be trusted and listened to and spoken with with respect and intimacy. And too, narratively, Amelia is as integral to the story as Spencer - I would say she is even more integral, as it is her relationship with her brother, Jack, her relationship with Claudia, Spencer's ward, her actions and decisions that drive and resolve much of the story.

(I say "for the most part" simply because there are a very few scant moments in the book when Spencer will kiss Amelia or push her up against a wall or some such and say something like "you want this," and Amelia will think to herself, "I do want this," but she never says it to him, and he proceeds. And, like, it isn't as though she doesn't respond, because she does, and Dare makes an explicit point of making Amelia as active a partner in all sexual scenes as Spencer, but I'd still have liked it if Amelia had said "Yes, I want this" or if Spencer had stopped until she'd said so out loud. But I also recognize that I tend to have, hum, I think rather precise demands of how consent is presented in fiction? And I want to make it very clear that at no point did I ever find myself feeling really, truly uncomfortable or as if Spencer were forcing her. But it did bother me a little bit as I was reading.)

Anyway - that same sensitivity and concern for equality and so on is evident not only in Amelia and Spencer's relationship, where it is of course entirely welcome (and thoroughly delightful!!!!!), but in many of the supporting characters and relationships. While Spencer and Amelia's respective opinions of Mr Julian Bellamy are very classist, the novel makes it clear that their opinions are classist and that this is not necessarily a good, kind, or worthy opinion to have of someone (this is something many regency novels fail at). Like, yes, it's realistic that two noble persons in the 1800s would think less of a man of indeterminate birth and position in society, but rather than simply excusing or pardoning this, Bellamy is clearly presented as being wronged and as being a fairly complex character whose anger with high society and its structure is founded not in greed alone but in the very real unfairness of it.

And this is a very spoilery review, hahaha, but there were a couple events late in the book that made me very happy! I was especially pleased with how Claudia's storyline was handled, how Spencer does not deign to tell her what she is to do or even what she should do, but explains to her what her options are and furthermore emphasizes that while he might give her advice, the decision regarding her situation is hers and hers alone. And Amelia's relationship with Jack, a source of much conflict throughout the novel, much of it between Amelia and Spencer, is ultimately explored and resolved not through the context of her marriage, but in the context of Amelia and Jack's relationship. The decision Amelia makes is, like Claudia's, only hers to make, and she is the one to make it. I liked that enormously.

Hahaha, I actually gave this three stars before I started writing all this out, but I've talked myself into giving it a fourth star, as thinking on the book, I'm finding I did very much like it and would very much like to reread it soon. But not before I finish this trilogy because YOOOOOOOOO, LILY AND BELLAMY, YO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YO. Like as soon as Bellamy first mentioned Lily I was like YO IS HE IN LOVE WITH HER and then he like mentioned her again and I was like YO HE IS IN LOVE WITH HER and then they started interacting and like YO!!!!!!! YO. YO! GOD DAMN. I NEED THIS NOW, YO!!!!!!!!!!!!
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May 12, 2013 Aspoon rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is one of Tessa's best book by far. I just finished the book and already I miss the characters.

I wished all historical romances would be like this, hilarious, witty, sexy, shocking, and engaging. I couldn't put this book down until it was finished. I love the chemistry between Spencer and Amelia. I love the funny snide comments by Spencer and even by some of this buddies. I love the fact that even though Amelia was a people pleaser (to the extreme) she was not weak and easily taken advanta...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Patricia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: _adult, genre-historical-romance, 2013, setting-historicals, x-pov-3rd-person, x-pov-shared, review-goodreads-only

I started this one because of a quote,

I'm infatuated with you, I cannot deny it. Physically speaking, you're a very attractive man. But I don't like you, the vast majority of the time. So far as I can gather, you behave abominably in public and are only marginally better in private. I only find you remotely tolerable when you're kissing me.

But I kept reading because Amelia was a fantastic heroine, and Spencer not so bad himself. There were several times where I just wanted to slap him. He's a c...more I started this one because of a quote,

I'm infatuated with you, I cannot deny it. Physically speaking, you're a very attractive man. But I don't like you, the vast majority of the time. So far as I can gather, you behave abominably in public and are only marginally better in private. I only find you remotely tolerable when you're kissing me.

But I kept reading because Amelia was a fantastic heroine, and Spencer not so bad himself. There were several times where I just wanted to slap him. He's a complicated guy with a lot of issues, and I don't think his falling in love with Amelia itself could ever redeem him, but through her, he learnt a lot regarding emotions. ;)

Tessa Dare is a truly great author. I love how her scenes feel authentic even/especially when they jump from fluffy and ridiculous to honest, private, deep or downright tragic.

Even better was the way Amelia didn't decide between her brother and her husband:

Spencer was right; she did have to make a choice. But this wasn't a matter of deciding between her brother and her husband. It was a matter of deciding to seize happiness and let go of guilt.

Amelia was choosing herself.

IMO rather important. I read some negative reviews about how she picked her brother over her husband and how they didn't understand why Spencer had to go back and apologize to her, but I feel like this is.. sexist. Spencer wanted her all for himself. Despite her being an enabler for her brother's unhealthy behaviour, the truth of the matter was, he loved Amelia for being herself, and a part of that is her loyalty. He wanted her to decide between him and her brother, which is seriously stupid behaviour. I think it's good that the novel's POV made it obvious that him apologizing was necessary. Sometimes it comes across as if, for a man, all he must do is love the heroine and all is forgiven. Which seriously sucks, imo. I like that this isn't the case in Dare's novels. (Though, he was a jerk quite often prior to the final Jack-incident.)

Another issue for me was his talk of her virtue. In another Dare novel, the hero says something like, "Yeah, so you're no virgin. I'm no virgin, either." and I know that she obviously doesn't measure the worth of a woman by her lack of carnal knowledge. I also understand that it's realistic portrayal of society back then to have him mention that her lineage and virtue made her a good wife for him, and sadly all of that isn't much different in the present, but in combination with the Amelia-hate I saw, it leaves me with a bitter taste on my tongue. Or eyes..

~~I do feel sorry for Juno and Osiris, though. I mean, I think them together would have given me diabethis, but alas..~~

Anyways, a very funny and romantic read. I think Tessa Dare is my #1 Historical Romance go-to author. (less)

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Sep 10, 2012 Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is book one of the Stud Club. The club is a small group of men who own exclusive breeding rights to a famous retired racehorse. Each owner has a token.
This story is about Spencer, a confirmed bachelor, who wants to collect all the tokens and become the sole owner of the stallion at the heart of the club. His single minded pursuit of that at the gaming tables at times results in young men losing not their club token but large sums of money.
Spencer is also "The Duke of Midnight" who shows up...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-august

Ok, stop snickering. A well written romance is just as good as a well written mystery. Genres are like the forms of poetry. Authors choose them because what they have to say can best be said in that format. Just as you would probably not write a haiku if you needed to create an ode, so you would probably not write a science fiction novel if you were trying to show the advantages of learning to know a person before you married them. I'm just saying. I don't like all romances, but I do like those...more

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Jun 12, 2012 ies rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: romance

terlalu banyak istilah kuda!! ampun deh... males banget gw hahaha........
*mo kasih 2 bintang kaga tega* fyuh...

Spenser si Duke, ah entahlah... dia sangat tidak suka mengungkapkan kasih sayang kepada orang lain, bahkan ke anak walinya sendiri pun kaga bisa nunjukin kl dia sayang. padahal dia mau bergelut dgn para Ton padahal dia menderita Ochlophobia (kata gugel : Takut pada kerumunan atau gerombolan orang banyak) dia menjadi sesak setiap kali melihat banyak orang, makanya dia sll muncul pada t...more terlalu banyak istilah kuda!! ampun deh... males banget gw hahaha........
*mo kasih 2 bintang kaga tega* fyuh...

Spenser si Duke, ah entahlah... dia sangat tidak suka mengungkapkan kasih sayang kepada orang lain, bahkan ke anak walinya sendiri pun kaga bisa nunjukin kl dia sayang. padahal dia mau bergelut dgn para Ton padahal dia menderita Ochlophobia (kata gugel : Takut pada kerumunan atau gerombolan orang banyak) dia menjadi sesak setiap kali melihat banyak orang, makanya dia sll muncul pada tengah malam mendekati pesta berakhir trus pilih satu cewe dansa kilat udeh.. pulang sebelum kliyengan hmpfh.

Hal itu pula yang menyebabkan banyak rumor dan menjulukinya Duke Tengah Malam, padahal die sakit hahaha :P

Amelia si heroin, perawan tua ya pokoknya udah waktunya lewat merit deh... dia dari keluarga yang tidak begitu kaya (miskin maksdnya) trus si adeknya Jack *ih gw kesel banget sama dia ini* pokoknya punya utang dimana2 salah satunya sama si Spenser dan lintah darat2 yg laen.

Spenser sendiri, mengincar kuda jantan *aduh kuda* yg dimiliki klub Stud, didirikan oleh hhmm.. gw lupa, dan si pendiri ini membuat 10 keping tembaga buat keanggotaan klub. keanggotaan klub berarti boleh mengawinkan kuda betinanya dgn kuda jantan *kuda pacu* milik klub. keanggotaan tdk diperjualbelikan, hanya boleh dimenangkan di meja judi. Spenser sendiri sudah punya 7 keping tembaga itu. 3 yg laen di miliki si pendiri, sama 1 tentara Rhys dan Julian Bellami (buku 2 dan 3) <>

Nah cerita di mule pas si Amelia pengen nanyain utang Jack ke Spenser, jadi pas Spenser lg cari perempuan yang bisa diajak dansa Amelia dgn beraninya mengambil tangan Spenser trus memberondong berbagai pertanyaan, Spenser keliyengan dong... di satu sisi dia pusing liat orang banyak ndengerin Amelia dst. akhirnya Spenser mengangkat *beneran diangkat lho* ke teras gitu. Marah dong Amelia, tp trus sedikit berempati pas liat muka ijonya Spenser.

Pas lagi berdebat heboh gitu mereka berdua, tiba2 si Rhys sama Julian nongol dari taman, ngasih tau kl Leo *nah inget* pendiri Stud Club mati di gebukin orang. yah.. lanjutannya baca sendiri deh.. cape gw ngetiknya kwkwkw :P
(less)

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Mar 18, 2012 Silver rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of historical romances, plain and normal heroines

Shelves: historical-romance, part-of-a-series, average-plain-curvy, 2012

I really enjoyed reading this book. This is my first Tessa Dare book. While I probably wouldn't remember the plot after years, it was a great read nevertheless.

What I liked:

* Amelia and Spencer's characterisation.
* Their dialogue exchanges(I couldn't get enough of their witty conversations)
* Amelia's love for family and home.
* I like plain, healthy-sized heroines. I would have liked Amelia just because of it. I fell in love with her personality soon.

What I didn't like:

* Amelia's unconditional l...more

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Dec 22, 2011 Janusz rated it 2 of 5 stars

Horses feature prominently in the narrative, so perhaps it's not too inappropriate to say the story came flying out of the gates, settled down to a steady trot, then faded disastrously in the home straight.

Once the usual lines had been drawn between the arrogant, attractive and aristocratic male and his quick-witted, sharp-tongued female adversary, the two of them seemed to circle round each other, exchanging sparkling, witty and sometimes hurtful dialogues but basically getting nowhere, not eve...more

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Oct 28, 2011 Jane Stewart rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: regency-romance

Hero loving and admirable. Heroine TSTL. She enabled and coddled her addicted-to-gambling brother. This was no fun.

STORY BRIEF:
Amelia has been a wallflower at the balls and believes she will be a spinster. Her parents are dead. She and her brothers are surviving but don’t have a lot of money. Her brother Jack is addicted to gambling and frequently comes to Amelia for money. During a ball, Jack tells her he had to rent the family’s summer cottage to Spenser to cover gambling debts. She is furious...more Hero loving and admirable. Heroine TSTL. She enabled and coddled her addicted-to-gambling brother. This was no fun.

STORY BRIEF:
Amelia has been a wallflower at the balls and believes she will be a spinster. Her parents are dead. She and her brothers are surviving but don’t have a lot of money. Her brother Jack is addicted to gambling and frequently comes to Amelia for money. During a ball, Jack tells her he had to rent the family’s summer cottage to Spenser to cover gambling debts. She is furious and walks up to Spenser. He had just raised his hand to ask someone to dance, and Amelia takes his hand and starts dancing with him. They go outside where two of Spenser’s friends inform him their mutual friend Leo was killed. Amelia goes with the three men to inform Leo’s sister of the death. To Amelia’s shock Spenser asks her to marry him the next morning.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
There was no meat to this story. They marry quickly. They learn some things about each other. The mystery of who killed Leo gives them something to talk about. There are suspicions and investigations. But that mystery is not solved in this book. Maybe in the sequel? Amelia withheld sex after they were married for a stupid reason. To herself she is afraid she might fall in love with him and be hurt later. But she tells him that she is afraid he is a murderer, and she will not have sex with him until his innocence is proved.

Amelia became angry with Spenser for reasons which annoyed me. Her brother Jack was addicted to gambling. Amelia repeatedly wanted to give money to Jack and let him stay with her. She was enabling Jack. Spenser tried to get her to see the folly of this. She had blinders on. She refused to show tough love. She fought with Spenser more than once over this. It wasn’t interesting. After one of these arguments, she refused to have sex with Spenser for weeks, then all of a sudden she’s happy, and they have a good sex life again. The prior argument was never mentioned. She just seemed to forget about it. The effect was uninteresting conflicts. The sex scenes were probably ok, but I’m having trouble remembering them.

Character wise: Amelia is described as “she’d never been a great beauty … she would always be a little too plump.” Her main desires were to please, nurture and take care of others, and to manage a home and play hostess. She also liked to read books. Spenser loved breeding and caring for horses. He disliked crowds. He read a lot of books. He was guardian for his 15 year old cousin Claudia, but Spenser did not show her as much affection as she desired. He falls in love with Amelia almost immediately – I don’t know why.

The only thing good about the story was the way Spenser loved her and did all kinds of things to make her happy. IMO he deserved someone better.

(view spoiler)

DATA:
Story length: 384 pages. Swearing language: mild, including religious swear words. Sexual language: moderate. Number of sex scenes: 7. Estimated number of sex scene pages: 26. Setting: 1817 London and other areas in England. Copyright: 2010. Genre: regency romance.(less)

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Dec 30, 2010 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 4-stars, historical-romance, fiction

I enjoyed this far more than I had expected to. Apparently, you can do Regencies that are fun but have substance, and at many turns, I found myself enjoyably surprised by the characters and their depths. I liked both Amelia and Spencer, and I appreciated the depth (and consistency) of character that was developed throughout the book. Amelia's character arc, particularly, was painfully earned and realistic; I can guess other readers were annoyed by her flaws and her initial choices, but I found h...more

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Jul 26, 2010 Jessi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance

Summary: 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 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 nobod...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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Books by Tessa Dare

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

Three Nights with a Scoundrel (Stud Club, #3)

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Quotes from One Dance with a Duke

“I'm infatuated with you, I cannot deny it. Physically speaking, you're a very attractive man. But I don't like you, the vast majority of the time. So far as I can gather, you behave abominably in public and are only marginally better in private. I only find you remotely tolerable when you're kissing me.” — 72 people liked it

“He kissed her. Without warning, without permission. Without even deciding to do it, but simply because he couldn't have done anything else. He needed that breath she was holding. It belonged to him, and he wanted it back.” — 66 people liked it

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One Dance with a Duke (Stud Club #1)

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