Romancing the Duke (Castles Ever After, #1) in Around the World in 80 Books

May 14, 2015 Juliana Philippa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, hr-hero-difficult-childhood, hr-heroine-boss-lady, romance-series-book-1, series, set-in-england-countryside, hr-hero-early-to-mid-30s, hr-hero-titled, hr-heroine-poor-background, hr-heroine-treated-badly-by-family

So I have finally, finally finished my first Tessa Dare book!! I have been reading rave reviews about her on GR for years now, adding her books to my never-ending TBR list, and even purchasing her books in paperback and Kindle form ... but still had yet to actually read one. I did start A Night to Surrender , but then put it on hold quite early on because I wasn't totally feeling it, and having had such high expectations and hopes for a new author and her backlist, I figured maybe the timing So I have finally, finally finished my first Tessa Dare book!! I have been reading rave reviews about her on GR for years now, adding her books to my never-ending TBR list, and even purchasing her books in paperback and Kindle form ... but still had yet to actually read one. I did start A Night to Surrender , but then put it on hold quite early on because I wasn't totally feeling it, and having had such high expectations and hopes for a new author and her backlist, I figured maybe the timing just wasn't right for some reason (and have yet to go back to it).

Happy to say that Dare lived up to most of my expectations—like I said, I've read many rave reviews, which are completely book-dependent, so while this wasn't a 5 or 5+ star read for me, it was still very enjoyable and I definitely anticipate that some of her other books will hit those ratings. The relationship between Izzy and Ransom was very enjoyable—it provided a lot of humor, great chemistry, and some really sweet moments. Their back and forth is fantastic, especially because the contrast between their attitudes, situations, and personalities is so stark.

“Every time you wake up, you let fly the most marvelous string of curses. It’s never the same twice, do you know that? It’s so intriguing. You’re like a rooster that crows blasphemy.”
“Oh, there’s a cock crowing, all right,” he muttered.
She smiled, and he heard it. Or felt it, somehow. The warmth was inside him before he could shut it out.
She said, “But that’s what I like most, you see. No one ever talks that way to me. You’re so crude and profane. I ... I know it’s absurd, but I can’t help it. I find it perversely delightful.”
She liked crude? She wanted profane?
Very well, then. Crude and profane he could give her.

I really enjoyed Izzy, our heroine (26), who has had a rough time of it, but has a lot of spirit and can-do attitude. It didn't get to be too much though—she wasn't overly optimistic or naive, rather she was just the right balance for Ransom's surliness. I was predisposed to like her anyway, because am always a huge fan of the plain, overlooked wallflower types. The trouble with those heroines is that the author has to make the hero falling in love with them believable, because the insta-lust thing won't work as being what starts their relationship (a ploy I hate anyway). With Ransom, Dare positioned herself well because since he's basically completely blind, it's her personality and spirit that wins him over and he finds her beautiful because of that and the physical attraction that develops between them.

“This is property. Don’t you understand how rare that is for a woman? Property always belongs to our fathers, brothers, husbands, sons. We never get to own anything.”
“Don’t tell me you’re one of those women with radical ideas.”
“No,” she returned. “I’m one of those women with nothing. There are a great many of us.”

Speaking of this last—I found it refreshing that Izzy was so open about having desires and wanting to experience a physical connection with a man. Occasionally we have that in a heroine, but then she's written as supremely confident in her sexuality or ridiculously adventurous (ridiculous in the sense that in that day and age, most women couldn't afford to be cavalier about those things and the "wanting to experience one night of passion" ploy can't usually be well-pulled off, IMO). Other times, we have the heroines who really get into it, but then in between are always regretting and telling themselves they have to stop succumbing to their desires; I get tired and annoyed with all that internal guilt and regret back-and-forth, because either decide to be okay with it or snap out of it and realize you're a fully-thinking and capable adult who can control how she acts and reacts. In Izzy, we get this great in-between balance—she's not super confident in her attractiveness or sexual appeal, quite the opposite in fact, but like most people, she wants to experience that and when presented with a guy who is into her and willing to act on it, she decides to go forth and experiment! Granted, this is also easier to buy because Izzy is no society miss or debutante—she's 26 years old with no marriage prospects so if she wants to lose her virginity she can do that without anyone finding out (yes, providing she doesn't get pregnant of course).

He moved close and lowered his voice to a growl. The air heated between them, and she could have sworn the beads of water on his chest sizzled and became steam. “I understand how your body feels against mine. I understand how sweet you taste. And I understand—precisely—how good we could be together. In bed. Or atop a table. Or against a wall. The problem with understanding seems to be yours.”

The air left Izzy’s lungs in a breathy, “Oh.”

She stared up him. The poor, confused man. He seemed to believe this sort of growly, lewd declaration would send her running and screaming into the countryside. Instead, his words had the opposite effect. With every carnal suggestion he made, her confidence soared to a new, dizzying pinnacle.

He wanted her. He wanted her.

And she wanted to do a little dance.

Back to Ransom, our wonderfully grumpy and sarcastic hero (30): at first, I was a bit annoyed with him, because the entire situation that resulted in him being blinded seemed silly on his part (and don't know that it honestly made sense, even if his pride was hurt ... Dare could maybe have come up with a better way for him to be blinded). My opinion about him changed quite quickly though, and it was a nice change to not have a hero who was obstinately, determinedly, committed to not falling in love or having any tender emotions towards a woman. Yes, Ransom starts off bitter and surly, but he basically treats Izzy well (no needlessly pushing-her-away-because-OMG-I'm-starting-to-develop-feelings-for-a-female-holy-shit), acknowledges his attraction to her, and is open to his developing feelings. One also really feels for him, this proud duke who has spent his whole life not forming close attachments, emotionally isolating himself, and not depending on anyone, now being unable to do many basic things and so lost.

“I didn’t do it on purpose.” His arms went around her. “I just . . . I just needed to keep you up here.” He walked her backward until her knees met the edge of her bed, and they both tumbled onto the mattress. “In this bed.”

He stroked her hair, fanning it out over the pillows, and framed her face in his hands. “But I couldn’t discern what it was you needed to feel safe. I tried everything. Finally, tonight, you gave me the answer. Light. So now you have as many candles as you please. But now it’s gone all wrong. Because you’re here in this bed. But I’m here, too. And God help me, Izzy.” His brow pressed to hers, and his weight settled over her, crushing and warm. “I don’t know how to leave.”

I guess my only criticisms are that some parts had a little too much silliness for me (the people who dress up as Moranglia knights and handmaidens in their free time, or whatever-the-kingdom-is-called) and the mystery subplot should either have been completely gotten rid of or more fully developed. I'm not giving anything away by saying that the mystery is about whether someone is stealing from Ransom, taking actions on behalf of his estate without his approval and skimming off the accounts. As it was done, it really just serves as a ploy to enable the setup of the book and in the end resolves itself super (super) anti-climactically.

Look forward to my next Tessa Dare read!

Astonishing. In the morning, when she sat working at that table of correspondence, silhouetted by sunlight ...

Her hair truly did look like an octopus.

It was the way she wore it, he thought. Or maybe the way it wore her. It all sat perched atop her head in that big, inky blob. And no matter how strenuously she pinned it, dark, heavy curls worked loose on all sides, like tentacles.

Of course, it was an entrancing, strangely erotic octopus. Ransom worried this might be how fetishes developed.

...more

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Nov 05, 2014 Lauren⁷ 💜 rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, romance, historical-romance, library-has-a-copy

This is the first book that I've read in 2015 and it was a great start to my year in reading! I thoroughly enjoyed this book on every level! I laughed many times and I also sighed quite a few times. This was such a lovely and heartwarming tale of two sad and lonely people finding each other and finding the beauty and healing of love in one another's arms and learning things. Ransom learning to let people in and to trust people and Izzy learning to let go of the girl she was and stand up for hers ...more

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Dec 26, 2013 Sam rated it liked it

Shelves: 4-historical-romance, reviewed, read-2014

This first book in Tessa Dare’s new series offers a pretty charming story. There’s a modern sensibility to it that will either delight you or bug the hell out of you depending on what type of historical romance reader you are. I was fine with things like the cheeky nods to fandom with the inclusion of LARPers (even though—ahem—we’re in Regency-era England). It’s all in good fun. But I have to admit that the story as a whole wasn’t quite memorable; there were no scenes that animated any strong em ...more

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Feb 22, 2025 Nancy H rated it really liked it

An excellent historical romance, this story tells what happens when a penniless woman who has come into an unexpected inheritance comes to the castle she has inherited, only to find it inhabited by its previous owner, an irascible, bitter duke, who did not know the castle had been sold. Neither main character is what he or she seems, so the story takes some interesting turns. And of course, there is the requisite HEA. This is a good read when the reader wants a fun escape.

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