I just really cannot get enough of Tessa Dare’s soft hearted curmudgeonly heroes, brave, stubborn, smart heroines and ultimate silliness in service of love. The banter in Dare’s books always delivers, and the spice is spicy! I laugh at least once while reading every Tessa Dare and the swoon factor is *high.*

In this book, we have another grumpy recluse of a hero in the Duke of Ashbury. Physically injured in the Napoleonic Wars and emotionally injured upon his return, he is in desperate need of a wife so that he can make and heir to pass his substantial fortune on to. He is sarcastic and mean, but ultimately more wounded than anything. Fun moment: similar to our favorite contemporary hero, Ren Bergman, all of his swears are Shakespearean. He’s a walking “who hurt you?” with a big gooey cinnamon roll middle.

Our heroine is Emma Gladstone, a talented seamstress who appears at the Duke’s residence in time of both of their greatest needs. She is strong and witty, and gives everyone the benefit of the doubt - maybe too much benefit.

The two embark upon a marriage of convenience that ends up being so much more. Tessa can write a grump like no other and the Duke of Ashbury is no exception.

👍🏻Recommended! This was exactly what I needed to bust up my reading slump. If you are considering historical romance but don’t know where to start, I cannot recommend Tessa Dare enough. There are many tongue-in-cheek references and a very modern point of view in these although they are set in the early 1800s. If you like Downton Abbey? You will like Tessa Dare. 

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. 😕 it’s got so many of my favorite tropes: friends to lovers, reality show competition, forced proximity, fake dating, long term pining, a cinnamon roll hero…I mean, sign me UP! Additionally it’s got an interracial relationship and a plus-sized Black heroine? That stuff is usually my catnip!

Unfortunately, this just didn’t *quite* deliver. I think some of the issue was the pacing - there isn’t really enough time or tension built into the story of the couple (Cam and Kenya). Additionally, the tension between the two of them was a little lacking for me. They start off with a very handsy and emotionally affectionate relationship so moving to a physical relationship felt natural. Which, in real life, that’s great! But in a book? I want DRAMA! LONGING LOOKS! PINING! BANTER!!! 

I did love the cosplay aspect of it as well as Kenya, the heroine, in general. She’s a super fun and relatable character. She goes through A LOT in this story arc though so mind the CW. The romance is low angst but her life and situation are absolutely not. She has meddling parents which I never like and she faces a plethora of microaggressions both because of her race and her size, and her role as a reality TV show contestant.

Am I…into historical romance now? Maybe. I can say for certain that I enjoy Tessa Dare and that her books are great comfort reads. They’re light and funny and steamy, just the right kind of book to read while ***all of this*** is going on.

Romancing the Duke is about a woman named Izzy Goodnight and a grouchy grump of a recluse name Ransom, the Duke of Rothbury. Ransom was injured in a duel and lost most of his sight, and Izzy inadvertently inherits his decrepit castle just as she is down to her last few pennies. 

Read this if you like:

👍🏻Recommended! I think the thing I am enjoying the most about Tessa Dare is how her books don’t take themselves too seriously. Serious things happen, but there’s a touch of “these people are absolutely silly” going on that I really enjoy.

The updated print edition has been edited to remove some of the most intense assault content noted in some earlier versions of this book. There is still a nonconsensusual s e x scene in the early chapters so if that is something that is not okay with you, this might be a skip. Do not be fooled by this cover, this is erotica and it is spicy. But also silly and sweet. The vibe is B-movie, late night Cinemax but dirtier. I’m definitely reading more of this series!

Can’t believe I waited so long to read this absolute BANGER. Legendborn is a contemporary YA fantasy from Tracy Deonn and a reimagining of Arthurian legend. The main character, Briana Matthews, is a 16 year old Black girl whose mother is killed in a car accident right before she leaves to attend “early college” at UNC-Chapel Hill. And then stuff gets ~*weird*~…

Let me give you this list of reasons to try to bump it up your TBR:

And now I join the ranks of people anxiously awaiting November, because you bet your butt I preordered Bloodmarked the minute I finished this.

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻RECOMMENDED. Read this!!