Romancing the Duke

flashy_dragon reviewed Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare (Castles Ever After -- Book 1)

Review of 'Romancing the Duke' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Everyone seems to know Isolde (Izzy) Goodnight, as stories featuring her father reading her stories circulated throughout England. But she can't catch a break, as her father dies leaving his estate to her cousin, and her without a farthing. Ransom was blinded in a fight, as far as anyone knows, and just lost his castle.

Izzy helps Ransom discover he isn't as broken as he believes, and he in turn helps Izzy to realize she's worthy of her talents.

In parts humorous and sweet, this is a fun romance that I'd consider reading again.

Balise reviewed Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare (Castles Ever After -- Book 1)

Review of 'Romancing the Duke' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I was very pleasantly surprised by this one. I'll admit that I have a fair amount of prejudice towards the romance genre, but this prejudice is chipping away one book at a time ;) Izzy Goodnight inherits a castle, which is a good thing for her, because other than that, she has basically nothing (except an ermine). Problem: said castle is currently inhabited by the Duke of Rothbury, who a/ is not aware the castle has been sold b/ as current owner, would actually have something to say about it. Stuff ensues. Including a bunch of cosplayers. (No, really.) And it's funny, and it's cute as hell, and it's entertaining, and I just loved that thing.

jayvall reviewed Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare (Castles Ever After -- Book 1)

Review of 'Romancing the Duke' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I'm at the point now where I'll read anything by Tessa Dare even without knowing the plot. Which is what happened here. So I had no idea the premise of Dare's latest series is a series of heroines who have a "fairy" godfather who leaves them each a castle.

In ROMANCING THE DUKE, Izzy's father has just died, leaving her destitute and doing the 19th century version of couch surfing. That is, until she gets a letter directing her to Gostley castle in Northumberland so that she may receive the inheritance that's been left to her. The inheritance is, of course, the aforementioned castle, but the only problem is the castle still has a duke attached to it, and he's not interested in leaving. And neither is she.

ROMANCING THE DUKE was such a fun book that I literally stayed up all night reading it. I also may have cried …

I'm at the point now where I'll read anything by Tessa Dare even without knowing the plot. Which is what happened here. So I had no idea the premise of Dare's latest series is a series of heroines who have a "fairy" godfather who leaves them each a castle.

In ROMANCING THE DUKE, Izzy's father has just died, leaving her destitute and doing the 19th century version of couch surfing. That is, until she gets a letter directing her to Gostley castle in Northumberland so that she may receive the inheritance that's been left to her. The inheritance is, of course, the aforementioned castle, but the only problem is the castle still has a duke attached to it, and he's not interested in leaving. And neither is she.

ROMANCING THE DUKE was such a fun book that I literally stayed up all night reading it. I also may have cried a little, but I'll attribute that to the lack of sleep. It's not quite as quirky as some of Dare's previous books, but it still manages to be a lighthearted and fun read even though the hero is injured. Izzy and Ransom are well matched and even though their romance was short, I believed in the two of them.

If you've never read Dare's work, this is a good one to start with, and if you're a long time reader, you'll enjoy this as well, as this is one of Dare's best.