In the first in Tessa Dare’s captivating Castles Ever After series, a mysterious fortress is the setting for an unlikely love . . .
As the daughter of a famed author, Isolde Ophelia Goodnight grew up on tales of brave knights and fair maidens. She never doubted romance would be in her future, too. The storybooks offered endless possibilities.
And as she grew older, Izzy crossed them off. One by one by one.
Ugly duckling turned swan?
Abducted by handsome highwayman?
Rescued from drudgery by charming prince?
No, no, and… Heh.
Now Izzy’s given up yearning for romance. She’ll settle for a roof over her head. What fairy tales are left over for an impoverished twenty-six year-old woman who’s never even been kissed?
This one.
I was in the mood for something funny, and this one came recommended. It didn’t disappoint. Almost laugh out loud in bits, not quite, but definitely witty, silly, and fun.
Also very sexy, so clean Reg Readers this one is not for you.
Its a bit of a Beauty and the Beast tale, although she is described as being very plain. He is a former rake stricken by injury and has retreated to a crumbling Castle to avoid all contact with the outside world. A series of machinations have thrown the two together into an unlikely partnership amid the rubble.
Somewhere, I read there were elements of the Gothic about the Castle and therefore the novel, but there is nothing Gothic about the tone. Foiled again! I am beginning to despair of ever finding another Gothic inspired comedy.
But I digress.
Classically modern mass market Reg Rom, Tessa Dare takes many of the tropes and trends and adds in snappy dialogue, over the top characters, and super steamy scenes to keep the pace of this book fast and furious. I really liked the down on her luck spinster heroine who is also a bit of an adventurer at heart and brave, if not hoydenish. The hero was a tougher sell for me, as Dare paints him in all his flaws, so readers expecting realism or to understand what in heavens name actually attracts these two beyond lust or animal magnetism will be disappointed. I get that he is sexy, was a bad boy before his injury, and is now like a lion with a thorn in his paw. His back story just seemed so melodramatic, so been-done-before, and so overblown that it might have passed the sniff test for a younger character…but for a Duke? Nope, didn’t buy it.
However, that didn’t keep me from loving the banter, the hot action, and generally female gaze presented whenever our heroine sees him enter a room. The kind of sex where he backs you into a while, lifts you up, and then takes you to pleasure town…its in here in spades.
The kind of romance that has you tearing up, sniffling into your hankie? Not so much.
The reader also will need a liberal suspension of disbelief, because the proprieties are def. not observed. In fact, the motivations also read a bit modern. I also read of one reference to grenades (a simile) that had me shaking my head. However, I still think Dare “gets” the genre/era enough to make those slip ups or purposeful smash ups part of the fun.
Funny, worth a re-read, I recommend Romancing the Duke for those looking for a silly, sexy summer read.
4.5 out of 6 Funny and sexy, this fast paced fairy tale has a couple of fun twists.
| Content Rating/Heat Index | |
|---|---|
| Mature Content |   |
| Adult themes, including gambling, casual sex, adultery | |
| Intimacy | |
| Several intimate scenes, albeit fairly vanilla | |
| Violence | |
| A couple of descriptions | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Several love scenes, albeit vanilla, make this a for mature audiences only. | |
