If I won the lottery, I'd buy a castle; Lucky for the heroine of this magnificent tale, she happened to inherit one - scary, yet severely sexy duke included! 

Izzy's life wasn't exactly akin to the characters' in her father's widely acclaimed stories. She was incredibly "plain" and exceedingly poor- but through a crazy twist of fate she now finds herself the new landlady of a dilapidated castle. 
Ransom Vane is the scarred and ornery duke hiding away in said castle and not exactly thrilled at the new intrusions Izzy's warped fairytale lucky has wrought. Sparks will fly, someone's sanity is questioned and two hearts join in this latest pleaser from Tessa Dare!


Read an Excerpt: here



Isolde Ophelia Goodnight did not have a life as fanciful and fairytale-esque as her name suggests. Those familiar with her father's work likely find her lacking and unremarkable upon actually meeting her- nowhere near the image that came to mind when reading her cameo's in The Goodnight Tales. Due to her father's deplorable money management, the now adult orphan is without money or prospects and lives off the generosity and hospitality of the more ardent fans of her father's work. Just when all hope looks lost a letter arrives informing Izzy of a change in circumstance fit for a chapter in a fanciful story book.

The reclusive Duke of Rothbury is recuperating from a duel-gone-bad in an ancient castle that has been in his family's holdings for centuries. Ransom has shut the world out as he goes through the motions of existing while feeling out the new normal his injuries have forced upon him. Everything is a haze of grey and shadows but his unexpected visitor will test not only his failing vision but his mind and convictions too. She may have bought with her only one small valise (and smaller ermine), but the baggage she heaps on his door will infiltrate every nook and cranny of the enormous castle leaving no room to escape his past, present or future.

The table piled high with unattended correspondence and the possibility of duplicitous solicitors threatening what little Ransom has left to rely on leaves him no choice but to remain under the same roof as his supposed new landlady as they work together to sort through one hell of a mess. With a little love and a few unlikely friends, the castle, Ransom's business affairs and two hearts may not be such a hopeless case after all.


My Favorite Part of the Book: What wasn't my favorite would be an easier question to answer. This book was so amazing and everything worked perfectly. The fact that this book wasn't one I had to skim through to get to the interesting bits and that it kept me truly entertained and engaged from start to finish is what I took away most from it. The book was an experience. I had been on a dry spell of books lately that didn't capture me like romance novels use to do when I first started to read. Dare put that elusive touch of magic back into reading with every page.

This novel is simply stunning. I can not think of sufficient adjectives to adequately describe my adoration of this latest from Dare. Upon reading the first few pages I immediately tweeted the following and could have simply left this as an accurate review of the book as the sentiment expressed remained true throughout and thereafter:

Ever begin reading a book & want to simply tweet thank you to the author? Thank you for sharing your gift & helping me escape @TessaDare
— Rita Jett (@NotAnotherRBlog) December 14, 2013

Dare has outdone herself with this one. Romancing the Duke had such an incredible balance of humor, dark/serious elements, camaraderie, LOVE, multidimensional characters and plot twists. Dare's voice shines through and guides us readers on a journey that keeps you entertained from cover to cover. As stated previously, you can not skim this one. You will be able to take it in and savor it like fine wine. Each scene, line and metaphor is crafted in an enticing and artful way that resonates with the reader. This is an incredible read and astounding way to start off what will probably be yet another successful book series filled with characters and stories that'll stick with me long after the happily ever after.

Want more? Book 2 in the series, Say Yes To The Marquess, (which I can not wait to devour) will be releasing in Late 2014. Can't wait? This book isn't a fluke. Ms. Dare has a habit writing similarly amazing stories/series and you can get lost for months on her back list. Try the Spindle Cove series (Book 1: A Night to Surrender)

My Thoughts: Tessa Dare is an author who's works I became aquainted with last year. I JUST took this book out from my local library, and with all the hype surrounding it, I can't WAIT to crack it open!

Read a review of 'A Night To Surrender' at Smexy Books: here

Until Next Week<3...

I am sure most of you recall the Operation Auction initiative that took place a few months ago where the romance community banded together in order to raise money and show support to a fellow romancer who lost her husband in a horrible act of senseless violence. Authors, publishers, bloggers, and the like donated items to be auctioned off via ebay and the proceeds went to the widowed blogger and her children.