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sienasummerrreads's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Technically I believe this is my first historical romance and I absolutely loved it! It was fun and the banter between Emma and Ash the Duke was fantastic.
This follows Emma who is a Seamstress and a vicars daughter. The Duke of Ashbury needs a wife and an heir. After seeing Emma standing in front of him in a wedding dress he confirms she will do. He has rules such as don’t talk about his scars, no lights or kissing in intimate moments and falling for each other. Emma is to produce and Heir and that’s it. But Emma has rules to such as have dinner with each other every night. But once he starts to open up Emma can’t stop falling.
The banter these two had was so fantastic, quirky and swoony. I was laughing so much and when the spice hit I loved it even more. Also I’m a sucker for when a character has past injuries and are open about there insecurities. Emma was so supportive of the Duke due to this and it’s just so cute. I need to read more of Tessa Dare for sure
If you love:
🔹A Duke & Seamstress
🔹In Need Of An Heir
🔹Historical Vibes
🔹Witty Banter
🔹Funny & Quirky Characters
🔹Great Plot
🔹Very Good Spice
Genre/Type: Historical Romance 18+
APK: Audiobook Scribd
Audio Length: 7h 56m
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5
Spice: 🌶️.5
Tropes or Themes: Marriage Of Convenience, Royals & Historical.
Check Triggers ⚠️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Dysphoria
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Minor: Vomit, Death of parent, and War
daisycantread24's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Injury/Injury detail
smithrachaelynn's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Absolutely, utterly delightful. I knew immediately that I was going to love this book so much. Ash is so precious and witty. He has a hard exterior and a soft center just for Emma. I loved every single thing about this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence
mx_virg's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
It's a fun and easy read. All in all I enjoyed the main characters and their banter, watching them get under each other's skin. The whole Beast of Mayfair subplot was a hoot. The book was sometimes a bit too much. Too silly. Characters becoming caricatures of themselves. But I still enjoyed it a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming and Emotional abuse
Minor: Death of parent and War
alexleigh20's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
smazzeo96's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
dkfma's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This was my first foray into Tessa Dare's work, and I don't regret it at all.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Mary Jane Wells, and I found her narration to be engaging and easy to listen to. I have a love/hate relationship with audiobooks since I feel like the experience is heavily dependent on the narrator (which can both make a book better or make it worse), but I really enjoyed this one.
This book is the first of the Girl Meets Duke series. It follows Emma Gladstone, a vicar's daughter-turned-seamstress, and the Duke of Ashbury. Ash was injured during Waterloo and his resulting injuries have left half of his face heavily scarred, creating a distance between him and everyone other than those working for him.
Ash sets out to find a wife, but solely to have an heir to carry on his title. Luckily for him, Emma quite literally just appears on his doorstep, demanding to be paid for her labor on the wedding dress she made for his ex-fiancée.
The characterization and development were the strongest points of the novel, and I'll definitely be reading more of Dare's work in the future. Plus, this book was just so much fun. The back and forth between Emma and Ash never felt contrived, and the chemistry between the two just worked. They supported and balanced each other out, and the affection they developed for each other felt natural.
If you're someone who needs their books to be very, very historically accurate, this isn't for you. But if you're like me and can look past it or simply don't know enough about the time period to have your enjoyment marred, I definitely recommend this one.
tl;dr
A fun, lighthearted marriage of convenience story with a Beauty and the Beast-esque angle. Not 100% historically accurate, but 200% a good time.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Mary Jane Wells, and I found her narration to be engaging and easy to listen to. I have a love/hate relationship with audiobooks since I feel like the experience is heavily dependent on the narrator (which can both make a book better or make it worse), but I really enjoyed this one.
This book is the first of the Girl Meets Duke series. It follows Emma Gladstone, a vicar's daughter-turned-seamstress, and the Duke of Ashbury. Ash was injured during Waterloo and his resulting injuries have left half of his face heavily scarred, creating a distance between him and everyone other than those working for him.
Ash sets out to find a wife, but solely to have an heir to carry on his title. Luckily for him, Emma quite literally just appears on his doorstep, demanding to be paid for her labor on the wedding dress she made for his ex-fiancée.
The characterization and development were the strongest points of the novel, and I'll definitely be reading more of Dare's work in the future. Plus, this book was just so much fun. The back and forth between Emma and Ash never felt contrived, and the chemistry between the two just worked. They supported and balanced each other out, and the affection they developed for each other felt natural.
If you're someone who needs their books to be very, very historically accurate, this isn't for you. But if you're like me and can look past it or simply don't know enough about the time period to have your enjoyment marred, I definitely recommend this one.
tl;dr
A fun, lighthearted marriage of convenience story with a Beauty and the Beast-esque angle. Not 100% historically accurate, but 200% a good time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Drug use
iisa's review against another edition
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexism and Pregnancy
Minor: War
elysekimberly's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I loved this book really, truly, honestly, earnestly, properly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Vomit, Death of parent, and War
valeria_gzz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I want to give this 5 stars but it feels like 4 stars. This was awesome. Now I get why Ash is Viggo’s favorite historical romance hero. Also maybe why Ren curses in Shakespeare?? I’ll have to ask Chloe Liese.
I’m not giving this 5 stars because this was great but it’s not FOR me. Ash isn’t the kind of mmc/hero that I gravitate to. I thought the Davina and whole father storyline was really sweet. I have a feeling this is Tessa Dare’s love letter to her father.
This book was funny and I loved the banter between Ash and Emma. Also wwoooaaah very very hot. I’m learning that Tessa Dare books are racy, seductive, sensual, and all the other synonyms for sexy
I’m not giving this 5 stars because this was great but it’s not FOR me. Ash isn’t the kind of mmc/hero that I gravitate to. I thought the Davina and whole father storyline was really sweet. I have a feeling this is Tessa Dare’s love letter to her father.
This book was funny and I loved the banter between Ash and Emma. Also wwoooaaah very very hot. I’m learning that Tessa Dare books are racy, seductive, sensual, and all the other synonyms for sexy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment