A review by greymalkin
Beauty and the Blacksmith by Tessa Dare

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

I normally love Tessa Dare's work and some of the Spindle Cove books are among my favorite books. But this was... really awful.  Clunky and unconvincing, I felt that Diana deserved much better. This read like a short story that had been padded out to novella length.  The guy was both boring and unsettlingly pushy.  I didn't like how he was framed as this gentle giant who is so supportive and yet he doesn't ever seem to really listened to her or actually support her in the way she asks him to. They had no chemistry at all.  Diana had far more chemistry with Sally Bright or Miss Bertram or even her sister's husband Colin.  Disappointing.