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A review by katsbooks
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
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
4.5
“Do you know, I suspected you were a good man, deep down. Even if very, very, very deep down. In a fathomless cavern. Underneath a volcano.”
“If you’re a broodmare, that would make me the stud.”
“And there,” she said, “is the injustice of the world in a nutshell.”
"...you’re the very life of me.”
This has been my favorite historical romance, by a very large margin. The banter! Oh my lanta, the banter! Tessa Dare had me literally laughing out loud on multiple occasions. I read this as an ebook through Libby but liked it so much that I went out and bought the rest of the series (so far. Crossing my fingers the fourth book actually gets published soon but it's been in the works for what looks like years at this point.)
I loved how wholesome this book felt while also being quite steamy. I'd probably give it like 3.5 chili peppers. Both Emma and Ash had insecurities that helped create the wholesome atmosphere, imo. Usually, it's the woman who has physical insecurities so it was really interesting to see this stereotype flipped onto the MMC.
The grumpy-sunshine trope was done quite well here. It led to some amazing banter. I loved how Emma wasn't scared of Ash, at all, and, in fact, pushed all of his buttons to get a rise out of him. She's so confident yet so insecure. It was such an interesting combination for a heroine.
The side characters were fantastic. The house staff was so much fun to read about. It was also so fun to get to know the heroines from the rest of the series. It was fun to see their personalities and grow to love them and their quirks before reading their own standalone novels.
Like I said, I'll definitely be reading the rest of this series. I've already purchased physical copies of each one that's available and will pre-order the last one whenever it finally gets published. Tessa Dare may be a favorite historical romance author for me!
“If you’re a broodmare, that would make me the stud.”
“And there,” she said, “is the injustice of the world in a nutshell.”
"...you’re the very life of me.”
This has been my favorite historical romance, by a very large margin. The banter! Oh my lanta, the banter! Tessa Dare had me literally laughing out loud on multiple occasions. I read this as an ebook through Libby but liked it so much that I went out and bought the rest of the series (so far. Crossing my fingers the fourth book actually gets published soon but it's been in the works for what looks like years at this point.)
I loved how wholesome this book felt while also being quite steamy. I'd probably give it like 3.5 chili peppers. Both Emma and Ash had insecurities that helped create the wholesome atmosphere, imo. Usually, it's the woman who has physical insecurities so it was really interesting to see this stereotype flipped onto the MMC.
The grumpy-sunshine trope was done quite well here. It led to some amazing banter. I loved how Emma wasn't scared of Ash, at all, and, in fact, pushed all of his buttons to get a rise out of him. She's so confident yet so insecure. It was such an interesting combination for a heroine.
The side characters were fantastic. The house staff was so much fun to read about. It was also so fun to get to know the heroines from the rest of the series. It was fun to see their personalities and grow to love them and their quirks before reading their own standalone novels.
Like I said, I'll definitely be reading the rest of this series. I've already purchased physical copies of each one that's available and will pre-order the last one whenever it finally gets published. Tessa Dare may be a favorite historical romance author for me!