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A review by chloe_liese
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare
5.0
This is the best kind of historical romance to read—a witty, hot, love story that delightfully captures the life, language, habits, and attitudes of times but which also wrenches free human realities that transcend historical period. While there was plenty about the time period—peerage and society and gender roles and class—the lesson that Dare drilled into you was the timeless truth that relationships make us vulnerable, healing is hard, and both companionship and love can find us unexpectedly.
Yes, there’s an element of wistfulness, to make these women confined to such a sexist time, as empowered and feisty as they are (while I know they existed, those women had very very hard times in society), but it’s a powerful reclaiming of western civilization’s sordid reliance on patriarchy. As a feminist, a modern woman, a lover of literature, it’s delightful to travel back in time and read fictional women living and thinking and talking as women back then *should* have been empowered to. This was—I cringe to admit it—my first Tessa Dare, but I know it won’t be my last. Also: the audio is gold! She brings out the humor, comedic timing, and sparkling wit even more. I went back and forth between mass market paperback and audio, and it was an absolute delight.
“Most times, a girl needed to rescue her self.
Tonight, Emma would be her own fairy godmother, her own dashing prince. Even her own knight in shining armor – or rather, her own lady and a sparkling gown.
She could do this.”
“He made a silent vow to her – and to himself – that he would never hide the scars again. The entirety of his wretched past had led to this moment, and to deny them would be to deny her. Others might view the scars as his ruin. Ash knew the truth. They were his making. And Emma was his salvation.”
Yes, there’s an element of wistfulness, to make these women confined to such a sexist time, as empowered and feisty as they are (while I know they existed, those women had very very hard times in society), but it’s a powerful reclaiming of western civilization’s sordid reliance on patriarchy. As a feminist, a modern woman, a lover of literature, it’s delightful to travel back in time and read fictional women living and thinking and talking as women back then *should* have been empowered to. This was—I cringe to admit it—my first Tessa Dare, but I know it won’t be my last. Also: the audio is gold! She brings out the humor, comedic timing, and sparkling wit even more. I went back and forth between mass market paperback and audio, and it was an absolute delight.
“Most times, a girl needed to rescue her self.
Tonight, Emma would be her own fairy godmother, her own dashing prince. Even her own knight in shining armor – or rather, her own lady and a sparkling gown.
She could do this.”
“He made a silent vow to her – and to himself – that he would never hide the scars again. The entirety of his wretched past had led to this moment, and to deny them would be to deny her. Others might view the scars as his ruin. Ash knew the truth. They were his making. And Emma was his salvation.”