ARC Review: Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

“Tessa Dare does it again!  Here’s a series I’ll be hooked on for as long as she wants to write it.” ~Under the Covers

Tessa Dare does it again!  Here’s a series I’ll be hooked on for as long as she wants to write it.  What an unconventional hero and how I love him!  I am always a fan of a hero with a disability and scarred, and in this case, Ransom is partially (or mostly) blind.  He’s a Duke but he’s had a rough go in the past year.  Getting hurt in a fight, being scarred and losing his sight.  As well as losing his fiance to another man.  He’s been hiding in Gostley Castle ever since.

That is until Izzy Goodnight strolls in.  She’s down on her luck herself, with no where to go after her father died.  Her last hope is meeting a mysterious man who sent her a letter about an inheritance she may have.  Which turns out to be the Castle itself.  Izzy’s godfather (or better described as her father’s friend whom she met once) has left her Gostley Castle.  But there’s a surly Duke in it who believes his property wouldn’t have been sold without his consent.  And so Izzy becomes Ransom’s secretary and helps him go through months of mail to figure out if indeed the property was sold to her godfather, rendering it hers.

I loved every single thing about this story.  It’s a fairy tale style story that you can’t help but get wrapped up in and just brings a smile to your face.  Izzy has been forced by life to slowly give up her belief in happily ever afters, and that her prince charming won’t come and swoop her off her feet.  She’s become more practical.  Forced to live a lie to make her father’s followers happy.  But she’s still the kind of woman that sees the glass half full and finds the good in everything.

Ransom I just loved.  He’s moody and grumpy, but he’s caring from the beginning.  Even after life beat him down, he’s still got good in him even though he tries to muddy it.  I really enjoyed Izzy and Ransom together.  They have great chemistry and they were perfect to help each other out.  They are both misfits in a way and they brought out the best in each other out.

You can expect to smile and even laugh out loud with this story.  This is the perfect blend of historical romance and fairy tales with characters full of life and emotion.  You won’t be able to stop reading until you’ve finished!

*ARC provided by publisher

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[about-author author=”Tessa Dare”]