Tessa Dare

What's a duke to do, when the girl who's perfectly wrong becomes the woman he can't live without? Griffin York, the Duke of Halford, has no desire to wed this season—or any season—but his diabolical mother abducts him to "Spinster Cove" and insists he select a bride from the ladies in residence. Griff decides to teach her a lesson that will end the marriage debate forever. He chooses the serving girl. Overworked and struggling, Pauline Simms doesn't dream about dukes. All she wants is to hang up her barmaid apron and open a bookshop. That dream becomes a possibility when an arrogant, sinfully attractive duke offers her a small fortune for a week's employment. Her duties are simple: submit to his mother's "duchess training"… and fail miserably. But in London, Pauline isn't a miserable failure. She's a brave, quick-witted, beguiling failure—a woman who ignites Griff's desire and soothes the darkness in his soul. Keeping Pauline by his side won't be easy. Even if Society could accept a serving girl duchess—can a roguish duke convince a serving girl to trust him with her heart?

Any Duchess Will Do

azliana aziz

um i was looking forward to read how halford find his lady and while i like the idea of him falling in love with a woman so beneath his rank but i think overall the story was half baked and i had to suspend so much of my disbelief while reading.

dija

Lover of Romance 

Griff has no desire to ever marry, he hides a secret that changed his life forever. Despite his mother's will to see him married, he knows it will never happen and plans on the Dukedom to die with him. But then the most unexpected happens, his own mother drugs him and kidnaps him and takes him to Spindle Cove. Her intent is that he will marry any woman there, no matter who she is and his mother plans on turning her into a Duchess. So Griff picks the one woman that would be the least likely to be turned into a duchess...serving girl, Pauline Simms. Pauline has worked hard trying to protect herself and her younger sister, saving every penny so that one day she can open a library, that is her dream. But when the Duke of Halford makes a deal with her. For one week she comes to London, to be tutored as a duchess and if she fails he will give her a thousand pounds-which is a huge fortune to Pauline. Where she will open the doors to her dreams and to live a comfortable and content life in Spindle Cove. However as the week goes by, there is a certain chemistry that builds between Griff and Pauline. Griff knows that if he were to ever pick a woman to love it would be Pauline, but he vowed a lifetime ago to never marry, but will he be able to trust Pauline with his secret...and his heart?Any Duchess Will Do is the fourth installment in the Spindle Cove series. Now I have just fallen in love with this author and this series. Spindle Cove is a place set in regency England, where spinster ladies come to find friends and husbands if possible. In this book, we start off with a Duke being taken hostage by his mother..now to say this story starts off with a hitch is a understatement. I love bold and daring stories, and this one beats them all. I found Griff to be stubborn yet sexy and utterly irresistibly charming, if a bit spoiled and arrogant at times. Then you look at Pauline who has had to work for everything which is very little so far, but she still has dreams and desires, in spite of her circumstances. I loved how even though her sister is everything, she is willing to sacrifice a week, to gain a fortune that could save them both. There is some serious tension between Griff and Pauline, and their interactions between each other are priceless. There is enough sizzling chemistry that it will blow your mind. I enjoyed seeing Griff's mom, she was just so fun to see her meddling in her son's affairs, I was SO on her team. All she wants is grandchildren and for her son to find love and happiness. It was such a treat to see Griff almost being double teamed toward the end. There was such a sense of passion and a full range of emotions that can't be helped to be felt by the reader. Its almost like falling in love for the first time, Memorable and breathtaking! A classic tale of how opposite attract in the most perfect way when you least expect it. It will have you hooked until the end.

jenn kause

** spoiler alert **
           I’m a sucker for title differences, and I think this one was quite good. I tend to not agree with the women of these books though who literally leave for no good reason… like if I had a man who loved me and told me that, I wouldn’t just leave it?? She could’ve had both in the same time but I guess in the end she still won, but it always seems silly to me.

Megan Beth Davies

Another wonderful book from Dare. A romantic Cinderella story with a wonderful heroine and hero. I wasn't sure what to expect with Griff and after seeing him in A Week to be Wicked; I didn't think the author would be able to redeem him in my eyes, but she did a great job at showing how and why he had transformed from a rake to a good man as well as touching on the subject of grief. Pauline was also great, it was refreshing to have a heroine that wasn't a lady and that wasn't ashamed of it either. 

Give it a read, you won't be disappointed.

Jaclyn

ANOTHER SWOON WORTHY FAIRYTALE FROM TESSA DARE😭 So much love for this!! After A Week To Be Wicked, this ones my favorite!!! My hearts so full!

Becky

4.5
I think I am in love with Tessa Date's writing. I go a while without reading one of her books and every time I am surprised by her skill of crafting these harming charaxters that have me laughing out loud at their antics.

Considering how strongly I disliked Griff a couple of books back I was shocked to fall head over heels for him in this book. That only happened as Pauline was the most likeable character who charmed me with her dream of owning a book shop/library in Spindle Cove. I even in met my favourite character in the form of the duchess and her abominable knitting escapades. I just loved all the character interactions and want to read the next book now.

Francesca G

Ren Christina

The best of Tessa Dare’s books I’ve read thus far! A hardworking woman without titles or money is swept up in a bet between duke and his mother.

What follows is soft and sordid and sweet. Pauline had such a presence about her and refused to change herself to suit society, Griff was surprisingly complex and ultimately very kind.

This here is how you handle trauma in historical romance. Bridgerton could’ve learned a thing or two in my opinion.

Amanda J 

UGH. The premise started out promising but just felt the love story was uncomfortable, like hero took advantage of the heroine

b.andherbooks

Griffin York, Duke of Halford and a notorious rake, is kidnapped by his own mother and dragged to Spindle Cove with the decree to pick out a suitable bride. Upon spying barmaid Pauline Simms, Griffin is certain he can foil his mother by choosing the LEAST suitable girl ever despite his instant attraction to Pauline's spirit. Pauline agrees to be an abysmal failure in order to secure a future for herself and her sister, but both Pauline and Griffin underestimate the power of a mother on a mission and the fact they are clearly meant for one another.

SO GOOD. Just when I would think the book would take a classicly trope-y turn, Tessa Dare would shock me in the best way. Definitely give this one a go if you love your romance with emotion, humor, and intelligence.

2021 - Pauline is an eternal fav, as is Griff. I love seeing a reformed rake and bad boy getting toppled by his own feeeeelings. Also, the relationship developed between Pauline and Griff's mother, the dowager duchess, is so endearing. Dare could have easily made the dowager a villain, but instead gives us a woman who is eager to be a mother-in-law and to connect with her own son. She can clearly see Pauline is *the one* for Griff, even if he is a dunderhead and cannot himself yet. Love it.

Sans

So here’s the thing. I’m kind of addicted to historical romances. I don’t expect Pulitzer level writing, I don’t expect to be blown over by intricate plots, by subtle dialogue that is both witty and thought-provoking, by characters who speak to me on an intimate level. 

Let’s be honest. When I read romances, I’m in it for mindless candy. A fluffy bit of confection that takes me out of my own head for a few hours and lets my brain coast on automatic. 

So I read it. The book starts off in a predictable way.

Characters are introduced.

The plot is revealed.

And I’m not sure if I read that correctly, so I go back and read the plot again to confirm, no, I really did read that correctly.

And then I remember why I call this shit crack.

It kinda went pear-shaped from there. I was by turns charmed by the cracky wtfery, bored by the predictability, and insulted by the hero. He was...well. Just read my status updates. I think everything I could tell you about the story is there.

So yeah. If I was rating based strictly on the characters and the plot, it’d be a 1.5. But I’m giving extra points simply for being there when I needed some ridiculousness. And I’m totally going to read the next book in this series when it comes out.

UPDATE: I took this much less seriously this time and enjoyed it so much more. Still full of wtfery but the fun kind.

Any Duchess Will Do

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