Tessa Dare

As the daughter of a famed author, Isolde Ophelia Goodnight grew up on tales of brave knights and fair maidens. She never doubted romance would be in her future, too. The storybooks offered endless possibilities. And as she grew older, Izzy crossed them off. One by one by one. Ugly duckling turned swan? Abducted by handsome highwayman? Rescued from drudgery by charming prince? No, no, and . . . Heh. Now Izzy’s given up yearning for romance. She’ll settle for a roof over her head. What fairy tales are left over for an impoverished twenty-six year-old woman who’s never even been kissed? This one.

Castles Ever After

Romancing the Duke

azliana aziz

delightfully wonderful and adorable.
i love both hero and heroine equally which is quite rare for me to get that in HR books. the case is it's always unbalanced affection to either one of them and Romancing the Duke actually managed to made me fall in love with both of them! hurray!!

this book has abundance of hearts & lots of emotions + Tessa Dare's signature of frothy dramatic works best here.

Lover of Romance 

I was able to receive the ARC of Romancing the Duke through Avon and Edelweiss in return of a honest review. Ever since this author's books came out, I have loved her style. This latest series "Castles Ever After" are based on certain characters in each of the books inheriting or receiving in some way a castle. In the first one here, Izzy is sent a letter informing her that she has inherited a castle. Izzy with only a few coins to her name, decides to travel up north, and take a chance. She just doesn't expect to find a brooding and dangerous man who makes her heart flutter and her pulse quicken. Things heat up right quick, and he is the first who doesn't know the famous fables her father is well known for about knights and princes, and happily ever after. He doesn't believe in love or happy endings, just cold hard facts. This hero we see suffers from blindness, and we see how difficult it has been for him. He hasn't step one foot outside his crumbing castle. Izzy and Ransom strike a bargain, but this bargain will prove dangerous when they both fall in love with each other at a time when they least expect it. 

The story was charming and sweet and fully romantic. There was quite a bit that I enjoyed. Even though there was a bit of a serious tone to the story considering the number of conflicts involved, the first and second impression I gained from this story was that if your looking for a light and entertaining romance, this one is for you. Its definitely the type of book to get comfortable in. The characters were fun and boy did I love the side characters, they were a ball!! So much wit and playfulness and sense of freshness came the impression to this reader.

Overall I fell in love with Romancing The Duke. I was very impressed with the way the layout of this story started and how the author set it up quite perfectly. The characters were uniquely simple yet not. There were a few complications that only keep the reader even more engaged. A story full of charm, romance, and stellar storytelling that takes you back the magic of fairy tales and love ever after. A Golden Treasure of a romance!!! FANTASTIC!

Haley Murray

lindsey

*4.5 stars

IZZY IS SUCH A GIRLBOSS i loved this so much

Jaclyn

alisa 

this is so adorable, it left me on tears when Ransom acted as Ulric and just read it for u to know what I mean sobs, they make me so jealous. I love Izzy, a strong woman indeed, Ransom is very LUCKY.

Nicki

This was v. cute. I definitely liked it more than I thought it was okay. Didn't feel very regency to me though and damn Ransom was definitely not a rake cause I've read rakes and he was through and through a nice guy. I definitely knew the truth too because of the same reasons Ransom stated.

Kelsi Proulx

I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to. I am not normally a big romance reader but I decided to give this one a try and am so glad I did! The story kept me interested right up to the end with the quirky humor, the characters, and the setting (I love castles!) I will definitely be continuing with this series!

Francesca G

Tessa Dare just KNOWS the right spot to hit me in

Dawy

This was such a fun, adorable book about fairytales and fandom. I would say there are sunshine/grumpy vibes here, but also not quite going that far into the trope. Izzy is strong, smart, and resilient, and searching for romance and sensuality and confidence--while also desperately seeking a place to stay and money to earn, after her father's death left her penniless. Ransom is wounded (literally) and guarded, hiding out in a decrepit cancel after a failed engagement and a duel gone wrong left him blinded, scarred, and with recurring bouts of extreme pain. They are both such lovable, strong characters in their own way and it was a joy to watch them open up to each other and fall in love. I also loved the side characters: Duncan and his loyalty, Abigail and her friendship with Izzy, and the fanclub of the Goodnight Tales who really saved the day.

Kate

B. K.

Moon of Pages

This was so cute! I had such a fun time reading this 😍

Amanda J 

Started off really good but took a severe turn when the hero acted like a fool. A MAJOR FOOL

Renee Delcourt

This was definitely a campy read but I enjoyed it... There was a few moments where I was like yeah that's problematic and there were moments where I definitely knew what was coming but I really enjoyed the fun and adorable read.

Heather Harrington

With a well-known author as a father, Isolde "Izzy" Goodnight grew up on stories of shining knights, damsels in distress, and true love conquering all. She never once doubted these happy endings wouldn't happen for her, but after the death of her father, the twenty-six year old is left destitute with nothing to her name. When she's suddenly left a castle, she thinks her luck has started to turn around. That is until she finds the castle is already inhabited by a surly, blind duke who is not about to give up his homestead due to some silly misunderstanding. As the two fight over who truly owns the castle, feelings start to grow but they must overcome secrets and conspiracies if they hope to have a happy ending of their own.

I didn't know much about this going in, I was just looking for a fun historical romance, and this delivered! It was so charming, yet still had its steamy moments. I really loved Izzy and Ransom's relationship. Watching them go from bickering to trying to keep their hands off each other was so enjoyable. Izzy was quirky and had such spunk, whereas Ransom was foul-mouthed and annoyed at the world. They way they bounced off one another was delightful. Dare's writing was clever and flowed really well, nothing felt clunky or slow. In fact, I laughed at quite a few bits in this, which is always nice. If you're looking for a quick, witty romance, check this out.

b.andherbooks

Izzy unexpectedly inherits a potentially haunted, definitely falling apart castle, complete with a blind, scarred duke who is also kind of a beast. The inheritance couldn't have come at a better time, as Izzy's neglectful father left her with nothing, despite the huge popularity of his children's fairy tales written "for her." 26, plain, and never been kissed, Izzy is the eternal optimist but can't wait to get her hands on the castle and maybe even the duke...

Super sweet, with a nice, not quite unexpected twist, with lots of steam. I love Tessa Dare's heroines and heroes!

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads
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I picked up this book on a whim, after downloading an ARC of a later book in the series... also on a whim. Believe it or not, it's my first ever historical romance. (Unless, of course, you're counting those times when I used to peek between the pages of whatever bodice ripper my mom was reading when I was younger. I don't.) I really didn't think historical romance could live up to the sexiness and swoon of contemporary, but I was so, so very wrong. 

I fell in love with this book. The story, the characters, the setting. It was all magical and fairytale-like. I just loved Izzy. She was such a great, strong character. I clicked with her immediately. Her lack of self-confidence was easy to relate with. I liked watching her trying to balance the young, innocent girl the entire country knew with the grown up woman who desired love and passion. I loved how she grew and become more confident as the story continued. And the full revelations that came to light? YES! If I'm honest, I didn't see that coming at all. 

Ransom wasn't the swooniest guy in the beginning, but my goodness, I was crushing hard before the end of the book. Poor guy had been through a lot – and didn't deserve to be dealing with the shady folks he was. I'm a sucker for a good antagonistic romance, so naturally I loved how things began between Izzy and Ransom started off. They had TONS of chemistry and I just liked them together. 

Romancing the Duke was a fun book. It was also swoony and romantic. I laughed and blushed and really just enjoyed the entire ride. It was nice to get lost in something different than what I normally read. I enjoyed the characters (including some of the secondary characters who I hope get their own book *cough* Abigail *cough*), the story and the setting. I couldn't have picked a better first historical romance. 

Consider me a historical romance convert! I honestly never thought they were for me, but clearly I was mistaken. I'm so glad I decided to dip my toe in the waters... now I think I'm just about ready to dive straight on in. My Kindle is loaded up and ready to go.

Sans

This was awesome. Just what I needed. Funny, ridiculous, sweet, just the right hint of wtfery.

Romancing the Duke Castles Ever After

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