Review: Do You Want to Start a Scandal

DO YOU WANT TO START A SCANDAL
Spindle Cove #5
Tessa Dare
Historical Romance
Avon
Available September 27th
Source: eARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
On the night of the Parkhurst ball, someone had a scandalous tryst in the library.
•Was it Lord Canby, with the maid, on the divan?
•Or Miss Fairchild, with a rake, against the wall?
•Perhaps the butler did it.

All Charlotte Highwood knows is this: it wasn’t her. But rumors to the contrary are buzzing. Unless she can discover the lovers’ true identity, she’ll be forced to marry Piers Brandon, Lord Granville—the coldest, most arrogantly handsome gentleman she’s ever had the misfortune to embrace. When it comes to emotion, the man hasn’t got a clue.

But as they set about finding the mystery lovers, Piers reveals a few secrets of his own. The oh-so-proper marquess can pick locks, land punches, tease with sly wit … and melt a woman’s knees with a single kiss. The only thing he guards more fiercely than Charlotte’s safety is the truth about his dark past.

Their passion is intense. The danger is real. Soon Charlotte’s feeling torn. Will she risk all to prove her innocence? Or surrender it to a man who’s sworn to never love?

MY THOUGHTS
The entire Spindle Cove series is a must-read for those who want a lot of humor with their heat, but this fifth installment is arguably the best yet. With the trademark sexual chemistry Ms. Dare does so well comes a number of laugh out loud moments that have us wanting to start from the beginning as soon as we read the last page.

Charlotte has been a secondary character from book one, her delightfully quirky sisters and completely outrageous matchmaking mother scene-stealers every time they appeared on page. Now sliding into the role of heroine Charolotte makes us fall in love with her all over again, somehow having emerged from her upbringing with the ability to find humor in her mother's desperate attempts to find advantageous marriages for her daughters. She knows people laugh at her family and keep their distance so that her reputation doesn't bleed from her person and stain theirs should they stand too close, and yet she still holds her head up high and approaches every situation with a joy for life we can only admire.

While Piers is everything a historical romance hero should be and certainly worthy of a full paragraph (and more, but I write relatively short reviews ;-) dedicated to his many delicious attributes, there are a couple scenes in this book that cannot go without mentioning. One involves a mother-daughter "what to expect on your wedding night" chat complete with fruit and vegetable visual aides, and another involves a too-truthful perfume shop owner and the many ingredients involved in the making of various fragrances. The entire book is sure to win readers over with ease, but those two moments are particular highlights, and should have you adding this book to your lists as soon as possible.

Though this is the fifth installment and the Highwoods have been players in the previous books, Charlotte's story does stand on its own in terms of the romance, and will certainly cause all who pick it up to trip over themselves in their haste to collect the whole series.

Rating: 5/5

Find Tessa:

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Friday Fun

Happy Friday Everyone!

Instead of revealing a cover today, I wanted to instead share a few fun things that have been going on in both my reading world and my personal one:) I'm going to do kind of a mashup between Christina's Friday Five and Kim's Sunday Post, so thank you to both of them for the ideas!

WHAT I'M WATCHING

The Olympics! Of course. I look forward to watching every day, appreciating all the athleticism I myself will never possess. I love the big events like gymnastics and swimming, but given I grew up on the competitive equestrian circuit, the showjumping events are what I most look forward to. Those start on Sunday I believe and you can bet I'll be sprawled on my couch avidly watching.

So. My husband and I got Netflix about 3 months ago and we have been binge-watching all 10 seasons of Supernatural ever since. We're about halfway through the final season (on Netflix anyway, I think the show is on season 11? 12?), and Sam and Dean have yet to get old for me. I liked the earlier seasons where we got more of the individual ghost/monster/paranormal creepiness episodes a bit better than the epic demon vs. angel showdown of the later seasons, but overall definitely a winner!

JUST FINISHED

How To Start a Scandal

My attempt to keep my laughter silent while reading this shook the bed so hard I actually woke my husband up. Oops. Tessa Dare's books always have her trademark humor, but Charlotte's book was for me her most delightful yet. Historical romance lovers, add this to your lists immediately! My full review will be up in a couple weeks.

CURRENTLY READING

If I Only Had a Duke

I'm on a historical romance kick as you can see, and so far I'm really enjoying this one. I adored the first book, How the Duke Was Won, so I jumped on this as soon as I saw it come up for review. I'm only a few chapters in, but there's already so much great chemistry between these two, and the synopsis promises a fun romp through Ireland, so I have little doubt it's going to end as strong as it's started.

UP NEXT

Three Truths and a Lie

It's been a little while since I've read a YA mystery/thriller so I'm looking forward to this! What do we think?:

A weekend retreat in the woods and an innocent game of three truths and a lie go horribly wrong in this high-octane psychological thriller filled with romantic suspense by a Lambda Award–winning author.

Deep in the forest, four friends gather for a weekend of fun.

Truth #1: Rob is thrilled about the weekend trip. It’s the perfect time for him to break out of his shell…to be the person he really, really wants to be.

Truth #2: Liam, Rob’s boyfriend, is nothing short of perfect. He’s everything Rob could have wanted. They’re perfect together. Perfect.

Truth #3: Mia has been Liam’s best friend for years…long before Rob came along. They get each other in a way Rob could never, will never, understand.

Truth #4: Galen, Mia’s boyfriend, is sweet, handsome, and incredibly charming. He’s the definition of a Golden Boy…even with the secrets up his sleeve.

One of these truths is a lie…and not everyone will live to find out which one it is.

DOGGIE LIFE

Life with the girls has been really good lately, the adjustment after adding Mya to our family starting to smooth out and she's finally starting to really settle in. The past four months have been really challenging given Mya's abusive past and subsequent trust/fear issues (more a result of our inexperience with such issues than anything else), and there were more than a few times when we felt way out of our depth. I've done a ton of research on fear behaviors though, and have been working hard to build her confidence when she starts to struggle. She's an amazing dog though, and we're so proud of how far she's come! She and Gracie are getting along as beautifully as they have since the moment they met, and they make me smile every single day:)

Hope you guys have wonderful weekends!

Review: Lord Dashwood Missed Out

LORD DASHWOOD MISSED OUT
Spindle Cove #4.5
Tessa Dare
Historical Romance
144 pages
Avon
Available December 8th
Source: eARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
A snowstorm hath no fury like a spinster scorned!

Miss Elinora Browning grew up yearning for the handsome, intelligent lord-next-door…but he left England without a word of farewell. One night, inspired by a bit too much sherry, Nora poured out her heartbreak on paper. Lord Dashwood Missed Out was a love letter to every young lady who’d been overlooked by gentlemen—and an instant bestseller. Now she’s on her way to speak in Spindle Cove when snowy weather delays her coach. She’s forced to wait out the storm with the worst possible companion: Lord Dashwood himself.

And he finally seems to have noticed her.

George Travers, Lord Dashwood, has traveled the globe as a cartographer. He returned to England with the goal of marrying and creating an heir--only to find his reputation shredded by an audacious, vexingly attractive bluestocking and her poison pen. Lord Dashwood Missed Out, his arse. Since Nora Browning seems to believe he overlooked the passion of a lifetime, Dash challenges her to prove it.

She has one night.

MY THOUGHTS
Lord Dashwood Missed Out is an all-too fleeting return to the Spindle Cove world, one that delights us once again with Ms. Dare’s trademark sense of humor and a cast of characters who never take themselves too seriously.

Nora is a joy of a heroine, a young woman who had a crush on a friend of the family growing up and dreamed of the time when her fantasies of a wedding and children would finally become a reality. What awaited her instead was heartbreak and loneliness as Lord Ashwood took off to travel the world, but not before he made it glaringly obvious that he was aware of her feelings and didn’t return them. While we don’t know all the details until midway through, we can more than relate to Nora’s unrequited crush and the pain that accompanies such a thing, and we can’t help but applaud her for writing an essay encouraging young women like herself to find worth in themselves rather than in a proper marriage as decided by the Ton.

Lord Ashwood has some serious groveling to do from the first page as our solidarity lies firmly with Nora even without knowing the whys behind his actions, but Ms. Dare of course beautifully redeems him (eventually that is, he earns a narrowed eye or two along the way) with warmth, humility and humor. While their romance is unfortunately brief (this is a novella) and Nora forgives a touch too easily, both things are easily overlooked as we glory in characters who always leave us hoping for more time with them.

A review for this series wouldn’t be complete without the mention of Mrs. Highwood, a woman so hilariously unrelenting in the pursuit of an advantageous marriage for her youngest daughter that we can’t help but smile at her every appearance on page. If you’ve yet to experience the Spindle Cove series and are a fan of historical romance, I can’t recommend these books highly enough!

Rating: 4/5
 

Find Tessa:

  Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

Review + Giveaway: When a Scot Ties the Knot

WHEN A SCOT TIES THE KNOT
Castles Ever After #3
Tessa Dare
Historical Romance
384 pages
Avon
Available Now
Source: eARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
On the cusp of her first London season, Miss Madeline Gracechurch was shyly pretty and talented with a drawing pencil, but hopelessly awkward with gentlemen. She was certain to be a dismal failure on the London marriage mart. So Maddie did what generations of shy, awkward young ladies have done: she invented a sweetheart.

A Scottish sweetheart. One who was handsome and honorable and devoted to her, but conveniently never around. Maddie poured her heart into writing the imaginary Captain MacKenzie letter after letter … and by pretending to be devastated when he was (not really) killed in battle, she managed to avoid the pressures of London society entirely.

Until years later, when this kilted Highland lover of her imaginings shows up in the flesh. The real Captain Logan MacKenzie arrives on her doorstep—handsome as anything, but not entirely honorable. He’s wounded, jaded, in possession of her letters… and ready to make good on every promise Maddie never expected to keep.

MY THOUGHTS
When a Scot Ties the Knot charmingly reminds us of all the reasons we love a Tessa Dare historical romance, giving us a sweet, self-aware heroine to show our gruff, slightly damaged hero that there’s more to life than duty and loneliness. A fanciful teenage attempt at self-preservation irrevocably alters the course of both their lives, taking all of us on a journey full of laughter and heat without weighing us down with unnecessary drama and conflict.

Maddie is nothing short of adorable, inventing a fantasy suitor in order to keep her family from pushing her to attend all the social events of her first Season out, something that makes her break out in a cold sweat thanks to a traumatic crowd-related incident in her youth. Years later when he suddenly shows up at her door, she meets him head-on with humor and self-deprecation, repeatedly reprimanding herself for bathing him in a romantic light when he’s clearly not there to sweep her off her feet, and begging him to share any number of faults to aid her in her quest to keep her heart from skipping a beat in his presence. What results is a relationship that’s utterly endearing, the two of them fighting their growing affection in a way that manages to be cute rather than frustrating.

Logan has the perfect amount of alpha in him; big, imposing, and completely loyal to the men under his command, but he also undeniably has what Maddie refers to–much to his chagrin–as “squish”. She’s not put off by his attempts at intimidation, instead choosing to see the positive over the negative at every turn regardless of both their efforts to yank her rose-colored glasses from her eyes. Despite a hasty marriage of convenience and necessity, the romance is definitely of the slow burn variety, the sexual tension between them taut as a bowstring for much of the book until Ms. Dare puts all of us out of our delicious misery.

Overall, When a Scot Ties the Knot is as sweet as can be, supporting fluff with plenty of substance and a strong set of secondary characters (here’s hoping we see some Logan’s men get books of their own!) to keep us engaged on every level.

Rating: 4/5
 

Find When a Scot Ties the Knot:

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Review: Say Yes to the Marquess

SAY YES TO THE MARQUESS
Castles Ever After #2
Tessa Dare
Historical Romance
384 pages
Avon
Available December 30th
Source: eARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
After eight years of waiting for Piers Brandon, the wandering Marquess of Granville, to set a wedding date, Clio Whitmore has had enough. She's inherited a castle, scraped together some pride, and made plans to break her engagement.

Not if Rafe Brandon can help it. A ruthless prizefighter and notorious rake, Rafe is determined that Clio will marry his brother—even if he has to plan the dratted wedding himself.

So how does a hardened fighter cure a reluctant bride's cold feet?

● He starts with flowers. A wedding can't have too many flowers. Or harps. Or cakes.

● He lets her know she'll make a beautiful, desirable bride—and tries not to picture her as his.

● He doesn't kiss her.

● If he kisses her, he definitely doesn't kiss her again.

● When all else fails, he puts her in a stunning gown. And vows not to be nearby when the gown comes off.

● And no matter what—he doesn't fall in disastrous, hopeless love with the one woman he can never call his own.

MY THOUGHTS
Say Yes to the Marquess is yet another winner from Ms. Dare, her sense of humor one of the main reasons we rush to crack the spine, knowing we’ll find ourselves laughing at the antics and banter between perfectly imperfect individuals. While Ms. Dare’s romances are undoubtedly full of substance–richly nuanced characters giving the explorer in us plenty to sift through–they’re also light and fluffy (in the best possible way), leaving us free of worry that we’re going to reach a point where one or two of the characters make the mistake that’s going to bring their world crashing down around them. Instead, we read cocooned in the warmth of a safety blanket known as communication, reveling in our lead couple's ability to talk things out with one another rather than keep everything bottled up.

Though light and fluffy is an accurate description of the overall tone of this romance, it’s not without tension, things between Rafe and Clio ripe with that very thing given her engagement to his older brother. Majority of this tale is build-up, the beautiful dance between them moving a few steps forward before the swell of the music turns, shifting them with it and forcing them several steps back. Both are battling severe self-esteem issues thanks to the fact that they’ve only ever seen themselves through the lens of their families’ distorted perception, but we as readers have the pleasure of seeing each of them through the eyes of the other, and we can’t help but smile at what we find there. So very slowly over the course of the book the weight of expectation on each of them drops away, removed as a result of fierce determination and a desire to see the other person find the happiness they so rightly deserve.

Overall, Say Yes to the Marquess is everything there is to love about the romance genre, darker moments tempered by humor to ensure we have a giddy smile on our faces the entire way through. Ms. Dare is a go-to author for me, someone who never fails to delight and entertain, and who writes stories that end up on the shelf of favorites waiting to be read again and again.

Rating: 4/5

Find Tessa:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Amazon

This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.