Say Yes to the Marquess: Castles Ever After (Castles Ever After, #2)

by Tessa Dare

Carmen Rose (Narrator)

Your presence is requested at romantic Twill Castle for the wedding of Miss Clio Whitmore and ...and ...? 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. Ladies 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.

• ISBN10: 1481516116
• ISBN13: 9781481516112
• Publish Date: 30 December 2014
• Publish Status: Active
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperCollins
• Format: Audiobook (CD)
• Duration: 9 hours and 40 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Berls]

I'm so glad that Kara and Lillian wanted to read this book! It it weren't for our buddy read it likely would have stayed on my TBR list for years to come. And I really enjoyed these characters so much, so I'm glad I got to read it!

I think my favorite thing about Say Yes to the Marquess was Clio. She's a fantastic character - unapologetically feminist (to a potentially anachronistic degree, but I would--and have -- argue that there were feminists long before we coined the term). She's an older character for HR romance, having been waiting 8 years since her debut for her intended to come home and finally wed her. During that time, she's grown and learned so much and now that she has the opportunity to live independently it's what she wants. I loved watching her continue to grow in her self-confidence and Rafe really helped her do that.

Which is what makes him my second favorite thing about this book. He is exactly what a hero should be, he sees Clio and doesn't think of all the ways she's wrong. He loves exactly who she is and wants her to love herself for those things too. And she returns the favor. They've both suffered from (potentially, jury's still out for me on some of them) well-meaning family who have put them down and diminished them. And, as Lillian perfectly put it in our buddy chat "He pushes her out of her boundaries and she builds him up." They're a fantastic pair!

There's some other really great characters in this book, from Rafe's trainer (really fantastic comedic relief), Clio's sister Phoebe (seems to be on the spectrum), and a loveable old dog. I also really enjoyed the less-obvious directions Tessa Dare took the plot. I continue to really enjoy everything I've read by her and won't hesitate to try others.

Qualifies for COYER Fall Scavenger Hunt Item #19 - Read a Book by an author you've previously read and given 5 stars.

[celinenyx]

Clio is done waiting, and has decided to take her life in her own hands. Say Yes to the Marquess is a sweet story of a woman finding her own path, and to a lesser extent, a man accepting that he too deserves to be loved. I especially liked how the relationship between Clio and Rafe didn't necessarily solve their problems magically - it gave them a vehicle through which to deal with stuff. The heroine is slightly bigger and this is never problematized, but seen as attractive to the hero.

Say Yes to the Marquess has an elderly dog being inconvenient, a rake trying to woo the heroine into marrying his brother by planning her wedding, and a heroine with plans and passions of her own. This nice, light story was exactly what I needed.

[lizarodz]

4.5 Stars! Review soon.

[nitzan_schwarz]

2015 tbr challenge

Enjoyed it, same with Tessa's other books. I love that there isn't a big misunderstanding/obstacle that breaks them apart, but two people who slowly fall in love and start a relationship.

Two qualms:
1. no cameos! I really wanted to see where Izzy and Ransom are at.
2. Sometimes, it felt like the book forgot he was set in victorian times and used sounded too modern.

[Amanda]

As the first book I read in 2015, Say Yes to the Marquess is going to be difficult to equal -- or top. All the swoons for Say Yes to the Marquess. All. The. Swoons.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I'm not a fan of books where the hero or heroine is engaged to someone else. But Tessa Dare makes this one work, likely for two reasons: one, Clio has been waiting for eight long years for her fiance to show up and marry her (bad form, Piers, bad form), and two, Rafe Brandon.

Because Rafe Brandon is the reason for all those swoons. Despite being a prizefighter and convinced of his unworthiness for ton society at large, he cares. He cares a lot. And he's determined to make things right. Even though his version of right is quite wrong. (Because right doesn't involve Clio marrying Rafe's brother.)

As for Clio, she was nice. Too nice, almost, because she let people walk all over her. Part of her transformation in Say Yes to the Marquess was to stand up for herself and what she wanted, rather than let her family dictate who and what she was.

And when you put Rafe and Clio together (who have some fun chemistry and plenty of history, having grown up together), you get one ridiculously awesome book. But I expect nothing less from Tessa Dare. The deeper I get into writing, the harder it is to remove the analytical side of reading, where it feels easy to guess the author's intentions. But Tessa Dare? I was just a reader reading an awesome story.

Also, I kinda want Piers's story now (because his reason for staying away was interesting) and I also want Phoebe's story, because she's got character. Frankly, I just liked all the characters. And I want MOAR. And to reread this book. And all the other Tessa Dare books. Because Tessa Dare.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Tessa Dare introduced characters that are unique, flawed and guaranteed to wrap themselves around your heart. Clio is such a breath of fresh air. Beneath her proper facade, she is witty, intelligent and quite sure of what she wants. Rafe Brandon besides being positively yummy is a misunderstood younger brother who never quite measured up. I loved learning the many sides of him. His valiant attempts to convince Clio to marry his brother were touching. As his own feelings are revealed I melted for this charming man. Secondary characters were wonderful and added to the tale and our understanding of the hero and heroine. Clio’s sister and her snot of a husband had me wreathing. Her sixteen-year-old sister was such a surprise. She is geeky, brilliant and someone whose story I need to have. I cannot wait to see whom she finds a match with. Ms. Dare…we need her story! I enjoyed Rafe’s trainer and his concepts of society. Dare made all of these secondary characters memorable and I love when a writer adds this extra layer of depth.

The plot for Say Yes to the Marquess is simple and yet it could not be more complicated. Rafe asks for a week to prepare for his brother’s return and to convince Clio she should not break the engagement. She agrees if he promises to sign the papers at the end. Dare wove in twists, reveals and hilarious moments. Then she sprinkled in banter and delicious kisses before bringing us heat. The couple felt genuine, and while there was drama on the way to our HEA, it was not overdone.

Publisher provided copy and full review can be found on blog.This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer