Romancing the Duke (Castles Ever After, #1)

by Tessa Dare

[kimbacaffeinate]

I decided to take Romancing the Duke on a date and it was divine!

First Date: From the first few lines I could feel the magic of this tale. I immediately slipped in and connect with our heroine Isolde Ophelia Goodnight. Isolde or Izzy is an optimist who tried to look on the bright side. With her father’s passing, she has been left destitute but a letter announcing she is a benefactor of an estate has her taking her last few shillings and traveling to Gostley Castle. Izzy is a celebrity of sorts since her father’s weekly fantasy serial “The Goodnight Tales”, featured her as a young girl. At twenty-six Izzy has given up completely on fairy tales. Her father’s stories were magical and I wanted more. You have to suspend belief as is necessary for all fairytales but I swallowed the pill and enjoyed it.

Second date: Izzy arrived at Gostley Castle! In the garden, she spies Ransom William Dacre Vane, the eleventh Duke of Rothbury and his wolf . At which time she promptly faints! Ransom’s estate is in complete disrepair and so is the man, but gads is he smexy and brooding. But wait the letter about being a benefactor? Oh, this was an interesting thread and created some tension and a little mystery. I loved the banter between these two; Izzy clearly annoys him, and the reasons were delicious. The whole story has a fairy tale feel that satisfied both the little girl inside me and the woman. We get heat with just enough details to curl my toes. It all felt genuine, and I loved how they interacted. Izzy is such a colorful, whimsical, lovable character. She made me laugh, cheer for her and believe. Izzy is quickly becoming one of my favorite historical heroines.

Third date: Knights, Queens, fair maidens what is all this? It is wonderful that is what it is! Something is foul at Gostley Castle, and Izzy intends to sort it out. While Ransom continues to push Izzy away his arguments are getting weaker. The man is such a romantic and it is so endearing. What makes it so swoon-worthy is that he doesn’t even realize he is being romantic with his gestures. As the tension builds towards the climax, I could not help but root for them. Wait, is the date coming to an end? I had such a good time and cannot wait for the next book in this series!

Romancing the Duke gave me a whirlwind romance, and I closed this story with a smile. I absolutely enjoyed the fairytale elements in this tale. I would love to read the serials about Moranglia. There was a lose thread that wasn’t answered and I am not sure why. It didn’t impact the overall tale but left me curious. Izzy and Ransom were such a fun couple. I laughed, sighed and rooted for them. The next book in the series, Say Yes to the Marquess, will release later this year.


Copy received from publisher in exchange for unbiased review that originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer