The Duchess Deal - Tessa Dare (Girl Meets Duke #1)

Way back in November, The Duchess Deal was the pick for the Unapologetic Romance Readers' monthly read.  Except I was number sixty-something on the wait list at the library, so I definitely didn't get it in November.  It finally came through recently, and I absolutely devoured it.  Dare's "Castles Ever After" series is so cute and romantic and all-over wonderful, so I'm not terribly surprised that this other work of hers is just as delightful.

The two main characters here are Emma, the daughter of a vicar who has been working as a seamstress after becoming estranged from her father; and "Ash," real name George, but he's the Duke of Ashbury, so his friends call him Ash.  At least they would if he had any friends.

Emma and Ash's paths cross when she turns up at his house wearing the wedding dress that she made for his fiancee from a now-broken engagement, because said fiancee has refused to pay for it and Emma's going to be turned out of her lodgings if she can't pay her rent.  Ash, disfigured by an exploding rocket at the Battle of Waterloo, sees that his marriage prospects slim, so when Emma turns up in a wedding gown, it seems like a sign from Fate.  He offers to marry her, telling her that once she gives him an heir, she never needs to deal with him again.  Emma agrees for a few reasons, and not only for her own benefit, but she adds a few conditions of her own--like he has to have dinner with her every night, and she gets to pick something to call him, encompassing ridiculous pet names.  The chemistry is of course there and the two grow closer at a good clip, though it's not instant and the relationship is definitely hindered by the issues that both have lingering from their pasts.

There are other awesome aspects here.  Several other young women enter the picture, presumably the heroines of future "Girl Meets Duke" books, and since sincere female friendships are so rare in books in general but in romance in particular, their instant embrace of Emma and the great dynamic the women had between them was a real highlight.  I also really enjoyed Emma's Scarlett O'Hara moment--you know, the one with the curtains.  The banter is spot-on.

Of course, there are the usual miscommunications a refusals to communicate here.  They are endemic to the genre.  There is a really hackneyed subplot that had me rolling my eyes--the one where Ash goes stalking about after dark as the Monster of Mayfair and is eventually accused of murder.  I guess Dare felt like he needed something to do, but meh.  Trevor was fun, though, and overall the book is just such a lovely, fast read that the issues are pretty minor.  I really enjoyed it and would definitely read it again.

4 stars out of 5.