The Duchess Deal audiobook

SO FUN

believe the hypethis was so much fun. i really thought i'd be the one to say that this book was not as good as everyone said or was too cheesy... because really. i'm not typically one for bodice rippers. but this fucking rocked.emma, our protagonist had a lot of charisma and personality. ash was a lovably broken douche just waiting for a redemption arc. and the whole thing was just delightfully funny and sexy. this is the kind of book that makes me rethink my disdain for historical romance. no easy feat. would highly recommend this for someone looks for a light romance outside of their comfort zone. i loved this.

Y’all. Smutathon has turned me into historical romance trash and I have ZERO REGRETS. Tessa Dare is my new queen (duchess???????) don’t @ me

4.5 StarsOverall Opinion: This was a great beauty and the beast type story. The Duke is scarred externally and internally (by his ex), and the h is the feisty seamstress-to-duchess that fixes him! The banter and wit was awesome, and probably one of my favorite things about it. My absolute favorite was the H! He was too funny and not as grumpy and horrible to deal with as he was made out to be, and I loved that Emma simply became his weakness and his strength all in one. The sexy times were pretty hot considering it's a HR too! My only complaint is I wanted MORE! The epilogue wasn't as in depth as I would've liked, but again, I'm a greedy reader. I would recommend this to anyone, especially those that are on the fence about HR and need that great book to get into the genre 🤗Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Emma and Ash's story. Emma is desperate and calls on the Duke Ash for payment for her labor sewing his ex-fiancé's wedding gown. Ash is also desperate in that he needs a wife to produce an heir to pass his title on to. They make an agreement and go into a marriage of convenience. There are rules that get broken, feelings that are unintentionally developed, some sexy times, and some laugh-out-loud moments...and they get a HEA ending.POV: This alternated between focusing mainly on Emma and Ash in 3rd person narrative.Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well.Instalove: No, they take a while to develop stronger feelings.H rating: 5 stars. Ash. I loved him! He cracked me up with his sarcastic humor! I was heartbroken for him and what happened with his ex, but I think he made such a great match with Emma.h rating: 4.5 stars. Emma. I really liked her! She was a great combination of tough and sweet, and just what the Duke needed.Sadness level: Low, no tissues neededPush/Pull: Yes (view spoiler)[ The h pushes away emotionally some due to his past trauma and low self-esteem that goes along with his scarred appearance. (hide spoiler)]Heat level: Hot. They have some hot tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.Descriptive sex: YesOW/OM drama: Yes (view spoiler)[ The H was engaged before to OW and she causes some drama for the couple, but I still thought it was pretty mild. (hide spoiler)]Sex scene with OW or OM: NoCheating: NoSeparation: NoPossible Triggers: Yes (view spoiler)[The H is scarred from an explosion at war (off page), and the h was disowned by her father (off page). (hide spoiler)]Closure: This had pretty good closure, but I wanted more! I would've loved a farther and more in-depth glimpse into their future. I would still call it a HEA ending though.How I got it: I paid the $5.99 on Amazon for it (on the high end of what I like to spend, but happy that it ended up being worth it!)Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers(view spoiler)[- Does Not have cheating- Does Not have a descriptive sex scene with OW/OM- Does have the H pushing the h away- Does Not have a separation between the h and H- Does Not have abuse- Does Not have OTT sad parts- Does have a HEA ending (hide spoiler)]

“Charming princes weren’t always what they seemed. Shining armor went out of fashion with the Crusades. And if fairy godmothers existed, hers was running several years late.” Wow, The Duchess Deal single-handedly restored my faith in historical romances. Seriously, all of 2018 has been me being disappointed with every historical book I pick up, but this one? Friends, I was laughing out loud, I was clutching my pearls, I was melting into a puddle of goo on the ground. This book made me feel everything, and I can’t wait to read so much more by Tessa Dare in the new year! ➽ The Duke of Ashbury - After coming back from the war, most of his body is completely burned and scarred. It has taken him a long while to recover, but when he does his engagement is broken off from his betrothed. Now, Ash keeps himself mostly locked away on his estate, but he is in desperate need to sire a son. ➽ Emma Gladstone - Seamstress, who made the wedding dress for Ash’s fiancé. Yet, no one paid her once the wedding got canceled. But Emma has been living on her own, and is in desperate need of the money, so she marched right up to the Duke’s estate to ask for it. “Your days will be yours to do whatever you wish." His voice darkened. "Your nights, however, will belong to me.” Yet, the Duke is not only willing to pay Emma for her dress, he is also willing to make her an offer that is very hard to refuse; he asks her to marry him and allow him to make her a Duchess, even though she has been on her own and doesn’t have a name that holds any power. But the marriage offer isn’t because of romance, but convenience. Ash will expect Emma to wed him in name only, but he will come to her every night to try to conceive a child, and once she is pregnant, he will give her a house of her own to raise his heir in. And Emma’s friend secretly needs a place to lie low for a few months, and Emma also realizes that this is an opportunity that could change her world forever. I only really have two negative things to say. First being that Ash would jump to conclusions a little too much for me. Emma does every single thing to prove she is being sincere, and I get that because of what happened to him that it would be hard to believe, but my good dude was being pretty dumb at times. The only other thing, that completely doesn’t impact this review, is that the cover of this book is a little not cool. I do think Ash’s burns are mostly on one side of his body, but I still think that whoever picked this cover could have done better and given us some really cool representation. “You’re here...In my heart. Somehow you crashed your way into it when I wasn’t looking. The same way you barged into my library, I suppose. But you’re here now, inside.” Overall, this was just a treat to read. Every scene with the cat had me giggling out loud. The entire staff that Ash employs are the real MVPs and them just wanting him to be happy really warmed my heart. The banter in this book was perfection! I loved Emma so very much, and she was easily a main protagonist that I just wanted to protect at all costs. And this book was hella steamy. Like, unexpectedly steamy. But your girl was living for it. I can’t wait to continue on with this series and to devour much, much more by Tessa Dare! Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Youtube | TwitchContent and trigger warnings for abandonment, emotional abuse, talk of past war themes, and just for a main character that has very low self-esteem, who is constantly belittling himself. Buddy read with Julie at Pages and Pens! ❤And I read this for #smutathon, which is being hosted by Lainey and Riley! ❤

➦I'm really not that big on historical romances. And then suddenly... this is my third one this month!➦If it has an arranged marriage trope, I'll read it. Because, honestly?➦It was a fast and entertaining enough read with a grumpy asshole duke of a hero and a poor seamstress of a heroine. He needs a heir and she needs the money. ➦So I guess, in a way it was a Beauty and the Beast re-telling and, while I didn't find it as humorous as some people did, I still enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who loves sweet and funny historical romances. I was also pleased with the fact that this book was rather steamy and didn't shy away from naming certain body parts.

Over 30 of my friends wrote reviews on this book, and many others just rated it, so I'm a little late. The thing that struck me strongest was how strong everyone felt about this book. There were tons of 5-stars and then 1-stars. How funny that a funny little HR would inspire so much controversy. So, here's the deal:The duke, Ash, is one of those scarred and broken heroes. And, he is soooo snarky that I immediately wanted to marry him. Well, except that he's scarred and broken and I'm pretty shallow. Still, get him some plastic surgery, and we'll talk because I seriously loved his humor.When she bursts into his office: "Miss Gladstone, you don't seem to understand how this whole intruding on a duke's solitude business works. You should be intimidated, if not terrified. Yet there's an appalling lack of hand-wringing in your demeanor, and no trembling whatsoever." When he's considering offering to marry her and learns she was a preacher's kid: He's always dreamed of debauching a vicar's daughter. When she asks him how she is going to make her a duchess: "Surely... surely you don't mean through marriage.""No, I intend to use my vast influence in the House of Lords to overturn the laws of primogeniture, then persuade the Prince Regent to create a new title and duchy. That accomplished, I will convince him to name a vicar's daughter from Herfordshire a duchess in her own right. Of course I mean through marriage, Miss Gladstone." Okay, maybe the scarred face thing isn't so bad.But, the great thing is that our heroine, Emma, can take it AND dish it out: She smiled. "Do you know, I suspected you were a good man, deep down. Even if very, very, very deep down. In a fathomless cavern. Underneath a volcano." She also insists on bringing a cat with her when she moves in. But, since she didn't have a cat, she had to pick up a very disagreeable stray on her way in. This cat ended up making me laugh my head off at his evilness. I hate cats, but have a soft spot for evil ones. I already consider them a spawn of the devil, so if they act like their true nature, I can't help but respect that.See, the dogs have been trying to tell us for years. The truth has been out there all along.I loved this book, obviously. It was funny and sweet and had just enough seasoning of smut. If you are into the scarred hero trope, and you are one of the other people who live under the rock with me and haven't read it yet, you need to give it a shot.

4.25 stars“You’re mine,” he said hoarsely, lifting his head and staring deep into her eyes, willing her to believe. “If you leave, I will follow. Do you hear me? I will follow and find you and cart you home.”It’s been so long since I’ve read a historical romance book. I’m glad I decided to read this

Pure comfort and joy! I can't wait to continue on with the series. Highly recommended for the witter banter and impeccable steam. The narrator for the audiobook is *chef's kiss* perfection.Buddy read with Jenn! We may be the last people on earth to read this book, but it is happening nonetheless.

New book boyfriend to add to my list ASH. OMG I loved him. Emma was great too. Full review later

I'll briefly say I highly recommend The Duchess Deal for anyone looking for a light funny historical romance read + some hot scenes. I really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were likable, the story entertaining, and it made me laugh. I feel like this genre is quickly becoming my favorite romance genre since contemporary romance isn't working for me anymore. I'm looking forward to reading more of Tessa Dare in the future!

SUPER-STEAL DEAL - http://amzn.to/2mb1Pft - $ 1.99! ✮✮✮ ALL OF THE STARS ✮✮✮Review @ Vanilla & Spice BooksLadies (and gents) - this made the list of my 2017 favorites. I knew after the first couple of pages that this book would be special but the more I advanced the more it became obvious what a wonderful story Tessa Dare has created with The Duchess Deal.For once I'll forgo the summary because the blurb says it all...Emma is a spirited young woman with a huge capacity for love and compassion. When she arrives at the Duke's house all she wants is to be paid for her labor that went into the creation of the wedding gown for Ash's former fiancée. She is facing a man covered in burn scars who proposes to marry her because he needs an heir. He had to be joking. “You can’t be asking me to marry you.”He sighed with annoyance. “I am a duke. I’m not asking you to marry me. I am offering to marry you. It’s a different thing entirely.” Ash can't stomach the hunt for a bride - he can't even stomach his own face and body in the mirror. When the young seamstress enters his house he knows she is the solution to his problems. He doesn't want this cousin to inherit the title and all that it entails so he needs an heir of his own. It is supposed to be a marriage of convenience and as soon as Emma is with child she is to live in a house in the country. Neither of them anticipated how their mutual attraction would change the course of their lives.These two characters were made for each other. Both of them have ulterior motives for the marriage, both of them try to stay detached. And of course both of them fail. Emma is a wonderful heroine who does what the thinks is right. She isn't intimidated by the duke which Ash finds rather curious and his admiration for the young woman grows.Emma finds beauty in everything, and especially in the bitter, cynical young duke. I loved how she accepted him, how there was never a question that she desired him for the man he was with all his flaws, physical and character-related. With her selfless, kind and sweet mind I was completely charmed by her. Her sass, the endearments she found for Ash were comical. “Would you like more sauce, sweeting?”His fingers strangled the stem of his wineglass. She could practically hear the grapes calling for help. She hoped that was a good sign. “If you don’t cease that nonsense,” he said, “you will regret it.”“Is that so, my heart?” “What about ‘precious’?” she suggested.“No.”“‘Angel’?”“God, no.”“‘Muffin’?”In response to that, he hit the shuttlecock so hard, it sailed all the way to the back wall and thwacked one of his ancestors right in the powdered wig. She cheered. “Well done, my precious angel muffin.”“This stops,” he said. “Now.” Ash...can I say that he is probably one of my all-time favorite HR characters ever? The retorts he volleys back at Emma had me laughing out loud so many times, I stopped counting at some point. Life wasn't kind to him until the sweet little seamstress entered his life. He suffered horrific injuries during war and the scars make women and children run from him terrified so it's only natural that he keeps people at arms' length. But when Emma comes into his life she shows him that he is desirable and good and soon he knows that if he lets her go his life will become darker again. He wants to protect her and hold her close. “You are wet, and you are cold. You don’t like being cold. Therefore, I despise you being cold. I would go about murdering raindrops and setting fire to the clouds, but that would take slightly more than an hour. Perhaps even two. So we’re here, and you will cease complaining about it.” Emma tries so hard to make him believe her that he is more than his scars and it was incredibly sweet to see the ice wall around his heart thaw. His indignation, arrogance and snark but also his big heart, deep hurt and vulnerability make him one of my most favorite and swooniest heroes in Historical Romance. “You’re here,”he repeated, taking her hand and drawing it against his chest, right above his pounding heartbeat. “In my heart. Somehow you crashed your way into it when I wasn’t looking. The same way you barged into my library, I suppose. But you’re here now, inside. Emma, you’re the very life of me.” One thing I need to mention that was incorrect (and I do that because of my Viennese ancestry) - Wienerbrød isn't an Austrian pastry, it's Danish. However, that's no biggie, I just wanted to mention it for the sake of authenticity.Tessa Dare really brought these characters to life. I could feel the whole range of emotions these two went through in every word and it's a testament to this author's writing abilities. I have read some of Ms. Dare's books before but I think this is my favorite so far. The smart banter was one of my highlights. There is a whole range of potential future heroines, all of them with their own quirks and I am already salivating for the next book in this series!

My first 5 Star of the year...Beauty and the Beast type scenario…One StarLovable heroine… One StarBroody sweet hero… One StarClever witty humor … One StarFantastic fiery chemistry… One Star "Sometimes life takes an unexpected turn."