FEBRUARY 2018 - AudioFile
A battle-scarred duke in need of an heir. A vicar’s-daughter-turned-seamstress in need of payment. When Emma barges into Ash’s library wearing a wedding dress, he takes the opportunity to fulfill both of their needs, complete with stipulations to ensure this will be only a marriage of convenience—no love required or desired. Mary Jane Wells skillfully voices the characters, their attitudes and attributes enlivened throughout her performance. Wells’s portrayals highlight Ash’s pompous attitude, Emma’s intelligent, humorous personality, and butler Mr. Khan’s caring yet long-suffering disposition. The listener feels transported to the Regency-era London home—and bedroom—of the Duke and Duchess of Ashbury. A fun story with a delightful narration. A.L.S.M. 2018 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
★ 07/31/2017
Dare’s delightful Girl Meets Duke series commencement unites two wounded souls in Regency England, as a duke meets his match in a seamstress. The Duke of Ashbury desperately needs an heir, and he decides to ask seamstress Emma Gladstone to be his wife after she demands payment for his former fiancé’s wedding gown. Ashbury admires Emma’s pluck and beauty, and hopes that his very businesslike offer of marriage and property will help Emma overlook his scars (which he feels are hideous) long enough to provide him with an heir. But Ashbury doesn’t anticipate Emma’s ability to stand up to him and insist that they have dinner together and converse. Emma refuses to be intimidated by Ashbury, displaying the confidence and intellectual ability to engage him in lighthearted banter. Their love scenes are both sensuous and alluring. Emma isn’t fearful of her own desires and often leaves the duke flummoxed by her willingness to show her love for him. Dare (Do You Want to Start a Scandal) perfectly crafts an ever-present romantic tension that propels the novel swiftly forward to its breathless conclusion. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Sexy, tender, and wickedly funny, Dare’s newest offering is a spirited tale with a Beauty-and-the-Beast theme and the perfect launch for her latest series.” — Library Journal (starred review)
“Dare once again works her own irresistible brand of magic by taking a cast of richly nuanced characters, a deliciously clever plot… and a generous measure of addictively tart wit, and then she spins the whole thing into pure literary gold.” — Booklist (starred review)
“You’ll laugh and cry... while reading this daring reimagination of Beauty and the Beast that is pure romance at its best. Dare’s gift for crafting humorous repartee is matched by her talent for writing deeply emotional stories filled with steamy love scenes.” — RT Book Reviews (top pick)
Booklist (starred review)
Dare once again works her own irresistible brand of magic by taking a cast of richly nuanced characters, a deliciously clever plot… and a generous measure of addictively tart wit, and then she spins the whole thing into pure literary gold.
RT Book Reviews (top pick)
You’ll laugh and cry... while reading this daring reimagination of Beauty and the Beast that is pure romance at its best. Dare’s gift for crafting humorous repartee is matched by her talent for writing deeply emotional stories filled with steamy love scenes.
Library Journal
★ 08/01/2017
The last thing seamstress Emma Gladstone expects when she confronts the battle-scarred Duke of Ashbury to demand payment for the wedding dress she made for his former fiancée—even though the wedding had already been called off—is an offer of marriage. Disbelieving, Emma resists, but Ashbury needs an heir, and Emma appears to be the one person who sees through his physical injuries to the caring, honorable man beneath. A marriage of convenience allows these appealing protagonists to learn to love and let go of the past. The story is enriched by a cast of exceptional secondary characters (a young street urchin is delightful) and a "Monster of Mayfair" hero who finds ways to make the most of his flaws. VERDICT Sexy, tender, and wickedly funny, Dare's newest offering is a spirited tale with a Beauty-and-the-Beast theme and the perfect launch for her latest series. Dare (Do You Want To Start a Scandal) lives in Southern California.
