When girl meets Duke, their marriage breaks all the rules
Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury’s to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London ne’er-do-wells by night. Now there’s a new item on the list. He needs an heir — which means he needs a wife. When Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that she’ll do.
His terms are simple:
–They will be husband and wife by night only.
— No lights, no kissing.
–No questions about his battle scars.
–Last, and most importantly Once she’s pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again.
But Emma is no pushover. She has a few rules of her own:
–They will have dinner together every evening.
–With conversation.
–And unlimited teasing.
–Last, and most importantly Once she’s seen the man beneath the scars, he can’t stop her from falling in love
Absolutely delightful and romantic read! I don’t think I have laughed so hard recently while reading a romance novel. I love how beautifully the author has captured the essence of this book that tells about a tragedy along with the light and fun bantering in between the hero and heroine. I adored how the author has written this complicated but heartwarming characters of Ash and Emma. This is an absolutely enchanting story that will always be on my all time favorite romance list.
Loved it. Tessa’s gift for wonderful dialog shines through again. Their word battles shone with humor and intelligence.I was also glad to see the heroine not forgive everyone. Sometimes they don’t deserve release but she released herself from the past and I’m proud of her for that. I gave this book 5 stars which I rarely do. It wasn’t perfect but it was perfectly wonderful and entertaining all throughout. I read it straight through. I hope you do too!
Tessa Dare meets Beauty and the Beast Tessa Dare does an amazing job at re-imagining a Beauty and the Beast type story. The Beast is the Duke of Ashbury (Ash) who has been savagely burned on half of his body at Waterloo. The Beauty, Emma a vicar’s daughter now making her way as a seamstress after being thrown out of her father’s house.Â