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The Duchess Deal

Book 1 in the series:Girl Meets Duke

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In "The Duchess Deal" by Tessa Dare, Emma, a seamstress in dire need of payment for a bridal gown, barges into the Duke of Ashbury's residence. The Duke, scarred and reclusive after a war injury, proposes a marriage of convenience to solve both their problems. As they navigate their unconventional relationship, they find themselves falling in love amidst witty banter and heartwarming interactions. The plot unfolds at a good pace, blending humor, romance, and light-heartedness, with side characters adding depth and entertainment to the story. The writing style is witty, engaging, and filled with delightful interactions between the characters.

Characters:

The characters include the brooding and scarred Duke of Ashbury, the witty and strong-willed seamstress Emma, and several humorous supporting characters that enrich the narrative.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is humorous and light-hearted, filled with witty banter and a contemporary tone that lends an engaging quality to the characters and their interactions.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around a scarred war hero, the Duke of Ashbury, who enters a marriage of convenience with a seamstress named Emma Gladstone, creating a Beauty and the Beast-inspired narrative.

Setting:

The setting is in Regency London, primarily within the Duke's estate, reflecting the social dynamics of the time.

Pacing:

The pacing is brisk, keeping the reader engaged with rapid developments in character dynamics and humorous situations.
She swallowed hard. She could do this. Once, she’d walked to London alone in the bitter heart of winter. She’d refused to succumb to despair or starvation. She’d found work and made a new life for her...

Notes:

The Duchess Deal is a Beauty and the Beast retelling.
The story features a scarred duke named Ash, who is emotionally and physically affected by his war injuries.
Emma, the heroine, is a seamstress and the daughter of a vicar, who is strong and resilient.
Ash proposes a marriage of convenience to Emma after she confronts him about payment for a wedding gown.
The couple's relationship develops amidst humor, banter, and emotional growth.
Ash's attempt to keep Emma at an emotional distance ultimately fails, leading to their love.
The book highlights themes of body image, acceptance, and the journey of healing through love.
Secondary characters, including Ash's butler and Emma's friends, add depth and humor to the story.
Tessa Dare's writing is noted for its clever dialogue and comedic elements.
The book contains steamy scenes, seamlessly integrated into the plot.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include themes of war trauma and emotional struggles, but they are handled with sensitivity.

Has Romance?

Romance is a central and prominent theme throughout the book.

From The Publisher:

An iBooks Best Romance of August Pick!

One of Publishers Weekly's Buzz Books of Romance 2017!

An Amazon Best Romance of August Pick!

2017 RT Reviewer's Choice Book of the Year Nominee and 2017 RT Reviewer's Choice Nominee for Best Historical Love & Laughter!

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…

Ratings (63)

Incredible (13)
Loved It (26)
Liked It (9)
It Was OK (11)
Did Not Like (3)
Hated It (1)

Reader Stats (110):

Read It (68)
Currently Reading (2)
Want To Read (23)
Did Not Finish (1)
Not Interested (16)

9 comment(s)

Incredible
3 days

this was so sweet and so so funny, i did really enjoy the love story but i have to say i loved this book so much due to how funny it was, the whole story was heartwarming as well!!♥️

 
Did Not Like
5 days

No rating or putting a read date on it. Got 124 pages in and just didn't like the hero at all. Maybe it's gets better further in but I'm dnfing it now.

 
Loved It
4 weeks

This was a sweet HR that was a bit of a Beauty and the Beast tale. It was fast and simple, with fun banter between the h/h. No real dramatic conflict, but just an unfolding of their relationship.

 
It Was OK
2 months

sometimes when everything is terrible and it seems like we're all going to die in waves of fire while idiots argue over how many bullets should go in one gun, a romance novel like this lets you decompress for a little while

tessa dare does such a good job of mixing each character's secrets, their unveiling, and how they argue about it as a couple

it preserves the guilty pleasure tension of "i secretly love him/her but he/she can never know" and allows us the reality of "i really love you but you are being a big jerk right now"

that's a balance rarely struck in paperback romance novels

it's a love story, with what i consider to be fairy tale love, but it isn't a fairy tale

haters gonna hate, but our characters grow up and move on despite the haters

please keep writing books that make me want to live tessa dare

no pressure

 
Loved It
7 months

This is the first book by this author that I really liked. Or at least, which I really enjoyed while reading it. Because now that I'm done, I'm beginning to see the limitations of this story.

I am not surprised that so many people liked this book, especially those who do not read historical romances on a daily basis. This is not a typical representative of this subgenre. This book is much more like a contemporary romance accidentally set in historical times at the author's whim. In my opinion, this is especially evident in the language used by the main characters. But you can also find it in the plot elements. In the end, it didn't bother me much, but it took some time to get used to it.

I really like the theme of marriage of convenience and I found it quite interesting here as well. I liked the opening scenes where Ash and Emma make a deal and the subsequent events that followed. I also really like tortured heroes, and Ash is great in this role. But I also can't help but notice that the whole plot is rather messy. And while I really had a good time reading, now I feel like I'm missing something.

I think it was really fun, but in a month or so I won't be able to tell you what the book was about. Still, I think it's a good story for those who don't usually like historical romances.

 
Incredible
7 months

great dialogue, humor, and wonderful relationship

 
Incredible
9 months

witty banter

 
Incredible
10 months

Funny and sexy

 
Incredible
11 months

They had Great chemistry and you can see how they slowly started falling in love

 
 
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