The Duchess and the Beast | Historical Romance Reviews

Today I thought I would share my thoughts on some of my recent historical romance reads with some mini-reviews. I’ve been loving reading more historical romance this year and I’ve picked up some pretty amazing ones recently.

In this post, I’m sharing my thoughts on The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke #1) by Tessa Dare and Brazen and the Beast (The Bareknuckle Bastards #2) by Sarah MacLean. Let’s Go.

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

Pages: 370
Publish date: August 22nd 2017
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 9780062349064
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

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…

The Duchess Deal:

This is the second Tessa Dare book that I’ve picked up and let me tell you I loved this one so much more. This is the first book in her newest series and follows Emma Gladstone, a vicar’s daughter turned seamstress as the appears in the every elusive Duke of Ashbury’s library. Ash came back from the war, scarred. And since then he has kept to himself. But no he needs a wife, and one so happens to be in his house. While Ash has his rules that Emma needs to follow, Emma has rules of her own.

This was such a fantastic read, seriously. As soon as I started it I knew that I was going to love this one. The characters, the plot and the writing grabbed me from the get-go. I adored historical romances with the marriage of convenience trope. It just works so well and in The Duchess Deal, it worked perfectly.

Emma was such a pleasure of a female protagonist in The Duchess Deal. I liked her from the first moment. She knew what she wanted and nothing was going to get in her way. I loved her determination and will. It just made for such a great contrast against Ash and it just so much fun. Emma’s growth throughout the book was great and I really enjoyed seeing her grow.

Ash was a grumpy, pain in the butt, male protagonist and I loved him. Like I said the contact between Emma and Ash was great. The Duke is such an intriguing and pulling character. From the start the reader wants to know more about him and why he is the way he is.

The romance was exactly what I wanted and expected in The Duchess Deal. I adored that it was hate to love and marriage of convenience. It was fantastic. I adored that they were both able to break down each other’s walls and get to know one another so well. It was sweet and sexy and what I love about historical romances.

Overall, I ordered reading The Duchess Deal. Emma and Ash were perfect for one another and I adored seeing them fall for one another. Break down each other’s walls and slowly understand each other. I can’t wait to read the rest of this series, I already have them ready to go.

Brazen and the Beast (The Bareknuckle Bastards #2) by Sarah MacLean

Pages: 400
Publish date: July 30th 2019
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 9780062691989
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – QBD

The Lady’s Plan

When Lady Henrietta Sedley declares her twenty-ninth year her own, she has plans to inherit her father’s business, to make her own fortune, and to live her own life. But first, she intends to experience a taste of the pleasure she’ll forgo as a confirmed spinster. Everything is going perfectly… until she discovers the most beautiful man she’s ever seen tied up in her carriage and threatening to ruin the Year of Hattie before it’s even begun.

The Bastard’s Proposal

When he wakes in a carriage at Hattie’s feet, Whit, a king of Covent Garden known to all the world as Beast, can’t help but wonder about the strange woman who frees him—especially when he discovers she’s headed for a night of pleasure… on his turf. He is more than happy to offer Hattie all she desires… for a price.

An Unexpected Passion

Soon, Hattie and Whit find themselves rivals in business and pleasure. She won’t give up her plans; he won’t give up his power… and neither of them sees that if they’re not careful, they’ll have no choice but to give up everything… including their hearts.

Brazen and the Beast:

I knew that after finishing the first book in this series I had to jump on the rest, and I loved this one so much. You can check out my review of Wicked and the Wallflower to see how much I loved that one. But Brazen and the Beast stands on its own.

This one follows, Lady Henrietta Sedley, as she plans to take on her twenty-ninth year as her own. And no one will stop her. She wants to take over her fathers business and live her own life. However, at first, she plans to go away with being a spinster. But things don’t always go as planned. Whit or Beast is about to ruin the Year of Hattie. But there is an unexpected passion between them. Now Hattie and Whit find themselves rivals in both business and pleasure.

Hattie was such a fun character. I loved that she was independent and rough around the edges. She was sassy and didn’t let anyone tell her what to do. And what got on Whit’s nerves and it was fantastic. As a woman, she was always looked over by her family, even though she is better than all of them. I adored that she was persistent and stood her ground.

I already loved Whit from the first book and it was fantastic getting to know him more in Brazen and the Beast. Like the rest of his family, he has been through a lot but that doesn’t stop him. He pushes himself, but he also closes himself off to others. However, as the novel goes on the reader can see Whit grow and not only understand himself but those around him.

The romance was fantastic in Brazen and the Beast. It was exactly what I wanted and expected. It was intense and full of ups and downs. But that is what made it fantastic. It was sexy, smart and intense. Whit and Hattie are both such strong-minded characters and when you throw them together things get very interesting. And I loved it.

Overall I adored Brazen and the Beast. It’s exactly what I expected from Sarah MacLean and just what I needed. It’s sassy and smart and full of a fantastic romance. I adored the banter and tension between Hattie and Whit. It was excellent to not only watch them fall for one another but get one each other’s nerves. I’m so excited to read the last book in this series.