“Emma Gladstone had learned a few hard lessons by the age of two-and-twenty. 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. Most of the time, a girl needed to rescue herself.” – 3.75/5 stars!

Attention! This book contains: handmade dresses, stray cats, long tables, cute nicknames, convenience marriages, desperate friends, theater nights, newspapers, old scars and a deal.

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…

I’m a newbie when it comes to historical romances, but I wanted to dive deeper into this genre and a lot of people recommended Tessa Dare’s books. So here we are on book #1!

I really liked this book and I thought it was really cool how the author was inspired by “Beauty and the Beast” to create this story. I ended up really liking the overall plot and I thought it was very well-made. The only parts I didn’t love were the newspaper bits, because it felt a little too silly and unnecessary for me.

All the characters were likable, had great backstories and were special in their own way. Both main characters were hurt and were suffering, but they found love in each other. I really liked their chemistry, which was shown in their banter and funny arguments – especially when Emma was trying to find a cute nickname to call Ash, that was really funny. I also really liked how Ash wasn’t your typical prince charming. Not only was his face deeply scarred, but he was sassy and had an attitude! 

The romance was good, but I admit I wasn’t expecting this to be so steamy! I was kind of expecting some steaminess from this book, but I wasn’t expecting it to this level. Not necessarily a bad thing, though! Just surprising.

I think it’s difficult to come up with new and original stories when it comes to historical romance, but the author added special elements to the story – their personalities, the banter, the backstories – and that’s what makes this book stand out.

Like I said, I’m fairly new at historical romances and I only have read Valerie Bowman’s books for comparison. If this book is not an exception, you can count on a solid plot and a LOT of steaminess from Tessa Dare’s books.

Is this the deepest book you’ll ever read? Probably not, but that’s not what you should expect from this book. It’s supposed to be a fun and quick read to let your mind travel for a while. I’m excited to see what the next book from the series brings to the table!