Ok, so for the last… who knows how many months – I have been walking through my bookstore, selecting my purchases while these beautiful covers by Tessa Dare are staring out from the shelves at me saying “Take me home”. Now, I will admit that I am a cautious reader, not often do I veer away from my usual authors. Hence the reason why I never answered the call put forth by these books and took them home with me. What a mistake that was! When I finally took the plunge, boy was I satisfied. Tessa Dare is a breath of fresh air and a stunning addition to the romance writing world.
I was originally going to review her first three books individually but thought instead to use this short blog to praise Tessa in general and promote this series as a whole. I found all three books to be delightfully witty with no real dull or down moments to distract from the stories. It is rare, in a series, that I actually like both the hero and heroine in each book but with this group I had a little place in my heart for all of them. I have found that with some series the stories are all very similar, albeit with different characters, and the main theme/ conflicts are so blatantly close that you could possibly write the rest of the book having only read a few chapters. With this series, the stories are strikingly different. The main theme, a love hard won, makes for an interesting read and satisfying endings.
These books are sensual and romantic with reasonably descriptive love scenes. I like the way Tessa has written about the intimacy between her characters. I would give these books an 8 out of 10 on my Sexy Scale. (10 being very graphic in sexy content – 1 being so tame there isn’t even a real kiss… ok, well maybe a chaste one)
Overall, I would highly recommend any Tessa Dare book. I don’t even have to read the back covers for her new series to want to read them. I give this series a 9.5 out of 10. Tessa’s next book ‘One Dance with a Duke’ comes out at the end of May… I simply can not wait! Check out Tessa’s website for all her news and book info.
Book 1 – Goddess of the Hunt (Jeremy & Lucy)
Ever the bold adventuress, Lucy Waltham has decided to go hunting for a husband. But first she needs some target practice. So she turns to her brother’s best friend, Jeremy Trescott, the Earl of Kendall, to hone her seductive wiles on him before setting her sights on another man. But her practice kisses spark a smoldering passion-one that could send all her plans up in smoke.
Jeremy has an influential title, a vast fortune, and a painful past full of long-buried secrets. He keeps a safe distance from his own emotions, but to distract Lucy from her reckless scheming, he must give his passions free rein. Their sensual battle of wills is as maddening as it is delicious, but the longer he succeeds in managing the headstrong temptress, the closer Jeremy comes to losing control. When scandal breaks, can he bring himself to abandon Lucy to her ruin? Or will he risk his heart and claim her for his own?
Book 2 - Surrender of a Siren (Gray and Sophia)
Desperate to escape a loveless marriage and society’s constraints, pampered heiress Sophia Hathaway jilts her groom, packs up her paints and sketchbook, and assumes a new identity, posing as a governess to secure passage on the Aphrodite. She wants a life of her own: unsheltered, unconventional, uninhibited. But it’s one thing to sketch her most wanton fantasies, and quite another to face the dangerously handsome libertine who would steal both her virtue and her gold.
To any well-bred lady, Benedict ‘Gray’ Grayson is trouble in snug-fitting boots. A conscienceless scoundrel who sails the seas for pleasure and profit, Gray lives for conquest-until Sophia’s perception and artistry stir his heart. Suddenly he’ll brave sharks, fire, storm, and sea just to keep her at his side. She’s beautiful, refined, and ripe for seduction. Could this counterfeit governess be a rogue’s redemption? Or will the runaway heiress’s secrets destroy their only chance at love?
Book 3 – A Lady of Persuasion (Toby and Isabel)
Only one thing could convince Sir Tobias Aldridge, an incorrigible libertine, to profess undying fidelity to a woman he’s just met. Revenge. What better way to get back at an enemy than by stealing the scoundrel’s sister? Not that Toby finds it a chore, seducing a beguiling, sultry beauty freshly arrived from the West Indies. When the prize is Isabel Grayson, vengeance is doubly rewarding.
Isabel is determined to marry a wealthy, powerful lord and become a lady of influence, using her rank and fortune to fight social injustice. Sir Toby, with his paltry title and infamous reputation, is unsuitable husband material-but he makes her blood race, her heart pound, and her long-buried passions come to the surface. If she can reform the charming devil, she’ll get exactly what she craves: society’s respect. But it’s a dangerous gamble. For if Toby wins this battle of persuasion, Isabel could lose her heart.
(excepts from fantasticfiction.co.uk)
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