Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

romancing the dukeNarrated by Carmen Rose

Tessa Dare is, in my book, the undisputed queen of the sexy, funny, screwball-style historical romance. Her latest series, Castles Ever After, begins with Romancing the Duke which is full of her trademark humour as well as delivering a deeply felt romance featuring two thoroughly engaging protagonists.

Isolde Ophelia (Izzy) Goodnight has been left almost destitute following the death of her father, a famous author of childrens’ stories. When she discovers, completely out of the blue, that she has been left a bequest in her godfather’s will, she uses the last of her meagre finances to travel to Gostley Castle in Northumberland to meet with the executor at his request. On arrival, she meets a dishevelled but devastatingly handsome man who proclaims himself to be Ransom Vane, Duke of Rothbury and owner of the castle – but when the executor arrives, he informs her that SHE is now the owner, as the castle had been purchased by her godfather some months before.

Both Izzy and Ransom are aghast. For one thing, Ransom has holed up at the castle intent on the biggest self-pity party in the history of the universe following an incident which left him scarred and almost blind – and he most definitely does NOT want company. He also knows that he has not sold the property, and is adamant that Izzy must leave. For her part, Izzy had hoped for a monetary bequest to support herself – instead, she is confronted with a huge, dilapidated, bat-and-rat-infested castle in the north of England. But Izzy has elevated the practice of “making the best of things” to an art form in her twenty-six years – she informs Ransom that she’s not leaving and starts making plans to set the place to rights.

Ransom is still determined to get rid of her and tries everything he can think of – which includes presenting himself as a threat to her virtue by kissing her senseless – but Izzy won’t be deterred and in any case, she has nowhere else to go. So they strike a bargain. Because of his injury, Ransom is unable to deal with the huge mountain of correspondence which has arrived over the last seven months – in which, Izzy suggests, they might find documentation about the supposed sale – and she offers to act as his secretary.

During the course of their work, it becomes apparent that there is something insidious afoot, which could cost Ransom more than his run-down castle.

What we have in Romancing the Duke is another spin on the “Beauty and the Beast” theme, in which the fairy tale is element is embellished with gentle pokes at fandom by means of the incorporation of a re-enactment society dedicated to the “Goodnight Tales”. Izzy is a resourceful and intelligent heroine who has always had to “make do” in her life, watching her father get caught up in his own success and subsequent fame. He lived in his own dream world and neglected things like paying bills and servants, leaving all the practicalities to Izzy and ultimately failing to secure her future. Of course that hurts – but she can’t let anyone know; almost everyone she meets gushes over what a wonderful father he must have been, to have written such wonderful stories for her and she can’t sully her father’s reputation by making people aware of the truth. Because of the situation he left her in, Izzy has to live a lie, pretending to be “little Izzy Goodnight, England’s Sweetheart” to everyone she meets – and Ransom is the only person to realise how frustrating that is for her.

Izzy is plain at best, while Ransom – her knight in tarnished armour – is gorgeous to look at, even with the scar on one side of his face. Yet, by his own admission, he’s not a nice person. He grew up without love or affection (as so many romantic heroes seem to, the poor boys!) and thus came to believe that he was undeserving of it. Yet he’s an utterly endearing character; grumpy, surly and hugely flawed, he’s never anyone but himself. He’s got a wicked, dry sense of humour, he’s often rude and he never minces his words –

“For the love of God, man. I have England’s sweetheart bent over the desk and panting for me. Go away and come back tomorrow.”

The relationship between Ransom and Izzy is well-developed, full of humour and sexual tension, and the book is a delight from start to finish. If I have a criticism about the story, it’s that the ending feels rushed and is a little too silly for my taste – but I have to give Ms Dare bonus points for the Star Wars references!

Carmen Rose is a fairly new narrator to the genre, but she’s quickly become someone whose name attached to an audiobook is guaranteed to make me take a second look. She has a pleasant, fairly low-pitched voice and her delivery is clear and generally well-paced, although it’s occasionally a little on the slow side. I also noticed some breath-control issues, as she has a tendency to snatch breaths mid-sentence as well as in those places where there are natural pauses, commas or full-stops.

Ms Rose generally performs the heroine in a slightly higher register than the narrative, and uses her own natural huskiness to good advantage, as Izzy’s voice is frequently described as possessing a “husky sensuality”; while in those scenes where Izzy is compelled to act her part of “little Izzy Goodnight” she gives her a more strident edge and a forced brightness which perfectly conveys the character’s distaste for the part she has to play. Her portrayal of Ransom is also very good – she expertly captures his gruffness by using a naturalistic pace and giving him a slightly clipped quality and harsher timbre, which is perfect for his frequently sarcastic utterances and deliberate boorishness.

The secondary characters are all distinctly and appropriately performed, from the brisk, almost unbearably upbeat nature of Izzy’s new-found ally, Miss Pelham, to the gentle lilt of Duncan, Ransom’s Scottish valet and the various knights and handmaidens of Izzy’s “retinue” of fans.

Romancing the Duke isn’t big on historical accuracy – but that is true of most of Ms Dare’s historical romances, so if that’s your thing, this audiobook may not appeal to you. But it does boast a heartfelt romance, sensual love scenes, plenty of humour and two strongly-characterised protagonists wrapped up in a well-realised and entertaining performance from Carmen Rose.

Caz


Narration: B-

Book Content: B+

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence: None

Genre: Historical Romance

Publisher: Harper Audio

 

Romancing the Duke was provided to AudioGals for review by Harper Audio.

8 thoughts on “Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

  1. I’m not a Dare fan…..I keep trying, but I just don’t get the appeal. I listened to an hour of Romancing the Duke….I couldn’t take a heroine named Izzy and as with many of Dare’s historicals…too modern in language and attitude.

    1. Normally, I’m someone who does like a reasonable amount of historical accuracy, even in historical romances, but occasionally, someone comes along who can make me make an exception, and for me, Tessa Dare is that person.

      I can understand why some people don’t get on with her books – as I said, she’s not for everyone. But she’s the author I turn to when I need a pick-me-up and don’t mind reading/listening to unabashed fluff!

      1. Tessa Dare was on a panel at last weekend’s L.A. Festival of Books…….I liked her enormously….so I’ll keep reading her books and hopefully find one I like.

        1. If you haven’t already tried A Week to Be Wicked, that might be worth a look. But again, historically inaccurate and very much a comedy. But the hero is gorgeous and it’s definitely one of her best. The audiobook version (Carolyn Morris) is terrific, too.

  2. Someone just recced this book to me as one that dealt with disability really well, and then I saw your review. Serendipity. I think the universe is telling me how to spend another Audible credit.

    Thanks for the review!

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