I know I gave this book 3 stars, but for me, it was a vast, vast disappointment. I absolutely loved the first book. I raved about it. I was dead set on falling in love with this one. Sadly, it was not to be. It was a good book, don't get me wrong, but it just...deflated along the way. 100 pages into the book, I was intent on giving this a 4 or a 5, and ready to proclaim Tessa Dare the new Julia Quinn. The book had numerous moments of wit, humor, but it developed into something that was forced.

The romance didn't develop well. The whole boxer-bad boy thing didn't do it for me. There were hilarity aplenty, but it didn't feel it fit within the book and the time frame. There were elements that I felt were completely out of place, for instance, the autistic sister, the childhood "humiliation" from her mother, the commoner brute disguised as a foppish nobleman, and above all, the stupid, nearly dead, flatulent, disgusting dog.

I hated that dog. I seriously hated that dog. It was a forced attempt at adorability (that's a word because I said so) that I despise. Really, am I supposed to fall in love with a disgusting dog that's more a product of taxidermy than a living, breathing (farting), creature?

There were also the unfleshed out relationships between the sisters, and my greatest disappointment was the unbuilt and largely nonexistent relationship between the hero and his brother (and love interest). This was a love triangle that I WANTED to develop (holy shit, right?!). It was not to be, it was eliminated as quickly as it appeared, and nobody was more disappointed than me.

Detailed review to come when I have time from my 60 hour work week. Which may be never ;_;185 s2 comments UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish1,097 1,672


4 scrumptious say yes, Yes, YES! stars!

Tessa Dare's Castles Ever After series is just so much fun! She's given historical romance a refreshing twist while staying true to what we love most about the genre.

About the story...

Say Yes to the Marquess is the second book in the series, and tells the story of two of society's less...acceptable...peers - Clio Whitmore who has been given the nick name Miss Wait-More thanks to her eight year engagement to Piers Brandon who seems in no hurry to tie the knot, and Rafe Brandon, Piers' black-sheep brother who prefers the title of Champion Pugilist to any he'd carry due to his bloodline.

But eight years have given Clio enough time to realize that she wants more from life than to be the property of a man who doesn't care for her. She wants to be independent, to make her own choices. And if she ever does decide to marry it'll be to someone Rafe, a man she loves.

Rafe knows he's been a constant disappointment to his family, so when it comes to watching over Clio until his brother returns from his wanderings to claim his bride, he's not going to let anything, not even Clio's decision not to marry Piers, stand in the way of holy matrimony.

My thoughts...

There are only a handful of authors who can pen a tale guaranteed to sweep me off my feet, and Tessa Dare is one of them. Rafe and Clio are proof that opposites attract, and attract with a chemistry that burns up the pages. The supporting cast is made up of great characters, but Phoebe, Clio's sister...that is a girl I adore and want to see her find her happily ever after with a man who will love her for all her...quirks.

The bottom line...

This is a book that can be read alone, so if you're thinking about beginning this series but aren't quite sure, think no more. I love the way this story unfolds and, all of Tessa Dare's stories, it's an entertaining, passionate, and fun read. I can't wait for more!!!!!

An eARC of this story was provided by Avon Books via Edelweiss. To show my appreciation I'm giving them an honest review.2014-reads 4-stars author-tessa-dare ...more87 s Anne4,200 69.9k

This wasn't the best, but it was still cute.
I'm not always sold on Tessa Dare's heroes, but I do seem to always her heroines. They aren't the typical historical romance girl, and (to me) that's enjoyable. I guess I that they're plucky and not quite proper?



Anyway, Clio is done waiting on her fiancee to return home and marry her. They've been engaged forever, and at this point, she's the butt of jokes because of him. She's recently inherited a castle (because, duh. That's what this series is about!) which she believes can turn a profit, and she's determined to get out of this embarrassing engagement. All she has to do is get her fiancee's brother (who basically has power of attorney) to nullify their agreement.
By the way, the brother (aka love interest) is a boxer...
Mmmmm. Sexxxxy!



He (for a multitude is ridiculous reasons) wants her to go through with the marriage. So, he basically becomes a wedding planner in an attempt to sway her decision.
HILARITY ENSUES!
Ok. Not really. But some of it was cute, and I giggled a few times.



If you're looking for something to read at the beach, you could do worse than this. Which, I'll admit sounds I didn't it, but I did! I flew through in a a day or two, and it left me with a smile on my face. Can't ask for much more than that, right?

Oh. And I almost forgot. There's an aging, gross dog thrown in for good measure...

kindle-app read-in-2016 trashy-romance-novel79 s Ahmad Sharabiani9,564 7,527

Say Yes to the Marquess (Castles Ever After #2), Tessa Dare

The story starts with our heroine engaged (for 8 long years) to the hero's brother. After eight years of waiting for Piers Brandon, the wandering Marquess of Granville, to set a wedding date, Clio Whitmore has had enough.

She's inherited a castle, scraped together some pride, and made plans to break her engagement.

Castles Ever After:
Romancing the Duke (February 2014)
Say Yes to the Marquess (January 2015)
When a Scot Ties the Knot (August 2015)
Do You Want to Start a Scandal (Sept 2016)

????? ?????? ????? ??? ??? ??? ??????? ??? 2017??????

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?? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??? «????» ???? ??????? ?? ??? ??? ???? ? ?????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ?? ?????????? ??? ?? ???? ?????? ????? ???? ??????? ?? ???? ? ???? ? ?????? ??? ???? ?????? «???????» ?? ?????????? ???????? ?? ????? ???? ?????? ?? «????» ?????? ??? ?????? ? ?? ??? ??? ????? ? ?? ????? ????????? ???? ????? ?????? ??? ????? ? ?????? ????? ????? ??????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ????? ????? ? ??? ??????? ?????? ? ??? ?? ???? ? ?? ????? ? ?? ???? ???? ? ??? ???? ?? ????? ????? ???? ?? ?? ???? «????» ???? ?? ?????????? ?? ???? ????????? ? ??? ?????? ?????? ?? ?? ?? ??????? ???? ?? ??? ???? ???? ? ???? ?? ?? ?? ?? ???? ? ???? ????? ????

?? ??? ???? «????»? ?????? ?? ?? ????? ??? ??? ???? ??????? ????? ?? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ???? ? ...?

????? ?????? ????? 18/03/1400???? ???????? ?. ??????? Warda1,253 21.5k

Reread. Just what my slump needed.historical-romance re-reads77 s EmBibliophile577 1,750

3 stars

Okay this series is so ridiculously cute.3-stars48 s Irena BookDustMagic665 744

This was really good! Not as good as Romancing the Duke but I still enjoyed it so much.

Full review to come.42 s April (Aprilius Maximus)1,123 6,482

1.) Romancing the Duke ?????
2.) Say Yes to the Marquess ?????
3.) When A Scot Ties The Knot ????.5

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It's official. I'm trash for this series. I LOVED that this featured an independent young woman who challenged inequality between men and women and that masturbation was openly discussed and that this was mainly about the main character learning to love herself and become who she's meant to be and IT JUST GAVE ME ALL THE FEELS. THIS SERIES IS DA BEST.43 s Tessa DareAuthor 42 books14k Read

It's coming!! December 30, 2014

Pre-order available now. :)

i-wrote-this40 s Carol Cork *Young at Heart Oldie*425 217

I LOVE Tessa Dare’s books! They are romantic, sexy, funny and full of wonderful characters that always capture my heart. I was totally captivated by SAY YES TO THE MARQUESS from start to finish.

LORD RAFE BRANDON

Rafe Brandon was a black sheep. A hotheaded rebel. The Devil’s Own. He was known throughout England for being quick, crude, strong, dangerous.

I love that, beneath that tough exterior, Rafe hides a tender, vulnerable heart. As a boy, he longed to be the sort of son his father could love, studious and level-headed his older brother, Piers, and someone his father could be proud of. However, Rafe was big and rough and, by nature, impulsive and unruly, preferring outdoor pursuits to studying. Finally, things came to a head with his father and he was banished from the house. He is forced to make a life for himself and prizefighting gives him that chance and provides the discipline he has always lacked.

MISS CLIO WHITMORE

“I quietly declared my own independence. I am the sovereign nation of Clio now. And there will be no terms of surrender.”

I love this determination she has to grasp her independence and live her own life and inheriting Twill Castle means she doesn’t need the security of marriage anymore. She has learnt a lot about herself during the past eight years and knows her own capabilities. I love the idea of her opening a brewery and her wide spectrum of reading during the lonely eight years has provided her with the necessary knowledge. Un so many heroines, she is curvaceous and I hated her mother for so cruelly trying to mould Clio into something she isn’t.

Clio and Rafe had such wonderful chemistry and watching their romance unfold was an absolute delight. It was funny, poignant, romantic and sensual and here are just a few of my favourite moments.

“And for every crusading knight who won a tournament for his lady in this castle, I promise you— there were a hundred men who spent a solid decade scratching themselves and having pissing contests from the ramparts.”

“I’m a faithful, drooling little thing you want to keep alive, so Piers can come home and pat me on the head. Toss me a biscuit, perhaps.”

The image erupted in his mind’s eye, as unbidden as it vivid. Clio. Breathless. Naked. Under him. Stripped of all good manners and inhibitions. Begging him to learn her every secret shade of pink. Rafe blinked hard. Then he took that mental image and filed it away under pleasant sounding Impossibilities. Right between “flying carriage” and “beer fountain”.

They kissed and kissed, as the rain fell around them. It was so absurdly romantic, Clio thought her heart would burst.

We’re going to drape her in silks. Drown her in flowers and fancy cakes, until she’s giddy with bridal excitement.

In that moment, Clio looked inside her heart. It was the clearest glimpse she’d ever had. She saw the entirety of her future. Their future . The castle, the brewery . Children. Christmases and Easters and summer rain.

“Clio, you are . . .” Sensual, alluring, voluptuous. “Beautiful.”

As always, Ms Dare delighted me with a lively cast of secondary characters. There is “Sir Coxcomb and Lady Featherbrain” alias Daphne, Clio’s snobbish, overbearing sister and her husband, the preening, obnoxious prig, Sir Teddy Cambourne; smart, quirky Phoebe, Clio’s youngest sister, who sometimes says the most outrageous things; Bruno Aberforth Montague Esquire, alias Bruiser, Rafe’s trainer, who kept me thoroughly entertained with his capers; Piers, Rafe’s brother, who was certainly a surprise and definitely worthy of his own book. Last but not least, Ellingworth, the squattest,oldest, ugliest bulldog ever, who had me cheering when this happened…

“Oh.” She clapped a hand to her mouth. “Oh, dear.” Evidently she wasn’t the only one who’d mistaken Daphne for statuary.
Ellingworth was urinating on her foot.

Once again, Tessa Dare enchanted me with her beautiful writing, her heart-warming stories, her endearing characters and her brilliant humour.

REVIEW RATING: 5/5 STARS

Castles Ever After series so far (click on the cover for more details):



This review is also posted on my Rakes and Rascals blog:

http://rakesandrascals.wordpress.com/...5-star-books purchased33 s Saswati463 331

“Every man has one woman who was his first proper fantasy. The first he thought about, day and night. The first he woke from dreams of, hard and aching.” He met her gaze. “You were that woman for me.”

Story : 4.25 'cake-sounds' stars
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