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Book Review
Oct. 9th, 2023 05:23 pmAny Duchess Will Do
by Tessa Dare
This historical romance combined elements of Pygmalion and Cinderella in a really enjoyable way. Griffin York, Duke of Halford, is a reformed rake who has been avoiding marriage. His mother is fed up with him, so she packs him off to Spindle Cove and insists that he choose a bride from among the ladies there. Griffin, in a bid to undermine his mother's plan, chooses Pauling Simms, the serving girl at the pub. His mother calls his bluff by accepting his choice and taking Pauline to London to be trained up to join the upper crust. Griffin counters by offering to give her the funds to open the bookshop of her dreams if she will fail spectacularly. Amidst all this scheming, Pauline and Griffin fall passionately in love.
This novel was both full of fun and full of emotion. There is so much humor and wit in the story, but a lot of deep feelings as well. I loved Pauline, as she had plenty of backbone. While she is initially something of a pawn in the contest between Griffin and his mother, Pauline quickly develops her own set of goals for this situation. Yet her warm and caring nature preclude her from simply using either of the Yorks. Griffin is very appealing - he has all of the command and confidence of an alpha hero with none of the dominance or possessiveness I find so annoying about so many examples of that archetype. I also loved Griffin's mother. She knows what her son is up to, but still treats Pauline as a serious duchess candidate and seems to genuinely like her. Plus, her relationship with Griffin is so relatable - they love each other yet are exasperated by each other, and it's endearing.
by Tessa Dare
This historical romance combined elements of Pygmalion and Cinderella in a really enjoyable way. Griffin York, Duke of Halford, is a reformed rake who has been avoiding marriage. His mother is fed up with him, so she packs him off to Spindle Cove and insists that he choose a bride from among the ladies there. Griffin, in a bid to undermine his mother's plan, chooses Pauling Simms, the serving girl at the pub. His mother calls his bluff by accepting his choice and taking Pauline to London to be trained up to join the upper crust. Griffin counters by offering to give her the funds to open the bookshop of her dreams if she will fail spectacularly. Amidst all this scheming, Pauline and Griffin fall passionately in love.
This novel was both full of fun and full of emotion. There is so much humor and wit in the story, but a lot of deep feelings as well. I loved Pauline, as she had plenty of backbone. While she is initially something of a pawn in the contest between Griffin and his mother, Pauline quickly develops her own set of goals for this situation. Yet her warm and caring nature preclude her from simply using either of the Yorks. Griffin is very appealing - he has all of the command and confidence of an alpha hero with none of the dominance or possessiveness I find so annoying about so many examples of that archetype. I also loved Griffin's mother. She knows what her son is up to, but still treats Pauline as a serious duchess candidate and seems to genuinely like her. Plus, her relationship with Griffin is so relatable - they love each other yet are exasperated by each other, and it's endearing.
