Book Review
Aug. 1st, 2022 08:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariSay Yes to the Marquess
by Tessa Dare
This historical romance has a setup that could have been kind of unpleasant, but Dare makes it work. Clio Whitmore has been engaged to Piers Brandon for eight years, during which he's been working as a diplomat in Europe. During that time, Clio found better things to do than wait for a man with whom she has no real relationship. She inherited a castle, studied brewing, and plans to found a brewery. Now Clio wants out of the engagement, even though Piers is on his way back to England. However, Piers' estranged prizefighter brother Rafe has come to convince Clio to go through with the wedding. This could have been kind of gross, but Rafe sincerely believes that Piers cares for Clio and would be good for her. The setup plays out as Rafe and Clio employing stubborn persuasion rather than Rafe trying to impose his will. In the process, their long-standing and long-sublimated feelings for each other blossom.
There was a lot I liked about this book. Rafe's tender side and yearning for a more meaningful relationship are already in play before he falls for Clio, so his character development isn't just about the heroine reforming or changing him. Clio is awesome - she has her own plans for her life and when she falls in love with Rafe, she incorporates the relationship into those plans rather than changing or abandoning them. The conflicts are all about Rafe and Clio's internal struggles rather than contrived external drama. The sex scenes are particularly hot. However, I feel like the book lacked a little bit of oomph. It had lots of nice aspects, but never quite became more than the sum of its parts.
by Tessa Dare
This historical romance has a setup that could have been kind of unpleasant, but Dare makes it work. Clio Whitmore has been engaged to Piers Brandon for eight years, during which he's been working as a diplomat in Europe. During that time, Clio found better things to do than wait for a man with whom she has no real relationship. She inherited a castle, studied brewing, and plans to found a brewery. Now Clio wants out of the engagement, even though Piers is on his way back to England. However, Piers' estranged prizefighter brother Rafe has come to convince Clio to go through with the wedding. This could have been kind of gross, but Rafe sincerely believes that Piers cares for Clio and would be good for her. The setup plays out as Rafe and Clio employing stubborn persuasion rather than Rafe trying to impose his will. In the process, their long-standing and long-sublimated feelings for each other blossom.
There was a lot I liked about this book. Rafe's tender side and yearning for a more meaningful relationship are already in play before he falls for Clio, so his character development isn't just about the heroine reforming or changing him. Clio is awesome - she has her own plans for her life and when she falls in love with Rafe, she incorporates the relationship into those plans rather than changing or abandoning them. The conflicts are all about Rafe and Clio's internal struggles rather than contrived external drama. The sex scenes are particularly hot. However, I feel like the book lacked a little bit of oomph. It had lots of nice aspects, but never quite became more than the sum of its parts.
