When I started reading historical romances, Tessa Dare was one of the first authors I picked up. I still think her writing is some of the most unique in the genre; its heartfelt, emotional, romantic, and deeply, deeply funny. Despite that, she has never been a writer whose books I can binge. So it had been about three years since I read my last Tessa Dare when I decided to pick up this book.
I think because it had been so long I rewrote how much I enjoyed her books in my head. This made it all come rushing back and it was almost like I was rediscovering her writing. This one is the last book in two series (I had read only one other book in either series before this, I need to remedy that). It follows Piers, a Marquess and a secret second thing, and Charlotte who because of the machinations of her mother and a lot of bad luck is the man-hunting scandal of the season. They end up getting caught in a compromising position even though they were doing nothing wrong, which Charlotte is determined to prove. Investigative shenanigans ensue.
I enjoyed this so much, Piers is one of the most unhinged (affectionate) heroes I’ve read in a long time. Tessa Dare is so good with characters and Piers and Charlotte’s chemistry is so strong in this one. Their banter is funny and interesting and make their relationship that much more real and easy to invest in. Charlotte herself is such a different character. Definitely falls into the quirky wallflower stereotype but the depth and emotion with which Dare writes her makes her stand out to me. The pacing in historicals tends to throw me off a lot but this one was perfect. We start in media res and the story progresses at breakneck speed which was perfect for this story.
I’m so excited to pick up another Tessa Dare in a couple of years and rediscover once again how brilliantly she writes.