One Dance with a Duke (Stud Club Trilogy)

SO disappointing! I had bought all three in this series and hoarded them for a long weekend only to be sadly disappointed. I found this book to be rather boring, lacking in wit, humor and plot. So many loose ends and characters who were either too shallow or insufficiently engaging for me to care about. Tessa Dare is capable of SO much more!

I am beginning to think it is literally impossible to read One Dance With A Duke by Tessa Dare without a silly grin. Now, this book was my first foray into romance, a genre which I sort of had this tendancy to ridicule. I know, I know, not nice to make fun of heaving bosoms and what not. However, I guess that's what happens when I read one Danielle Steele book and judge a whole genre based off of it. Guys, I would never do that to the YA category -- read one book and judge all YA based off that book. So, romance, I am sorry. One Dance With A Duke is a historical fiction set in the 18th Century, right around Waterloo. Amelia D'Orsay is a spinster with a ne'er do well brother who gambles away her pin money. Spencer, on the other hand, is this megarich duke of Morland. He hangs around balls at midnight and dances with just one woman. OF COURSE Spencer and Amelia's paths cross. I know from the summary, you can guess the ending, because it is romance, and we all know how these books end. However, I'm just going to put this out there and you can agree with me or disagree, but I don't think people read romance primarily to be surprised by the ending. I think people read it for A) The steams and B) That goofy happy feeling. This sounds creepy, but these books give someone the chance to vicariously experience love. I already have love in my life, but friends, an 18th century duke my boyfriend is not. It's vastly entertaining to watch the sparks fly between Spencer and Amelia. They have this love hate relationship, and I really do enjoy their conversations, especially when they talk about books. Hello, there was a reference to Mary Wollenstonecraft. Total awesomesauce. It's interesting that reference, because the book places the two as a couple on equal footing. It shows that love does not allow for one person to dominate the other. I really enjoyed seeing this take on relationships as a partnership. I also really liked the kissing scenes. There's one part which I wish I could find in my book to quote for you which describes making out as a conversation. Yes, please sign me up for that talk. I mean, can you imagine instead of saying "we need to talk' you just kiss it out. Let me just say, when you have a super heavy, emotionally draining book like The Passage, I absolutely recommend you break it up with a romance novel. Trust me, you'll feel more mentally sound after repeated emoto-beat-downs. Don't read this expecting a book surpassing all your wildest dreams, because that's not going to happen, but if you want something smile inducing, this is totally the right book to check out.

I discovered this new Author with her first trilogy, and could hardly wait for ONE DANCE WITH A DUKE, in fact, I preordered this one and have already preordered the next two and am having a hard time waiting for them. I think that she will become a great ambassador for historical romances. Her characters are well written, human, and interesting. She makes you care about them and what happens to them. The plot moves along well and has a good mix of humor, human flaws. As I said greatest of all you care about what happens to them

I fell in love with this novel. The romance was glorious and the conflict was hilarious at times and sad at others. There were actually several conflicts that made the book a whole. I truly enjoy Tessa Dare's writing. It also seems to me like she revved it up for this new trilogy from The Goddess Trilogy. A little extra Oomph! The Duke of Morland, known as the Duke of Midnight has such a cute mystery behind his whole reasoning for being the mysterious Duke of Midnight and when it is revealed, I laughed and blushed because of how cute it was. Just darling! A few of the characters, I know we will see in the next book and the last book in the trilogy which I can't wait to read. I read this book in two days, it totally devoured my time. Amelia was an adorable heroine and I loved the witty comments and sensual demeanor of the hero. Tessa Dare, you rock!

It's hard to pin down what makes a romance novel a keeper--different people like different things, and even if you can name all the things you like, you couldn't just patch them all together in one book and be guaranteed a novel you'll love. A keeper has an intangible quality, a certain something that makes the characters and the emotions feel real, even when you know intellectually that you are reading what amounts to, in terms of realism, a fairy tale. This novel is definitely in my top 5, and I'm pretty picky. First of all, Tessa Dare's writing style is fantastic; it never veers into purple prose, the pacing is excellent, the dialogue clever. And she's a huge Jane Austen fan, apparently, since Amelia states early in the book she's "never seen a house so happily situated." Amelia--she's one of the heroine greats. Not a perfect beauty, not a push over, not a "bluestocking," not insultingly vapid. She is flawed and quirky, without being annoying. Spencer is emotionally distant. What I liked about him was that he clearly loved her from the beginning, and their interests and personalities are compatible. There's a scene where he's reading and she's working her needlepoint, and they're sparring, and it feels like you're a fly on the wall--it's just so cozy and appealing. I did not find it frustrating that he was emotionally distant, I found it realistic and believable. He brings to mind Mr. Darcy, and Amelia, a la Elizabeth Bennet, draws him out. Of course, Austen would have written things differently without all the hot sex scenes. ;) That brings me to another thing I liked about this Regency. The problems and external conflicts are not ridiculous, and they are fairly realistic to the time period. There are no gambling hells or kidnappings, no silly mysteries to solve. Wait! you say. Isn't this trilogy, at least in part, about a murder and a "stud club"? Well, yes, it is, and I was afraid Ms. Dare's second trilogy would devolve into some sort of mystery-driven Stephanie Laurens type mess, but it doesn't. It stays focused on the romance, and the murder with which the book begins provides just enough plot to bring certain characters together, drive others apart, and create a believable conflict. Romance, character, and emotional realism are at the center of this romance. This is one to savor, because you won't read another one so good for awhile (until June 22, perhaps?). A great piece of escapist fiction that I never wanted to skim. I never rolled my eyes. I just enjoyed the whole blasted thing thoroughly.

The book is wonderful and bursting with romance. Amelia is great, but became frustrating at times near the end, but don't let that deter you. Spencer is amazing! The scenes with Spencer, Rhys, and Julian together are to die for. They are all too sexy to be placed together on the same page. I adore all Tessa's books and her writing style. She is definitely an auto buy. She blends humor into her stories amazingly. One Dance with a Duke had me chuckling and laughing out loud many times. Tessa has also turned up the heat levels in the sensuality arena. Whew! I had to fan myself just over the foreplay scenes, which is a good thing. The tension is off the charts! The glove scene with Spencer had me drooling/swooning. The best thing about this new trilogy is it is hero centric. Tessa's heroines are fabulous, but I love the heroes. The are always sexy, noble, and have quirkiness that is just so adorable it is unfair that they are fictional. If you believe yourself to be a fan of romance and great stories than read this book!