1st read: July 2021 (audio)
2nd read: June 2022 (book)

I'm changing my rating from 3 to 5 stars because this is freaking adorable. Izzy and Ransom are really good together.

There are some references to Ransom's playboy past, but it's kept pretty vague and it didn't bother me much. There isn't any OW/OM drama at all.
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Cute and silly regency romance with cosplayers. ( )

1st read: July 2021
2nd read: July 2022

Not bad, but not great either. The entire premise just doesn't work for me. The mmc trying to convince the fmc to marry his brother is just bonkers. Plus, the book constantly mentions the mmc's philandering past, which is annoying even if it's kept vague.
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Say Yes to the Marquess was decent, but I feel like it could have been better. I like the main characters' history together and the forbidden nature of their romance (the heroine is engaged to the hero's brother, who she hasn't seen in years, but she doesn't have feelings for the fiance and wants to end the engagement). The first half of the book had promise, but the second half was lackluster to me.

This was my 6th Tessa Dare audiobook in 10 days. Probably too many, if I'm being honest. I like the narrators for the Castle Ever After series and the Girl Meets Duke series, so they were an easy choice to listen to while I was painting rooms. ( )

*3.5 ( )

When I picked up this book, I thought the premise was a bit odd: Rafe is doing everything in his power to make Clio marry his brother. I feared it would resemble those books where the heroine is engaged to someone more stoic than the hero, and then it's super awkward as she tries not to cheat on her betrothed. This fate is avoided by Dare injecting plenty of humor into the story that it's a joy to read.

Rather than being awkward and horny, Clio is her own person, which is not only refreshing, but it also feels authentic. She has her heart set on opening a brewery on her lands, and she's so natural about it. Dare clearly did her research. I'm not much of a drinker, but I thoroughly enjoyed the scene where Clio describes three different types of alcoholic beverages, to Rafe's shock. There were a few times where she could have been more assertive, but it didn't bother me.

Rafe was also sympathetic. I loved reading about him falling in love with Clio and then accepting that love. It felt natural, and he managed to be romantic without making an ass out of himself. He's actually someone you could imagine falling in love with.

It's not as witty or dramatic as some romance novels, but that's because it's filled with romance without the manipulative tendencies. So while you shouldn't expect super high highs and really low lows with this book, it's still just as worthy of your notice. ( )

What do you do when you've been waiting for 8 years for an absent fiance you're not sure even likes you? In Tessa Dare's Castles Ever After series, if you're a lucky heiress, you say screw the groom, I just inherited a castle. Who needs ya? Clio has been trained to be a compliant woman of the ton, to the point of starvation to have the proper figure, but she's discovered she doesn't want her groom anymore. As a landowner, she has other plans, so she employs her groom's brother, Rafe, who she prefers when all is said and done, to release her from the overlong commitment. The profligate brother, Rafe was charged with watching after things while his brother was gone, and since he's screwed up everything else in his life, that's the one thing he is determined to succeed at. Except he's always been soft on Clio, too.

I am really enjoying this series of "what would a Regency-era heroine do if she suddenly inherited a castle?" It gives them power they wouldn't normally possess and the opportunity to be who they want to be. Cleverly written, believably Regency, I would highly recommend the latest addition (as well as the first!) to the Castles Ever After series. ( )