Series: Stud Club Book #1
Author: Tessa Dare
Publisher: Ballantine
Publication Date: 5/25/10
Publisher: Ballantine
Publication Date: 5/25/10
Pages: 384
In One Dance with a Duke, the first novel in Tessa Dare’s delightful new trilogy secrets and scandals tempt the irresistible rogues of the Stud Club to gamble everything for love.
A handsome and reclusive horse breeder, Spencer Dumarque, the fourth Duke of Morland, is a member of the exclusive Stud Club, an organization so select it has only ten members, yet membership is attainable to anyone with luck. And Spencer has plenty of it, along with an obsession with a prize horse, a dark secret, and, now, a reputation as the dashing “Duke of Midnight.” Each evening he selects one lady for a breathtaking midnight waltz. But none of the women catch his interest, and nobody ever bests the duke until Lady Amelia d’Orsay tries her luck.
In a moment of desperation, the unconventional beauty claims the duke’s dance and unwittingly steals his heart. When Amelia demands that Spencer forgive her scapegrace brother’s debts, she never imagines that her game of wits and words will lead to breathless passion and a steamy proposal. Still, Spencer is a man of mystery, perhaps connected to the shocking murder of the Stud Club’s founder. Will Amelia lose her heart in this reckless wager or win everlasting love?
A handsome and reclusive horse breeder, Spencer Dumarque, the fourth Duke of Morland, is a member of the exclusive Stud Club, an organization so select it has only ten members, yet membership is attainable to anyone with luck. And Spencer has plenty of it, along with an obsession with a prize horse, a dark secret, and, now, a reputation as the dashing “Duke of Midnight.” Each evening he selects one lady for a breathtaking midnight waltz. But none of the women catch his interest, and nobody ever bests the duke until Lady Amelia d’Orsay tries her luck.
In a moment of desperation, the unconventional beauty claims the duke’s dance and unwittingly steals his heart. When Amelia demands that Spencer forgive her scapegrace brother’s debts, she never imagines that her game of wits and words will lead to breathless passion and a steamy proposal. Still, Spencer is a man of mystery, perhaps connected to the shocking murder of the Stud Club’s founder. Will Amelia lose her heart in this reckless wager or win everlasting love?
My Overall Feeling of the Book:
I'm so conflicted over I how I feel about this book! On one hand, I loved the plot and characters and on the other hand, it felt a bit slow in the beginning and I hated the main male character! So conflicted!
Spencer was so arrogant, self-serving, and narrow-minded. He throws money around like it is nothing and thinks a Duke never has to explain himself. His redeeming quality is that he DOES fall in love with the Leading Lady and even tells her so!
Amelia, one of my favorite names BTW, is fiercely loyal to her family (almost to a fault) and is a nurturer at heart. I love that she isn't your normal "thin and beautiful" heroine but is plump and has regular features. A real woman.
I have the next two books of the series on my shelf and since it is a Snow Day, I might attempt to read them both in a mini read-a-thon. I do look forward to reading more about Bellamy and Ashworth.
A Brief Excerpt:
"So, Spence thought to himself, Lady Amelia had received offers of marriage. And refused them. He had been wondering whether her spinsterhood was a condition arrived at by choice, or merely from a lack of alternatives."
Page 41
The Cover:
The top of the cover is verging on showing a bit too much skin for my taste. The lower part of the cover is gorgeous!
Other Notes:
~This is a mainstream romance with adult situations and content.
~I do my best to skip over the above-mentioned scenes.
Rating
4/5 Really enjoyed it!
On to the next book,
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