One Good Book Deserves Another

Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Spindle Cove, Book 3
Rating: 4 Stars
Length: 384 Pages
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle
Disclosure: An ARC of this book was provided by Avon Books publisher HarperCollins Publishers via Edelweiss. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.




Kate Taylor loves her life in Spindle Cove, a place that offers her a home and friendship and allows her to make a living doing something she loves, unhindered by the birthmark that mars her face. Still, she yearns to know who she is, where she came from, and has only brief, elusive memories of her past before her time at Margate School for Girls.

She thinks she was loved, once, and still has hope that she will be again.

Though not, quite obviously, by the brooding and severe Corporal Thorne, who has, in his time at Spindle Cove, done nothing but prove to her time and again that he holds her in no kind regard. Imagine her surprise, then, when it is the dour Corporal who not only saves her from a bad turn, but steps forward when strangers show up in Spindle Cove claiming to be her kin. And insists he is her fiancé.

Corporal Thorne hasn't lived an easy life, but he takes his responsibilities seriously. One of his most important responsibilities is protecting the women of Spindle Cove. Especially this one woman. That's the only reason he claims Miss Taylor has agreed to wed him.

Not that he doesn't personally care for the woman, as she believes. His feelings are quite the opposite, but Thorne knows Miss Taylor deserves far, far better than a thief, a convict, and a battle-scarred warrior such as himself. He would lay down his life for any of those under his protection. But for Miss Taylor, he's already traded his future. He did so a long, long time ago.

That she doesn't remember is a blessing. That she will never know is a necessity. Now he just has to keep reminding himself that every moment their pretend engagement keeps her by his side.


This third installment of my favorite historical romance series came as a bit of a surprise. It's absolutely as well written and as full of rich, memorable characters as I've come to expect from the talented Tessa Dare, but it has a more serious tone than its predecessors and a more traditional (relative to the series) pair of main characters and storyline.

Dare set up this relationship between Kate and Thorne quite nicely in the second book of the series, and I was looking forward to seeing how the characters would develop once they were given their own story. I've liked both of them since their initial introduction in the series premiere, especially Kate, but this book quickly became all about Thorne for me. I adored him for all his taciturn self-sacrifice and quiet dedication.

I loved the backstory between them. It was as interesting and original as it was unexpected. And I couldn't help but hurt for everything Thorne has lived through since they were children. It certainly explained a lot about his personality. And my goodness, some of his revelations to Kate about their past together were horrifying and heartbreaking. How could I not love the man who was no more than a boy when he risked so much for so little?

Their relationship arc provided a solid read, but I have to admit, this wasn't my favorite book in the series. Not only did I miss the witty banter and sardonic humor that set apart the first two books and gave me lots of laugh-out-loud moments, but Thorne was such a somber character for so long, certain of his lack of worth, that there were a couple of scenes between him and Kate that got a little depressing.

I was also confused by the description of Kate's birthmark in this book. I thought I remembered it being described as almost fully covering one side of her face in the first book, but in this one it's described as a heart-shaped mark at her temple. It's entirely possible I mis-remembered, and I don't have the first book to go back and check, but the impression was there and it created a seeming lack of continuity that bothered me.

The sudden arrival of Kate's long-lost and alleged family seemed a little convenient, timing-wise, but I have to admit, I thoroughly enjoyed all of them as secondary characters. Harry, and the deft handling of her passionate proclivities, was particularly delightful. While perhaps there was a lack of historical authenticity in how her relationship with Ames was portrayed and accepted by her family, historical authenticity has never been a series bailiwick, and I appreciated it for its very existence.

I liked Kate and Thorne together very much. Their romance arc was full of emotion and the characters passionately appealing. I melted a little every time Thorne referred to her as Katie. Thorne's character seemed to have a greater depth and dimension with a more complex personal history than Kate's did, but each personal trait and every story element fit together just right to create the perfect tapestry of two people who were destined, really, to find joy with each other.

Though not my favorite book of the three, this is a solidly entertaining installment of an absolutely beloved series. I'm not sure what's to come next from Tessa Dare, but it's my sincerest hope that her readers (okay, namely me) get a chance to return to Spindle Cove soon.

Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Spindle Cove, Book 2
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Length: 356 Pages
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle



Though Minerva Highwood loves her sisters and suffers her mother, she can't embrace the sort of life they lead. She is happy only when her nose is buried in a book, or when she's off by herself, studying the rocks and fossils that thrill the geologist in her. She's a brainy bluestocking who wants nothing more than to be respected for her intellect and acknowledged for her discoveries.

She cannot, however, abide the thought of her beloved sister marrying the town rogue. In exchange for leaving her sister alone, she offers Lord Payne a deal. It's brilliant, really, and mutually beneficial. Instead of wedding Diana, he can run away with her. They can make it look like an elopement. If he accompanies her to Edinburgh to help her present her recent findings at the upcoming symposium for the Royal Geological Society, she will give him the five hundred guineas that she's sure to win for best presentation. Any ensuing ruin to her reputation is a personal price she's willing to pay.

Payne wants nothing more than to get out of Spindle Cove, but even he has his limits, and Miss Highwood has definitely exceeded them with her outlandish scheme. That's even assuming he could do what she asked, which he can't. The symposium is less than two weeks away and travelling would be problematic given his restrictions - restrictions he's loathe to explain in detail.

He may be a rake, and his reputation may be suspect at best, but even he has honor, and he refuses to ruin an innocent lady in such a callous way. Still, Minerva is intent and leaves him with exactly two choices, indulge her harebrained scheme until she begs off the journey and scurries back home, or become the worst sort of cad, letting her traipse off into the wide world all alone. That is really no choice at all, and he resigns himself to do what he can to look after her.

But neither his tattered honor nor his best intentions may be enough to help him ignore the passionate nature he starts to see peeking out at him from behind Minerva's spectacles now that she's slipped beyond the shadows of propriety. Heaven help them both.


My first visit to Spindle Cove secured my appreciation for author Tessa Dare. The delightful blend of sardonic humor, romance, and story in that series debut helped it become my favorite historical romance of the year and one of my favorites of all time. I was anxiously looking forward to continuing the series with this book, but I was trepidatious, too, as it's so rare in a series to have the same level of spectacular fun for two books in a row.

I needn't have worried.

Though this book as a whole wasn't quite as totally thrilling and all-encompassing in it's pleasure to read (only by a slim margin), the main characters Minerva and Colin, their evolving relationship, and their adventurous journey far exceeded my expectations and provided several hours of sublime enjoyment.

I loved Minerva for all her intelligence and strength, her honesty and her unabashed curiosity. She's guileless and true, and even with her insecurities she's forthright. She is truly a sharp character, and I adored how she took Colin to task on all manner of things when necessary. She never backed down, often initiating volleys of verbal warfare, keeping him on his toes. I even liked the bit of intellectual elitism she displays once or twice, and appreciated how she uses her intellect to shield her most tender feelings.

Colin ended up being even more of a delight to me than I had anticipated. I was expecting a fairly pedestrian if well-written transformation from rogue to dedicated hero, but what I got was a remarkably complex personality with some startling issues and a slow journey towards self confidence. Charming, yes. The man is definitely a charming rogue, seeming one with all the personal depth of puddle at the beginning, and Colin uses that charm like Minerva uses her intellect, both as a shield and a bludgeon.

We know of Colin's issues with sleeping alone from the first book. In this one we find out exactly from whence those issues sprung, and it is tragic. He is also a man dangerously close to the edge, living life day to day to quiet the rumblings of self-loathing and jaded cynicism that have him in his clutches. He is someone who has mostly given up the idea of being a truly good man because though his heart is often in the right place, his actions tend to blow up on him and anyone else in his vicinity.

He's a bit of a chameleon, actually, and easily adapts to every situation in which he finds himself, often in the most outlandish ways. He's one of those people who can be a friend to all but truly known by very, very few. And he's a little touchy about feeling worthy of Minerva's affections. All these wonderful, juicy layers to his character are slowly peeled away and displayed throughout the arc of the story and it provided much more depth and sweeping emotion to their romance than I was expecting.

Together, Min and Colin are simply fabulous. The banter between them was superb. Then their journey started and the relationship they began cobbling together becomes something remarkable. It's almost a begrudging friendship at first, growing warmer and warmer through familiarity and helped along by a wealth of inside jokes and tender moments. Along the way we see both characters grow and mature, finding their joys in themselves as well as each other.

As far as romances go, the one between Minerva and Colin was one of the best I've read for the depth and dimension given to their relationship. These two people truly learn each other, then truly feel for each other, for who they are at their core. It startled me a little, actually. There was such complexity in their relationship, so much knowing and accepting of their core selves, that it hit me just how rare that is in romance fiction.

I wasn't as enamored with the scenes from Spindle Cove that are sporadically interspersed between the chapters of Minerva and Colin's road trip. As much as I love that town with all its quirky charm and unique characters, those scenes were more a distraction than a benefit. I appreciate that they set the foundation for the romance between Kate and Thorne for the next book, but they just seemed an unnecessary disruption in this one.

For ardent fans of absolute historical authenticity in regency romance, I would caution readers this may not be the book or the series for you. The dialogue is more conversational and relaxed, and the plot is a bit out there. On the other hand, if you prefer your historical romance heavily sprinkled with humor, don't mind a lack of stiff-upper-lipness, and are hit by waves of spontaneous lust when you hear mathematical terminology, then I would suggest booking a trip to Spindle Cove as soon as possible. Like me, you'll fit right in.

Quotables:

"My name is Minerva. I'm not your pet. And you're deranged if you think I'd ever marry you."
"But I thought you just said-"
"Run away with you, yes. Marry you?" She made an incredulous noise in her throat. "Please."
He blinked at her.
"I can see you're baffled."
"Oh, good. I would have admitted as much, but I know what pleasure you take in pointing out my intellectual shortcomings."

"How could you be certain of winning the prize?"
"I'll win. I could explain my findings to you in detail, but a great many polysyllabic words would be involved. I'm not sure you're up to them just now."

"Oh no. Oh God. I couldn't possibly be so stupid."
"Don't limit yourself. You can be anything you wish."

"At least Sir Alisdair would remember my name."
"Perhaps." He closed the distance between them, standing so near his chest grazed her breasts. "But could he kiss you so hard, you forget it?"

Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Spindle Cove, Book 1
Rating: 5 Stars
Length: 372 Pages
Formats: Mass Market Paperback, Kindle
Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book through the Amazon Vine program at Amazon.com. This rating, review, and all included thoughts and comments are my own.




As a singularly unique woman with definite ideas on a woman's place in society, Susanna Finch is ahead of her time. She's spent several years molding her corner of the world to suit her, and the small seaside town of Spindle Cove has fallen nicely in line with her ambitions and her goals. It's been transformed into a haven for women of unique thought and temperament. Gifted, special, or otherwise socially unfavorable women like Susanna, a highly intelligent bluestocking with a sharp mind and sharper tongue, are not only welcome there, they are celebrated. And Susanna will fight tooth and nail to make sure the sanctuary she's created remains undisturbed. And almost completely free of men.

Lieutenant Colonel Victor Bramwell has come to Spindle Cove for one reason and one reason alone. To get the famous inventor and respected military adviser Sir Lewis Finch to petition his contacts in London and request Bramwell be returned to his military command. A shot in the knee and months of recovery had knocked him out of the war against France, but being a warrior for the crown was all he knew, all his father knew, and no lingering limp and a bit of pain was going to take him from that world. Not if he has anything to say about it.

As it turns out, he doesn't. Sir Lewis has another position in mind for young Bramwell. Before he can begin to wrap his mind around what's happening, Bram has been given a ruined castle and bestowed the title of Earl of Rycliff. Sir Lewis tasks him with forming a militia in Spindle Cove on behalf of the crown, and to have it ready for display maneuvers in time for the visiting dignitaries and generals who will be visiting in a few months.

To say Bram is a little overwhelmed and a bit disgruntled would be an understatement...but that pales in comparison to the onslaught of one seriously annoyed and mightily offended Susanna Finch, Sir Lewis' daughter. Sir Lewis' delectable, beautiful, more-irritating-than-Bram-can-say daughter.

Feeling betrayed by her father in light of recent developments, she's even more put out by what the new Lord Rycliff intends to do. Spindle Cove is a female retreat, a sanctuary, a Utopian paradise! If she has to she will go toe-to-toe with Bram over each and every one of his plans to wrest control of the town out of the hands of the women who need it, curse the man. Curse the tall, fearsomely handsome, fabulously masculine man!

Quotables:

"It cannot be thunder," Minerva said.
"No. No, it's not thunder. It's...an atmospheric phenomenon, brought on by intermittent gusts of..."
"Sheep!" Charlotte cried, pointing down the lane.
A flock of deranged, woolly beasts stormed through the ancient stone arch and poured into the village, funneling down the lane and bearing down on them.
"Oh, yes," Susanna muttered. "Precisely so. Intermittent gusts of sheep."

She lay in the shallows, tracing lazy circles with her arms while foamy waves lapped at her breasts.
Focus, Bramwell.
Milk-white breasts, just the perfect size for his hands. Tipped with pert, rosy nipples.
Focus on something else, you addled fool.

How predictable. Just like a man. Here she'd been worried he was dead, and he had the nerve to be alive. Outrageously, manifestly virile and strong and alive. How dare he. How dare he?

"I have to offer for you. I have to offer for you, or I can't live with myself."
"You have offered." Tilting her head, she gestured loosely between them. "In some way that involves no declaration of sentiment or actual posing of questions, you've offered to wed me in haste, bed me with enthusiasm, and then leave me alone to deal with speculation and scandal, all so you can go throw yourself in front of another bullet with a clear conscience. Please accept my polite refusal. My lord."

"How is it you've never married?"
"It's an easy enough thing. Every morning I wake up, go about my day, and return to bed at night without having recited marriage vows. After several years, I have the trick of it down."

"Ah, so you're scared."
"I'm not scared."
"Of course you are. You're human. We're all scared, every last one of us. Afraid of life, of love, of dying. Maybe marching in neat rows all day distracts you from the truth of it. But when the sun goes down? We're all just stumbling through the darkness, trying to outlast another night."