Living the Fairytale: A Book Review of Romancing the Duke
--This review contains spoilers--
Tessa Dare's Romancing the Duke tells the tale of Isolde Ophelia Goodnight whose father leaves her destitute because he failed to revise his will before his passing. Isolde, who goes by Izzy, grew up believing in fairytales, but now at the age of 26, she is sure she is destined for spinsterhood. She receives a letter from her godfather's solicitor who tells her that she has inherited the ruin called Gostley Castle.
However, the dashing Ransom William Dacre Vane, the eleventh Duke of Rothbury, claims he is the current owner and the castle was never sold to Izzy's godfather. Ransom has been living in his decrepit castle with an injury that left him blind, so for many months, he has been unaware of his thieving solicitors who have been committing fraud since he cannot read his mail or review his finances without help.
Until the matter of ownership is resolved, Izzy is determined to remain in the castle despite Ransom's attempts to frighten her away. Eventually, Ransom gives up and hires Izzy to be his secretary and read through his mail to get to the bottom of the matter.
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| Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photography-of-castle-877221/ |
What I Liked
Being the bookworm that I am, I love Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and Dare's story embraces that theme. A lovely, bookish woman lives in a castle with a wounded and insecure man and, over time, they develop a relationship where they are each other's match.
Thanks to her father's bedtimes stories that depict Izzy as a child, his readers all treat Izzy as a child when they meet her, which has affected her self-esteem. However, they are devout readers of The Goodnight Tales. The stories inspired a cult following, called Moranglians. While Izzy is at the castle, she meets Abigail, one of her Moranglians, and word gets out that she is staying at the castle, so her vast cult arrives as they're passing through the village. In her time with Ransom, he's made her feel like a woman instead of a child by telling her that she's beautiful based or how she felt in his arms after she faints at one point. He is able to see a little during the day because of the light, but all he can see of Izzy is splotches of color. Regardless, he is enchanted by her. I love that the book plays out the dynamic of child versus adult.
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| Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/knight-in-front-of-woman-in-green-dress-1420462/ |
While Izzy tries to keep her Moranglian persona away from Ransom because he makes her feel like a ravishing beauty, Ransom has his own secrets and insecurities. His father blamed Ransom for killing his mother because she died after giving birth to Ransom. His father never showed him any affection or empathy and even forbade the staff to do so as well. As he grows closer to Izzy, they are both able to provide what the other needs. For instance, when he and Izzy accidentally wind up in a secret passageway, Izzy is terrified of the dark, but Ransom provides her with the comfort and reassurance she needs.
Izzy inquires about how Ransom came about his injury, but he doesn't want to tell her. Izzy gets the story from Duncan, Ransom's valet. She finds out that Ransom had an arranged marriage and was not loving husband material, causing his fiancé to fall in love with someone else and run away with him. Ransom went after her and her suitor and got his injury.
There are a few steamy scenes between Izzy and Ransom. They're not over done and the first two attempts are interrupted in funny, realistic ways, which I enjoyed. I also appreciated that permission was written into these scenes, even when Ransom is angry at Izzy and both of them are physically craving each other.
The last part of the novel focuses on Ransom, Izzy, Duncan, Abigail, and the Moranglians trying to save Ransom from being locked up since his solicitors are making him attend a lunacy hearing because he's blind. Also, Izzy will be homeless. While Ransom has had months to create a mental map of his castle, his pride gets the better of him when everyone is trying to help to prepare him for his hearing. He has great difficulty with using utensils to eat his food, so he feels insecure. Because he acts cold and snobbish towards Izzy and everyone else, their rehearsal falls apart. With Duncan's help, Ransom gets a rude awakening, which leads to him and Izzy to making up and his making a fool of himself in front of the solicitors and physician.
Overall, it was an excellent read with a great balance of romance, comedy, and fairytale magic. I left a few plot twists out of my review, so I encourage you to read the book!
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| Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-reading-a-book-beside-the-window-1031588/ |
What I Didn't Like
It's rare for me to not have anything negative to say about a book. The characters were fleshed out well, making them complex human beings rather than just flat stereotypes. The plot was realistic and kept my interest.
The only negative thing I have to say about the book is its cover design. The title should have been in white because it gets lost in the black shadows of Izzy's dress.
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