Rowena’s review of Beauty and the Blacksmith (Spindle Cove #3.5) by Tessa Dare.
Hero: Mr. Aaron Dawes
Heroine: Lady Diana Haywood
At last, Diana gets a romance of her own! But with the last man anyone in Spindle Cove expects…
Beautiful and elegant, Miss Diana Highwood is destined to marry a wealthy, well-placed nobleman. At least, that’s what her mother has loudly declared to everyone in Spindle Cove.
But Diana’s not excited by dukes and lords. The only man who makes her heart pound is the village blacksmith, Aaron Dawes. By birth and fortune, they couldn’t be more wrong for each other…but during stolen, steamy moments in his forge, his strong hands feel so right.
Is their love forged strong enough to last, or are they just playing with fire?
This was a really quick read but one that I enjoyed. Tessa Dare is one of those historical authors that never fails to bring a smile to your face while you’re reading one of her stories. Her stories are always packed with so much goodness that whenever a new one comes out, you’ve got to get it.
This story follows Diana Haywood and Aaron Dawes to their happy ending. Diana is the beauty in her family and if you’ve read the other books then you’ll remember Diana from being the girl that her daughter likes to pimp out at every turn. Diana is the looks in the family and is expected to marry the highest title of anyone in their family. But in this book, we learn that Diana doesn’t want a Duke or an Earl. She wants a blacksmith.
And he wants her right back.
This book doesn’t have a complicated background. There’s no confusing emotional roller coaster. It’s just a straight up romance about two unlikely people falling in love and I enjoyed their story.
Aaron is an uncomplicated man. He took over the family business when his father died, provided for his mother and two sisters and now that they’re all married off and gone, he lives alone and continues to work, day in and day out. He’s got a thing for Diana Haywood but knows that it probably won’t go anywhere because he’s not a Lord and they’re from different worlds. But when Diana starts coming around his shop, with something new for him to fix, he starts to wonder…if she’s doing all of this on purpose, to see him.
And he’s totally right. Diana’s got it bad for him. She’s lusting good after the good ol’ town blacksmith and to see someone as beautiful as Diana be so insecure about everything from her looks, to the way that Aaron sees her to not knowing what to do about wanting to be with him was a nice change from the norm.
I really enjoyed getting to know both Aaron and Diana. Their story was short but still a great addition to this series. The romance between these two made for some great reading and Tessa Dare continues to keep me happy with this Spindle cove series. This wasn’t my favorite story in the series but it’s still good. It’s a solid, historical romance and I’m glad that I read it. I recommend this book to fans of historical romance and to fans of the Spindle Cove series.
Now, I’m curious to see if Charlotte Haywood is going to get her own story because I want to read that. She was great in this story.
Grade: 4 out of 5
This book is available from Avon Impulse. You can buy it here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.
aw this sounds so sweet! I am so behind in this series.. I’ve only read the prequel novella and the first novel. I’m determined to catch up though. I think I’ll do it, too, because I’m on an historical romance kick this year!
Hey Christine!
This was one of those short and sweet stories that I sometimes like to read. I adore this series and definitely recommend that you catch up. There are fantastic books in the series.