Review: Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare.

Publisher: Avon, Harper Collins

Rowena’s review of Any Duchess Will Do (Spindle Cove #4) by Tessa Dare.

Hero: Lord Griffin York
Heroine: Miss Pauline Simms

What’s a duke to do, when the girl who’s perfectly wrong becomes the woman he can’t live without?

Griffin York, the Duke of Halford, has no desire to wed this season—or any season—but his diabolical mother abducts him to “Spinster Cove” and insists he select a bride from the ladies in residence. Griff decides to teach her a lesson that will end the marriage debate forever. He chooses the serving girl.

Overworked and struggling, Pauline Simms doesn’t dream about dukes. All she wants is to hang up her barmaid apron and open a bookshop. That dream becomes a possibility when an arrogant, sinfully attractive duke offers her a small fortune for a week’s employment. Her duties are simple: submit to his mother’s “duchess training”… and fail miserably.

But in London, Pauline isn’t a miserable failure. She’s a brave, quick-witted, beguiling failure—a woman who ignites Griff’s desire and soothes the darkness in his soul. Keeping Pauline by his side won’t be easy. Even if Society could accept a serving girl duchess—can a roguish duke convince a serving girl to trust him with her heart?

I am really loving the Spindle Cove series.  The characters, the stories, the romance, it’s all been such a fantastic reading experience that I kind of don’t want it to end.  Tessa Dare has done an incredible job of bringing these characters to life that every time I see a new book coming out, I do a little happy dance.

This story follows Pauline Simms, the barmaid from the Bull and Blossom.  Pauline is a hardworking young woman who dreams of opening up her own rotating library for the women that come to Spindle Cove on vacation.  She wants to be able to provide for her sister and when an offer comes in the form of a handsome Duke, she’s hard pressed to not accept.

The Duke of Halford’s mother is in the business of matchmaking.  She wants grandchildren and since he’s not showing any kind of interest in finding himself a wife to give her those grandchildren, she takes things into her own hands.  She kidnaps him and takes him to Spindle Cove where there are many women who will take him.  All he has to do is pick one.  Well, Griff chooses Pauline.  The barmaid.  If his mother can turn the sugar speckled woman into a Duchess in one weeks time then he’ll marry her.  Not even a little bit disgusted at his choice, the Duchess knows that she’s got her work cut out for her.

Pauline goes along with the whole scheme because the Duke of Halford has promised her 1,000 pounds to do everything she can to put a wrench in his mother’s plans.  The duke tells his mother that she has one week to turn Pauline into a raving success and if she’s acceptable, he’ll marry her.

I thought this was a great addition to an already fantastic series of books.  I really enjoyed getting to know Pauline and I thought that Griff was a great match for her. I loved seeing him fall in love with Pauline and seeing the two of them battle their separate issues and come together in the end.  I kept wondering how the heck Dare was going to bring these two together since he’s a Duke and she’s a freaking barmaid but the way that she wrote it made sense to me and I enjoyed it.  The majority of this book took place in London, away from Spindle Cove so I missed a lot of the charm that can only be found in Spindle Cove but still, this was a great story.

I enjoyed getting to know Pauline outside of the Bull and Blossom and I really came to love Griff.  He was pictured as cold and unfeeling when he was anything but.  Both of their stories made my heart hurt.  Hurt for Griff with his Mary and hurt for Pauline because of her home life.  I’m already looking forward to the next Spindle Cove book, I so love these characters.

Grade: 4.25 out of 5

This book is available from Avon. You can buy it here or here in e-format. This book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.

Related Posts