Review: Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare

Posted May 23, 2013 by Tracy in Reviews | 1 Comment

Publisher: Avon, Harper Collins

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?

Griffin York is determined to stay a bachelor but his mother is all about getting him married and having grandbabies. Griff is SO not into her scheme – I mean she actually drugged him and took him to Spindle Cove to pick a bride. The Duchess’s thinking is that Spindle Cove has ONLY marriage minded women in it so none of them would say no. Griff is more than a little peeved – A) at her high-handedness and B) that she would think that ANY woman would say no if he asked.

When Griff and his mother walk into the Bull and Blossom he realizes he’s made a mistake in his choice of places to stay away from the women as they’re all there. The duchess tells him to pick a woman, any woman and she will make her a duchess. Griff picks a woman who intrigues him – Pauline Simms, the serving girl at the Bull and Blossom. After talking to her horrible father Griff wants nothing more than to get Pauline away from him for forever but Pauline only agrees to one week as she needs to get home to her sister. Griff makes a side deal with Pauline – be the worst duchess material EVER and he’ll pay her $1000.00 dollars when the week is over and his mother fails.

Pauline does make a muck of things but as the week goes on she gets to know the duchess and feels bad about screwing up on purpose (although she’s clumsy and doesn’t have to try too hard) and she starts having feelings for Griff. Griff starts to see Pauline in a different light as well but he’s emotionally scarred and knows he can’t give her the love and devotion she needs.

The duchess tries oh so hard with Pauline and since she only has a week she’s determined to throw her out into society immediately so that she can get the lay of the land. Pauline is understandably reticent but goes along as the duchess knows best, right? Maybe? The first night Pauline is to attend her first event the duchess gives Pauline a bit of instruction and Pauline’s not sure what to think and I loved her dry sense of humor:

“If you want to win society’s admiration, everyone must see you. No hiding in the corners or ducking behind the potted palms.”

Note: Make bosom friends with potted palms.

“But though it’s imperative to be seen, it’s less important to be heard. Talk with the ladies, but no too much. that goes double for the gentleman.”

Which part? The talking, or the not too much?

“Tonight, you’ll appear before the cream of London society. Let them see you as a lovely young lady with a certain freshness about her. A translucent petal, veiled in mystery. Someone they’re dying to claim they’ve met, but don’t truly know at all. Do you understand?”

Oh, yes, Clear as pitch.

Though I thought that the duchess was rushing putting Pauline out there with her accent, etc., I did realize that she only had a week so…IDK, maybe she had the right idea. lol

Let me start by saying, Dare strikes again. I’m not sure how she keeps coming up with great stories and then putting them together in an amazing way but she does it time and time again. This story was no different.

Pauline was an incredible heroine and Griff was a wonderful hero. They each had their issues and they each knew that nothing could come from their love as they were from such different classes but that didn’t stop either from falling and I loved seeing it. The emotion that this romance invoked was remarkable as I just wasn’t sure how I felt about either Pauline or Griff when I first started reading. As I got farther into the story I just couldn’t put it down and was actually sad when it ended.

There’s definitely a Cinderella feel threading through the story but to me there was only one part that was truly obvious (clock striking 12, etc.) and the rest was certainly original.

I honestly can’t wait to see what Dare brings us from Spindle Cove next.

Rating: 4.75 out of 5

Tessa Dare


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