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One Dance with a Duke
411 pages
A sparkling, high-stakes waltz of wits where a desperate bargain gives way to breathless romance.
What it feels like
Reading this romance feels like stepping into a candlelit ballroom where the stakes are as high as the tension. The narrative moves at a brisk, engaging clip, propelled by sparkling banter and a simmering, undeniable chemistry between two people who are used to holding their cards close to the chest. There is a delightful contrast between the slightly shadowed, atmospheric mystery of a secret gentlemen's club and the warm, swoony romance that blossoms at its center. The prose is accessible and witty, favoring emotional resonance and sharp dialogue over strict historical pedantry. It is a perfect escape for readers who love a brooding, reclusive hero being thoroughly disarmed by a plucky, unconventional heroine who refuses to back down from a challenge.
- Mood
- swoony
- atmospheric
- charming
- shadowed
- Tone
- witty
- playful
- romantic
- earnest
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- gambling with the heart · hidden vulnerabilities · the power of a bargain · unmasking the recluse
- The writing
- Sparkling and accessible, the narrative balances sharp banter with lush, sensory romantic descriptions.
- The arc
- The journey moves from a desperate, calculated wager to a breathless surrender of guarded hearts.
- Who it's for
- Devoured by fans of Regency romance who crave a brooding, mysterious hero matched by a fiercely determined heroine, all wrapped in a light mystery.
Content notes
- murder investigation
- family gambling debt
About the book
In One Dance with a Duke--the first novel in Tessa Dare's delightful new trilogy--secrets and scandals tempt the irresistible rogues of the Stud Club to gamble everything for love. A handsome and reclusive horse breeder, Spencer Dumarque, the fourth Duke of Morland, is a member of the exclusive Stud Club, an organization so select it has only ten members--yet membership is attainable to anyone with luck. And Spencer has plenty of it, along with an obsession with a prize horse, a dark secret, and, now, a reputation as the dashing "Duke of Midnight." Each evening he selects one lady for a breathtaking midnight waltz. But none of the women catch his interest, and nobody ever bests the duke--until Lady Amelia d'Orsay tries her luck.In a moment of desperation, the unconventional beauty claims the duke's dance and unwittingly steals his heart. When Amelia demands that Spencer forgive her scapegrace brother's debts, she never imagines that her game of wits and words will lead to breathless passion and a steamy proposal. Still, Spencer is a man of mystery, perhaps connected to the shocking murder of the Stud Club's founder. Will Amelia lose her heart in this reckless wager or win everlasting love? From the Paperback edition.
Description from Open Library.
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