Spindle Cove/Castles Ever After crossover? Okay!
(Piers Brandon is the Marquess that didn’t get said yes to, in case you don’t recognize him.)
(He’s much more likable in Do You Want to Start a Scandal than he was in Say Yes to the Marquess.)
(I don’t know why I keep using parentheses.)
People have been asking for years for Dare to finally give the last Highwood daughter, Charlotte, her own story, so it seems fitting that she (and we) should be rewarded for her patience with this fun little crossover. This book doesn’t actually take place in Spindle Cove, nor does the heroine receive her very own castle, but it does have what is essentially a romance novel mystery plot at its heart, which is something I’ve never read before but very much enjoyed. Perhaps because I love mysteries so much, I did wish there was a bit more focus on the mystery, but I think for the most part Dare struck a nice balance between her plot and the time spent developing the relationship between Piers and Charlotte.
I really liked Charlotte and Piers together. I think Dare found a way for them to bring out the best in each other, so much so that I’m willing to forgive the presence of what is becoming a very tired cliché in the romance genre: the hero who doesn’t believe he deserves love. If this device is going to be used in the future, it needs to be either very well done, or a new take on it, neither of which was happening here. It just so happens the rest of the book was so fun it overshadowed that complaint. This book also features the typical Tessa Dare humor. There are some recurring gags in here that are actually even funnier than her stuff normally is. SPOILERS Edmund following Piers around and shouting “murder!” at him I found particularly amusing END SPOILERS.
All in all, a successful outing.
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