The Duchess Deal

Girl Meets Duke

By: Tessa Dare

Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells

When girl meets duke, their marriage breaks all the rules....

Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashbury's to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London ne'er-do-wells by night. Now there's a new item on the list. He needs an heir - which means he needs a wife. When Emma Gladstone, a vicar's daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that she'll do.

His terms are simple:

• They will be husband and wife by night only.
• No lights, no kissing.
• No questions about his battle scars.
• Last, and most importantly...once she's pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again.

But Emma is no pushover. She has a few rules of her own:

• They will have dinner together every evening.
• With conversation.
• And unlimited teasing.
• Last, and most importantly...once she's seen the man beneath the scars, he can't stop her from falling in love.

©2017 Eve Ortega (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

A Comedic Romance That You Can Take Seriously

If you could sum up The Duchess Deal in three words, what would they be?

Marriage. Of. Convenience.

What other book might you compare The Duchess Deal to and why?

This book is similar in concept to Lisa Kleypas's "Devil in Winter." In both books, two people get married to further their separate goals, but wind up falling in love.

Which character – as performed by Mary Jane Wells – was your favorite?

I adored Mary Jane Wells's portrayal of Ashbury, the hero. She makes him sound pompous, almost stuffy, which is not the typical voice for a love interest. But Wells makes it work, turning Ashbury into a hilarious, distinct, and lovable character.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Come at once if convenient. If inconvenient, come all the same.

Any additional comments?

Mary Jane Wells knocked it out of the park with this performance. Tessa Dare exceeded expectations. This book should be a part of any Historical Romance library.

Wonderful tortured hero romance!

Any additional comments?

The Duchess Deal is such a wonderful tortured hero historical romance. It made me laugh, cry, and feel all warm inside. The perfect blend of comedy, passion, and healing power of love. And Mary Jane Wells as narrator really brought the story to life and made the characters real. Bravo!

Fun, regency beauty & the beast with modern flair

Tessa Dare is my favorite regency romance author. Combined with Mary Jane Wells’ narration, these books can’t be beat. The three things that distinguish her books are the modern day humor, sex, and female characters. Dare’s conflicts aren’t beaten to death and never take over the humor or romance. Ash is clearly the beast to Emma’s beauty, but he’s a growly teddy bear.

Get ready to laugh

I haven't laughed this hard listening to a book in awhile and hardly ever with a historical romance novel. I rarely write reviews but I had to for this, I absolutely loved it from beginning to end. The sarcasm and pet names had me dying throughout the story. I truly recommend for anyone looking for a great romance with a lot of laughter.

I loved this story

The characters were so likeable, the story was very interesting, and Ms. Wells brought the characters to life in her performance.

Great book

It was funny, sexy and highly entertaining. The narration was terrific and the ending was perfect.

I love their relationship! Good listen.

the character's relationship is a little more real compared to other books. A breath of fresh air from all those sappy, over the top, unreal romantic dialogues.

witty! and made me laugh!

i usually love this narrator, however, i was irritated and distracted by her version of some of the male voices. otherwise the book was a little rough, but made me laugh so much with the characters witty banter!

Surprise find

I love the narrator, Mary Jane Wells. I found this novel while going through her recordings on Audible. So happy I did. I adore this book. A light hearted read which kept me up too late. There are a lot of historical inaccuracies, but that isn't the point of this novel. This is a must read...not giving away spoliers...but poor Bunnykins. 😆

Fully enthralling

The characters in this book are quite different than your normal historical romance. Both the hero and heroine have internal and external scarring that they have to get past. The best part of the book was the dry humor which Ash, the main character conveys. It’s hilarious and witty.