His Bride for the Taking: A Regency Romcom novella

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Now Crispin wants to discover why she left and convince Elizabeth she should remain by his side for more than just the one night because he doesn’t plan on loosing her again. In His Bride for the Taking, Tessa Dare tells the story of Sebastian. He knows there is only one rule - don't touch your best friends sister. So, even though he had loved Mary since they were children, he has kept his distance. Ms Dare manages to turn the tables on poor Sebastian to create one of the most beautiful Happily Ever Afters to be had. In eleven years, he’s never laid a finger on his best friend’s sister. Now he’s going to take her with both hands. To have, to hold…and to love.' That’s what Elizabeth Terry has told herself while trying to forget the man she married–her once best friend. Passing herself off as a widow, Elizabeth has since built a life for herself as an instructor at a finishing school, far away from that greatest of mistakes. But the past has a way of finding you, and now that her husband has found her, Elizabeth must face the man she’s tried to forget. I liked this one. It was very sweet. Sebastian has been in love with his best friend's sister forever and she who was older never noticed him. And then when she is left at the altar he marries her instead to save her reputation. I mean what a wonderful guy! Also what horrible times when it means being left at the altar ruins her rep cos people will think they did things before.

She sighed. “I know you see this as your problem to solve, with Henry gone. But Henry cared about you, too. He wouldn’t want you to throw your future away out of misplaced loyalty.” Christi has been my favourite (read ‘obsessive’ favourite) for the longest I can recall. My love for historical romance doubled manifold with her stories. While Tessa Dare has been a recent recommendation, that I have also lapped up, because her books just make me laugh. It is her witty prose that took me by surprise and had me hooked. So no surprise there either when I read book 1 in this anthology, His Bride for the Taking, I simply just fell in love with Mary Clayton. She was a perfect heroine in all ways. She wanted something and she went about it systematically to get it. A love story that had an embarrassed hero and a spunky heroine, is a refreshing change and the twist at the end turned out to be the icing on the cake. Made a perfect story even more perfect. Yes, but your reputation will not. You know the things people say when a long engagement is broken. They will assume that you’ve… Well, that the two of you… He churned the air with one hand. Help me here. What’s a polite way to say it? Sebastian is such a swoon-worthy hero. I loved the premise of an impetuous proposal and wedding. The cottage caretakers reminded me of Prudie and Judd in the opening episode of Poldark. The romantic dinner scene was to die for, literally. You must read this. They were hilarious. Mary was ingenious in her machinations and I smiled and giggled at her plotting. Methinks someone has tried to put together some IKEA furniture with her spouse at some point.

Mrs Tessa Dare in this short read compiled much of her talent to deliver a swoon worthy novella with two charming characters.

If some readers find those quips "out of place", that is their prerogative. I don't care. You will pry my Tessa Dare books from my cold dead hands. I adore that they make me feel warm and cozy. I adore that they make me laugh. Well, he’d done more than notice Mary. She’d captured his attention from the very first, and all because she was older. She was more worldly and interesting than the girls his own age. Not to mention, her womanly figure had been a source of both temptation and torment. Tessa Dare is one of my favorite Historical Romance writers. Her stories are always fun and Marriage of Convenience to lovers is a favorite trope of mine, so I was excited to get my hands on the Rogues Rush In: A Regency Duet. I’d never read Christi Caldwell before but see her books everywhere; this seemed like a good time to try a new to me author as well. In eleven years, he’s never laid a finger on his best friend’s sister. Now he’s going to take her with both hands. To have, to hold...and to love.She broke into laughter. “I know how intercourse works, Sebastian. Even if I haven’t experienced it yet.” It was the first rule of friendship among gentlemen: Never, ever lay a hand on your best friend’s sister. This is a sad tale of a misunderstanding gone horribly wrong with lasting years of anguish. Crispin and Elizabeth were the best of friends growing up. They were two peas in a pod and she was not of his social standing but he didn’t care at all. She understood him and he her so when both of Elizabeth’s parents died, he offered to marry her. They ran off and were married in secret before returning to tell his family the news. That did not go well and sent Elizabeth into a hiding of sorts. Once upon a time, two sworn enemies—the bookish daughter of a scholar and the devilish heir to a duke—made a pact: If they were both still single in ten years, they would marry each other. Don’t worry? The only emotion she could feel at the moment was worry. The chances of Giles killing Sebastian in a duel were slim, but they weren’t nonexistent.

As a short story, it is very strong, enjoyable and if you haven’t tried Tessa Dare before a good way to see if you like her writing style. Mrs Christi Caldwell has become an auto-but author for me, why having missed this novella published with an other author I do admire, this new release was a perfect octopus read it, and worth with its added prologue and epilogue. I wasn't going to actually admit to reading it, but it pleasantly surprised me enough that I feel it deserves some recognition. (At least, if I mark the really lousy pseudo-Regency Kindle freebies I read, I should mark the semi-decent ones too, right?) His Bride for the Taking is a stand alone novella by Tessa Dare that was oringinally in 2018 as a part of the Rogues Rush In: a Regency Duet. It’s quite possible. In fact, it’s evident. He’s not here, and neither is his family. She released her breath in a defeated sigh. He must have changed his mind at the last moment.

Unconnected Novellas

I’m nearly twenty-eight years old. I should think by now I’m responsible for myself. And I may have been jilted, but I’m not heartbroken. Giles and I held each other in esteem, but it wasn’t a love match. I’ll survive. It’s the first rule of friendship among gentlemen: Don’t even think about touching your best friend’s sister. There’s one thing you should know,” he said. “I am a lord, even if a disgraced one. There’s still an entail on the family property.” He paused. “I’ll need a son. And that means we’ll have to…” He searched once again for a polite term. Yes, but your reputation will not. You know the things people say when a long engagement is broken. They will assume that you’ve… Well, that the two of you…” He churned the air with one hand. “Help me here. What’s a polite way to say it?”

I don’t care if he’s the Prince of Wales. The man made a promise to you, and he’s not here to keep it. That makes him a bastard. A tardy bastard, at that.” I’ve always loved reading – it started with The Famous Five and Nancy Drew. And then when I was older I discovered Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters and Georgette Heyer, thus sealing my fate as a romance junkie. Mary has been left at the alter and will be ruined. Sebastian has loved Mary from afar for years but she was the sister of his best friend and even after the death of Mary’s brother, he can’t break the pact they made as children that she would be hands off to him. But, he also can’t let her be ruined; Sebastian decides he will save Mary and marry her, it is the least he can do for his dead friend when there is no one else to take care of her. He supposed he could see why a weaker man might find her intimidating. She’d always been more clever than Sebastian and Henry put together. She was strong and self-reliant, because losing her mother at a young age had given her no other choice.

Other Works (Non-Series)

This is an adorable tale of two people who have circled each other their whole lives but never come together until Sebastian gets a little shove. I thought this was a clever and cute story with a smidge of a twist at the end that endeared Mary to me immensely. Because the two have known each other most of their lives, it was so easy to buy into the love story and we get a few hot scenes in a short time to round out the story.