Say Yes to the Marquess (Castles Ever After Series #2)

by Tessa Dare

Overview

USA Today Bestseller

Your presence is requested at romantic Twill Castle for the wedding of Miss Clio Whitmore and . . . and . . . ?

After eight years of waiting for Piers Brandon, the wandering Marquess of Granville, to set a wedding date, Clio Whitmore has had enough. She's inherited a castle, scraped together some pride, and made plans to break her engagement.

Not if Rafe Brandon can help it. A ruthless prizefighter and notorious rake, Rafe is determined that Clio will marry his brother—even if he has to plan the dratted wedding himself.

So how does a hardened fighter cure a reluctant bride's cold feet?

• He starts with flowers. Ladies can't have too many flowers. Or harps. Or cakes.

• He lets her know she'll make a beautiful, desirable bride— and tries not to picture her as his.

• He doesn't kiss her.

• If he kisses her, he definitely doesn't kiss her again.

• When all else fails, he puts her in a stunning gown and vows not to be nearby when the gown comes off.

• And no matter what—he doesn't fall in disastrous, hopeless love with the one woman he can never call his own.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062240200
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	12/30/2014
Series:	Castles Ever After Series , #2
Pages:	384
Sales rank:	95,969
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 6.50(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Tessa Dare is the New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of more than a dozen historical romances. A librarian by training and a book-lover at heart, Tessa makes her home in Southern California, where she shares a cozy, cluttered bungalow with her husband, their two children, and a pair of cosmic kittens.

Editorial Reviews

10/13/2014
Dare’s second Castles Ever After Regency (after Romancing the Duke) puts a love-triangle twist on a familiar story of pressures surrounding marriage. Clio Whitmore has been engaged to Lord Piers Brandon, heir to the Marquess of Granville, for eight years. The ostensible reason for nuptial delay is Piers’s work for the Foreign Service, and though he is due to return home soon, she is tired of waiting for a man who appears reluctant to marry her. Clio approaches Piers’s brother, Rafe, asking him to act on his brother’s behalf to end their betrothal. But Rafe doesn’t want to disappoint his brother and instead strikes a bargain with Clio: he will plan the wedding and make sure that she and his brother are married within a month. Rafe, a boxer and the black sheep of the family, is startled when his attraction to smart, tenacious Clio blossoms from mere lust to real admiration. Dare excels at storytelling, creating a powerful, believable romance that evokes a plethora of emotions. Agent: Helen Breitweiser, Cornerstone Literary. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

…my best advice to fans of historical romance is to say yes to the books of Tessa Dare.

Heroes and Heartbreakers

Inheriting a Castles Ever After title is a life-changing experience, one that comes with surprises, unexpected romance, meddlesome friends and family, a wonderful hero and a strong-willed heroine. There’s also fun, passion and true love delivered in true Dare fashion!

RT Book Reviews (top pick)

12/01/2014
Engaged for eight long years to the Marquess of Granville, who is always abroad on diplomatic missions for the Crown, Clio Whitmore is thrilled when her surprise inheritance of Twill Castle means she no longer needs to marry for security and can call off her upcoming wedding. Now all she needs is for her fiancé's reprobate, prizefighting brother to sign the papers to dissolve the betrothal in the Marquess's continuing absence. But Rafe Brandon, who's been handling the marquessate's affairs and would like nothing better than to see his brother back home, has no intention of doing so—and it's up to him to convince Clio to go on with the nuptials. Naturally, it doesn't work out that way. VERDICT A smart and spirited woman who wants control of her own life, a caring, responsible nobleman who hides his feelings behind his "Devil's Own" reputation, and a castle full of quirky characters (a brilliant, outspoken teenager is exceptional) keep the hilarious action on track in this latest addition to Dare's whimsical series. Dare (Romancing the Duke) lives in Southern California.

Library Journal

★ 2014-11-06
When Clio Whitmore inherits a castle from her uncle, she decides to call off her long-standing engagement and asks her would-be brother-in-law—who's secretly in love with her—to help her get out of the marriage agreement.Clio has always followed the rules and done what was expected of her; she "had been raised by good parents, with the benefits of education and close attention to propriety, and she was engaged to marry England's most promising young diplomat," Piers Brandon. But after eight years of waiting, she has become an object of ridicule. Inheriting a castle from her elderly uncle gives her a new sense of freedom, and she decides to call off the engagement. Clio seeks out Rafe, Piers' brother and London's "most infamous scoundrel," hoping to convince him to use his power of attorney over Piers' estate to nullify the marriage agreement. He refuses. Rafe wants the marriage. For one thing, if Piers settles down, Rafe can get back to his own life as a champion prizefighter. For another, if Clio marries his brother, she'll have the title and lifestyle she deserves, things he could never give her. After she decamps to her castle, Rafe follows with his jack-of-all-trades manager to ensure the nuptial ceremony is set in motion. Arriving on her doorstep, he finds the castle occupied by Clio's family: Daphne, her demanding younger sister; Daphne's shallow husband, Sir Teddy; and Phoebe, the brilliant but socially awkward youngest sister. Even a crowded house can't keep the long-simmering attraction from flaring between Rafe and Clio, though. Navigating that dangerous reality while also trying to protect Phoebe from Daphne's social expectations becomes complicated and exhausting for Clio, who realizes which brother she belongs with, even if he won't admit it. Dare continues her Castles Ever After series with another cleverly crafted love story that hits all the high notes. A sparkling, emotionally lush romance.

Kirkus Reviews

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