Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare [Review]

Any Duchess Will Do (Spindle Cove #4) by Tessa Dare
Format: ebook
Source: purchased
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Date read: August 25, 2013

Spindle Cove
1. A Night to Surrender
1.5. Once Upon a Winter's Eve
2. A Week to be Wicked
3. A Lady by Midnight
3.5. Beauty and the Blacksmith
4. Any Duchess Will Do - Paperback | Kindle

Tessa Dare
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Synopsis (Goodreads):

What’s a duke to do, when the girl who’s perfectly wrong becomes the woman he can’t live without?

Griffin York, the Duke of Halford, has no desire to wed this season—or any season—but his diabolical mother abducts him to “Spinster Cove” and insists he select a bride from the ladies in residence. Griff decides to teach her a lesson that will end the marriage debate forever. He chooses the serving girl.

Overworked and struggling, Pauline Simms doesn’t dream about dukes. All she wants is to hang up her barmaid apron and open a bookshop. That dream becomes a possibility when an arrogant, sinfully attractive duke offers her a small fortune for a week’s employment. Her duties are simple: submit to his mother’s “duchess training”… and fail miserably.

But in London, Pauline isn’t a miserable failure. She’s a brave, quick-witted, beguiling failure—a woman who ignites Griff’s desire and soothes the darkness in his soul. Keeping Pauline by his side won’t be easy. Even if Society could accept a serving girl duchess—can a roguish duke convince a serving girl to trust him with her heart?

My Thoughts on Any Duchess Will Do: After binge-reading my way through the earlier books in this series, I put off reading this one because I didn't want my time in Spindle Cove to end. I just love this series to pieces and dug in my heels at the thought of not being able to visit these spirited ladies and the men who adore them.

So when I say that Griffin and Pauline's story was perfect, you'll know that I REALLY mean it.

Having met Griffin in an earlier book during his debauching days, his sudden turnaround was a shock. And yet, it worked. The reason he's decided to change his life is heartbreaking and terribly sad. That he feels like he has to deal with it all on his own is its own kind of heartbreak.

Pauline sees straight through Griff, past the titles and the devil-may-care attitude, to the loneliness within. I adored Pauline. I loved her sass and her clumsiness and the hopeful way she looked at life. She sees a chance to better her life and she takes it but she's very aware of the time limit on what she's doing. This time limit makes her both bold and unwilling to compromise her principles for someone who won't be around for long. I admire that.

I'm so sad to have reached the end of the published books in this series. I seriously love all the characters and all the shenanigans they get into. Any man would be lucky to stumble into Spindle Cove and find a woman who will challenge him the way these ladies have challenged their men.