Daring the Duke

Ballrooms are the perfect place for debutantes to find a proper match to marry, and although Tabitha and her friends are not fond of them, they have their own way to put up with all of that: taking dares and Tabitha’s perfect memory. She could easily list every piece of furniture in a room, tell how many windows and doors a house has, or remember in detail every book she read.  Arthur, the Duke of Collingford, is at the very same ballroom, searching for a bride—a necessity if he is to finally inherit Rose Hall, his family residence, according to an old tradition. But, if Arthur would never marry Tabitha because her old-fashioned red hair is too far from perfection, the only thing that mattered to him, why, then, would he approach her? Was it a random encounter or the result of one of her dares?

“Daring the duke” is a fantastic love story full of passion, political issues, and unshakable loyalty. From the very beginning, Charlie Lane captures readers’ attention with Tabitha’s astonishing ability to remember everything she sees and with her strong personality. A woman capable of making anybody fall madly in love with her because of her intelligence, but whose appearance pushes everyone away as a result of social stereotypes. Throughout the book, Tabitha uses her intelligence to prove herself worthy of being a proper wife, to the extent of changing her behavior if she needs to, as it is the only way she has to save her family from being ruined. A straightforward, sensual, and exhilarating novel that exhaustively describes 19^th century British society.

Anthony Carbonell