What an introduction to Tessa Dare! I had never read her novels before, and I was utterly enchanted. This book was a breath of fresh air for a genre that is full of tropes and sameness. Oh, there are still some recognizable figures: the beastly alpha male, the feisty but ditzy heroine, the faithful and wise-cracking servant. And yet, this one offers something different.

Mostly it's the plot that keeps you guessing. Without giving too much away, there's a mystique surrounding Mr. Goodnight and the stories he wrote that keeps readers engage when the repartee between the leads gets dull. And, it does get a little dull. Izzy, for all her intelligence and gifts can be pretty idiotic. She thinks nothing of running out into the middle of the night to help someone. She shrieks at bats, and faints regularly despite not being one of "those girls". Still, the interaction between her and the hero is still fun.

Once again, it's the plot that is the best part of this book. Izzy finds herself in an interesting situation when she inherits a castle that wasn't available for sale in the first place! It's quite intriguing, and if you want to know who is stealing from whom, you should read it for yourself! ( )

Loved it. And I could do a thorough review, but I'm guessing there are already dozens of them out there, so just suffice it to say - Loved it. ( )

So cute. So funny. ( )

I don't know, this was a little odd. I liked it for the most part but the story development was all over the place and kind of aimless. There were just lots of random sections like the body in the wall? that just didn't really make sense or go anywhere. I did like both characters but I didn't particularly connect with them - they were kind of flat and bland. I liked the nod to fairytales and castles and happy ever afters - the whimsy was a nice touch. The knights were humorous if not completely weird. The resolution was pretty weak and the book was too long - it could've been condensed for a much tighter story. 3 stars - edging towards the lower side of 3. ( )

Self-aware regency romance that still has awkward flowery phrases describing male anatomy. The book was fine, except that it left a bad taste in my mouth due to a subplot involving a fan community. Perhaps if I had approached it as a PWP instead of expecting fleshed-out characters maybe I would have enjoyed it more.

The author walks a fine line between loving and hating fans. Despite the Regency setting, fans are portrayed as virginal men who still live with their mothers. Fans do cosplay and camp together. Every single character - from new to casual to super fan- who has read the books asks the author's stand-in the same three questions. If I'm going to read historical fiction clearly written for a 21st century audience, I want way less stereotypical representation of fandom. In fact, most of the characters were stock stereotypes (especially Duncan.)

I want to read some Dickens as a palate-cleanser - he could make his third-rate stock characters deeply weird. ( )