Review: Once Upon a Winter’s Eve by Tessa Dare

January 13, 2023January 13, 2023 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

Once Upon a Winter’s Eve
Tessa Dare
Publisher: Samhaim Publishing
Publication Date: November 15, 2011
Series or Standalone: Spinde Cove #1.5
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads – StoryGraph
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: Violence; sexual harassment

I somehow skipped this novella when I did my last reread of the Spindle Cove series. Now, normally I adore Tessa Dare’s work – she writes some of the funniest, smartest, and sexiest historical romance novels out there. But this novella was not it. I think I actually hated it? And that pains me to say. Violet should have stayed FAR away from Christian as that man is a walking red flag.

December 2022 Reading Recap

January 4, 2023May 27, 2023 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

Hello, 2023! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!

I took some time off from the holidays from blogging to spend time with the family, but I’m back and ready for action! I did a TON of reading in December (14 books to be exact) to help me hit my reading goal of the year, finishing up book 100 on New Year’s Eve. Hopefully, you hit all your bookish goals!

I will do a reading recap for 2022 sometime soon, as well as recap some of my favorite reads of the year so keep an eye out for that!

And now, let’s take a look at my last reads of the year.

Review: Do You Want to Start a Scandal by Tessa Dare

October 21, 2021October 20, 2021 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

Do You Want to Start a Scandal
Tessa Dare
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: September 27, 2016
Series or Standalone: Castles Ever After #4 & Spindle Cove #5
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: Discussion of suicide; bullying

Do You Want To Scandal brings together two of my favorite Tessa Dare series: Spindle Cove and Castles Ever After. I originally read this book right when it was published and recently reread it as part of the But Do They Bang? Readalong. I somehow forgot a lot of the major plot points. Overall, I liked this one, but the ending stopped me from loving it.

Review: When a Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare

October 15, 2021October 14, 2021 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

When a Scot Ties the Knot
Tessa Dare
Publisher: Avong
Publication Date: August 25, 2015
Series or Standalone: Castles Ever After #3
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

When a Scot Ties the Knot holds a special place in my heart as it was the first Tessa Dare book I read way back in 2015 when I first started getting into historical romance. It’s now one of my go-to recommendations for people new to the historical romance genre.

Review: Say Yes to the Marquess by Tessa Dare

October 5, 2021October 3, 2021 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

Say Yes to the Marquess
Tessa Dare
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: December 30, 2014
Series or Standalone: Castles Ever After #2
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

CW: fatphobia, eating disorders, body shaming

Of all the books in the Castle Ever After series, this is the one I’ve reread the most. Upon rereading the entire series, I think Romancing the Duke might be my favorite of the bunch, but this one remains one that I adore.

September 2021 Recap

October 1, 2021September 30, 2021 Dani @ Overflowing Shelf1 Comment

Fall is officially here! I don’t know about you, but September flew by for me. I had a crazy month in my personal life as I got to lead the PR and go to New York to take my work public! It was definitely a once in a lifetime experience, but man, it seriously cut into my reading time as I was super busy.

September 2021 Reads

I also completely threw out my September TBR pretty quickly this month and just went with the books I feeling like reading. I ended up only reading 3 out of the 6 books on my TBR.

This month, I only ended up reading 8 books, which I know is a lot for some people but felt like not a ton for me.

Let’s get into what I read this month (hint it was Fever-centric):

Review: Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare

September 13, 2021September 13, 2021 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

Romancing the Duke
Tessa Dare
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: January 28, 2014
Series or Standalone: Castles Ever After #1
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

It’s been ages since I last read Romancing the Duke and I forgot how much I love this one! Tessa Dare kicks off her Castles Ever After with a spin on Beauty and the Beast with the delightful tale of Ransom and Izzy Goodnight.

Review: How to Catch a Wild Viscount by Tessa Dare

September 10, 2021September 10, 2021 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

How to Catch a Wild Viscount
By Tessa Dare
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: May 12, 2009
Series or Standalone: Wanton Dairymaid #.5
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

Note: This novella was originally published under the title The Legend of the Werestag

I had not heard of How to Catch a Wild Viscount before participating in the But Do They Bang? readalong of Tessa Dare’s work. This was Dare’s first published work and one of her less well-known stories. It was different from any of her other works as it does have a bit of an air of supernatural to it, even though it is pure historical fiction.

Review: Lord Dashwood Missed Out by Tessa Dare

September 7, 2021September 6, 2021 Dani @ Overflowing Shelf1 Comment

Lord Dashwood Missed Out
By Tessa Dare
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Publication Date: December 8, 2015
Series or Standalone: Spindle Cove #4.5
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

Lord Dashwood Missed Out is a weird novella for me as I liked it a lot yet didn’t like the central romance. The romance in this novella didn’t work for me for a few reasons, which we’ll get into, but I loved all the scenes with our crew from Spindle Cove. And while the romance didn’t work for me in the end, this was a tropetastic romance novella which I did really appreciate.

Review: Any Duchess Will Do by Tessa Dare

September 5, 2021September 5, 2021 Dani @ Overflowing ShelfLeave a comment

Any Duchess Will Do
By Tessa Dare
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: May 28, 2013
Series or Standalone: Spindle Cove #4
Links: Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Goodreads
Rating:

MY REVIEW

I’ve been putting off reviewing Any Duchess Will Do as it’s my all-time favorite Tessa Dare novel and I struggle to find the words to talk about it. This book ticks all the boxes for me and hits all the emotional beats perfectly. It’s the one book in the Spindle Cove series I constantly find myself coming back to again and again. Plus it has the top Tessa Dare banging scene in all her books.