Vouched Novella—Beauty and the Blacksmith by Tessa Dare

Beauty and the Blacksmith

by Tessa Dare

Book #3.5 of the Spindle Cove  series

Publication: April 30th 2013 by Avon Impulse
Genre: Historical Romance

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At last, Diana gets a romance of her own! But with the last man anyone in Spindle Cove expects...

Beautiful and elegant, Miss Diana Highwood is destined to marry a wealthy, well-placed nobleman. At least, that's what her mother has loudly declared to everyone in Spindle Cove.

But Diana's not excited by dukes and lords. The only man who makes her heart pound is the village blacksmith, Aaron Dawes. By birth and fortune, they couldn't be more wrong for each other...but during stolen, steamy moments in his forge, his strong hands feel so right.

Is their love forged strong enough to last, or are they just playing with fire?

I'm a huge fan of Tessa Dare's Spindle Cove  series. With amazing writing, deep characters, believable relationships, and fluid, well-rounded story lines, it's one of my top three favorite series in the Historical Romance genre, and Diana Highwood finally gets her own story! While I wish this Highwood sister got her own full-length novel, Beauty and the Blacksmith  was satisfyingly sweet, tender, and fun.

I loved how Diana, Spindle Cove's great beauty who's treated like spun glass because of a life-threatening illness, gets down and dirty for—and with!—a blacksmith. Aaron may look like he's made of grit, sweat, and steel, but he's gentle with his hands, charmingly upfront, and the perfect mix of content with ambition. Since Diana is a lady of high society, their relationship is incredibly romantic. She wants to prove she's more than her looks, that she can clean, cook, and be a working-class wife, while he aims to give her everything that he can within his means and with his talent.

Although Beauty and the Blacksmith  is a novella, there is a little plot that was both mysterious and hilarious, very fitting for Spindle Cove because of the gossip, intrigue, and women-driven little town feel. While the ending was a little outrageous, it was cute and I still adored it. I squealed, laughed, and became light-headed with characters in the scene. As always, Tessa Dare delivers sensual and sigh-provoking romance with very real characters in exquisitely told settings and plausible situations. Definitely a must-read for fans of light forbidden romances between two characters who have secretly loved each other from afar.

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Spindle Cove series

Novels

** Book 4, Any Duchess Will Do, to be released May 28th 2013 **

Novellas

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Tessa Dare

Her Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Tessa Dare is the New York Times  and USA Today  bestselling author of nine historical romance novels and three novellas. A librarian by training and a booklover at heart, Tessa makes her home in Southern California, where she shares a cozy, cluttered bungalow with her husband, their two children, and a big brown dog.