Review: Well worth the $.87!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 1, 2013
This book contains everything I adore about Tessa Dare: characters who are likable and root-worthy yet never dully, flatly perfect; a bright, quietly strong heroine with an impressive talent (in this case, fluency for multiple languages) who experienced pain and loneliness before finding acceptance in Spindle Cove; a sense that the hero and heroine truly connect and get each other on multiple levels (this is not a given for me!); a vivid, delightful setting; and the wonderfully witty, warm and vibrant tone that characterizes most of TD's work.There are fewer pages to love than usual since this is a novella, but honestly, I'm almost starting to *prefer* novellas by my favorite romance authors!  The shorter length leads to a more streamlined plot, a smoother and faster pace, and fewer repetitive, "wait, this AGAIN?!" scenes (sexual and otherwise) that are in my opinion far too *painstakingly* detailed---a frustrating trademark of most modern romance novels. We learn enough to care about these people and to stimulate our imaginations, but everything isn't slowly and tediously spelled out over and over. (Again, this complaint is applicable to most modern romance novels, certainly not just Tessa Dare's---I'm just trying to explain why novellas can be a surprisingly refreshing change!) The one drawback to the  book's shorter length is that we didn't get to see much of the other Spindle Cove characters who I've grown to love in other books, and even when we do see them it's tough to get a sense of their unique personalities and closeness to one another.I found myself believing in and caring about this couple despite 'knowing' them for only a short time. It helped that they had a preexisting connection rather than meeting for the first time in this story, so we got a nice sense that they had a history and bond that goes beyond just instant lust/attraction. This one took me a little while to get into, but once I did I was totally immersed and found myself highlighting a surprising amount of the sharp, clever, insightful dialogue and prose for which Tessa Dare is justifiably known. There's a ton of humor, adventure and a couple who really did work for me---more so than many romances that have far more pages to develop!