At four and twenty, Diana Highwood's mother is ready to
marry her off. However, Diana has harbored illicit feelings
for the rough and virile smithy, Aaron Dawes. She has been
admiring him from afar, noticing the way his arms flex and
move as he moves and works until one day she decides to
strike up a conversation with him.
It goes somewhat smoothly and as Diana's confidence grows,
she becomes more and more open and friendly with the
blacksmith. The pressure her mother places on her to marry
well is starting to drive Diana stir crazy and Diana is in
desperate need to escape. When she stumbles on Dawes once
again, they share a drink and imbibing seems to have a
certain affect on Diana because she reveals honest truths
about her feelings for Aaron in her fuzzy drunken stupor.
By far the most funniest and most upbeat of Tessa Dare's
Spindle Cove series, BEAUTY AND THE BLACKSMITH takes on a
feisty heroine who isn't about to let her mother derail her
life into one she doesn't want and a charmingly sexy hero
who falls prey to his darkest desires.
Dare reminds me of why I love reading romance with this
book. Charming, smart and sexy, BEAUTY AND THE BLACKSMITH
made me fall in love instantly. Diana is such a wonderful
character, full of life and charisma. I loved her
confidence but for me, the humor is what really made this
book shine. There is a scene where Diana cooks for Aaron
and that scene made the whole book worth the read. If you
haven't read Dare before now, then don't miss out!
The biggest challenge is for Diana and Aaron to prove that
their love is worthy to Diana's mother. The mystery and the
resolution seemed a little too swift but overall, the
romance and the writing was very strong. Spindle Cove
remains as one of my top favorite Historical Romance series
out there and Dare is simply a must read!
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 the
smithy, his strong hands feel so right.
Is their love forged strong enough to last, or are they
just playing with fire?