About the Book:
Title: A Dare Too Far
Author: Charlie Lane
Series: The Debutante Dares #2
Page Length: 300
Publication Date: Dec. 2, 2021
Publisher: WOLF Publishing
Synopsis: In this friends-to-lovers Regency romance by Charlie Lane, an independent lady and a cautious earl must do the most daring thing of all—fall in love.
A daring lady.
A caring earl.
And a Christmas house party that turns love into a dangerous game.
The Earl of Abbington is not a daring man.
Responsible for the care of an opium-addicted uncle, George’s life poses dangers to a bride that he’ll never risk. It’s why he avoided the independent and kind Lady Jane last year, despite her brother’s request he protect her during her season. His neglect no doubt led to Jane’s tattered reputation. In reparation, he’s sent pre-approved suitors to the house party to ensure she marries well, not to a man whose life is a nightmare.
Lady Jane is done being daring.
Her daring spirit ruined her reputation, her family’s social standing, and her brother’s marital prospects. But a Christmas house party attended by a coterie of willing suitors can put everything right. Plain of face and ordinary of intellect, Jane knows she’ll never find love. And she doesn’t want it anyway. Love is the most daring thing a woman can do, after all. Instead, she’ll develop a system to test her suitors and discover the best husband for a practical sort of marriage.
Jane needs George’s help choosing a husband, but George soon realizes he can’t give it without betraying his own heart. Together, they must find the courage to face the dangers of love or lose the love of a lifetime.
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My Review:
A Dare Too Far is a lovely historical romance that follows Lady Jane and her brother’s best friend George, The Earl of Abbington as Jane seeks, with George’s assistance, a husband. I so enjoyed reading Jane’s story, especially after she put herself in a precarious situation in the last book in pursuit of her friend. Now the focus of a scandal and facing ruination, Jane has a brief time to find a husband, and several men stay at her family’s home to court her and win her hand and large dowry. Jane knows she has to marry to avoid being completely ruined, but she isn’t happy about it.
George is Jane’s brother’s best friend and has known Jane for years. He offers to help Jane find a match, but never expected his feelings for her to deepen. Jane is off-limits, but will George be able to resist, especially when he learns Jane might return his feelings?
Jane and George have a great friends-to-lovers, brother’s best friend romance. Though the men courting her are, for the most part, honorable men, it’s clear that Jane’s connection with George is much stronger than anything she feels for the other men. I love how their friendship slowly progresses and how both characters finally realize they have more than friends feelings for each other. They have so many humorous and flirty scenes that I adored!
I also love all the references to poetry throughout the book and how George uses poems to express his feelings. He is not a demonstrative man, but when he finally admits his feelings for Jane, he finds the best ways to express his feelings. This aspect of the story is positively swoon-tastic, and it shows just how deeply George and Jane care for each other.
The characters in the story, especially Jane and George, are well-developed and layered. George has a lot of responsibility, especially in regards to his opium-addicted uncle. He doesn’t want to marry because of his uncle’s unpredictability, and yet he deeply wants Jane. He is responsible and honorable, and he is often conflicted between duty and desire. Jane is stubborn, strong-willed, and on a deadline. She knows she must marry to avoid complete ruination, but her heart is not in it. Both characters have dynamic families, and their relationships with their relatives are put to the test. Infidelity, addiction, caretaking responsibilities, loss, and more are addressed and really show how loyal, dedicated, and loving Jane and George are in all aspects of their life.
I enjoyed this addition to The Debutante Dares series. It has layered characters that you root for, a few nefarious antagonists that are fun to hate, and a romance that will make you swoon! I would definitely recommend the book to readers of historical romance.
Rating:
Favorite Parts:
- The romance!
- The literary/poetry references.
Favorite Line:
You caught me when I fell. And now I wish to catch you.
Giveaway:
One US winner will received paperback copies of Daring the Duke, A Dare Too Far, and Kiss or Dare, and one International winner will receive the eBooks! Giveaway ends 3/18/2022. Must be 18 years or older to enter the giveaway.
Click the image above or the link below to enter!!
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/12dcbe555/?
On behalf of international readers, thank you for offering an international option for the giveaway. Good luck to the entrants!