One Word: DELICIOUS (and Other Thoughts On The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare)

I admit, I used to be super judgmental of historical romance novels and it's mostly because of the book covers. They the kind that turns other people off so easily. The kind that'll make people judge you for picking it up in the first place. But I realized, how can I NOT try it out at least? I tried other genres without hesitation (and it wasn't great... eyeing you, Fifty Shades of Grey), this shouldn't be any different.
The premise is silly and predictable but it's one I honestly can't resist. Arranged marriage? Beauty and The Beast? Two of my favorite tropes. And it's a period novel too! It had all the makings of a book I knew I was going to enjoy. The only hurdle was the cover and the bad rep people sometimes give these books. But I was not going to let those affect my reading experience.
Folks... I am not ashamed to say that I have been converted. The thing about Tessa Dare is it's impossible not to like her writing style. She has such a way with words. There's this finesse in every single paragraph that I don't often read in other books in the genre. In the course of reading The Duchess Deal, I frequently updated my friends. I told them it's one thing to get feels from classic romantic scenes, but it's another when they're from the way sentences are constructed. Let's call it: wordgasm. There is no doubt that Tessa Dare is talented. 
Other things I quite liked: the character growth, the natural love story progression, the pacing, and of course... the heat. (seriously, NSFW. Read in the comfort of your home.) I couldn't think of a single thing I didn't like. Maybe there is but I just couldn't remember. It was THAT enjoyable. 
What started out as an experiment yielded great results. Turns out I CAN enjoy these books. I can't wait to add this genre to my rotation. I'm sure to find gems in it too, like The Duchess Deal.