Series Review: Spindle Cove by Tessa Dare

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for A Night to Surrender (from Goodreads):
Welcome to Spindle Cove, where the ladies with delicate constitutions come for the sea air, and men in their prime are… nowhere to be found. Or are they?

Spindle Cove is the destination of choice for certain types of well-bred young ladies: the painfully shy, young wives disenchanted with matrimony, and young girls too enchanted with the wrong men; it is a haven for those who live there.

Victor Bramwell, the new Earl of Rycliff, knows he doesn’t belong here. So far as he can tell, there’s nothing in this place but spinsters… and sheep. But he has no choice, he has orders to gather a militia. It’s a simple mission, made complicated by the spirited, exquisite Susanna Finch—a woman who is determined to save her personal utopia from the invasion of Bram’s makeshift army.

Susanna has no use for aggravating men; Bram has sworn off interfering women. The scene is set for an epic battle… but who can be named the winner when both have so much to lose?

SERIESous’ Top Book Series: #1 Regency Read; Must Read Author; Favourite Author
Series: Spindle Cove
Author: Tessa Dare
# of Books: 5 (Full Series Order Here)

There are also 3 ebook novellas: #1.5 Once Upon a Winter’s Eve; #3.5 Beauty and the Blacksmith; #4.5 Lord Dashwood Missed Out

Complete?: Yes
Genre: Regency, Romance, Strong Heroines, Humour
Heat Rating: Hot
Point of View: Third Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: August 2011 – September 2016
Source & Format: Public Library–eBooks & Paperbacks; Audiobook (#5)

My Expectations / Why I Picked It Up:

I can remember picking up A Night to Surrender and going into it with so-so expectations. This was during my Regency phase so basically I was reading whatever my library had in eBooks and I came across this series and decided to give it a try.

I’m I sure glad that I did!

My Review:

These books have everything I enjoy in a book. Strong females (in droves I might add!), swoon-worthy males, hot romance and the best part of all is they have a dash of humour. I find that in Regency reads, it is really hard to find one where the leads have a witty sense of humour. Most of the time, the books of this genre only focus on the romance but with these ones, you get the whole package and this is something I think is unique to Tessa Dare’s writing and why she has quickly become one of my favourite authors.

A Night to Surrender was a great start to the series. It sets the tone for the rest of the books and introduces us in the perfect way to Spindle Cove and its characters. Spindle Cove is a place filled with unique, independently strong women so you can only imagine the stories that ensue. I find that this book, as well as the others never have a dull moment so it is extremely hard to put them down once you have started.

A Week to be Wicked (book 2) picks up right where book 1 ends and we get enough of a taste in A Night to Surrender that I was dying to get my hands on book 2. I finished this book in a day–it was that good and addicting (and at the time I was studying for exams so not so good!). It was just a lot of fun to read and I laughed throughout the novel. It is by-far my favourite of the series though book 4 is a very close second.

A Lady by Midnight (book 3) is probably my least favourite of the series. It is still a fantastic read, but it just didn’t get me the way A Week to be Wicked did–though to be fair, whatever followed A Week to be Wicked was going to have a tough act to follow. I really enjoyed it though and it still was a great addition to the series 🙂

Any Duchess will Do (book 4) reminded me of a cross between Pretty Woman and the Princess Diaries. The whole plot premise was a lot of fun and the characters were a hoot. Again, I devoured this book in a day and it definitely one of my favourites of the series. It was a great way to end the series though I wish there were more coming. I read on Dare’s blog that she has no immediate plans for more books in the series though she imagines she will return to Spindle Cove someday–all I have to say is that I sure hope so!

Review of Novellas:

As for the novellas, they are cute reads that have what would normally happen in the full-sized novels but in a quicker, shorter read. You don’t need to read them after/before the respective books as they don’t totally tie in to the stories of the following novel, but they (particularly Beauty and the Blacksmith) feature a character’s story that you will probably be dying to read after the first few books. I highly recommend you read them if you are looking for quick reads between books.

–March 3, 2016– Book #4.5: Lord Dashwood Missed Out

I was really, really excited when I heard Tessa Dare was returning to Spindle Cove. While I was satisfied with the way the series “ended”, I will never deny the chance to return to see some favourite characters.

This novella was a lot of fun yet touching at the same time. It was great to see all the characters again a few years later and I loved the two new leads we get. The flow is great, the romance is sweet with just a dash of spice and the whole situation is just a lot of fun and typical Spindle Cove shenanigans. I wish the story was longer though. I wanted to tease out the relationship a bit more but it was a great, quick read.

I am so excited to the 5th full length book!

–October 1, 2019– Book #4: Do You Want to Start a Scandal

It should have been a no brainer to me that I would absolutely love an audiobook production of a Tessa Dare novel but it took me until now to give it a try.

OMG — I loved every minute of this book. It was the perfect blend of two fantastic series (Castles Ever After and Spindle Cove) and wraps up both series perfectly. I had been dying to read this book I wasn’t disappointed in any way by the plot, chemistry, romance or characters. FABULOUS!

Series Rating: 5/5

One of my all-time favourite series. Just a great blend of story, characters and wit. If you want a regency read that doesn’t take itself too seriously and has a dash of humour to it, PICK THESE UP! They are great light reads and highly addicting.

Read if You Like: fun regency reads, light-hearted, head-strong women
Avoid if You: want a more serious regency read