This was a really sweet, funny historical romance that doesn't quite conform to societal norms, but that's ok as neither do the characters. I have not yet read the first in the series, and now plan to do so as this one was fun. This is the second in the series, and is fine to read as a standalone but I'm sure would be a richer story if read in order. From what we gleaned in the references to the first book, Ana Maria was treated little better than a slave under her stepmother’s care, and was suddenly thrust into society when her half brother inherits, and later is disinherited. Her cousin, the new Duke of Hasford, wants her to find love. Their friend, the Duke of Malvern, needs to wed to prevent his own foul cousin from inheriting his title should he pass. These two have a very fun story, and a grand romance along the way, and was an absolutely fun read.

Nash is the tall, dark and handsome Duke that is the brooding and uncommunicative type. He so wants his friend’s sister, Ava Maria, but feels he doesn’t deserve her. Ava Maria just wants his to say he loves her. will they find love?

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review .
Unfortunately I did not enjoy this historical romance. Both characters demonstrated such deeply rooted insecurities that it became difficult for me to believe they actually wanted each other. Nate and Ana Marie shared ackward interactions and when they finally had intercourse it was clumsy and unromantic. Just not my cup of tea.

Wow! What a great read! Nash is the Duke who was raised by a violent and abusive father. His mother left when he was ten to save herself. Now he is the Duke and so afraid he will become his father. He has shut down his emotions. But his grandmother shows up to remind him of his need for an heir.
Ana Maria is the daughter of an earl although she was treated like a maid by her stepmother. But now that person is dead and Ana Maria is coming out of her shell and becoming her true self. She has always loved Nash as he is one of her brother’s best friends. Nash has always been attracted to Ana Maria. They both fight their attraction to each other.
Their tale will twist you around until they find their HEA!

This review will be live on One Way Or An Author on 10/24/20!

"'You and I, we're both of two worlds - me, who never wanted to be a duke, and you, who didn't have a choice about who you were, whether you were scrubbing kitchen grates or dancing in ballrooms. I want us to be together to create one world - one world in which two people love one another.'"

It's always nice to start with a lovely quote, yes?

I'm so sorry to say that this book was a huge disappointment, and one of the worst HR's I've read this year. This is a particular shame because I actually really enjoyed book 1 (review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3258670528?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1) and had high expectations for the sequel.

This book felt hastily written, with a repetitive narrative that made me so impatient and frustrated while reading. There was less interaction with the couple than I would have liked, and a rushed ending that couldn't salvage their relationship. I've never felt such a disconnect with main characters before, and Nash/Ana Maria were the most bland characters I've read in a while, and had superficial characterizations. I honestly could sum up this book within 3 pages rather than the 300-something pages that the book is due to repetition and useless encounters that contributed nothing to the plot, romantic relationship, and character. There is nothing that could differentiate TALL, DUKE, AND DANGEROUS from the numerous Historical Romances out there, and unfortunately I'd recommend romance readers to pass this one. It just felt like the author didn't care about the characters, and thus I as a reader didn't care about them.

Meet Ana Maria: She kind of has a Cinderella story. She used to be treated like a servant when her step-mother was alive, but now that the woman is dead, she can become the Lady she was meant to be. Her background was supposed to be humble, I believe, but it contributed nothing to her character. She, what, thinks about cleaning once or twice in the book? Otherwise, it's a whole lot of "I'm special because I know what it's like to be a servant" dialogue rather than actively making use of her past experience. Ana Maria also goes like "Wow, it sucks to be a Lady but at least it's still better than being a servant." I think the author wanted to explore social hierarchies through this introspection but it doesn't land well. Two lines of thinking about the dynamics between maid and Lady does not equate to being a deep character, Ana Maria. She also believes her a walking "oxymoron," since she's always thinking opposite thoughts. This was really not well-executed and instead you can't help but get impatient with her. We get it, you're special, please continue with the plot already. Otherwise, she's had a crush on her half-brother's best friend Nash (a trope that I usually enjoy), who seems to be reciprocating her feelings yet not her intentions to marry. She doesn't know why, but she's going with the flow. Finally, there's an interesting subplot of her using her talents in interior design as a noteworthy cause/goal in life. THIS was the best part of her character, and could have been more central to the plot.

Instead, the plot meanders soooo slow that within 50% of the book, the characters still think the same thoughts as they did in the beginning. Barely any relationship progression at all! If they start the book secretly liking each other, and in the middle they're still IN that position, what was the point of half the book? I cannot fathom.

Meet Nash: He's getting pressure for his grandmother to marry and beget an heir so the ducal name doesn't go to his current heir, who is abusive like his father was. Nash is a big grump and likes to grunt instead of talk. This is perfect, because now the author doesn't have to think about his dialogue! And it really shows. For grumpy characters, it's more impactful to see them get taken out of their comfort zone with their partner, but Nash is like "nahh - I'm happy with my grunts." And this grunting stems from childhood trauma about his emotionally and physically abusive father telling Nash "you will grow up to be just like me," with violent urgings and all. Correlation? I honestly have no idea. But I went with the flow. Nash's deal is that he doesn't want to be violent like his father (and you can see he likes to take his immense anger out with fighting and smashing things), so if he marries someone he doesn't care about, he won't be emotional enough to be like his father. He also has this side plot with his missing mother, who left him with he was a child to be with his abusive father, alone. He's happy to be reunited with her, and while I'm glad she got away from the situation, it shows a lot that the other characters were okay with her leaving her child alone with the abuser (this was never resolved on-page).

Throughout the book, Ana Maria and Nash think the same things: "I'm not good enough. I have a secret crush on my brother's best friend/best friend's sister. I'm so attracted to them but they deserve better." Blah blah blah. Lack of communication between the couple really stalled their relationship, and the final conflict was exceptionally dramatic and unmoving. I read historical romances to feel hopeful because it's romance, right? The only feelings I got from this book were impatience and frustration. (By the way, the blurb promises fighting lessons, right? The only fighting lesson you see in this book is how to deliver ONE punch. What a waste of a plot point.) Because of the bland characterization, repetitive narrative AND dialogue, and slow pace (NOT slow burn), I really can't recommend this book. It felt messily written, with logic jumps that were making me dizzy. Not to mention the anachronism going on (which usually I don't care about, but adding anyway). Hopefully the next book in the series is more like book 1.

This was a very different kind of historical than I was used to. It brings two characters together, Ana and Nash and Nash is her brothers good friend. So when Nash sees Ana has business in dangerous parts of town, he wants to teach her to defend herself. This gives the two some time alone together to get to know the other and they both fall for each other.

The issue here is domestic abuse, which was very different for a historical novel. Nash was abused terribly by his father and he does not want to marry anyone he cares about who can cause him to care and rouse his temper. That is why he can never be good enough for Ana.

As I said different, and I liked the writing and characters a lot as well. If you want a historical with a serious issue and fear then this was a lovely story.