Tristan Gatewick, Duke of Shelbourne 
 Tessa drank in his features, committing them to memory- his black tousled hair, thick brows, perfect nose, and square jaw, freshly shaven, leaving only a hint of his heavy beard. Most of all she wanted to remember his brilliant blue eyes and the many times he'd gazed so intently at her. 
 I'm a very visual person for those who haven't been able to tell by now. ;P Being able to picture *exactly* what characters look like is a big draw in for me because it's a glossed over element in many books. Stories have flaws, plots may not be the most original but when characters are written with such focus and depth, when every tick, mannerism and emotion is caught on the page? You have me for life. I don't always post pictures of my dream casting unless I can't get them out of my head and know exactly what they look like and boy did Tristan stand out to me. He's so yummy! 
 This was pretty much The Bachelor meets Millionaire Matchmaker set in the Regency era and it was quite fun. Tessa, the barely tolerated 'matchmaker' of the ton, picking 24 girls to vie for the Duke's heart was quite entertaining and hilarious. I really loved the duchess, Tristan's intimidating gruff mother and her 'insolent puppy' remarks. Too cute. Was this a flawless story? No. But it had a lot of heart and charm. The amount of angst, sexual tension and chemistry that pings back and forth between the hero and heroine was a delight and pretty much saved this from falling into a humdrum category. And oh man the angst! It hurt so good. Tristan, the Duke of Shelbourne, was absolutely scrumptious with those magnetic intense eyes of his, brooding presence and polished manners. Tessa was a wonderful original heroine whose independent streak yet vulnerable yearning heart makes her so endearing. The thing I enjoyed the most was how strong and smart Tessa was, she was nobody's fool. And I really loved the fact that she didn't try to fight her feelings for Tristan through the entire book which is a habit most HR stories fall into. That was the most refreshing thing of all, she recognized the real man behind the guarded polished duke and fell head over heels in love with him. It was really sweet to see. Oh she puts on a good show of not needing to marry or finding love but for deliberate reasons. Her heart is open and honest from the beginning and her internal struggle to do what's 'right' vs what she really wants was heartbreaking to see yet made her more admirable. Also the flirting, teasing and endless battle of whits between Tristan and Tessa was also really fun and adorable. 
 You are my one and only, for all eternity. 
 This wasn't perfect, the heroine's 'big awful shameful secret' was dragged out a little too long for my liking and milked for all its worth. I did feel the author built up the secret bigger then it was in some areas which just ended up making Tessa look like a willing martyr with her 'I don't deserve anything' mindset. You were a naive girl with no parents give yourself a break. And some of the dialogue is repetitive but-- all in all it was still very enjoyable and I loved the couple so much. (view spoiler)[The ending and how Tristan went about proposing was really touching and adorable, just wish this author got in the habit of writing epilogues, it's very much needed! (hide spoiler)] So yes, if you are in the mood for a fun romantic angsty Regency novel I definitely recommend this!