To Dare a Duke (Girls Who Dare #1) by Emma V. Leech

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This story is scary because one woman who saw what her mother endured in her marriage, has chosen to vilify the Duke of Bedminster because of rumors of how he abused his wife and drove her to ride her horse so hard she broke her neck. She wrote a novel that in those days was published by a magazine in chapter segments. When the Duke of Bedminster goes looking for another wife,  because of his duty to produce an heir, he goes to his uncle to help him find a woman who is practical and intelligent. His uncle chooses his favorite wallflower, Prudence. What Prudence learns devastates her, and changes the ending of her book to the surprise of herself and her editor. I found the Duke quick to forgive Prudence after she changes the ending. He knew enough about Prudence when courting her that she was not marriage minded and why. It should not have shocked him that she found her independence in writing. The clues were all there; ink on her hands, her wit and intelligence, her no nonsense way of things. The dare that this series is based on is really secondary, the only thing that the dare provides is a way for these wallflowers to step out of their comfort zones. Like Prudence's dare to dance at midnight, she didn't have to dance with the Duke. She could have danced alone, but she wanted the rest of her club to take their dares just as seriously. The characters are charming and well-developed, even with horrible faults. It actually makes me like them more.