I enjoy Noble's writing and characterizations a lot, as well as her light touch of humor. but there isn't much in the way of GMC or real tension in this story of a gardener/botanist young lady who falls for an older medical man when he facilitates her coming to town to present her new breed of roses to the Horticultural Society. Both Margaret Babcock and Rhys Gray are unconventional, people of science and inquiry, so they make a great couple. But the stuff keeping them apart—Rhys' promise to his mother that he'll marry the daughter of their neighbor, a man whom his father once wounded in a duel, so said father and brother can return from exile on the Continent—isn't all that compelling, and the climactic reveal of the villain was disappointing from a feminist point of view.

I liked Rhys and Margaret. He was really focused on being a doctor, she loved her plants. She was a total nerd for plants. They are penpals in a time when a single woman and a single man weren't. But it is sort of a scientific correspondence so that works ;)

But they are just friends.
And then she goes to London to show off her roses.
And you know when you meet someone for real then it's just better.
Friends are sure good to have. Good to banter with, flirt with, dance with.

Yes there is a fun dance between these two, but always there is an obstacle in their way, but when that is over they can all live happily ever after.

It was a fun and cute book

I'm in school now, so I have to limit my reading. I honestly thought that I wouldn't finish this book before I even read page one only because I was reading it on a rec of someone I follow on Twitter, and I'm so overwhelmed with school that I thought of it wasn't fabulous, I'd forget it altogether.

And, for me, it was fabulous!

I've read dozens... er, wow hundreds of romance books, and I think I have used the Kindle highlight feature twice, and once on this book! This was so unexpected. A historical romance about a doctor and a horticulturist? Dry few balls and even those were attended reluctantly; no dukes, tho there were glimpses of a past Earl character; and no frippery or otherwise fluffiness. And yet, it was fascinating.

They were both so scientifically minded and focused on their work and practical that I thought their slow burn romance that caught them both off guard was delicious!!! I love Beta heroes, and this heroine was badass in a quiet, unassuming way that had me cheering her on. She was nowhere near TSTL, and she had her own strength and boldness that I loved.

"He felt for the first time that evening his mind engaging, knowing he was about to have a really good conversation. Even before she said a word." I felt that captured the thrill of first awareness. It was the same for me as the reader - with that line, I felt the connection to the story and I knew that I was liking where this was going.

Rhys also explained their personalities perfectly in exposing the difference between an extrovert (someone who is invigorated by people around them) and an introvert (someone who is drained by constant company and needs to be alone to recharge). I thought that that connection was important to understanding and loving the quiet solidarity of their friendship and love.

I'm usually all like, "Bring on the sexy times! The sooner and hotter - the better!" And yet, I realize that with really slow burn, friends-to-lovers romance, the kisses and the buildup is more thrilling to me than the love scene. Don't get me wrong, I'd be all BOOO if there was no love scene, but it was a culmination of their love story and it worked for me.

I thought for half a second that this epilogue was gonna go a little something like Devereaux's A Knight In Shining Armor (kinda) with a snapshot of their life until death, so I skimmed over with dread.. I'm only adding this to say a) it didn't, it was sweet and b) wow, A Knight In Shining Armor obviously scarred me for being wary of Epilogues!

I very much enjoyed this book. I read this book in one evening and actually ended up staying up a bit later than I wanted because I didn't want to put this book down.

Only reason why I have given this book 4 out of 5 is because the characters are English and it takes place in England but it is all writen in American English. It isn't a huge deal to me but it would have been nice if it were all in British English.

Same problem as with the 2 first books of the series. Otherwise I loved this. Actually this might of been my favorite of the three as I quite liked Margaret. Then again I did like the other heroines too. But also the male lead in this is pretty perfect.

I love watching two adorable nerds who have no idea what they're doing fall in love. Love this. Love them. Love love.

Margaret was awesome and I really liked Rhys' family.

Originally published at Desert Island Book Reviews

The Dare and the Doctor is the third book in Kate Noble’s “Winner Takes All” series. It’s a regency romance about an amateur botanist, Margaret Babcock, and her friend and frequent correspondent Dr. Rhys Gray. Nobody wants to believe they’re just friends, and when they’re both together in London (at Rhys’s invitation so that Margaret can show her new hybrid roses to the horticultural society), their family and friends keep trying to push them toward romance.

For me, this story really worked for several reasons. First, I really believed that Margaret and Rhys were actually friends, which is so important for a friends-turned-lovers plot and which is so often missing. We can see some of their correspondence at the beginning, but even their behavior when they’re together makes it clear that these two share a genuine, platonic affection for each other.

Second, when things did turn romantic, I could believe it would happen. They’re particularly well-suited and they do seem to have physical chemistry, even if they don’t always act on it, something that I was pleased to see. There are so many regency romances where the characters are unexpectedly promiscuous, and while I have no problem reading steamy romances, in a historical context they aren’t always believable.

Finally, I really enjoyed the wrench thrown into their budding relationship. Having an obstacle besides their own arrogance or reluctance was nice and made for an interesting read.

The characters were interesting and I liked that even though they aren’t exactly “ordinary” people, their lives were full of something besides parties and balls and calling cards. I like that they met outside of that world and that their romance thrives in quieter locations.

I’ve been in a terrible reading slump, and this is the first book I was really able to power through in a while, which is definitely saying something. It’s light, it’s quick, and it’s done well, and I recommend it to fans of historical romance.

*ARC from Pocket Books via Netgalley

Margaret is the most delightful heroine!

Margaret Babcock is tall and a botanist, fairly reserved except for a few friends. On of these is Dr. Rhys Gray with whom Margaret maintains a correspondence. He arranges for her to come to London to display her prize roses to the Horticultural Society and to see the sights. They are very good friends with the potential for more, but Rhys is supposed to marry the daughter of a neighbor, Sylvia, due to some odd circumstances involving his father and brother.
I generally enjoy friends to lovers romance, but here I felt that the story never got much beyond the friends aspect. Margaret and Rhys are appealing people with their disdain for society and their interests in botany and medicine. But I had a problem with Rhys attitude toward Sylvia. I get that he's conscientious and concerned for his family, but he seemed pretty weak in the way he ignored the problem rather than deal with it long ago. And it seemed to me that he would have continued this except Margaret finally pushes the issue which was a disappointment. He traded being pushed around by his mother to Sylvia and then finally Margaret which made it hard to admire him.
The other problem with this book in my opinion is that it wasn't so much a Regency as maybe an American historical from the early 1900's in the way the characters acted and how it was set. If I had been more engaged in the romance I probably wouldn't care so much about this, but I kept getting pulled back out of the story because of things like a young Regency miss who is corresponding with a single man (shouldn't happen no matter how academic the correspondence). This was an okay book, but definitely not one of Ms. Noble's best.