Lord Dashwood Missed Out is a novella written by Tessa Dare. It is book 4.5 in Dare’s Spindle Cove series of Regency-era historical romance novels. I’ve only read the last book in this series, but this novella worked well because it is only tangentially related to the Spindle Cove books.

Nora Browning is traveling to Spindle Cove to participate in a dramatic reading of her writing. But when she arrives at the inn before her last leg of the journey, she discovers that the coach has already left. And if things couldn’t get any worse, she runs into the last man she expected to see- Lord Dashwood, who grew up on a neighboring estate.

This is exceptionally problematic because Nora’s famous essay is entitled Lord Ashwood Missed Out. Needless to say, Dash has questions about this allegedly fictional essay, and he agrees to transport Nora to her destination. And then if things aren’t awkward enough, the carriage breaks down, and Dash and Nora are forced to take refuge in an abandoned cabin. Will Dash ever receive an adequate explanation for what he missed out on all those years ago?

While all this is going on, the residents of Spindle Cove begin to worry when Nora does not appear for her event. The weather is growing worse, and three of the husbands go out searching for the missing author.

This was a cute story. Dash and Nora have some unresolved issues from their past that need to be addressed, so there’s a small amount of angst. But overall, the tone is light; this is a very funny book!

I would recommend Lord Dashwood Missed Out. I would suggest reading the other books in the Spindle Cove series first. I was able to pick up a sense of camaraderie between the husbands in the search party, but I did feel like I was missing out because I hadn’t read the other books. Tessa Dare is one of my favorite authors, and her books are always a delight. I am definitely going to read the other books in this series while I wait for her latest release this summer!