The Wallflower Wager // It Was Amazing!

13 August 2019


The Wallflower Wager (Girl Meets Duke #3) – Tessa Dare
Published: 13th August 2019
Source: Netgalley (but you know I preordered too)
Genre: Historical Romance
My Rating:
They call him the Duke of Ruin.

To an undaunted wallflower, he's just the beast next door.


Wealthy and ruthless, Gabriel Duke clawed his way from the lowliest slums to the pinnacle of high society―and now he wants to get even.

Loyal and passionate, Lady Penelope Campion never met a lost or wounded creature she wouldn't take into her home and her heart.

When her imposing―and attractive―new neighbour demands she clear out the rescued animals, Penny sets him a challenge. She will part with her precious charges, if he can find them loving homes.

Done, Gabriel says. How hard can it be to find homes for a few kittens?
And a two-legged dog.
And a foul-mouthed parrot.
And a goat, an otter, a hedgehog...

Soon, cold-hearted Gabriel, who wouldn't know a loving home from a workhouse, is covered in cat hair, knee-deep in adorable animals, and bewitched by a shyly pretty spinster who defies his every attempt to resist. Now she's set her mind and heart on saving him.

Not if he ruins her first.
You know when you finish a book and just want to hug it close? That was me after finishing this book.

I mean, this was Tessa Dare’s latest release so I never had any doubts that I would adore it. She could write a to do list and I would probably end up singing it’s praises which probably doesn’t fill any of you with hopes for an unbiased review, but really? Don’t come here for a balanced review of books, you come here for honest reviews where I am either 100% a fan of a book or feeling meh or DNF a book. There is no middle ground in my world!

It was just so utterly satisfying to read. It had fluff, romance, sexy times, drama and fun. I am so glad I read it and will happily read it again and again. I've never been disappointed by Tessa Dare and there was no concern that would happen here either. I loved reading Penny's story and she so deserved this book.

At the start you know little of Penny apart from her large collection of unwanted animals (and when I say that, I mean unwanted by others, Penny adores her animal family). From a goat to a dog with a cart due to his back legs not working. There was an otter, a hedgehog, and a Highland steer. And let's not forget the parrot with the dirty mouth. This, rather large, collection of animals was the family she didn’t get to have. And she cared for them even more as her close friends grew to have families of their own, she felt a little abandoned so these animals gave her purpose and a chance to care for someone. Throughout the book you learn that she was not just a crazy animal lady (cat just didn’t fit here) but there are so many reasons for the person she was. She did adopt every sorry animal she came across and she did it for many reasons. She had grown distant from her family and these animals gave her purpose. Luckily for her, Gabe moves in next door and if there was ever a man in need of a little saving (and a whole lot of love) then it was him. And she needed the level of stubbornness and care he could offer too.

I love when a romance has sparks flying off the page as soon as the couple meet and we definitely had that in this book. I mean, when the opening was Penny breaking into the neighbours house to retrieve her parrot (who turns out to be a foul mouthed fiend) and closes the night bumping into her neighbour fresh from the bath (and in a revealing towel). I was cracking up laughing from the very beginning and the book only went up from there.

If the hilarious scene of parrot retrieval was not enough Tessa Dare tweeted this amazing scene month’s ago which was what fully convinced me I would love this book:

Honestly, the friendship between Penny and her friends was already well established but it was so much fun seeing Gabe slowly become integrated with their husbands. Especially when Ash and Chase were wholly against Gabe being anywhere near Penny from the start. I mean, come on! If that doesn’t convince you just leave now. There’s no hope for you.

In the end, as you can plainly see, I adored this book. It was absolutely genius and I cannot wait to read it again and again.

Have you read Tessa Dare’s latest release yet? And do you have another brilliantly swoony, but ever so hilarious historical romance to suggest to get me through until Tessa Dare gives us another brilliant release?
in ,
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