New York Times and USA Today Bestseller
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.
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 neighbor 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 . . .
Easier said than done, for a cold-blooded bastard who wouldn’t know a loving home from a workhouse. Soon he’s covered in cat hair, knee-deep in adorable, 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.
more
I was worried about the brooding alpha male – not my favorite type – but he didn’t go overboard, and the animal-loving heroine was a nice balance without getting too cutesy. I enjoyed watching them fall in love. The end got a bit zany and I rolled my eyes once or twice, but overall it was a fun story that kept me smiling.
I picked this book up at the suggestion of Riley Marie on youtube and I’m soo glad I did!
I thought I wasn’t a historical romance fan until I picked this book up. This book is sooo good! I loved it! I laughed, I cried, I swooned. This book was everythingggg. I’m happy that this book was my first historical romance and I guess I am a historical romance fan after all
I enjoyed reading.
Loved the series..
Fun romance. Tessa Dare cracks me up.
Audiobook Review
Overall 4.5 stars
Performance 5++++++ stars
Story 4 stars
I have enjoyed this series so much! The narration by Mary Jane Wells is nothing short of perfect and I have laughed so hard in each and every book. I don’t know how she captures each character so well, giving them each a distinct voice and personality. The Wallflower Wager is a wonderfully entertaining grumpy/sunshine and forced proximity romance. The addition of all of Penny’s animals provided tons of comic relief and I am still laughing about Delilah the parrot and a certain goat scene featuring all the men. This is book 3 in the series, but it can be read as a standalone. It would be best enjoyed after reading the previous books, however, since that’s where we meet our heroine and the characters in those books appear again.
Penny had such a giving and loyal heart. I loved how she really came into her own through the course of the book. She was all rainbows and unicorns to Gabe’s storm clouds and hard edges. The build up between them had just the right amount of push and pull and made for some very sexy moments. I just loved how they brought out the best in each other and how safe and unguarded they were together. I do wish that a bit more time had been spent on developing Gabe’s character and getting to know him better. I also felt that the big reveal (see CW below) was kind of dropped in reader’s laps and it made the drama at the end feel rushed and disjointed. Aunt Caroline’s 180 was especially surprising. The ending was incredibly sweet though and I loved getting those glimpses into the future of this group of friends. The book also dropped some great hints and teasers about Nicola’s story and I’m really looking forward to listening to it when it releases!
CW: childhood sexual assault
This was recommended by book friends and I heartily agree. Five fabulous stars for this fantastic historical romance. It is written in third person with dual POV.
I loved that Penny is her own person who has decided for herself what she deserves. I adore her big, loving heart. Gabriel is a beast of a man who needs Penny’s love more than he realizes. He is better than he gives himself credit for being. I laughed out loud, I had many moments where I swooned, and there was no shortage of heat and chemistry between these two characters. This was my first book by Tessa Dare, but it will definitely not be my last.
My favorite Tessa Dare book! Love love the characters. Plus I laughed out loud many times as the Duke faced obstacles caused by his eccentric next door neighbor. Very romantic!
“The Wallflower Wager – Girl meets Duke” by Tessa Dare
Never a dull moment.
note: I downloaded the audiobook from my State Library
loved the characters, many times laughing out loud. all ends well
Tessa Dare books are the best! I rarely laugh out loud when reading but always do when reading hers…love her sense of humor! Story moves right along and hate to come to the end…
From the first words of “The Wallflower Wager” (nook) I was hooked. I did not put the book down until I finished reading the last word. Tessa Dare paints pictures with her writing. There are numerous funny situations at which I laughed out loud – I am not a laugh out loud person. Excellent story.
So emotional!
While this audiobook was as funny as usual, I love the emotional depth that I found here. Sweet Penny and dastardly Gabriel make quite the pair and I was enthralled from the first moment! I loved it!
This 3rd book in the Girl meets Duke series lives up to Tessa Dare’s ability to make you laugh (so hard at times the tears run down your cheeks) and while doing that she reels you in to a beautiful story about 2 people who fall in love. You close the book with a smile on your face! Read whatever you can get that Tessa writes, she is amazing 🙂
Le sigh.
Tessa Dare is my ultimate book girlfriend. I met her once at an author and reader event and made a real dork of myself fangirling about her books as if she had never read them. I’m reasonably sure I didn’t have to supply the full name to my favorite hero of hers, Colin Sandhurst, but just in case. And now I have another book babe to gush and embarrass myself over should I ever reencounter Miss Dare, Mr. Gabriel Duke; the prickly industrialist who ruins the aristocracy just for the mighty pound sterling.
If you have encountered Tessa Dare in the past, you will know that she loves strong, sassy female characters who have keen minds and unique skills and talents. Penny is only a member of the ton the way a platypus is a duck, by some silly word association and familial rumor. Penny is far more likely to be seen with a platypus than she is in a ballroom.
Even in the regency, flipping houses is an easy way to make money, and Gabriel Duke is using Lady Penelope as a feature to sell his newest Mayfair Mansion. Who wouldn’t want to live next to an Earl’s daughter? –The answer is soon apparent, anyone who opposes living next to a city farm.
Penny is living with a menagerie that Gabe must unload before he can unload his house. Still, while trying to rehome wayward, unwanted, and abandoned animals, he loses his head, his heart, and his desire to leave the company of Lady Penelope Campion.
This book is charming and hilarious. You will laugh out loud at the antics of Tessa Dare’s characters. Rosamund and Daisy are back for another book, and Daisy is still obsessed with all things diseased and dying, and her visits to Penny are some of the highlights of the book. Too bad that they are outside the era Tessa Dare writes in because I would love to see the girls get their own HEAs.
A Week to Be Wicked
The Governess Game
Gabriel worked his way up from the slums by collecting debts from the aristocrats and then turning them over for profit. He is fixing up a home to resell and hopes the fact that a true lady lives next door will add to the sell ability. Only problem is that she collects every injured and unwanted animal. He demands that she get rid of them, and she counters with the demand that he help her. What starts out as a hopeful quick fix turns into a story fraught with unwanted attraction, carnal desire and just one hysterical episode after another. This story had it all, and I cannot wait to read the next book in this series.
Can anyone tell me why on earth I waited so long to read The Wallflower Wager? Tessa Dare is one of my favorite authors. I really should know to drop everything and binge immediately when I get one of her books. One of these days I’ll learn. (Probably not, but it’s fun to dream.)
I’m not kidding when I say I loved absolutely everything about this book. The charming characters. The animals. EVERYTHING. I didn’t want to stop listening once I started. I mean, who wishes for their commute to have delays just so they can read more? This lady. I do. Or, at least I did while I was listening to this audiobook. I spent a fair amount of my commutes giggling like a fool over Penny, Gabriel, and the pets. Especially Delilah. That bird was everything. Ah, I start grinning just thinking about this book!
The Wallflower Wager was a delightful read and a wonderful listen. Penny and Gabriel gave me a whole slew of feels. Mary Jane Wells was a new-to-me narrator and I thoroughly enjoyed her performance.
Favorite Quotes:
“Every creature has a soft underbelly. I’m going to find yours.”
“Search me if you like, Your Ladyship. I warn you, it’s not softness you’ll find.”
“Every man has his weakness.”
“I know they do. I’m still looking for yours.”
“Wounded male pride has caused the world more destruction than the Black Death and the Great Flood put together.”
“If men are bent on destroying the world, we women must be the ones holding it together.”
Five stars! Couldn’t put it down. I don’t think there are words that could possible capture my absolute love of this book and this series. I couldn’t put it down, reading into the wee hours of the morning. It isn’t often that you find a regency that is lol funny but this one truly delivers. The characters leap off the page and the story line is great. Even the sub characters are fantastic and come to life. I can’t recommend this book enough as well as the whole series.
I enjoyed Dare’s newest installment of the Girl Meets Duke series and her blending of romantic comedy and historical romance. I loved the banter between all the characters, particularly those present by cameo. In particular, I loved the feud between long-suffering Hammond and Ms. Burns. It was always a delight to have those two in a scene.
Overall, the characters were lively and colorful but Gabriel and Penny lacked the depth I was hoping to see. Penny, in particular, seemed two-dimensional to me. Even with a grand reveal towards at the end, I didn’t feel the heart-jerk that I probably should have. I’ve recently read a historical novel that played that tune perfectly so this attempt felt forced to me. I want it done right or not at all, I suppose. Finally, I missed the tension between the hero and heroine. There was no real build-up before, boom, genitally intimate. Penny’s insta-love after was eye-roll inducing.
Overall, it was a sweet, funny historical romance with a bevy of colorful side characters and plenty of animal friends. It is cute enough but definitely don’t go into it expecting a serious historical romance.
This book literally made me laugh out loud the entire time I was reading it. Penelope was absolutely hilarious and Gabriel’s reactions to her outlandish quirks was both cute, swoon worthy, and down right sexy all at the same time. I loved the book so much I purchased a paperback to add to my bookshelves so I can read it again and again. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a cute, funny historical read, with characters you can easily fall in love with.