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
Dare is a wonderful author. I love anything she writes. Penny is a wonderful character & you can’t help falling for her loving personality. Can’t wait for the next in the series!!!
Tessa Dare is one of the talented authors who helped me to realize that historical romance is my happy place, so it comes as no surprise that I thoroughly enjoyed the third installment on her Girl Meets Duke series. However, what did surprise me is the depth of emotion she was able to build in what could have been a superficial “lust at first sight” story (and even experiencing that trope in a historical romance was novel to me). While I do wish we had gotten a little more about the backstory of the “Duke of Ruin,” Penny’s backstory and character development is unique and refreshing and handled with such sensitivity and insight. I really enjoyed the cameos from the characters in the first two books and the friendships among the women and their men. And after the tidbits that were dropped in regards to Nicola’s story – I can’t wait for the next book in this fantastic series. 4 out of 5 wine glasses.
This is a historical rom-com with engaging characters, a deeply hidden secret that might be a trigger for women with a similar experience, but a satisfying happily ever after. The scene with the three guys trying to help a goat give birth is worth the entire book.
Tessa Dare is one of my favorite historical romance authors, I adore her Girl Meets Duke series. The third book in the series, The Wallflower Wager, is just as good, if not better, as the first two books. I loved both heroes, Penny and Gabriel, and I loved their banter and their chemistry, the swoons and the humor. I loved all Penny’s animals, especially Delilah the parrot, she was hilarious. I also enjoyed seeing characters from the previous books. Ash and Chase were particularly entertaining, they made me laugh out loud. The Wallflower Wager is the book you pick up when you are looking for a smart, feminist, feel-good romance. I highly recommend it!
What a lovely story. I’ve enjoyed this entire series but no surprise Tessa Dare always brings it.
This wasn’t my favorite Tessa Dare book. Mostly because I felt like it was a commentary on the #MeToo movement (and I read books to get away from current events). The heroine and general direction of the book reminded me a lot of Lisa Kleypas’ Love in the Afternoon. Still a worthy read but not Dare at her finest.
Every once in a while it’s nice to read a romance that doesn’t beat around the bush. That’s not to say there weren’t a few bumps in the road to love, but the immediate attraction between Penny and Gabe was acknowledged by both right away. Penny’s menagerie of rescued animals create a lot of humor, especially a parrot that formerly belonged to the madam of a brothel. A book of outstanding characters and dialogue from one of my favorite authors makes it worth staying up all night to read.
I adored Tessa Dare’s “The Wallflower Wager.” This book featured smart, lovable, well-developed main characters in Gabe and Penny, and the secondary characters were also delightful. I especially enjoyed Gabe’s “witch” of a housekeeper and her interactions with the architect hired to renovate Gabe’s house. The “bromance” that developed between Gabe, Ash, and Chase was pretty great too. I lost count of how many times I laughed out loud while reading this story, though it certainly had its share of serious moments as well.
Overall, this book was very sweet and a whole lot of fun, and I really can’t recommend it highly enough. I can’t wait to see what Ms. Dare writes next!
*ARC provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Written in her characteristically entertaining way… I loved this book.
As expected, Tessa Dare has once again written a novel that is capable of speaking to so many people on many different levels. I myself was able to relate to Penny on such a base level as I see so much of myself in her–our shared love of animals, our continued optimism and hope in the face of a not-so-easy past, and ultimately our yearning for freedom and control over our destinies. Her character arc was absolutely one of my favorites Tessa has written so far, and I hope to meet my Gabriel one day. An absolute MUST READ!!!
Gabriel Duke is renovating a house next door to an aging spinster. Except the Lady Penelope Campion (Penny) is not as old as he thinks. She is 26, unmarried, and cares deeply for a menagerie of animals including a hedgehog, a disabled dog, and a foul-mouth parrot whose former owner ran a brothel. In order for Gabe to sell the house he needs the menagerie to be gone. Penny will agree only if he helps relocate the animals to happy homes. But both are hiding secrets and traumas from earlier lives. They need each other for healing. Characters from previous books in the series show up to help support Penny and Gabe. I enjoyed reading this story.
This is a really good book. Well worth reading the prior 2 books in the series.
I don’t know how she does it but every book I’ve ever read by this author is always captivating and highly entertaining. The Wallflower Wager was that and so much more. It was funny, sweet, sexy and dealt with some serious issues. There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about Gabe and Penny’s story, to me it was utter perfection and I highly recommend it.
Copy provided by publisher through Edelweiss
This book was so much fun! Lady Penelope is a rescue home for pets, although in her mind, the pets rescue her. So when her bird goes flying into her neighbor’s bedroom, and she gets a good look at a fine specimen of a man, she discovers she might be more interested in people than she thinks. She goes from curious to interested and suddenly the beast of a man becomes a stray, another pet project — and oh, so much more.
“This kiss could not be mistaken for an accidental collision of the mouths. Oh, no. He kissed with purpose. His lips had ideas. His tongue had plans.”
Tessa Dare has graduated from hiding her heroes’ wounds until the last minute to putting them on full display, and the results are breathtaking. Perfectly flawed men that you both hate and root for. Gabriel Duke is such a character and Penny is just the woman to rescue him. She’s a combination of flaky and intelligent, and her journey toward discovering herself and stepping out of the shadows is a marvel to behold. She’s her own woman and the only way she can remain so is to find herself a suitor (we are in Regency England, after all). Lucky for her, she has a new neighbor to help her along her journey.
A resounding five stars.
Anything by Tessa Dare is an automatic grab, and The Wallflower Wager is no different.
Gabe is a house flipper determined to sell high, and the petting zoo next door has got to go. Penny runs an animal rescue, and she is determined not to part with a single one of her charges. Fireworks are in store!
This book is laugh out loud funny and touching at the same time. In other words, a Tessa Dare book.
Get it, read it, plan to stay up all night!
The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare is soft, delicious, fearless vulnerability tied up with a scorching sexy bow.
I definitely tend to gush when I love a book. I know I’m a sap. But it’s because I’m a Penny. And I’m a sucker for Gabriels who love Pennys. Shrewd, cynical hero meets sunshiney, affectionate, (animal hoarding) heroine? A thousand times YES! It’s my favorite.
As always Tessa Dare writes with her uniquely bright, charming wit. But, forewarning, this book deals with a delicate, potentially triggering subject. While it happens in the past, sexual abuse is part of this story. It’s handled with appropriate respect and sensitivity but just in case…heads up.
I LOVED this book. It’s funny. It’s character driven. It’s emotional. It’s hot.
And. The ANIMALS!!! (Otter not pictured)
Also…pay attention for the most epic final line of a book ever too.
Thank you @avonbooks for the opportunity to read an advanced copy. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I absolutely adored everything about this. The Wallflower Wager was a fast-paced, flirty delight. A highly entertaining read full of wonderful moments, great friendships, and so much love. It filled my heart and left me with a huge smile on my face. I loved every second!
The Wallflower Wager” was in my opinion the best book in the series. It had everything we have come to expect and love from a Tessa Dare novel and so much more. Gabriel and Penny were absolute magic together. A stubborn hero who didn’t feel he was worthy enough and a heroine with a deeply painful secret who just wanted someone to love and protect her.
I laughed and I cried and will definitely re-read “The Wallflower Wager” a few times while I not-so-patiently await Nicola’s story.
Spent an enjoyable 3 and a half hours laughing and also tearing-up. I love the romance, the found family, the animals, and the bromance.
THE DUCHESS WAGER by Tessa Dare brings together the very different characters of Gabriel Duke aka The Duke of Ruin and Lady Penelope Campion.
Gabriel buys a house intending to upgrade it and then sell it on for profit. He believes one of the main selling points for buyers will be in having an Earl’s daughter living next door, even if she’s a dowdy old spinster… except Lady Penelope Campion is not quite the cat-owning ugly spinster he envisaged. It’s worse! Not only does Gabriel find himself attracted to his young and attractive neighbor, she has the most annoying menagerie of unusual animals that he demands she gets rids of so potential buyers are not turned off.
From the time they meet, to the final pages, this “courtship” is both equally peculiar as it is endearing. Gabriel’s ruthless nature would typically steamroll over Penny’s brand of eternal kindness, and as biting as his observations about her life often are, he cannot help but falling for her; something he had sworn he would never do.
In this book, it’s Penny that’s the dark horse. By outward appearances, her life, while quiet, is one of leisure and indulgence but she has suffered trauma that has impacted her life. And here is where the story palls somewhat for me. It’s alluded to throughout but once revealed, the plot feels unexpected and unnecessary. I don’t want to disregard her experience but it did feel like it was included to add drama for the sake of it. In my opinion, the topic and the consequences were not fully explored. It lowered my opinion of some characters. It certainly casts a shadow on the latter part of the book, taking away from the general light-heartedness to that point.
The other friends (from the Girl Meets Duke series) and spouses make welcome appearances, and one of the funniest scenes in the book sees Gabriel, Chase and Ashbury coming together to help a goat give birth.
Overall, I enjoyed the book very much and I am looking forward to final book in the quartet.