The Wallflower Wager (Girl Meets Duke, #3)
Tessa Dare
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 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.
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0 0The Wallflower Wager is a historical romance pitting the whimsical Lady Penelope Campion who rescues every animal she sees against the mercenary, ruthless "Duke of Ruin" who just wants his property values to not be impacted by her menagerie. The two make a pact where Gabriel Duke, aforementioned "Duke of Ruin", will find homes for Penelope's animals so that he can get back to business as usual.
Even though I've generally enjoyed Tessa Dare's romances, I should have known from the outset that this wouldn't work for me. I'm a hard sell on romances that center on a whimsical heroine who's too good for this world being paired with a ruthless, hated by his peers and "betters" asshole and this book didn't change my mind on that.
I'm pretty I got this as a Kindle deal so at least I can mark it off the list, but it's just not for me. I wasn't interested in either of the two main characters, who each annoyed me for different reasons. There was no fun banter and the plot, particularly the third act breakup, was predictable from the synopsis. I probably should have just DNFed this but I kept hoping the end would change my mind.
Overall, if the setup in this synopsis intrigues you and you enjoy regency romances, it's worth a try. If you're like me and that standard trope does nothing for you, even Tessa Dare is unlikely to make it better for you.
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