Review: The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare
SYNOPSIS:
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.
REVIEW:
I loved everything about this book. It took me a hot minute to refresh myself with these characters and this world but once I did, I found myself spiraling down the rabbit hole and right back into the 1800s. Penny was just an easy to love character, I was so excited to see her book was next, in all its quirky glory.
Penny simply has a big heart and endless love to give. She is easy to like and hard to be annoyed with. The never ending list of animals in her keep had me laughing out loud. Shenanigans ensued and how could you not laugh when two people are arguing about a promiscuous goat?! Where Penny is sunshine and fresh air, Gabe is darkness and tension. It’s almost like his past is a cloud over his head that he can’t shake. Over the course of the story, these two battle their demons together and find that love isn’t just words. Its actions and passion and determination, cue the swooning.
The romance carried the story. While I love family drama, clashing personalities, and appearances by other characters, the love story is the heart of this book. I just loved reading about Gabe and Penny falling in love. Sizzling chemistry bloomed into something so much more. And while Gabe desperately tried to deny his feelings, watching him finally give in was so satisfying. It had my heart soaring and while I was hesitant as to how it would all play out, the ending was perfect. That epilogue had me grinning from ear to ear, that is how a happily-ever-after should be written.
LINKS:
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
