Official cover blurb:
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.
Tessa Dare never disappoints
You can always count on a Tessa Dare novel to be witty, engaging, and fogging-up-the-carriage-windows steamy. The Wallflower Wager is no different, but there was a few things that made this one unique.
This is your face after finishing this book (source)
The heroine is a massive animal lover. If you like animals, this book has no end to adorable furry moments. If you’ve met Penny in the previous Girl Meets Duke novels, you’ll know that her house is a full on menagerie of London’s abandoned, hurt, and lost animals. She loves them unconditionally; it’s kind of her greatest strength.
By society’s standards, Penny was rather lacking in accomplishments[…]Penny did, however, emerge from adolescence with unparalleled accomplishment in one pursuit.
Caring.
Nothing pleased her more than looking after those around her. Feeding them, warming them, protecting them, giving them a home. She doled out affection from an endless supply.
HER SUPERPOWER IS CARING AND THAT’S AWESOME. Not having huge boobs and a tiny waist. Or brilliance, or accomplishments. She just…excels at taking care of those she loves, human or creature. But Penny isn’t all sunshine and kittens; she loves despite absentee parents, an embarrassing reputation, and a terrible childhood trauma. She’s a resilient, beautiful soul, and I wish she was real/my best friend.
The Hero is hot and damaged and needs a hug. Gabe is your classic workhouse orphan, sold by his own mum for gin money, who has pulled himself out of the gutter, fueled by ruthless hunger and dreams of revenge. He’s made his fortune in financially ruining the aristocracy, but it’s never enough to fill the hollowness inside. He’s never had anyone who loved him, and doesn’t think anyone ever will. And that trope gets me EVERY TIME.
All you really need to know now: Wallflower spinster finds love, hardened loner finds love AND holds a baby goat. This book is everything, the end.
