Giveaway/Sneak Peek/Review of The Wallflower Wager (Girl Meets Duke #3) by Tessa Dare

The Wallflower Wager by 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.

She circled back, standing before him. “There now. Better?”

He gave a reluctant nod.

“Can you move your arm in all directions?”

He rolled his shoulder to prove it. “Yes.”

“What about your grip?

“My grip is strong.”

“Perhaps I should wrap the arm in a sling.”

“I do not need a sling.”

“Wait here. I’ll dash upstairs to fetch some linen and—”

“For the love of God, woman. My shoulder is fine.” He took her by the waist and lifted her straight off the floor, until they were eye to eye. “There. Believe me now?”

She nodded, wide-eyed.

“Good.”

In his hands, she was delicate, breakable. Her hair was a golden treasure he should never, ever touch. And oh, how he hungered for those soft, pink lips.

The familiar voice echoed in his ears.

Don’t touch, boy. She’s not for the likes of you.

Put. Her. Down.

But before Gabe could lower those beribboned pink slippers to the floor, she captured his sooty, sweaty face in her hands—

And kissed him on the lips.

Tessa Dare

Tessa Dare is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than twenty historical romances. Her books have won numerous accolades, including Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA® award (twice) and the RT Book Reviews Seal of Excellence. Booklist magazine named her one of the “new stars of historical romance,” and her books have been contracted for translation in more than a dozen languages.

A librarian by training and a booklover at heart, Tessa makes her home in Southern California, where she lives with her husband, their two children, and a trio of cosmic kitties.

Title: The Wallflower Wager: Girl Meets Duke
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Girl Meets Duke
Format: Paperback; 368 pages
Publisher: Avon (August 13, 2019)
ISBN-10: 0062672169
ISBN-13: 978-0062672162
Author's Website: http://tessadare.com/
Notes: I received an eARC loan from the publisher. This in no way affected my review.

Lady Penelope Campion is young, beautiful, and a recluse, but the latter is about to change. Her brother has decided it is time for her to return to the family ancestral estate. When her aunt comes to inform her of his decision, Penelope pleads with her to help her change his mind. A wager is set, if Penelope can 1) acquire a wardrobe 2) reenter London society by attending the opera, dinner parties, balls, etc. 3) get rid of her animal menagerie, then her aunt will do her best to convince her brother to let her stay in London.

Gabriel Duke, is known as the Duke of Ruin, a moniker he acquired by financially ruining those in the ton and leaving them practically penniless. He is a self made man who has spent a lot of time and money restoring the house next to Lady Penelope's and has plans to sell it for a king's ransom to a commoner wishing to rub elbows with London's elite. If Lady Penelope moves, however, his plan will be thwarted, and he can't have that. So together they form an alliance so each can get what they want.

What neither realizes is they'll get more than they ever bargained for, but in a good way.

This is the third book in the Girl Meets Duke series. While it can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading the other books in the series first. There are friendships that come into play in this story that would be underappreciated and not fully understood if you don't. 

I simply adored this book. It tickled my funny bone and, at times, had be rolling my eyes, laughing like a fool, and grinning from ear to ear. I kept thinking "Oh no she wouldn't." but yes, the author did. She created situations that were just too funny, and I couldn't have kept a straight face if I tried. Some may call the humor cheesy, but it totally worked for me.    

Now there was a darker side to this story, and I felt the author used the humor to her advantage. She padded the darker parts with that humor which helped to softened the blow a bit. Be forewarned that a case of childhood molestation is discussed, although not in extreme detail. While nothing can ever right such a wrong, justice is served in a rather surprising and unique way in this book.  

While the romance between Penelope and Gabriel seemed very unlikely, I enjoyed seeing Penelope basically seduce her way into Gabriel's heart. A heart he was convinced he didn't have or, at the very least, was frozen to the core. Penelope tends to believe there's good in every person, and she believes there's more to Gabriel than what the rumors running rampant about him would suggest. She's determined to find the good in him.

I couldn't help but give this one 5 out of 5 roses. I loved that the heroine who starts out as a recluse blossoms into a strong woman right before our very eyes. Penelope brings out the best in Gabriel while he helps her to find her inner strength and courage. While these two get to know one another the chemistry between them builds until there's no denying it. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed. 

Order of the Girl Meets Duke series:

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Early Review of The Governess Game (Girl Meets Duke #2) by Tessa Dare

Title: The Governess Game: Girl Meets Duke
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Girl Meets Duke (Book 2)
Format: Paperback; 384 pages
Publisher: Avon (August 28, 2018)
ISBN-10: 0062672126
ISBN-13: 978-0062672124
Author's Website: http://tessadare.com/
Notes: I received an eARC loan from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

She wanted a client for her clock setting business

He wanted a governess to keep his wards busy

Fate would bring them together

Desire would draw them to one another

And somewhere in the middle they'll find exactly what they each were really looking for....

While you can't always get what you want,

sometimes, when you least expect it,

 you get what you need.

This is the second book in Tessa Dare's Girl Meets Duke series. You can read it as a standalone, but
you'll probably enjoy it all the more if you read 'The Duchess Deal' first. Characters flow from the previous book into this one, and you'll be curious about their connection because they are so vocal in their loyalty and protectiveness towards Ms. Mountbatten. It was really too cute.

Ms. Alexandra 'Alex' Mountbatten is an unconventional women even among the unconventional. She doesn't see things as most. She believes a woman can do just about anything a man can. Perhaps her unconventional upbringing is to blame. She was raised on a ship by her father where she developed a tendre for all things celestial and dreamed up big plans, aspirations, and ideas. In the meantime, she sets clocks in the homes of England's wealthy every week using her chronometer. It may not be exciting, it may not be glamorous, but it gets the bills paid and lets her live a comfortable life. That is until the day an unfortunate accident puts an end to her livelihood.

Chase Reynaud is a handsome rogue who lives by one rule--No attachments. He doesn't even have a dog because commitment just isn't in his nature. What he does have are two wards, ones he means to send to a boarding school in the fall, but in the meantime he needs a governess. He's the heir to a Dukedom, but truth be told he doesn't want the title. Reluctant is his middle name, at least about most things, and he plans to keep it that way. That is until Alex comes along and turns his world inside out.

Overall, I gave this one 4 1/2 out of 5 roses. It was a very lighthearted read filled with humor, heat, and havoc. Three fine things to have in a romance. While it took me a while to warm up to Chase, I adored Ms. Mountbatten from the start. Her patience with Chase's wishy-washy behavior was commendable. Plus, I loved how she handled the girls especially when she changed all their books. I liked how she wasn't one to sit idly by and wait for change to happen nor did she allow herself to be walked all over. I admired her backbone. Chase was redeemed by the end and I finally started to warm to him after we learned his backstory. While it didn't justify all of his behavior, it did explain a lot. I loved how Alex managed to finally get through to him about how he deserved a happily ever after and convinced him that it started and ended with her. On the Lisarenee Romance Rating Scale, this one earned a a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed. A very sweet, sexy, and charming love story indeed.

Order of the Girl Meets Duke series:

Early Review of The Duchess Deal (Girl Meets Duke #1) by Tessa Dare

Title: The Duchess Deal
Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Girl Meets Duke
Format: Hardcover; 288 pages
Publisher: Avon (August 22, 2017)
ISBN-10: 006269720X
ISBN-13: 978-0062697202
Author's Website: http://tessadare.com/
Notes: I received a copy of the ARC at the annual RWA conference in Orlando.


Once upon a time a young seamstress, down-on-her-luck, decided to take matters into her own hands. She put on the wedding dress that had been ordered but never paid for, marched into her client's ex-fiance's house, and demanded payment. Little did she know the man, a Duke, would make her a  proposition--one she'd find she couldn't refuse...

 "Here is your choice, Miss Gladstone. I can pay you the two pounds, three shillings." (...) "Or," he said, "I can make you a duchess."

This is an example of Tessa Dare at her finest.The Duke of Ashbury, was injured during the war. He bears most of his battle scars on his face and many have trouble meeting his gaze as they are unable to see past his scars. Since returning from the war he's lost his fiance, become a recluse, and moonlights in the evening as a vigilante earning himself the moniker 'the Monster of Mayfair'. He knows a love match is not in his future so when Emily Gladstone barges into his study and doesn't cower, isn't appalled by his appearance, appears to be of genteel background, and is rather pretty, even in the horrendously gaudy gown his former fiance chose, he decides she's the one that he wants.

Emily is a strong young woman and a talented seamstress. For six years she's had to fend for herself and has done rather well considering her circumstances. When the duke makes his offer she doesn't immediately accept thinking it to be some kind of ruse to make her his mistress. When he persists in his pursuit, she finally takes him seriously, but timid she is not. She gives as good as she gets and doesn't let him get away with bullying her. She challenges him every step of the way and slowly coaxes and lures him out of his self imposed isolation and back into the land of the living.

I couldn't help but give this one 5 out of 5 roses. It was a deliciously sweet and sexy romance that had elements reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast. It's a book about seeing beyond the facade one presents to the world and seeing into the heart and soul of the individual who lurks beneath. I loved the way Emily handled Ash and the way she gently teased and coaxed the beast right out of him. While he tried not to show it, Ash had a lot of pent up anger and emotions he needed to work through. In some ways he mourned the loss of who he used to be. It took Emily to show him that he still had much to live for and while his outside appearance might have changed he was still the same man on the inside. I absolutely adored this one. On the Lisarenee Romance Reading Scale, this one earned a STEAM rating--too hot for a fan, but you still have a handle on things. You should use extreme caution when reading a book with this rating in public. People may inquire as to why you looked flustered and flushed. I very much enjoyed this one.