by Tessa Dare
Series: Girl Meets Duke #3
Published on August 13, 2019 by Avon
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 353
Genres: Adult, Historical Romance, Romance
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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I’ve been a fan of the Girl Meets Duke series since the first book, and The Wallflower Wager was no exception. But while I enjoyed the third installment in the series, I have to say it’s probably my least favorite.
The previous book, The Governess Game, sets up for this one perfectly and makes for the perfect lead-in to Penelope, lover of animals big and small. She’s appeared in the other books and I enjoyed her as a side character but as the protagonist, I just wasn’t as big a fan. Frankly, I found her a bit annoying and really just wanted her to come off whatever cloud she’s been living on. Penelope made a great quirky best friend but wasn’t holding her own in The Wallflower Wager. Though I appreciate the fact that she cared for so many animals that others wouldn’t have.
Her counterpart, Gabe, was unmemorable. He filled the role of the handsome neighbor who falls in love with the girl next door but I couldn’t tell you much about him beyond that. What was more memorable in a not-so-good way was the romance.
Yikes.
I’m cool with insta-lust and attraction but it needs to go somewhere and it. . . didn’t. For quite a while. And then suddenly they love each other? I felt like the pacing with their relationship was off. Some parts were dragged out and others rushed and it just didn’t work. Which is a shame because I really liked the whole set-up for a romance between neighbors (like what happened in The Earl Next Door)
But don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed this book. It features the banter I’ve come to know and love from Dare’s books, and while it followed a formula (with a twist), I didn’t mind because the writing is solid and I read romances for the formula most of the time. Plus there were some moments where I was just dying. The parrot, who you meet early on, for example, came from a brothel. And said some. . . interesting things. Little stuff like that made the book fun.
There were also a few moments that touched on more sensitive topics that I think should have been given a bit more time to break down and handle more carefully. Those moments came off as thrown in for effect rather than the larger role they clearly played with those characters and their decisions.
I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book, but loved that the families all came together in some regard. While you can read the books in this series as standalones, I do recommend reading in order since several characters overlap and it provides a bit more context. Plus the books are good!
The Wallflower Wager is perfect if you’re looking for a light, quick romance. I can’t say I was all that impressed with it compared to the first two books but I ultimately enjoyed it and absolutely plan to read the next in the series!
About Austine
I'm a 20-something research proposal developer with a background in the life sciences and education. Reviewer of books since 2011, amateur photographer by day, and aspiring author by night. I believe animals (and books) are better than people.
Oh no! Sorry this one didn’t work for you, I actually really enjoyed the characters but I get it. The characters are the main focus in romance and if they don’t work for you then they don’t work. I did love seeing the characters from the previous two books as well, it just made it all the more fun!