Monday, August 12, 2019

Tour Review and Giveaway - - The Wallflower Wager


The Wallflower Wager
by Tessa Dare
Girl Meets Duke - Book 3
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: August 13, 2019
Reviewed by PJ
 

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.

My thoughts:

We all have that one author. The one who makes us laugh, makes us cry, leaves us sighing with bone-deep contentment when we turn the final page of a book. The one who sparks the giddiness of a five-year-old on Christmas morning with the publication of each new novel. The one whose sparkling wit, heart-tugging emotion, and rib-tickling humor cause me to fall in love over and over again. That's how I've felt about Tessa Dare's writing since the publication of her debut book and those feelings have only grown stronger with each successive story. I was grinning before I even started reading The Wallflower Wager and continued to do so long after turning the final page. 

Penny and Gabriel are in the running for one of my favorite Tessa Dare couples. I couldn't get enough of them. He's determined to be the bad guy. She's determined to show him he's more than that. What they learn is that, together, they're both more than they ever thought they could be. Penny's protective friends (Love the scenes with Gabe, Ash, and Chase. This unlikely bromance darn near steals the show.), Gabriel's sparring architect and housekeeper (OMG, one of the funniest scenes in the book between these two and Gabe!), along with chemistry that grows by the day between our hero and heroine only add to the fun. And the way events surrounding the reveal of a secret Penny's been keeping since childhood unfold further strengthens their bond and made me love both Penny and Gabe even more. 

Then there are the animals. Two words: baby goat. I don't want to give away too many spoilers so let me just say if I hadn't already been falling for him, Gabe and the baby goat would have sealed the deal. 

If you enjoy historical romance that makes you laugh (repeatedly) and sigh, puts you firmly in the hero and heroine's corner through good times and bad, and leaves you with a smile on your face, joy in your heart, and one last chuckle for good measure, The Wallflower Wager is for you.


Have you read any Tessa Dare books? Do you have a favorite?

Do you enjoy animals in your romances? What's your favorite animal in a romance novel?

One person who comments before 11:00 PM, August 13, will receive a print copy of The Wallflower Wager. (U.S. only)






27 comments:

  1. I have enjoyed her books. I never pick favorites - it's like kids lol. Love all animals in books but cats and dogs are familiar favorites.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have never read one of Tessa's books. I do enjoy animals in books, particularly dogs. Unfortunately cannot name a particular one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have not read any this author's books either. I do like pets in stories, especially if they have a strong personality. I once read a book with a 3 legged dog; hard not to fall in love with that furbaby.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have always enjoyed Tessa's novels. Pets in books are wonderful and give me great enjoyment and hope. Wish Me Home by Kay Bratt was captivating.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Reading Tessa's stories is always special. Dog romance stories are memorable since dogs are sensitive and understand humans so well. About a Dog by Jenn McKinlay was lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've read a few of Tessa's book and I have a few more on my TBR shelves. Really need to pull them to the front. I like animals in books if there is a logical place for the animal. I like dogs in books better than cats. While cats have great personality, dogs appeal in print better than cats, IMHO. In fact the book I'm reading now (The Legendary Lord by Valerie Bowman) has a dog named Fergus II. His owner is Fergus. The heroine has made coats for the dog since the scenes take place in Scotland in a snow storm.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I adore Tessa's books!! I think the Girl Meets Duke series has been my favorite. I have the hardest time narrowing it down to a favorite book, but this one might end up being my favorite because of the animals.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Several of Tessa's books are 5-star reads for me. My favorite is A Week to Be Wicked. Thanks for the post and giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great review! I love, LOVE Tessa Dare! The bromance in this book is awesome, and my fave of all time is The Duchess Deal 😍

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love Tessa Dare's book. The Spindle Cove series is one of my favorites.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have read and enjoyed romancing the duke it was awesome I like animals in books especially cats

    ReplyDelete
  12. I. CANNOT. WAIT. Tessa Dare is my favorite auto-buy author right now.

    I swear though, I always picture her during her brainstorming sessions with her fellow writers--and it's like, "Tessa, I bet you can't write a book with a baby goat and make it romantic" and she's like YOU'RE ON. There's always some outrageous element in each story, that just FITS and yet I could swear she lost a bet and had to work it in somehow. *LOL*

    ReplyDelete
  13. I have read quite a few of Tessa's books, and the Spindle Cove series is a favorite of mine. It was a treat for me to meet Tessa in Atlanta at KissCon.

    I think pets can add a lot to a story by showing a different side to their human's personality. I am partial to dogs.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I haven't read any of Tessa's books yet, not sure why.
    I do love pets in a story - how characters treat them can tell us a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I have read a couple of Ms Dare's books awhile ago. I know I liked them but could not choose a favorite. I have this book on my Kindle.

    I think I may have mentioned that I am a fan of books which make me laugh right along with falling in love with the characters.

    I do enjoy books which have animals in them. Patricia Rice's the Malcolm magical series had a dog which was intriguing. And Anne Gracie has written some animals which are very true. I live with animals and I like characters who live with animals too.

    Thanks for the review. I look forward to reading this book.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love cats in books ❤️ I got a chance to meet her at BLC and talk to her about Any Duchess Will Do- it was awesome

    ReplyDelete
  17. Love Tessa Dare's writing--"A Night to Surrender" is my favorite. My cats told me that I had to say that cats are my favorite animals in a romance novel. >>^,,^<<

    ReplyDelete
  18. I have read Tessa’s books before and they were quite good. I love have animals in my stories especially a dog. They can bring a couple together

    ReplyDelete
  19. I have read a couple of her books. This one sounds wonderful, house flipper, and a bunch of animals!! This is just my cup of tea. I love animals in my books, they always add so much.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I've read almost all of Ms. Dare's books and I love them! Ummm... I love dogs IRL, so I really enjoy them in my books. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Tessa Dare books are always on my to read list because my daughter keeps telling me how good they are. I do enjoy books with animals in them, especially when they made the story humorous. Thanks for the review and for the chance.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Tessa Dare's books make me laugh out loud, too. My favorite of hers is still the first that I read, A Night to Surrender.
    Animals can be great fun to read in books, one of my favorite stories with an animal was Linda Howard's Troublemaker. I loved the dog and how she interacted with her humans.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I've read Castles Ever After and Spindle Cove series.

    denise

    ReplyDelete
  24. I love Tessa's Spindle Cove series but have been enjoying this one, as well! I'm looking forward to reading this new one! My favorite animal in a romance novel would have to be Sweet Pea the skunk in Eloisa James' The Wilde's of Lindow Castle series.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I always enjoy animals in a story, especially dogs.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I've read all of the Spindle Cove of books and enjoyed them. My favorite animal in books is horses.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Yes, I’ve read several of Tessa Dare’s’ books! There always very entertaining. What a great author! I liked A Week to be Wicked and Romancing the Duke! A night to Surrender was also great! So hard to choose just one! I love animals in books! I read and follow several series with animals in them. If I had to pick, I probably would say dogs are a favorite for me in books! Thank you for this wonderful opportunity!💕

    ReplyDelete