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.

Title: The Wallflower Wager
Author: Tessa Dare
Series: Girl Meets Duke
Pages: 368
Genre(s): Historical, Regency, England
Hot Buttons:  heroine experienced childhood sexual abuse, confronts abuser (and family don't believe her)  <-- highlight to reveal (may contain spoilers)


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The wonderful people of Mills & Boon sent me some rather delightful packages in order to celebrate the release of The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare.

“Oh, and here’s my favorite.” Hammond shook open a letter and cleared his throat for dramatic effect. “‘Dear Mr. Hammond, if it is not too great an imposition, might I ask that your workers refrain from performing heavy labor between nine o’clock in the morning and half-three in the afternoon? Hedgehogs are nocturnal animals, and sensitive to loud noises. My dear Freya is losing quills. I feel certain this will concern you as much as it does me. Neighborly yours, Lady Penelope Campion.’” He tossed the folio of letters onto the table, where they landed with a smack.

“Her hedgehog. Really.” 

“If you won’t protect yourself,” Ash warned, “we will have to take protective measures on your behalf.”

“What sort of protective measures?”

Nicola rushed into the room. Wisps of ginger hair floated about her head in an unkempt halo. In her hand, she carried a brown-paper packet. “I brought the poisoned biscuits,” she said, breath- less. “I’m still perfecting the spring-loaded trap for her door.”

Wonderful. Yet another addition to the “Protect Penny” brigade.

“That’s very kind of you, Nicola.” Penny took the packet of biscuits from her friend, tucked them behind her back, and while completing her circuit of the room, discreetly tossed them into the fire. 

Gabe opened a strongbox hidden in a cabinet and withdrew a large, flat velvet box. He placed the box on the desk blotter, inordinately anxious. “Go on, then. Open it.”

She lifted the top and peered inside. “Oh, Gabriel.”

He moved behind the chair, looking over her shoulder at the sparkling array of rings. Diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald . . . every precious gem he could think to request at the jeweler’s, and a few he hadn’t known existed.

“I thought you’d prefer to be surprised, but I didn’t trust myself to choose one you liked. So I simply bought them all.”

“They’re exquisite.”

He waved off her praise. “None of them are fine enough for you.”

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Buy this book:

* I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *


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The Girl Meets Duke Series:

               

   

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Click to see other books 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.

Title: The Wallflower Wager
Author: Tessa Dare
Series: Girl Meets Duke
Pages: 368
Genre(s): Historical, Regency, England
Hot Buttons:  heroine experienced childhood sexual abuse, confronts abuser (and family don't believe her)  <-- highlight to reveal (may contain spoilers)


Release Date: 13th August, 2019


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The last time I read a Tessa Dare book I wrote that I couldn’t understand why this woman wasn’t on my auto-buy list. Now I’m wondering why I don’t have a shrine to this woman and her writing. It’s just so. Damn. Good.

This is the third book in the Girl Meets Duke series - and I’m loving how we managed to get a lowborn hero in the series because he’s Gabriel Duke. Fear not - you don’t have to have read the first two books to understand and enjoy this one, even though both our couples from the first two books do appear in this one. I have read the first two books and all this book did was remind me of how brilliant - and hilarious - those first two books in the series were and make me want to go back and re-read them!

This time, Lady Penelope “Penny” Campion is our heroine. That’s Lady Penelope with the menagerie of animals living in her home. And the same Lady Penelope who makes the most god-awful sounding, experiments in finger sandwiches.

Gabriel Duke is a boy from the streets who’s made good. Very good. Oh, and he’s also turned into a man with a very bad reputation. But what a man! Anyway, when he moves in next door to Penny, he realises that having aristocracy next door will drive the price of his home up when he decides to sell. But only if she rids herself of her pesky pets.

Luckily for him, Penny also needs to find her pets new homes after a bargain with her aunt will take her out of hiding and back into society. So from the first, our hero and heroine forge a tentative friendship and are working towards the same goal. And I can’t tell you how wonderful that interplay is. Penny is finally free to be herself while Gabe realises that there are some people in the world - some people in the aristocracy - that are actually good people. They are honest with each other. Themsleves with each other. And it's kinda great.

It’s so subtly done - I really couldn’t tell you if their love was an instant thing or a slow burn. The chemistry just sizzled and I loved how Penny and Gabe were with each other. They were soulmates finding each other - and finding out that happiness was all they had ever wanted or needed. Gah - it pierced my heart! Do they make men like Gabe in this day and age?

There’s a secret of Penny’s that gets teased throughout the book and finally revealed in the last third of the book. At that point, the love story takes a very slight back seat for what is, or could be for some, uncomfortable or upsetting. It’s not done in much detail but perhaps read yourself some spoilers if you’ve got specific triggers.

I liked the fact that the sex in this book was more of two consenting partners who were all in from the get go. Penny was taking control of her life and I liked that it was her who pursued Gabe and propositioned him! It was an adorable about-play for an unlikely pairing. And that’s without mentioning the delicious build-up to said sex. That first encounter in the inn? Damn near set my Kindle afire!

With any Tessa Dare, not only are you getting a vivid romance with rich characters and hot sex - you’re also getting a huge dose of humour. It's laugh out loud funny without being silly. But having said that, Ash and Chase’s bickering and back-and-forth was delightfully childish and I couldn’t get enough. I hope to read more of them in the future - hopefully with Gabe’s no-nonsense attitude thrown into the mix.

Nicola is the final friend in the four and I cannot wait to read her story. A massive tease was dropped in this book… and then nothing. Nothing. Damn you Tessa Dare - I need more right now!

I feel like it's a bit of a betrayal to note a few American turns of phrase in the book. Hardly surprising but a little jarring to my British ears, especially in a Regency book. But it's only a few tiny slips rather than anything horrific!

If you love Tessa Dare’s writing or you’ve never read her before, and like a smart and sassy historical romance, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Give it a try. I hope you love Penny and Gabe (and Bixby, Delilah, George, Marigold etc etc) as much as I did. 5 stars.

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Buy this book:

* I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *


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The Girl Meets Duke Series:

               

   

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Click to see other books by Tessa Dare

The accidental governess…

After her livelihood slips through her fingers, Alexandra Mountbatten takes on an impossible post: transforming a pair of wild orphans into proper young ladies. However, the girls don’t need discipline. They need a loving home. Try telling that to their guardian, Chase Reynaud. The ladies of London have tried—and failed—to make him settle down. Somehow, Alexandra must reach his heart . . . without risking her own.

The infamous rake…

Like any self-respecting libertine, Chase lives by one rule: no attachments. When a stubborn little governess tries to reform him, he decides to prove he can’t be tamed. But Alexandra is more than he bargained for: clever, perceptive, passionate. She refuses to see him as a lost cause. Soon the walls around Chase’s heart are crumbling . . . and he’s in danger of falling, hard.

Title: The Governess Game
Author: Tessa Dare
Series: Girl Meets Duke
Pages: 384
Genre(s): Historical, Regency, England
Hot Buttons: /

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Tessa Dare always write an absorbing and exciting story filled with highs and lows that ultimately lead to a satisfying and rewarding happily ever after.

This is the second book in Dare’s Girl Meets Duke series (after The Duchess Deal and before The Wallflower Wager. The series follows four unusual heroines as they each find their own happy ending. Despite being part of this series - and the obvious inclusion of the other three girls and one husband - this book stands completely alone and you don’t have to have read any other book to read this one. Although of course I’m going to suggest that you do!

This story doesn’t meander into the start of the tale - it gets there and it gets there quickly. That sets the tone for the whole of the book. I couldn’t put it down and damned if I wanted to.

Chase is, I suppose, a bit of an unusual hero in that he’s not brooding and angsty. Sure, he’s got issues, but he’s got a sense of humour, a playful side and a very lusty nature. I shouldn’t be surprised that his opposite, Alex, is just as unusual. She’s a penniless clock setter turned governess of Spanish and American parents, born and raised on a boat - which may or may not have been piratical.

I loved the pair together. They sparred, they laughed and they had sexy times together - and everyone knows how much I love the sexy times. Sadly, that’s also where this book dropped a star. In the beginning, the chemistry sizzled between Chase and Alex, giving me that lovely jump in the tummy kind of feeling. They got intimate without being intimate aaaaaand….suddenly two weeks had passed and we were being told that the pair had been having fun this whole time. Without me.

Okay, fine - I have an imagination - I could work with this. And then the grand old consummation came…and it was uncomfortable and awkward. For Chase and Alex and for me. I know that sex isn’t all popping cherries then popping the champagne, but come on, I don’t read romance novels for real life. Especially not real life sex.

To be honest, those missed two weeks really seemed to change the tone of the book. I felt I’d missed out, not just on the sexy times but on the relationship building with the girls, and the growing feelings between Alex and Chase. Oh, I believed everything when the end came around - and I was really happy for it - I just wished I had more knowledge of how things got there.

And speaking of the girls - I don’t really care for children in books (or children in real life either, really) but Rosamund and Daisy (and Millicent) were really quite funny. The continual death of Millicent was particularly hilarious. (It’s okay - she survives in the end!)

Please don’t get me wrong - I really loved this book and practically devoured the thing. I just wanted a teensy bit more of the build up to the finale. But Tessa Dare has reaffirmed her position as one of my emerging favourite historical romance novelists and I cannot wait for the next book to see whether Nic or Penny gets her man.

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* I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

The Girl Meets Duke Series:

               

   

Click to see other books by Tessa Dare

‘I am a Duke. I’m not asking you to marry me. I am offering to marry you. It’s a different thing entirely.’

When the Duke of Ashbury returns from war scarred, he realises he needs an heir – which means he needs a wife! When Emma Gladstone, a vicar's daughter turned seamstress visits wearing a wedding dress, he decides on the spot that she'll do.

His terms are simple:
- They will be husband and wife by night only.
- No lights, no kissing.
- No questions about his battle scars. 
- Last, and most importantly… Once she's pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again.

But Emma is no pushover. She has secrets and some rules of her own:
- They will have dinner together every evening.
- With conversation.
- And teasing.
- Last, and most importantly… Once she's seen the man beneath the scars, he can't stop her from falling in love…

When a girl meets a Duke, their marriage breaks all the rules…

Title: The Duchess Deal
Author: Tessa Dare
Series: Girl Meets Duke
Pages: 389
Genre(s): Historical, Regency, England
Hot Buttons: /

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I’ve read a number of Tessa Dare books but this one made me wonder why she’s not on my auto-buy list and why I’m not fan-girling over her at every available opportunity. I was blown away by how fun and engrossing this story was.

The premise was original and hilarious - it really sets the scene for what you should expect with this book.

Ash bears some physical and mental scars from Waterloo and beyond. He’s considered a monster by the ton and so that what he’s become. But never fear, he’s blooming adorable. “With most, he merely took reverse pleasure in being a pain in the arse.” He would hate me to say it but I loved him for it. He was so prickly and stern but Emma never really believed that. The way he seemed truly baffled by her refusal to obey him and her teasing, was just delightful.

Emma. Loved her. Yes, she was a seamstress. Yes, she was Ash’s social inferior. And yes, she had her own demons. But she was her own woman. She was smart, intelligent and believed in herself. And in Ash. It was really lovely and made my heart happy.

Together, the pair were perfect for each other. Ash brought a security to Emma’s life while Emma brought Ash to life again and made him happy. It was funny to watch them spar with each other and then dodge their growing feelings. It was written so well that we as the reader, much like Emma and Ash themselves, couldn't’ pinpoint exactly when the pair actually fell in love.

The sex also brought a nice jolt to the tummy, too, which is always a bonus. Just enough sexual tension and actual sex to keep this reader content.

This is the first book in a new series called Girl Meets Duke. We meet the heroine of the next book - Alexandra - in this first. We don’t learn much about her in this book but I’m still keen to read her own tale - The Governess Game - which comes out in August 2018. I’m assuming that Nicola and Penny - also introduced in this book - will get their own stories in the rest of the series. I’m also kind of hopeful that ‘The Menace’ gets an appearance in the rest of the series - he was hilarious! But fear not, there are no godforsaken cliffhangers in this book. Emma and Ash’s story is finished just as it should be.

But since I’ve brought it up… I bloody hate authors who sell books that don’t finish the whole story - especially without making it clear in the blurb. Do you go into McDonalds, pay for a Big Mac and then realise you’ve only been given the bun? Naw - ya dinnae. Just stop. Pisses me right off.

Moving on…

This isn’t a dark and deep Regency romance by any means. It’s light and sparkly but it’s so wonderfully real. The banter was divine - I think I probably highlighted so many passages of text that genuinely made me laugh out loud. And made me sigh in a Regency-swoon-like fashion. I finished the book and my first thought was that this is why I fell in love with Regency romances; this wonderfully captivating tale filled with love and humour. It’s pure sweetness in a book. 5 stars.

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Buy this book now:

* I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

The Girl Meets Duke Series:

               

   

Click to see other books by Tessa Dare