The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare

Narrated by Mary Jane Wells

I have loved the two earlier books in the Girl Meets Duke series – The Duchess Deal and The Governess Game so I was excited to listen to The Wallflower Wager which is about Lady Penelope Campion, the vegetarian spinster who takes in unwanted animals and has a reputation for being… “quirky”. Mary Jane Wells narrates and I know I’m always in for a treat with her performances so audio is my preferred medium for a new Tessa Dare.

Penny lives alone in a house owned by her brother, Bradford, in Bloom Square, Mayfair. Bradford is heir to an earl (Penny’s parents are away overseas) and the nominal head of the family. As the book begins, Penny is advised by her Aunt Caroline that Bradford is on his way from Cumberland to London and he intends to take Penny home with him. Penny does not want to leave her home or her animals and makes a “wager” with her aunt. In return for Caroline’s support against Bradford so Penny can stay in London, Penny needs to do a number of things. The main one is that she needs to find homes for all of her animals. This includes, among others, Bixby the two-legged dog, Freya the hedgehog, Hubert the otter, Marigold the suspiciously plump goat, Angus the Highland steer and more than a dozen kittens.

Gabriel Duke, known colloquially about Town as “the Duke of Ruin”, has just moved into the house next door to Penny. He came by the name as a result of his practice of buying up the debts of the aristocracy and… well, ruining them. Gabe is not well-born. He was a child of the streets and has worked his way up to great wealth. It was not entirely improbable but I didn’t think too much about it, I admit. It’s not something that bothers me much – as long as there is some basis for it in the story, I can go along with it.

Gabe has no reason to love the nobility but he’s happy enough to use them for his own ends. Because of his childhood, he also has a powerful reason to desire financial security.

Gabe’s plan is to fix up the house next door to Penny and sell it to a social climber who will pay a fortune to live next to a Lady. However, if Penny is not in residence, the value of his house goes down so he has a vested interest in helping her find the animals new homes. This brings the pair into proximity and from there, chemistry being what it is, romance blooms.

Gabe has abandonment issues and Penny has a painful past of her own. Penny takes in strays to love and in some ways, Gabe is another. But he is more than that. And for Penny, Gabe is a safe place to land, as well as a passionate lover and best friend.

I liked Gabe and Penny but I didn’t feel as much chemistry between them as I did with Emma and Ash or Chase and Alex. Their romance didn’t work quite as well for me as a result.

One of my favourite things about Tessa Dare’s writing is the humour she injects into the story. With the previous book, much of that humour came from the children – Rosamund and Daisy (and they made a funny cameo or two in this book, I’m pleased to say). In The Wallflower Wager, the comedy comes mainly from Penny’s ragtag collection of animals, most particularly a filthy-tongued parrot named Delilah. The other source of hilarity was the interaction between Ash and Chase (the two previous heroes) and Gabe – the birth scene is especially entertaining. And how could I forget the byplay between Gabe’s housekeeper and his architect. So much fun! All of this I lapped up happily. There were plenty of moments when I laughed out loud. The narration only enhanced the experience because Ms. Wells added such wonderful tone to the dialogue. Ash and Chase fighting over supremacy when it came to Gabe was priceless.

There was one thing near the end which made me raise my eyebrows a little. It seemed a bit too improbable but it also gave rise to some wonderful female empowerment and I was glad enough to have the excuse to cheer that on. (I’m being vague to avoid spoilers.)

The narration was fabulous. Ms. Well’s character voices – in particular the way she gives distinct tones to each of the main four women and the (so far) three men, as well as various other characters. I’ve already mentioned her comedic timing – there’s a particular way to deliver a line for maximum effect and Ms. Wells nails it every time – whether it is funny or more serious.

While The Wallflower Wager didn’t work as quite well for me as the earlier two books in the series, it did still succeed. I listened to the whole thing in just over a day and that says something.

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Kaetrin

Buy The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare on Amazon