The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare

October 21, 2019
Sorry

http://tessadare.com/
Here's my excuse. I forgot. I finished Tessa Dare's The Wallflower Wager weeks ago, dare I say, months ago. A funny thing happened to me on the way to the review/critique. I forgot it. I forgot the characters, I forgot the theme, I forgot the plot, and I forgot whether I liked it or not. What's a girl to do? Pick the book up, dust it off, and start all over again. I'm glad I did. I remember now! I liked it! I loved the quirky heroine, and the manly, delicious hero. There was a bonus, of sorts. I also remembered the series it came from, Girl Meets Duke. While The Wallflower Wager didn’t send me over the moon like The Governess Game, this was still a delightful story.

This one is about Lady Penelope Campion aka Penny. Penny is one of those people, similar to my daughter, who luvvves animals. Penny would rescue every animal in the world if she could. And, if she lived in this century, she would not watch movies in which an animal didn't make it through to the end. Pick any animal, it doesn't matter. Did the humans make it through the movie? Nooooo. Did the dog? Yessss. As long as the animals make it through a movie, everything is ok. Back to Penny. Penny collects animals. She has an over-weight goat, a steer, a hedgehog, chickens, an otter, a dog with no legs, a talking parrot, and bunches of kittens. She is more comfortable with these animals than she is with humans. The animals Penny takes care of love her unconditionally. She is living in a house that belongs to her brother, in the heart of London. Her living by herself is also one of the stretches of historical accuracy with which I had an issue.  She's living in the house sans chaperone. But, what do I say about historical accuracy? If I'm enjoying the antics, hi-jinks, and tone of the book, I can overlook the little issues of accuracy. Besides, I have come to expect a little envelope pushing from Ms. Dare. I decided to go with the flow, sit back, relax and enjoy Penny.

Well, Penny has a couple of problems. First, her Aunt Caroline has delivered an ultimatum from Penny's brother Bradford. Get rid of the animals and have a social season, or return to the country and live with him. She doesn't want to return to her brother's house, and not just because of her beloved animals. There are darker reasons that keep her from her brother's home; those reasons are eventually revealed. 

The other problem on the horizon is Penny's neighbor Gabriel Duke aka The Duke of Ruin. Gabriel has risen from the dregs of London to build an empire of wealth. He has no qualms about finding dirt on people, and using it to get what he wants. He's devious, he sneaky, and he's hot. He has also purchased the house next to Penny. He has a plan. He's fixing the house up so he can then sale it. He is a house flipper. His selling point? Who doesn't want to live next to a Lady. Well, Gabriel doesn't know about Penny's animals, until one evening when Penny's parrot flies into his house. By the way, this book is full of funny almost laugh out loud moments. The initial encounter between Penny, Gabriel, and the talking parrot from a brothel is a hoot. Then when Gabriel's architect, Hammond, points out to him that no wealthy person is going to want to live next to a barnyard, Gabriel sees an opportunity for more encounters with his neighbor.

The secondary characters of Hammond and Gabriel's housekeeper Mrs. Burns is over-the-top funny. As I said before this novel is full of fun moments. There is an especially chuckle-fest when the fat goat decides to give birth, and the mid-wives turn out to be Gabriel, Chase, and Ash. Chase and Ash are the heroes from the previous two books in the series.

The humor in this book is abundant, sometimes close to zany. The hero and heroines POV are also great. The comedy timing in this story is amazing. This is writing. There is no actor/actress to interpret the narrative for us. As I read the dialog, I could envision every pause, every punchline. The comic pacing was spot-on. Now on to the serious stuff.

When a book is full of comedy moments, I'm not sure how much pathos, angst, or poignancy should be put in the story to balance it out. I look at all my favorite funny movies or books I've ever watched or read. I'll just pick a few of my favorite funny movies: My Favorite Year, The In-Laws (1979), His Girl Friday, and The Lady Eve. All those movies are funny, and that's what is remembered about them. Each of those movies has moments of poignancy, even the fast, heavy-laden dialog movie, His Girl Friday. But not too much, and it doesn't overpower the energy that was built-up by the comedic pace. It's all about timing, about how smoothly the fun integrates with the drama. While Ms. Dare did some fine writing in this story, when it came to the dramatic, dark side of the book, I think the drama came very close to overpowering the fun. I also was not too fond of the solution to Penny's dark, dramatic past.

I do highly recommend this story. I just wish that when Ms. Dare writes her hilariously funny books, she would lighten up on the angst-filled moments. I think sadness may be a more powerful emotion than whimsy. I think it’s time for a formula change. That is a minor quibble though. Bottom-line, Ms. Dare has a couple of winners in her Duke Meets Girl series. I loved both The Governess Game and The Wallflower Wager. Maybe I should take another look at The Duchess Deal. 

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Hot