The Wallflower Wager: Girl Meets Duke

New York Times and USA Today Bestseller

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.

They call him the Duke of Ruin . . .

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.

“Alex and Chase are playful, intense and stubborn--their flaws make them a magical match, not perfect but perfect for each other.” - New York Times Book Review on The Governess Game

“RITA Award–winning Dare’s flair for ingeniously inventive and wonderfully whimsical story lines is on full display in the latest of her marvelous Girl Meets Duke books, which distinguishes itself with a plot with a serious side while still delivering just the right ratio of lushly detailed love scenes to laugh-out-loud moments.” - Booklist (starred review)

“Dare has created a deliciously sexy take on Lady and the Tramp. Laugh-out-loud scenes involving a runaway otter, a foul-mouthed parrot, and a scene stealing hedgehog balance out the darker, more introspective topics of the characters’ childhood abuse and neglect.” - Library Journal (starred review)

“Dare’s inimitable wit, charm, humor, and emotional intensity are on full display, and readers will be smitten. Another sparkling success for Dare and her delightful Girl Meets Duke series.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Dare outdoes herself with the scintillating third Girl Meets Duke Regency romance This riveting romance may be Dare’s best yet.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)