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.
Comment: This is the third story in the Girl Meets Duke series by author Tessa Dare. Although I didn't remember much from the previous books, a lot came to mind as I was reading this one...
The books by this author are fluffy, sweet and easy to read. All extremely anachronistic, ore fantasy than historical, but they are certainly enjoyable and entertaining. As it happened to the previous installments, here we have again an unlikely pair but things work out beautifully between them.
The real appeal of these novels for me is the character interaction. Penny and Gabriel get themselves in ridiculous situations but the base for all this is a sweet and meaningful relationship. It's a bit exaggerated of course, but it's nice to read between the lines and see them having key conversations for the growth of their bond, even if it seems silly. Well, it is silly but sometimes serious things are debated as if it's silly, and I think the author is very competent in making this happen.
The plot is not very imaginative, but the animals make for a very fun-like vibe and provide incredibly funny and cute scenes. I think some situations were more a caricature than a really appreciative moment, but like I said, between the writing and the vibe, this doesn't come across as childish nor badly done. Sure, I'd change and/or add some other things, but thinking about the bigger picture, this was well accomplished and made for an entertaining novel.
Penny is a sweet woman, whose cheery personality and disposition hides one or two disappointments and a much more serious issue than seemed at first. When she finally reveals her big secret to Gabriel, it is made to seem a bit superficial but it's actually quite devastating and I think this is where the usual cute atmosphere the books convey kind of misses something. I mean, of course, this would never be a dramatic story but the situation required other developments and part of me believes this aspect was only a way t make Penny more... layered.
Gabriel is another one of those heroes who pretends to be mean and heartless and, of course, hides a much more emotional depth than what he wants himself. He has a sad past, overlooked at the workhouse and has made himself a rich man, not caring about the lives of the rich he ruins in the process. Obviously, his actions seem easy to understand, considering his background, but he isn't truly a bad man, even though we are led to believe Penny brought the best in him...
I won't say much about the romance, for it it's very unlikely and unfit for an historical setting, but it's cute and romantic and they fall in love while dealing with opposed ideas and backgrounds. Reading about them was more on the sweet, fairy tale side than in a real romance one but it managed to hit all the necessary notes and fit the goal intended for such a sweet and light historical novel.
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