Review by Booklist Review
After happily dedicating the last nine years of her life to taking in stray creatures, ranging from kittens to a parrot with a drunken sailor's vocabulary, Penny Campion's plan to be Regency London's premier equivalent of a crazy cat lady is in serious jeopardy. Penny's older brother, Bradford, and her aunt, Caroline, insist that Penny give up her so-called life in London and return home to Cumberland. Penny resists, convincing her aunt to give her a reprieve by promising that she will update her wardrobe, make an effort to appear in society, and find suitable new homes for her menagerie, all within one month. Fortunately, Penny's sexy new neighbor, Gabriel Duke, has a vested interest in helping Penny out, even if that interest initially seems to be quite mercenary. RITA Award-winning Dare's (The Governess Game, 2018) 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.--John Charles Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Dare outdoes herself with the scintillating third Girl Meets Duke Regency romance (after The Governess Game). Lady Penelope Campion would rather be at home with her rescued animals than out in society, but her Aunt Caroline instructs her to give up her pets and be a proper lady--or move in with her brother in Cumberland, a fate Penny dreads. Then Penny meets her neighbor, wealthy commoner Gabriel Duke, while retrieving her escaped parrot. Gabe wants to sell his residence for a profit and believes that having a lady reside next door to him will increase his property value, so he agrees to help find homes for her animals so she can stay in London. As Gabe and Penny spend more time together, she sees the kindness hidden below his drive for success and riches. The attraction between Penny and Gabe is magnetic even as their class difference threatens to destroy their relationship. Authentic characters, witticisms, profound emotion, and echoes of trauma are primary elements in this expertly crafted novel. This riveting romance may be Dare's best yet. Agent: Steve Axelrod, Axelrod Agency. (Sept.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Lady Penelope Campion loves nothing more than collecting and caring for the stray animals nobody else wants. And she's got her heart set on one particular dark, brooding, and lonely creature: her neighbor, the notorious Gabriel Duke. The notorious Duke of Ruin rose from the slums of London by sheer hard work, here and there causing the undoing of a few aristocrats. His plans for renovating and marketing his new house include using his neighbor's highborn status as a selling point, so he's less than pleased when Penelope's motley crew of animals begin wreaking havoc on his lawn. But his icy manner begins to thaw as he helps kindhearted Penelope rehome her menagerie so she can stay in the city. Their mutual attraction quickly flares into heated trysts that have Gabriel questioning whether he truly is incapable of love. VERDICT Dare (The Governess Game) 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.--Kathryn Howe, Saint John Free P.L., NB
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Under threat of being banished from London, Lady Penelope Campion enlists her new business-mogul neighbor to help her become less reclusive and shrink her sprawling menagerie. All goes well until Penny and her pets crack open his crusty heart.To rescue her wayward (and profane) parrot, Delilah, Lady Penelope uses a spare key to let herself into the house next door. The mansion has recently changed hands, and, unbeknownst to her, the new owner has taken up residence. Delilah leads Penny to his bedchamber, where they meet in a most inappropriate way, and Penny realizes that her new neighbor is none other than the notorious Gabriel Duke, known for financial acumen and ruining noble families. Gabe is modernizing the property to sell it for a tidy profit: "New-money families would pay outrageous amounts to live next door to a lady, even if said lady was an unappealing spinster." So when Penny's brother, who's managing the family estate in Cumberland while their parents are serving as diplomats in India, sends their aunt to make Penny move to the countryside for good, saying she shouldn't be living by herself in London and implying that at age 26 she's unlikely to find a husband, Gabe offers to help her find new homes for the abandoned animals she cares for and mingle more in society. Penny's not unappealing, though. She's beautiful, spirited, and kind. As the two attend events together and discreetly enter into a torrid affair that would derail both of their goals if anyone discovered it, she begins to care for his wounded heart, he becomes her devoted champion, and they fall in love. Deep secrets and old habits cause bumps in the road, landing Gabe in life-threatening danger and forcing Penny to stand up for herself to save him and their love. 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. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
