Brazen & The Beast, His Bride For The Taking & The Wallflower Wager (Regency Romance)

Today, it's mini-reviews Regency edition!

Brazen and The Beast by Sarah MacLean

The Lady’s Plan When Lady Henrietta Sedley declares her twenty-ninth year her own, she has plans to inherit her father’s business, to make her own fortune, and to live her own life. But first, she intends to experience a taste of the pleasure she’ll forgo as a confirmed spinster. Everything is going perfectly... until she discovers the most beautiful man she’s ever seen tied up in her carriage and threatening to ruin the Year of Hattie before it’s even begun. 
 The Bastard’s Proposal When he wakes in a carriage at Hattie’s feet, Whit, a king of Covent Garden known to all the world as Beast, can’t help but wonder about the strange woman who frees him—especially when he discovers she’s headed for a night of pleasure... on his turf. He is more than happy to offer Hattie all she desires... for a price. 
 An Unexpected Passion Soon, Hattie and Whit find themselves rivals in business and pleasure. She won’t give up her plans; he won’t give up his power... and neither of them sees that if they’re not careful, they’ll have no choice but to give up everything... including their hearts.

I really liked this one! Hattie is strong-willed, unconventional and delightful but with a slight leaning towards pig-headed and annoying. Whit is interesting, sweet, sexy and utterly addictive. They compliment each other beautifully and I was fully invested in their relationship from their first meeting.I'm a complete sucker for the hard-ass with a fierce reputation falling head over heels for a feisty female and this book delivers that alongside a fast-paced story with just enough drama and mild-peril to keep things spicy and exciting. If you're looking for a well-written regency then I definitely recommend giving this a try! 
Brazen and The Beast is book two in a trilogy and while it can stand alone, I think I'm going to go back and read book one as I liked Whit's brother and sister-in-law and want to see how their romance unfolded plus I'm super super intrigued for how the third book in the trilogy will play out and feel like I wouldn't be getting the full set up for that without having read the first two.  
His Bride For The Taking by Tessa Dare

It’s the first rule of friendship among gentlemen: Don’t even think about touching your best friend’s sister. Sebastian, Lord Byrne, has never been one for rules. 

He’s thought about touching Mary Clayton—a lot—and struggled to resist temptation. But when Mary’s bridegroom leaves her waiting the altar, only Sebastian can save her from ruin. 

By marrying her himself. In eleven years, he’s never laid a finger on his best friend’s sister. Now he’s going to take her with both hands. To have, to hold…and to love. 

 This novella was originally published in Rogues Rush In: a Regency Duet (2018), by Tessa Dare and Christi Caldwell

This was a short novella designed to be devoured in a single reading session.

It packs the usual charm of a Tessa Dare Regency romance but it was lacking in any depth or decent character development due to the length. The story is super basic, and a little far-fetched, but it's a fun read. I think if you don't go into it with the expectations Dare's full-length novels evoke you'll probably enjoy it... I did but it's not something I'm likely to remember in a year or ever read again. 

The Wallflower Wager by Tessa Dare

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 neighbour 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.

Out of the four friends, whose lives and marriages make up this series, Penny is my favourite so I was super excited to see how her love story played out and let me tell you that it didn't hang around!

Chapter one is where Penny and Gabriel meet in a less than proper and traditional fashion and it sparks a wonderful (if reluctant on Gabriel's part) friendship that grows into an epic romance.

Penny with her love of animals and kind heart and Gabriel with his love of making money and utter ruthlessness... It's a match made in romancelandia heaven!

It was sweet, funny, and utterly charming!

In theory, these two had nothing in common. Penny is the daughter of nobility and Gabriel is a street urchin that clawed his way up out of the gutter, but both are a little bit broken and in sore need of someone to love and to love them.

They found what they needed in each other and they worked to make it a reality and then fought to keep it.

I loved it. I loved them. I loved the quirky and humourous moments where Chance and Ash (the Dukes from the first two books) bonded with Gabriel and I loved the ending.

Basically, I just loved this book. So, yeah. I think you should read it.