Never accept a wager to kiss a rogue. There is the danger of winning.
Miss Frederica Williams accepted a dare to kiss Percy Devereaux Marquess of Wolverton, her guardian. That he is a disreputable rake, and she is hopelessly falling in love with him makes the situation far, far worse. But perhaps Percy is hiding his feelings for his rebellious ward, and so things become complicated as she tries to turn her newly acquired wiles upon a far too experienced libertine while Percy is determined to try and be honorable and keep himself away from the young temptress who is under his protection.
They are wallflowers, bluestockings, merry widows, and debutantes—members of a secret, exclusive Lady’s Club in Berkeley Square! There ladies indulge in daring wagers, learn to fight, read scandalous books, and learn the art of wooing the gentlemen they will bring to their knees…
Alyssa Clarke writes steamy Regency Historical Romances featuring swoon-worthy heroes and sassy, sometimes unconventional heroines! Her debut novel, Love Me, If You Dare, came to her in a dream as a hot, fun enemy to lover romance where she played the leading lady who fell in love with a duke who looked remarkably like Henry Cavill.
When not writing, Alyssa enjoys hiking, games/movie night, with her husband and two beautiful children, and her Siberian Husky, Cronus. She is a lover of wine, cheesecake, and more wine.
I liked the way Frederica tries to catch her Marquess of Wolverton....real subtle. I loved reading this story. Was an entertaining read. Stayed up til 4am to finish it. This series is wonderful. 5☆
Frederica is Percival's ward. They have a 13-year age gap, I believe. They've been living together for 2 years, and now that she is 20 years old, the passion between them is harder and harder to ignore.
An entertaining and light read, the plot is flirty but maybe too predictable.
They are wallflowers, bluestockings, merry widows, and debutantes & are members of a secret, exclusive Lady’s Club at 48 Berkeley Square! There ladies indulge in daring wagers, learn to fight, read scandalous books, and learn the art of wooing the gentlemen they will bring to their knees. Miss Frederica Williams accepted a dare to kiss Percy Devereaux Marquis of Wolverton, who happens to be her guardian. He is a disreputable rake, and she is hopelessly falling in love with him. Percy has recently realised that Freddie is no longer a girl but an alluring woman, who he can’t stop thinking about. This is the fifth book in the series & another well written engaging read. I loved both Percy & Freddie, he’s determined to enjoy life & to remain a bachelor until his thoughts are consumed by his ward. Freddie is growing up, she’s like a fledgling part immature & part emerging swan. I really enjoyed their journey to a HEA. I was surprised at the development at the end & hope this will be fully explored in a future book but it made me feel that I was left hanging My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
It was a light read. I will only note the things that I did not like about it. The rest is sweet.
1/We are told since the first book of the series that the MMC is secretly in love or at least he's infatuated with his ward. That's why he does not take lovers anymore. Yet I was saddened to read the opening chapter. MMC brought a wealthy widow to his house when FMC is not there. FMC came back quickly that anticipated and saw MMC and the widow embracing and kissing. I concede that the encounter was not repeated but MMC doesn't not need to chase skirts around while admiring his ward.
2/FMC convinced MMC of teaching her ways of seduction because she had someone she terribly loves. MMC did not show much jealousy and even when they slept together he would describe FMC as "an enlightened woman who does not owe the man she loves any loyalty unless he marries her" Of course MMC thought till that point that she's in love with another but the description rubbed me the wrong way because truly the FMC has no eyes for any other man.
3/I wanted the FMC to be a little bit immature/ playful/ jokester. She is the young ward of a stern man and I wanted her to tease him. But she sounded mature and very composed and experienced woman. Truly I don't know why MMC fell for her because:
4/She was describe by the MMC as "plain" not even unconventional looking in regards of regency beauty standards. And he had to buy her many jewels, gowns and bonnets to entice people in balls. Please accept my dear wallflower as she is.
5/What the fuck is that ending? I laughed hard but for the wrong reasons and because of sheer stupidity.
6/I think this is the end of my journey with this series. They started to blend in. Quite frankly I'm not anticipating any other couples.
I enjoyed the setup with this installment. However, the plot points seemed disjointed to me. A little too much extreme hot cold hot cold. I do like how this one leads into the next book. Worth reading. 3 stars
Starring Miss Frederica “Freddie” Emelia Williams and Percival “Percy”Charles Devereaux, Marquess of Wolverton.
Trope: Guardian/Ward, Age Gap (13yrs), Older Brother’s Best Friend, Wager, Unrequited Love, Seduction Lessons, My Fair Lady/Pygmalion-ish.
Freddie and Percy are officially on my “Favorite Book Couples of 2021” list!! I love these two so hard and I’m a blubbering, ugly cry AF of a mess after I read their HEA!! This book and those two absolutely made my heart happy!!
Tenacious Heroines who go after the objects of their desires is one of my all time fave tropes… and I love the way Freddie went about getting Percy to “see” her for the woman she had become. I applauded her attempts in enticing Percy and making him break his resistance!! I cheered and cheered for her!!
And dearest Percy, never knew what hit him!! I love that he tried and tried and tried to ignore his growing feelings for Freddie…. but she wouldn’t let him. Omg he was so freaken delicious in his stubbornness. He’s my favorite hind of hero… moody and broody and possessive. Oh, he is SO The perfect book boyfriend!!
Alyssa Clarke wrote a winner with this story!! It’s also going on my “Favorite 2021 book” list!! I definitely think she has secured her place on my keeper shelf. We’ll done!!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily review it and the comments are 100% my own.
My Star Rating: 5 stars Ugly cried AF. Major book hangover. Characters and storyline were freaken amazeballs. Made me wanna hug the author for writing a book that gave me all the feels!! Will definitely be reading this story over and over and over again!!
Hot, steamy and funny. Percy Devereaux, Marquess of Wolverton, has a hard time understanding his heart and attraction to his ward, Miss Frederica Williams. Just because he is twelve years older, she has no inhibitions about loving him. Known as a rake, he does not plan to marry, but he does not stand a chance as Fredie gains enough confidence and knowledge to seduce him. Loved this couple and their interactions with each other. It all started with a dare. Hope to see them again in the series.
So, I'm getting worried that this series is going downhill a bit. I quite enjoy Alyssa Clarke's writing and while I do enjoy her characters and their passionate connections, I find I'm missing elements of the story that could make it even better and add even more tension and longing between the main characters. I feel like I'm missing key points to this book!
For example, this book features Freddie and Percy. Freddie's brother has been missing for 2 years and presumed dead. His best friend Percy has taken Freddie under his protection and been her guardian in her brother's absence. There is an age gap between them. I think maybe 10 years? Not totally sure. Which is fine, I've read other romances where there's a bigger age gap and been okay. It's not my favorite, but in some novels in works. And, for the most part, it works here too. Anyway, Freddie is a member of a progressive ladies salon where they learn about fencing, boxing, place bets, gamble, and look at the occasional dirty book. Wallflowers with attitude.
Anyway, back on track...there is a scene in the book where Freddie and Percy talk about fencing and make a challenge to each other and the winner will complete a dare. Seems like a fun scene to read about and might add to their continued growing attraction and flirtatious nature, right? It would...except it wasn't there. Like the author closed with them going to fence, but then never included that scene. It wasn't even mentioned as a flashback!
There were some other parts too that I felt were missed opportunities. I think this book has a lot of potential, but I feel like the author is getting a bit lazy in including some of those parts of the story that could really give it depth. I have one more novel in this series checked out and I'm going to give it a go, but if I feel the same way I will be ending my run with this series. I think there's at leave 4 more books after this one...
Miss Frederica Williams accepted a dare to kiss Percy Devereaux Marquess of Wolverton, her guardian. That he is a disreputable rake, and she is hopelessly falling in love with him makes the situation far, far worse. But perhaps Percy is hiding his feelings for his rebellious ward, and so things become complicated as she tries to turn her newly acquired wiles upon a far too experienced libertine while Percy is determined to try and be honorable and keep himself away from the young temptress who is under his protection. They are wallflowers, bluestockings, merry widows, and debutantes—members of a secret, exclusive Lady’s Club in Berkeley Square! There ladies indulge in daring wagers, learn to fight, read scandalous books, and learn the art of wooing the gentlemen they will bring to their knees. This book is both witty and poignant. Frederica is in love with her guardian and doesn't know how to tell him. Percy is also falling in love with her. Alyssa Clarke has written another winner!
Fred e Perci, marquês de Wolverton Frederica e pupila de Perci e ela o seduz. .. mas uma vez a autora deixou raso um enredo perfeito Tres estrela pq é bem escrito, mas falta profundidade e emoção.
Never accept a wager to kiss a rogue. There is the danger of winning. Miss Frederica Williams accepted a dare to kiss Percy Devereaux Marquess of Wolverton, her guardian. That he is a disreputable rake, and she is hopelessly falling in love with him makes the situation far, far worse. But perhaps Percy is hiding his feelings for his rebellious ward, and so things become complicated as she tries to turn her newly acquired wiles upon a far too experienced libertine while Percy is determined to try and be honorable and keep himself away from the young temptress who is under his protection. They are wallflowers, bluestockings, merry widows, and debutantes—ladies of society who know what they want and are members of a secret and exclusive Lady’s Club run by the ton’s most notorious widow. Here they form daring wagers, learn to fight, read scandalous books, and learn the art of wooing the gentlemen they will bring to their knees…
𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
Will he loose the chance of a lifetime to his blinded stubbornness…
I discovered the author two books ago in this series, and since I enjoyed them all. I love how each dare help a woman to find her voice and her true love. Freddie has not been a success as a debutante, now two years later, she is still relegated to the overlooked women’s wall. She might be a marquess’ ward, she is no beauty and with no connection, she is just one more wallflower. When she is so much more than her appearance. With the club, she learned to believe in her own strength, to stand for herself. Now will she go through her wager as she longs to kiss her guardian, a man who she thinks sees her only a young girl. Percy is unsettled, he does not know what to do upon his attraction to his ward, he should not be wanting her, she is his best friend little sister. Too young and he is determined to never get shackled. Yet he is can’t get her out of his system, he can’t help with seduction’s lessons nor is he able to let her go.
A fun entertaining tale of forbidden love with a determined Miss and her willingly without-escape love interest. 4.5 stars
𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen foreplays and lovemaking scenes.
I have been granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
Miss Frederica Williams is the twenty-year-old ward of Percy Devereaux Marquess of Wolverton, who was her brother's best friend until he had an accident & disappeared over 2 years ago. Since their parents were dead, Freddie's brother had asked Percy to be her guardian if something were to happen to him. Freddie has accepted a daring wager from the ladies at the exclusive ladies' club, 48 Berkeley Square, entice her guardian to kiss her.
Percy is almost thirty-three years old, handsome, wealthy & has a reputation as a certified rake. He enjoys his freedom, doesn't need to worry about an heir as he has a younger brother who will marry & have a son. He enjoys his time in The House of Lords & managing his assets. But, in this last year, he has noticed his ward has changed from a girl to a beautiful young woman - one he is attracted to but must put her out of his thoughts.
Percy & Freddie were both such lovable characters & they had me furiously turning pages to see what would happen next. Their adventures to a HEA was funny, romantic, frustrating at times but wonderful. I was surprised at the ending but hopefully it will all be sorted out in the next book. I highly recommend this book & the entire series to all historical romance readers who like a little spice in their romances!
If you want a quick, HEA, steamy read this is it. I am actually torn on this book because while reading it I thought it was really good, loved the characters, and so far think this is the best one of the series. But then upon reflection, I start to have my doubts. What didn't work for me - -the age difference. It's just too wide of a gap and given that he is her guardian it could be considered a bit creepy. -the Matthew plot twist, not only was it not explained it just didn't fit. -the first time in a carriage - I like steam but this felt way too fast to jump to going there that quick. -the lack of ending, which was far too rushed.
Alyssa Clarke writes such great stories you get swept away in the story and don't even realize the flaws. As I mentioned, I thought this book to be the best so far but it is not without its imperfections. I do recommend it however and feel that readers will still have a great time getting caught up in Freddie and Percy's story.
I received an advanced copy in exchange for my review.
Another good story by Alyssa Clarke. Kiss me, if you dare, is a brother's best friend romance between Frederica, a member of 48 Berkeley Square club, and her tutor, 13 years her senior.
When her only brother dies, orphan Frederica goes to London to live with her guardian, the Marquess of Wolverton. He is a rake, but that doesn't stop a 20-year-old Frederica from trying to get her tutor to love her. This book was predictable, for the most part, and MMC needed a little bit of depth. Other than that, I like Alyssa's narrative style. She is very concise and doesn't describe too much, which I appreciate. I like the way she consolidates the scenes. I enjoyed the story and the romance, specifically the first chapters and the last. It was a surprising twist at the end that made the story more interesting and better.
1.5 stars. Felt repetitive, rushed, needed better editing and there wasn’t enough substance to the story. Fluffy fun can be enjoyable but it still needs sufficient storyline to hold it together. The most interesting thing that happened was toward the end and not really explored, I suspect will be in a different book.
The writing is great. Witty dialogue and romantic scenes. However, I did not enjoy the projected storyline.
Percy is a Rake with a ward who he is attracted to. This ward, Freddie, is also very attracted to him. I just could not understand how they both liked each other, constantly flirted, constantly bonded, and constantly kissed (and other things), but could not see that they liked each other.
I mean, even their best friends were talking to each other and were telling them that they were attracted to each other. How could they not know that they were attracted to each other? I'm so confused!
Honestly, they could have fixed this problem if they would just actually pay attention to one another rather than play the superficial characters they are. This totally ruined their characters for me. It truly felt like he was trying to be her dad, and she was trying to be a rebellious teenage girl who is in love with her step dad. Disgusting thought.
SPOILERS:
HE legit thought she was into a conpletely different guy even though she sent some VERY obvious hints. SHE also always thought he didn't like her for some odd reason. Literally everyone was telling her that he liked her, but she continued to play the coy "I want you to teach me to flirt with someone else" character. Like, girl, it's obvious he likes you, but you keep hinting that this is for someone else. What do you want him to think? Also, she is a contradiction to herself. Sometimes she's stubborn and headstrong, flirting with him amd making herself available, but other times, she's coy and doubtful, holding herself back for stupid reasons even though he's obviously in love with her. Like, the whole sequence where she went to get him at a masquerade because she was scared he would find a lover. It was unnecessary and did nothing for their relationship other than to cause a bit of tension that lasted too long for no reason!
Percy/Percival & Freddie/Frederica. I'm on the fence about this book. Her brother died and asked that his bestie Percy would be guardian of his little sister and make sure she was married and settled. So he's her guardian and she's his ward. Long story short is they end up together in the end.
The think that is just bothering me is that them as a couple just oogies me out. Yeah he's 32 and she's 20 but that isn't the problem. I've read books with the guardian/ward storyline but in all of those book the ward was a hellion and temptress. In this one, she's been his ward since she was 17. He's a rake and at 17 yeah he would be attractive to her. It building over the next 3 years. So she's crushing on him and in a passive way wants him to teach her how to seduce a man (her future husband he's thinking). Then he starts noticing her as a woman and is tempted until he can't anymore.
Their relationship gives me real Woody Allen and his adopted daughter vibes. Yeah they aren't related but very much gives the feels of her being taken advantage of. I mean she refers to him as papa and how she gives him gray hairs and he refers to her as little Freddie. It's a relationship that shouldn't have happened. She needed a different personality to pull off this relationship. Just my opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I love this trope of ward/guardian. I haven't read anything similar, so I was super excited to dive it. Also, Freddie was only Percy's ward for like 2 years, so it makes the whole thing more intriguing than creepy!
Overall I really enjoyed the plot, characters and the romance. All were well written. Freddie and Percy were very enjoyable characters and I liked seeing their relationship bloom with the help of Freddie's meddling. The ending climax was centered around miscommunication, which I do find annoying. This was short and sweet, had a good level of steam, and I would recommend it (and this series) to someone who likes historical romances.
My only complains is the length of this. It's like 167 pages of story... which is so short. I liked the story so much I wish it was expanded! The relationship between Freddie and Percy would have been 10x better if it was a slow burn. I was actually surprised at how quickly they became physical with one another. There could have been more build up and tension, which would have also just added some depth to the story. I think my biggest complaint is that this felt rushed. Even surprise at the end - it felt a bit passed over? I assume it will be followed up upon in later books?
Percy, a reknown rake, was appointed Frederica’s guardian by his best friend and her older brother, Matthew. For two years she has lived with him, both mourning and missing Matthew. Somehwere along the line, Percy found himself dreaming of his ward in ways he should not. When Frederica (Freddie) realized that she was in love with Percy, she started a campaign to garner his interest. This is a rather charming story of denial, self sacrifice, longing and misunderstanding. Percy’s determination to be honorable is remarkable, while Freddie’s attempts to be desirable are endearing. The tension between them simply flies off the page and grabs the reader’s heart. There is a rather large surprise that comes at the most inopportune time, and the epilogue tees up the next book in the series. Loved it!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the 5th book in this series about women who belong to a Ladies Club on Berkeley Square. This club helps woman be brave and they sometimes do dares. Frederica, Freddie, accepts the dare to kiss Percy who is her Guardian. She has been having feelings for Percy which makes taking this dare extra wonderful. Percy is around 12 years older than Freddie, and he is her guardian, so any feelings he has been having about her he has been hiding it. What happens when Percy decides he has to help Freddie not be a wallflower anymore. I have read every book in this series, and I have loved them all. I can not wait for another one to come out. I received a copy of this book from Booksprout and am giving my honest opinion.
Frederica knew she had to be bold to get her rakish guardian Percy’s attention and win the wager of a kiss from him. He gives her so much more with his lessons in seduction, but because she makes him believe she is attracted to someone else she may be in danger of getting hurt and not winning his heart. His assistance brings her more attractive dresses and the attention of many men who snubbed her before, but still Percy fights his growing attraction to her. This was a steamy romance filled with funny and sexy moments. It was great to catch up with Frederica’s fellow members of the secret ladies club who learn how protect themselves, dance, and about things that no one will talk to young ladies about.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. Frederica is not a standard beauty but has her own unique beauty. She loves her guardian Percy but he will not entertain that option. A dare to kiss Percy in which she tries to get him to teach her to flirt and kiss is refused by him. Percy gives Freddie her first taste of pleasure and allows her to shine. I like how jealous Percy gets when he thinks he lost her. The bonus of her brother returning alive is overshadowed by Percy chasing after her and declaring his love while offering her marriage. Boldness does have its benefits.
This is one delightful series of the Ladies of the ton that belong to a certain ladies club that meets at 48 Berkeley Square . Frederica Williams, the Ward to the Marquess of Wolverton, belongs to this group and has transformed from a wallflower to an outgoing lady willing to take the “Dare” to kiss the said Marquess. He has taken her under wing for the two years since her brother died and left her under the care of his best friend. The awakening of their individual feelings for each other, going way beyond friendship make for a sweet and charming read. I loved every page of this story!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This was another great book in this series. This tale involves a 20 yr old Freddie and a 33 yr old Percy. Percy took over the guardianship of Freddie a couple of years ago when her brother was lost at sea. Percy is known as a libertine, but he has taken very kindly to care of Freddie. When Freddie is dared to kiss him, things start to unfold.
It was fun to see the couple’s banter and the easy life they created after living together for years. It was sweet and not weird in the slightest.
The author sucks me into her world with all of these stories and characters.
Beautifully written. Loved the tension and the chemistry between the MCs, especially Percy’s conflicts between his duty and desires was wonderfully portrait. I loved him !! The book was 5 start read for me until the brother arrived. It felt very awkward and rushed. Also after confessing her feeling to the drunk percy, she again kind of lied to him to sleep with him. It would have been lovely if she confessed her feeling instead of lying then.
I am enjoying this series, looking forward for the next book. Also I am really interested for lady lucinda’s story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
While not my favorite in this series, it is still a good book. I do love the wagers these women place for dares. There is no letting society tell them they cannot not be like White’s. I understand Freddie’s attraction to Percy but his blindness to it is really baffling. I thought peers were supposed to be more observant. I think Alyssa is a very good writer but the story seems a bit too rushed and wham we are hit with a plot twist that is out of the blue.
This was an entertaining read.. I couldn’t help but like Freddie, she was such an engaging character, full of spirit and adventurous. She was definitely determined to see if Percy, Marquess of Wolverton felt the same way about her, as she was falling in love with him. Percy, who had a reputation as a rake was a little slow to recognise the signs as to his feelings. There is a mystery that will be told in future books and also a lead in to the next book. I received a copy via Booksprout and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Great book. This is book 5 in the Wagers and Wallflower series. It is a standalone though you really should read them all, they are great. Love those ladies from 48 Berkeley Square! This a story about Miss Frederica Williams and Percy Devereaux Marquess of Wolverton. Freddie is in the Marquess' ward, but she wants to be more than that. Percy is too old for Freddie, or so he says. Her wager starts the story. This is a cute fun historical romance.
I received a free copy of this book for my honest review.
Frederica has accepted a dare to kiss her guardian, Percy, something that she's been longing to do. Percy is disturbed by his attraction to Freddie, who was placed into his keeping upon his friend's death. She's the one woman he shouldn't touch.
I loved this book. It was one of my favourites in the series. I loved the relationship between Freddie and Percy, particularly the way she caused him so much trouble and drove him crazy. It was quite amusing watching him try to resist her. This book was a lot of fun, and it also had the usual steam and drama. It was really enjoyable.