The Mouse & The Wager
by Clarissa Thale
A wager. A wallflower. A duke who never intended to fall.
Lady Madelaine Farley has spent four Seasons in London as little more than a shadow on the wall. With her spectacles, plain gowns, and absent fortune, she has been overlooked, dismissed, and whispered about. But when her father's ruin threatens to seal her fate, she has no choice but to endure society's cruelty-and the looming threat of a marriage arranged to the highest bidder
Jacob Dawson, the Duke of Wrothsbury, thrives on wagers and challenges-until one reckless bet dares him to turn the season's least likely wallflower into its reigning diamond. Amused and intrigued, he accepts. Yet the moment he looks beyond Madelaine's quiet exterior, he finds himself captivated by her wit, resilience, and the stormy blue-green eyes that see far more than he intends
What begins as a game soon tangles with secrets, pride, and longing neither of them can deny. But when Madelaine discovers the cruel wager at the heart of his pursuit, will Jacob's growing devotion be enough to win her forgiveness-or has he gambled away the one woman who could ever truly claim his heart?
For fans of Julia Quinn and Mary Balogh, The Mouse & The Wager is a tender, spirited Regency romance about the courage it takes to be seen, the risk of opening one's heart, and the wager that becomes a love story.