Fortune Favors the Viscount by Caroline Linden

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Wagers of Sin, #4

Release Date: June 27, 2023

Miss Emilia “Millie” Greene is desperate, her former employer has passed away with no heir, leaving a penniless estate and his young daughter. Emilia is concerned for Lucinda, but it isn’t until she learns that the man the Viscount left guardianship to is none other than her former betrothed, that she knows there is no way she can leave Lucy in his care and decides to find an heir. She begins to search and finds Nicholas Dashwood – now she just has to go to London and convince him to claim the title and take Lucinda as his ward. It should be easy – because really, what man wouldn’t want a title?

Nicholas “Nick” Dashwood is the owner of the popular gaming hell Vega Club. He is a self-made man, who is rich, mysterious, and perfectly content with his life. But that was before he met Miss Emilia Greene, a governess who is sure that Nick is actually the only heir of the late Viscount Sydenham and therefore the next of kin to her young charge, Lucinda Sidney. Nick has no desire to claim the title, but Emilia is relentless and refuses to let Nick dismiss her out of hand. Against his better judgment, Nick agrees to hear her claims and grudgingly agrees that being elevated to the peerage would benefit his sister. He agrees to look at the evidence she has gathered and will consider filing a claim to the title if she will become his sister’s governess. He even agrees to support Lucy and house them, especially when he learns whom Lucy’s father named as her guardian. He is almost sure that he is not the heir, but has his solicitor look into it. Now he just has to make sure none of this changes anything in his life and ignore the growing attraction he is feeling for Emilia.

What a great addition to the series! This book is well-written, nicely paced, and features a slow-burn romance between relatable and likable characters. The story is filled with secrets, past betrayals, awful families, longing, danger, steamyish love scenes, trust, more danger, a nasty villain, wonderful secondary characters, as well as cameos with former characters, and finally, a HEA that warms your heart. I loved this book, but I did feel like I was left with some unanswered questions, nothing really major or anything that would change the story, but unanswered questions nonetheless. This is the fourth book in the series and I thought it was the last book, but now I’m not really sure if that is the case or not. Either way, this book could be read as a standalone title with no problem, but do yourself a favor and read the series in order.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.*