Tag: #wagersofsin

Fortune Favors the Viscount by Caroline Linden

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Fortune Favors the Viscount (The Wagers of Sin #4)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.*

When the Marquess was Mine by Caroline Linden

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

When the Marquess Was Mine (The Wagers of Sin, #3)When the Marquess Was Mine by Caroline Linden

Tracy’s rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Wagers of Sin #3

Release Date: September 24, 2019

Robert Churchill-Gray, the Marquess of Westmorland is an unabashed rake, but when he spends a wild night with his friends at the Vega Club and ends up winning the deed to a house owned by Sir Charles Winston, his life changes in ways that he could not even begin to comprehend!
Sir Charles spreads it about the Rob cheated and those rumors make it to his mother, who insists that Rob make things right! Rob has no intention of keeping the house, but is annoyed that Winston is blackening his name, he decides to return the deed to Winton’s wife and make it known what her husband did!! But when he is just a few miles from the house, he is attacked and violently beaten.

Lady Georgiana Lucas is visiting her friend Kitty, Lady Winston in Derbyshire when the letter comes from Sir Charles saying that there was some trouble in town and that if the Marquess of Westmorland shows up at the house, they are not to let him in!! Georgiana can only imagine what kind of trouble the marquess has caused, she is not acquainted with him, but she doesn’t like him because she has overheard him making cutting and snide remarks about herself and her friends, and she has even given him the nickname the malicious marquess. Bored of being cooped up in the house, Georgiana goes out riding and when she finds a man unconscious on the road, beaten beyond recognition, she refuses to leave him and brings him back to the house. It isn’t until he has been cleaned up a bit, that she recognizes him, she knows that Kitty has a vicious streak and worries he will die if he doesn’t get help, so she lies and says he is her betrothed Viscount Sterling. She immediately regrets her lie and worries what will happen when he wakes and tries to kick them out of the house!

But when Rob wakes, he has no memory of who he is or why he was in Derbyshire, he believes that Georgiana is his betrothed and thinks he is lucky to have such a wonderful fiancée. Georgiana wants to tell him the truth, but worries that it might cause a setback, but when his brother comes looking for him, she knows her time is up and she must tell him the truth.

Rob overhears her conversation with his brother – and his memory comes rushing back. He is upset to realize that Georgiana has lied to him, but is even more upset to realize she is not his betrothed. The next day she explains everything and they form a plan to have him leave without revealing who he is – he still doesn’t remember why he was in Derbyshire, his brother Tom has told him what happened, but he doesn’t know why he decided to go to the house in the first place. He also wonders why he and his friend Heathcote were gambling so deep, something tickles in the back of his mind that he and Heath were gambling as part of a mission to help Heath’s uncle, but these things are just not clear. They all agree it would be best for Rob to return to his family home and Georgiana will return to London. He doesn’t want things to end, but she is engaged and is not willing to jilt Viscount Sterling.

Georgiana has come to care for Rob, but she has loved Viscount Sterling her whole life – hasn’t she? When she returns to London, she begins to question her feelings for Sterling and his devotion for her.

Rob can’t seem to forget about Georgiana and wonders if he gave up too easily. When his father encourages him to follow his heart, he goes back to London, but the road to HEA is never easy and these two have more going against them than most couples…

This is a nicely paced, well written story with very likeable characters, witty banter, warm love scenes, a truly vile villain, long suffering chaperones, great secondary characters and cameos with Sophie and Wade as well as Lord Phillip, my only real complaint is that I did feel like the villain got off a little too easily. But overall, I enjoyed this story and would be happy to recommend. This is the third book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone without issue.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by Edelweiss and the publisher.*