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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
The plot was orignal but the characters were underdeveloped., April 14, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Dark Wager (Paperback)
Many of the twists and turns of plot in Dark Wager were refreshingly orignal. Several of the characters are not stereotypic of the genre. Nevertheless, I found the characters themselves made reading the book arduous. While Clara, the heroine, is repeatedly described as charming, the reader never understands what it is about her that makes others, inlcuding members of the ton, rave about her. Her interests and friendships seem notably limited; she quickly becomes insubstantial whenever she is not speaking to or thinking about Lucien. While fashionable women rush to buy whatever clothing style she wears, the reader never glimpses Clara's uniqueness or her sense of style. In short, the heroine never appears to warrant the universal admiration she receives. I found the Lucien, the hero, undesirable. His love for Clara is excessively needy, and seems to have its origins in a difficult childhood and unresolved mental health 'issues.' His penchant for low company (gaming hells, promiscuis women, and a mistress whom he treats poorly) makes the reader slow to realize that he and his fellow night crawlers are among the cream of the English aristocracy.
The atmosphere in Dark Wager is somehow both claustrophobic and empty. The characters appear to have single minded pursuits which throw them together too often, yet I could not perceive the solid surroundings in which they spent so much time together. Instead, the characters appear to finger wineglasses or alight into carriages which materialize whenever necessitated by the plot. I was startled when, in the midst of a detailed conversation between acquaintances, I read that "He turned her about in a neat spin." So little did the press of the crowd, the music of the orchestra, and the exertions of the ballroom intrude into the tempo of their private conversation, I forgot that the couple was supposed to be dancing.
The wager referred to in the title has the power to offend the subtle sensibilites of high society. However, the characters an!d the society in which they move seem rather jaded and hardened which causes the impropriety of the wager to seem insignificant in comparison to the way they conduct their daily lives. This relative comparison remains unaffected by the numerous scandalized references to the wager throughout the book. I found Dark Wager lacking the charm and romance I look for when purchasing a historical romance. I can't recommend it.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dark Soul Seeing the Light, June 21, 2002
This review is from: Dark Wager (Paperback)
It is hard to say something nice about the hero in this book Lucien Bryland after the beginning of this book portrayed him to be a hateful, rotten, creep. He was all that and more! Not a very nice person. His betrothed, Lady Clara Harkhams, while not a beauty, had the soul of an angel - and she really and truly loved him, or rather she loved the boy he had been, not the man he had become. It must have been her women's intuition that made her stick it out with him to find that the tortured soul needed her, badly, to bring him out of the darkness and into the light. It is a wonderful story to watch the love develop, finally, into an everlasting love such as the kind dreams are made of. On the other hand, there were a few other story lines contained in here that at once amused - Wulf and Bella - and wanted to make you cry - Uncle Robby and Aunt Anna. These could have been stories in themselves but lent beautifully in the telling of the love story between Lucien and Clara. Excellent story. I particularly love the way Ms. Spencer always weaves the villians or villinesses into her storyline. I would have given this one 5 stars if I hadn't been so frustrated with Lucien - somehow I couldn't get over his earlier darkness! Well worth finding a copy and reading it!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Tearjerker (well, almost!), July 17, 2000
This review is from: Dark Wager (Paperback)
I think I've read "Dark Wager" about 4 times since I bought it, and I never fail to be moved by the story. Lucien is a hard, bitter, cruel man, whose distrust of Clara is all out of proportion to her actions, but understandable in light of his past experiences. Clara was a bit too accomodating, but showed her mettle later in the book. Considering Lucien's character, Clara's willingness to compromise allowed him to reassess his previous assumptions of her and open himself up to her love, trust and loyalty. In an interesting twist, he later finds himself having to convince her of the depth of his feelings when an earlier wrongdoing comes back to haunt them. I enjoyed seeing Lucien's character change along with his realisation of his love for Clara, and the fact that he tries to protect her from his past ugliness endeared him to me. And yes, there were times when I felt really deeply for Clara (you know, the twist in your stomach, the lump in your throat, the burning eyes...), so I can definitely, enequivocally recommend this book.
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