Customer Reviews

The Duke's Wager

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

You can get the plot pretty much anywhere, and at first glance, the Duke's Wager, seemingly, is very formulaic. Young innocent bookish virgin heroine + titled promiscuous handsome rake. In this case, two of them: the younger and less dissipated Marquis of Bessacarr, and the truly legendary Duke of Torquay. However, while the secondary characters are not very well developed, it is understandable when you see how powerful the characters of Regina and the hero (yes, he is still a hero) are. It leaves little room to flesh out extraneous characters, and maybe that's why the book is so compelling: it propels along by the force of one man alone; I knew who I wanted Regina to be with even before she appeared on the scene.

Written in the 80s, it dates itself a little in that the characters have semi-soliliquies a la Woodiwiss, but with infinite times the intelligence and a fraction of the mind-numbing dullness. All the characters say "for" when they mean "because" and there are several typos, but this remains, undisputedly, Layton's best work, if not the top 10 romances I've ever read.

If you read one book by Edith Layton, read this one. Regina, the heroine, is a woman on the cusp of a delimima, starve and be virtuous, or accept the protection of Jason, Duke of Torquay. The conversations/decisiions between Regina and Jason are some of the best ever written in a romance novel. This ranks close to Georgette Heyer's best such as "The Devil's Cub" or "These Old Shades". Jason shows multiple sides to his personality as he finds himself both wanting Regina and hoping she will continue to decline his offer. If you have read her other books and wondered about who the Duke of Torquay was....then this is one you should read.

"A rake reformed" is a classic theme in romance novels, but Edith Layton did it one better in this novel. She has two reformable rakes here, and Layton leaves it ambiguous for much of the book which rake will turn into the hero. One of the rakes is more wicked than usual for a potential hero. He causes the heroine to be cast out from her home and onto his mercy (he hopes; she escapes). The ending is particularly well-drawn. More than any other recent books I've read, this one reminded me of a Georgette Heyer.

I loved this book - great story and amazing dialogue. I could not put it down until I had finished it. "The Dukes Wager" ranks right up there with Georgette Heyer's "These Old Shades" and "The Devil's Cub"!! This was the first Edith Layton book I had read and I am now in the process of trying to find all of her earlier works to read.
A great read and definitely a "keeper"!!

This is a great book! The storyline is very original and Ms Layton has given each character a trueness that makes them flawed but likable. Highly recommend!

This story gripped me and I couldn't put it down. Edith Layton did a wonderful job presenting two notorious rakes who wanted the same girl. One was a 35-year old duke who bedded anything wearing a skirt and the other was a 28-year old marquis who went from mistress to mistress. What a choice for an 18-year old virgin who didn't want to play their games. When she refused to become a mistress, then both men proposed marriage. I'm not sure Regina made the right choice but the book certainly held my interest.

On my top 10+ list! Edith Layton can make a sentence as attractive to read as the hero himself. I got the distinct feeling Ms. Layton had earnest talks with loose and "wicked," powerful men in order to write this story. If not, it's hard to imagine where her ideas came from. Especially, the man behind the face who ultimately wins the heart of Regina.

Each character was flushed out beautifully. Regina was young and was not yet aware of our sometimes cruel, graceless, lowbrow world. "Innocence" and naivety are a part of a sheltered youth. As the Duke put it, Regina's naive assumption that there was always good, and fair play was naive; so true, yet idealism is also a youthful trait so Regina was true to character. I remember seeing the movie, "The Gigilo" staring Richard Gere. It was not until the middle of the movie did I learn what a gigilo was. My friends could not see beyond Richard Gere's pretty face but I sat very low in my seat and was shocked at what I learned of the "world".

Neither rival wished to lose Regina but the one who could have won her lost her and the other won her because, last and finally, "the love FOR a good woman". Well done Ms. Layton!

This book has been in my TBR pile for a while. I dug it out after getting a recommendation from the romance forum. I am so glad I did. I Loved this book. It is so different from the standard fair. The duke really was bad, but this was a wonderful book, none the less.

A warning for those who like liberal doses of sex in your reading: there is none here. Just plain good writer superb character development, plotting and good old fashioned romance. Great find.

I still have my original 1983 edition of this book, because I couldn't bear to part with it. It has neat characters (who can resist a blonde, gorgeous Duke with ulterior motives) and keeps you guessing. A great read, lets hope it's reprinted soon!