Customer Reviews

A Game of Scandal (Friends Trilogy)

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

 

 

GAME OF SCANDAL is the story of reunited lovers Lilith and Gabriel. Ten years earlier, Lilith and Gabriel were heading towards marriage, but family tragedy kept Gabriel for asking for Lilith's hand, however this tragedy occurred after Gabriel "ruins" Lilith. As a result, Lilith leaves the country, only to return ten years later as the owner of a gambling club called Mallory's.

Gabriel, Lord Anglewood, is the leading crusader in Parliament against gambling. After suspecting that a peer was cheated at Lilith's club, Gabriel sets out to find out if the allegations are true. However, from this point, the story looses the focus of the gambling crusade.

Lilith does not trust Gabriel because of his broken promises in the past. Gabriel does not trust Lilith because of her leaving. This distrust follows the couple throughout the entire book. Even though they have conversations about what happen, and seemed to resolve the issues, one party or the other continues to distrust the other. This issue with the book weighs it down until the fun from the novel is taken away. Added to that a side storyline where Lilith is threatened by a rival club owner, and I had a very difficult time keeping my interest in the book.

It is obvious from Ms. Smith's latest effort, INTO YOUR ARMS, that her skills as a writer have only improved with the novels she has written. This is good. Some of the earlier work can be more trying to get through, but ultimately, the tales are good.

Gambling and its legislation in the 1800s in London could have been a tantalizing backstage for her latest historical romance but Kathryn Smith, known for her sensual love scenes, instead concentrates on unraveling the mistrust and betrayal between former lovers bohemian gambling operator Lillith Mallory and parliament speaker Gabriel Warren. The playful mood of seduction wears thin to obscure the lack of atmosphere and depth in the lengthy read. Even Ms. Smith's passionate scenes fail to elicit the spark and chemistry between the characters who repeatedly falls out and reunites with sex in some sort of a vicious cycle. To add a dollop of intrigue and danger, Ms. Smith throws in a rival gambling operator who threatens her business and sends Lillith desperate for Gabe's protection. Ms. Smith redeems with a rousing ending to build up and impress with the altruistic Lillith and the gallant Gabe in their love for each other with obstacles of class and the demise of Gabe's father but it seems that Ms. Smith is only to content with a palatable plot to string the lovers together without much thought for the milieu and plot structure. This book thus languishes into a fleeting pleasure that fails to stimulate the heart and the intellect. Detractors may argue that it's an archetypal romance but a little more effort in detailing the historical period is deeply appreciated - and definitely worth the gamble.

After being discovered in a compromising situation, Lilith was hustled off to her aunt in Italy, where she eventually became accustomed to the fact that not only did her lover not intend to make her an honest woman, but that she would never be able to contract a respectable marriage with any honorable man.

So after her aunt's death, Lilith decides to defy society's rules and use her inheritance to run a gambling establishment. This is where she is finally confronted with her former lover, Gabriel, now an earl who is attempting to persuade Parliament to outlaw gambling.

As much as they are now on entirely opposite sides, both Gabriel and Lilith discover that the feelings they had for each other are as strong as ever, in spite of the passing of ten years and much bitterness on both sides. But Lilith's reputation--certainly not improved by her position as mistress of a gaming establishment--has gone too far for her ever to be accepted as an earl's wife, and Gabriel will have her no other way.

As with Ms. Smith's other books, I found myself glued to the pages of this one. Nevertheless, I don't give it a five-star rating because I was NOT impressed with Gabriel's "excuses" for allowing Lilith to bear the blame and the scandal for their affair. In a time when young women had little or no control over their lives, he was a young man who could have made it right. The fact that he considered his father's tragedy to be more important than the woman he loved rather diminished his character, in my opinion. How HE could have nursed any bitterness at all toward HER was simply incredible to me. Nor did I care for the casual way it was suggested that Lilith had indulged in affairs with other men in the past, no matter how few.

Overall, however, reading this book was a rare pleasure, and I heartily recommend it.

The setting is 1818 London, and our hero, Earl Gabriel Warren, has been approached by his very good and older friend Viscount Blaine Underwood to assist him in a delicate matter. Blaine's son insists that he was cheated at a gambling establishment. Knowing Gabriel's stance on outlawing gambling Blaine feels that this is something that would benefit Gabriel's political career. The problem is the name of the club is Mallory's and the woman that Gabriel has loved since he was a young man and never been able to forget is none other than the owner, Lady Lilith Mallory.

Ten years prior, they had been madly in love, and had been discovered in a compromising situation. Gabriel had every intention of marrying Lilith, but family circumstances prevented him from going to her immediately and making an offer before her name was bandied about and her reputation ruined. She disappeared and though Gabe made every effort to find her - he couldn't. Through a total lack of communication ten years later both blame each other for their plight of unrequited love and their being on total opposite sides of the gambling issue leads for even more controversy - including the fact that neither will admit to loving each other.

This is turning into such a nice little trilogy - and it certainly does stand alone - but if you had read the first book (A Seductive Offer) you were introduced to our hero. The story is both an amusing Regency romance when the lead couple exchange scathingly double entendres that are quite sharp, as well as bring tears to your eyes at the betrayals and the misguided notion of letting pride stand in the way of undying love. As the author reintroduces friends from her first of this trilogy, she also sets you up for the third book in the series - Into Temptation - that I am quite looking forward too with the hope that it stays as fresh and sensually enticing as this one did.

I found plenty of emotional depth to enjoy in this effort by Smith. The way Lilith and Gabriel were torn and kept apart resonated with me. Their chemistry is undeniable, and their struggles to compromise and find a way to be together (or to leave each other) are tense, emotional, and realistic. Their inner struggles to thrive despite the pain they have inadvertently caused each other pulls the reader into their lives. Their pain, resentment, and longing are palpable.

I found this second chance at love story compelling.

First-Kathyn Smith is a great writer -I throughly enjoyed another book-Anna and The Duke. What ruined what could have been an otherwise great book is the irony of two characters who go on and on about morality and virtue-but seem to have none of that for themselves.

For example-Lilith runs a Gaming hell (in and of itself a illegal vice)and when she realizes that Gabriel is going to try to outlaw gambling, what's the first thing she does? She blackmails one of her customers-holding information of his liasion at her club with his mistress over his head unless he helps her? Not very moral, IMO.

I also agree with another reviewer-the idea that Gabriel would look upon himself as the injured party in their youthful affair very implausible in that time period. Any young man of quality would have known implicitly that he had "ruined" her, and if he really had any love or honor he would have found her then and married her! That her father would have sent her away instead of forcing them to marry very farfetched as well. Instead he tells Gabriel that he not "good" enough for his daughter? Gabriel is an Earl!

I understand that this is part of a trilogy-so reading the other two may have helped me understand this book.

The great thing about books is we don't see them the same way-people get different things from the same book. If you don't mind moral ambiguity in your characters you may get more out of this book than I did. Otherwise I'd suggest you try another one of her books.

Once again, Ms. Smith has crafted a passionate, intriguing and exciting romance. Rather than focussing on the ton, her story ventures into the gambling houses of Regency England as her hero and heroine, separated years earlier by circumstance, battle each other and their rekindled love. Gabe has his reasons for wanting to end gambling in England, while Lilith is proud of her achievement in building a business all her own, the elite gaming club, Mallory's. Each is haunted by demons from the past, but must learn to put them aside and trust in the other.
Well-paced, with lush detail, a tender and tantalising romance, and intriguing plot twists, A Game of Scandal proves Ms. Smith is definitely going places in the world of historical romance fiction.

This is my first K.S. book and if the others are just as good as this one, it wont be my last! I absolutely loved this storyline! Lord Angelwood and Lady Lillith were suppose to be married but instead she ran away. Now 10 years later she is the owner of a gaming club and he is in persuit of closing it down. But upon meeting each other once again, they cant help but falling back into old habits- they still love each other but their past tempts to keep them apart. They both feel betrayed by the other, like why had she ran away from him and as she sees it why didnt he come for her? A great book and i would higly recommend this as a must read!

In 1818 London, Viscount Blaine Underwood asks his long time friend Earl Gabriel Warren for help. At a gentleman's club, Mallory, run by a woman, Blaine's son insists he was cheated at cards. Blaine knows Gabriel's cause to ban gambling throughout England and wants his friend to close this joint before some other idiot is fleeced. However, just the name shakes Gabriel to the core. Ten years ago, Gabriel and his beloved fiancee Lilith Mallory made love, but she vanished and he never found her as his only information source her father died.

At Mallory, Gabriel and Lilith see one another for the first time in a decade. She wants to hate the man who compromised her, forced her into exile to avoid scandal, but never came for her. He wants to detest the woman who deserted him and his love without a look back. However, the feelings run deep in spite of their mutual hatred, mistrust, and misconception of the other. Soon they both realize that they still love their beloved enemy.

A GAME OF SCANDAL is an amusing Regency romance that is at its lofty best when the lead couple exchange barbing double entendres that subtly rip skin. Though a subplot involving a businessman is exciting, it takes away from the strong gender war between two foes that intimately know one another. As she did with A SEDUCTIVE OFFER and this novel, Kathryn Smith provides an engaging tale starring intriguing bantering protagonists that hopefully will soon follow with the third buddy Gabriel and the person he does not wish to see.

Harriet Klausner