The Marriage Wager [Mass Market Paperback]

Jane Ashford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996

Seeing her husband gamble his life away, Lady Emma Tarrant is determined to prevent another young man from doing the same and challenges the scoundrel who holds his debts, a move that intrigues and arouses Lord Colin Wareham.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A gambler's disgraced widow and an embittered Napoleonic war veteran are scarred by their pasts but willing to bet on the future in this sensitively rendered romance. When Lady Emma Tarrant sees her younger brother lose a fortune at cards, she challenges Colin Wareham, the fifth baron of St. Mawr, to a game of chance that could cancel her brother's debt or end in disaster. With a delicately depicted Regency setting interwoven with a tender love story, this novel provides a passionate portrayal of marriage partners who learn how to love and cherish one another in the face of society's disapproval and family entanglements. Exceptional characters and beautifully crafted historical details ensure a delightful read for Judith McNaught and Mary Balogh fans.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

Exceptional characters and beautifully crafted historical details ensure a delightful read for Judith McNaught and Mary Balogh fans. --Publishers Weekly

...lively, well-written Regency romance sparkles with wonderful dialogue, witty scenes and just the right touch of humor, adventure and repartee. --Romantic Times

A riveting, emotional romance that will garner a place of prominence on anyone's keeper shelf. --Rendevous

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 371 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; First Edition edition (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553575775
• ISBN-13: 978-0553575774
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,525,282 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jane Ashford has written Regency and contemporary romances. Her books have been published in Sweden, Italy, England, Denmark, France, Russia, Latvia and Spain, as well as the U.S. She is a two-time nominee for a Career Achievement Award by Romantic Times Magazine. See her website at www.janeashford.com and an interview about her writing at http://www.likesbooks.com/ashford.html.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book, September 21, 2001

By 

Margaret "10 Year Amazon Browser" (New Bern, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Marriage Wager (Mass Market Paperback)

For all the reasons that we read books like these, I loved this book.
There was an honorable, admirable heroine and an imperfect yet extremely attractive hero. The details provided, as well as the secondary characters, provided motivation(s) for both the hero and heroine. These were much more than three-dimentional and created an engrossing story.
This is the first book I read by this author, and it has made me keep an eye open for any books published by this author since then.

3.0 out of 5 stars It's OK but I couldn't finish it., December 28, 2009

By 

Deborah Rimmer "eclectic choices" (Westcliffe, CO) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Marriage Wager (Mass Market Paperback)

I bought this book because I have liked some other stories Jane Ashford wrote. She does write well, wonderful similes, but all the elegant prose in the world will not make an unbelievable story better.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written and very engaging, January 29, 2009

By 

Sarah1989 - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Marriage Wager (Mass Market Paperback)

I don't know what the 3 star reviewer was talking about that it's a good book for being 10 years old and that much has changed in romance writing. The things that have changed are things that, in my opinion, should not have changed. Things like making sure all the parts of the story tie together and that the conflicts the characters have, both internally and with others, drive their actions.

Newer romances often seem to rely on explicit sex, and the characters having strange appendages or incredible abilities to cover over the lack of craft in the fiction. Oh, and the lack of correct punctuation. I have pretty much stopped reading new romance novels even though I enjoyed the sex scenes. The run on sentences and the grammatical errors make me grit my teeth. The way some authors throw in big or little used words, but do not use the words correctly. Oh, and the way characters' actions make no sense, but are excused because the character is an alien, or a vampire, or a spy.

Jane Ashford is a good writer. I guess that's why the 3 star reviewer enjoyed it even though it WAS 10 years old.