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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
well worth the wait, February 10, 2006
This review is from: The Wagering Widow (Harlequin Historical) (Mass Market Paperback)
Very few authors can successfully pull off a riveting follow-up to a previous novel -- especially one that both stands on its own as well as compliments the previous installment wonderfully. Ever since I read "The Mysterious Miss M," I've wanted to know how things would end up for Madeline's older sister, Emily. And fortunately for me, Diane Gaston, one of these rare authors, had decided to write a follow up that featured Emily as heroine. And what a treat of a read "The Wagering Widow" proved to be too.
Emily Duprey thought that she was escaping from her scandalous family when she eloped with the handsome Lord Guy Keating. Little did she know that Guy is actually completely penniless and has married her for the fortune he thinks she has. The trouble is that Emily has no fortune -- it was all a story that her father had concocted while the gambling tables. So that, to her horror, Emily realises too late that she has married a man much like her father: a charming gambler with no thought for anyone except his own pleasures. Angry, hurt and tired of being treated with distant politeness by her remote husband, Emily comes up with a daring plan in order to establish her independence and escape her unhappy marriage. What Emily hadn't quite counted on, however, was the reemergence of the kindly and devastatingly charming man that she had fallen in love with. Should Emily carry on with her plans of escape? Or should she stick it out in spite of the fact that Guy is a hopeless gambler?
For me, the wonderful thing about "The Wagering Widow" was Emily. She's the kind of heroine I relate to best; and reading about how she coped with dignity everything that Guy and his family threw at her, was truly satisfying. Also pleasurable was reading of how Guy let go of his unfair resentment and began to appreciate his new wife -- her quiet grace, her intelligence, and later, her daring. "The Wagering Widow" is the kind of
romance novel that takes its time to develop and that does revolve around a misunderstanding of sorts. Guy is not a gambler by choice and has been forced into it out of desperation's sake. Unfortunately, he doesn't see fit to inform Emily about any of this. This plot gambit allows for the two to retreat into separate corner and mope. Which can be a little trying on one's patience. However, such was Diane Gaston's storytelling skill that instead of wanting to throw up one's hands in despair, one felt compelled to read on and to keep rooting for this couple to clear up all their misconceptions and achieve their happily ever-after ending. Also nicely done was how the author incorporated a small subplot involving the characters from her other book, "The Mysterious Miss M" into this novel, making it one of the things that brought Emily and Guy together. All in all, this was a very satisfying and pleasurable read. Both Guy and Emily display flaws but behave, mostly, in a rather grown up way that was refreshing -- no absurd tantrums or idiotic behaviour for readers to have to put up with here! And if the ending was a little contrived, it still did not detract from making "The Wagering Widow" a very satisfying read indeed.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read!, March 7, 2005
Guy, Lord Keating, is in dire need of funds. To get them, he follows in his deceased father's footsteps, hitting the gaming tables, until he learns that Emily Duprey is an "heiress." He woos, then convinces Emily to elope with him to Scotland, certain the marriage will solve his financial problems. Behind Emily's quiet, mousy façade rests a spunky female who longs for love and a desire to escape her father-a gambler who sent away Emily's sister, Madeline, after a scandal, declaring her "dead." Emily is thrilled that a handsome, wealthy man would desire her, and agrees to elope when Guy tells her that her father refused to allow their marriage. Although their wedding night is bliss, Guy soon loses interest in the marriage bed. If that isn't bad enough, when Guy takes her home after their honeymoon in Scotland and introduces Emily to his mother, the elderly woman makes it clear she doesn't approve of the marriage. Even so, Emily is determined to make the best of things. Then Emily then learns Guy married her only for her inheritance - a mere pittance. Determined not to live with a man who doesn't love her, she devises a plan: Using her deceased mother's clothing, she'll disguise herself as "Lady Widow" and use the card skills she learned from her father to win sufficient money to escape a loveless marriage and live on her own. She seeks the aid of her married brother, Robert, who also possesses the gambling habit. When the masked, alluring "Lady Widow" appears at a gambling house, the men quickly bet on who will be the first to bed her. Cyprian Stone, an acquaintance of Lord Keating, convinces Guy to join him at the betting establishment to meet "Lady Widow." Guy is astonished when he discovers that the seductive "Lady Widow" is his mousy wife, and soon wonders if she, like her father, is addicted to gambling. Though he's hot happy about the fact other men are vying to bed her, he hides his discovery, playing along with her game, intent on preventing the other men from winning the bet - and discovering the answer to his worst fear. Complications arise when Cyprian Stone also realizes that the "Lady Widow" is Lady Emily, Guy's wife. Determined to win the ever increasing bet regarding bedding the woman, Cyprian threatens Emily, using knowledge of her sister Madeline's past scandal and present identity as a happily married woman to force Emily into bed. But will he succeed? The Wagering Widow by Diane Gaston, aka Diane Perkins, is a thoroughly engrossing tale of love and deception, of desire and hope. The characters are wonderfully drawn, their goals and emotions expertly revealed as the story unveils. Emily possesses an inner strength and an ability to be kind in the face of rejection, characteristics that gained my admiration during the first few pages. Guy's reasons for marrying Emily at first appear selfish, however the reason for doing so are not: he wants merely to erase his father's debts and provide for his aging mother and two aunts. Guy isn't as shallow as he first appears; especially when he learns to admire Emily's calm and patience in the face of his mother's obvious disapproval. All too soon, Guys begins to understand of the true strength of character in the woman he married, and his initial attraction grows into full fledged love. The Wagering Widow is a great read and a definite keeper.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
I MUST HAVE READ A DIFFERENT BOOK!!!!!, November 18, 2006
This review is from: The Wagering Widow (Harlequin Historical) (Mass Market Paperback)
I read all reviews of this book and just happened upon it at the library.
The reviews were so glowing that I couldn't wait to get started. Well, several WEEKS later I finally finished it. The characters were bland an oh so boring. There was neither desire or romance in this book that made much sense to me. Even at the very end of this book, I was left with no feeling for either character or the entire premise of this book.
She was a vamp at night and very boring and unattractive during the day???? Emily was afraid of her own shadow, but she turns into a vamp with a mask. Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just my opinion, but that is what I got from this so called romance. She was no seductress and he was no ones hunk of burning love.
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