Customer Reviews

The Wagering Widow (Harlequin Historical)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

A series of misconceptions lays the groundwork for this compelling story of masked intrigue and unexpected passion. Emily Duprey is quiet, unremarkable in appearance, without fortune or connections, and in her third season on the marriage mart. She is therefore stunned when, after knowing her for only a short while, Guy Keating asks Emily to elope with him. Unlike Emily, Guy is quite a catch. He is handsome, a viscount, comfortably well-off, and a seemingly nice person, to boot. Emily gladly marries Guy, relieved to finally be free of her awful parents and flattered to be wanted by such a desirable man! What Emily does not know is that Guy is destitute (due to his late brother's gambling) and married her because he mistakenly thinks she is an heiress.

About a week into the marriage, Guy learns that Emily is as poor as he is. Guy has been slow to advance their physical relationship, and now he brings it to a complete halt. He fears that sleeping with Emily will result in a child that he cannot provide for. Prideful and protective, he avoids Emily, hides his insolvency from her, and gambles at cards (successfully) to win money on which to live. Emily knows Guy goes to gaming clubs every night. She sees how little money they have, and wrongly assumes that it is due to his gambling. Emily's father was a compulsive gambler, and she has no desire for any part of it. She decides to earn enough money to be able to leave Guy. Despite her aversion to gambling, Emily is a skilled card player. She reinvents herself, complete with a masked disguise, as the seductive "Lady Widow." She finds a discreet private club in which to play and, sneaking out nights, she wins a sizable fortune - aided by her alluring attire and flirtatious manner. Then Guy starts coming to her club. Emily thinks he doesn't recognize her in the disguise, but he does and just chooses not to tell her. This is where the story gets interesting, for though strangers in the day, they become quite familiar at night.

I thoroughly enjoyed this riveting read. Guy and Emily are fascinating characters - flawed, yet complex and appealing. Emily starts out extremely calm and controlled, afraid to openly express her emotions, so that her transformation to Lady Widow is truly gratifying. Guy starts out as a fortune-hunting cad, yet we care for him anyway. He is virtually oblivious to Emily, apparently incapable of remembering her name (so he keeps calling her "dear"), and Emily, in turn, avoids calling him Guy. When their names are finally used, the reader knows it means something. The story has wonderful dialogue. The love scenes are a little sparse, but the interplay and sexual tension between the pair is so good that one does not feel shortchanged. It is helpful to first read the previous book, "The Mysterious Miss M," to better understand Emily's history. Highly recommended.

A book has to be truly mesmerizing to make me want to write a thank-you letter to its author; I've only ever done so a few times. THE WAGERING WIDOW made me write such a letter! I'm reading it for the second time, since I couldn't get enough of Guy and Emily and wanted to experience their story all over again!

As the book opens, Viscount Guy Keating and Emily Duprey are marrying under false pretenses, and barely know each other. Author Diane Gaston (whose MYSTERIOUS MISS M and The IMPROPER WIFE, the latter penned as Diane Perkins in the US) is, I think, very brave indeed to open a romance this way -- right
down to the stark realism of the wedding night where Guy, full of guilt at his side of the deception (he's marrying her for the fortune she's said to have inherited), is as gentle as he can be with his very virginal bride. And although Emily finds him very handsome, kind, and polite, their wedding night is less than ideal, for love is not really there -- not yet, and the reader is swept up into a page-turner, wondering how in the world this will EVER work out! It does, and so beautifully!

Gaston's hero and heroine are so deeply drawn, and so realistic (we learn so much about their innermost motives and feelings) that the book feels like "richer" romance. Think of chocolate, and then think of VERY dark, rich, fine chocolate, some of the finest you've ever had. It's like that. This book, like her previous works, has her stamp of lovely prose, deep emotions, and brilliant but realistic plots -- I am hooked, and will always be waiting for the next Diane Gaston/Diane Perkins romance!

I don't wish to give the plot away, and you can read about it at the author's site, or even here, soon, if the publisher's synopsis is posted... but I must tell you that this is a reading experience you'll not soon forget. You come to love her characters, even some of her secondary characters. Not too far into the book, I'm in love with Guy. (Emily I love right away, since she is easy to identify with.) But it's rare for me to read a romance where I even care what happens to most of the servants! They are all so human!

The plot line is positively delicious, in some of its twists and turns. We even get to see Devlin and Maddy, from MYSTERIOUS MISS M, for a few pages; however, each book stands alone; they don't have to be read in sequence at all. (But wow, are they good!)

Again, this is no ordinary romance. Ms. Gaston has a background in social work/counseling, and it's put to amazing use in each of her novels. We see and understand their very complex desires and fears and hopes, and we see their innate goodness. We fervently want them to be together.

There are some very beautiful love scenes in the book;
Chapter 15, for example, is the longest, most drawn-out bit of
seduction I've *ever* read ... Guy and 'Lady Widow'(his Emily!) are playing a card game on three levels: an emotional battle of wills, the card game itself, and a game of seduction, which has them losing articles of clothing throughout, so that by the end of the game, and the chapter... well, this is HOT reading. It's brilliant and erotic, and you're left feeling *quite* pleased, indeed...

I think the author has crafted a new subgenre in romance; I call it "realism in romance" , or "realistic Regency," referring to her fearless portrayals of people who are from dysfunctional families, who have real demons of their own, and yet who are fighting their way out of these situations/behaviors, and breaking free of their pasts, with their brains, their hearts, and with love and forgiveness. They succeed, which will lift your heart. It certainly did mine.

I can only say: "Read it; you'll be glad you did!"

The Wagering Widow is my second book by Diane Gaston and I continue to be very impressed by this new author. She seems to have decided to carve out a little niche for herself in the seamier underside of Ton life in the Regency period. She creates sympathetic, interesting characters who, for broadly believable reasons, find themselves enmeshed in the demi monde of gambling, prostitution and so forth. At first I found myself thinking this would not be possible or would otherwise make somewhat credulous reading but I think she has pulled it off. In reading the author blurb I find that she is a psychiatric social worker. Perhaps this is why she is able to create troubled characters with a thread of moral fibre that allows them to come through their travails relatively unscathed and ready to embark on happy personal relationships.

In this story, she portrays a troubled marriage between Guy, Lord Keating and his wife Emily Duprey (first met in The Mysterious Miss M). A marriage of convenience complicated by a breakdown in communication between two people who nonetheless have a big spark of physical attraction is well drawn. Guy sees no way out of huge financial difficulties except at the gambling table and Emily, determined to leave him, fearing he loathes her, and find independence does the same. They each are sucked reluctantly into a shady side of life neither relish. There are some rather unsavoury characters they must deal with, including nasty and wicked parents.

Eventually, as in all romances, the two manage to resolve their differences. Peripheral characters from The Mysterious Miss M add to the story, which can be read independently. I think this author shows great promise. She writes extremely well with crispness and command. Her period details are good and she shows evidence of careful research. I am looking forward to the third book in this series and recommend this highly.

I've now read this book twice in less than a month. Diane Gaston has a perceptive view of people and their motives. Her style is engaging and easy to read. I found myself reading one more chapter, and then one more chapter, and then just one more until I got to the end because I wanted to know what happened next. I suspect I'll be reading it again soon.

by a very talented author.
(Please read synopsis of the novel on product review page)

This is my thrid book by ms Gaston/Perkins and it didn't take me pass the first book to know that I had found another great author to add to my growing list of favorites.

Her books are always very well researched, and her plots, though simple always leaves you turning the page to see what happens next. There is also no lack of passion and emotion as you are turning the pages. The only regret for me in this book that would have made me give it 4 starts is the end. It was too abruptly tied. I wanted to read more of the togetherness of the Hero/heroine before the book ended.
The saving grace which elevated the book to five stars was the humor. I'm not sure it was written to extract laughter from us readers, but the Dandyish way of speaking kept me chuckling every time I read it. This was a real education, because while I'm aware of the Regency Dandies, I had never had the opportunity to find out how they talked, a way which would have annoyed me to perdition if I lived in that era. But it only made me burst out with laughter every time `Robert" (The dandy) spoke.
Hopefully in a future life time, I'll be equally amused about the way the youth of my generation talk.