Overall rating: 4 stars
Storyline: B+
Romance: A

A most unusual premise for this story: a woman determined to sleep with two best friends in order to settle a bet between them as to which is the better lover. At first, I wondered how I would feel about a nice young widow in a relationship with two alpha males.

However, I was pleasantly surprised as the story unfolded, scandal threatened and resolution occurred. As an avid reader of historical romance novels, I gave this one marks for keeping me engaged and interested.

I would read other books by this author.

Share/Like this Review?

This book is one of my absolute favorites. The compelling love story of the main characters; the love story of the secondary characters--I kept waiting to see what would happen next. Could not put it down.

Share/Like this Review?

A terrific "two-fer" from Emma Wildes. The main story is that of Nicholas, Duke of Rothay, and Caroline, the icy widow of an abusive husband. Their story unfolds as she is introduced to sexuality and love by way of a scandalous bet between Rothay and his best friend Derek, Earl of Manderville. Meanwhile we also get to know the background of the bet - Derek's broken heart over a young woman he loves, Annabel, who has become engaged to another.

Part of the charm of this book is that historical romances usually portray rakish status as something desirable (women love rakes, right?). In this case, both women are quite put off by the heroes' reputation for promiscuity. In fact, Caroline wants nothing to do with the men in public, and Annabel won't speak to Derek because she sees him as nothing but a roue. It is a neat twist on the old theme.

It is pretty standard fare overall but Wildes writes engaging characters with enough charm and sexy scenes to keep you up at night.

Share/Like this Review?