A Rogue's Game

Eve Reynolds has perfected her alter ego - that of a wholesome and demure, often shy debutante. This persona is used when, at her uncle's bidding, she is to swindle rich society matrons in games of chance and card games. Women are easier to fool than men and so Eve Reynolds is fairly successful at winning. Not one person suspects her of being anything less than what she comes across as being. Not anyone, that is, until Julian Clay meets her eyes across a crowded card room and see her for what she is - a fellow gambler. When her uncle informs her of his plans to marry her off, Eve allows herself to go along with his plan for reasons only she knows. Julian, however, is not willing to accept those plans and nothing will stop him from claiming the woman that has stolen his heart. The third book of Renee Bernard's Mistress Trilogy, A Rogue's Game is an entertaining historical romance. Eve was a likeable heroine and I especially enjoyed how she kept Julian on his toes. Just when he would become complacent, she was right there to snap him out of it. I loved how each main character had a secret that they didn't want getting out, especially Julian. He would not be accepted in any societal homes had the true status of his finances been exposed. The sensuality of A Rogue's Game was tamer than what I normally read but still well written and eye catching. A Rogue's Game will take you on a wild card ride of emotions. I thoroughly intend to go back and read the first two installments of this wonderful series! Talia Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

First off, in response to the review that said "...the plot seems to be secondary to the very graphicly described love scenes", you have to understand that this is Bernard's genre. These aren't Fabio romances, they're in a genre called 'romantica', which are romances with kinda more hardcore sex. So please don't fault the book for that. That being said, this third book's characters have more backstory and development than usual. They have more dilemmas than just being a virgin or getting sexual revenge. I think Bernard is finding her own voice more & more with each new title.

For some reason I really liked this book. Although, the characters were not perfect and did bad things in the past and present, I found myself rooting for them and believing that together they would become better people. Eve and Julian certainly had more heat and sparks than the characters in Madame's Deception (that book was very boring). Overall, I think the 1st book of the Mistress trilogy was by far the best. I did not like the 2nd book but was willing to give Benard another chance by reading A Rogue's Game which I feel she redeemed herself.

I don't understand the negative reviews for this book, I got it regardless of what was said and I don't regret the purchase. I'm actually looking forward to her other books. It is different than a typical historical romance but I think if you're ready for a change of pace from the good hero/heroine, then you should take a chance with this book. Also, if you like steamy romance, this is great. I don't necessarily think that Eve Reynolds wanted to portray herself as a bad person but due to the way she was raised and influenced, she didn't know how to better her life. She played along with her uncle who is more than anything using her for her gift of cards to gain money through that route than the honest way. She definitely wanted to change her lifestyle once she got away from her uncle. As for Julian, he is definitely a bad boy, but he is honest and admits it. Eve helps him to realize he can be a better person, so it was good to see this book unfold and show growth with him. The only negative thing I didn't like was him continuing to stay at his friend's house when he knows his friend's wife is pursuing him to be with her.

Eve Reynolds supports her uncle by gambling. Now her and her uncle are in London and she wants to find a new lifestyle. She decided to keep back a portion of her winnings and run away. Julian Clay, the Earl of Westleigh, is a rake and 'wants' Eve and when he finds out she a card shark he has some leveage. I liked the book but some of the character developlment just was not there. Here are some other book by this author;Madame's Deception , A Lady's Pleasure (my favorite) and The School for Heiresses.