Devil's Wager

In England, October 1814, the Earl of Kerlain died. He had banished his son long ago to America. Since there was no other to inherit the title, and so many depended on it, he sent the title to his grandson, Lad, in America. He had Diana write out his wishes of Lad coming to claim the title, care for the castle and people, and marry Diana. P. Lad Walker had lost his parents and brothers. Some to the war, some due to other causes. He was urged to go see the land his father had spoken so much about, even though Lad had his own estate to run in America. Once there he fell in love with Diana. She returned the feeling. However, she would never leave Kerlain and he could not imagine staying. None of the people liked him since he was American. None would listen to his American methods of putting the castle and its land back on its feet. To make matters worse, he lost the estate to a man to Eoghan in a card game during a time of grieving. He did not know how much the man coveted his wife. Lad had thought the man in only friend in the country. Diana was being blackmailed by Eoghan. Eoghan gave her three years to pay back the sum he named for regaining Kerlain. The hardest thing Diana ever had to do was send Lad away to find the funds. If she left England with her husband, Eoghan would see it that the estate went to ruin and that the tenants, down to the last child, would die of starvation. Diana had to agree that if Lad, the new Earl, could not pay the sum, then she would willingly divorce Lad, marry him, and be his wife in all ways. This bargain she could not reveal to her husband though. If Lad were to know, he would kill Eoghan. Lad, being American, would not even get a trial. *** Incredible story! Diana is such a brave and strong woman. Lad was her match in every way. Author, Mary Spencer, concluded this marvelous trilogy with a big climax. A keeper for your book shelves! ***

Devil's Wager is yet again another example of Mary Spencer's intelligent, well above-average writing. There are only a few romance authors who seem to write for people who like a more indepth book, and she's one of them. This particular story is definitely a romance, but also much more. The reader is taken on both the hero's and heroine's vastly different journeys of discovery, though the focus is far more on the hero, Lad, than the heroine, Diana. Watching him evolve from a red-blooded American male into a proper English nobleman, and going through each difficulty he endures during his transformation, will hold readers transfixed. Spencer handles the change beautifully, so that rather than being an "Oh, brother!", readers are able to identify and understand how the "old" Lad becomes the "new" Lad -- the same man underneath, but stronger in almost every way. In other words, it's a realistic change. I do wish that Spencer had taken as much care with Diana, but the book overall was so strong that I'm able to overlook it. Devil's Wager, the third in a trilogy, does stand alone, but I would recommend reading the other books (Dark Wager, Lady's Wager) first in order to better appreciate some of the secondary characters. Apart from that, Lady's Wager is a real hoot to read. Very funny book.

If you love a good read, you'll love this book! I've read hundreds of romances, and couldn't put this one down. The love story was heartbreaking and wonderful and very satisfying. You'll love Lad and Diana and even the secondary characters.

All three books in Mary Spencer's Wager Trilogy are keepers, but this one is my favorite. Lad is a wonderful hero that readers will fall in love with, and Diana is his perfect match. The story has everything---humor, sorrow, intrigue. I couldn't put it down. Definitely Mary Spencer's best book yet! I'm only sorry that the trilogy has now come to an end. Maybe she'll write one about the children? I hope so!

As a proud American, Lad Walker had nothing but contempt for his father's homeland and the English earl who had disinherited him long ago. But when he first set eyes on Diana Whitleby, his grandfather's goddaughter, he knew he would do anything to win her love, even assume the earldom of Kerlaine and strive to rescue the estate from the poverty into which it had fallen.As much as she loved him in return, Diana had made a prior commitment to protect the castle, the land, and the tenants at all costs. She knew her beloved American husband could not understand her feelings, anymore than he could fit into his role as the earl, but when he lost the entire estate on the turn of a card, Diana was forced to send him away until he could earn the money to redeem it.For the first several months of his exile, Lad's efforts met with nothing but failure. Then he had the good fortune to run into a real-life guardian angel who taught him how to behave like an English gentleman and helped him find an honorable way to win back his inheritance and his wife. Under his tutelage, Lad began to understand the English social system and, indeed, his own responsibilities as the earl of Kerlaine.What a shock, then, to return to Kerlaine with the means to redeem it, only to find his wife preparing to honor a dastardly wager of her own!The last of Mary Spencer's "Wager" trilogy, this book may be the best of them all. Not only does it portray the triumph of true love over evil, but it makes even this patriotic American reader begin to understand and appreciate the purposes and benefits of the English class system.