The Wagered Widow

Rebecca Parrish is a beautiful young woman who, although fond of the foolish husband who'd gotten himself killed in a duel, was finally ready to re-enter life after a year of mourning. Nearly destitute, the bills were piling up due to her late husband's mismanagement and gambling. She now is determined to find a wealthy father for her six-year-old son Anthony.On her first foray out of widow's weeds she attracts two suitors: the dashing but impoverished Trevelyan de Villars, whose intentions are far from honorable, and the handsome, very rich, and impeccable gentleman Sir Peter Ward. Trevelyan, very cynically made a wager with Sir Peter involving the lovely widow and when Rebecca's beloved brother found out, he challenged Trevelyan to a duel. Rebecca believing all of the gossip of the sins attributed to Trevelyan, thought him a blackguard and made to feel uncomfortable over his ribald remarks and double entendres. These tended to only infuriate her more, but for the sake of her beloved brother she would do whatever she could to save him even if it meant compromising herself to the infuriating rake! Meanwhile, danger lurked in a more sinister manner as treasonous Jacobites are pursued, captured and executed. Rebecca soon realizes that she has far more to worry about than snaring a future husband. Bravely, she must use all her wits and risks her very life to save a desperate, fugitive Jacobite. She soon realizes that people are seldom what they seem as she willingly is ready to toss aside security for love. This was a most splendid tale of love and danger by one of the most accomplished romantic novelists writing today. I thoroughly enjoyed being propelled back into the Georgian period by the well researched and beautifully described costumes, palatial homes and events from that period. While such a plethora of secondary characters emerged, the reader is made to feel at ease with each and every one through a deft hand with the dialogs and cant of those times. This was truly an adventure in `time travel, fraught with comical situations, adventure, intrigue and a beautiful and tender romance. For those lovers of true historical romance genres, this is not to be missed and although out of print, it would prove to be worth the effort to locate a copy to relish a true master at her art!

I loved this book. It expertly combined humor with romance. If you're a romantic to the core I guarentee that you'll this book. Enjoy!

I have been a long-time Patricia Veryan fan and this particular book is my favorite. The hero is suitably tormented by his undeclared love for the plucky heroine, and general mayhem occurs throughout. If you like absorbing, well-researched historicals that let you have FUN while you read, then this is a great choice!

Young widow Rebecca Parrish is impoverished with a young son. On the lookout for a wealthy husband and father for her son, she is thrown in the path of two men. Sir Peter Ward, a handsome, steady, and very rich gentleman, and Trevelyan de Villars, a charming, rakish ne'er do well with a reputation for outrunning the duns. Set amidst the Jacobite Rebellion, which will entwine all their lives in adventure, Rebecca learns that appearances can be decieving, and that she should follow her heart.