Wagered Hearts

Geoffrey Kirk, Viscount Sherbourne, is very much a gentleman of the ton. An avowed bachelor, and a rake, he has spent much of his life devoted to the pleasures that his rank and wealth have afforded him. But he especially enjoys gambling, not because he has the 'gambling fever' but because he enjoys pitting his wits and his nerves against others. And one morning, he awakens from a night spent gambling and drinking, to find that he has won not only Sir Harold Wyndham's estate, but also Sir Harold's daughter's (Ariel) hand in marriage. Sherbourne cannot believe that he allowed things to sink so low, and he quickly makes for Sir Harold's estate in order to seek out his affianced bride. Sherbourne expects Ariel to be a bit of a country mouse, and hopefully one that he can mold into the semblance of an acceptable bride. Imagine his horror then when this very fashionable man of the ton finds Ariel churning butter! Sherbourne is aghast: his future bride is a plain speaking young woman, who acts and looks like a dairymaid. Horrified, Sherbourne asks Ariel to release him from her father's pledge. But this Ariel will not to do as marrying Sherbourne seems to be the only way she can think of to keep her father out of debtor's prison. And so this unlikely pair find themselves officially engaged, and back in London, making the social rounds and facing down the ton, in order to repair whatever harm the wager may have done to Ariel's reputation. And the more time Ariel and Sherbourne spend together, the more they begin to like, respect, and even feel attracted to each other. For while Sherbourne proves to be much, much more than the gambling man of fashion that Ariel thinks him to be, so too does Ariel, with her sense of humour and adventure surprise Sherbourne. Only one thing seems to stand in the way of their happiness: Sherbourne's refusal to give up gambling. Will Ariel be able to put aside her unease at the thought of tying her life to another gambler? Or will she finally decide that a life spent alone, is better than one spent with a gambler, even if she loves him?"Wagered Hearts" is a really excellent novel, and (as is the case with most books I really like) primarily because of the book's courageous and beguiling heroine. My sympathies were completely with Ariel, who soon finds that she is losing all control of her life. I found myself mentally cheering her on in her efforts to regain some control of her life, and to get to know the enigma that is her fiance. And while Ariel's character was well developed and depicted, I though that Sherbourne's character could have done with a little more fleshing out. "Wagered Hearts" is a really excellent read, and if you like romance novels with intelligent and compelling heroes and heroines, then you will definitely enjoy this wonderful book.