A Scandalous Wager by Cassandra Samuels
Released: November 2014
Historical Romance
Escape Publishing
Reviewed by Mandi
Lisbeth, Countess Blackthorn was found not guilty of killing her husband in court, but that doesn’t mean society believes of her innocence. Known as The Black Raven, when her husband was found dead in their home three years ago, he not only left behind his wife, but he left behind a lot of angry investors. Blackthorn was known for making money – a lot of money and right before his death, he convinced a lot of people to invest a lot of money into a speculation – only it ended up being a fake speculation and many were left with nothing. Lisbeth however, was left all of her husband’s money and not everyone is happy about it. She has barely left her house in the past three years.
She had an abusive marriage, so Lisbeth was not too upset when her husband was found dead. Because she is such a recluse, wagers have been set up in gaming hells to offer money to those who actually make it over her threshold. Which is how we find our hero, Oliver Bellamy, sitting on her door step, drunk and in the freezing cold, hoping her butler will let him in. Oliver’s brother died around the time of the failed speculation, leaving Oliver an Earl…and with a heap of debt. Only having a beloved elderly aunt as family, Oliver doesn’t have many he can turn to for advice. So he decides to be the one that will cross into Lisbeth’s house, win the wager and help pay off some debt. When her butler finally lets him in, he can’t believe it.
Lisbeth wants to track down the real killer of her husband, but to do that she must re-enter society. She decides the poor Oliver who is camped out front will do. She offers him money from future wages against her, to accompany her for a few weeks to balls and certain events. He agrees, and off they go.
I really enjoyed both Lisbeth and Oliver – they have nice banter in this book. Lisbeth is strong-willed, smart, and not too afraid to take on those who think she is a murderer. Her husband not only hit her, but verbally abused her too. He was truly a horrible man. She still lives with the mental scars and it’s hard for her to overcome them. When she first meets Oliver, she is taken back by how handsome he is. Of course, he was totally drunk during their first meeting too, which makes her think twice about the man she chooses to help her. And although she tries so hard not to let her eyes roam, sometimes she just can’t help herself.
On more than one occasion he had sighed and shifted in his seat, causing her to look at other parts of him. Parts she definitely should not have been looking at. She should not care one wit he had powerful looking thighs or that his legs seemed to stretch a considerable length ending in incredibly large shoes or a the fall of his trousers it seemed there was hardly enough room for what lay beneath. She’d felt heat rise from her throat to her cheeks and had fanned herself furiously, vowing never to look at him again. After another guilty look she realised how ridiculous her first vow had been and amended it to, not look at him again until the performance was over. She failed miserably at that vow too. By the end of the performance her sinful mind had memorised every inch of him.
Oliver started out a bit silly – he unabashedly flirts with Lisbeth and gives her a good-natured hard time. Walking into a ball with her on his arm gets everyone in a tizzy, which he finds quite amusing. What I really liked about their relationship is how loved he makes Lisbeth feel. He is such a good guy, and makes her feel special and warm and attractive – and I liked how he slowly removed her past demons. At times he may have pushed a little too hard, especially with her abusive background, but he made me smile and laugh overall.
I do wish the hunt for the murderer had taken on a bit more of a faster pace. Lisbeth and Oliver’s banter is great, but at times I wanted a little more suspense. The end reveal of the bad guy isn’t all that revealing as well.
But this author has a nice voice. I will definitely read something else by her.
Grade: B
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