Sylvia Hillcrest is one of a trio of spinsters who coach men of the ton in the correct way to win a bride. Sylvia is also an accomplished and subtle card player, so when Alexander, Marquess of Wharton realises her skills he employs her to purposefully lose money to friends of his who are in financial trouble. They are both very attracted to each other, and become close. Alexander is busy having fun and pursuing his business interests, his mother and siblings are in the country and he is content to ignore them.

Sylvia befriends 'Lizzy' an older, elegant woman she meets in the park, and when she realises she is desperately ill and in need she promises to stay by her side. When Alexander realises that Sylvia has befriended and is nursing his mother, he is convinced that she was using her friendship with his mother to get to him, and banishes her from the house in a way which destroys her reputation and business.

The second half of the book was really good and very engaging, with Alexander learning to face up to his behaviour and rebuilding his relationship with his Mother, and getting to know and manage his annoying sisters. He also had to realise how he had affected Sylvia's life and livelihood, and how cruel and unfair he had been to her. It was great to see how the arrogant Marquess learnt to be a bit more humble, and how the women ran rings around him where it counted.

Really worth a read

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

This was a great story. The chemistry between the characters is off the charts. I love that Sylvia is a more modern woman in historical times.

Since becoming a fan of Heather Boyd's, I have tried reading more regency romance and am still not a fan of the genre. But Heather Boyd consistently entertains me with her great storytelling.

I believe readers new to historical romance will find her novels an easy introduction into this subgenre as well as delight even hardcore fans. An easy read, this story brings the reader all the feels.

This being the 14th book in the series but a first for me; I was concerned with how I was going to keep up. But it was very easy and instantly fell in love with the characters both main and secondary. Sylvia and Alexander's story was realistic and loved that they didn't instantly fall in love; and it showed how some little spats shouldn't stop a couple from finding love. What starts as a way to help them both; him with seeing his friends safe from financial ruin and her a lover turns into a beautiful story of second chances and long lasting love.

I have not read a book by this author in several years, but after reading Desire by Design I looked through my kindle to see if I had any more to read. The storyLine was interesting And the romance was great as well. This is part of a series and I felt like I missed a bit of Sylvia’s background because of that. 5 stars.

I liked the flirtation between these characters it was fun. The Marquess of Wharton is a man who fights hard for his bachelorhood, that is until he almost lost everything that truly mattered to him. I also like that Sylvia stayed true to herself and stood by her family and her word and didn't settle for less than everything she ever wanted. After reading what the Dowager Marchioness Wharton had to go through I am so very happy I don't live in that time.

This is book 14 of the series but the first one I read. I will probably go back to read some of the other books from this series however I was not at all lost while reading this book.

This book kept me up late turning pages, I recommend this book to historical romance lovers who like their stories a little steamy.

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story was a wonderful one. A fitting plot for the times. The heroine has a great personality and the romance is nothing if not pure.

I would have liked the hero to be little more humble or made to wait much longer before Sylvia accepted him.

All in all a great book

The hero, Alexander, has need of someone to help him do a good deed. The heroine, Sylvia, is on the fringes of society and her livelihood relies on remaining in their good graces. Almost too late, Alexander realizes that while neither of them planned to marry they cannot live without each other. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

Alexander, the Marquess of Wharton, is enjoying his bachelor lifestyle. A chance meeting with spinster Sylvia Hillcrest, fits nicely into his plan to help his friend from financial ruin. Sylvia is an outstanding card player and she helps steer the came so that Alexander's friend wins a substantial pot of money. When Alexander invites Sylvia to his bedchamber, he's thrilled that she's such a engaging lover, but he soon learns that he craves Sylvia's company more than he ever thought possible. Can he win her love after his appalling behavior towards her?

I expected a different sort of book based on the cover and the story itself was only somewhat entertaining. I didn't warm up to Alexander's character at all. He was arrogant, bossy and totally ignored his family. I found his plan to help his friend recover his gambling losses by having him win at gambling is only reinforcing his friend's reckless behavior. I liked Sylvia's character better. She had a compassionate heart. I figured out who her mysterious stranger was early on before the stranger reveals her identity. I've never read about the surgery that takes place in this book in any other book and was quite surprised by it.

I've read other Heather Boyd books, but this one was not my favorite.

Will he be able to see past his own preconceived ideas to realize what is really of importance...

Mrs Heather Boyd is one of these authors we hear few about them but when they release a new book, I am sure I need it.
And this one files all the boxes.

I meet the trio of cousins in the previous book, so here is Sylvia’s story. An overlooked spinster with a sensual side she must hide and Wharton, a control freak, who will be taught a hard lesson by the disregarded wallflower.
How I loved Sylvia, she is bold and respectful, she knows she has a very limited scope to act as she wants, so she has to hide her true self to the Ton, a very unforgiving lot easily swayed.
Why when Wharton who has passed by her a handful of times, and never looked twice on her; finally has a glimpse of the fiery Sylvia lurking beneath the mask, he edicts he wants her to be more than a friend’s acquaintance.
Yet, she is the one risking the most.
Sylvia while she is free to dream of any temping man she encounters, she is in a difference situation with a marquess, she a nobody of importance.
With him, she for a moment reveals the passionate woman she is. And when things take a different turn between them, she is very forgiving but also determined to show him she does not back down. She is not one to sell her soul even for a few riches, she never compromises. And a promise is a promise.
Wharton is on a journey of revelations, he will learn not all his decisions were rights, by keeping his family at bay, he estranged himself from them. And by acting harshly in heat of the moment or protecting his heart by avoiding any entanglement, it might have a price he is not expecting to deliver.

Mrs Boyd with this new addition to her series offers a lovely redeeming story of a man who lost sight of what is important.
5 stars

I was granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Sylvia Hillcrest has decided that she will never marry but in doing so, she can still manage to play in the best card rooms, society has to offer. However, she finds herself in an interesting situation when the Marquess of Wharton decides to use her talents to fund his friend, who is in desperate need of money. Yet, the events that transpire, lead them to question what they truly want.
This was definitely a book that was divided into two. One story examined centred on Alexander, the Marquess of Wharton, and his relationship with Sylvia, whilst the second component, focussed more on Sylvia’s relationship with Alex’s mother, Lizzy. Whilst unaware of the connection to Alexander, Sylvia finds a wonderful friend in Lizzy, to the extent that they often ignored Alexander to follow their own pursuits. What was interesting, was Alexander’s response to his mother’s secret. Whilst typical of the time period, his response shows the vulnerability of men when events are somewhat out of their control. The character of Sylvia was also quite interesting as she never appears to be completely at the whim of Alexander, showing a strength of character that was refreshing. Overall, an entertaining read.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The cover of this book and the story do not match. I expected a dark 'noire' type story, but that wasn't the case. I also expected to like it, and, meh. The premise of how the hero and heroine interact is very contrived. The hero wants to give an acquaintance/friend money because he keeps gambling and is on the brink of ruin. But the hero can't just give him or his friend's wife the money, they are too proud. So the hero meets the heroine at a mutual friend's home and learns that she is amazing with counting cards and winning or losing at will. The heroine is then recruited to take a large amount of the hero's money and lose it, on purpose, to his gambling friend. Then the hero and the heroine celebrate by having sex.
Okay, so why would you give a person who has lost their funds gambling, more money by way of winning at gambling? You are just reinforcing to him that he should continue to gamble because he can make scads of money. This will not induce him to stop gambling, this just perpetuates gambling's allure and lie.
And then to have 'celebratory sex'.. Nothing about this story is in the least bit believable or accurate for the time period. And the characters, the heroine seems okay, but the hero is just so rude and arrogant to the heroine. At one point he offers to make her his mistress and doesn't understand why she refuses and insulted. After seeing his father flaunt mistresses in front of his mother and he distains his father for that behavior. I do not recommend this book, irregardless of the correct grammar or spelling. The rest of the book just is not well written. It could be if the plots were more accurate and believable. But it isn't. Zero stars

4.5 stars

Great read. I had read the start of this series ages ago and for some reason stopped following it. I think this book is a return to form of the first few books. It can be read as a standalone. Sylvia is a delightful heroine, congniscant of the fact that she's unlikely to wed means she's free to have discreet affairs. She meets the hero, Alexander, via some mutual friends and realises that he can use her skill at cards to funnel money into a friends hands. The friend appeared to be an addicted gambler. Sylvia also meets Alexanders mother in the park and helps her.

I would thoroughly recommend this story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Alexander is a top lofty Marquess who always wants to be in control and get what he wants. All that changes when he is introduced to Sylvia Hillcrest over dinner and a game of cards. Never, ever underestimate a lady, including your own mother. I love these two ladies who manage to ignore him and get their own way. At moments funny and sad, Alexander eventually redeems himself. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

This was my first Heather Boyd book, and I thought it was quite enjoyable. I did feel this book was almost two separate stories, however. The first half of the book focused on Alexander, Marquess of Wharton, engaging spinster card shark Sylvia in a scheme to funnel money to a friend through gambling. And they have a fling in the meantime. The second half of the book was more engaging to me, where Sylvia befriends Alexander's mother (without knowing the connection) and helps her through a dire medical issue. When Alexander finds out what his mother was hiding and that Sylvia was involved, he struggles to assert his *manly authority* over his strong willed mother and Sylvia. I found his floundering around these women both amusing and endearing, even when he acted like an overgrown child. I liked Sylvia and Lizzy together as a team and found their friendship endearing. The card playing / gambling conceit is all but forgotten in this half of the book, along with some secondary characters that seemed like important parts of the story but in the end weren't at all. Also, I do feel like I jumped in the middle of this series in some ways, with many of the secondary characters obviously having back story from previous books that I struggled to piece together. I think this works as a stand alone book but would probably be more enjoyable having been invested more in the series.