This book was okay. I liked the first half of the book, but the second half was really annoying. Basically, something happens and they decide to not talk about it and I hated it. I wish the third act drama had been dealt with differently.

I just loved this book. It was so easy to get lost in and I just loved meeting these characters. I look forward to seeing what’s next from this author.

This was a lot more serious and emotional than I expected, and definitely an "insta-love" plot, which I often don't like. Reading the blurb, I also would have loved more inclusion of archaeology and Victoria's work. There didn't seem to be much chemistry between the characters; if they each didn't tell the reader they loved the other, I wouldn't have known from the characters' actions. Despite these issues, I did enjoy reading the book and it was a nice escape for an afternoon. 3.5 stars

I loved this book! 😍 A marriage between two strangers who are brought together by a daring wager… no father would wager his daughters hand, right? Lady Victoria Kirby wants nothing more than to travel and unearth treasures from the past. Give her an area to explore and a gentle brush and she is happy as ever, she definitely does not need a man controlling her life. Derek Marcus Andrew Kent, the Duke of Chase, is one of Englands most powerful men, head of one of the oldest family’s whose lineage can be traced back to the Norman invasion. Like any powerful man Derek has secrets and what he portrays to the Ton is a visage he has worked to carefully develop, very few truly know the real Derek. So when one evening Derek is witness to one of the most horrific gambling wagers he has ever heard of, he is duty bound and somewhat selfishly motivated, to step in and make sure he is the winner of the wager.

A quick meeting between Derek and Victoria, one special license, and a quick ceremony is all it takes for The Duke of Chase to have his Duchess secured, now they can both go back to their separate lives. Right?

❤️The relationship between Derek and Victoria and the “getting to know you” phase in combination with the “I am in love with my spouse” phase are very well written and both characters go through a lot of growth. Derek totally falls in love with his Duchess - a fate he was sure he was safe from and one of the main reasons he wanted to marry Victoria. Likewise, Victoria comes to the realization that maybe being “owned” by her husband isn’t the end of her world - instead the Duke is able to empower her and open more opportunities for her, and yes he is also very handsome, and okay she loves him too! 😍 Loved every moment of their romance! I also found Victoria’s ability to help Derek realize that he is right where he is meant to be and his nobility is much more than lineage.

Overall I greatly enjoyed this story and recommend it to all who enjoy the tropes of marriage between strangers and Dukes falling in love with bluestocking wallflower’s 😉 I do wish there had been a bit more passion portrayed in the story.

5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 3 Flames 🔥🔥



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(¸.•´ (¸.•`*📚Review copy provided by Entangled Publishing via Netgalley. All opinions, thoughts, comments, and interpretation of this book are my own. I am not receiving any money in exchange for this review. Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. More Reviews by Jaime can be found at <a href="https://alphabookclub.org/tag/review-by-jaime/">Alpha Book Club</a> and via <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/jaime-loves-romance">Goodreads</a>🦄

The Wedding Wager is the story of the Duke of Chase and Victoria Kirby, who find themselves together after Victoria's father gambles her away in a game of dice to Chase. The story follows how Victoria and Chase navigate their new relationship and how what they thought they wanted isn't necessarily what they need.

I really enjoyed this book and thought the chemistry between Chase and Victoria was great. I loved how they were the perfect mix of strong yet vulnerable but the connection they shared gave them the chance to grow which was beautiful to read.

Chase watches a father at one of his clubs gamble his daughter away to a scoundrel. However being a I'm. But Chase thinks that Victoria will be safe.for him and he will not desire her due to what he has heard of her reputation of being bosses and plan. This way he feels confident he can keep a promise to his father to never have an heir. When he meets Victoria that will all change. When Chase barges into Victoria's bedroom to tell he wht happened she rejects him out right believing her father would not do that to her or her sister. She confront's her father and realizes the truth and will them
to Chase for protection and to save her sister from the same fate.

This was a very entertaining read and I enjoyed mute characters very much. I received this boo from net galley for an honest review.

Leaning towards 4.5 stars, but either way I really enjoyed this. Eva Devon is quickly becoming a new favorite historical romance author for me!

I loved the premise and how Derek and Victoria’s marriage of convenience/friends to lovers romance developed throughout the book. Devon’s writing/pacing is just so compulsively readable that I couldn’t help but read this in only a few hours. I also really appreciated Derek’s character development and his grand gesture at the end was *chef’s kiss*.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**

Lady Victoria Kirby is truly only interested in the pursuit of archaeological study. She could care less about spending time amongst the ton, where she is scorned for her looks and vitriolic wit. But her father thinks he knows what’s best for her, so he wagers her away in marriage over a game of cards.

Derek Kent, the Duke of Chase, spends much of his life acting in defense of women, helping them out of bad marriages using his bad reputation as a terrible rake. When he sees the marquess brazenly gambling away his daughter, Derek can’t stop himself from rescuing the girl from marriage to a known lecher. She has a reputation for being bitter and cantankerous, and not much to look at, so Derek thinks he may have actually found the perfect wife, one who will enable him to uphold the vow he made to his late father—to never have children. Surely, this woman will never tempt Derek to break his word.

Yet, when Derek comes to know the intelligent lady Victoria truly is, he knows he’s in a heap of trouble and he may break his vow and lose his heart all at once.

I’m not sure exactly what I expected from this one, but definitely more light-heartedness than we got. The characters were hard to root for because their characterizations seemed to be a bit all over the place and hard to pin down. I’m not sure if this erratic behavior was intentional or just a result of the writing style, but it was a bit odd, and I struggled to really care about the characters. I liked that Victoria and Derek were quick to believe the best in each other and support one another, but their communication breakdown near the end of the book just felt cheap and formulaic. Given how well they communicated their way through tough issues up to that point, it just didn’t seem right that they’d breakdown then, at least not so wholly and for such a long time. I did like that Derek helped Victoria become her own woman outside the ton’s control and that she eventually helped him to live for himself as well. Once again, this is a historical romance that is really just hiding preachy feminist diatribe in which all men are terrible, excepting a very few, and women are only ever abused by them. Not only does this oversimplify the time period and the situation, it also paints broad generalizations that feminism is meant to fight against, not perpetuate. I’m sure this wasn’t the intent, but I seem to keep reading this over and over again in my historicals, that I’d rather read to escape from the oppression of daily life, rather than having even more reminders in my reading, so I’m just tired of it at this point. Overall, I liked the concept of this story, but the execution felt a bit forced for me, the flow just seemed a little off, and the characters were hard to get behind, especially how unreliable their chemistry seemed to be.

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

Thank you for a copy of The Wedding Wager. I love getting swept away in a historical romance. I loved Lady Victoria. It's my favorite when the heroine is the grumpy on. And the Duke of Chase was a perfect match. A fun read!

All Lady Victoria Kirby wants is to dig in the dirt, take notations, and record history, thank you very much. Bumbling through ballrooms and getting disdained by the ton for her less than ideal looks, on the other hand, is the last thing she wants. But her reckless father has a different idea for her future when he puts up the ultimate ante—her hand in marriage—and loses. Over her dead body.

The Duke of Chase cannot bear to see a woman misused. After all, he saw that often enough as a child. So when he’s witness to a marquess gambling away his daughter to a lecher of a man, he has no choice but to step in and rescue her. Lady Victoria has a reputation for being as tart as a lemon and as bitter as one, too. So, he may have just found the perfect wife to keep a promise he made to himself long ago--to never have an heir. With her, surely, he'll never be tempted to take her to bed and break that promise.

But when he meets the wild, witty intelligent young lady he’s bound to marry, he knows trouble is headed his way... And everything he ever swore to uphold may very well come undone, especially his heart.

This book was just ok for me. For one reason I didn't feel the chemistry between the characters. Another reason was the repetitiveness of the dialogue. Overall, the story could have been better.

Once again I’m struggling to get above three stars. It’s an enjoyable read but there is nothing that sets it apart from other historical romances.

I enjoy when a couple are married first either through an arranged marriage or similar. This book was top of it’s class for showing the benefits of friendship first.

The downside is the characters are a little flat and one dimensional. There was potential for more but hey didn’t quite deliver.

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Victoria is the eldest daughter of the Marquess of Halford, a man who is desperate to see her married off. Because Victoria is also the daughter who'd rather spend her days digging through dirt looking for historical artefacts than dancing at the many balls the members of the ton organise every year. So, at his wits end, the Marquess decides to gamble away his eldest daughter. Which is despicable behaviour the Duke of Chase simply cannot abide by. Especially not when it seems like the man who will win Victoria's hand in marriage is an absolute lout. So what else is there to do for him but win Victoria for himself and marry her to save her from her father?

This was quite a unique story, despite the bare bones of it being very familiar: a bluestocking is forced into marriage to a man with a scandalous reputation and then they discover they actually do love each other after all. What makes it unique, in my opinion, is the fact that Victoria never really is anything but a bluestocking. Sure, she has to make appearances at balls and go to the theatre because it's her duty to do so, but she never lets you forget that she'd rather be in a dusty room somewhere cataloguing some interesting archaeological find.

What makes this a 4-star and not a 5-star is that for a large part of the story, the romance becomes an afterthought in some ways. They make a breakthrough in their relationship, only for that relationship to disappear from the page almost entirely. Things are told to us, rather than shown. The focus shifts to other characters, and the same things are discussed over and over again. But the emotional growth these two characters accomplish in the end more than makes up for that little wobble in the middle.

This book was full of feels for me. I absolutely loved it and would gladly read it and more by Eva Devon again. Victoria and Chase are wonderful characters and I loved their growth both individually and together in this story. The only reason it’s not 5 star is because I prefer my historical romance to be a little more erotic and this one although not “lite” on steam is a little less than what I prefer. There are 2 “scenes” they are not closed door but I wouldn’t say they are explicit either. I would say there’s moderate steam, some angst, lots of emotion and feeling. I’m adding her other novels and future novels to my TBR list.

I'm afraid this book had an exciting blurb and set up, but it didn’t live up to its original promise. I love a Marriage of Convenience trope and the auction story also sounded great. Unfortunately due to the writing style and execution I didn't enjoy this book. It was almost a different writer compared to other Eva Devon books which I’ve really enjoyed such as In the Devil's Bed and If the Rogue Fits.

There was no appreciable chemistry between the two leads, and I found it difficult to stay motivated to finish the book.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book and all opinions are my own.

Even though I had problems with her being repetitively described as unattractive/plain in the beginning (just personal preference) I took on the book and don’t regret even one minute of reading it! The plot was great, the twist made every act understandable and the red lining was amazingly thought through! Definitely a book to recommend!

This was such a cute and different book. I don’t think I have read any other historical romance books with archeology, but I loved it since it is a interest of mine. I was skeptic to the plot in the beginning, but I warmed up to it eventually. I thought this was a three star book, but the ending and epilogue was so heartwarming and beautiful that I had to give it 4⭐️
This book is perfect for you if you like archeology or hero’s that do not like themselves and had bad parents

Tbe Wedding Wager by Evan Devon is a historical romance featuring a trope I generally like, a marriage of convenience. In this case the Duke of Chase is watching Lady Victoria Kirby's father gamble her away and he steps in to save her from falling into the hands of a known lecher. He despises the ill-treatment of women, and yet the main reason he saves her is because Lady Victoria's reputation precedes her, and he's heard she's an awful antidote. Since he doesn't want a real marriage (yes, another one of those romance heros), he's thinking this is the perfect situation.

I really struggled with this romance as it kept emphasizing the heroine's lack of looks to the extent that I wondered why he was falling for her, especially since her personality didn't particularly win me over either. The hero didn't also make much sense, leaving me finishing the novel primarily so I could leave a review. For a much better version of a (anti-)hero winning a woman over cards, I recommend Liz Carlyle's Never Romance a Rake instead.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

From the opening lines, this book had me hooked. I mean what other reaction can you have to a Duke having thoughts of murdering one of his own from the ton while gambling for way more than the price of gold? Exactly...oh, and I side with the Duke; that guy deserved what he had in mind for him and worse!

We begin with a hand in marriage given away like so many poker chips, and while not the best sounding of foundations, it works for both their purposes. He the notorious rake who wishes to continue his ways while never having an heir. She the woman perfectly content with her own company that desires to dive into the past not herald a new future. He has the well known "beauty" and she the plainness that would not draw unwanted attention, nor even the adoration of her own husband. Ah yes, a union that would be for the poets...err, um...okay, well it would secure both the futures they seek and provide companionship in times of need...HOWEVER, ladies and gentlemen, the heart wants what the heart wants, and closeness can open the soul's eyes to things beyond fancy trappings, and decorations. As more often than not proved, once you get to REALLY know a person, their true beauty shines...and these two could potentially be a match made in heaven. If, that is, they can each get out of their own way...

I was whole heartedly glued to the page, and while I guessed where it was going to implode, it did nothing to take away from the moment, nor the steps taken afterward. Dare I say, I was perhaps even more excited to see where things went having pondered the idea for all the preceding pages! It's definitely a story of plans going awry, appearances being deceiving, and the ton's knowledge being guided by idle gossip that they believe to be truths instead of actual fact. Does that work in their favor? Absolutely, until it doesn't anymore because hearts can change, and feelings, or a lack thereof, grow into something even more noteworthy...like the big "L" word.

All in all, a stunning read that made the epages fly by. If you're a Historical Romance fan that doesn't mind a bit of steaminess, humor, and misconceptions that need overcoming by characters you won't want to forget, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!

I really enjoyed this book! And I loved the ending of it! Another wonderful romance by Eva Devon, I definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Duke of Chase overhears a wager being made in a club where the Marquess of Halford is gambling away his daughter Lady Victoria Kirby to Lord Craven when he decides to step in to save her. He doesn't want to fall in love, marry (really), or sire an heir so he thinks she will be the right bride for him because he hears that she is unattractive in looks and personality. Everything changes though once they are married.

I really struggled with this book. The writing and the dialogue are so stilted that it felt very cold and unemotional. I expected a lot more chemistry between these characters, but their romance just never got on track with me. I found their characterization to be very generic, and wished that they were more fully fleshed out. Everything felt very surface level. I had that same issue with the last Devon that I read where I felt like the characters lacked a lot of development that they needed. I'm just not sure why I'm not connecting with her stories.

I think if you already like Eva Devon's writing style you may like this. I'd give it 2.5 stars rounded down to 2.