I received this story for free from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Wedding Wager by Eva Devon follows Lady Victoria Kirby whose father wager’s her hand in marriage over a game of dice. The Duke of Chase, Derek Kent, over hear the wager and HAS to win Kirby’s hand to save her from the awful man betting against Victoria’s father. Will their marriage blossom into love?

Instead of a breakdown I’m going to tell you what worked for me and what didn’t.


Things that didn’t work for me

- Victoria’s insistence that she was plain and then getting her feelings hurt when he was confessing during the Climax. She interrupts him to ask “Well then why did you marry me?” And when he responds with his gut “To protect you” she then cuts him off saying “So you didn’t REALLY thing that beauty meant nothing.” Like girl let him finish! He would have gotten around to saying that he grew to love you and whatnot.
- The dad’s reasoning for gambling with the awful man. It was convoluted at best. Like even for a man from that time it was illogical.


Things that did work for me and thus moved me to rate this novel highly

- The way that Victoria ‘Victory’ and Chase fell in love. I loved their conversations and stolen moments together.
- How Chase really was determined to be a protector for Victoria, her sister, and other women that were put in awful situations.
- How Chase overcame his self-hatred and then groveled. I feel like this is more of what I wanted from The Duke and I by Julia Quinn. It was moving and felt less like just telling us he realized everything was all his fault and now we’re good.
- The back and forth between Victoria and Chase
I can see where the plot for this one would be a turn off for some people. But I love a damaged hero and it was evident from the beginning that Chase was mentally/emotionally abused by his dad. I also love the romance trope of a “bet”. Adding a smart heroine was like cherry on top. But if you don’t LOVE these things then the story might not work for you.

Reviews also posted to Amazon. Will be posted on instagram on release day.

All Lady Victoria Kirby wants is to dig in the dirt, take notations, and record history. She’s not beautiful, she's not simpering & struggled with ton events. But then her father wagers her hand in marriage. Derek 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 marquis 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. However when he meets the wild, witty intelligent young lady he’s bound to marry, he knows trouble is headed his way.
A well written interesting read which kept my interest all the way through. I liked both Derek & Victory but didn’t love them & whilst there was chemistry between them it didn’t sizzle. I did like how their relationship grew & changed but it was fragile & both were afraid to reveal secrets. Derek needed to let go of the past & move forward & it took nearly losing Victoria to make him realise that he could leave the past behind. I was intrigued by Andrew & hope he has his story
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Oh my! This book was so swoon-worthy! Chase and Victoria (Victory!) made the sweetest couple ever. I absolutely love Devon's way of showing how the couple slowly falls in love. It is one of the most realistic historical romances that I've read in a long time. Both of the main characters are so intelligent, and it is such a nice thing to see. I love that both of them are so stubborn and yet, they're so kind to each other. I loved this book, so hat's off to Eva Devon!

A really great read. Chase is a Duke on a mission to rescue women from untenable situations. He steps in on a card game and wins Victoria’s hand in marriage. Victoria loves digging in the dirt more than dancing in a ballroom. There are a lot of secrets being kept by everyone. The dialogue between the characters is superb. It is witty and charming. You will love even the secondary characters that add depth to the plot of the story.

I would say that this book had me confused. A father, who loves his daughter and her passion for artifacts, is making a wager out of the blue to wed her to the winner? Why? Even Victoria didn’t know why the sudden change of heart. He really didn’t strike me as a father who hates his daughter even if we don’t really have any deep conversations between them (But we are told that).

Secondly, the hero. He says she is ugly and he will never bed her. Yet, not long after he was married he did just that. He wasn’t even trying to not bed her. And I really didn’t like how he said she is not that good-looking. I mean, I really expect my heroes to not be that shallow, you know what I mean? Even if he did fancy her later.

I also didn’t like how he called her Victory. It really didn’t make sense because it wasn’t like he shortened it much. It was a terrible nickname if you ask me.

His secret was kind of obvious. At least if you read historical romances.

One thing that also didn’t make sense is the divorces between Society. Now, as someone who only read hundreds of historical romances I can’t really say I’m an expert on that topic but what I can conclude is that divorces were rare. Extremely rare. The couple didn’t just divorce because a wife had a lover. If anything, usually both (unhappily) married couples had lovers. It was basically all pretense and marriage was a business deal, not a love story. So to see divorces being handled left and right really didn’t sit well with me.

I’m giving it 3 stars. Bonus stars for a really great cover otherwise it’s 2.5 stars. It reads quickly but there’s not much of the plot.

Historical romance is not a genre I read often but I think I should be reading more. The premise of this is what I thought was really interesting and caught my attention. I thought it would be a slow burn but it felt like they fell in love too fast. This reminded me a little of The Duke and I by Julia Quinn, the main character didn't want to marry or have an heir but the reasoning was different. Now, don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed this book very much. The language, the expressions, the banter between our two characters, I just needed more drama, more angst, I wanted to feel frustrated by those moments where they almost kissed but didn't.

"He wasnt a bounder. Not at all. He was a man of his word. And he was her ally un a world that had always tried to tear her down."

I liked the two characters, Victoria was strong, smart and knew what she wanted for herself and when she found herself falling for this man her plans were not hindered by it, but added to the life she envisioned and I think most women today should learn from this, a great should add to our happiness and our plans not stop our vision.

"It is. As society will one day find, often the work of women is behind, what men believe to be the greatness of other men"

Derek´s charming facade was endearing but under all that allure he was a very hurt person and although seeing it from the outside his problem seemed so little, he grew up with the idea that he was not worthy of what he had and because of this he decided to do all the good that he could before it faded away. He had to let go of the past to be happy with his future, which was Victoria and I found that to be very refreshing to see from a male character.

"Blood, in the end, did not fortell a good man. No, only action did that."

Overall, I liked the story, the main characters and the smut, but just fell a little short on the drama aspect of it all.

Will be posted on Instagram @Jessential.reads on 10/22

Love is in the eyes of the beholder if he is willing…

I loved my previous and first read by the author, so when I spotted this new release I was quite happy to immerse myself into her words again.
But here something was off, was it the characters, the easily guessed secret, still I liked the plot but struggled to connect with the heroes.

Victoria is the daughter of a marquess, and while might be a bluestocking instead of a party girl, she is no lowly woman. So why does she is presented as being scorned, rejected.
Worth, it is her title as a duchess with give her the feeling of being powerful, not the fact she is to be herself.
Derek is living a lie, so he believes, all because of an oath he made to his sire. Completely blind to the wrongness of it.

My problem is I never felt their chemistry, as if everything was too fast, too overstated, too too much. There is this whole turn of personality in the heroine’s father, a man who indulged her all her life then suddenly he gambles her hand and future,then continue by trying erase from her life everything she held dear, and he goes on until there is nothing left of their family.
And all the men, except a very few are all boulders, boors and misogynists. A bit reductive even if the era did not favor women.
In all, it was like everyone was out of kilter, was it me who was not right? But it was like the story was set in an alternative world with its people being extravagant to the extreme in their attitude.

I liked Brookhaven, the Duke’s friend and Victoria’s sister, I hope they have their own stories some days later.
3 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen lovemaking scenes

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher Entangled, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and Entangled Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. I adore books where the heroine is not conventionally beautiful and when her partner can look beneath the surface to see the strength and spirit inside her, On top of all that we have a hero who strives to do what's right, has empathy and is a champion for women.

Victoria is anything but conventional - she's a stocky intellectual who never wants to get married. But when her father gambles her away the Duke of Chase rescues her and makes her his wife. He never wanted to get married either but for entirely different reasons. Of course, he cannot help but be drawn in by Victoria's magnificence and she to his goodness - and then they have to get out of their own way a bit but it's delightful and angsty and so sweet.

My favourite kind of romance and, even though historical, a great read for these modern times.

This was a really sweet, low angst, marriage of convenience love story. Eva Devon's writing is fast paced, charming and easily accessible. Devon has written a charming love story between two people who learn to be friends and respect each other when they are thrown into a situation that they might not have first desired. Devon's characters are interesting and engaging, and I found that watching their love story softly unfold was really delightful.

Chase, the hero, is a duke and he has dedicated his life to helping women in need because of the kindness and care his mother raised him with. Chase is not seeking a wife, because he never plans on having children, but is instantly caught up in a marriage of convenience when he sees an Earl gambling away his daughter. Victoria is that daughter, she is know by the ton to be a bluestocking, much more interested in archeology than finding a husband, she is also reported to be very plain of face. Chase decides to make the most of things, by rescuing Victoria from her father, and the chance of being pawned off on an elderly gentleman, by contractually entering into a marriage in name only, but from the moment Chase meets Victoria there is just something about her that is continuously drawing him in.

The angst and stakes are fairly low in this novel. Because of this we are able to watch Victoria and Chase's relationship slowly grow from interest, to respect, to friendship, to love. I found the way that Chase was intrigued by Victoria to be lovely and charming, he sees her strength and conviction and her passion and this is what makes her beautiful, not something as arbitrary as her looks. Victoria is able to see past the rakish reputation that Chase has built around him to the true kindness of his heart, and she learns to respect and understand where he is coming from in a different way. This novel does have some sweetly steamy scenes as the couple enters into a physical side of their relationship and trust with each other, I found these to be nicely beautiful and balanced through out the later half of the novel. The conflict of the novel is easily guessed but I think that it leads into a theme of the overall novel which is learning acceptance of oneself and understanding oneself worth no matter what others think of you.

Overall I would recommend this novel, especially if you are looking for a sweet love story between a smart heroine who reaches for her dreams and a hero who learns to see beauty and worth in himself and his partner.

The Wedding Wager by Eva Devon is a captivating historical romance that is sure to sweep you off your feet, taking you away to another place, another time. Every time I put it down, I couldn't wait to pick it back up again. I look forward to reading more from this author.

When Chase rescues Victoria from being wagered off to a complete reprobate, he believes it is the perfect solution. He can marry Victoria to keep the matchmaking mammas at bay and have no attraction to Victoria who would prefer to keep her hands in the dirt discovering artifacts than in London ballrooms. This is a wonderful story by Eva Devon and a true must read.

4 stars

The Wedding Wager, my first foray into Eva Devon's works, was such a delightful surprise. In a genre where tropes are expected, this book manages to implement several in a remarkably refreshing way. We have a bluestocking heroine who actually remains constant to her sense of self throughout the entire book, a emotionally wounded hero who doesn't start the relationship completely in lust with her, and a romance that grows out of friendship. This book even pulls off a trope that normally drives me absolutely insane!

The one thing that prevented this from being a 5 star read for me was the fact that the romance disappears for about a fourth of the novel after they first consummate the relationship. Even though the couple had a few scenes together in that portion of the book, they didn't really continue the build of the relationship.

All in all, The Wedding Wager is a wonderful addition to the historical romance genre. Every time I put it down, I couldn't wait to pick it back up again. What more could you want from a reading experience?

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled: Amara for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

This was sweet, I enjoyed the banter between the two main characters. The dukes anguish about his father seemed a little too extreme, but I liked that he was a do gooder and tried to make women’s lives better by playing the rake.

I just loved getting to read this title. It was just so much fun seeing these characters and I just couldn’t get enough of them. I look forward to reading more wonderful stories from Eva Devon.

The Wedding Wager starts with the Duke of Chase discussed by the actions of a father gambling his daughter away. He is unable to watch a woman be misused and Lady Victoria Kirby's reputation fits with the Dukes idea of taking a wife he would not desire. I wasn't sure I would like where it went from there since it could have been very bad. However, the author had Chase be sure of himself, and sure of what he was doing. He would win the daughter, marry her, and let her do what she choose to do. Lady Victoria is not impressed by the Duke trying to safe her. She just doesn't believe him when he shows up to tell her what happened. Her father has always been a reasonable man so this seems very out of character for him. Chase wants to push Victoria into marrying him immediately but he leaves and tells her to come to him if she needs help. This wouldn't be a story if Victoria doesn't need help so she goes to him as soon as she verifies what her father did.

This is a romance and at first I wasn't sure how that would work with the characters, Chase seems aloof and uninterested, but then I realized he wasn't so much. The attraction happens quickly but the action is slow to build. I did enjoy the romance part of the story, but the focus on the past and secrets was a very familiar plot.

I'm rating this four stars because I really enjoyed the story and the characters. I couldn't put the book down. I'll be recommending it to anyone who wants a more feminist historical romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book. This has in no way influenced my opinion of the book.

I would like to thank netgalley and Entangled Publishing for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Enjoyable. I loved how different both characters were compared to their reputations.

Derek Kent, the Duke of Chase cannot believe it when he sees a certain Lord prepared to gambol his daughter's hand in marriage. Worse still is the man he is betting with. Our hero has never been able to see a woman misused in any way.

Lady Victoria Kirby has no interest in marriage. She knows what the people in society think of her looks and personality. She's happy digging in the dirt for antiquities and cataloguing them.

Both our characters have a good reason not to want marriage, maybe it can be useful to both.

A very entertaining historical romance with fabulous characters. It makes a nice change to have a heroine who is not the most beautiful woman around.

This is the first in a series that I will definitely be reading more of.

Great fun.

The Marquess of Hartford is wagering his oldest daughter for marriage against Lord Craven. Victoria King is not a diamond of the first water. She is considered difficult, unpleasant and unattractive. The Duke of Chase is appalled. He has never met the lady, but he is determined to save her from the odious, Lord Craven. Chase made a promise to the past Duke to never have a child, but Chase must save the lady. What a surprise that he discovers he is attracted and admires her. Torn between the past the present, he must decide if he should fight for he wants. What a great book and a pleasure to read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.
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I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars. It was my favorite book that I've read from NetGalley all year!

I surprisingly enjoyed this novel despite many reviews that mentioned that bringing up that the heroine was “plain” or “unattractive” was off-putting, where as I found it to be crucial to the story. The hero, Derek, the Duke of Chase, had his misconceptions about his upbringing just as Lady Victoria Kirby had hers. They both believed a falsehood made up by Society and they both had to get past it and see themselves through the eyes of one another. I found it to be beautiful that they immediately saw to the heart of the other person and that they were the only ones able to heal each other from what held them back from their full potential.