Winning the Game

Minerva and Anthony have been in love for years, but he has been reluctant to propose. Anthony has a secret. What happens when Minerva finds out the truth? A chess game will determine whether the two will be together or separate forever. Who will win in the end? Could they both win, especially if Anthony wins the game? If he wins, he must marry her. Would he stop resisting after all these years?

I have to say that the plot to this romance novel was well crafted. Minerva and Anthony love and romance worked well with the story. The characters dialogue had logic and understanding to their goals in the book. The romance between the two was beautifully written. It executed the happy ending that I was looking for. Anthony is my favorite character. His undying love and the will to not Minerva go could be felt through the words of the story. I think the story is very entertaining. It’s engaging and I thought a fun read. I loved the writing and the book was awesome. I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book, I love a brother's best friend, enemies to lovers, but also really liked the heroine's desire NOT to get married:)

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this story and this is my freely given opinion.

This is finally the story of Anthony and Minerva; their love story has been simmering in the background of the previous two stories in the series and driving my curiosity about the two of them from the beginning, considering Minerva's chess challenge for anyone wanting to marry her.

Anthony, the Earl of Drake, and Minerva have known each other since childhood, and it was obvious to everyone, but the two of them, that they love each other. This is established from the get go of this story, if no one else could figure it out in the previous two books. However, rather than declaring it and being childhood sweethearts who grow to love each other, they have avoided declaring their feelings for each other for various reasons. Anthony thinks he is being noble and sacrificing because he thinks he would not be able to have a family with Minerva because of his own family history. Minerva thinks that her feelings are not reciprocated by the object of her affection and her chess challenge was a way to keep suitors away, while hoping Anthony would challenge her. But as the years go by he does not, and she thinks he does not want to.

Through some rather convoluted finagling and interference by the government factions who want to manipulate Anthony and Minerva to work for them, they end up agreeing to the chess challenge with each other. Anthony, when threatened with actually losing Minerva, decides that he is going be public with his feelings and to grab a chance at what he truly wants, which is Minerva as his wife.

I think I liked this because it was a culmination of the love story that has been brewing for a while, and I enjoyed them finally facing their mutual love since childhood, and reaching their HEA. I have a soft spot for childhood loves. But on saying that, there are aspects of the story that I found lacking, such as the lack of good explanation for how and why the Foreign Office interfered as they did in the relationship of the two, and why they were trying to manipulate Anthony and Minerva the way they were - how was that going to recruit them to work for the FO??? It did the job of introducing and intriguing character that I would like to know more about (is the series going to continue?). But there was no truly satisfactory reason as to why the FO was so interested in the two of them.

3.75 stars out of 5

I have really been enjoying the Ladies of Risk series so far, and this latest addition also did not disappoint. All ladies of the ton play their own sort of game while competing in the marriage mart, and Lady Minerva's game of choice is chess. She has never lost a game, and she needs to maintain her streak if she wants to avoid marriage. The first gentleman who succeeds in defeating her will win her hand in marriage. Anthony has always loved Minerva. He wants to marry her, but he knows she wants a large family and all the women in his family have had the misfortune of dying in childbirth. He could never bring that fate upon her. Minerva has also been harboring a secret love for Anthony as well. When Anthony realizes he may lose Minerva forever, he becomes determined to win.
This was the third installment of the series and was a completely captivating and entertaining novel. A well-written story with strong characters that kept my interest till the end. Anthony and Minerva were wonderful characters and I enjoyed seeing them together. Looking forward to the next book!
I received a complimentary copy from Dragonblade Publishing via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

I have enjoyed this series very much. Lady Minerva is a Master Chess player and has indicated she will marry the man who can beat her in a game of chess. Lady Minerva wants to avoid marriage as long as possible. It is not marriage she is avoiding, but the loss of her freedom. Several men have tried to beat her, but failed.
Lord Drake, Anthony MacMillian, has always been in love with his best friends sister, Lady Minerva. Anthony watches in agony each time Minerva is challenged, as he knows he can beat her.
I enjoyed all the characters and was glad to finally have Anthony and Minerva's HEA.

I really enjoyed Minerva and Anthony's story. Their story has been a long time coming having been touched on throughout the series. Smith did NOT disappoint. What fun is was to read their HEA!

Knowing when to let go. Or even compromise. Racheal Ann Smith has done it again with this sibling. Exposing what was really going on between the villain and the family was very enlightening. A book worth reading. All the books in this series were just as engaging as the first. Well worth the time.
I recieved a free copy so that I might tell you what I honestly think. Hope you enjoyed my review. Now go enjoy the book.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

After proclaiming to all and sundry that she would only marry the man who can defeat her in a game of chess, Lady Minerva Malbury has been plotting. There's only one man she's ever wanted to marry, Anthony MacMillian, Lord Drake, her brother's best friend, but he's been vocal about not wanting to marry her. However, Anthony has a secret. He's been in love with Minerva for as long as he can remember, but he knows she wants a large family, and all the woman who've married into his family have died in childbirth - he won't do that to her. When Anthony is threatened with banishment unless he joins the Foreign Office, or plays against Minerva, he relents, but he can never force her to do something she doesn't want.

I had such high hopes for this book, and for the most part, it was worth it. Minerva and Anthony have had such fantastic chemistry in the previous books, and I needed to know just why they were punishing themselves by staying away from each other. Minerva's wish for freedom was a great sub plot, and I loved that she was able to explore that wish before realising that losing Anthony, losing her family, was too much to give up on. All of the missing links and loose ends that might have been left behind in the previous books were more than dealt with here. The ending of the book was perfect, and the Malbury family are so tight knit, that I couldn't have expected anything different! Rachel may have been a new author for me, but I'll be on the look out for more in future.

Friends to lovers
A chess match will determine if Anthony MacMillian, Earl of Drake, will end up working for the Home Office, or marrying Matilda Malbury. An expert at chess, she has never lost a game, or so she thinks. If she wins she will have her independence. If she loses, she will become someone's wife. As her brother's best friend, Anthony must convince her that she's the only woman he loves. Can she trust him to give her some independence? Some heat with kisses.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book.

.

King Takes Queen by Rachel Ann Smith is part of the Ladies of Risk series. Anthony MacMillan, Earl of Drake had loved a woman for years. She was the sister of his best friend, and simply put, she was too good for him. She was sought after but refused to marry a man who could not best her in a game of chess. He had watched for years, heart in his throat, as she played game after game, always winning. One day she would lose and he would have to watch her marry another. Now his boss, the Head of the Foreign Office has issued an ultimatum: challenge her to a match or be off to India for God-knew-how-long. He didn’t know what to do. Why did the Head care? Miss Minerva Malbury had loved Drake for years but never let anyone know. He had let her win a chess game years earlier and it still rankled. He was supposed to be no more than her brother’s friend, and yet, he held her heart.

Both stubborn and uncommunicative, it was fun to watch the chess game and the game between the two of them. He knew he could beat her, if he would. Then, something changed. It was a good plot and storyline. Despite the fact that in a romance the outcome is foretold, often on the first page, it was fun to read. It was curious how the Head meddled, but what of it? Kent, his friend, and Minerva’s brother had recently married and was very happy. Perhaps it would be for the best. She led him a merry chase, entertaining. Well done.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of King Takes Queen by Dragonblade, through Netgalley. All thoughts are opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Dragonblade #RachelAnnSmith #KingTakesQueen

I did find this book to be an entertaining read on the whole, however, I found the characters of Minerva and Anthony, to be indecisive. This especially concerns Minerva, she didn’t seem to know what she wanted, either her freedom or to marry. She was an intelligent lady, as Anthony was a clever man but Anthony had a misguided reason for not marrying. Minerva took her time to realise what she really wanted. There is also a good number of chess games in the story. Minerva’s family also have their input on proceedings. However, it does have a satisfying ending. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

To understand the siblings of the heroine and the family dynamics, it is best to read this book in the series order. The heroine is very intelligent and cunning. She doesn’t want to marry, if it means losing her freedom. The hero has loved her for years, but is afraid to lose those he loves so has never committed to her. Finally he can’t deny himself, but he must win a chess match to win her hand. It was amazing how well these two characters knew each other, yet real didn’t. The series is enjoyable as there are agents of the home and foreign office involved. I received an ARC for an honest review and look forward to more in this series.

A challenge to the gentlemen of society started out as a game to Lady Minerva, but it later became an obsession as she comes to realize that it's not marriage she is avoiding, but the loss of her freedom once she is married. At times I despaired of the main characters as they seemed to vacillate over what they wanted to achieve. As it turned out, their family and friends despaired over them too. Winning at chess becomes the driving force in Lord Drake's life when he realizes that he may lose Minerva altogether and he finds help from unexpected quarters. Fortunately, the novel does come to a good conclusion, with a few surprises along the way. I received a copy of this romance as a gift through Dragonblade Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

A chess match worth waiting for! Here we finally get the love story of Lady Minerva Malbury and Anthony, Lord Drake. While this could be read as a standalone, I think reading the previous stories and knowing more of the characters' back stories, Minerva's in particular, will greatly enhance the reader's enjoyment of this story.

Minerva has been in love with Anthony for years. He has felt the same, but they have never shared their feelings with the other - the timing has never been quite right. Minerva has spent the past several years avoiding marriage by beating her would-be suitors at chess, and she now has even more reason to avoid marriage - a year of freedom as her alter ego. But Anthony is being forced to play her, with forced being a rather subjective term. And while he purposefully lost once before (again, timing), here he plans to play to win.

This was an enjoyable tale, where we also caught up with main characters from prior books. I like Minerva, though thought she gave up on life as her other self pretty quickly. Anthony is also likable, though his reasons for marrying seem a bit immature and not thought out. Some of the angst in the story feels a little contrived, but I was happy to keep reading. A solid 4 stars.

Thank you to Dragonblade and NetGalley for an ARC of this title. The opinions herein are my own.

❤️❤️❤️❤️
💋💋

Enjoyable and entertaining read.
Very good read, this book had my interest from the beginning, the plot was very good and I thought quite different.
Enjoyed the characters too.
Thankyou to Netgally and Dragonblade for the Arc .

I received an Arc copy of this book and chose to post this review

An unusual story line with chess playing a large part in deciding who to wed. It was well written but not great for me although i seem to be in the minority it just seemed to be angst for the sake of it. If Minerva had loved Anthony since she was 14 she wouldn't suddenly decided to say know when he wakes up and decides he wants to marry her. Maybe I missed something not having read the earlier books then maybe I would have been more invested in the character's. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

4.5 Stars
Lady Minerva Malbury has never lost a game of chess, and if she wants to avoid marriage, it’s a streak she’ll have to keep alive. Everyone knows the marriage mart is a game, but no one expects this one: the first gentleman to defeat Lady Minerva in a game of chess wins her hand. His best friend’s sister was all, Anthony MacMillian, Lord Drake, could think about most days. Since her Season debut, four years ago, he’s had to endure countless games of chess that threatened his fortitude to remain in the wings but he knows with his family history he shouldn’t marry.
The third book in the series & whilst it’s easily read on its own to fully appreciate it I'd recommend reading the series in order. Minerva has looked after her sisters but now they are happily married so she wants time for herself, she has a secret & wants to pursue this. I loved both Anthony & Minerva who had loved each other for years, both are intelligent & then things come to a head, can a game of chess bring them their hearts desire? A well written engrossing read with strong characters, a well paced story & a lovely romance
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Chess, King and Queen....

The chess match that as been building for years. In a clever twist, Lady Minerva plays for her freedom, while her suitors play for marriage. Drake has satt by and watched her play for four years, finally, backed into a coner, its his turn. But what terms are they playing and winning and loosing for? I liked how confident Minerva is portrayed as.
Recommend.
4.5

Minerva & Drake are the love story I longed for, Minerva has always been the boldest Malbury, taking chances and risking it all. But having loved Drake since she was 14, and never having her feelings returned left her insecure and indecisive. Not emotions were are used to seeing in her character, It made the story that much more emotional as she learned more about herself during that wait than anything else. Drake has loved Minerva just as long, but hid behind his own fears. Finally the chess match we have awaited for 3 books! Minerva challenge that she would wed whoever bested her in a gam of chess was a bold move. For 3 seasons she played game after game, never doubting her success. But this game held all the stakes, if she won she’d gain the freedom she longed for but if she lost she would wed the only man she ever loved. But could he also be her freedom? This story was a skillfully played game, drawing out the longing and angst of indecision to a beautiful conclusion. Just the right amount of doubt and the emotion was perfection. The perfect conclusion to the Ladies Of Risk series and the HEA’s deserving of the Malbury sisters.