4.5 stars

Not a bad story. Jack and his friend Brad have returned from the crimea where they have been torture.d. Jack creates a gentleman's club in a town (I wondered if there would have been enough trade of loafing around aristocratsbut perhaps it was supposed to be more of a gym club with gambling...again in the countryside I'd have though there were less men with time to spend on leisure actvities). Lena and her blind sister Essie need employement and a house. Jack asks her to be his accountant in the club. Jack is also involved with the early railway builders. Only kisses in the romance and at one time I thought we were going down the religious route with some envocations about God. A great twist on the villain. I enjoyed this book more than book 2

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

This was a lovely quick read! All of the characters were fun. I want to read more about the side characters Essie and Brad and their relationship. The writing was enjoyable, and the plot moved at a good pace. I didn’t think the book dragged at all. This was my first book by Laura Landon and I’ll be reading the rest of the Willowbrook series. I would recommend this.

Lena and Essie Osbourne are daughters of Willowbrook’s former vicar. It seems they will soon lose their home as a new vicar is due to arrive soon. Jack and Brad are former soldiers, and best friends. They have established a gentlemen’s club in Willowbrook. He is also working in the new railway venture for the town. This is a short enjoyable story with great characters. Jack and Brad have proven they are courageous and loyal. They are also intelligent, hardworking, protective, and caring. Lena is intelligent, determined, and caring. Her sister Essie is blind, but that does not stop her curiosity or her cheerful personality. The story has some excitement and danger, friendship, and romance. How do feel about two happily ever afters?
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Major Jackson has survived the torture along with his friend. So when the opportunity comes for him to fulfill his live long dream. He takes the bull by the horns. As the years pass he does well for himself and his partner. As the gentleman's club goes so does the town and more help is needed. Who to hire goes against his thinking but soon discovers it's the best decision his life.
What a wonderful book. Engaging and intriguing. I really enjoyed this series so far.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with guidelines.

Our hero has faced more than his share of pain. Now he helps others as well as himself. There are lots of opportunities coming with the new railway into Willowbrook. Our heroine works hard to provide for herself and her sister since the death of their father the vicar.
This is the fifth book in a series set in this town. It is a place filled with brave and independent people, all happy to give each other support in life and business. Each can be read alone.
Lots of excitement, surprises and some danger.
Good fun.

A fasted paced story of two returning soldiers who establish a gentlemen's club. As the running of the club, bookkeeping and more become overwhelming, a vicar's daughter, Lena is hired to help. Add a mystery and some twists to this along with a two for one love story and you end up with a fantastic story all around. Very well written, deals with a few disabilities or physical imperfections and brings the reader into an amazing awareness of the true meaning of "Love is in the eyes of the beholder". Just beautiful!

Another fabulous entry into the Willowbrook series. I love this town and these people. Crimean war vet Jackson Corbin hires Magdalene Osborn at the request of his partner to keep the accounts of their gentleman’s club while Jack takes care of the books for the new railroad coming to Willowbrook. Lena will do anything to keep a roof over her and her sister’s heads. Even work in the offices of Jackson’s Gentleman’s Club.

I love these two characters. They are both nurturing and caring toward those they love and others around them. I love that Lena is sharp, intelligent, and a bit sassy. Jack is a perfect hero, seeing to Lena and her sister’s safety and being a strong shoulder when needed. Essie is a joy and Jack’s partner, Brad, is delightful. The friendship between all of them is warm and inviting. I enjoy all of Ms Landon’s stories and the Willowbrook series are quick, entertaining reads.

I enjoyed reading this book. Once I started reading it I didn't want to put it down. The characters are great and the storyline hooked me from the start. I don't want to spoil this book for anyone so I won't go into details. I recommend reading this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

This is a sweet romance and instead of one we actually get two love stories . There’s really no 🌶️ if that’s what you are looking for but there is a little mystery and excitement towards the end . Although the fifth book in the series it can def be read stand alone

Another great addition to this authors series. I love how the authors novels always hold an element of suspense together with romance and this one is no exception. In this case the suspense and danger relates to a case of embezzlement. It is a shortish read but clicks along at a fast pace and keeps you turning the pages. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have come to appreciate this author's storytelling as her novels always hold an element of suspense together with romance to stir one's heart. In this case, a friendship forged in the bowels of a Russian prison during the Crimean War takes Jack and Brad into a new era, one where they protect and support one another far away from the torture and terror they experienced. There are different kinds of suffering and Magdalena and Esther Osbourne are struggling to survive after the deaths of their father the vicar and their mother, and the fact that Esther is blind only complicates matters. When Jack comes to the point where he finds he needs additional assistance in his business, his need becomes Lena's salvation as he employs her to assist with the bookkeeping. Jack discovers that things are not as straightforward in the building of the railway line through their small town as he supposed, which puts Lena and Esther in the line of danger as a desperate man attempts to embezzle funds. Fortunately, the enemy is dealt with and the novel comes to a successful conclusion with both Lena and Esther finding happiness. I received a copy of this well-written book as a gift through Dragonbalde Publishing and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

A Perilous Wager by Laura Landon is a captivating historical romance infused with suspense, set in post-Crimean War England. Major Jackson Corbin, a war hero turned gentleman's club owner, finds his orderly life disrupted when he hires the intelligent and caring Magdalena Osbourne to help manage the accounts for a new railroad project. As their professional relationship deepens into romance, they must navigate not only societal expectations but also a dangerous plot involving embezzlement and murder. Rich in historical detail and emotional depth, the novel masterfully blends romance and intrigue, making it a thoroughly enjoyable read for fans of the genre.

Historical Romance with Suspense

Jack and Brad were friends who saved one another during the Crimean War. Now, they owned a gentleman's club together. Jack needed an accountant, and Lena came highly recommended. He had no idea that hiring her would change his destiny and that of his friend’s. Jack and Lena would fall in love, but Lena had promised her mother that she would not abandon her blind sister. No one thought a blind woman could find love. Everyone was wrong.

Someone has a gambling problem, and Jack and Brad are in his way. He will resort to anything, including murder, to get the money he needs. This story will have suspense and plot twists. I enjoyed the story and would recommend it.

A note about blindness: Blind people do not count steps. I have been blind all my life and know many blind people. No one I know counts steps. To tell someone to walk twenty steps would not be helpful at all. Twenty of your steps are not necessarily twenty of mine. We do count stairs because their number does not change, but going from one point to another by counting steps is not practical. There are a lot of stereotypes in literature, and they are often misleading. Esther could not see Brad, so she did not care about his scars. Does that mean that all blind people would not care about such a thing? Some of us are just as shallow as some sighted people. We might learn about scars and reject a person. Esther was not shallow. If you want to learn about blindness, one of the sites you might want to visit is www.nfb.org.

Another addition to the Willowbrook saga.
Jack and Brad endure a horrific experience including physical, torture in the war.
They settle in Willowbrook and open a gentlemen’s club.
Lena works hard to care for herself and sister Essie when Jack offers her a job.
A beautifully written romance with some twists with corruption.
Enjoyed the character development and the depth of understanding each character underwent throughout the story.

This was a really good read, two sisters two ex soldiers loved their life stories and i also like how this guy was making a gentlemans club and a woman went to it and he didn't think women should run gentlemans clubs but he becomes really smitten with her and has a thing for her.
i love jack and lena together my favorite characters. I couldn't stop reading.

Major Jackson Corbin & his best friend Bradford Prescott were captured & tortured during the Crimean War on recovering & returning to England Jack, ably aided by Brad, opens Jackson’s Gentleman’s Club. When he is appointed to keep the accounts for the new railroad line being built to connect Willowbrook to London, in addition to his already full-time job of keeping the accounts for his thriving gentleman’s club, he realizes that keeping the two accounts will be a bigger job than one man can handle. Brad suggests he hire Miss Magdalena Osbourne, Jack is smitten by her perfect demeanour and her angelic features. Lena is a vicar’s daughter & also cares for her blind sister Esther.
A quick but very enjoyable book. I loved both Jack & Lena, he’s a self made man who has a photographic memory, she’s intelligent & caring – both were ripe for falling in love. I also loved that there was a secondary romance, which was tender & moving. There was a surprise towards the end as well as some danger. This is the fifth book in the series but is easily read on its own
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

An enjoyable read featuring two orphaned sisters and two ex-soldiers, with an interesting back story, two separate cases of embezzlement and a villain who will stop at nothing to get his hands on money. Highly recommended for those who enjoy sweet and clean romances.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Former soldier, Jackson Corbin and his friend, Bradford Prescott, also a former soldier, own Jackson's Gentleman's Club. It's sweet and clean when it comes to the relationships of Jack and Magdalena Osbourne and Brad and her sister, Esther. Unsettling in the beginning and later in the book, the love stories easily fall into place.
A quick read. I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.