Loved Robert and Helena's story! Always love reading a novel with a "flawed" character! There was adventure, steamy romance and of course the gambling hells in London! Can't wait to read more in this series

I recieved an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Great book. Awesome storytelling. Creative and in-depth characters. The author spent the story in a way to engage the reader and make them not want to put the book down until they finished it.

I absolutely loved Robert and Helena's story!! When the H/H of a story are of different classes, you always end up with added conflict as they try to get past those barriers. I absolutely loved Helena and hope that we get to see more of her in the coming books. She has a tough exterior having grown up the way that she did, but it just made her a more complex character.

I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series, which features Ryker, Helena's brother.

This is the story of Helena Banbury and Lord Robert Dennington.

Helena grew up in the worst part of London and was viciously abused by someone who was supposed to protect her. She was rescued by her brother only to live an over-protected and reclusive life as a bookkeeper at her brother's gaming hell club.

Robert is a man who does not trust women due to a cheating fiance who broke his heart at a very young age - with his conniving grandfather who was trying to show him who she really was, someone who only wanted him for his title. The result of this was that Robert decided that he would never be put in that position again, but he has much anger and hurt from it. One night Robert is determined to drink his anger and hurt away. Fate throws Robert and Helena together and they are never the same again.

This story is wonderfully written. It has great emotion, intensity and is fast paced. I became fully engaged in the plight of both characters from beginning to end. The characters are very well-developed and the story is complex, enthralling and very entertaining! I highly recommend this book!

Lord Robert Dennington was the Marquis of Westerfield. Robert loved his father but not the underhanded efforts of his father to marry his on off. Robert had spent the summer with his father thinking that his father was dying only to find out his father wasn’t dying but trying to marry him off. Twelve years ago the Duke- Robert’s grandfather had proven to him Lucy- who Robert was ready to elope with that night - was no different than any other woman wanting a title and monetary things and the quicker the better. Robert had walked into Lucy having sex with with the elderly Duke. Helena had grown up begging, stealing, and doing whatever she needed to so she could survive. She has been tortured and abused by an evil man. Then she was rescued by her brother and protected. Helena is now a bookkeeper for a gentleman’s club called the Hell and Sin Club. This keeps her busy and away from the public. Helena is the illegitimate daughter of a Duke. She had went to stay with the Duke but his wife was mean and cruel to her. Robert had resolved to marry for duty not love. Then a drunken Robert comes in the Hell and Sin Club and wakes up in Helena’s bed. Robert and Helena start out as friends. Robert has trust issues and Helena has to overcome her abusive childhood will Helena and Robert be able to overcome their issues?
I loved this story. It has a good plot. You have to read several times how scared Helena is . It also took a long time for Helena and Robert to overcome their issues. I wish there had been more development of Helena and the brothers. But everything came together and didn’t stop me from loving this story. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this story and I recommend.

First, I absolutely loved this book. Robert and Helena are wounded people. Robert by a betrayal and Helena from physical abuse and perceived betrayal. Long after Robert's incident, he carries the scars, making him unwilling to trust especially women. Helena continues to carry physical scars from abuse she received as a young child. She would rather shut herself away as her brother's bookkeeper. Plus unfortunately for her, her abuser is still out there, looking for her. The story of how these two find each other is an interesting one that captures the attention and never lets go. Although Ms. Caldwell uses the usual ton settings, a lot of the story takes place in St. Giles. It does not follow the usual ton rules where like is drawn to like but allows for a more intriguing tale. I have read several of Christi Caldwell's book, but have to admit so far, this one is my favorite. I am greatly looking forward to Ryker's story in the next one. I do hope there is a story for Robert's sister, Beatrice in the works.

The Rogue's Wager was an excellent read, full of twist and turns, with well-developed and engaging characters. It's the first in a new series by Christi Caldwell and it was also my first book by this author. The Rogue's Wager is the story of Helena Banbury and Lord Robert Dennington. Helena is a former street urchin and the bastard daughter of a duke. She has a head for mathematics and works as bookkeeper in a gentleman's gambling club. I loved her, she is a strong and loyal heroine. Her father finally decides to invite her to stay at his house, and introduces her into society during the London Season.

Her encounter with Lord Robert Dennington will change her life. He is a likeable, decent hero, but also has the past history of a jaded rake. Robert grew up privileged and sheltered, although his family is now in financial trouble due to bad decisions. Helena opens his eyes and his heart to a world he didn't know. From their births, these heroes have been set upon a very different course. But their world literally collide and they have incredible chemistry. Helena is convinced that they will never be able to overcome the divide between them, though. Is Robert ready to make the leap?

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the vivid interactions between Helena and Robert and the emotional moments the author created. The author's writing is excellent and I can't wait to read more in this series. This book can be read as a standalone.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley.

3.5 stars, but the last few chapters are a solid 4 for me; I'm so emotional right now.

I love Helena from the start. She's so strong and resilient, and I feel sorry for her that her brothers take her for granted. I also feel pissed that she has to take on so much bullshit from the Ton because of her illegitimacy. The romance between her and Robert (who I also feel sorry for; the prologue kind of killed me) is my fav kind, hate to love. I adore how they fell for each other as the story progressed.

Overall, it's been an enjoyable read. just wish I was reeled in from the start instead of halfway through the book; I would have rated this a 4.

Caldwell's introduction to her latest series has a charming setup and premise, but lacks the depth to really follow-through to the finish. Though the main couple have some sparks, I felt their relationship moved too fast too soon, and that the family elements were often told to the reader rather than shown. Moreover, the Earl's wife was an unrepentant shrew, with no real sense of her motive. I kept thinking her involvement in Helena's abandonment and scarring was too obvious and therefore wouldn't be her. I was....sorely disappointed on that front.

Moreover, as an introductory book to a series, we meet precious few of Helena's many brothers. Ryker, the so-called leader and most tortured (and heir apparent to his and Helena's biological father) of the set, also was dwelt upon very little. It's one thing for him to be taciturn; in this case, he actively withheld important information from the heroine (and thereby the reader).

Despite a "fake engagement" trope and a leading pair who are actually quite interesting, this was a third book masquerading as a first book. Not bad, but not as strong as it should have been.

This book leaped ahead of the pack and has become my favorite of Caldwell’s books…and that was no easy feat. In a nutshell, the story is about two people who live totally different lifestyles. These two people have been wounded because of what they feel is betrayal by the very people who should always protect them. They carry scars both visible and invisible that threaten to keep them from ever being truly happy. And they both shape and live their lives in accordance to the pain they have experienced — unwilling to take chances on their heart or love.

Lord Robert Dennington, the Marquis of Westfield, grew up in the shadow of his grandfather the Duke of Somerset. He had everything that life could afford him in terms of luxury. It would seem that life was now his for the taking. Yet, he is not happy and while he knows that he has to do right by the title and marry, he is in no hurry to give up his carefree, rogue existence. And as far as he is concerned — because he has learned the hard way, and learned well -- there will be no investment in matters of the heart. He no longer believes in love.

Helena Banbury is almost twenty-five. She grew up in the Dials – alongside the worst of what London has to offer. Helena grew up knowing that her next meal could not be taken for granted. After living on the street and being abused as a child by a cruel and horrific man that claimed to be her protector, she was rescued by her brother and eventually they moved to a gentlemen’s gambling club — acquired by her brother, where she works as his bookkeeper. Her world exists only within those walls — walls that she hasn’t seen past in years, but yearns to see beyond, if only once. But her brother and her surrogate brothers protect her every move from that danger that scarred her physically. They keep her hidden from Digger, the man that brutalized her and killed her mother – the horrible man that haunts her dreams.

On a night that Robert feels particularly sorry for his circumstances, he over-imbibes. That happens to be the same night that Helena decides to sneak and see what the gentleman’s club looks like and who comes -- beyond the safety of the walls of her apartment. Thinking she is unseen, she moves about the floors of the club in the shadows, before finally returning to her apartment for bed. Robert, who always stays in rooms that he rents stumbles into what he thinks is his room. But – you guessed it — he wakes up in her room. And this rude awakening (this morning) could be considered the first day of the rest of their lives.

Life and circumstances abruptly changes for both of them — and nothing comes easy. Can they individually face what they fear will destroy them? Facing and freeing oneself of fear takes courage. Can they overcome their scars? Can they ignore the haute ton’s expectations and create their own? Can they decide what they even want? Can they learn to lean on each other?

While we all know that there is a HEA with this book, (as will all of her books) I will leave to read it to find out how Christi Caldwell brings you there. I can tell you that Helena Banbury and Robert Dennington (Lord Robert Dennington) are worthy of every minute you spend pouring over their lives. I cheered for each of them. I wept for each of them. And I cheered again and again.

The characters in this book are rich and dynamic. They are almost real. The story is tremendous, and is full of surprises. I want to know more. They are ‘book family’ to me, and I want them happy. Christi Caldwell, my pom poms are waiting in the corner — and I am happily looking forward to Lady Diana and Lord Ryker to perhaps have their day. Happily, Robert and Helena will be part of the story.

To everyone reading this, I encourage you to buy and read this book. I promise you will not be disappointed. Karen