Christi Caldwell

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read with an improbable, slow-burn romance and a villain of whom you are happy to see the end. It was also nice to visit with Reggie Killoran again. I never really loved Henry, but I was so very happy that he wasn’t a man ‘ho. I thoroughly appreciated Clara as a heroine because she had overcome so much in her life, yet she wasn’t hard and cold – even though she tried to be. I also loved that the book wasn’t filled with angst. There was a bit of show more repetitive introspection, but not page after page after page of angst.

The book gets right into the action and excitement with Henry being attacked with the intention to murder him in St. Giles. He doesn’t make it easy for his assailants – he just keeps refusing to die. When he is totally unconscious and being dragged down an alleyway, a savior appears.

Henry March, the Earl of Waterson, is a prig of a man – uptight, regimented, fully focused on his role in parliament and totally unaware of how those who are less fortunate than he lives their lives. His parent’s marriage was a cold one – totally a business affair. Henry fully intended to follow along the same lines. Henry is also full to overflowing with guilt. Unjustified guilt, but he feels it anyway. His younger sister was caught in the riots at Peterloo and she’s been traumatized and withdrawn from the world since then. Henry blames himself for not getting her out of there sooner.

Clara Winters, former actress, whore, and madam finally has a future to which she looks forward. She and her friend Reggie Killoran are building a music hall in St. Giles. Clara will have a secure future and will be able to provide jobs for others who don’t want to have to sell their bodies in order to survive. She’s worked so very hard – and overcome so much – and she’s still almost afraid to hope that it will all work.

I loved the way Clara pulled at Henry – and Henry pulled at Clara even though neither of them wanted that. Henry began to learn what it was like for those less fortunate than himself and it was good to watch his growth as a person. Though this a very highly unlikely match, I still enjoyed the story.

I would have liked to learn what happened with the villain – and to see his punishment. That ending felt a little rushed to me. I know that Henry got his licks in, but – did he kill the villain? I don’t think so – but I didn’t really learn. The perfect thing, in my humble opinion, would have been for the villain to have been tried and convicted – transported would have been good given that he was a slaver – AND – I would have loved for his association with Lord Peerson to have been made public so Peerson could have some punishment as well. Something I didn’t understand was Henry’s older sister. Was her husband a peer? If so, why wasn’t she living in their home awaiting the birth of the child that would become the heir to that title if it was a boy? It just seemed odd that she was living with her brother rather than her deceased husband’s family.

I hope you’ll read and enjoy this book as much as I did.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less

Powerful!

I loved, loved, loved, Ophelia's story! I must admit to some teary moments during this reading. Oh, the courage of Ophelia Killoran!
As her story evolves you are faced with the horrors and darkness of places like St. Giles, the depravities that lurk around every corner. Ophelia makes it her mission to find and protect the street orphans as she can. To have them work in her brother's club. And it's during one such foray that she comes face to face with a figure from the past--Connor show more Steele!
Beyond this however, Ophelia's brother Broderick, in his quest for powerful alliances in the right places decrees that Ophelia will attend The Season.
Of course everything begins to go pear shaped. Harsh truths are brought to light and Ophelia and Connor must confront some devestating facts, including a harsh wake up call to Connor about the nobility and their attitudes.
By the way, I must admit to really disliking the widowed Duchess Bethany. But that might just me channeling Ophelia.
On another note, I really didn't relate to the cover of this book. It just doesn't capture the essence of who I think Ophelia is. Not that this distracted in anyway from the power of the story.

A NetGalley ARC show less

I hate giving one star reviews, but I just didn't enjoy this at all, and even beyond that, it was weak in several aspects. If this had been the first book in the series I wouldn't have bothered to finish it, and I nearly always finish books. There were significant plot holes, and I didn't even enjoy the falling in love part, because I didn't actually buy that they *did* love. They hardly knew each other at all, or spent much quality time together, (but it also wasn't a love at first sight show more sort), and there wasn't much beyond lust between them, but then suddenly they're claiming everlasting love. I didn't feel an ounce of it. Also, the villains felt almost like an afterthought just to nudge the plot from time to time.

But my biggest complaint was that every single character was varying degrees of unlikable. The hero was an absolute letcher. Even in the book it points out several times that he's *not all that unlike the villain!* Eesh. Always in stories where the woman is an employee of the hero he at least *tries* to not abuse his power by preying upon the help, because that's a sleazy thing to do! But this hero specifically hired her as a governess for the primary purpose of gaining the opportunity to make her his mistress. ... And she's even a gently bred, virginal, daughter of a baronet, so it would rob her of any chance at a respectable life. It is all sorts of wrong for him to take such advantage of her vulnerable circumstances. Plus he wants his sisters to have a governess, and he wants to keep the heroine around, but he also purposely sets her up to fail, for laughs I guess? It didn't even make any sense. The heroine was a little bit irrational, a little bit slow-witted, just poor judgement all around. This isn't the first time I've read a story where the father or husband gambles away a property and the heroine accuses the hero of "stealing" it, and demands he just hand it back over. But I kind of hate it each time. It's incredibly entitled to demand something won fairly, and it's irrational to consider it stolen and blame the winner for the poor judgement of the one who gambled it away. And nearly always, even if the property *were* returned, it would just be gambled away again to someone else. So it's just all around foolish! But even beyond that one scenario, she just made dumb decisions right and left. In the first few chapters she's made to be unsafe staying in her own home, so she spends months worth of her pin money (cause it's not like she might be needing that to make an escape or anything) to hire a hackney to sit outside the hero's home, to then follow him to the bad part of town, at night, just to then wait around for hours to try to intercept him leaving a club... When she could have avoided all of that if she'd just intercepted him leaving his own home instead (?!)). And she's rescued by him from an attack (but then he just starts creeping on her himself, ugh). And as he's giving her a ride *out* of the dangerous area, she still tries to slap him twice for being insulting. It's not that saving her from dire circumstances, (twice in the space of minutes), negates any bad behavior, but maybe she should at least resist striking him for it?... At the very least she should wait until she's out of the dangerous neighborhood in case he boots her from the carriage, lol. She also doesn't explain the situation, just jumping in with her demands, and then accuses him of lying when he can't read her mind. And then she keeps her identity from him purposely for anonymity, but also admits that the gambler was her *brother*, and then is all surprised when he's then able to deduce her last name from that... lol. It was just a wreck at every turn. And that's all just in the first few chapters! And then when he offers her employment with lodging (away from the danger at home), pay, and the chance to earn the property she wants, she still considers him as having ruined her chance at getting married someday because she's going into service. She would have had to support herself somehow anyway in order to escape her home?!? It's just nonsensical. (Though later she just walks off to live alone, with apparently only the clothes on her back and not even jewelry to sell, but somehow lives for months just fine anyway... so maybe she somehow doesn't require food or additional clothing, (or a toothbrush or anything?) to live...) ? Sigh. And the young sisters were genuinely mean spirited little wretches, and the mom was largely just a hindrance, (and of course the villains were awful), so just about every named character was more off-putting than not. (For me at least). If a story doesn't have even one person I want to root for, then it better be very interesting or poetic or something, but this wasn't those either.

I gave the first book in this series 4 stars, but each one has been progressively worse. It's so disappointing. I have access to the next book on audio for free through my library, so I'll probably give this series one more shot in case it can recover, but I'm not in a particular hurry... =( show less

Helena Banbury had suffered a violent and traumatic childhood, thanks to her mother's "protector" Mac Diggory, but she had survived, thanks to her blood brother Ryker and her Street brother Niall and Calum.

For years her brothers had kept her safe and locked away in their club Hell and Sin club, and as long as she followed Ryker's rules, she would always stay that way. But Helena wanted freedom, and after an unfortunate night when a drunk Robert, The Marquess of Westfield ended up passed out show more the in her room; she was punished and sent to live with her father…The Duke of Wilkinson.

Now thrust into a world that looked at her with such disdain, Helena just counted the days until she could go back to her life in the Hell. But when her father insisted that she have a substantial dowry, there is only one man whom needed to pay for landing her in this unbearable position…Westfield!

So I'm going to be a spoilsport and stop there, as I do not want to give away any of the story. Now I have enjoyed Christi Caldwell books for quite a while now; but nothing would have quite prepared me for her new Mountlake series! It truly is beyond anything I have ever read! It even blow my deep love of Lisa Kleypas Bow Street runners series out of the water!

From the moment I opened Rogue's Wager I was in tears! From the pain that both Robert and Helena have suffered, to Ryker's coldness, Helena's banishment…well I could go on and on! The plot of this books is nothing like a Christi Caldwell book before and I think that is what makes it all the more delicious. And as normal, the authors writing manages to get ahold of you and by the end of the first chapter, you never want it to let you go!

Now when it comes to the characters; Helena character simultaneously breaks my heart and fills me with joy. How to termination to right the wrongs against her is so beautiful, it can literally steal your breath. The act of betrayal against Robert's character but from his grandfather blows my mind, but for the fact that he turned himself into a hard man of the ton does not surprise me. But I love the way that he eventually allows his heart to open for Helena.

But what really stole the book from was the siblings! I cannot wait for Bears, Diana's, Ryker's, Niall's and especially Calum stories!

I give The Rogue's Wager 5 stars! show less