“You should not have kissed me,” she replied breathlessly.“I do a lot of things I shouldn’t. It does not mean I won’t do them again.”Gently bred Emma Chadwick always assumed she’d live and die the daughter of a gentleman. But when her father’s death reveals a world of staggering debt and dangerous moneylenders, she must risk her good name and put her talent for mathematics to use, taking a … mathematics to use, taking a position as bookkeeper at London’s most notorious gambling hell. Surrounded by vice and corruption on all sides, it is imperative no one discovers Emma’s shameful secret or her reputation-and her life-will be ruined.
But Roderick Bentley, the hell’s sinfully wealthy owner, awakens a hunger Emma cannot deny. Drawn deep into an underworld of high stakes gambling and reckless overindulgence, she soon discovers that in order to win the love of a ruthless scoundrel, she will have to play the game…and give in to the pleasure of falling from grace.
“An engaging and unusual historical romance. Beautifully sensual love scenes are woven into this intriguing romance.”-Night Owl Romance, TOP PICK on Reckless Viscount
Fallen Ladies:
Luck is No Lady
No More a Lady
No Kind of Lady
more
I had read a novella from this author in Have Yourself A Merry Little Secret. I liked it so much I decided to try one of her full length novels. I am so glad I did! I loved this book! It is my favorite trope, a successful businessman from the wrong side finds love with a lady from the aristocracy.
This was about Emma, the eldest sister of three, living with the gambling debts of her deceased father. She is desperately trying to get her sisters married well and trying to earn money to pay off her father’s debt. Roderick it a successful owner of a gambling establishment. He is the bastard son of an aristocrat.
Emma and Roderick’s love story was a long battle. They had a lot of obstacles. The story was passionate and romantic. There was a lot of steam, that contributed rather than distracted from the story. The HEA was all the more sweeter with the struggle between the couple.
The plot kept my interest with a lot of content. It moved a a good pace. I like the bad guy, he was a strong character rather than just a one dimensional figure. The sisters were interesting and I can’t wait until their stories!
I am so happy I found this author! The book was excellent and I can’t wait to read the next! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves steamy historical romance.
There is an array of charming, vivid characters in this book, well beyond the main pair. For instance, the sisters’ great aunt Angelique is a far cry from the usual disapproving guardian found in a Regency. If anything, she’s a scandal in the making and clearly was at the center of many in her (merely hinted at) past. Then there’s the roguish footman Bishop and Clarice, the delightfully unconventional housekeeper of the gambling hell to name a few more. Even the supposed villain of the piece has a reason for his actions, making him still a serious threat but far more human than typical villain.
The author’s attention to detail in creating the supporting cast helps bring to life and sharpen the contrasts between the glittering pretense of the marriage mart balls where no one is truly what he/she seems and the world its members consider beneath them but to which they go for ‘entertainments,’ such as Roderick Bentley’s very classy gambling hell. The mere whisper of scandal–true or not–can doom a lady’s reputation, but the lords can basically do whatever they wish without harm. This sharp contrast establishes the serious risk Emma Chadwick takes by going to work for Bentley in order to provide for her two sisters’ seasons and to pay off their late father’s enormous debt.
The dance of seduction between Bentley and Emma is beautifully revealed by a very erotic use of card games. Emma, the seriously buttoned-up spinster, learned to play cards from her gambler father, and she’s a whiz at reading her opponents while revealing nothing. Bentley has made his fortune by trusting his intuition and learning to read everyone he comes in contact with. Emma presents a profound challenge, but he senses that beneath that very proper exterior and intense focus on her sisters’ well-being, there lurks a passionate need to find her own happiness. To Emma, Bentley is not at all like the fake, fawning lords who hover around her pretty sisters. She’s seen them on the other side of society, in Bentley’s hell. Bentley, on the other hand, is the same man everywhere, decent, careful, and kind.
Luck is No Lady is a winning opener to the series.
Just the right amount of passion in this page turning story. If you haven’t read one of Amy’s romances, you are missing out on a wonderful author.
I love how the author made the main character smart and willing to take chances for her family by getting a job that a lady wouldn’t dare consider during that time period.