The Wagering Widow

Diane Gaston, a pen name for author Diane Perkins, is a Regency/Historical author with a rapidly growing fan base. Her stories are witty and unforgettable, with characters that are laid bare in such a manner that readers are drawn into the story right from the opening chapters. The Wagering Widow is a continuation from a previous Regency, The Mysterious Miss M but it is complete without having read the first.

Guy Keating knows that his soul is truly black, as he utters the vows during his “Gretna Green” marriage ceremony. His guilt still weighs heavily on his heart later that night, as he consummates a marriage based on lies. Although Guy has sworn never to tell Emily that he eloped to gain a fortune, she can read it all too clearly in his handsome features when he later discovers that her rumored inheritance was false.

Emily is so irate with the distant politeness of her drop-dead gorgeous new husband and the outright rudeness of her mother-in-law that she holds her feelings in check. She tolerates it all with a mask of icy calmness. Emily was raised in a family of card-playing gamblers and grew up knowing it was safer not to reveal her thoughts or desires in her expressions. Viscount Keating wishes that his new bride would rant and rail at him for his obvious neglect and deception, but feels he will have plenty of time to make it up to her after he has won a fortune. His only option left, besides the poorhouse, is to follow in the footsteps of his wastrel father and take up gambling.

Emily has had enough of being married to a stranger with the same irresponsible gambling traits as her father. She knows that she is an excellent card player and resolves to win enough money to escape this frustrating, sad marriage. She makes up an elaborate disguise and takes her charms to a gaming hell…

Diane Gaston’s books are always page-turners; she involves her readers in the dramas of her characters with the knowledge of their motives and cheeky insights into their thoughts. Many of the scenes set in the gaming hell are based on conversation, which flows naturally, making the reader feel more like an onlooker. Misunderstandings and deceptions compound Emily’s problems and she almost overlooks finding the happiness she seeks because of her attempts to do things her own way. Guy has tried so hard to do the right thing by everyone that he is blinded to his most precious asset…or is he? If you don’t normally buy Regency books, but love historicals you must not miss The Wagering Widow. It is a keeper with a + + + !

Please note this is available this February via Amazon UK and will be released to US/Canada in late 2005.

Reviewed by: Naomi