The Wicked Wager

Oct 08, 2012 Rachelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Wicked Wager is a book that has romance and a murder mystery in the Regency period.

Lord Richard Hamilton falls for Emma Grey and asks her to marry him. Her parents approve but, her uncle the Duke of Arden wants them to wait a year vs the two months that Richard wanted to wait. Richard makes a wager with Emma about whether the Duke or someone else would see through his disguise as new head gardener or find him in a compromising situation with Emma so they would be forced to marry earlier. Ri...more

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Nov 21, 2012 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

This regency romance reminds me of "The Importance of Being Earnest" or books by PG Wodehouse. People in stuffy situations, behaving bizarrely, falling in a storybook sort of love and a big reveal at the end.
The story begins with a strange premise and uses that strange, loosely explained background to open the door for odd behavior by the protagonists and, later, a friend. The strange situation and goofy actions by the characters center around "forbidden" love and romance thwarted by circumstanc...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Maggi Andersen rated it 3 of 5 stars

The infamous rake, Lord Richard Hamilton, has finally chosen his bride—the very appropriate Miss Emma Grey.

The ton approves, Lord Grey is pleased, Lady Grey delighted, and Emma is over the moon, but her uncle, (the blasted) Duke of Arden opposes the match, and Emma is ordered to move to the duke’s estate to think things over.

Richard Hamilton refuses to take things lying down and concocts a plan. A plan that should have brought the lovers together and had them married within a month. It was a sim...more The infamous rake, Lord Richard Hamilton, has finally chosen his bride—the very appropriate Miss Emma Grey.

The ton approves, Lord Grey is pleased, Lady Grey delighted, and Emma is over the moon, but her uncle, (the blasted) Duke of Arden opposes the match, and Emma is ordered to move to the duke’s estate to think things over.

Richard Hamilton refuses to take things lying down and concocts a plan. A plan that should have brought the lovers together and had them married within a month. It was a simple matter of masquerading as the duke’s gardener, compromising the lady, and then having the duke rush them off to Gretna Green.

Alas, he underestimates the duke’s intelligence and the tangled situation on the estate—never had he imagined that compromising a lady could be so difficult.

His endeavors lead to a comedy of errors, charades, and knotty love affairs. Yet he forges ahead in spite of pesky house guests, a flea bitten mattress, his lovesick best friend, and a blackmailer.

Just when things seem to be going well, someone is murdered (very inconvenient), and he happens to be one of the suspects (extremely inconvenient).

His simple plan for winning the wager suddenly becomes … a tad complicated.

3.5 Stars
“Bloody blooming roses sprouting out of a fairy’s arse!” Anna Wylde’s unusual historical romance is not without charm. Hard to categorize, it’s a mix of genres: historical romantic comedy with a murder mystery, and even a touch of the Victorian melodrama. The beginning almost put me off, I suspected the premise was going to be hard to accept, but the story improved as I read on. Despite the unlikely premise, and other flaws, it was funny, the characters rather endearing, the story told with quite a bit of wit. I liked Emma and Lord Richard, and the secondary characters were interesting too, especially the romance sub plot. I got into the swing of it and it carried me along. Often farcical, it made me laugh, mainly because the characters were so well drawn. I had to swallow my annoyance at some of the situations, where an earl wanders into a duke’s house and insults the duchess, without first being announced, for instance, the ridiculous antics of the characters at times, and get into the spirit of the story. I did and quite enjoyed it.
I liked this author’s voice; I would consider reading another of her books.

(less)

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Nov 07, 2012 Alisa rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was a fun read! I can't wait for more books by this author...

Emma Grey and Richard Hamilton (the Earl) are in love and want to get married! The Earl never thought he would fall in love and now that he has, he wants to marry Emma ASAP!

The obstacle: The Duke, who is Emma's uncle. Emma thinks the Duke is the most clever man in the world, and to help his hurt ego (and speed up the wedding date) the Earl is determined to convince Emma that he is more clever than the Duke.

The plan: When Emma goe...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Drebbles rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Miss Emma Grey is in love with Richard Hamilton and he with her and the two plan to marry. However, Emma’s Uncle, the Duke of Arden, is not pleased that his niece has fallen in love with an infamous rake and orders her to visit him at his estate in the hopes of changing her mind; she agrees hoping she can change her uncle's mind. Lord Hamilton is not happy to be separated from Emma for a long period of time and concocts a plan with the help of his friend Lord William Raike that will enable him t...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Bebe Knight rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog, historical, novel, reading-until-i-fall-asleep, review, romance

Historical Romances are becoming my new favorite genre and it’s all thanks to books like The Wicked Wager. From the moment Richard and Emma grace the page all the way up to where we find out “whodunit”, I couldn’t put this book down. The characters just leapt off the page and I found myself rooting for people and hoping others would be taken down.

The main hero and heroine, Richard and Emma, were believable, enigmatic and enchanting to read about. Richard, a rake turned monogamous Lord, ignites t...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Marina rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had a lot of fun reading this book. I was expecting cozy mystery. What I got was very funny and entertaining reading and very little mystery (unfortunately). I fell in love with Richard and Emma and their wager. Living under duke’s roof is not very easy. There are plenty of comic situations.

My favorite teaser ( I hope the author doesn't mind):

The duke finally spoke,
“ Is this a new fashion in London of eating breakfast? One must no longer sit on chairs but stand on them? And what in the world...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Christopher rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review was originally posted on The Historical Romance Critic.

Thoughts After Reading:
It's been a while since I've read a truly "fluffy" piece of romantic literature. And that is undoubtedly what Anya Wylde is shooting for in her debut novel The Wicked Wager, with a storyline that is very lighthearted, very silly, and that borrows more than a few pages from regency farces. She succeeds at this goal in many respects. The book is not devoid of flaws - there were parts of the writing that were...more This review was originally posted on The Historical Romance Critic.

Thoughts After Reading:
It's been a while since I've read a truly "fluffy" piece of romantic literature. And that is undoubtedly what Anya Wylde is shooting for in her debut novel The Wicked Wager, with a storyline that is very lighthearted, very silly, and that borrows more than a few pages from regency farces. She succeeds at this goal in many respects. The book is not devoid of flaws - there were parts of the writing that were disappointingly stilted, I felt more than a couple of the scenes were overblown, and I wasn't that crazy about the last part of the novel. But the story was also infused with a wide variety of comedy, squeezing witty, satirical, earthy, and farcical humor into a single novel. I was inwardly chuckling more often than not as I read through the book, and the "mouse scene" had me bursting out laughing. I also found the characters - in both the primary and secondary love stories - to develop a surprising amount of depth as the plot moved forward, to the point that I was quite eager for all of them to achieve their HEAs. There was no romance conflict to speak of, with the book relying on the plot action and amusing events to move things forward.

The primary hero and heroine are engaged by the end of the prologue. With a vocabulary inclusive of phrases such as "bloody blooming roses" and "bollocks", the heroine gives new meaning to the description "outspoken" - especially when she doesn't think anyone is listening. For the most part, she's a good-hearted and sensible young lady... with a secret mischievous side that complements the primary hero's personality nicely. We are told that the hero was formerly a rake, and his general devil-may-care attitude certainly fits the part. He was always up to mischief as a young man, and is more than happy to continue in that role - provided that it now revolves around his newly-discovered love of his life. And the opportunity comes up almost immediately. The heroine's uncle - a duke who is expected to pass the title on to the heroine's father - tells her to postpone her marriage for a year. The heroine is upset about this, but she (quite sensibly) thinks that the best thing to do would be to work the duke around to her way of thinking. The hero, meanwhile, is aghast at the idea of staying celibate for an entire year... and his "manly" sensibilities are offended by the idea of the duke calling the shots. So he comes up with a silly wager with the heroine, dons a silly disguise as an older gardener, and hatches a silly scheme designed to get the duke to approve of the marriage more quickly... with - you guessed it - rather silly results. The reader is amusedly strung along as a masquerade element is added to the plot, followed by a mystery plot that is increasingly brought towards to the forefront of the story. In the interim, the hero and heroine have (mostly) chaste secret meetings and bicker like a married couple. The secondary couple involves the heroine's cousin and the hero's friend who is masquerading as the heroine's fiance. Despite the predictable confusion with the masquerade, the secondary romance eventually comes together almost as effortlessly as the first.

As with most debut novels - and most books in general, for that matter - there were a few elements of The Wicked Wager that irked me. The uneven writing style, particularly towards the beginning of the book, made me uncertain if it was a story I was going to be able to delve into. Happily, my uncertainty was gradually proven to be unfounded. I also found a bit of the humor to be off-color, particular the parts that related to public nudity. And then there was the last twenty percent or so of the book - I was completely unprepared for the book to transition from romance to a extensive "whodunnit" mystery. In retrospect, maybe I should have been a little more prepared with a tagline of "A Regency Murder Mystery & Romance".... but I didn't really expect a Westing Game level of analysis. On the plus side, the mystery element was well-written, gave insight into the duke's character, and served as a solid way to wrap each of the book's elements up. On the negative side, it felt dragged out and rather incongruous with the rest of the story.

I think the best way to describe Anya Wylde's The Wicked Wager is to say it's a novel that's overwhelmingly fun. Wylde takes a swing at humor on pretty much every page of her book, in pretty much every style possible, and hits quite a few home runs. The storyline had its moments of cleverness, the characters were well developed, and the result is a story I would definitely recommend giving a look.

A couple of final notes:
- I'm tagging the novel as "clean", as the only implied sex scene happens off-screen.
- I received a review copy of this book from the author, Anya Wylde. It is, of course, still an unbiased opinion.(less)

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Sep 07, 2012 Pamela Craft Jenewein rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: het-stories

An author's requested read:

The Wicked Wager was a delightful, funny, endearing historical romp. The writing was in tune with the period, while the fast pace immediately pulls me in for a suspenseful amusing ride. The understated, sublime humor quite entertaining and sprinkled throughout the read.

The ploy to thwart Emma’s Uncle’s demand for a year long engagement was truly outlandish, but Richard and Emma’s execution of said plan was beautifully illustrated. Making the ruse all that more imaginab...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of cozy historical romance/mysteries

Shelves: ebooks, clean-reads, historical-setting, humor, mystery, romance, story-doorway, setting-doorway

Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy from the author herself. Thanks, Anya!

While sneaking out of a window to avoid being trapped into matrimony, Lord Richard Hamilton encounters Miss Emma Grey cursing inventively in the darkness and immediately falls in love with her. Because her uncle, the Duke of Arden, has his doubts about the match and wishes them to wait a year to marry, the young lovers agree to Richard's harebrained scheme to disguise himself as an elderly gardener so he can foll...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Leslie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, mysteries, historical-fiction

Maybe it deserves 1 1/2 stars. The mystery plot had potential but only truly occupied the last quarter of the book and the solution is basically just handed to us without any real detection. The Regency romance plot was absolutely terrible with all kinds of behaviour that was beyond the bounds of believability. A young Earl masquerades as an elderly gardener and 1) no-one misses him from his usual life; 2) no-one notices his hands (and face) are not weather and work-worn; 3) he is able to actual...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Sophia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

What an interesting experience this was that can only be enjoyed if you don't take it seriously (put away your Sherlock Holmes magnifying glasses and your romantic lace crying hankies)! I jumped into it thinking it would be some sort of light-hearted Regency Romance-style romp and it was that, but it also tossed in a bit of murder and mayhem to really make things crazy like some sort of historical Romantic Murder Comedy.

The story is about a young English nobleman who gets up to all sorts of misc...more What an interesting experience this was that can only be enjoyed if you don't take it seriously (put away your Sherlock Holmes magnifying glasses and your romantic lace crying hankies)! I jumped into it thinking it would be some sort of light-hearted Regency Romance-style romp and it was that, but it also tossed in a bit of murder and mayhem to really make things crazy like some sort of historical Romantic Murder Comedy.

The story is about a young English nobleman who gets up to all sorts of mischief to alleviate his boredom and avoid any matchmaking woman until he meets his match. He falls for a feisty gentleman's daughter and not soon after, they are engaged. But that's the easy part for Richard and Emma. The trouble begins when her uncle the duke doesn't trust the speed with which they plan to marry and uses the power of the purse strings to force them to slow things down and insists on Emma coming to stay with him and his family to guarantee himself a chance to look into the matter personally.

Richard has no desire to wait the stipulated year so he concocts a scheme to keep the original wedding date for two months out. He bets Emma that he can fool her supposedly astute uncle by masquerading as the head gardener on her uncle's estate for one month without getting caught and in the mean time it will give them a chance to be together. Reluctantly, she agrees to the plan.

But the trouble is that what they cannot factor into the plan is that there are other forces at work on the estate causing the plan to be altered many times to hilarious results that are not limited to further impersonations, blackmail, matchmaking and murder. When it all comes to its zany conclusion, there are more than a few unforeseen events to conclude the matter.

When I speak to the plot, I have to say that my descriptive words of 'crazy' and 'zany' are spot on. This was just over the top fun. I would be terrified if I ever came into contact with a real Richard Hamilton or William Raike as charming as they are just because of the high jinks to which they are capable. For all the fun, there is an actual plot that focuses on a couple of romances and a murder victim that given more than one person motive to bump the person off. One minor thing is that there are a few places where there is a passive voice and we are 'told' and not 'shown' so to speak and seemed to be given to transition things to the next scene. Speaking of voice, there are many points of view used to so that there are scenes away from Richard and Emma even.

As to the historical setting, don't go looking for deep authentic attention to historical detail. Its there to offer mild backdrop stuff and how it sometimes influences character conduct (or at least the intention of influencing it).

The characters while purposely overdrawn were still very personable. I really like Emma's cousin, Catherine and Lord William the best. They played off each other well. And I loved how I reacted to the characters the way I was supposed to (almost offering up audible boos and hisses when the bad folk were present and doing their thing) even knowing that they are all exaggerated to make them comical.

While this story might not appeal to everyone, it was an enjoyable feather-light piece that will brighten a day. Recommended to those who appreciate their murder mixed with romance and comedy.(less)

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Nov 09, 2012 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Emma Grey meets Richard, the Earl of Hamilton and they become engaged. When her uncle, the Duke of Arden, decides they need to wait a year to be married and Emma defends his decision, the earl wagers that he can fool her uncle by being hired and working for a month as the duke’s head gardener, thus proving that he’s more intelligent than the duke. He reasons that he’ll at least be able to see Emma and even if he doesn’t win the wager, he can then compromise her and the duke will have to allow th...more

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Oct 19, 2012 Lori McD rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012_read, adventure, british-lit, canadian-lit, cozy-mystery, easy-read, fun-fluff, historical-fiction, kindle-book, own, regency, romance, suspense

3.5 stars

This book is a fun Regency romance/farce with a bit of a murder mystery thrown in for good measure. The opening grabbed me right from the start: the author had me at the first line - the heroine's creative curse

"Bloody blooming roses sprouting out of a fairy's arse!"

And so Emma Clearwater and Earl of Hamilton, Richard Hamilton, become engaged. Which starts the romantic farce, because Emma's father is first cousins to the Duke of Arden; the duke's daughter, Catherine, is a close particu...more 3.5 stars

This book is a fun Regency romance/farce with a bit of a murder mystery thrown in for good measure. The opening grabbed me right from the start: the author had me at the first line - the heroine's creative curse

"Bloody blooming roses sprouting out of a fairy's arse!"

And so Emma Clearwater and Earl of Hamilton, Richard Hamilton, become engaged. Which starts the romantic farce, because Emma's father is first cousins to the Duke of Arden; the duke's daughter, Catherine, is a close particular friend of Emma's - they've spent the summers together throughout childhood. Emma adores the duke, and so despite Richard's insistence that they be married in 2 months time, the duke insists that they wait for a whole year. Emma's family doesn't want to displease the duke, in case he should decide his title wouldn't pass to Emma's father.

So Richard, exasperated at Emma's going on and on about how wonderful, witty, wise, and exceedingly clever the duke is, makes Emma a wager: Believing that the duke can be fooled, Richard will become the duke's new Head Gardener, donning the disguise of a 60-year old gardener he patterns after his own family's head gardener. Emma will forge a letter from her father to the duke recommending that he hire this specific man to be head gardener. After one month's time, if the duke doesn't uncover Richard's disguise, Emma will appeal to the duke to marry immediately by special license. If the duke does uncover Richard's disguise, Richard promises that Emma follow the duke's advice and concede that the duke is far cleverer than he.

But it doesn't take long for the others at the duke's estate to question why Emma spends so much time with the elderly head gardener. So the duke decides Emma is bored and invites the Earl to visit. Except that Richard doesn't want to give up his disguise, so he convinces his childhood friend, Lord William Raikes, to play him and visit.

In the usual twists and turns, Lord William becomes infatuated with Emma's cousin, Catherine, who is confused and worried about her own feelings for Emma's "fiancee". Catherine's aunt (the duke's sister) tries to blackmail the new Head Gardener (Richard), because she knows he's a young man; she suspects that he's Emma's unsuitable lover. But what other blackmail schemes is she up to?

While a bit more Regency romance/farce than murder mystery, the events do lead to murder. A murder that the duke, as local magistrate, must solve with the help of a detective that he's already hired for other business... business that Richard is concerned means the duke has uncovered his scheme.

During the investigation and subsequent reveal, the duke reveals all... and it's a rollicking good time! A perfect ending to a fun, engaging book.(less)

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Sep 18, 2012 Jen (Red Hot Books) rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars
This is a hard book for me to categorize. It's not exactly a historical romance, though it is historical and it centers on a couple's efforts to get together. It's also a bit of a mystery. Maybe a little farce. The author calls it "A Regency Murder Mystery & Romance." A mouthful, but as good of a description as any. Ultimately, it's light and it's fun.

The story begins with Emma and Richard becoming engaged. Unfortunately, Emma's uncle wants them to have a long engagement. Her uncle...more 3.5 Stars
This is a hard book for me to categorize. It's not exactly a historical romance, though it is historical and it centers on a couple's efforts to get together. It's also a bit of a mystery. Maybe a little farce. The author calls it "A Regency Murder Mystery & Romance." A mouthful, but as good of a description as any. Ultimately, it's light and it's fun.

The story begins with Emma and Richard becoming engaged. Unfortunately, Emma's uncle wants them to have a long engagement. Her uncle is a Duke and it's expected that he will one day pass his title to her father, so Emma's family is inclined to give in to his wishes. Richard, however, doesn't want to wait, so he comes up with a convoluted scheme to marry Emma on his own timetable.

Emma has plans to go visit the Duke and Richard decides to pose as a gardener on the estate to stay close to her. He sets out to prove himself wilier than her uncle. He and Emma make a bet that if he succeeds in his ruse for one month, she'll allow him to compromise her so they can get married right away.

What ensues is one difficulty after another in Richard's plan... not the least of which is the Duke's invitation for him to come to the house, more than a week after he has insinuated himself into the household under disguise. That prompts him to call on a friend to impersonate him --a man who promptly falls for Emma's cousin. And then someone tries to blackmail him and it all culminates in an unexpected murder.

I know it sounds like a romance to some extent, but really it's not. Emma and Richard are sealed in the first chapter. It's less about them coming together than about their silly plan and its constant hiccups. But then about halfway through, the mystery part comes in with the blackmail and the death and it sort of feels a little like Clue, but without the slapstick. (OK, maybe there was one scene where someone's pants split in a very revealing way that was both unexpected and funny.)

It's not a deep character piece. I didn't really get invested in any particular character or their feelings, but the pacing is pretty fast and the story is pleasant, with interesting side characters. It wasn't terribly hard to figure out who the killer was, but I didn't get bored during the journey.

Rating: B-

*ARC provided by author for review(less)

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Nov 18, 2012 Patty rated it 4 of 5 stars

At first when I started this tale I was not sure of it. Then as I continued to read I realized that it was not to be taken seriously and once I did that I found myself totally enjoying the froth and fizz of Ms. Wylde's venture in Regency England. The book starts as our heroine, Miss Emma Grey is cursing in the moonlight. She is found by our hero, Lord Richard Hamilton, as he is trying to escape the clutches of yet another eligible young women. He has sworn never to marry. But one look at Emma an...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Rane rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: regency-romance-napoleonic-era, cozies-mystery-suspense

It all started with a wager.

It's love at first sight for Lord Richard Hamilton when he met the lovely Miss Emma Grey. A well known rake he's finally love. So he thought life would get even better when he married his Emma. That is until Duke of Arden, Emma's Uncle, puts his foot down against the match.
Hearing all the Duke's praises falling from Emma's lips just makes Richard that more determined to prove how clever "he" is and have his cake to! With a wicked plan that involves masquerading as...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Joanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cozy-mysteries, romance

This was just such an adorable little book! I downloaded it the day it was free on Kindle because I love regency romances and mysteries and here was a combination of both! I'm so glad I did! This a lighthearted take on the typical regency romance with the requisite (about to be reformed) rake and the independent-minded young lady. Richard is, of course, a rake who has met his match in the beautiful Emma, and from there the hilarity ensues. I actually found myself chuckling out loud while reading...more

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Nov 01, 2012 Lori- Lusty Penguin Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, historical-regency, mystery-cozy

**Review as posted at Queentutt's World of Escapism book review blog.**

Anya Wylde’s delightful and sweet debut novel beautifully combines a historical regency romance with a cozy mystery. The regency period provides the perfect backdrop for the budding romance between Lord Richard Hamilton and Miss Emma Grey, the charade they play on the Duke of Arden, and the murder.

Anya Wylde develops charming and enjoyable characters. Richard and Emma are mischievous and funny, yet cultured, making them the...more

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Oct 31, 2012 Annette rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Earl of Hamilton is a popular and handsome man. Women find him irresistible. He has no qualms about loving them and leaving them. He does not want to be tied down in marriage, but would prefer to continue his dalliances with beautiful women. He then meets Emma Grey. Emma is a "well-packaged, wood-nymph."
The Earl and Emma fall in love. The marriage ceremony is to be detained, Emma is sent to stay with her uncle. A plan is created so that they will not need to spend this time apart. A wager is...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Tina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: cozy, historical-rom, 5-star, historical-fiction, keeper

4.5 stars.

This was a wonderful story. I was instantly hooked on both the plot and the great characters (seriously, I love these peeps). Not to mention the writing! I'm definitely looking forward to new books by this author. I really, really liked this book. It was a relatively quick read, although the pacing did bother me a little after Raikes entered the story. It wasn't that bad, but had the writing not been as good I probably would have skimmed some parts.

Pacing issues aside, I have been reco...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Andrea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-historical-romance, read-mystery-suspence, favorites

This book was such a surprise. I LOVED it!!!

I was expecting historical romance (and in some ways it was), but it was more a regency romance. And a funny one at that. I laughed out loud several times in reading this book.

The situation was absurd. It was like a comedy of errors...over and over and over again. And while you may think how can these characters be so silly to think they can pull something off, it was written in such a sweet and delightful way that I never wanted to smack any of them u...more

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Jan 26, 2013 My Book Addiction and More MBA rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance, regency-england, mystery

THE WICKED WAGER by Anya Wilde is an interesting Regency Historical Romance. A romantic comedy of sorts with madcap adventures,charades,murder,mayhem,and romance. And if not is not enough add a little laughter,and some blackmail. Follow Lord Richard Hamilton and Miss Emma Grey on a madcap adventure of love and a dash to Gretna Green. You don't want to miss "The Wicked Wager" for a little laughter,a twist of fate and to finding true love with a few twists and turns along the way. A must read for...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Shelley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: regency-romance

I really like the people in this book. Emma and Richard are a well matched pair who really should live happily ever after. At least long enough for their children to be featured in their own story (hint-hint) Catherine and William are a balanced match as well, I can see him fostering this shy quiet beautiful young woman into a blue stocking the likes of which London will never forget, (opportunity for more scandal). The Duke is presented as plot device yet the characterization and the way the l...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Mickey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-reads

This was a hoot! Emma has snared the one of the most eligible rakes in England, only her uncle the Duke isn't so sure he approves of the match. He orders Emma to come to his country estate and think things over. Richard, Em's betrothed, decides to come along disguised as a gardener, and if she can't persuade the Duke to let them marry, plans to compromise so that he HAS to allow the marriage. Things get tricky when the Duke (who is sharper than they think) decides to invite the prospective brid...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Joy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks, historical-romance, humorous

I thoroughly enjoyed this second novel I've read from the very accommodating Ms Anya Wylde.

This novel reminded me how I missed reading mysteries, especially those that proves my suspicions wrong. I love how the love story shifted from the main characters to the secondary ones.

Again, Ms Wylde has caught my interest and I finished it in one reading. The characters were really amusing, but I have to admit I liked the pairing of Catherine and William than that of Emma and Richard. I'm fond of the lo...more

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Mar 10, 2013 Uswatun Hasanah rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm so lucky that I get the free copy of this book from its author herself. She kindly message me via Goodreads and give me a site to download this for free.

Well, In my opinion, this story is somewhat unfocuse. In the middle, I get that there are two heroes and two heroins inside. It's not so awful, but I think I lose the love passion of the main character (Richard and Emma).
But I find many lovely humor in this book. I always giggle while I'm reading it. Just little boring when Richard&Emma's...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Pat rated it 3 of 5 stars

*May contain slight spoilers

The Wicked Wager seemingly begins like your classic fairy tale romance. A handsome, rich and princely earl falls in love at first (or in this case, second) sight with a young belle who has despaired of ever meeting the man of her dreams. The couple gets engaged and this where the similarities between this novel and the classic tale ends and the Regency farce/murder mystery starts. Emma's (the earl's fiancee) uncle, the duke, wants to delay the couple's marriage. Never...more *May contain slight spoilers

The Wicked Wager seemingly begins like your classic fairy tale romance. A handsome, rich and princely earl falls in love at first (or in this case, second) sight with a young belle who has despaired of ever meeting the man of her dreams. The couple gets engaged and this where the similarities between this novel and the classic tale ends and the Regency farce/murder mystery starts. Emma's (the earl's fiancee) uncle, the duke, wants to delay the couple's marriage. Nevertheless, Richard, the earl, refuses to accept a long engagement. Thus, he concocts a grandiose scheme that involves disguising himself as a gardener with plans to compromise his betrothed and marry her as quickly as possible. As the story progresses, the earl's scheme becomes more complex as more characters are involved and another romance develops.

Overall, The Wicked Wager was a light and enjoyable read. It takes a few chapters to get into the book, but it was hard to put down once the earl's plotting began. Anya Wylde writes charmingly and delivers several witty lines through the characters, features that add to the entertainment. The murder mystery is also well-plotted and I was impressed with the revelation of the culprit at the end.

I just have a few criticisms that helped my rating of the novel move to a a 3 and 1/2 instead of 4. There were a few scenes (e.g., mouse scene) that seemed out of place and a little over exaggerated even for a farce. There were also several words used in the novel that seem anachronistic for its setting (e.g., "lurking", "sort of," "lamely"-used as an adverb). Furthermore, I don't think the correct addresses were used for the duke's daughter and sister. Based on my own research and extensive reading of books set in this time period, I believe that instead of calling them "Lady Arden" and "Lady Babbage," I they should be addressed as "Lady Catherine" and "Lady Esther," respectively. Nevertheless, these aspects of the story can be improved over time. Anya Wylde has already shown that she can write a charming and well-plotted story and I have no doubt that she can come up with a stronger story in the future.

Rating: 3 and 1/2 stars

Copy: Provided by the author, Anya Wylde
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Nov 23, 2012 Fallon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, first-reads-and-arcs

This is a very cute story it starts off going and it doesn't take long to get into the story. The premise is that there is this Rake who falls for Emma and they become engaged but Emma's uncle decides they should wait a year to marry and she was to go to his estate for a long time and would have to be away from Richard (her fiance). So Richard comes up with a plan to be close to her and marry her within a month and things begin. It is sort of comedy of errors and the tale becomes more twisted an...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Meredith rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-ebooks

I received this e-book from the author after having read (and greatly enjoyed) her second novel 'Penelope'.
I read this novel on an overseas plan and was able to read it all in one sitting, which is good because I can't imagine having been able to put it down! For a debut novel, 'The Wicked Wager' was wicked fun and I found this one just as humorous as 'Penelope' but easier to read. The plot flowed beautifully and the characters were all developed and enjoyable. For a mystery it was slightly lac...more

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Clean Romances: Free Regency Romance/Mystery	33	145	Feb 23, 2013 02:01pm
The Free Book Cha...: The Wicked Wager, by Anya Wylde	2	12	Nov 08, 2012 06:50pm
Cozy Mysteries : Free Cozy Mystery on Amazon - The Wicked Wager	3	47	Nov 05, 2012 04:18am

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