The Wedding Wager

by Cathy Maxwell

Two things consume beautiful, unconventional Mary her passion for turning her late father's rundown estate into the best stud farm in England and her rivalry with Tye Barlow -- the thirdgeneration of a bitter feud between their families. As a confirmed eccentric who dresses like a man, swears like a sailor, and knows as much about horseflesh as anyone, it galls Mary to the core to admit that only Tye is her equal when it comes to running a breeding program. When she has the chance to outbid him for a famous stallion, she rashly offers much more than she can truly afford. Refusing Tye's insulting offer that they pool their resources and own the horse jointly, Mary sets off for London, planning to find herself a rich husband within the two months before her debt comes due. While it seems her beauty will be enough to bring her suitable offers, she's astonished to discover that the only man who really engages her interest is Tye, who has come to town with his own agenda. Mary is a great character, prickly on the outside, passionate and loving on the inside. And her hero, Tye, is a true diamond in the rough. Their funny, heartwarming love story, set in the horse world of Regency England, is a delightful revel in this couple's astonishment as they discover that they are made for each other.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Regency, Marriage Of Convenience, Historical Fiction, Adult

379 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

CATHY MAXWELL spends hours in front of her computer pondering the question, "Why do people fall in love?" It remains for her the mystery of life and the secret to happiness.

She lives in beautiful West Virginia where she is having the time of her life.

Visit her on Instagram, Twitter, FB, and TikTok at maxwellcathy (Yes, some other Cathy Maxwell nabbed the handle. However, she does own www.cathymaxwell.com and she'd love for you to swing by.)

Reviews

[Francine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not complete - if I am going to read a romance (and I read them a lot) I want to like the characters and be cheering for them as I go along. Unfortunately I could not bring myself to like either one of the main characters. They both were holding onto a lot of pride and a lot of resentment. I know this happens in real life and we as humans act stupidly because of it, but I do not want to deal with that many grudges in my fantasy world.

[L Cherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Headstrong heroine!
The journey Mary Gates takes to finally find happiness is filled with lots of missteps, but in the end she will find her true happiness.
This was an enjoyable read.
3.5 stars.

[Christi (christireadsalot) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars
This was my 2nd read by this author and I absolutely loved this one! This is an enemies-to-lovers romance between Mary & Tye and their bantering was perfection. 😍 I was smiling so many times while reading this one and laughing-out-loud and just swooning over their chemistry.

This story starts out at a horse auction, the most fabulous stud horse is up for auction and everyone is there to claim him. Mary and Tye, and their families before them, have been rivals for years and also share neighboring stables on their estates. Horses are everything to both and owning this stud is their ultimate wish, so much so that they continue bidding against one another just out of spite. The price gets so high and Mary is declared the winner, only one minor problem...she doesn’t have the funds to pay. 😆 She is determined to own this horse on her own and refuses Tye’s offer to co-own/split the cost. Mary is the proudest, strongest, most independent heroine and I loved that about her. She decides to pay for the horse she must find a wealthy husband and sets off to London. Tye is equally as determined to own the horse, and not let Mary have her way, so he follows her to London to ensure she doesn’t make any progress on her marriage hunt. While trying to thwart her marriage plans, Tye starts to realize while he he doesn’t want Mary to win the horse, he also doesn’t want her to find another man to marry...

This was such a lovely read. I absolutely love both Tye and Mary, they were the most stubborn characters and it was so fun seeing them come together. I just love enemies-to-lovers romances and how there were sparks flying and such strong chemistry between this couple before they even gave in to their passion for one another. 😍

[Yuni · Rating 2 out of 5]

it's good it has happy ending but how they reach the end....argh.

how can the author just let Jergen goes like that? just because he is someone important so no law can stop him? I hate it. and the duke... Mary saved his heir but the way he treated it is like Mary is nobody. how I wish to see his face if his only heir died in front of him. yes, I'm a cruel person.

I started to read Cathy Maxwell novels but this one make me wonder: should I add her to be my favorite authors or not? yes, it just one book but one book can lead your decision.

[Leena Aluru · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not bad, just a little silly. I couldn't like either the heroine, Mary, or the hero Tye much.

Recommended : meh 😐

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd give it 3 1/2 to 4 stars. I hated the scene in London when she was a fool and embarrassed herself, but at the same time someone without experience could easiily make that mistake. I would have personally taken the story in a different direction with her "winning" that fight. That could have built upon women everyone in London aspiring to independence, instead it curbs the Duchess and embarrassed her and her husband to have that drama at their house. Still a great book and has their little happily ever after that everyone love, just would have thrown in a later meeting with the uppers fron London. JUUUUUSSSTTTT SAYIN'.

[michelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️5/5⭐️ 💖Enemies to Lovers💖
Wonderfully told love story that is 100% about the couple and no other side plots. Loved it.

💕FOR THE REASONS I READ ROMANCE:
The Connection of the Couple: 5/5
Do I believe the couple will endure after the last chapter: 5/5
Couple spent enough time together: 5/5
Give and Take balance between the couple: 5/5
Couple was balanced and suited: 5/5
Banter and Fun Times: 5/5

🖋️THE WORDS
Show and not Tell: 5/5
Was I transported and enraptured: 5/5
Was the language sophisticated: 5/5

⛔️(SPOILERS BELOW)⛔️

🌸OTHER NOTES
Characters Likability:
H: I loved him. He was so protective of the h, even while they were enemies. He always looked out for her interests and took care of her. He was definitely the more mature and levelheaded of the two and was a calming compliment to her. He was devoted to her from the start to the end.
h: She was independent, wounded from her past that made her prickly, stubborn, impulsive, careless and definitely had her own mind. I liked her. She was a little too modern for the time and that’s one of my pet peeves, but I accepted it here. She wasn’t a virgin, she made a mistake with someone while she was very young, and she was gossiped and scorned about it so maybe that’s why it was okay because it was believable in the time period. She definitely needed the H to get her out of her scrapes.

The Couple’s Connection:
The enemies part was good, the H was so protective and attentive with the h even when they were enemies. The H follows her to London when he finds out her plan to get a husband and watches out for her, protects her and talks her “off the ledge” a few times. He was a complete gentleman too. The support he gives her, the protection he provides her and his demonstrations of ownership were wonderful. It gave you a hint into what kind of husband he will be. This takes up maybe 85% of the book.
He finally marries her towards the end and the last hurdle is to admit to eachother they love eachother and the author removes the horse, which was the reason they got together to prove to eachother they are in the marriage for the right reasons. Everything about how this was built was just deliciously well timed.

Push Pull:
The H was constantly running after the h, both actual and figuratively. The h wasn’t really pushing away, just unaware of how he felt for her.

The Ending:
The ending is a tying up of loose ends. They return home, quickly acclimate to their new lives, quickly undertake their new project together and finally admit how they love eachother. It was definitely abrupt and I needed more time with them as a married couple.

SUMMARY
My favorite thing about this book:
I loved the H. I loved all his gestures of support, possessiveness and protection. He was perfect. He wasn’t too soft or following her like a puppy, he was more like a voice of reason and was alpha when he needed to be.
I liked the build and evolution of this love story. It was slow but because the pages were filled with the couple’s interactions most of the time, it was a joy to read.
I liked that the couple’s story completely central to the story with no other distractions or gimmicks. This was just a well told love story.

What I didn’t like:
The ending was just way too abrupt. We just got the couple together and the story was over!
I honestly didn’t like that the h was not a virgin when the H was in love with her since they were together as teens. The author needed something that happened to the h in her past that made her prickly but i wish all their romantic encounters where only with eachother.

Should you read this: Yes

Will this go on my favorites shelf to read again: Yes

My Personal Preference:
This was the type of love story that coordinates the ending with the couple getting together. Like that last Hollywood kiss then the credits roll. The ending did have good resolution, we saw the couple have a great honeymoon, return to reality, declare their love to each other, then the epilogue. We spent 85% of the story getting together than the last 15% together but all 100% was well written so for me, I was still satisfied.

When I picked this up the score in goodreads was 3.57, which is a little lower than I usually go for, but i saw it was published in 2001, and I notice older books usually have lower scores in general so I gave it a try. In 2024, how I see ratings normally go, this should be like a 4.15. You know, it’s good but not perfect, those are usually ratings around 4.23 and up. Sometimes ratings for newer more currently published books are rated so high, like 4.5 and the book is average at best. You basically can’t trust the number ratings completely.

Preference Checklist:
Third Act Break Up ✖️
OW/OM-Centric Drama ✔️
Cheating ✖️
h Goes Thru too Much Abuse ✖️
h was the Mistress Troupe ✖️
H was a Gentleman ✔️
H did Most of the First Moves ✔️
Mystery/Suspense Side Plot ✖️
(In HRs) Sex Before Promise of Marriage ✖️
(In HRs) Modern Themes✖️
Too Many Chapters About Other Things NOT About the Couple ✖️
Too Many Allusions to Other Books in the Series ✖️
Too Much Marketing within the Chapters About the Following Book or Other Books ✖️
Other Things:
I marked there not being modern themes but the h in this was pretty modern, but the reaction to her was just right so her modernness sat well in the story. My concern is always believability.

My Rating System:
6 - This was great/funny/enjoyable AND the story touched my heart.
5 - This was great/funny/enjoyable.
4 - I liked this but there was one small thing or small things I didn’t like.
3 - I liked it but it had flaws I couldn’t overlook.
2 - I was very disappointed.
1 - Terrible

[Julie Eichelberger-Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wedding Wager is a well written enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience story in which the two main characters have had a contentious relationship since they were young and Mary's father destroyed the budding friendship. Mary grew up with an abusive father who gambled most of what they had away, after is death she has done everything she could to raise her brother and sister while trying to save the family estate. She vowed never to marry after what she thought was her true love, Lord Jergen's son, took her innocence and left her without marriage. Now she is a britches wearing horse breeder vying for the ownership of a thoroughbred racehorse and her biggest competitor is Tye Barlow, her chief rival. Tye is the grandson of a horse groom who has improved and grown his horse breeding estate. As a young man, he thought he and Mary were friends and more but when Mary turned her back on him, he was devastated. Now she has won an auction for the stud he wants but he knows she doesn't have the money for the bid. He discovers she is going to London to find a rich husband and follows to do everything he can to prevent her from making a mistake. When a scandal threatens to destroy Mary, Tye convinces her to marry him to save them both. They both discover that the animosity between them is actually the passion they are denying and what starts as marriage of convenience soon becomes a wonderful love story filled with adventure.

[Miriamgreen · Rating 2 out of 5]

definitely for young adult, especially those with horse dreams. which in my childhood and for decades and still do. Writing simplistic. had sufficient horse details to make it interesting. rest of plot i.e. going to London, and an irritating sponsor. Superficial duchess and duke. Very light on the romance but enough to highlight Tye and Mary in the love hate syndrome. the epilogue was way too short as were the successes of their breeding farm. more lacking than satisfying. still in these times [now Ukraine invasion] escape is essential so thank you ms maxwell

[Katrina Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy reading a Cathy Maxwell romance! Her characters have depth to them and, many times, emotional issues they need to work through before the romance can happen.

The one drawback was that there wasn't really a "wager" or bet between the hero and heroine. The title is a little misleading, but it was still a cute read!

[Heather Norton · Rating 1 out of 5]

(Audio) DNF. Could not stand the FLC. She was horrible. The author was trying to make it sound like she was a “spirited, strong, intelligent woman” or so the various characters in the book kept describing her but in all honesty she was just a brat. Just couldn’t get past her acting like a 4 yr old

[Stormy]

No rating, DNF too early into the book.

FMC was a pants-wearing, foul-mouthed hooligan, insisting to be one of the boys and ‘shut up if you don't like it’- type of lady. And everything that I read coming out of her mouth was... rude.

[Lili Trudeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story and HEA well worth the read

[Rosemarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

a challenge

When you have 2 strong temperaments who don’t know their own hearts, sparks will fly. A fun romance of redemption, friendship, and love. Enjoy.

[JoLynne Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an ok love story. I did like the characters. Was a little bit of a slow read and didn't care for the ending much.

[Melinda Knuth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic enemies to lovers. 4 stars for the “obey” portion of the book. Just let her be who she is.

[Yana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Both leads were sooo unlikable.

[Patricia Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't really crazy about Mary, the heroine. She wasn't particularly likable, especially at the beginning. I understand that characters can act a certain way as a protective measure from earlier hurt . . . but I think there could be a statute of limitations on some of the stuff. And some of it doesn't make sense.

But once again with Cathy Maxwell, I really like the pacing, many of the characters, the dialogue and descriptions in The Wedding Wager

And I would have liked to see some of the characters in London get their just desserts. Even in an epilogue to the story.

[Fedora · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Ms. Maxwell really does pen a very readable story, I can't say that I loved Mary or Tye, the heroine and hero all that much. They are both prideful and prickly, and Mary in particular really was one of those almost overly independent women whose constant refusal to consider another possibility wore thin. Tye for his part is also pushy and arrogant, although he does bend first. The later part of the book is much easier to read, as these two are obviously much better suited than THEY would believe. An enjoyable HEA awaits once you get there.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mary is like a man, in manner and in her dress. Tye's the buck of the parish - seriously how many times do you have to read about how he gets around and has slept with just about every female in town. Yup, I get the horse reference, still I wonder just how many STD's our buck of the parish has picked up. I don't know. Maybe these two were meant for each other.

[Petie McCarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. Maxwell never disappoints. Pick up one of her books and you get great characterization, pacing, and plot, and The Wedding Wager was no different. This story was a change of pace in that there was no hero of the nobility in this regency read, but rather a working man, i.e. a horse breeder. A delightful read.

[Cary · Rating 3 out of 5]

more of the same with a bit of the **** part but for once in a regency romance they are married! Ya gotta wonder!

[Marge]

Loved it

[Aurrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmmm... so far so good.

[Hildy Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grade: C

Fun, light and entertaining.

[Monique Takens · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second Cathy Maxwell in a few days time and I liked it as much as the first .
This is a feelgood book with many LOL moments .

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regency

[Cherie]

Trying to get my heart rate back down to normal after reading two chapters of prideful competition between the hero and heroine. Sorry, this much animosity doesn't become a HEA without serious author intervention.