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Lord Ashford's Wager
The bad things about Lord Tony Ashford were that he was dazzlingly handsome, a confirmed gambler, and he only saw Lady Joanna Barrand as friend. To fall into his arms was folly, but that is where Joanna's heart led her. A romantic Regency by the author of Lady Arden's Redemption and Lady Barbour's Dilemma.
223 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 12, 2009
It's packaged as a romance but it's NOT a romance.
It follows a widow who was sold at 17 to a nabob thirty yrs older. She was a decent woman who was devoted to husband for their 15 yr marriage. She wants to re-marry for love this time and she gets engaged to the 'hero' for about 2 seconds.
Then she is murdered onscreen about 30% into the book.
The 'hero' goes to prison for her murder. He is weak and whiny and has a gambling addiction.
The 'heroine' (according to the backblurb) is a doormat in the background who has loved the 'hero' all her life.
This sucks.
It follows a widow who was sold at 17 to a nabob thirty yrs older. She was a decent woman who was devoted to husband for their 15 yr marriage. She wants to re-marry for love this time and she gets engaged to the 'hero' for about 2 seconds.
Then she is murdered onscreen about 30% into the book.
The 'hero' goes to prison for her murder. He is weak and whiny and has a gambling addiction.
The 'heroine' (according to the backblurb) is a doormat in the background who has loved the 'hero' all her life.
This sucks.
February 7, 2021
No, no, and again I say no. I’m sorry but this book just did not do it for me at all. There’s just too much going on, and yet at the same time there’s not enough going on in regards to the romance between Joanna and Tony.
There’s a lot of detailed information about the relationship between the older widow and her late husband; the relationship between the older widow and Tony; the relationship between the villain and his mother; and the relationship between a Bow Street Runner and a Madam, but Tony and Joanna? Seriously they spend like 3 days together in the whole book. I get that they’re friends and she already loves him but it really does seem like a stretch to have Tony fall in love with her on very limited interaction.
Oh, but that’s right – he only falls in love with her after seeing “the way the line of freckles ended and the pale white skin of her breasts began.” It’s all about the physical with this man, let’s not mention how Joanna hired someone to clear his name or helped reinstate him in Society – nope let’s simply concentrate on her curves.
But even after this ‘epiphany’, he still frequents a brothel and enjoys the pleasures to be found there – which is not at all the behaviour I personally expect from any romantic hero, let alone a Regency Romance hero. So there’s a big fat negative for Tony.
I could go on about the other things I disliked about Tony but really there’s no point. Basically I really struggled to connect with him and in the end I just felt like kicking Joanna and saying – you can do so much better than this loser.
I did like the story about Gideon (the Bow Street Runner) and Mrs Spencer (the brothel owner) but I resented the time it took away from Tony and Joanna. If there’d been of a story between them, then I think I would have enjoyed Gideon and Blisse much more but as it was, I spent most of the time waiting for Tony and Joanna to come back on stage.
Ultimately though I guess you want to know – did I feel the HEA was right? Did the misunderstanding make sense? Was I left with a warm and fuzzy feeling or wishing I could get my money back?
Unsurprisingly, my answers to these questions are I have no idea what Joanna saw in Tony and his love appeared to be purely physical so can see no possible HEA there; there wasn’t really a misunderstanding at all other than the usual inability to talk to each other; I did not have a warm and fuzzy feeling at all and I do wish I’d borrowed this from the library rather than purchased it outright.
If you’re looking for a different style of Regency Romance with different relationship styles and a more serious look at Society then I recommend any of Carla Kelly’s books or some of Mary Balogh’s earlier books (before she transitioned into Historical Romance) rather than this particular book.
(Check out my personal blog for more Traditional Regency Romance reviews)
There’s a lot of detailed information about the relationship between the older widow and her late husband; the relationship between the older widow and Tony; the relationship between the villain and his mother; and the relationship between a Bow Street Runner and a Madam, but Tony and Joanna? Seriously they spend like 3 days together in the whole book. I get that they’re friends and she already loves him but it really does seem like a stretch to have Tony fall in love with her on very limited interaction.
Oh, but that’s right – he only falls in love with her after seeing “the way the line of freckles ended and the pale white skin of her breasts began.” It’s all about the physical with this man, let’s not mention how Joanna hired someone to clear his name or helped reinstate him in Society – nope let’s simply concentrate on her curves.
But even after this ‘epiphany’, he still frequents a brothel and enjoys the pleasures to be found there – which is not at all the behaviour I personally expect from any romantic hero, let alone a Regency Romance hero. So there’s a big fat negative for Tony.
I could go on about the other things I disliked about Tony but really there’s no point. Basically I really struggled to connect with him and in the end I just felt like kicking Joanna and saying – you can do so much better than this loser.
I did like the story about Gideon (the Bow Street Runner) and Mrs Spencer (the brothel owner) but I resented the time it took away from Tony and Joanna. If there’d been of a story between them, then I think I would have enjoyed Gideon and Blisse much more but as it was, I spent most of the time waiting for Tony and Joanna to come back on stage.
Ultimately though I guess you want to know – did I feel the HEA was right? Did the misunderstanding make sense? Was I left with a warm and fuzzy feeling or wishing I could get my money back?
Unsurprisingly, my answers to these questions are I have no idea what Joanna saw in Tony and his love appeared to be purely physical so can see no possible HEA there; there wasn’t really a misunderstanding at all other than the usual inability to talk to each other; I did not have a warm and fuzzy feeling at all and I do wish I’d borrowed this from the library rather than purchased it outright.
If you’re looking for a different style of Regency Romance with different relationship styles and a more serious look at Society then I recommend any of Carla Kelly’s books or some of Mary Balogh’s earlier books (before she transitioned into Historical Romance) rather than this particular book.
(Check out my personal blog for more Traditional Regency Romance reviews)
June 23, 2023
Una nuova scrittrice. Una nuova fonte di gradevoli distrazioni? Forse sì. Questo 'regency' rivela una mente informata, una mano sicura nello scrivere e nell'evocare ambienti e personaggi, una buona dose di intelligenza.
La storia è ben condotta, con un pizzico di poliziesco e un pizzico di 'romance'.
A ben rivederci.
La storia è ben condotta, con un pizzico di poliziesco e un pizzico di 'romance'.
A ben rivederci.
May 11, 2013
Lady Joanna Barrand has loved Lord Tony Ashford since childhood, but to him she was a friend. When he suddenly becomes the Earl of the family’s impoverished estate, he turns to gambling to make his fortune. It doesn’t work and he looks to an older wealthy widow as a marriage prospect. His gambling, however, is still a problem and soon he is suspected in a far greater crime. Lady Joanna sticks by him and aids him through his crisis and eventually he sees her as more than a friend. This is a very traditional storyline and the style was adequate, but I never felt connected to the H or h. The writing made you feel at a distance and not experiencing their feelings.
July 27, 2014
Two childhood friends find love, but not without suffering loss and overcoming obstacles. First, they (with the help of a Bow Street Runner) must solve a mystery that threatens to destroy the hero's life and take away his freedom.
December 26, 2013
I really enjoy Marjorie Farrell's writing and the book was no exception. Also, I had a hard time rating it. It didn't feel much of a romance, as the main characters didn't have chemistry at all. The best part of the book was secondary characters, specially a Runner.
November 12, 2017
Regency
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews