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Wellingfords #1
The Wedding Gamble
Sarah Wellingford would Do Her Duty -- even if that meant putting herself on the Marriage Mart during a London season she could ill afford.
Now ironic circumstance had wed her to the compelling Marquess of Englemere, a fabled gamester, who had awakened passions she was honor-bound not to express.
A marriage of convenience could be deucedly inconvenient -- even for a marquess -- when one was perilously close to loving his own wife! But that was impossible, Nicholas Stanhope knew, for hadn't his tragic past proven that women -- especially wives -- were not to be trusted?
Now ironic circumstance had wed her to the compelling Marquess of Englemere, a fabled gamester, who had awakened passions she was honor-bound not to express.
A marriage of convenience could be deucedly inconvenient -- even for a marquess -- when one was perilously close to loving his own wife! But that was impossible, Nicholas Stanhope knew, for hadn't his tragic past proven that women -- especially wives -- were not to be trusted?
Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1999
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302 people want to read
About the author
Julia Justiss
222 books317 followersJulia Justiss grew up breathing the scent of sea air near the colonial town of Annapolis, Maryland, a fact responsible for two of her life-long passions: sailors and history! By age twelve she was a junior tour guide for Historic Annapolis, conducting visitors on walking tours through the city that was a hotbed of revolutionary fervor. (Annapolis hosted its own tea party, dispensing with the cargo aboard the "Peggy Stewart," and was briefly capital of the United States.) She also took tourists through Annapolis's other big attraction, the United States Naval Academy. After so many years of observing future naval officers at P-rade and chapel, it seemed almost inevitable that she eventually married one.
But long before embarking on romantic adventures of her own, she read about them, transporting herself to such favorite venues as ancient Egypt, World War II submarine patrols, the Old South and, of course, Regency England. Soon she was keeping notebooks for jotting down story ideas. From plotting adventures for her first favorite heroine Nancy Drew she went on to write poetry in high school and college, then worked as a business journalist doing speeches, sales promotion material and newsletter articles. After her marriage to a naval lieutenant took her overseas, she wrote the newsletter for the American Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia and traveled extensively throughout Europe. Before leaving Tunis, she fulfilled her first goal: completing a Regency novel.
Children intervened, and not until her husband left the Navy to return to his Texas homeland did she sit down to pen a second novel. The reply to her fan mail letter to a Regency author led her to Romance Writers of America. From the very first meeting, she knew she'd found a home among fellow writers--doubtless the largest group of people outside a mental institution who talk back to the voices in their heads.
Her second goal was achieved the day before her birthday in May, 1998 when Margaret Marbury of Harlequin Historicals offered to buy that second book, the Golden-Heart-Award winning novel that became THE WEDDING GAMBLE. Since then, she has gone on to write fourteen novels, three novellas and an on-line serial, along the way winning or finalling for historical awards from The Golden Quill, the National Reader’s Choice, Romantic Times, and All About Romance’s Favorite Book of the Year.
Julia now inhabits an English Georgian-style house she and her husband built in the East Texas countryside where, if she closes her eyes and ignores the summer thermometer, she can almost imagine she inhabits the landscape of "Pride and Prejudice." In between travelling to visit her three children (a naval officer son stationed in Washington, DC, a textiles and design major daughter who cheers for University of Texas at Austin, and a mechanical engineering major son also at UT Austin) keeping up with her science teacher husband and juggling a part-time day job as a high school French teacher, she pursues her first and dearest love--crafting stories.
To relax, she enjoys watching movies, reading (historical fiction, mystery, suspense) and puttering about in the garden trying to kill off more weeds than flowers.
But long before embarking on romantic adventures of her own, she read about them, transporting herself to such favorite venues as ancient Egypt, World War II submarine patrols, the Old South and, of course, Regency England. Soon she was keeping notebooks for jotting down story ideas. From plotting adventures for her first favorite heroine Nancy Drew she went on to write poetry in high school and college, then worked as a business journalist doing speeches, sales promotion material and newsletter articles. After her marriage to a naval lieutenant took her overseas, she wrote the newsletter for the American Embassy in Tunis, Tunisia and traveled extensively throughout Europe. Before leaving Tunis, she fulfilled her first goal: completing a Regency novel.
Children intervened, and not until her husband left the Navy to return to his Texas homeland did she sit down to pen a second novel. The reply to her fan mail letter to a Regency author led her to Romance Writers of America. From the very first meeting, she knew she'd found a home among fellow writers--doubtless the largest group of people outside a mental institution who talk back to the voices in their heads.
Her second goal was achieved the day before her birthday in May, 1998 when Margaret Marbury of Harlequin Historicals offered to buy that second book, the Golden-Heart-Award winning novel that became THE WEDDING GAMBLE. Since then, she has gone on to write fourteen novels, three novellas and an on-line serial, along the way winning or finalling for historical awards from The Golden Quill, the National Reader’s Choice, Romantic Times, and All About Romance’s Favorite Book of the Year.
Julia now inhabits an English Georgian-style house she and her husband built in the East Texas countryside where, if she closes her eyes and ignores the summer thermometer, she can almost imagine she inhabits the landscape of "Pride and Prejudice." In between travelling to visit her three children (a naval officer son stationed in Washington, DC, a textiles and design major daughter who cheers for University of Texas at Austin, and a mechanical engineering major son also at UT Austin) keeping up with her science teacher husband and juggling a part-time day job as a high school French teacher, she pursues her first and dearest love--crafting stories.
To relax, she enjoys watching movies, reading (historical fiction, mystery, suspense) and puttering about in the garden trying to kill off more weeds than flowers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
March 12, 2019
Fue realmente entretenido y con buenos personajes. El otro murió como debía, como un idiota. POR MALO Y ABUSADOR. Me gustó mucho la firmeza de él, y la entereza de ella. Y aunque a ambos los celos en silencio los consumían, no decían nada.
May 30, 2021
Was going to go with three stars, BUT. The violence against women by the bad guy, the lack of communication between the MC H and MC h trope and the miscarriage all brought it down for me.
Also, from other reviews, the books by this author start out strong and then fizzle out. I would tend to agree.
Not bad, but warning with the violence and the miscarriage. This is not a light and fluffy read.
Also, I shipped her with Sinjin, not her hubby. To find out in the next book he’s with the “Fire” friend makes me rather annoyed and I shall not be reading the rest in the series.
2, the beginning had such promise, stars.
Also, from other reviews, the books by this author start out strong and then fizzle out. I would tend to agree.
Not bad, but warning with the violence and the miscarriage. This is not a light and fluffy read.
Also, I shipped her with Sinjin, not her hubby. To find out in the next book he’s with the “Fire” friend makes me rather annoyed and I shall not be reading the rest in the series.
2, the beginning had such promise, stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2010
This is a book that quickly grew on me. At first it was hard for me to catch onto the writing style of Ms. Justiss but after I did I began to really enjoy the story. I liked all the characters. The author catches the historic banter and time of the story very well and I often wondered where she learned some of those classic words and made them fit in so realistically.
The plot was simple. Sarah marries Nicholas for financial reasons. Even though the marriage isn't a love match, it's easy to tell the two have feelings for each other. I loved how Julia set this up. She didn't have two characters without chemistry come together out of the blue. She set the romance up well from the time the two met. Sarah and Nicholas have amazing chemistry. They were true friends as well as lovers. I enjoyed every scene they had together and it's important for the reader to love the main characters if they are gonna fall in love.
The supporting characters (and there were many) were just as intriguing as the main ones. They all set a purpose. I liked the sadistic Findlay who brought some suspense into the story. The scenes with him and Sarah chilled me and it's not something you'd expect in a historical romance. I found it refreshing for the author to go against the norm and it works.
There were some issues. Some things ran too long and some subplots seemed to come out of nowhere. The beginning starts off with a bang but I found the middle to drag. Some of the middle scenes seemed pointless because they didn't have anything to do with the rest of the book. If I hadn't liked Sarah and Nicholas so much, I would have probably set the book down because the middle did get a bit slow. Once it picked up again, I was eager for the end just to see how Julia tied everything together.
I found the ending surprising and a bit predictable but it fit the story. This is a true, "love conquers all" story and you see the characters not only fall in love but grow together on their journey. I would definitely read more from this author and if you love historical romance with a twist, you should check it out.
The plot was simple. Sarah marries Nicholas for financial reasons. Even though the marriage isn't a love match, it's easy to tell the two have feelings for each other. I loved how Julia set this up. She didn't have two characters without chemistry come together out of the blue. She set the romance up well from the time the two met. Sarah and Nicholas have amazing chemistry. They were true friends as well as lovers. I enjoyed every scene they had together and it's important for the reader to love the main characters if they are gonna fall in love.
The supporting characters (and there were many) were just as intriguing as the main ones. They all set a purpose. I liked the sadistic Findlay who brought some suspense into the story. The scenes with him and Sarah chilled me and it's not something you'd expect in a historical romance. I found it refreshing for the author to go against the norm and it works.
There were some issues. Some things ran too long and some subplots seemed to come out of nowhere. The beginning starts off with a bang but I found the middle to drag. Some of the middle scenes seemed pointless because they didn't have anything to do with the rest of the book. If I hadn't liked Sarah and Nicholas so much, I would have probably set the book down because the middle did get a bit slow. Once it picked up again, I was eager for the end just to see how Julia tied everything together.
I found the ending surprising and a bit predictable but it fit the story. This is a true, "love conquers all" story and you see the characters not only fall in love but grow together on their journey. I would definitely read more from this author and if you love historical romance with a twist, you should check it out.
December 4, 2020
"-Como verás tengo mucha experiencia en amar cosas que no podré conseguir nunca.
-A mí me tienes; ámame-dijo él".
Esta historia es muy especial para mí, es una de mis novelas favoritas de romance histórico, cada vez que la vuelvo a leer me enamora más. Los protagonistas me parecen tan dulces y tiernos que les tengo un tremendo cariño.
En este libro conocemos a Sarah Wellingfords, una mujer que necesita urgentemente un esposo rico que la ayude a salvar las tierras de su familia de unas deudas contraídas por su padre y como dama de compañía de Lady Clarissa (una de la mujeres más bellas de la temporada), ella tiene oportunidad de mezclarse con los miembros de la alta sociedad Londiense y es así como conoce a Sir James Findlay, un noble con una terrible reputación por la muerte de sus esposas y lamentablemente, ese hombre es su más interesado pretendiente, lo cual asusta a Sarah pero ella sabe que no tiene más opciones, así que, cuando su reciente amigo Nicholas Stanhope le propone matrimonio, ella está sorprendida por el ofrecimiento del más cotizado partido de la temporada.
Nicholas le ofrece a Sarah que se ayuden mutuamente porque él está decidido a casarse durante esa temporada para tener un heredero para su título y fortuna pero también desea salvarla de casarse con el villano de Findlay y ayudarla a recuperar las tierras de su familia, así que, Sarah acepta ese matrimonio de conveniencia.
Es muy bonito su matrimonio porque ambos sienten cariño y respeto por el otro y al vivir juntos descubren que les gusta pasar tiempo juntos, así que, tienen una bonita relación pero en sus vida juntos se tienen que enfrentar a varios obstáculos; entre ellos una ex amante celosa, el antiguo pretendiente de Sarah y un gran amor del pasado de ella. Pero me gustó que a pesar de todo, ellos fueron consolidando su amor por el otro, respetándose y apoyándose.
Es un libro muy ligerito, se lee casi en una sentada, con un romance tan bonito que es imposible no amarlos, tiene su buena dosis de drama (siempre lloro con ciertas escenas) y con personajes secundarios que también llegan al corazón. Lo mega recomiendo, es demasiado bonito. Para los amantes del romance histórico seguro que lo disfrutan y para quienes aún no se animan con el género, es una buena opción.
-A mí me tienes; ámame-dijo él".
Esta historia es muy especial para mí, es una de mis novelas favoritas de romance histórico, cada vez que la vuelvo a leer me enamora más. Los protagonistas me parecen tan dulces y tiernos que les tengo un tremendo cariño.
En este libro conocemos a Sarah Wellingfords, una mujer que necesita urgentemente un esposo rico que la ayude a salvar las tierras de su familia de unas deudas contraídas por su padre y como dama de compañía de Lady Clarissa (una de la mujeres más bellas de la temporada), ella tiene oportunidad de mezclarse con los miembros de la alta sociedad Londiense y es así como conoce a Sir James Findlay, un noble con una terrible reputación por la muerte de sus esposas y lamentablemente, ese hombre es su más interesado pretendiente, lo cual asusta a Sarah pero ella sabe que no tiene más opciones, así que, cuando su reciente amigo Nicholas Stanhope le propone matrimonio, ella está sorprendida por el ofrecimiento del más cotizado partido de la temporada.
Nicholas le ofrece a Sarah que se ayuden mutuamente porque él está decidido a casarse durante esa temporada para tener un heredero para su título y fortuna pero también desea salvarla de casarse con el villano de Findlay y ayudarla a recuperar las tierras de su familia, así que, Sarah acepta ese matrimonio de conveniencia.
Es muy bonito su matrimonio porque ambos sienten cariño y respeto por el otro y al vivir juntos descubren que les gusta pasar tiempo juntos, así que, tienen una bonita relación pero en sus vida juntos se tienen que enfrentar a varios obstáculos; entre ellos una ex amante celosa, el antiguo pretendiente de Sarah y un gran amor del pasado de ella. Pero me gustó que a pesar de todo, ellos fueron consolidando su amor por el otro, respetándose y apoyándose.
Es un libro muy ligerito, se lee casi en una sentada, con un romance tan bonito que es imposible no amarlos, tiene su buena dosis de drama (siempre lloro con ciertas escenas) y con personajes secundarios que también llegan al corazón. Lo mega recomiendo, es demasiado bonito. Para los amantes del romance histórico seguro que lo disfrutan y para quienes aún no se animan con el género, es una buena opción.
February 17, 2013
This convenient marriage romance had many good qualities. Both parties did their best to avoid being unreasonable or cause misunderstandings. The conflicts between them were mostly real -- she had a former lover she still loved, he had a mistress he hadn't yet broken with. (Though he stopped sleeping with her, so there's no actual cheating.) It was just too episodic a story for my tastes. Be warned that it gets very heavy in places.
April 12, 2015
Julia Justiss is a new author for me and it looks like the story was her debut novel. Hopefully, she's improved since then. I love MOC stories but I found this particular storytelling tedious, the characters had little chemistry and behaved pretty dumb for supposedly smart people. And I despise when the story is propelled either by big misunderstanding that could easily be resolved by communication or when the plot rely on odious villain. In this case we have both.
September 16, 2015
What can I say, it just was a perfect Regency read. Issues with the need to marry and save a family from ruin. I handsome hero. A kind and loving heroine. Intrigue, questions of trust and best of all, love. Oh and I stumbled upon this series by reading book 2 first, made reading book one a bit more fun, knowing their future.
October 17, 2010
The one thing of which a reader must be aware when chosing a Harlequin title is the word count. Because of this factor, the ending is sometimes rushed. That is true in this novel, although I enjoyed the character development of both Nicholas Stanhope and Sarah Wallingford.
January 20, 2026
2.75⭐️ Messy, dramatic, addictive, just how I like it, but ultimately unsatisfying!
You need to know something about me before I get into this.
There are certain tropes I am completely willing to overlook in historical romance, especially harlequin type stories, that I would never tolerate in contemporary romance. Things like ow drama, a meddling mistress, or heavy miscommunication do not bother me here. In fact, I actively welcome them because they usually bring maximum drama and angst, which is exactly what I want from this kind of book.
That being said, while this story started out strong, it slowly went downhill for me the more I read.
The plot
The fmc, Sarah, is the impoverished companion and friend of Lady Clarissa, who happens to be engaged to our mmc, Nicholas. Clarissa is spoiled, entitled, and prone to dramatic fits whenever things do not go her way. She breaks things, throws tantrums, and generally creates chaos, while Sarah is the calm, levelheaded one who has to smooth everything over and clean up the mess every single time.
After one particularly bad episode, Clarissa throws her engagement ring during a tantrum, and Sarah is sent in to placate Nicholas. This moment becomes a turning point for him. Clarissa reminds him too much of his first wife, who had a similar petulant attitude, and he knows he cannot endure another marriage like that.
Since it would not have been proper at the time for a gentleman to break off an engagement, Nicholas deliberately provokes Clarissa until she is the one who ends it.
Once the engagement is over, and because he needs to marry, as well as Sarah (for practical reasons of course) they decide to enter a marriage of convenience. It is clearly defined as a business arrangement, even though they are friends (for like 2 and 32 seconds but ok) and are somewhat attracted to each other, they know it can never be more than that, a beneficial arrangement.
Ok! So far, so good.
Where it started to fall apart for me
- Even though we were told that the fmc fell for Nicholas in the end, I was never fully convinced. In her final conversation with Sinjin, her first love, I could still feel her sorrow over loving him while choosing to stay with her husband out of duty. It did not read like closure. It read like quiet resignation.
- The biggest issue for me was when Sarah was in danger and did not turn to her husband for help. Instead, she sent a letter to Sinjin, her former lover, asking him to rescue her. He was the one who made it in time, while the mmc only arrived later to take her home.
“Would Sinjin come? Portman Square No. 13, four o’clock. Do not fail me. Sarah.”
You see? This was her note to her ex.
If your life is on the line, shouldn’t your husband be the first person you think of? The one you should ask for help?
Characters
- I actually liked both main characters and thought they had enough chemistry. The mmc was an absolute angel. Even with the mistress incident, I still liked him. I loved how devoted they were to each other even before romantic feelings entered the picture. Unfortunately, I never believed the fmc fully let go of her first love, and without that, their relationship felt unrealistic to me. In my mind, they do not have a truly happy future together.
- Clarissa was another issue for me. If her character had stayed consistent with the temperament we were shown throughout the book, or at least in the beginning, there is no way she would have reacted with a tralalala attitude about her best friend marrying her jilted fiancé mere moments after their engagement ended. If the author had stayed true to her character, her reaction should have been explosive and ugly.
Instead, Clarissa suddenly became far more agreeable and acted like a supportive friend, which felt forced. And honestly, it was very obvious why. Since the next book in the series is hers, it felt like the author softened her behavior on purpose to make readers more willing to pick up her story after how horrible she was before.
The ending and series frustration
- The ending felt rushed and not well executed, especially after how invested I was. I spent the entire day reading this book nonstop, expecting a deeply satisfying emotional payoff that never really came.
- The next book in the series focuses on Clarissa and Sinjin, which completely killed my interest. I cannot imagine rooting for Clarissa, let alone watching her fall for the man who was still clearly in love with the fmc. Just no.
Final thoughts
I was entertained and emotionally invested enough to not put this book down. The drama and angst worked, but the emotional resolution did not. I wanted to love this, but the unresolved feelings and rushed ending ruined the romance for me.
You need to know something about me before I get into this.
There are certain tropes I am completely willing to overlook in historical romance, especially harlequin type stories, that I would never tolerate in contemporary romance. Things like ow drama, a meddling mistress, or heavy miscommunication do not bother me here. In fact, I actively welcome them because they usually bring maximum drama and angst, which is exactly what I want from this kind of book.
That being said, while this story started out strong, it slowly went downhill for me the more I read.
The plot
The fmc, Sarah, is the impoverished companion and friend of Lady Clarissa, who happens to be engaged to our mmc, Nicholas. Clarissa is spoiled, entitled, and prone to dramatic fits whenever things do not go her way. She breaks things, throws tantrums, and generally creates chaos, while Sarah is the calm, levelheaded one who has to smooth everything over and clean up the mess every single time.
After one particularly bad episode, Clarissa throws her engagement ring during a tantrum, and Sarah is sent in to placate Nicholas. This moment becomes a turning point for him. Clarissa reminds him too much of his first wife, who had a similar petulant attitude, and he knows he cannot endure another marriage like that.
Since it would not have been proper at the time for a gentleman to break off an engagement, Nicholas deliberately provokes Clarissa until she is the one who ends it.
Once the engagement is over, and because he needs to marry, as well as Sarah (for practical reasons of course) they decide to enter a marriage of convenience. It is clearly defined as a business arrangement, even though they are friends (for like 2 and 32 seconds but ok) and are somewhat attracted to each other, they know it can never be more than that, a beneficial arrangement.
Ok! So far, so good.
Where it started to fall apart for me
- Even though we were told that the fmc fell for Nicholas in the end, I was never fully convinced. In her final conversation with Sinjin, her first love, I could still feel her sorrow over loving him while choosing to stay with her husband out of duty. It did not read like closure. It read like quiet resignation.
- The biggest issue for me was when Sarah was in danger and did not turn to her husband for help. Instead, she sent a letter to Sinjin, her former lover, asking him to rescue her. He was the one who made it in time, while the mmc only arrived later to take her home.
“Would Sinjin come? Portman Square No. 13, four o’clock. Do not fail me. Sarah.”
You see? This was her note to her ex.
If your life is on the line, shouldn’t your husband be the first person you think of? The one you should ask for help?
Characters
- I actually liked both main characters and thought they had enough chemistry. The mmc was an absolute angel. Even with the mistress incident, I still liked him. I loved how devoted they were to each other even before romantic feelings entered the picture. Unfortunately, I never believed the fmc fully let go of her first love, and without that, their relationship felt unrealistic to me. In my mind, they do not have a truly happy future together.
- Clarissa was another issue for me. If her character had stayed consistent with the temperament we were shown throughout the book, or at least in the beginning, there is no way she would have reacted with a tralalala attitude about her best friend marrying her jilted fiancé mere moments after their engagement ended. If the author had stayed true to her character, her reaction should have been explosive and ugly.
Instead, Clarissa suddenly became far more agreeable and acted like a supportive friend, which felt forced. And honestly, it was very obvious why. Since the next book in the series is hers, it felt like the author softened her behavior on purpose to make readers more willing to pick up her story after how horrible she was before.
The ending and series frustration
- The ending felt rushed and not well executed, especially after how invested I was. I spent the entire day reading this book nonstop, expecting a deeply satisfying emotional payoff that never really came.
- The next book in the series focuses on Clarissa and Sinjin, which completely killed my interest. I cannot imagine rooting for Clarissa, let alone watching her fall for the man who was still clearly in love with the fmc. Just no.
Final thoughts
I was entertained and emotionally invested enough to not put this book down. The drama and angst worked, but the emotional resolution did not. I wanted to love this, but the unresolved feelings and rushed ending ruined the romance for me.
August 31, 2018
To Glom or not to Glom, that is the Question.
So, after reading Julia Justiss’ wonderful book A Most Unconventional Match I thought it would be a great idea to read the rest of the books in Wellingford family series. Well, at the time it seemed like a good idea. The first one in the series is The Wedding Gamble, written in 1999. The Wedding Gamble happens to be a marriage of convenience story and generally I like those. But this one also has a theme I’m not too fond of: the I-can’t-get-over-my-first-luv theme. Ever since I was traumatized when I read Velvet Promise by Jude Devereux, first book in the Montgomery brother series, I have tried to stay away from this plot. Who can forget one of the biggest bone-head, jerk-face heroes of alllll time, Gavin Montgomery. He could just not get over his first luv. I’ve never really been fond of the constant moaning, groaning, and comparing which is done by either the male or female lead in books with this plot device thrown in. In this instance, it is the female lead Sarah Wellingford who cannot get over her true luv; the one who abandoned her to go off to India to find his fortune.
Poor Sarah is in desperate straits. She has no money, and she’s sort of a companion to a tempest by the name of Clarissa. Clarissa, by the way is a future heroine, but in this book, she is engaged to a gentle man by the name of Nicholas Englemere. Englemere is our hero. Of course he will not remain engaged to Clarissa, especially after his eyes alight on Sarah. Both Nicholas and Sarah come with a whole bunch of baggage and some old school Romanceland themes. There’s the old fiancé/true luv of Sarah’s - Sinjin; there’s a slimy villain, an evil mistress, a temperamental fiancée/future heroine, and just for laughs, an oblivious parent. Anyway, Nicholas wants a gentle wife but for some reason he has chosen to marry a spoiled, temperamental, shrew by the name of Clarissa. Once he realizes his mistake he does some maneuvering to break that engagement or better yet, trick Clarissa into breaking it. He then proposes a marriage of convenience to Sarah and she accepts. The story had a great beginning and the author really tried to fully develop her main characters. She moved the story along at a pretty slow pace and we were allowed to watch the couple as they develop a friendship. But I had some issues with this story which prevented me from liking it as much as I wanted to.
First of all, Sarah and Nicholas didn’t communicate with each other. I know, I know, there should be mystery. Don't you know if they talk to each other, it gives everything away? To which I say, poppy-cock! Sometimes, leaving communication out doesn't build tension, it's just plain annoying. Especially, when that non-communication doesn’t make sense. For instance, the evil mistress shows up at the wedding party. Why? Well, we know that the slimy villain invited her, but Sarah doesn’t know that. She thinks Nicholas invited her. Does Nicholas explain? No. Nicholas is represented as being intelligent, so shouldn’t he know that his mistress showing up, uninvited, might cause some doubt in his new wife’s brain cells. Why didn’t he just walk over and say – hey, I didn’t invite her, I haven’t had anything to do with her for a long time. Just that little bit of talk would have opened all kinds of plots/themes/paths to go down. But, it didn’t happen. Sarah was left in the dark and because of that, her self-doubts grew. The story was littered with all kinds of non-communication which weakened the story. But the biggest problem I had was with Sarah’s not being able to get over Sinjin.
Sinjin. Sinjin, as you can tell by the name is a future hero. He and Sarah grew up together; they fell in love and sort of promised themselves to each other. But because he couldn’t stand up to his mother, he turned from Sarah and went off to India to make his fortune. By the time Sarah is married to Nicholas, Sinjin has raced back to England in the hopes of winning her from Nicholas. Even after she is married. Supposedly, he loves Sarah, but he makes a very dishonorable proposition to Nicholas along the lines of – “hey, after you have had your first child why don’t we share Sarah.” Now, that is true luv. What a guy. Anyway, Sarah eventually realizes she loves her husband, but she cannot communicate that to anyone. She cannot tell Sinjin that she doesn’t love him anymore and she cannot tell Nicholas that she’s fallen in love with him. The book would have been so much better if only she would have said something. If only she would have told Nicholas she loved him or told Sinjin to take a flying leap. She continued her Sinjin-moaning far longer than she should have.
Pattern. Sometimes when you glom an author you notice a pattern. And, I did with Ms. Justiss. She is mostly a gentle writer, in the manner of Mary Balogh – just not as fully developed. Because of the gentleness of the writing, and the slow build of romance; when sex was introduced it was jarring. The whankey-woo-hoo moments didn’t blend with the rest of the story. I’m not saying there shouldn’t have been any, it can be done and once again I point to Mary Balogh as an example. She writes tons of sensual scenes which blend with the rest of the tale. The sex scenes in this book just didn’t fit the rest of the narrative.
Overall, I liked the beginning of this story. The plot of a marriage of convenience may be one which has been around forever, and can often show just what an author is capable of doing. I thought the story had possibilities, but I was disappointed that it took so long for Sarah to make up her mind. For me it also took too long for Nicholas and Sarah to communicate with each other. This was a pleasant read, but not what I was expecting and not of the same caliber as A Most Unconventional Match.
So, after reading Julia Justiss’ wonderful book A Most Unconventional Match I thought it would be a great idea to read the rest of the books in Wellingford family series. Well, at the time it seemed like a good idea. The first one in the series is The Wedding Gamble, written in 1999. The Wedding Gamble happens to be a marriage of convenience story and generally I like those. But this one also has a theme I’m not too fond of: the I-can’t-get-over-my-first-luv theme. Ever since I was traumatized when I read Velvet Promise by Jude Devereux, first book in the Montgomery brother series, I have tried to stay away from this plot. Who can forget one of the biggest bone-head, jerk-face heroes of alllll time, Gavin Montgomery. He could just not get over his first luv. I’ve never really been fond of the constant moaning, groaning, and comparing which is done by either the male or female lead in books with this plot device thrown in. In this instance, it is the female lead Sarah Wellingford who cannot get over her true luv; the one who abandoned her to go off to India to find his fortune.
Poor Sarah is in desperate straits. She has no money, and she’s sort of a companion to a tempest by the name of Clarissa. Clarissa, by the way is a future heroine, but in this book, she is engaged to a gentle man by the name of Nicholas Englemere. Englemere is our hero. Of course he will not remain engaged to Clarissa, especially after his eyes alight on Sarah. Both Nicholas and Sarah come with a whole bunch of baggage and some old school Romanceland themes. There’s the old fiancé/true luv of Sarah’s - Sinjin; there’s a slimy villain, an evil mistress, a temperamental fiancée/future heroine, and just for laughs, an oblivious parent. Anyway, Nicholas wants a gentle wife but for some reason he has chosen to marry a spoiled, temperamental, shrew by the name of Clarissa. Once he realizes his mistake he does some maneuvering to break that engagement or better yet, trick Clarissa into breaking it. He then proposes a marriage of convenience to Sarah and she accepts. The story had a great beginning and the author really tried to fully develop her main characters. She moved the story along at a pretty slow pace and we were allowed to watch the couple as they develop a friendship. But I had some issues with this story which prevented me from liking it as much as I wanted to.
First of all, Sarah and Nicholas didn’t communicate with each other. I know, I know, there should be mystery. Don't you know if they talk to each other, it gives everything away? To which I say, poppy-cock! Sometimes, leaving communication out doesn't build tension, it's just plain annoying. Especially, when that non-communication doesn’t make sense. For instance, the evil mistress shows up at the wedding party. Why? Well, we know that the slimy villain invited her, but Sarah doesn’t know that. She thinks Nicholas invited her. Does Nicholas explain? No. Nicholas is represented as being intelligent, so shouldn’t he know that his mistress showing up, uninvited, might cause some doubt in his new wife’s brain cells. Why didn’t he just walk over and say – hey, I didn’t invite her, I haven’t had anything to do with her for a long time. Just that little bit of talk would have opened all kinds of plots/themes/paths to go down. But, it didn’t happen. Sarah was left in the dark and because of that, her self-doubts grew. The story was littered with all kinds of non-communication which weakened the story. But the biggest problem I had was with Sarah’s not being able to get over Sinjin.
Sinjin. Sinjin, as you can tell by the name is a future hero. He and Sarah grew up together; they fell in love and sort of promised themselves to each other. But because he couldn’t stand up to his mother, he turned from Sarah and went off to India to make his fortune. By the time Sarah is married to Nicholas, Sinjin has raced back to England in the hopes of winning her from Nicholas. Even after she is married. Supposedly, he loves Sarah, but he makes a very dishonorable proposition to Nicholas along the lines of – “hey, after you have had your first child why don’t we share Sarah.” Now, that is true luv. What a guy. Anyway, Sarah eventually realizes she loves her husband, but she cannot communicate that to anyone. She cannot tell Sinjin that she doesn’t love him anymore and she cannot tell Nicholas that she’s fallen in love with him. The book would have been so much better if only she would have said something. If only she would have told Nicholas she loved him or told Sinjin to take a flying leap. She continued her Sinjin-moaning far longer than she should have.
Pattern. Sometimes when you glom an author you notice a pattern. And, I did with Ms. Justiss. She is mostly a gentle writer, in the manner of Mary Balogh – just not as fully developed. Because of the gentleness of the writing, and the slow build of romance; when sex was introduced it was jarring. The whankey-woo-hoo moments didn’t blend with the rest of the story. I’m not saying there shouldn’t have been any, it can be done and once again I point to Mary Balogh as an example. She writes tons of sensual scenes which blend with the rest of the tale. The sex scenes in this book just didn’t fit the rest of the narrative.
Overall, I liked the beginning of this story. The plot of a marriage of convenience may be one which has been around forever, and can often show just what an author is capable of doing. I thought the story had possibilities, but I was disappointed that it took so long for Sarah to make up her mind. For me it also took too long for Nicholas and Sarah to communicate with each other. This was a pleasant read, but not what I was expecting and not of the same caliber as A Most Unconventional Match.
November 6, 2011
Regency romance, a bit too much heart break for me, two people who just won´t communicate and therefore suffer a lot, until the last two pages. Didn´t really connect with me, i prefer a little more fluff. Or maybe i´m just having an off day =). Slow middle in the book, didn´t pick up until the end and i nearly didn´t finish it. Sorry to say.
June 24, 2013
I've never read Julia Justiss before, but I quite enjoyed this clever marriage of convenience story. In addition to the usual, it's got a bit of a love triangle and an odious villain. Quite entertaining.
October 8, 2014
A marriage of convenience becomes a love match, despite several obstacles. The characters are well drawn, and the villain nasty as can be.
July 10, 2019
THIS STARTED OFF SLOW IN THE FIRST 2-3 CHAPTERS AND PICKED UP THE MOMENT THE MCs TIED THE KNOT. THIS WAS A CLASSIC IN A SENSE, WRITTEN TRULY BY A WOMAN IN THE LATE 90s, HER VOICE AND CONVERSATIONS WRITTEN MAKE IT ALL A NOVELTY EXPERIENCE.
HERO we first meet while he is engaged to the heroine's friend and he just realised that his fiancée is a shrew and appallingly spoilt. It's no wonder he cunningly engineered their break up. He's also quite intrigued with our heroine and against his better judgement he marries her to save her from a bad man. Having been married before to a wife who never loved him, he vows not to fall in love and have a practical marriage. Unfortunately, his heart engages with the lovely Sarah and I do adore his insecurities of having his wife being snatched away by a childhood flame. Hero's the kind of male lead you would respect. Yes he's not perfect but you can tell that he tries and while they don't speak out their troubles mainly due to pride and stubbornness, it doesn't bother me here since it reflects human nature, and the reality of a relationship.
HEROINE isn't a beautiful woman but she has her own loveliness and a good heart. Heck, she's got three handsome men vying for her hand, one was evil, one was a childhood love and the current one is her husband. Sarah knows she should expect a loveless marriage but there's so many things to love about her husband and I absolutely adore her devotion to be a good wife. I do enjoy the angst whereby both sides do doubt the other (hero with his ex mistress and the heroine with her old flame) and it brings excitement to the entire story, complementing the emotional dynamics of their marriage.
OVERALL this was really good in a more realistic sense? It isn't love at first sight nor erotica but a damn good ol'fashion romance written by an author I will consider as classic. It wasn't anything like the classic bodice rippers and I'm thankful for that. The conversations were actually witty and honest.
HERO we first meet while he is engaged to the heroine's friend and he just realised that his fiancée is a shrew and appallingly spoilt. It's no wonder he cunningly engineered their break up. He's also quite intrigued with our heroine and against his better judgement he marries her to save her from a bad man. Having been married before to a wife who never loved him, he vows not to fall in love and have a practical marriage. Unfortunately, his heart engages with the lovely Sarah and I do adore his insecurities of having his wife being snatched away by a childhood flame. Hero's the kind of male lead you would respect. Yes he's not perfect but you can tell that he tries and while they don't speak out their troubles mainly due to pride and stubbornness, it doesn't bother me here since it reflects human nature, and the reality of a relationship.
HEROINE isn't a beautiful woman but she has her own loveliness and a good heart. Heck, she's got three handsome men vying for her hand, one was evil, one was a childhood love and the current one is her husband. Sarah knows she should expect a loveless marriage but there's so many things to love about her husband and I absolutely adore her devotion to be a good wife. I do enjoy the angst whereby both sides do doubt the other (hero with his ex mistress and the heroine with her old flame) and it brings excitement to the entire story, complementing the emotional dynamics of their marriage.
OVERALL this was really good in a more realistic sense? It isn't love at first sight nor erotica but a damn good ol'fashion romance written by an author I will consider as classic. It wasn't anything like the classic bodice rippers and I'm thankful for that. The conversations were actually witty and honest.
February 4, 2025
DNF at 45%
It wasn't engaging, and I didn't understand why the villain was so fixated on Sarah. Also, the author tried to convince us that there's some kind of friendship between Sarah and Nicholas. It felt forced, especially if you take into consideration that they knew each other for only a couple of weeks.
Both Clarissa and her mother, Lady Beaumont, felt very caricature-like. I'm definitely not interested in reading her story. However, Hal Waterman intrigued me and I can't wait to read A Most Unconventional Match.
Bottom line, since it was author's first published book, I can overlook this miss and hope that her more recent releases are up to my liking.
It wasn't engaging, and I didn't understand why the villain was so fixated on Sarah. Also, the author tried to convince us that there's some kind of friendship between Sarah and Nicholas. It felt forced, especially if you take into consideration that they knew each other for only a couple of weeks.
Both Clarissa and her mother, Lady Beaumont, felt very caricature-like. I'm definitely not interested in reading her story. However, Hal Waterman intrigued me and I can't wait to read A Most Unconventional Match.
Bottom line, since it was author's first published book, I can overlook this miss and hope that her more recent releases are up to my liking.
August 20, 2022
I distinctively remember this book being incredibly good and well written. The two main characters are open to communication - the FMC was thoughtful to recognize that she had a crazy alpha husband and really did her best to soothe him. I didn't realise I'd like such a trope but I really do think I'm a sucker for it - Amanda Quick does this as well.
Even for an "all-females-are-the-she-devil" alpha, the MMC was actually quite level-headed, self-aware of his misogyny and inherent bias and actively attempts to quash his own insecurities instead of projecting them onto the FMC.
The villain was actually kinda dark & tbh I found the author refreshingly eloquent. Considering this used to be a categorical, she packs a real punch.
Even for an "all-females-are-the-she-devil" alpha, the MMC was actually quite level-headed, self-aware of his misogyny and inherent bias and actively attempts to quash his own insecurities instead of projecting them onto the FMC.
The villain was actually kinda dark & tbh I found the author refreshingly eloquent. Considering this used to be a categorical, she packs a real punch.
November 29, 2023
Primeiro volume da saga Wellingfords.
Vamos deixar uma coisa bem clara, romances de banca são entretenimento escapista. Não estou dizendo que não podem ser bem escritos - embora normalmente não o sejam -, mas há que ter um mínimo de bom senso.
Apostando no Amor começa com uma história bonitinha entre Sarah e Nicholas, porém logo descamba para violência contra mulheres por parte do vilão, falta de comunicação e um aborto. Eu gosto da discussão desses temas em outros livros, não quando estou tentando me distrair lendo sobre corpetes e a sempre popular "masculinidade pulsante."
Dispensável.
Vamos deixar uma coisa bem clara, romances de banca são entretenimento escapista. Não estou dizendo que não podem ser bem escritos - embora normalmente não o sejam -, mas há que ter um mínimo de bom senso.
Apostando no Amor começa com uma história bonitinha entre Sarah e Nicholas, porém logo descamba para violência contra mulheres por parte do vilão, falta de comunicação e um aborto. Eu gosto da discussão desses temas em outros livros, não quando estou tentando me distrair lendo sobre corpetes e a sempre popular "masculinidade pulsante."
Dispensável.
May 17, 2024
Ms. Justiss can write but unfortunately she has succumbed to ahistorical prose and graphic scenes. That is the reason for my low rating--maybe even two stars. There are really wonderful writers out there--past and present who do not resort to a surfeit of explicitness.
January 5, 2018
Another fun quick read.
January 9, 2021
Bello all'inizio pensavo fosse il solito romanzetto storico invece poi si fa via via più bello!
July 12, 2023
It was a delightful read , leaving aside for few instances
Liked the H and h.
Though the h did took honour and all to a an extreme level
Liked the H and h.
Though the h did took honour and all to a an extreme level
February 28, 2017
Historical Romance. Have it in paperback
March 6, 2014
Reread. I do adore this one, especially with such an honest and unabashed H.
Conventional marriage of convenience theme, but with both starting out with a warm friendship. Both have another lurking somewhere, but ended up together. Initially it is because the h is truly desperate and H feels protective of her, but as they spend time together, it grows into a deep abiding love that may not be violently passionate, but strong and enduring all the same.
The H started out admiring the h but ended up feeling a lot more. I love how sweet it is for him to crave the h's love, even going so far as to ask for it time and again. It is quite obvious to us readers that he has fallen hard, and it really is very cute that he tries so hard to do the proper thing, even though inside he is eaten up by and sickened with jealousy. He repects her and admires her accomplishments, even trusts her judgement and consults her, which is quite an enlightening attitude. His jealous streak may seem annoying but to one with his background and what he knows of hers, it is very understandable.
The h is really competent and calm, still water runs deep though. Initially she is grateful to the H and still hung up about her childhood sweetheart. I actually am quite happy to read of om in this and that we actually get to see how hard H works on winning her over. I was a bit annoyed with her placing herself in danger by the end but am glad all is well.
All in all, a very enjoyable read.
Conventional marriage of convenience theme, but with both starting out with a warm friendship. Both have another lurking somewhere, but ended up together. Initially it is because the h is truly desperate and H feels protective of her, but as they spend time together, it grows into a deep abiding love that may not be violently passionate, but strong and enduring all the same.
The H started out admiring the h but ended up feeling a lot more. I love how sweet it is for him to crave the h's love, even going so far as to ask for it time and again. It is quite obvious to us readers that he has fallen hard, and it really is very cute that he tries so hard to do the proper thing, even though inside he is eaten up by and sickened with jealousy. He repects her and admires her accomplishments, even trusts her judgement and consults her, which is quite an enlightening attitude. His jealous streak may seem annoying but to one with his background and what he knows of hers, it is very understandable.
The h is really competent and calm, still water runs deep though. Initially she is grateful to the H and still hung up about her childhood sweetheart. I actually am quite happy to read of om in this and that we actually get to see how hard H works on winning her over. I was a bit annoyed with her placing herself in danger by the end but am glad all is well.
All in all, a very enjoyable read.
October 15, 2024
It’s a very nice story. I enjoyed the characters and the start is absolutely great.
Nicky is hot and a sweetie. Has his silly jealousy moments but he learns.
-1 star for the heroines TSTL idea in the end. Actually, she’s generally quite stupid. Intelligent but with zero wisdom. But in the end she comes up with a “plan” sooo ridiculous...
That silliness aside it’s a lovely book of a sweet friendship that gradually turns to love. Worth reading! 🌹
Nicky is hot and a sweetie. Has his silly jealousy moments but he learns.
-1 star for the heroines TSTL idea in the end. Actually, she’s generally quite stupid. Intelligent but with zero wisdom. But in the end she comes up with a “plan” sooo ridiculous...
That silliness aside it’s a lovely book of a sweet friendship that gradually turns to love. Worth reading! 🌹
April 29, 2013
A wonderful story about a marriage of convenience. Sarah and Nick (leading characters) are forced to marry, Sarah because of her fathers Gambling Debt's are about to be called in and leave her and her siblings homeless; and Nick who has promised to marry by the end of the season sweeps in and saves the day and Sarah from an abusive would be suitor/husband after his own engagement is called off with Sarah's friend. While there are no grand adventures or a grand mystery that must be solved, the author keeps you hooked with her style of writing and the tale of how two strangers fall in love despite their past experiences and much incomplete communication with each other.
I would highly recommend this book, though as stated above this is not one of mystery or murder. Simply one of love and how two people find it.
I would highly recommend this book, though as stated above this is not one of mystery or murder. Simply one of love and how two people find it.
May 5, 2009
I’m not a fan of marriage of convenience stories. Most of the time I completely loose interest in the romance after the couple marries and that was the case with this book. I liked the banter between the couple but I almost felt that they worked better as friends. I just wasn’t feeling the romance here. Fortunately, there was enough going on with the plot and side characters that I still found this book entertaining even though I didn’t like the romance.
December 15, 2012
I was quite surprised at the plot for this book. Sarah was such a good heroine. Nicholas was a little weaker. I was truly surprised with Sarah's ex - it's not usual for a woman who was self described as not pretty having three men pursue her. It was a good story and I recommend it to anyone wanting a good story. I did cry in some parts because I got involved with Sarah's feelings, but it was a very emotional time for her. It drew me in and kept me interested.
November 4, 2015
this started off as a 4, or at least a very strong 3.5, for me purely for sarah and nicholas' interactions. i really liked how we see them actually forge a friendship before the idea of marrying each other for convenience is even brought up! where it lost is me that it dragged on far too long for my liking and the misunderstandings that were dragged out could have been easily fixed if they would have just TALKED TO EACH OTHER LIKE ADULTS.
March 26, 2020
"It took but one battle to discover there's naught of glory in dying, and naught to battle but dirt, anguish and fear. [...] There's something about standing surrounded by smoke, the roar of guns and the screams of the wounded and dying that clears the mind. Land, titles, wealth-none of that matters [...] Only people do."
November 28, 2014
Historical romance with a twist. Sarah Wallingford was compelled to marry Nicholas Stanhope, the Marquess of Englemere, in order to save her family from financial ruin. Sarah finds herelf in love with Nicholas -- too bad that he doesn't want a wife who loves him.
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