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The Loving Gamble
She disapproved of what he stood for
A millionaire stockbroker was not the kind of man Rachel wanted. Her dream of succeeding as an artist came first.
Ross Eraser, dynamic and charming, changed Rachel's mind and the course of her life in four short weeks. And when people asked why a penniless artist might be marrying such a rich, successful man, Ross dismissed their remarks as petty jealousy.
But he couldn't silence the soft, accented voice that asked for him on the telephone--or the doubts that filled Rachel's mind as to why he had married her ....
A millionaire stockbroker was not the kind of man Rachel wanted. Her dream of succeeding as an artist came first.
Ross Eraser, dynamic and charming, changed Rachel's mind and the course of her life in four short weeks. And when people asked why a penniless artist might be marrying such a rich, successful man, Ross dismissed their remarks as petty jealousy.
But he couldn't silence the soft, accented voice that asked for him on the telephone--or the doubts that filled Rachel's mind as to why he had married her ....
- GenresHarlequin
189 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
1 person is currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
Flora Kidd
136 books34 followersFlora Mildred Cartwright was born on 1926 in Liverpool, England, UK. The youngest of four children, Flora and her family lived in the same house until she was a teen. In 1949, she graduated from Liverpool University, where she met Robert Kidd, her husband. They moved to her beloved Scotland, where she began teaching, writing, and raised their four children: Richard, Patricia, Peter and David.
Flora Kidd published her first novel, Visit To Rowanbank, in 1966 at Mills & Boon. In 1977, the family moved to Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, where she continued her romance career with Mills & Boon until 1989, when she retired. In 1994, she published the first of the The Marco Polo Project novels, to support a project to build a replica of the 19th century ship Marco Polo.
Flora Kidd passed away on March 19, 2008 at Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
Flora Kidd published her first novel, Visit To Rowanbank, in 1966 at Mills & Boon. In 1977, the family moved to Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, where she continued her romance career with Mills & Boon until 1989, when she retired. In 1994, she published the first of the The Marco Polo Project novels, to support a project to build a replica of the 19th century ship Marco Polo.
Flora Kidd passed away on March 19, 2008 at Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 6, 2016
Re The Loving Gamble - An artistic independent h marries in haste to wealthy businessman H after her parasitic money leeching brother pimps her out. The H wants to marry cause his long term lover ditched him and he offers to pay for the brother's pricey schooling and give him lots of money if will brow beat the h into marrying him. The h has an attack of the lurve club mojo and that combined with the brother's persuasion convinces the h to marry the H.
Things seem to be going well, but the H is really wealthy and so the h has to continually combat rumors that she married him for his money (and she really did not,) or that the H married her to hide his affair with his former flame who turned down his marriage proposal, ( she is a famous classical musician and I guess they needed the cover - that part isn't really explained.) The h has to return to Scotland, (the H and h live in New York,) cause her beloved Grandma is dying. Granny leaves the h her cottage and a little annuity on the Island of Mull.
Then the H has to go off for business and doesn't go with the h. The h discovers his old lover is shacked up in his apartment and presumably the H is there too. The h thinks the H is two timing her, and she finds out about the brother's new financial patron, the H was good on his word to pay the brother to help get the h in his clutches. So the h takes herself to a remote Mull island art colony for the usual FK long separation. The H eventually shows up and they fight and lurve it up, but the h isn't some piece of chattel, so she tells the H she wants a divorce.
Cue the big scene between the brother, the H's ex and the h. The ex admits she was using the H's apartment as a place to shack up with her current lover who isn't the H and married to someone else - supposedly. The ex's parents don't approve of the H as he isn't their nationality, so the ex couldn't marry him and got herself a new boy toy but if it got out she was having an affair with a different married man it would ruin the ex's career - again supposedly. The h buys the act, the H shows that he too can be artistic and build wooden things and they compromise for the HEA and the h's pregnancy.
This one was silly and I really can't find more to say about it. Besides boredom set in around page ten and the brother actually had more plot time than the H and h. Read this one only if all the internet and all the books in the world magically get erased, otherwise don't waste your time on it.
Things seem to be going well, but the H is really wealthy and so the h has to continually combat rumors that she married him for his money (and she really did not,) or that the H married her to hide his affair with his former flame who turned down his marriage proposal, ( she is a famous classical musician and I guess they needed the cover - that part isn't really explained.) The h has to return to Scotland, (the H and h live in New York,) cause her beloved Grandma is dying. Granny leaves the h her cottage and a little annuity on the Island of Mull.
Then the H has to go off for business and doesn't go with the h. The h discovers his old lover is shacked up in his apartment and presumably the H is there too. The h thinks the H is two timing her, and she finds out about the brother's new financial patron, the H was good on his word to pay the brother to help get the h in his clutches. So the h takes herself to a remote Mull island art colony for the usual FK long separation. The H eventually shows up and they fight and lurve it up, but the h isn't some piece of chattel, so she tells the H she wants a divorce.
Cue the big scene between the brother, the H's ex and the h. The ex admits she was using the H's apartment as a place to shack up with her current lover who isn't the H and married to someone else - supposedly. The ex's parents don't approve of the H as he isn't their nationality, so the ex couldn't marry him and got herself a new boy toy but if it got out she was having an affair with a different married man it would ruin the ex's career - again supposedly. The h buys the act, the H shows that he too can be artistic and build wooden things and they compromise for the HEA and the h's pregnancy.
This one was silly and I really can't find more to say about it. Besides boredom set in around page ten and the brother actually had more plot time than the H and h. Read this one only if all the internet and all the books in the world magically get erased, otherwise don't waste your time on it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2025
If you gamble this will be a good story, you'll lose!
It could have been good, with the h an artist who loves the country in Scotland and the H an investment tycoon who loves New York City, conflict of interest, etc., with some other stuff thrown in. Instead, you get a too quick marriage, too many characters that come and go, a H who doesn't explain things that need explaining (assuming the h already understands, or they don't matter), a h with too much pride for her own good, as well as too many doubts about the H, her irresponsible but good-hearted brother, who causes some of the trouble between the couple but you can't help liking him (he 's a lot more down-to-earth than his prideful sister), a jealous female cousin who obviously wanted the H, gets a bad case of the troublemaking snarks and then (like other characters) disappears after a brief scene, and some of the silliest situations thrown in, as if the author decided to turn the drama into a screwball comedy, which works in old movies, but NOT here.
And then, there's the OW (and how the H could ever have loved her is beyond me), who explains to the h (in one of the most long-winded - not to mention BORING - monologues) all about her schooling and career, her former affair with the H, her current affair with a married man, how no man (not to mention kids, whom she definitely does not want) will ever interfere with her career as a concert pianist, on and on, ad nauseum!!! As if the h needed to hear her life story!
Then, she starts a flirtation with the h's brother, and it's hinted he'll be the next man in her life (temporarily, of course).
As for the OM, if they ever give prizes for being a BIG JERK, he'll win with no problem! He knew the h from her art school days, tried (and failed) to add her to his collection of women, held a grudge against her for that, as well as for her breaking things off with his friend back then. (See what a great guy he is??? He knew she was dating his friend but hit on her, anyway!) Never mind that she dumped the friend because she discovered he was a married player, according to the OM she broke the guy's heart (he had one???) so, it served her right that she was now separated from the H, now she knows what it feels like to be miserable!
WTF!!! Her "affair" (never got to getting naked) happened almost seven years before she saw the OM again, and he's still holding a grudge on behalf of his (married creep) friend???? Talk about STUPID!!!
But we're not done yet! Despite his resentment, he still wants to get her into bed. In a weak moment, when she thinks the H is cheating on her, she kisses the OM but turns down his offer to hit the sheets. He retaliates by later telling the H not only that they did sleep together, but that he's not the only guy she's getting naked with as she has rather a skank reputation! He gets a well-deserved punch for that!!!
(The H should also have given him a well-deserved kick in his manly parts, as he managed to pick up some woman despite his black eye and when the h (looking for the H and fearing trouble) stopped at his place, he smugly told her it was too late to change her mind as he found someone else to share his bed!)
This has got to be the most "WTF!!!" character ever written!
Maybe I should say "WTF" book?
You can skip this one with no regrets!
It could have been good, with the h an artist who loves the country in Scotland and the H an investment tycoon who loves New York City, conflict of interest, etc., with some other stuff thrown in. Instead, you get a too quick marriage, too many characters that come and go, a H who doesn't explain things that need explaining (assuming the h already understands, or they don't matter), a h with too much pride for her own good, as well as too many doubts about the H, her irresponsible but good-hearted brother, who causes some of the trouble between the couple but you can't help liking him (he 's a lot more down-to-earth than his prideful sister), a jealous female cousin who obviously wanted the H, gets a bad case of the troublemaking snarks and then (like other characters) disappears after a brief scene, and some of the silliest situations thrown in, as if the author decided to turn the drama into a screwball comedy, which works in old movies, but NOT here.
And then, there's the OW (and how the H could ever have loved her is beyond me), who explains to the h (in one of the most long-winded - not to mention BORING - monologues) all about her schooling and career, her former affair with the H, her current affair with a married man, how no man (not to mention kids, whom she definitely does not want) will ever interfere with her career as a concert pianist, on and on, ad nauseum!!! As if the h needed to hear her life story!
Then, she starts a flirtation with the h's brother, and it's hinted he'll be the next man in her life (temporarily, of course).
As for the OM, if they ever give prizes for being a BIG JERK, he'll win with no problem! He knew the h from her art school days, tried (and failed) to add her to his collection of women, held a grudge against her for that, as well as for her breaking things off with his friend back then. (See what a great guy he is??? He knew she was dating his friend but hit on her, anyway!) Never mind that she dumped the friend because she discovered he was a married player, according to the OM she broke the guy's heart (he had one???) so, it served her right that she was now separated from the H, now she knows what it feels like to be miserable!
WTF!!! Her "affair" (never got to getting naked) happened almost seven years before she saw the OM again, and he's still holding a grudge on behalf of his (married creep) friend???? Talk about STUPID!!!
But we're not done yet! Despite his resentment, he still wants to get her into bed. In a weak moment, when she thinks the H is cheating on her, she kisses the OM but turns down his offer to hit the sheets. He retaliates by later telling the H not only that they did sleep together, but that he's not the only guy she's getting naked with as she has rather a skank reputation! He gets a well-deserved punch for that!!!
(The H should also have given him a well-deserved kick in his manly parts, as he managed to pick up some woman despite his black eye and when the h (looking for the H and fearing trouble) stopped at his place, he smugly told her it was too late to change her mind as he found someone else to share his bed!)
This has got to be the most "WTF!!!" character ever written!
Maybe I should say "WTF" book?
You can skip this one with no regrets!
December 9, 2020
Could not get past page 20 or so. So boring. I skipped to the end to see what the big happy scene was and couldn't get into that either. Still boring. Gave up after 3 pages of explaining, boring, boring, boring. And to use a different word, dull.
June 9, 2021
She disapproved of what he stood for
A millionaire stockbroker was not the kind of man Rachel wanted. Her dream of succeeding as an artist came first.
Ross Eraser, dynamic and charming, changed Rachel's mind and the course of her life in four short weeks. And when people asked why a penniless artist might be marrying such a rich, successful man, Ross dismissed their remarks as petty jealousy.
But he couldn't silence the soft, accented voice that asked for him on the telephone--or the doubts that filled Rachel's mind as to why he had married her .
A millionaire stockbroker was not the kind of man Rachel wanted. Her dream of succeeding as an artist came first.
Ross Eraser, dynamic and charming, changed Rachel's mind and the course of her life in four short weeks. And when people asked why a penniless artist might be marrying such a rich, successful man, Ross dismissed their remarks as petty jealousy.
But he couldn't silence the soft, accented voice that asked for him on the telephone--or the doubts that filled Rachel's mind as to why he had married her .
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews