Der Mauerblümchen-Gewinn [The Wallflower Prize]: Der Whitmorelands 4 [The Whitmorelands, Book 4]

The Whitmorelands #4

by Valerie Bowman, Elena Puszta (Narrator)

Sie ist ein Mauerblümchen auf der Suche nach einem Gewinn.
Die bücherliebende Lady Elizabeth Whitmoreland hat kein Interesse daran, eine Debütantin zu sein. Sie sitzt lieber in Ruhe in einer Bibliothek, als mit einem Einfaltspinsel in einem Ballsaal zu tanzen. Doch als sie mitbekommt, wie eine Wette bei einer Schachpartie abgeschlossen wird, sieht sie ihre Chance, den selbstgefälligsten Lebemann der feinen Gesellschaft herauszufordern. Wenn er verliert, muss er eine ganze Saison lang vorgeben, ihr den Hof zu machen, um ihre unerbittliche Mutter von ihr fernzuhalten.
Er ist ein Lebemann, der noch nie besiegt wurde.
Christopher St. Clare, der Marquess of Claremont, ist ein Mann, der die Debütantinnenszene und die Ehe strikt meidet, weil er darauf vertraut, dass sein Bruder die Familienlinie weiterführt. Doch als eine temperamentvolle Debütantin ihn zu einem Schachspiel herausfordert, kann er nicht widerstehen. Er ist ungeschlagen, aber seine Welt wird auf den Kopf gestellt, als er eine unerwartete Niederlage einstecken muss. Jetzt muss er die ganze Saison über die Rolle eines treuen Verehrers spielen.
In einem Spiel, das schnell zur Verführung wird, waren die Einsätze noch nie so hoch.
Lady Eliza mag schön, klug und witzig sein, aber sie ist immer noch eine Debütantin. Eine, die ein gefährliches Spiel spielt, als sie beginnt, ihn über alle Maßen zu verführen, indem sie ihn auffordert, sie zu küssen. Trotz der unbestreitbaren Chemie zwischen den beiden, bleibt Christopher standhaft. Er wird sie keinesfalls berühren. Doch wie lange wird er dieser unbestreitbaren Anziehung zwischen ihnen widerstehen können, als Eliza ihre Versuche, ihn zu verführen, verstärkt?

Please This audiobook is in German.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Regency Romance, Adult

Audible Audio

First published October 24, 2023

About the author

Valerie Bowman is an award-winning author who writes historical and contemporary romance.

Valerie’s debut novel was published in 2012. Since then, her books have received starred reviews from Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and Kirkus. She’s been an RT Reviewers’ Choice nominee for Best First Historical Romance and Best Historical Romance Love and Laughter. Two of her books have been nominated for the Kirkus Prize for fiction.

Valerie grew up in Illinois with six sisters (she’s number seven) and a huge supply of romance novels. After a cold and snowy stint earning a degree in English Language and Literature with a minor in history at Smith College, she moved to Florida the first chance she got. Valerie now lives in Jacksonville with her family including her rascally dogs. When she’s not writing, she keeps busy reading, traveling, or vacillating between watching crazy reality TV and PBS.

Visit Valerie on the web at www.ValerieBowmanBooks.com and sign-up for her newsletter at: https://valeriebowmanbooks.com/newsle...
Be sure to follow Valerie Bookbub for the latest on sales https://www.bookbub.com/authors/valer...

Reviews

[Holly in Bookland · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really thought this was going to be my favorite of the series. I’m so disappointed to say that it’s my least favorite. I liked Eliza & Christopher, they were the perfect match. It just seemed like the plot was just about Eliza getting Christopher to take her virginity. I think there was a lost opportunity for there to have more playful banter between them & maybe some fun antics. Like the characters, just not the plot.

[Lisa (Remarkablylisa) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Different from the rest of the books as this one is Spicer. Our heroine tries to seduce our hero while he protests because he has secret desires that he doesn't want to share with her.

[eyes.2c · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humorous parts, steamy parts and a lively tale about the Wallflower who wanted to remain that way. Blackmailing a rake to pretend to court you seems like an action of endless possibilities.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for allowing me to be a part of the "Whitemoreland" journey. I really enjoyed this series. I love books about bookworms and the "outcasts" of society. For me, Bowman is such a fun author! Her characters always seem so human and fragile yet strong and fierce.
Eliza is a bookworm:) She is a twin to Jessica. Her and Jessica are complete opposites. Jessica likes to follow the rules fo society and Eliza likes to read books, and dreams of being independant. When she comes up with a plan on how to do that it involves Christopher St. Clare. St. Clare is competitive and loves to win...so when Eliza challenges him to a game of chess he accepts. But Eliza has something up her sleeve when she convinces St. Clare to "pretend" to court her. This was such a sweet and fun read. I really enjoyed both the characters and found them to be so endearing and charming.My question is... what is next?? We need more:)

[Carey’s Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars! I’m so happy Lady Elizabeth/Eliza finally got her HEA! This is the 4th and final book in ‘The Whitmorelands’ series & can be read as a standalone but I recommend this whole series because it’s that great. The main characters are Lady Eliza Whitmoreland and Christopher St.Clare, Marquess of Claremont and they were perfect for one another. I didn’t like some things Eliza does in the beginning but she seemed remorseful when she apologized, so I still wanted her to get the HEA ending. I was surprised by how funny I found Eliza & Christopher. As usual, the main female character was a strong woman, she didn’t let anyone get away with being rude to her, which I absolutely love! I really enjoyed all the witty banter, the steamy ‘sexy times’, the jealousy, the sneaking about, plenty of action and squeal inducing ‘sexy times’. Everyone underestimates the bookish girls & this book shines a light on why you shouldn’t assume anything about us book lovers.
*I received this book at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

[beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

* I did win this book as a part of a Goodreads Giveaway *

When I first started reading, I thought I would really like the book. Like the fake dating trope is one of my favorites. I did really like the whole setup about the chess and the girl not conforming to what society wants from her. It started feeling really gross when she was like trying to force him to kiss her. Obviously we as a reader knew that he wanted to kiss her, but Eliza didn’t know that. Then the whole Onyx Club thing really pissed me off. Like, if she just kept the accent and they went through with it, what would happen when Christopher found out later??? It just felt really icky that she was pretending to be someone else to manipulate him. The rest of the book was fine. I did like the whole Eliza acting uninterested in him and then seeing his POV where all he could think about was her. I think the “conflict” at the end could’ve been worse. I don’t think what he said to her was that bad (it was bad but it could’ve been more dramatic I guess)? Like they were in front of her family what was he supposed to say?? I know that he knew that Eliza wasn’t the marrying type but I expected them to just have a little banter or a go to a different room to speak.

Also you can tell that this isn’t a standalone book. I know that they’re supposed to be read in order, but I won only this one lol, so it’s the only one I read. There seemed to be too much detail and also not enough detail at the same time about the characters in previous books.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have been a 4 if (as with every Valerie Bowman book) the writing was tighter with less instances of the same 4 character traits and conflicts being summarized by the MCs over and over

[Tina Ullrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christopher St. Clare, the Marquess of Claremont, is honorable, pround, and a jaded rake. Having one bad experience as a young adult, he has labeled all the females gender the same. Boy is he wrong.

Bookish Lady Elizabeth, Eliza, Whitmoreland believes marriage is bad, rule are for men only and she is not s possession. She does not want to marry thanks to her father's treatment of her mother. Even thought her siblings have found love matches they are the exceptions to the rule. So other men are demanding, arrogant, boorish dullards. She needs to get her nose out of books more often.

The only thing her father taught her was love of competition, chess, archery, riding that sort of thing. Determined to live her life by her own choices she chose to be a wallflowrr. She knows people thing she is stubborn and a bore.

ST Clare, or Saint as he is called, does not attend boring society function. He would rather play chess or archery than stand around talking of weather and other insipid topics. He likes a good chess game but has Bern unbeaten for years.

At her sister's wedding ball Eliza is hiding from a man she was told had to be begged to ask her to dance, which she hates doing. She hides when Saint and Lord Milford come in to allow him to hide from asking a chit to dance, a debutante no less. After hearing his comment Eliza takes the offence with a plan to thwart her mother's plan to focus on her getting married the next season. With her love and unbeatable chess knowledge, she challenges Saint to a game. The wager would be she talks Thorns mother he asked and she declined if he wins and if she wins he has to pretend court her next season. He falls for the ruse and loses since he underestimated her.

What follows is a romcom with delightful banter, antics, and two stubborn people who have more in common than they want to see. So come join the season and watch these two have a battle of sorts and wills. See the romance and wrong opinions unravel as they battle. Reconnect with friends and family in the process. Enjoy an eye opening house party too

[BookishMya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best stories I’ve listened to in awhile. I was enthralled, giddy little smile plastered to my face. These two characters equally stole my heart. Saint is every book boyfriend dream in a tasty little package. He thinks himself ‘too unconventional’ in the bedroom but really he is absolute perfection and everything Eliza didn’t know she wanted. She is his perfect match on every score, meeting him head-on for every challenge, on and off the chess board.
And omg! Don’t get me started on Eliza! Her tenacity knows no bounds and I absolutely LOVE it!! She is so bloody amazing! I love her obstinately forward persona and the fact that not a single thing is beyond the pale for her. She is bold, brash and oh so perfectly charming!! I was quite literally glued to my AirPods for this entire book. The narrator read each character with such delicious nuance, perfecting each reaction and line. This is my introduction to Valerie Bowman’s writing, and if they are all like this then my tbr just took a huge hit because I need them all!

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wallflower Win is the fourth book in the Whitmorelands series. Christopher St. Clare, the Marquess of Claremont, is a rake who staunchly avoids the debutante scene and marriage altogether, but when Lady Elizabeth Whitmoreland, a spirited debutante and bookish wallflower challenges him to a chess match, he can’t resist and from that moment on, their fate changes, despite their preconceived ideas. Elizabeth and Christopher are amazing together, they have a sizzling chemistry and great banter, they constantly challenge each other and I couldn't help but love them wholeheartedly.

[Rod · Rating 3 out of 5]

A steamy story. A readable story but it did not grab me as much as I thought it might. Eliza is the wallflower and Christopher a Marquis neither wanting to marry. Nice storyline, but it just did not seem to ‘sparkle’ for me. Not sure why, but there we are.

[Joss · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Lou Ambrose’s Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

Steam? Decent. Literally anything else? Made me want to throw it away.

[Deb Diem · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wallflower Win is a fabulous historical romance by Valerie Bowman. Elizabeth would rather read than dance. When she overhears Christopher say that she was a bore, she challenges him and soundly beats him at chess. His payment was to pretend to court her the next season. Eliza and Christopher's story is packed with drama, humor and sizzle. I enjoyed every page of this book and look forward to my next book by Valerie Bowman. The Wallflower Win is book 4 of The Whitmorelands but can be read as a standalone. This is a complete book, not a cliffhanger.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from Bookfunnel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lady Elizabeth Whitmoreland has no interest in being a debutante. She’d rather immerse herself in the tranquility of a library than dance in a ballroom with some silly fop. But when she overhears a wager being placed on a game of chess, she sees her chance to challenge the smug but handsome lord. If he loses, he’ll have to pretend to court her for the entire Season to fend off her relentless mama.
Christopher St. Clare, the Marquis of Claremont, is a man who staunchly avoids the debutante scene and marriage altogether, confident that his brother will carry on the family line. But when Eliza challenges him to a chess match, he can’t resist. He's always been unbeatable, but his world is turned upside down when he faces an unexpected loss. Now, he must play the role of a devoted suitor for the entire Season.
The fourth & final book in the series & as often happens the author has kept the best until last. I loved everything about the book, I loved Christopher & Eliza who were perfect for each other but it took them some time to realise, the chemistry between them sizzled, their banter was a delight & I thoroughly enjoyed the couple who vowed never to marry falling in love & eventually realising what was right in front of their noses.
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

[Dora · Rating 1 out of 5]

"This book's getting a single twinkling star – it might shimmy up to a 2, but that’s the limit of my generosity. Utterly disappointed here :( Where did the plot hide? Romance? Forget it - all we got was a lusty escapade without a scrap of depth. The 'plot'? Eliza's quest to ditch her virginity, bulldozing over concerns and pulling the hero's strings like a maestro. I was so eager after 'The Debutante Dilemma' to get to know Eliza better, but man, she came off more like a shallow, puppet-master kid. And let's not toss confetti for the hero – his ‘inner thoughts’ are just a lockbox of stifled desires.

[Sissy's Romance Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wallflower Win by Valerie Bowman is book 4 The Whitmorelands Series. This is the story of Christopher St. Clare, the Marquess of Claremont and Elizabeth Whitmoreland 'Eliza'. Eliza and her sister Jessica are total opposites. Jessica follows the rules with what she should and shouldn't do. Eliza is a bookish who doesn't want to be a part of society nor part of a marriage. So Eliza thinks up that if she tricks Christopher into a game of chess she can win and have him pretend that they are courting. Enjoyed this author's writing and I highly recommend her writing.

[Madeline · Rating 2 out of 5]

stop being so dramatic christopher. you just like dirty talk and handcuffs, you’re not exactly a sexual deviant

[Lady E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heroine: Elizabeth Whitmoreland, 19. Nickname: Eliza. Sister of the Marquess of Whitmore. A twin.

Hero: Christopher Claremont, 28. Marquess of St. Clare. Nickname: Saint.

Date: 1814-1815

How they meet: Eliza and Christopher meet at the wedding ball for Eliza’s twin sister and Christopher’s friend. Eliza is hiding in the library to avoid having to dance. Christopher and another man come in to play chess and Christopher admits he is hiding because he doesn’t wish to dance with the bride’s sister, who he has heard is boring. Eliza can’t resist revealing herself to call out Christopher for his comments.

What happens: Eliza challenges Christopher to a chess match. If he wins he will get out of dancing with her and if she wins he will have to pretend to court her during the next season. He has never been beaten, so readily accepts the challenge. They are very well matched and Eliza ultimately defeats Christopher, much to his shock.

Eight months later the next season commences, and Christopher stays true to his word and shows up at the first society ball to court Eliza. He has long known he doesn’t wish to marry and is fine with his brother providing the heir to the title. He assumes Eliza is using him to try to attract more suitors, but learns that the opposite is true. She is a bluestocking and doesn’t wish to marry and give up her rights to a husband. She is impressed with how Christopher handled his loss and actually had fun playing chess with him, but when he is too attentive in his fake courtship, Eliza finds herself feeling unsettled. He too enjoys her company, especially her non-traditional attitudes towards society’s rules. Once he knows she is resistant to the full courtship experience, he can’t resist using his presence to needle her.

Eliza’s sister and mother are thrilled with the courtship and her sister tells her all about how enjoyable kissing is, piquing Eliza’s curiosity. She hounds Christopher about sharing a kiss. He is resistant, not wanting to cross a line with his friend’s new sister-in-law, since he has no intention to marry her. She eventually wears him down and the kiss is so powerful he nearly loses control. Instead of placating her, the kiss only leads her to want more. Since she is never going to marry, she sees Christopher as the perfect candidate to take her virginity. He's a rake so he knows what he’s doing and he’s a family friend so he’ll be discreet. Eliza goes to great lengths to try to trick Christopher into cooperating, but he steadfastly resists. His attraction to her is very strong by this point, but he knows it is a bad idea. He is also worried his preferences in the bedroom would scare Eliza.

Eliza’s family throws a house party in the country and Christopher is invited. This time Eliza takes a different tactic to get her way with him by rousing feelings of jealousy. He immediately sees through her strategy, but she eventually wears him down. Being an honorable man, once he crosses the line he insists they must marry. Despite her feelings for him, now it is Eliza’s turn to be the one resisting. Christopher attempts a strategic move to force the marriage, which backfires on him. Some help from a person close to the couple ultimately pushes them to be honest with themselves.

Verdict: This is a cute, light, and funny read. The rake hero is given a taste of his own medicine when he finds himself challenged, bested, and pursued by the heroine for a fling. He is used to having control, and with her that’s not the case. The heroine is a teenager and acts like one (not always thinking through the outcomes of her actions). She is absolutely dogged in her curiosity about intimate relations. While the hero is arrogant and the heroine single-minded, neither are annoyingly so (although the heroine comes close), and their battles and frustrations lead to some laugh-out-loud moments in this book. They are a good match in intelligence and personality. This book delivers on humor, but don’t look for any deep emotional moments. This is the 4th in the series. I have not read books 2 or 3 and thought this was fine as a standalone (although characters from earlier books appear in this one).

Steam-level: steamy and explicit

Rating:4 stars

[michelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️5/5⭐️ 🩷📖🩷Fake Dating
A short, sweet, entertaining read.

💕FOR THE REASONS I READ ROMANCE:
The Connection of the Couple: 4.25/5
Do I believe the couple will endure after the last chapter: 4.5/5
Couple spent enough happy times together: 6/5
Give and Take balance between the couple: 4.5/5
Couple was balanced and suited: 4.5/5
Banter and Fun Times: 4/5

🖋️THE WORDS
Show and not Tell: 3.5/5
Was I transported and enraptured: 5/5
Was the language sophisticated: 0
4/5

⛔️(SPOILERS BELOW)⛔️

🌸OTHER NOTES
My personal taste:
Loved this. This story was focused on the couple. The couple spent a lot of time together. This is really all I need in a HR, I don’t need a complicated plot or a murder mystery, just a good old fashioned love story. There were a few little things in the story that could have been improved but overall enjoyable and fast paced.

Characters Likability:
H: I didn’t feel like I knew him enough or had characteristics that stood out, his character needed more development and more specific traits that made him believable. I did like that he was gentleman, he went from protective of her honor and went on to insist on marrying her after they slept together.
h: She was cute. Her characterization was more developed. She was bold, honest, went for what she wanted without a care for what society accepts and she had no second thoughts about it. She was a little too aggressive for my comfort but I still enjoyed her.

The Connection:
I felt the love story lacked on the build up of the friendship between the 2 MCs. There was a lot of focus on the sexual tension which I enjoyed. But you still want there to be a strong foundation to the relationship.

Angst, was it worth it? There was a significant amount of angst in the sense the couple took a while admitting to how they felt but the story felt very easy to read and they coasted to the ending.

Push Pull: The H pushes the h away sexually A LOT, she does spend a lot of time chasing him… eh, not my favorite thing. The h pushes him away later on as well, so it was fair.

The Ending: I would have liked a greater grand gesture on the part of the H, he seemed to just sit and wait for things to happen instead of make things happen even after he said he would.

SUMMARY
My favorite thing about this book: I liked the meet-cute. It may have been something I’ve seen before but why mess with with a good thing, plus it was well executed. I also appreciated that the couple met right away and we didn’t have to sit through too much establishing scenes. My favorite thing is the couple spend a LOT of time together and there was no suspense or kidnapping or gimmicks.

What I didn’t like:
In general and overall, I liked this. I thought it only lacked in more banter and couple conversation to show how the friendship built into love.

Should you read this: Yes, it is very entertaining.

Will this go on my favorites shelf to read again: No but almost
🩷📖🩷Fake Dating

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

3rd person — audiobook

Features: historical romance, age gap (nearly 10 years), fake courtship, masked meeting, bdsm

Synopsis: Elizabeth enjoys her chosen life as a wallflower. To lessen the pressure from society, mostly her mother, she decides to get someone to fake court her. Christopher, the best friend of the hero from the previous book, does not volunteer to do this but instead loses a strategic game and follows through with the consequences. Over time what started out as a farce turns into something more.

Thoughts: I enjoyed their unconventional “courtship” turned romance. Eliza had interests not commonly accepted for women. Christopher was considered more of a rake with unique tastes. Their bond over reading and ambition was fun. This is definitely the most spicy of the series. I would read more by the author in the future.

Favorite Moments
- London July 1814 Duke of Thornbury's townhouse (Aiden, hero from book 3). Library
- Oop he mentioned Elizabeth being a bore he didn't want to meet
- Chess bet
- Aww looking forward to seeing him again
- He asked her to dance, counting steps
- He liked her devil may care manner
- Oop Christopher doesn't like the idea of her with someone else next season, jealousy
- Christopher confided in Aiden
- He wants to know her favorite flowers, she doesn't have any. She likes books, he wants to bring her them
- Stroll in park, she helped him set up quilt
- He's flirty
- Hehe got him, she teased she can kiss someone else
- First gift from non-relative man
- He was to first to say to her mom reading is a fine passtime
- He's been distracted thinking of Eliza 😆
- He shared his interest in play 🥺
- Masked meetings for clubs
- ☝🏽talk 🤭
- She slipped from French to English accent
- Lavender and vanilla, sounding and smelling like Eliza
- He brought her lilacs, first flowers for her
- Her being logical 😆 she thought this through
- Hehe making him jealous with some competition
- 😭 lord Wilcox forceful on her, St. Claire came to aid ☺️
- She's beautiful vibrant and amusing. Wilcox wanted to take advantage. It's Not her fault 🥺❤️
- Archery, Christopher shares his mom was married and independent
- She called him Christopher 🥺❤️
- They like to play
- All tied up
- He's serious about hand in marriage 🥺❤️
- Christopher asked Justin for her hand, she's angry
- Coming clean 😭
- He couldn't wait for a life with her 😭♥️
- Jessica really is reminding her good men exist 🙌🏽
- Room 105
- Have him begging

[Sav🩵 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really enjoying this book up until the 65% mark. Eliza was such a fun character, smart and witty while also independent! She went after what she wanted which I admired and also hated towards the end. I really enjoyed Christopher’s character too! He wasn’t so full of himself like many of the men in these stories! he never demanded Eliza act or dress a certain way, he just genuinely liked her for the wallflower she was and I really liked that.

Eliza, is why I chose to DNF this book.

Eliza is 19 and Christoper is 29……very very weird but due to the era of this book I chose to skip past that and the fact that this was a fake arrangement I hoped maybe time would pass and she’d atleast be 20. But genuinely I shouldn’t have ignored it because Eliza acted her age alright.

Eliza’s childish behavior about losing her virginity was beyond predatory. She was trying to manipulate Christoper into sleeping with her because she wanted to know what sex was like and acted as if Christopher being known as a rake meant he had no choice but to sleep with her. If this had been the other way around, Christopher would’ve been called sleazy and a predator. I don’t know how many times he told Eliza no and she just kept pushing him to the point of almost tricking him by pretending to be someone else. Forcing his hand saying she’d find another man knowing he was denying her because he didn’t want to ruin her reputation not because he wasn’t attracted to her. And while I agree women should be able to have sex and live life just as freely as men, Eliza INSISTED the arrangement would be fake. Christopher didn’t want to go beyond specific boundaries with Eliza and she did not care. It’s was disgusting and beyond infuriating, I wish he would’ve just spoiled their arrangement by announcing it to everyone and embarrassed her so she could face the consequences of her actions.

Christopher wasn’t the only one she manipulated either, she even manipulated her sister into telling her where Christopher’s goes to be with women!!! which is a violation of his privacy AND she pretends to be someone she’s not so she can get him so worked up that he’ll just toss his morals overboard and sleep with her. genuinely such disgusting behavior I couldn’t believe it. I think the reason it im so disgusted by her is because she saw nothing wrong with the way she was acting. Eliza literally felt that if she couldn’t get her way she could just manipulate people until she did. Very weird girl, also she’s 19 and he’s 29!!!!!!!!!! SHES LITERALLY A TEENAGER!!!!!!!! ick ick ick

This book spoiled the whole series for me, so disappointed😭

[Glittergirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a tremendously fun book to read! It's the last of the Whitmorelands meaning it's Elizabeth's turn to discover love, though she's not looking for it. She's Jessica's identical twin sister, from the previous book, who is her opposite in every way. Eliza is a bluestocking, loving books above all things and has absolutely no need for society and it's pretentious restrictions. She ends up matching wits with the Marquess of Claremont. Christopher "Saint" St. Clare and Thorn, Jessica's husband are best friends so they run into each other often. Saint has no intention of ever marrying deciding that his younger brother can have a son to inherit. Looking to avoid having to dance with her, Saint challenges another lord to a game of chess in the library. She's also in the library avoiding her mother intent on her dancing with Saint. She overhears him disparage her and decides he needs to be taken down a peg. Winning will present a way to make him help her avoid marriage for the next season.

She challenges him to a game of chess and Saint thinks it will be easy to beat her. He doesn't know that although he never loses at chess, neither does she. They settle on a wager, if he wins he doesn't have to dance with her. If she wins he has to pretend to court her next season. this will give her a certain amount of freedom to do what she wants and not disappoint her mother. When she proceeds to clean his clock by winning. He's forced to pretend to court her the next season. She made a big impression on him as as the season begins he's determined to make it look as though he's serious. As they spend time together she surprises and confounds him at every turn capturing is interest. She is very different than his expectations of a debutant. He surprises her as well over and over. This was a great adventure to read!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading the most funny and witty story by one of my favorite authors. Ms Bowman writes an over the top romance with lots of humor and hot stuff. Even though this is part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone. The characters were fully developed with thoughts and feelings of their own.
Lady Elizabeth Whitmoreland (Eliza) is one lady who knows what she likes and sticks to her guns. She doesn't suffer any fools who try to outsmart her on anything. But when she hides from a man who wants to dance with her in a library, she hears a conversation pertaining to her, Eliza get even. She makes a wager to a rake by the name of Christopher St. Clare, the Marquess of Claremont. She bets with him that if she wins, he will pretend to court her. He knows no one can beat him in a game of chess and accepts the challenge.
Therefore when Chris (the Saint) loses, he will honor the bet with the next season courting drama.
It's a lot of swoon worthy kisses between two people who find out they can't live without the other.
Fate has a hand in making Eliza and Chris find their happy ever after and it's called love.
I appreciate the author for this ARC title in which I gave an honest review.

[MsWhiskey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a combination of all modern historical romance tropes and it become unbearably so until the very end.

We have the I'm-not-like-every-other-girl heroine（≧Д≦）and a push-and-pull hero (－‸ლ). They make a wager on a chess game and h uses the queen's gambit. Like, what is it with modern HRs over using TQG? Of course, h wins cause again, she ain't like any other girls! she reads! she plays chess and does archery and doesn't like shopping and marriage cause it's a prison. That's her whole personality. As the wager entails, H has to "court" her during a season so she could have her peace. Great another Bridgerton pretend lovers, only h makes Daphne seem a veritable genius. Fast forward and we get another 'h disguises herself as a whore in H's club' so she can get her way with him without him knowing. Per usual, that doesn't really work cause a piece of mask and a french accent cannot hide one's identity. But she did win the point in the end, they did the deed and H wants to get married but h sticks to her desire not to get married. and then they realise they are in love with each other then blah blah blah they got married in the end.

I'm just glad they rushed the end cause I was about to trash it that very last chapter.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eliza is a debutante as well as a chess expert. At her twin sister’s wedding reception, she challenges a gentleman, Saint, to a chess match. He is very sure no woman could best him at chess. In fact he is rather arrogant about it.

Eliza does win and what she wins is Saint’s agreement to pretend to court her. Her mother is pushing to get her married. And Eliza is happy to tell people she plans to never marry.

Eliza is a heroine I don’t like. She is manipulative. She wants what she wants, and it makes no difference who stands in her way. I do not want a heroine who surrenders, but I am not fond of anyone who is so ready to push people around. The fact she uses deception is still something that I do not like.

Normally I would think that her stength of character is admirable. But, not when she uses someone else because “she wants to”. I just got tired of her.

I am a fan of Ms Bowman’s books, but this one did not do it for me. I loved the plot idea of a woman besting a man at chess. But, Eliza simply behaved like a spoiled child.

I look forward to reading Ms Bowman’s books. This story was not for me. Actually it was this heroine who was not for me.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested an ARC of this book, and all opinions are my own.

Lady Elizabeth Whitmoreland is not your average debutante - she reads, she is opinionated, and she knows how to hustle arrogant gentlemen when needed. Christoper St Clare, the Marquess of Claremont, is your average rake - he drinks, he adores women of a certain type, and he thinks no one can best him at chess.

Eliza sees Christopher as the perfect mark, and uses a game of chess to get what she wants - a season without being bothered by her mother to find a husband. And Christopher, who has grown bored with his rake behavior, finds a way to eliminate the tedium of another season and keep hopeful debutantes away from him. What neither expects is to enjoy the game so much that it stops being a game and becomes real.

It's your typical 'fake dating' trope, which I absolutely love, but the addition of the chess match makes it fun and interesting. The characters have chemistry for days, and their banter is just delicious to read.

This is a fun series, but I think this is the best entry to date. I hope there is more, but if not it is ending on a high note for sure.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, like I enjoyed any other book this Author writes. I thought the previous book was one of my favorite books I read this year, but now I think this book is. This is about Eliza who is a wallflower by choice, she does not want to marry, she wants to be independent and read her books. While hiding in the library which she does a lot, she sees Lord St. Clare, Christopher going to play someone in chess. He is very sure of himself and makes a comment about her. Eliza confronts him and challenges him to a game of chess. They make a bet, if he loses, he must fake court her next season to help keep her mother off her back. To his surprise he loses and the next spring fake courts Eliza. This is how they start to spend time together. Their chemistry is very hot, and I loved them two together. I love how Eliza goes after what she wants and Christopher tries to do what is best, until he can not.
I received an ARC of this book, and I am leaving my honest opinion.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this story does contain Valerie’s signature humor especially at the beginning of the story, this story is really heavy on tension. I loved it. This is my favorite of this series. This story reminds me of another favorite Valerie story, Kiss Me at Christmas. If you haven’t read that book, what are you waiting for – hilarious and definitely tension-filled. Now back to this story. You.Go.Girl, Eliza!!! I admired her tenacity in all things whether it be her reading, her love of chess (yes!), or her attitude towards the norms of the day. She is spirited and really sticks to her guns. Oh, Christopher never had a chance. I did love how he matched her wit for wit. He was no dummy. They are dancing around each other and you can feel the tension jumping off the page. Can you tell I really loved this story. Valerie’s storytelling is superb and she pulls you into the story and it is hard to put down once you start.

I received a complimentary copy.

[Inishowen Cailín · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christopher and Eliza were adorably perfect for each other whilst trying to convince themselves otherwise.
From the moment Eliza dared Christopher to a game of chess sparks flew between them. I couldn't wait for Eliza to win as Christopher was so arrogant and dismissive of her. I wasn't sure how likable he was going to be but he took the loss in a good-natured way and agreed to pay his forfeit without any quibbles. Not only did he pretend to court Eliza but he took the matter further by trying his best to be convincing. This led to a lot of banter and humourous scenes that were very charming and it was inevitable that the pair would be attracted to each other.
Eliza was a very daring debutante and I think Christopher got a lot more than he bargained for. Not only did he have to work hard to control himself around her as she kept throwing herself at him but he then also had to convince her to marry him.
This was quite an entertaining read and it finished off the series nicely.