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Spinster's Gambit
Twenty-six year old Jacoline Holcombe believes herself quite firmly on the shelf. Faced with an unfulfilling silent life, she abandons all propriety, dresses in men's clothing, and goes fencing with her brother. There, due to terrible luck and even worse planning, "Jack" is introduced to - and tries to curtsy to - the reserved and unapproachable Duke of Aspen.
Aspen is scarred over most of his face and body. He is accustomed to fending off the advances of fortune hunters and their mothers and has never known a woman to want anything more from him. Self-conscious and cynical, he dislikes social occasions and avoids the company of women. Faced with an awkward and oddly effeminate young man, however, he goes out of his way to be kind.
Believing her a gentleman, Aspen shows Jacoline a man's life in Regency-era London and trusts her with his secrets. But as much as Jacoline comes to respect and love the Duke of Aspen, she is living a lie and the truth would ruin her. She does not know that her actions also risk exposing her brother's secret: an illegal male lover and a family hidden from the world. After Aspen discovers Jacoline's lies and the house of cards begins to fall, Jacoline must beg the man she secretly loves to save her brother...
Aspen is scarred over most of his face and body. He is accustomed to fending off the advances of fortune hunters and their mothers and has never known a woman to want anything more from him. Self-conscious and cynical, he dislikes social occasions and avoids the company of women. Faced with an awkward and oddly effeminate young man, however, he goes out of his way to be kind.
Believing her a gentleman, Aspen shows Jacoline a man's life in Regency-era London and trusts her with his secrets. But as much as Jacoline comes to respect and love the Duke of Aspen, she is living a lie and the truth would ruin her. She does not know that her actions also risk exposing her brother's secret: an illegal male lover and a family hidden from the world. After Aspen discovers Jacoline's lies and the house of cards begins to fall, Jacoline must beg the man she secretly loves to save her brother...
281 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 11, 2015
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100 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 24, 2021
4.5☆☆☆☆☆
This was such a gem. I'm kinda surprised that it's so underrated.
The heroine was strong, smart, witty, my kind of girl. And the Hero was AMAZING!
I also liked the sub theme about the gay brother and an amazing brother at that. I wish he had his own book.
I definitely was charmed by this story and stayed up until 3am to finish it.
It's not full 5 stars because at the end I wish we had a better view of their married life and how they discovered each other. I'm kinda baffled that it ended so quickly.
But it definitely was a wonderful read.
This was such a gem. I'm kinda surprised that it's so underrated.
The heroine was strong, smart, witty, my kind of girl. And the Hero was AMAZING!
I also liked the sub theme about the gay brother and an amazing brother at that. I wish he had his own book.
I definitely was charmed by this story and stayed up until 3am to finish it.
It's not full 5 stars because at the end I wish we had a better view of their married life and how they discovered each other. I'm kinda baffled that it ended so quickly.
But it definitely was a wonderful read.
May 8, 2015
I must admit, this book started off on the wrong foot.
Honestly, don't expect readers to take a liking to characters when their first words pertain to the best way to kill a cat, even if in jest.
That being said, it got better.
Jac is a spinster who wants to experience life, even for a short while. So when her brother Daniel offers to teach her fencing if she disguises herself as a man and accompany him, she does not hesitate.
It's very difficult to not feel sympathetic towards Jac, cat hater though she might be. There's something infinitely sad about a brilliant woman languishing away in a society which firmly ostracises women like her. And even sadder to know that all over the world women still struggle like this.
It's in her manly disguise that Jac meets Aspen. Aspen, a duke, has the left side of his body and face covered in scars. He longs for a wife and family, though most ladies of the ton can barely look him in the eyes.
So when Jac becomes fast friends with him we get to know the man behind the scars.
I really liked the friendship between Aspen and Jac, even if he didn't realise she was a woman. Though it was a little unbelievable that he wouldn't notice who she was, especially while dealing with her as a woman in balls.
I know we're supposed to just go with it, and I did, but I couldn't help thinking how, if I were to do this, you know, come back from the club where I'd been smoking cheroots and discussing politics, to appear at a ball in a gown and be like, "Good evening, long time no see!" my friends would just go, "Are you an imbecile? We just saw you an hour ago..."
So...
My favourite part of the book had to be Jac's brother Daniel and his relationship with Henry and Henry's daughter Laura. It was so sweet! It made me really sad that Jac wasn't a part of that for so long...
Despite my complaints regarding the treatment of cats and the improbability of the start of the plot, i highly recommend this book. It gets much, much better as you read on, so give it a chance!
January 15, 2016
It seems a lot of modern regency romance novels with female character pretending to be a man and dressing like a man were published in the past two years.
The second story line was what was the most interesting in this book. It centered about her brother who was gay and the only law that specifically mentioned male same-sex activity: the Buggery Act of 1533.
I found this information on examinor website. It was featured in an interview by author Ann Herendeen and what life was really like for bi and gay people in the historical time period of her book, early 1800's Britain which happen to be the same time this story takes place.
"The Buggery Act of 1533... It made anal sex between men a capital offense and the method was hanging. Because it was difficult to prove, men were more likely to be convicted of "assault with attempt to commit sodomy," which was punished with a fine, a stint in the pillory and a prison sentence. The pillory was a form of torture by mob, where unpopular offenders were pelted with rocks and refuse. Some people died in the pillory, or were severely wounded.
Very few people were prosecuted for sodomy until the early 18th century, when an urbanized society and larger population brought about the growth of a gay subculture.
Starting in 1816, the pillory was used only for perjury and subornation, and was completely abolished by 1837. Hanging as a punishment for sodomy was not abolished until 1861."
The second story line was what was the most interesting in this book. It centered about her brother who was gay and the only law that specifically mentioned male same-sex activity: the Buggery Act of 1533.
I found this information on examinor website. It was featured in an interview by author Ann Herendeen and what life was really like for bi and gay people in the historical time period of her book, early 1800's Britain which happen to be the same time this story takes place.
"The Buggery Act of 1533... It made anal sex between men a capital offense and the method was hanging. Because it was difficult to prove, men were more likely to be convicted of "assault with attempt to commit sodomy," which was punished with a fine, a stint in the pillory and a prison sentence. The pillory was a form of torture by mob, where unpopular offenders were pelted with rocks and refuse. Some people died in the pillory, or were severely wounded.
Very few people were prosecuted for sodomy until the early 18th century, when an urbanized society and larger population brought about the growth of a gay subculture.
Starting in 1816, the pillory was used only for perjury and subornation, and was completely abolished by 1837. Hanging as a punishment for sodomy was not abolished until 1861."
October 16, 2019
I really enjoyed this! I am impressed with the amount of research the author must have done for this book. I loved all the characters and am a sucker for a plain, awkward spinster pining for a brooding, scarred hero. The premise is a favorite, and I really liked Only one complaint:
The end of the ebook has excerpts from future books, but the website link appears broken; I am sadly thinking neither book is forthcoming :(
The end of the ebook has excerpts from future books, but the website link appears broken; I am sadly thinking neither book is forthcoming :(
November 9, 2015
It was just for fun, dressing as a man and visited the fencing hall. Just out of curiosity and boredom. But, no one realized it could lead to devastating consequences...
This was an entertaining book, nicely written with loveable characters, engaging conversations, and it's really well researched (except for a fact that the name Jakarta wasn't used until 1942, before that the city was called Batavia).
I like Jac. She's an intelligent woman with a little skewed sense of humour, who were forced to act as a timid girl, hiding her interest on things a woman that time shouldn't, so she could catch a husband. But, she still ended up unmarried at 26, so when her brother persuade her to disguised as a man she thought why the hell not, I've got nothing to lose. I like her strength.
I just love Jac's relationship with Daniel. Though they were separated when young, they managed to get close again and formed this special bond.
Aspen was another breed of hero all together. I mean, he's the Duke who blushed! How rare is that? He's badly scarred and had very little experience with women, not a romantic he said so himself. But, don't worry he's not a bumbling fool, he managed to come out as arrogant and standoffish, when he's really just shy and awkward. He's friendship with Jack was cute, they were BFF, that's why he took it a bit too hard when he found out the truth. And I like how he picked up little clues, denying and arguing with himself before finally decided to test Jac to confirm his suspicion.
I learned that this book was the first published book by the author, and I don't mind reading more book from her.
This was an entertaining book, nicely written with loveable characters, engaging conversations, and it's really well researched (except for a fact that the name Jakarta wasn't used until 1942, before that the city was called Batavia).
I like Jac. She's an intelligent woman with a little skewed sense of humour, who were forced to act as a timid girl, hiding her interest on things a woman that time shouldn't, so she could catch a husband. But, she still ended up unmarried at 26, so when her brother persuade her to disguised as a man she thought why the hell not, I've got nothing to lose. I like her strength.
I just love Jac's relationship with Daniel. Though they were separated when young, they managed to get close again and formed this special bond.
Aspen was another breed of hero all together. I mean, he's the Duke who blushed! How rare is that? He's badly scarred and had very little experience with women, not a romantic he said so himself. But, don't worry he's not a bumbling fool, he managed to come out as arrogant and standoffish, when he's really just shy and awkward. He's friendship with Jack was cute, they were BFF, that's why he took it a bit too hard when he found out the truth. And I like how he picked up little clues, denying and arguing with himself before finally decided to test Jac to confirm his suspicion.
I learned that this book was the first published book by the author, and I don't mind reading more book from her.
April 1, 2015
3.5 Stars
October 5, 2017
Regency with a delightful twist
Lovely.
I was immediately drawn to continue reading the book, and learn what was next for the characters, and the protagonist was not a young girl on its 17 or 19 of age behaving like a much older mature person and thinking she was in despair to find a husband.
I love regency books where the woman break rules and take actions into their own hands to find happiness when society was so rigid of what woman could do, think or expect from life at that period. A witty story about a witty, interesting woman at the age of 26 years old with very little expectation to attract a husband and get its own family to love, because of her inability to hide completely all her intelligent mind behind a facade of stupidity required to attract a prospective a man at that time of the century.
With the help of her brother who saw a lovely sister rejected by men who pursued very pliable young woman at the marriageable age to be quest an heir for their titles, and overlooked after the deed was done. Jacoline (Jack) even complying with society rules found herself overlooked, frustrated and bore, with not a stich of recognition or success in build her own family, so in an action of rebellion seized an unusual way to brake her rigid uninterested life and experience the life of freedom men enjoy so much.
The book seems to be based on good research of the time and relevant circumstances. The characters are fascinating, each has their own interesting background story. I thought I could feel the emotions and understand the motivation of each of the main characters. The story is written with humor, it has elements of mystery and surprising developments. I would strongly recommend this book. Looking forward to read the next book by this author, Gwendolynn Thomas.
Lovely.
I was immediately drawn to continue reading the book, and learn what was next for the characters, and the protagonist was not a young girl on its 17 or 19 of age behaving like a much older mature person and thinking she was in despair to find a husband.
I love regency books where the woman break rules and take actions into their own hands to find happiness when society was so rigid of what woman could do, think or expect from life at that period. A witty story about a witty, interesting woman at the age of 26 years old with very little expectation to attract a husband and get its own family to love, because of her inability to hide completely all her intelligent mind behind a facade of stupidity required to attract a prospective a man at that time of the century.
With the help of her brother who saw a lovely sister rejected by men who pursued very pliable young woman at the marriageable age to be quest an heir for their titles, and overlooked after the deed was done. Jacoline (Jack) even complying with society rules found herself overlooked, frustrated and bore, with not a stich of recognition or success in build her own family, so in an action of rebellion seized an unusual way to brake her rigid uninterested life and experience the life of freedom men enjoy so much.
The book seems to be based on good research of the time and relevant circumstances. The characters are fascinating, each has their own interesting background story. I thought I could feel the emotions and understand the motivation of each of the main characters. The story is written with humor, it has elements of mystery and surprising developments. I would strongly recommend this book. Looking forward to read the next book by this author, Gwendolynn Thomas.
April 2, 2022
Both the hero and the heroine are strong, mature and level headed. The hero though socially awkward is open minded and appreciates the heroines honesty and acerbic wit. The heroine can look past the scars and see the man beneath. My only complaint is that there are several pages of sib ling discussions bw the heroine and her brother which I skipped through.
October 29, 2025
This is the romance novel of my dreams. I've been begging for a storyline with interesting, complex characters who fall in love with each other for who they are, not because of their looks and social standing. Expertly done, 100/10, can I have one thousand more of these please?
March 22, 2015
If you have preconceptions that keep you from reading romances, set them aside and approach Gwendolynn Thomas' novel, Spinster's Gambit, as just that...a novel.
While dressed in the finery of a 19th Century Regency romance, I found the characters to be as intriguing and the plotting as interesting as a work which would typically be classified as literary fiction.
These characters, although bound by the society of their day, are relatable to a modern audience.
I would even describe this as an important book, with an approach to marginalized groups which treats them as human: not superior, not inferior, and that is indeed refreshing.
The book was also well produced: as few proofreading errors as I would see in a book from any of the "Big 5" traditional publishers (I only found a couple of minor issues).
It also appeared to be well researched: there were a few things where I questioned if they were period appropriate, but nothing glaring...and so much of it was clearly historically accurate that I wonder if the ones I noticed might not be correct as well.
My one significant issue with the book is that there is an explicit "love scene" in the book; while not anatomical in its detail, it is...descriptive. Certainly, it is organic to the story, but felt a bit obligatory for the genre. For me (and I know this reflects my taste...it may not reflect yours), I would have given it a five star review if it had ended at location 3179 in Chapter Thirteen: if you prefer not to read that scene, you could stop there: you'll see a break indicator on the page.
Suitability for text-to-speech: quite good (I listened to part of it, sight read part of it). The only problem there was those break indicators, which were read aloud on my Kindle Fire HDX as "tilde slash tilde". :)
Bottom line: this is a well written novel, to be lauded both for its characters and its diversity. If you have never read a romance, this would be a good place to start. However, a "love scene" may not appeal to all readers.
Full disclosure: the author is a friend of a relative of mine. However, I don't believe I have ever met the author socially, I have no connection to the production of the book, and purchased the copy I read from Amazon.
While dressed in the finery of a 19th Century Regency romance, I found the characters to be as intriguing and the plotting as interesting as a work which would typically be classified as literary fiction.
These characters, although bound by the society of their day, are relatable to a modern audience.
I would even describe this as an important book, with an approach to marginalized groups which treats them as human: not superior, not inferior, and that is indeed refreshing.
The book was also well produced: as few proofreading errors as I would see in a book from any of the "Big 5" traditional publishers (I only found a couple of minor issues).
It also appeared to be well researched: there were a few things where I questioned if they were period appropriate, but nothing glaring...and so much of it was clearly historically accurate that I wonder if the ones I noticed might not be correct as well.
My one significant issue with the book is that there is an explicit "love scene" in the book; while not anatomical in its detail, it is...descriptive. Certainly, it is organic to the story, but felt a bit obligatory for the genre. For me (and I know this reflects my taste...it may not reflect yours), I would have given it a five star review if it had ended at location 3179 in Chapter Thirteen: if you prefer not to read that scene, you could stop there: you'll see a break indicator on the page.
Suitability for text-to-speech: quite good (I listened to part of it, sight read part of it). The only problem there was those break indicators, which were read aloud on my Kindle Fire HDX as "tilde slash tilde". :)
Bottom line: this is a well written novel, to be lauded both for its characters and its diversity. If you have never read a romance, this would be a good place to start. However, a "love scene" may not appeal to all readers.
Full disclosure: the author is a friend of a relative of mine. However, I don't believe I have ever met the author socially, I have no connection to the production of the book, and purchased the copy I read from Amazon.
October 18, 2015
Jacoline is bored and stiffled by London society, at 26 she has no marriage prospects so she asks her brother to teach her fencing at his gentleman's club. To get her through the doors of the club she has to dress up as a man. While there she meets the Duke of Aspen and they become friends. Jacoline is terrible at acting like a man but Aspen makes excuses for her and doesn't realize, for a long time, her secret. The romance was really slow to build, with no sexual tension, really chaste. When Aspen finally figured out Jacoline secret he forgave her rather quickly. The revelation scene was underplayed, Aspen should have been furious two people he considered friends were lying to him and not for very good reasons. Everything was just muted. I did like Jacoline wit and snappy comebacks. Aspen liked Jacoline's mind first and then he found her physically attractive.
May 17, 2015
As best I can tell, this is gwendolynn thomas' first book, and as such, I found it extremely promising. If this was what she produced on the first round I look forward to future stories with great interest.
The secondary romance was as interesting and well written as the primary story. I was a little worried where an unknown author might go with that (as in, would she break from the genre norm and do something like kill off a beloved character?), but everyone got their HEAs and I wasn't left feeling sad and icky. Can't wait to see what comes next!
The secondary romance was as interesting and well written as the primary story. I was a little worried where an unknown author might go with that (as in, would she break from the genre norm and do something like kill off a beloved character?), but everyone got their HEAs and I wasn't left feeling sad and icky. Can't wait to see what comes next!
August 26, 2015
I actually really liked it. There were problems. And the romance is chaste until the last chapter. But, though I can nag and nitpick, I don't want to because I actually enjoyed it and liked both the heroine and the hero.
June 8, 2015
More history less romance
If you're looking for a smutty feel good romance novel, I don't think this is the book for you.
It is however very entertaining and sweet.
If you're looking for a smutty feel good romance novel, I don't think this is the book for you.
It is however very entertaining and sweet.
July 2, 2015
Finally a book about a couple who are not ridiculously attractive.
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