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The Sandalwood Princess / Knaves' Wager
Two Regency romances from the USA Today bestselling author hailed as a formidable talent packaged together for the first time.
480 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 4, 2005
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154 people want to read
About the author
Loretta Chase
52 books3,675 followersLoretta Lynda Chekani was born in 1949, of Albanian ancestry. For her, the trouble started when she learned to write in first grade. Before then, she had been making up her own stories but now she knew how to write them down to share. In her teenage years, she continue to write letters, keep a journal, write poetry and even attempt the Great American Novel (still unfinished). She attended New England public schools, before she went off to college and earned an English degree from Clark University.
After graduation, she worked a variety of jobs at Clark including a part-time teaching post. She was also moonlighting as a video scriptwriter. It was there that she met a video producer who inspired her to write novels and marry him. Under her married name, Loretta Chase, has been publishing historical romance novels since 1987. Her books have won many awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA.
After graduation, she worked a variety of jobs at Clark including a part-time teaching post. She was also moonlighting as a video scriptwriter. It was there that she met a video producer who inspired her to write novels and marry him. Under her married name, Loretta Chase, has been publishing historical romance novels since 1987. Her books have won many awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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May 30, 2008These two stories later "inspired" Ms. Hern's Merry Widows. While in "Sandalwood Princess" Chase leaves London even further behind than usual, for India, Knave's Wager is the first "typical" rake/rogue-meets-cold/prim, gets-reformed, and also the first widow. The only other non-virgin I know of Chase yet was Not Quite a Lady, which has previously been the most disappointing book - not because it was as bland as her very first one, but because it lacked that unique warmth and belonging between h/h. Worse than even there, I find it very unfortunate that the "hero" of Knave's Wager is the typical dark dissipated scoundrel of countless boring novels; she might be a widow and there are small touches - Hern made three whole books out of this one, after all - but it actually hurt me to the core, so much did I dislike him.
Oddly enough that was primarily because he helped to get rid of the unsuitable "French whore" his cousin had lived with for two years. He's no Andover; he's not even a Devil's Cub. As little as I like genuine whoremongers and real heartlessness, as much as I still prefer Chase to Carlyle (leaving aside all the truly bad writers), a rake needs to be convincing, or his reform isn't either. That sounds bland; I can't pinpoint it better. Julian Brandon might proclaim understanding of gender unfairness, but he still shudders at her bringing her (whore) mother into his family. He might spout libertine nonsense, but in the genre-typical fashion he purposely discomfits and harms the heroine. Just because that changes at some invisible point (kissy kissy) to real love doesn't make it better. I already wondered at the lack of genuine individuality in Sandalwood Princess (but there was the wonderful hero), and now here's a woman who does all the genre typical melting at his touch.
Cecily, the little niece who's the better choice for the nephew, is actually wonderful; but because I find the mistress so ill treated, I cannot rejoyce too much about her sensible individualistic spirit. The covers of these (dearly bought) books feature the most insipid (old-fashioned) m/f couples, so imagine my horror when nearing the end of KW it still seemed the cover was FITTING.
This must be the most negative I've written about Chase yet, but please note that Hern actually only copied from her (and added sex) and the main reason I'm su cruelly hurt is that a) this is the last of her novelsI have till a reissue in November and b) I had loved Philip from Sandalwood Princess so very much that I had to read KW immediately because nobody else writes such wonderful, appealing, flawed, laughing-at-themselves-when-sometimes-melodramatic heroes. I was going to say that, and how much I loved them. The end.
Oddly enough that was primarily because he helped to get rid of the unsuitable "French whore" his cousin had lived with for two years. He's no Andover; he's not even a Devil's Cub. As little as I like genuine whoremongers and real heartlessness, as much as I still prefer Chase to Carlyle (leaving aside all the truly bad writers), a rake needs to be convincing, or his reform isn't either. That sounds bland; I can't pinpoint it better. Julian Brandon might proclaim understanding of gender unfairness, but he still shudders at her bringing her (whore) mother into his family. He might spout libertine nonsense, but in the genre-typical fashion he purposely discomfits and harms the heroine. Just because that changes at some invisible point (kissy kissy) to real love doesn't make it better. I already wondered at the lack of genuine individuality in Sandalwood Princess (but there was the wonderful hero), and now here's a woman who does all the genre typical melting at his touch.
Cecily, the little niece who's the better choice for the nephew, is actually wonderful; but because I find the mistress so ill treated, I cannot rejoyce too much about her sensible individualistic spirit. The covers of these (dearly bought) books feature the most insipid (old-fashioned) m/f couples, so imagine my horror when nearing the end of KW it still seemed the cover was FITTING.
This must be the most negative I've written about Chase yet, but please note that Hern actually only copied from her (and added sex) and the main reason I'm su cruelly hurt is that a) this is the last of her novelsI have till a reissue in November and b) I had loved Philip from Sandalwood Princess so very much that I had to read KW immediately because nobody else writes such wonderful, appealing, flawed, laughing-at-themselves-when-sometimes-melodramatic heroes. I was going to say that, and how much I loved them. The end.
October 13, 2017
Loretta Chase can always lead me down the path of her story, wherever it is set or whenever. These are two of her earlier novels, but the intricate plotting and the witty language is already there to be enjoyed. The enormous, wily Padji with his potions, poisons and devotion to his mistress in The Sandalwood Princess, the wickedly irresistible Marquis of Brandon in Knaves' Wager, and the twists and turns of the story in both cases, are wonderfully entertaining.
August 21, 2024
I only read the Knaves' Wager and didn't really like it. I hate when men wager on the downfall of a good woman.
January 29, 2013
I'm still reading The Sandalwood Princess and enjoying it very much.
The Knave's Wager was the first Loretta Chase novel I ever read - and it says a great deal that I dived into it at every opportunity whilst on holiday in Kent over New Year. My only criticism - and it's quite a serious one - is that the book is full of typos and other errors. If I was Ms Chase, I would correct these. The book is a good one and a little time spent would pay divideds.
The Knave's Wager was the first Loretta Chase novel I ever read - and it says a great deal that I dived into it at every opportunity whilst on holiday in Kent over New Year. My only criticism - and it's quite a serious one - is that the book is full of typos and other errors. If I was Ms Chase, I would correct these. The book is a good one and a little time spent would pay divideds.
February 2, 2016
The Sandalwood Princess 3 stars
Knaves' wager 5 stars
Knaves' wager 5 stars
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews