ONCE A SCOUNDREL

Author: Candice Hern ISBN:006050563X 8/2003 HISTORICAL Publisher: AVON ROMANCE
Time Period: Regency -1801 England

A Passionate Gamble It was bad enough when Anthony Morehouse thought he had won a piece of furniture in a card game, but when he learned that The Ladies' Fashionable Cabinet was actually a women's magazine, he couldn't wait to get rid of it. Then he sees beautiful Edwina Parrish behind the editor's desk. Tony has never forgotten the spirited girl who had bested him at every childhood contest, ultimately winning a priceless family heirloom he had no business wagering. Here was a golden opportunity for him to win it back. Yet Edwina, now a voluptuous enchantress, tempts him in a way no woman ever had before ... Edwina was stunned to learn that Tony is the new owner of her beloved magazine. Being the Cabinet's editor has been a labor of love, and she's not about to let Tony take it away from her. If the scoundrel wants to make a wager, then he'll find that she has a few tricks of her own up her sleeve. But the mischievous youth she once knew has grown into a brazen charmer, and Edwina may be making the biggest gamble of all ... with her heart. More information about Candice and her books is available at http://www.candicehern.com/

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Want to wager that all I can say about this read is that it's mostly about wagers? Nearly every chapter has a bet of some sort between the two main characters. The gambling Anthony Morehouse, and the spinster editor, Edwina Parrish, seem to have nothing in common except a lifetime of bets.

Anthony wins a woman's magazine from a gambling chum and finds Edwina, an old nemesis from childhood, is the editor. The two of them enter into a high stakes game where they compete for ownership of the magazine and try not to fall in love along the way. Anthony is subtley enchancing Edwina's chances of winning but finds that everything about her is not as it seems.

Gambling is not for me, so I may be a bit biased about the content of this book. However, the sparks didn't fly for the main characters until much later in the story and for me they didn't fly much at all. I found the information on womens magazines of the time to be interesting as well as all the detail that went into them. The supporting characters have some fun so that gives the book some much needed life.

All in all, I would bet that you could enjoy this one if you like to gamble.

Shannon Johnson