Book Review: "The Rogue's Wager" by Christi Caldwell

**** - Christi Caldwell's stories make up well over half of my personal recency romance collection. They are reliably good fun, with leads who have great chemistry. They are the perfect books to pick up when you need to switch off and just enjoy a romantic story.

Even though I anticipated a good read, I was pleasantly surprised with The Rogue’s Wager. The heroine, Helena, is not the perfect society miss. She has had a hard life on London's streets and is more familiar with the city's underbelly than the ton, in her role as bookkeeper for the Help and Sin Club. She is tough, knows how to defend herself, and wants her independence in an era when women have none.

The hero, Lord Robert Dennington, knows personally that all women want from him is his title. As such, he has no interest in settling down until he is good and ready to give up his roguish lifestyle and settle into a safe, political and mutually beneficial marriage. When he stumbles into Helena’s bedroom one night, he turns her world upside down and leaves, oblivious to the tumult left in his wake.

This is not your typical recency romance. Somehow, the characters are more compelling. The Marquess still has his trademark “unfashionably long” hair, and Helena is still a “spirited minx” who catches the imagination of her beloved. But the story is partially set in the intriguing dark side of London, there is less dazzling society and more of the grit of the streets, and it rings truer for it. The story has a bit of a Pride and Prejudice vibe as the leads find their long held beliefs challenged, and Caldwell shows off some brilliant writing, especially with her scene setting.

Netgalley provided an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, and I am thrilled that they did because I would definitely have bought this one for myself. I recommend this one for recency lovers - you can purchase it from the 25th of October.