Finn Ransome is an expert on Lady Luck, which is why he refuses to take a chance on love. Experience has taught him that he's happier at a gaming table than around people he will, inevitably, disappoint. However, the clock is ticking on his father's matrimonial demands. But the only woman to catch his eye is a bluestocking who would never consider a rogue like him.
After a disastrous first Season, Tabitha Seaton decided to focus on books instead of ballrooms. She hopes to join the Sterling Society, a collective of the most brilliant, influential minds in London. Except, they will never admit an unmarried lady. Now Tabitha needs a husband, and a notorious, handsome gambler may be her best bet.
Finn and Tabitha are opposites who have no intention of wagering on a love match, and a calculated marriage of convenience solves all their problems--with no risk to their hearts. Once married, however, their potent attraction boils over into a deep passion that neither expected. When a painful mistake drives the new lovers apart, Finn will risk it all to prove a scoundrel and a wallflower are a winning pair...
THE PLOT
Let me start by saying, I absolutely adored Celeste and Keiran's story in the first book of this series, so I couldn't want to read Finn's story. And, although it was a good book, it just fell short of the mark I had set for it. And maybe that was my fault with too high expectations. I didn't swoon at the steamy parts. I didn't fully believe Tabitha, especially compared to the way Finn felt about her. Her dramatic exit when he tried to take reason into her reaction made me so frustrated. I have a Dyslexic son so I loved the way they handled Finn's disability and, overall, Tabitha's reaction to it. I just wanted her to fall madly in love with Finn after all the sweet things he was doing for her and for his honesty and love, but she just didn't. It was still a sweet story and deserving of four stars, but I just wanted what I felt while reading Celeste and Keiran's love story.
THE HEROINE
Tabitha Seaton is a very intelligent woman which, of course, is not a valued asset in Regency England. She has been teased and criticized for her love of books and knowledge her whole life. She wants to have a voice in policies that are being decided and desperately wants to join the Sterling Society so she can help influence decisions. But they won't let her in the society unless she is married, so she decides to get married but not to allow feelings in her marriage. Tabitha once thought she was in love, but the man, her brothers tutor, told her she was unintelligent to have such feelings and it was silly to allow her to sit in on the lessons. I had a hard time with Tabitha...I loved that she was so sweet to Finn and saw past the shield he put up. She didn't call him out for his reading troubles, but read to him and helped him with his confidence. On the other hand, she drove me crazy with her issues in her past and not wanting to love Finn. He gave her no reason to worry about the feelings being reciprocated and I feel like she tried to find the worst in him and, when she did, it was a stretch. And, when she reveals that she knew about his reading trouble all along, I was mad that she wouldn't have understood him more.
THE HERO
Finn Ransome has Dyslexia and has spent his whole life being told he is stupid and belittled by his family, teachers and friends. But he excels at gambling and secretly wishes to open his own gaming hell. I adored Finn; he is the sweetest and just dotes on Tabitha. He did everything he could to make her happy and, when she kept leaving their bed during the night, I wanted to cry for him!
TROPES
Historical Romance, Regency Era, Carriage Steam, Beta/Cinnamon Roll Hero, Damaged Hero, Titled Hero, Unworthy Hero, Spinster Heroine, Wallflower Heroine, Bluestocking Heroine, Marriage of Convenience/Arranged Marriage, Disabled/Scared Hero, Dyslexia, Four Star, Three Flame
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