A Hand for the Duke (The Ladies' Wagering Whist Society #1)

Meredith
Bond
Genre: 
Historical

Tina Rowan is a beautiful, talented seamstress and modiste. However, her illegitimate background has landed her in trouble with her foster family. Either she pays her foster father to stay away or she marries his equally brutal son. Unfortunately, starting up a modiste business in London requires connections and the only person she can turn to is the mother who abandoned her as a child. When the Ladies’ Wagering Whist Society becomes involved, Tina might have a chance for success. When she attracts the attention of the Duke of Warwick, a proper nobleman with a tenderness for his younger sister, it will take all the combined efforts of the Ladies Wagering Whist Society to see not one but two couples win. 

A fabulous historical romance, “A Hand for a Duke” is the first in its series and an unbeatable introduction. Balancing the romance of Tina and the Duke, with that of her biological parents, the characters are compelling with depth, quirks, and variety that make the reader want to devour the next book immediately. The relationship between Tina and Warwick is smoothly done with both their pasts coloring their actions and inactions without falling prey to the typical miscommunication tropes that just move the plot rather than drive it. Truly, the only flaw in this tale is that it is not quite original, with nobility falling for the help being a standard plot. Yet, fans of historical romance will not want to miss this winner of a tale and will undoubtedly look forward to the next in the series. 

Sarah E Bradley