A Game of Hearts
In Regency England, red-blooded commoners have difficulty
opening the doors of the blue-blooded .
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Self-made man Rafe Lockhart needs a titled wife to give his
daughter Connie the society debut she has dreamed of. A quick marriage to Lady
Margaret Symonds, widow of an earl, is the answer to his problem. Her beauty and wit sweeten his plan.
Maggie Symonds suffered through twelve years of an
emotionally abusive marriage after a rake ruined her during her debut. She hesitates to enter another marriage,
especially to Yet financial difficulties and her own budding
attraction to Rafe drive her to accept his proposal.
a man whose wealth is the sole reason that society accepts him.
Neither expects passion to fire up their marriage. Neither expects that surprising passion to
last. Maggie’s confrontation with Rafe’s
mistress is the first blow. The second
comes with Rafe’s suspicions that the rake has lured Maggie back into his bed
with protestations of a resumed love.
Falling in love with his employer’s daughter Connie was not
Roger Denby’s biggest mistake. No, that
mistake was giving her a taste of passion.
When he rejected Connie, he then had to watch her pursue a gentleman who
might be charming her into a snare. Did
Roger drive her into that relationship by awakening her desires? All he knows is that he still yearns for
Connie. How can he prevent her from
ruining herself?
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Connie Lockhart knew the walls between her and Roger Denby: She was not yet eighteen. She was the boss’s daughter. She was as far out of his reach as marriage
into nobility was out of hers. She
thought those walls had tumbled down when he kissed her. Yet he rebuilt them even higher than before
and returned to being only her watchdog.
Believing their relationship hopeless, Connie pursues a titled gentleman
who is no longer out of her reach since her father’s marriage to an earl’s
widow. And revenge on the snobbish
society darlings seems especially sweet.
Richard Malbury (from A Game of Spies) flatters Connie. He seems charmed by her. Marriage to him is preferable to a fruitless
love of Roger.
And then Rafe is suspected of murdering a valuable employee,
and this Game of Hearts turns more
dangerous than Rafe & Maggie and Roger & Connie could have anticipated.
A Regency murder mystery. Readers may also enjoy A
Game of Secrets and A Game of Hearts.
