The Wicked Wager
A Regency Murder Mystery & Romance
Anya Wylde

Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
August 2012 / ASIN: B008UWBJB4
Romantic mystery
Amazon

Reviewed by Cheryl Green

Regency romance that offered a mystery to boot - two of my favorite genres rolled into one – how could I go wrong? It all started when Emma Grey got engaged to Lord Richard Hamilton. Of course her rich and powerful relative the Duke of Arden wanted them to wait a year to marry. Emma thought the Duke to be the smartest man she knew. This started the argument with her fiancé and a plan was formed and a wager made.
Richard would disguise himself and get hired as the Duke’s head gardener to be near his beloved who would be staying with the Duke and his family for an undetermined length of time. If he went undetected for a month he would win the wager – if not Emma would be the winner. Emma would have to find ways to elude her cousin Catherine and the chaperone Lady Babbage in order to meet for secret trysts. Throw in a visit from the obnoxious Barker family and add a murder, some screwball schemes and you have one delightful read.

Things to ponder – will Prudence’s hairdo be the next hairstyle that we see on Lady Gaga? What exactly is the Duke’s investigator looking into? Will Lady Babbage ever finish one of her needle projects?

This is one delicious romp of a read. There are actual laugh out loud parts – which I had to curtail as I was reading it at work during my lunch hour. I loved the characters and the crazy plots twists that kept popping up. Just when you thought you knew what was going on, there was another turn. We all know I love a good red herring and Ms. Wylde thoughtfully provided them. I hope that Ms. Wylde is writing away so that I can have another delectable book to read soon. If you are a fan of Regency romance with a dash of mystery thrown in –then The Wicked Wager is the book for you.