A Wager at Midnight (Betting Against the Duke #2)

A Wager at Midnight (Betting Against the Duke #2)

Vanessa Riley

Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

The stakes are high in this dazzling and diverse Regency romance, in which a clever duke has made a wager with the now-widowed Viscountess who is the love of his To win a second chance with her, he will find husbands for her two sisters—or resign himself to a life of longing in this enchanting tale from award-winning author Vanessa Riley.Scarlett Wilcox is willing to live out her life as a spinster if it means being able to continue her medical research to help a friend in need. After all, few husbands would tolerate her dressing as a man to attend lectures at the Royal Academy of Science. If the Duke of Torrance finds her such a specimen, she'll agree to a marriage in name only, much to the dismay of her elder sister, the Viscountess.   When she's unmasked at a lecture on ophthalmology, Scarlett prepares to be disgraced, but she's saved by Trinidadian-born physician Stephen Carew who claims her as a cousin. Dedicated to caring for his community, Stephen has no wish to marry a frivolous and privileged lady, no matter how many fall for his disarming accent and seductive charm. But Scarlett proves the opposite of any he’s ever met before. Yet the pressure to marry blinds them both to the chemistry growing between them, pitting their brilliant minds against their reluctant hearts—as the Duke and Viscountess await with bated breath to see who will win . . . A WAGER AT MIDNIGHT.  RAVES FOR VANESSA RILEY “I'm a huge [Vanessa Riley] fan . . .  Her books are exquisitely written and painstakingly researched.”—Julia Quinn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Bridgerton books   “Riley gifts readers a sparkling love story.” —Entertainment Weekly on A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby


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  • delaneyyy
    Apr 18, 2025
    Enjoyment: Quality: Characters: Plot:

    I have heard people gushing about Vanessa Riley's work for a long time, but this is my first time reading her! I'm thrilled that she's writing Black characters in historical romance, because it's a genre where we don't have as many big name "Own Voices" or multicultural authors as other Romance subgenres. A Black Trinidadian doctor MMC is certainly unique, and I was excited to read from his perspective. Hopefully others feel the same way!

    Unfortunately, I really struggle with first person POV, and that combined with a confusing first chapter where we meet a bunch of characters (mostly upper-class men with titles and not much else distinctive) made it hard for me to get into this book. I also thought the FMC just seemed so young and immature compared to the MMC. According to other reviews, the book picks up after the first few chapters, but the POV was just so irritating to me that I couldn't continue. 

    Since 1st person POV is getting more popular lately, especially with contemporary readers, I think this might be a great entry point into historicals for some readers. It's just not for me.

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