Review: Hot, Hot, Hot
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 13, 2014
HER WANTON WAGER is the second book in the Mayhem in Mayfair series.  It is the story of Persephone Fines (aka Percy) who is a middle class miss whose family has dreams of having her marry into the ton.  She believes herself in love with a Viscount who seems perfect to fulfill her family's dreams.  In order to attract the Viscount, however, the vivacious Percy has to behave herself and give up her "silly" hobbies like her writing of a novel.  Percy is most concerned about her brother, who is slowly destroying himself with gambling and alcohol.Gavin Hunt is the owner of the gambling hell, the Underworld.  He is a man who has made something of himself after being born in the rookeries and being imprisoned for ten years for a crime he did not commit.  Unknown to Percy, Gavin is determined to use Percy's brother to seek revenge on the man that he blames for his wrongful imprisonment, the Marquess of Harteford, the hero from the first book of the series, HER HUSBAND'S HARLOT.Percy wants Gavin to give her brother a chance and Gavin wants to use Percy to hurt Harteford by seducing and abandon her.  The two agree to a wager.  Gavin will attempt to seduce Percy during six meetings.  If she resists, Gavin will forgive her brother's debt; if Gavin succeeds, Percy will be ruined.  Quickly, however, the two begin to feel more than the competition between them. Percy is a sensual, although innocent, woman who is deeply attracted to Gavin.  Percy brings a softness and caring to Gavin's harsh life.  He quickly begins to think of a future with Percy even as he still desires revenge.I really liked this book, primarily because I really like the characters of Gavin and Percy.  They are really high spirited vivid people.  The sexual escapades are really hot and graphic.  Some readers might not like such explicit descriptions especially in a historical so readers should be forewarned.while it might now be strictly necessary to read the first book in this series, I think that to fully enjoy this book, a reader should know the background of Harteford to completely understand this book.I loved Percy and Gavin and love this book.