Review: Entertaining read
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 17, 2013
Felicity Beaumont has defied her father in a big way. She has taken her father's slave Jeremiah and his family, who were tricked into forfeiting their freedom by Felicity's father, and secured them passage on a boat heading north, where slaves are free men and women. To ensure they arrive safely, Felicity disguises herself as a boy named Frank and accompanies them on their journey. When her secret is discovered by Jake McCade, the owner of the boat, Felicity is forced to confess all. When her father finally catches up to her, Felicity is forced to wed Jake to save not only her reputation, but his life.As Jake and Felicity try to make the best of their new circumstances, they discover that they might have gotten more than they bargained for.Gambling on Love is the first historical romance that I've read, that didn't take place in Regency England, and while it took some getting used to, in the end I enjoyed the book and its characters.Felicity's actions at the beginning of the story were courageous and admirable. Here was a female character raised in the lap of luxury yet she wasn't blind to the plight of the less fortunate. She had a strong sense of right and wrong that pushed her outside of her comfort and safety zone. She never whined about what had to be done to help free her father's slaves, and when she was masquerading as a boy, she did so convincingly, even when she was put to work on the River Maiden during a storm.The owner of the boat, Jake McCade begins as a mystery and pretty much remains that way through the whole book. Readers never really get inside his mind like they do with Felicity, but his character is that of a decent man who, like Felicity, has a strong sense of right and wrong.The pacing of the story was quite fast but not to the point where a reader could get lost. I'm so glad that Felicity's disguise was discovered early in the story, rather than drag on and on throughout the book. It would have worked against the romantic aspect of the story if too much time was spent keeping her identity a secret. The relationship between Jake and Felicity seemed to happen over night and somewhat glossed over potential conflicts that should occur when two total strangers are forced to get married.While a romance novel, Gambling on Love didn't overdo it with the love scenes or go into too much detail over what went on in the bedroom between Jake and Felicity. There were no "Fade to black" scenes and there was enough there to get the point across.Secondary characters provided entertainment and kept me from getting tired of Jake and Felicity. The most interesting character was Suzanne Martindale, a female doctor who definitely has the potential to be a strong, independent heroine.Felicity caught my attention when she shed her female vanity (cut her hair, dressed as a boy) and courageously defied her father to liberate his slaves. Unfortunately, she failed to keep it after she married Jake. She became a boring, demure housewife, and her brave feat didn't change her at all. She didn't grow from that experience and throughout the story she was still so naive about life. She didn't have any more adventures and any projects she undertook were nothing truly remarkable for a woman of that time. At times she irritated me with how "perfect" she appeared to be. A few flaws, or a show of temper would have made her more real and likable. I would have loved to have seen the fire and passion Felicity had when freeing her father's slaves cross over into her marriage with Jake.Gambling on Love is and enjoyable read, especially for those looking to take a break from Regency Romance but who still want to stay in the historical romance genre. I loved the time period this book took place in, right between the past and the future. A good read for romance fans old and new.