A Wedding Wager

Feather follows 2010's Rushed to the Altar with another story of three handsome but poor brothers who must marry "women in need of spiritual or moral salvation" to inherit their uncle's fortune. Beautiful Lady Serena Carmichael broke the Hon. Sebastian Sullivan's heart, abandoning him to follow her stepfather, Gen. Sir George Heyward, to the Continent. Sir George then frittered away Serena's inheritance and used her body as currency to pay off his debts. When he brings her back to London three years later as the hostess for a gambling house, she encounters Sebastian again and their mutual lust rekindles. It is never clear why Serena ever chose her vile stepfather over her virile lover, but she makes the most of her second chance. Feather creates vivid protagonists, appealing secondary characters, and a passionate romance, but the plot feels thin and rushed. (July)