Luck Is No Lady

April 18, 2016
Sandas (Relentless Lord) provides an entertaining atmosphere, but the story starts painfully slowly. Roderick Bentley, illegitimate son of a nobleman, owns a very classy gambling den in Regency-era London. Emma Chadwick is the 25-year-old guardian of her debutante sisters, and has inherited vast debts from her gambler father. Eventually, Emma answers an ad that brings her to Roderick's establishment as bookkeeper, and although Emma and Roderick are attracted to one another immediately, Emma insists on dealing with her responsibilities without recourse to Roderick's non-respectable resources. Additionally, Roderick's parentage makes him scandalous to know in polite society, and maintaining a closer connection could ruin Emma's sisters' hopes. Sandas's characters are well-drawn and their attraction sizzles; after the pace picks up, there's plenty of fun. Agent: Nalini Akolekar, Spencerhill Associates.

April 1, 2016
As the eldest, Emma Chadwick is charged with seeing that her two younger sisters find good matches to ensure their future. Having spent the last several years caring for her parents, Emma has no time for a season of her own. Nor any money for one. During a chance encounter at a ball while hiding from a horrid suitor, Emma tosses aside her demure manner and kisses the man helping her hide. Little does she know that he is Roderick Bentley, the notorious owner of a scandalous gambling club. Facing financial ruin, Emma must find a job where she won't be recognized. Using her proclivity for mathematics, she goes to work as a bookkeeper for Bentley's club. Roderick finds himself intrigued by this contradiction of a woman, and much as she tries, Emma cannot fight the growing attraction she feels. In a bold move, she wagers it all to help save her family and places her future in Roderick's hands. Sandas begins her Fallen Ladies series with a smart and sexy opener.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)