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A review by juliannerose99
His Mistletoe Wager by Virginia Heath
5.0
4.5 stars rounded up- the .5 marked off because of the very end, otherwise I loved this book. The emotional depth of this book really surprised me in the best way- it starts off as a wager between two best friends for the rakish lord to get five kisses from a determined spinster (who we knew from the prologue had been cruelly jilted at the altar while pregnant 5 years before), and while both characters showed immediate like ability I cringed at the deceit of the wager to Lizzie, who had already been through enough betrayal.
But, the book pivoted quickly into a deep relationship between Hal and Lizzie, joined together against a mutual enemy, a lord looking to blackmail Lizzie into marriage. It was refreshing to have a book which starts with a trope where you imagine a third act breakup from hidden motives and misunderstandings, to a book which follows two people falling deeply for each other in a caring, compassionate, and sexy relationship.
Virginia Heath is always good at bringing real character depth to her romances, so the conflicts and burgeoning love between Hal and Lizzie were all highly believable and I could hardly put the book down while reading, to see how it would all play out!
**spoiler!**
My one (pretty huge) frustration was the very end when Hal acknowledged Lizzie’s son as his own in a public party without first consulting her ! ! ! It was out of left field for his very caring, loving character- and while it sped up a HEA, I wish he and Lizzie had discussed it in private and she gave her permission first before being put on such a public spot. I liked how the book acknowledged the gender imbalances of regency social politics of the time, and how Hal and Lizzie worked to overcome this, but please gosh do not take away a mother’s agency in this public way (!!). :/
But, the book pivoted quickly into a deep relationship between Hal and Lizzie, joined together against a mutual enemy, a lord looking to blackmail Lizzie into marriage. It was refreshing to have a book which starts with a trope where you imagine a third act breakup from hidden motives and misunderstandings, to a book which follows two people falling deeply for each other in a caring, compassionate, and sexy relationship.
Virginia Heath is always good at bringing real character depth to her romances, so the conflicts and burgeoning love between Hal and Lizzie were all highly believable and I could hardly put the book down while reading, to see how it would all play out!
**spoiler!**
My one (pretty huge) frustration was the very end when Hal acknowledged Lizzie’s son as his own in a public party without first consulting her ! ! ! It was out of left field for his very caring, loving character- and while it sped up a HEA, I wish he and Lizzie had discussed it in private and she gave her permission first before being put on such a public spot. I liked how the book acknowledged the gender imbalances of regency social politics of the time, and how Hal and Lizzie worked to overcome this, but please gosh do not take away a mother’s agency in this public way (!!). :/