Stevie‘s review of A Gentleman’s Game (Romance of the Turf, Book 1) by Theresa Romain
Historical Romance published by Sourcebooks Casablanca 02 Feb 16
Theresa Romain is pretty much an auto-buy author for me these days, although I somehow missed the pre-publicity (and the prequel) for this new series. Having realised my omission, I grabbed this one pretty quickly, especially given that it’s set mostly in Newmarket and around the world of racehorse breeding and training, a place and an aspect of life that don’t get covered in many historical romances.
Nathaniel Chandler is one of the sons of the racing family at the centre of this series, but not the favoured sibling of the three. While his elder brother is trusted with breeding youngstock at the family’s stud farm, and his sister until recently acted as secretary to their father, Nathaniel spends his life on the road, buying new horses and brokering deals. He regularly arrives home unkempt – which fact he blames on assaults by lusty milkmaids – usually because he can’t resist trying to fix problems and broken equipment himself rather than trusting the work to others.
Now that Nathaniel’s sister is married (and I need to read that story very soon, especially as it seems to feature one of my favourite secondary characters from the author’s previous series), their father has hired a new female secretary. Rosalind Agate sees through Nathaniel’s put-on buffoonery very quickly, partly because she herself is playing a role. Since a fire left her with extensive medical bills at the age of thirteen, she has moved from one false identity to the next, seeking out secrets for her benefactress and their mysterious employer. However, Rosalind is tiring of her life of deception, especially since she particularly likes the family she finds herself with on this job, and so when Nathaniel begs his father to let him escort the Derby-entrant racehorses to Epsom, Rosalind offers to go with him and ensure that nothing untoward happens – especially important since one attempt has already been made at poisoning some of the Chandlers’ horses.
I love the description of Rosalind and Nathaniel’s journey, the various places they stop at along the way and the people they meet. I also very much appreciate the individual personalities of the horses and ponies that accompany them and the various escapades that Nathaniel involves everyone in (and not an actual milkmaid to be seen causing any of them),
This is a delightful story that leaves a few loose ends waiting (I hope) to be tied up in the next book, but before that comes out I really do have to track down the prequel.
Grade: B
Summary:
In Book One of Romance of the Turf, a refreshing new Regency series from rising star Theresa Romain, a mystery demanding to be solved brings unlikely allies together in more ways than one…
How far will a man go
Talented but troubled, the Chandler family seems cursed by bad luck-and so Nathaniel Chandler has learned to trade on his charm. He can broker a deal with anyone from a turf-mad English noble to an Irish horse breeder. But Nathaniel’s skills are tested when his stable of trained Thoroughbreds become suspiciously ill just before the Epsom Derby, and he begins to suspect his father’s new secretary is not as innocent as she seems.To win a woman’s secretive heart?
Nathaniel would be very surprised if he knew why Rosalind Agate was really helping his family in their quest for a Derby victory. But for the sake of both their livelihoods, Rosalind and Nathaniel must set aside their suspicions. As Derby Day draws near, her wit and his charm make for a successful investigative team…and light the fires of growing desire. But Rosalind’s life is built on secrets and Nathaniel’s on charisma, and neither defense will serve them once they lose their hearts…
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
