This is the tiresome story of Edward and Lydia. Edward has a gambling problem, in fact this problem is extreme and consumes his life. His desperation causes him to wager his estate in a card game with Lydia’s father who wins the wager and offers Edward a way out of his enormous debt and reclaim his estate. The father offers to pay all of Edward’s debt and return the estate if Edward marries his daughter Lydia. Edward agrees and he and Lydia quickly marry. Lydia has no idea about Edward’s debt or his reason for wanting to marry her. She barely knows Edward but remembers him humiliating her at a ball …….she marries him anyway. They decide as a couple to get to know each other better before they consummate their marriage. The storyline had promise but it just never took off. Conflicts occurred and were quickly resolved, without contributing to character growth or storyline intrigue. I can’t recommend this book to readers looking for an interesting and entertaining story with an intriguing storyline – this book just didn’t deliver. Also the female narrator’s cadence, inflection, and tone was off putting.