Reviewed by Donna
TITLE: A Wager of Love
AUTHOR: Katherine Marlowe
PUBLISHER: Self Published
LENGTH: 99 Pages
BLURB:
Laurence Aberforth has never been in love. The first time he meets the impulsive and charming Gilbert Heckwith, he accepts a wager as to whether or not true love exists in the world. Amidst the playful flirtation of their new friendship, they explore the concept of love through philosophy and poetry, and the two of them ultimately find the proof of their wager in each other. Clean romance, no cheating, no cliffhangers, standalone novella.
REVIEW:
When readers start discussing what genres they prefer for their m/m romance the first thing I always add to the conversation is that I don’t read historicals. No idea why, because I was a huge fan of m/f Regencies but since diving into the world of m/m novels I’ve never been tempted to pick one up. But then this request for a review landed in the blog’s email and for some unknown reason I figured I’d give it a try. So… wow. I didn’t realize how much I’d missed reading about this period until Laurie and Gilbert struck up a conversation and their oh-so-polite and witty banter assuaged a craving I was unaware I had.
Laurence Aberforth has headed to London for the season. He has a vague notion of finding a wife yet objects to the idea of marrying for anything other than love. While attempting to avoid determined, marriage focused maidens Laurie meets Gilbert Heckwith and is swept into a whirlwind friendship that begins with the two young men wagering over the existence of true love. The result is several rather interesting excursions ranging from a children’s workhouse, to a church to a brothel, as each of them takes their turn arguing their view.
This story is heavy on the philosophy and poetry. Initially I was worried that it would be to the detriment of the story but I actually really enjoyed it. I appreciated the thought that went into the philosophical discussions between Laurie and Gilbert. It was evident that the author had an expert grasp of the topic yet she managed to present it in a way that was understandable and, more importantly, interesting to the reader.
As to the romance itself, I loved it. It was almost in the background for the majority of the story but the author skillfully threw us random scraps of sentences that teased at Laurie’s growing awareness of Gilbert as something more than a friend. Their romantic connection slowly became the focus as the tale progressed allowing Laurie sufficient time to sort through concepts that were new to him. There’s no sex in this story, yet I didn’t feel the lack was a negative. I honestly don’t think on page sex would have fit the tone of the story.
This book gets a big red “recommended” stamped all over that gorgeous cover. I’ll definitely be checking out more from this author.
RATING: 
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