ChasingLeslie's Reviews > Queen of My Hart

Dexter Hart has risen from humble beginnings to become a wealthy and powerful banker, but he's always wanted revenge against a man who harmed him and his family. During a card game meant to ruin his enemy, Viscount Alderley, Dexter offers one last card flip: Alderley's money returned against marriage to his daughter. But Alderley double crosses him, and promises the hand of his "eldest daughter," which turns out to be his illegitimate one. Margaret Alder has lived in strained, but peaceful, circumstances, until her natural father blackmails her and forced her to wed. Meggie is thrown into a world she doesn’t understand, with a husband who is just as unhappy about the situation as she is.

This is the second book in the Headstrong Harts series. I did not read the first book and do think I missed a little bit of Dexter's family history. Even though it's a series about the Hart siblings, Meggie was the central focus and the book can stand alone.

This is my first time reading this author and I found the writing to be very engaging! I started this book in the evening and read late into the night to finish it in one sitting. Auctioned/gambled/sold tropes almost always work for me. I liked that the main characters are thrown together early, the situation is awkward, and they are forced to work things out. The story moves along very well, but I wish the romance and love scenes had been as fleshed out as the overall plot. However, there is something that happens in the second half of the story that I really did NOT like, and that lowered my rating. I will definitely look for more books from this author in the future.

Tropes: Wagered, Forced Marriage, Anti-Hero

* I received an ARC and this is my honest review. #QueenofmyHart #NetGalley