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Gabriel Warren, Lord Angelwood, is on a mission. He made a promise to his father as he died that he would do his very best to save other people from the same wretched fate that his father had suffered by getting rid of the main catalyst: gambling. Gabriel's father became so addicted to gambling that it became the death of him, literally. Gabriel believes that the only way he can keep that promise to his father is by abolishing gambling entirely. So as he sets out to accomplish this Herculean task, Gabe is approached by a close family friend and asked a favor. The son of his friend claims that he was cheated while gambling at a local gaming establishment, Mallory's, and his friend wants Gabe to prove it. But the first thing Gabe must do is meet with the owner of Mallory's, especially since Mallory is such an important name to him. He was determined to marry Lady Lilith Mallory ten years ago but she left him and never looked back. This Mallory couldn't possibly be, or have anything to do with, Lily. Or so Gabe believes....
Lilith Mallory loves her gaming club Mallory's. It's all she has and all she ever will have, of that she is certain. No one is going to take Mallory's away from her, especially not Gabriel Warren, the man who stole her innocence and her heart ten years ago. Lilith is immediately shocked when she sees Gabe again after so long, but she is determined that she will not let him in again. He's already taken so much from her; she won't let it happen once more. After her parents sent her away, she expected Gabe would at least look for her, but he didn't. He just left her to deal with the scandal, which is why she is no longer considered a Lady in any circle. She's Miss Mallory, the notorious club owner. But as determined as Lilith is that Gabriel not find his way into heart, she can't help the feelings that he arouses with in her and Lily starts to worry that those feelings will be her undoing, an undoing that will lead to the loss of her heart all over again!
What I love so much about Kathryn Smith's books is her ability to create such realistic, vibrant characters and the characters in A GAME OF SCANDAL are no exception. Lilith really came full circle in the story and that was refreshing to see, you usually see these huge changes occur with the hero, and while Gabe did change as well, Lilith was really able to see herself and realize her mistakes. Lilith couldn't seem to forgive Gabe for not finding her, and in the beginning, I supported that decision. But as I came to know Gabe and understand his reasoning behind not searching for her harder in the beginning, his reasons and motivations really became clear to me and I understood that Gabe did only what he could do at the time. Gabe had so much to deal with and he was still a young man. Lilith had originally expected him to run after her and rescue her and while he did try to do that, he had other things going on his life, hard life changing things. Realistic characters that examine their own flaws through the course of the book are really important and that is what I found in Lilith. Her strength also came out when she was insecure, something I think a lot of people can identify with these days. Lilith struggled with how the ton saw her, even though she didn't want it to bother her it did. I loved watching her work through these things with the man she loved, which really was the only way she was going to come to terms with everything that she had had to deal with in her life.
I also loved Gabriel! He was such an awesome hero, a man who was most definitely strong but he also had this sweet, sensitive side as well. He really loved Lilith and wanted so much for her to understand that, it was hard to see him struggle. Furthermore, I thought that the underlying mystery surrounding Gabe's father's death was interesting and made Gabe's motivations completely understandable and believable. I also thought that Gabe's final decision on gambling was exactly what he should do and I was so glad to see him come to that conclusion, the way he was going about it wasn't going to work. This was another reason that the story seemed so real: both characters worked through real human problems and emotions and through the love of one another were able to conquer those problems.
I can most definitely recommend A GAME OF SCANDAL by Kathryn Smith. It was a wonderfully written romance novel that had two realistic, dynamic main characters along with great secondary characters as well. You will love the storyline and the overall romantic feeling. A GAME OF SCANDAL is full of blazing sensual moments, beautiful romance and terrific characters. I learned a while ago that you can't go wrong with Kathryn Smith and I believe she just keeps getting better and better with each book she writes. So be sure to read A GAME OF SCANDAL and then join me while I wait for Julian's story, which can't arrive soon enough!
Once again, Kathryn Smith pens another winner----so enjoy!
Carla Hosom, June 2002
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