Grace MacEachin is an actress, but that doesn't make her a loose woman. Unfortunately, the betting books do not seem to reflect that. Her worst vice right now is blackmailing the uncle and father of Richard Lynsted and he's off to fix the problem. But first he has to save Grace from an unscrupulous stage manager as well as the many other men chasing after her, trying to win the bet. Grace thinks that the two men set up her father to take the fall for an unscrupulous money scheme, one that made them both rich and sent her sexton-father to jail. Her mother ran off when Grace was raped (losing her only asset) and Grace has lived a hard life on her own since then. Now she only wants some compensation for her father's suffering.Richard and Grace both find out some hard truths about their fathers, about themselves as well. I think this was the first book I've read by Ms. Maxwell, and I quite enjoyed it. Grace and Richard start the story on opposite sides, and it was a pleasure to see them discover that they have far more in common than anyone would have imagined.I also enjoyed that Grace was no simpering miss, yet in general did not stumble into the OVERLY independent/stupid arena either. And it was quite lovely to witness Richard's transformation into a man he could respect. (The climactic scene for this was terrific.)I didn't love the role of their families in this, and since I do love my stories neatly wrapped up with everyone happy, this part was a bit disappointing.But I will definitely read Ms. Maxwell in the future!
