I enjoyed this historical romance book with the two main characters that were Miss Charlotte Devon and Anthony Fairfax. And the rest of the characters too.

Miss Charlotte Devon has left London go to Scotland to find her father that she never seen before. But instead she finds herself accidentally wed to an gambler.

Anthony Fairfax is a gambler that has run off to Scotland to void the men that want there money repayment for gambling at their place. While he in Scotland he is hoping that he can gamble for the money that he needs to repay his debt. But things don't go as plan he instead gets himself married to a woman and also run into the men that want there money.

This was a fun story to read. It has action and adventure through out it. Quite a bit of surprises along the way that were fun to find out.

I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley. This is my honest unbiased opinion.

I generally enjoy Erica Ridley's books. While I enjoyed this one, it tended to drag a bit in the middle, and I had trouble staying engaged. I cannot give her a bad rating. I loved her characters and the storyline was imaginative. Overall, a nice read!

My first Erica Ridley novel is surprisingly fresh. I’ve read a fair share of fake husband or marriage of convenience novels within this particular sub-genre. I have never, however, read one where the couple does so in Scotland where their play becomes legally binding. I must admit that every other element of the novel is average. I do, however, believe that Ridley has the chops to deliver fresher, better plotted and paced books in the future. I am looking forward to finding out. So, I rounded up my 3.5 based on that potential.

I really enjoyed this one. I loved that both characters were flawed in the eyes of society but that they were in fact strong, resilient and kind. The slowburn Romance was fantastic and the dialogue was witty. I enjoyed their camaraderie and the side characters made things interesting.

I really enjoyed this one, loved the characters. Their relationship was so great, especially how much they really liked each other as people.

If you are looking for a cute romance novel, this one was entertaining. Two people down on luck who find each other and change everything for the better. Not a typical Cinderella fairytale, but definitely fairytale-esque. I liked it enough to read another by this author. Enjoy.

2/3 stars!

I love historical romances but unfortunately this one didn't really do it for me. It was a sweet read but I got a bit bored reading this book.

This book is really good - but only until do you get halfway through. The strange marriage between Anthony and Charlotte was a bit ehh. He seems like the perfect gentleman with a huge gambling problem- now how do two and two go together. They weren't in love in the beginning yet she nicely accepted all of his problems. Its a tad cookie cutter. I started to really enjoy the book once they arrive and London, and they were trying to figure out things together. Charlottes father acknowledges her. one thing by the end of the book you can't not be smitten by Anthony the way he stands up for her! certain things don't add up, and if you have a little patience this book is really good.
Lastly the title is too misleading! There is no Lord in the book , other then her dead father- sheesh!

I'm not a stranger to Erica Ridley's books. Her historical romances are very entertaining, excellent to hide inside a book for a short while.

However, if you are demanding about historical and social accuracy, this reading may not be for you. I find Erica's characters, especially the heroines, too uninhibited, free and forward for their time. They act like women of ours times that made a journey to the past.

They are very unconventional compared to the majority of historical romance heroines we know.
Although I'm not overly worried about historical fiction strict accuracy and attention to detail, I must confess that sometimes I find myself surprised and even confused with the characters' behavior, so far from the conventions of the era.

Overall, an unpretentious reading to enjoy a good time, without higher expectations.

Loved Lord of Chance by Erica Ridley!! This new series is fun, witty and charming. I'm loving all the new characters and cannot wait for more!

This accidental marriage was so much fun to follow along with. I laughed out loud and felt all of the emotions, as my own.

Thank you Ms Ridley, for another wonderful book!

The storyline is actually really okay, average but the cover freaked me out. He is just scary. In my opinion cover art is a very important thing, I only grab a book in the store if the cover is nice.

Somewhere on the Scottish-English border, two people are running from their declining lives in London. They match wits in an early version of poker and she wins. In order to help each other, they pretend to be married.
Then their troubles really start.
I couldn’t believe what was written about marriage by declaration, so I looked it up. Never should have doubted, as this author has always been meticulous about her research. I can just imagine her coming across this tidbit and wondering how to use it in a novel, and of course her imagination was up to the task.
Early on I thought the lady was in for a huge disappointment. The jewels are one thing, as real as possible, but the story of where they came from isn’t necessarily true. Even though I was more or less right, the author provides yet another twist at the end.
They make the most of their marriage—except for sex—while it lasts. On the one hand I like their relentless optimism, but on the other it’s obvious it won’t be that simple, or else this would be a really short book. If there’s one thing I don’t like about her, it’s how often she puts herself down. She’s got esteem issues, we get it, which makes it difficult to accept—even though I love the idea—when she becomes a forerunner to Lucy (from Peanuts) and her psychiatry booth.
Since romances always have to end happily ever after, it’s no surprise so many things went right at the end. But it’s not really about plot as much as characters, and after a slow start this pair grew on me. One could say they earned their happy ending.

<strong>Charming, entertaining and sweet</strong>

I love Anthony and Charlotte’s story, the romance is slow to build but their character development was well executed. The plot centers around a lot of societal and familial expectations but in the end both these characters realise that all that matters is family and love. Simple, sweet and charming, Lord of Chance is definitely worth the read.

This was a fair, fun read. Not the best but not the worse historical romance I have read. I will look into getting other books in this series.

Erica Ridley begins a new series with a great read. As with her other books, her characters are not perfect. Flawed heroes/heroines storylines are much more fun to read.. Both Charlotte and Anthony live outside "good" society. Charlotte is illegitimate, who sees herself as not worthy. Anthony is a gambler, owing a great deal of money to the wrong person. The waging life is all he has known his entire life. Somehow these two people meet, and together face what life has dealt them. In dealing with their issues they bring out the best in each other. I loved these characters, they are real with real problems. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I

Anthony was a lifelong compulsive gambler.Anthony is in debt with the threat of prison over his head. But anthony’s debts were in London and he went to Scotland to gamble and try to win enough to pay his debts which were the large amount of two thousand pounds. Charolette is in Scotland trying to find the man who is her father as she has never met him. . Charlotte had built up a story about her father in her mind and she wanted to meet him. Charlotte's mother- Judith- is an infamous London courtesan.Because of her mother’s occupation Charlotte considered a ruined woman- with her illegitimacy, her mother’s profession, and Charlotte's strong resemblance to her mother Charlotte really has little chance to get the respectability she craves. Charlotte's mother hints that her father was a Scottish Laird. Charlotte wants to present herself to her father and hopes her father will find a place in his life for her but if not at least help her erase some of the stigma on her. Charlotte is wearing s distinctive ruby necklace and earrings her father had given to her mother and she hopes someone will recognize the jewelery and direct Charlotte to her father. Anthony first seen Charlotte while she is sitting in view of the table where he is playing cards. Bhut Charlotte's face is behind her hood. Then Anthony starts to believe Charlotte is his “ Lady Luck” as he keeps winning his hands. But after a few men left the table and Charlotte was offered a place at the table and she decided to play. After Charlotte sits down to play cards she wins. She even wins a last bet by Anthony that he would do whatever she wanted him to do for the night. So Anthony is to walk Charlette back to her room. On the way to her room Charlotte was approached by a drunken man and Anthony says that he is Charlotte's husband and to show his wife more respect. What Anthony didn’t take into account by saying that he and Charlotte were married in a public room with a lot of people in it that in scotland saying this made it true. So Charlotte and Anthony were married by Scottish law.
This book wasn’t really for me. When I read a book there has to be some realism in it and I just didn’t find any in this book. I also didn’t feel the romance between Charlotte and Anthony. When did they fall in love? I was also very surprised that Charlotte traveled alone from London to Scotland in this time frame. Also women weren’t allowed in places where gambling went on and I don’t believe a woman would be invited to play cards for money. Especially in a place she wasn’t known. Charolette is suppose to be intelligent yet she went to Scotland and she didn’t know anyone or even her father’s name or where he was from yet she hoped to find him. Also I have known a few serious gamblers and they wouldn’t be able to stop that easy when they had money. So this just wasn’t for me but I am sure others would enjoy it.

Not my favorite story by Erica, but still a good read. I wasn't sure what to think after the blurb, but it is accurate, and the setup is definitely interesting between our hero and heroine. I wouldn't read it again but I am happy that I read it. It was a quick read for me and I enjoyed it.

This was a new author for me, and I have to say I really enjoyed her book. It had drama, but it had humor too along with some great romance. I look forward to reading more from this author.

With Philip Fairfax it's feast or famine. His parents, living at the edge of The Ton have no idea on how to manage their expenses, so more often than not they have to sell their possessions in order to stay in their rented London townhouse, unless, of course, Philip has a lucky streak playing cards. It seems their son has been gambling since his teen years, keeping his family afloat on more than one occasion. We first met Phillip in Erica Ridley's Dukes of War series when he's present at the marriage of his sister Sarah - (both times). When Sarah needs time to think he whisks her off to his friend's house, Lady Katherine Ross. Everything works out nicely for his only sibling, and now she's happy with her husband and twin sons living not far from their family home.

Too bad Phillip isn't doing as well in the Regency Romance, Lord of Chance by Erica Ridley. His usual luck has been eluding him and he's had to flee to Scotland to evade his creditor. Philip needs 2000 pounds or it's debtor prison - and how can he help his parents if he's in jail. Yet the charming, affable young man always has hope. Surely he can talk his way into getting more time to come up with the cash. Plus tonight has been especially lucrative, thanks to his lucky charm, Lady Fortune, sitting in the corner watching them play. Yet somehow, she's the one who ends up with the 200 pounds and he's left without enough blunt to pay for a place to sleep. Escorting the lady back to her room, she is assailed by an unsavory character. Thinking to save the day, he discourages the intruder by claiming to be her husband and she agrees. Little do they realize that publicly stating their marital status is the same as exchanging their vows before a magistrate - or at least it is a legally binding marriage by Scottish Law. Now Phillip is the husband to Charlotte Devon and she has added a whole mess of burdens to her own stack of problems. Seems the young miss is searching for a reputable life after growing up the bastard daughter of a courtesan. If only she could find her father, perhaps he would accept her with open arms. The family jewels, which she wears in the hopes of being identified, are her only connection to the Laird she hopes to smoke out of hiding. Now she must follow her husband back to London and give up her dreams of respectability. Even worse, how will he feel when he discovers her mother's profession. Since the two look so much alike, men are always pointing a finger in recognition, an embarrassing situation she wants to avoid. Perhaps Phillip and Charlotte, each with their own millstone to carry, can resolve their issues together as a husband and wife team. If not, there is always annulment, as long as they don't consummate the marriage, which might be difficult because there is an amorous feeling growing between the two who now physically live and sleep together.

One can't help but root for the charismatic Anthony who endeavors so hard to take care of his family which now includes a wife. Charlotte, however, is an unknown, who attempts to be supportive, but tends to be a little self centered and narrow minded while trying to resolve her "daddy issues". Anthony, of course, comes through in the end, finding an unusual means of digging himself out of the hole he's created. He's also learned his lesson and gives up his gambling habit (a little hard to swallow, but okay) replacing it with a new "hobby". Charlotte also has an "eye opening experience" which affects her outlook on life and promises to repair her strained relationship with her mom. With money issues taken off the table, here's to a happily ever after ending for the young couple as the Rogues to Riches series continues.

Three and a half stars and a thank you to Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review also appears on my blog, Gotta Read.

Anthony Fairfax is in a gambling hell, on the border between Scotland and England, where he is gambling. Again. Gambling is Anthony’s way of supporting his family, and the difference between living decently or in the gutter. Anthony had noticed a particularly lovely woman, sitting by herself in a corner and watching. Anthony’s evening was going pretty well, and he surmised it might be because of the presence of “Lady Luck”, Charlotte Devon. Anthony has huge debts in England, and one big win might do it. He invites the pretty lady to join him, and he wagers everything he has. And of course, the silly fool loses everything to Charlotte, who is searching for her father. Then, because of Anthony’s very gallant gesture towards Charlotte, they both end up married. What are the chances that what happened in Scotland remain in Scotland? Not bloody likely!

Anthony really got himself in a dreadful pickle, and then inadvertently dragged Charlotte along as well, the poor thing, as if she didn’t already have enough worries. But what a delight it is to follow these two wonderful characters’ adventures! Charlotte has a fantastic and sad backstory, yet she is the strongest one; she is clever, ingenious, and straight as an arrow. Anthony has a debilitating gambling addiction, which occurred because of his family’s lofty ideals, and the issue is treated very realistically, it is not glossed over; he has to crawl his way out of the hellhole he got himself into. Granted that Anthony is rather impulsive, but I was never quite sure why he blurted out what he did, when he did; it could have been dealt otherwise, but then again, if he had, we would not have had this interesting marriage of convenience story, or rather marriage by accident!
The author mentions that LORD OF CHANCE is an expanded edition of a previously published story, and in certain places, unfortunately it shows. There is a scene, albeit cute, which serves no purpose, and there are several unnecessary repetitions, which is very unusual for Ms. Ridley.

In spite of Anthony being a reckless fool, I loved him so much; he is truly adorable, exceedingly naturally charming, kind, and utterly irresistible. Anthony and Charlotte are opposites in very unusual ways, and I loved the dynamic it created between them; Charlotte is endearing, easy to relate to, but Anthony is one of the best characters I have ever read: I saw him, his gestures, his smiles, his debonair attitude; he has charisma in spades and he felt so real to me, it was uncanny! So much in Anthony and Charlotte’s lives has to do on keeping up appearances, the meaning of family, of love, and it is riveting. And Anthony and Charlottes’s road to romance is absolutely lovely; they are two good people forced into an odd situation, but they are determined to succeed, whatever it takes. The ending was somewhat predictable, but still very satisfying.

Monique Daoust for Book Obsessed Chicks