Ace of Hearts (House of Cards, Book 1)

Ace of Hearts by Barbara Metzger (2005)

Pages: 340

ISBN: 0451216261

Description: Alexander "Ace" Endicott, Earl of Carde, needs a woman who will beget him heirs to the earldom. But never did Ace imagine himself to be thrice betrothed against his will by the doings of three desperate females. So Ace does what any respectable earl would do - he folds.

Escaping the comforts of London, Ace journeys north and follows through with his deceased father's last wish. He and his brother, Jack, promised to find their long-lost stepsister. But he draws a wild card when his search takes a detour and leads him to Nell, whose delicate beauty piques his interest. And when Nell returns his affection, the situation becomes more than either wagered for. Now Ace may have to reconsider his rejection of marriage and see if two mismatched lovers can make a winning pair.

Review: Ace finds himself deep in trouble. He somehow has gotten himself engaged to three different women. Well, to be honest, they just said they were engaged, he didn't do anything to provoke that state. To escape them, he takes off for his family estate and then decides to look into the disappearance of his half sister. This journey takes him right to Nell's door. It is obvious they are attracted to each other and events get in the way of them getting together. This was an average story. It seemed to lack more strength of character. For ever step taken forward, there were two taken back. The characters were bland and the plot seemed to be too flimsy. Not a bad book, but one that you could skip.

Score: 2.5 out of 5