Amanda and Amelia Cynster are 23 year old twins who decide that they need to get married soon. Amanda decides to venture into a new gaming hell called Mellors because no man in the ton strikes her fancy. There, she is challenged to a rubber of whist by the Lord of Connor, a notorious rake. But she needs a partner and the Earl of Dexter, a very reclusive fellow, agrees to partner her. Amanda immediately decides that Dexter is the "one" and sets about to get him to marry her. As they go through the various places that no well-bred young lady should know about, passion flares between them. But Dexter, who has a scandal in his past, doesn't want to succumb to it. And when they do finally succumb, he wants to marry Amanda but she refuses until he figures out the answer.
I liked this book. It's part of the Cynster saga and very well-written (Stephanie Laurens is one of my favorite authors). Much of the book refers to the plot as a game and indeed it is a game of seduction and love. However, there's someone out there who doesn't want Dexter to come to terms with his past and will stop at nothing to stop Dexter; that doesn't really come into play until the end. Dexter fulfills the role of the alpha male very well. However, I'm not sure where the title comes from. I give this book a B+.
