3.5 stars
A high school English teacher in his late twenties is disillusioned with his quiet life in England. He treats himself to a trip to east Asia and ends up in Cambodia where he immediately wins two thousand dollars in a casino. This sets off an adventure of changed identity and chance encounters with people in desperate need of money. The atmosphere of Cambodia is deftly portrayed. The relationships and interactions are interesting. I did, however, find the mystery element sort of vague and unnecessary and would have preferred it have been left out completely. It was definitely overshadowed by the main story of a man trying to invent a totally new life for himself. I received an eGalley of this book from the Penguin First to Read program in exchange for an honest review.
A Sinful Deception by Isabella Bradford
3.5 stars
Serena spent many of her younger years living in India with her charismatic father. After a tragic illness kills her father and sister, she moves back to London to live with her grandfather and an aunt. Her relatives are anxious for her to make a match but she holds onto a secret that causes her to not want a marriage at all. She meets Geoffrey, second son of a duke, at a ball and she is immediately drawn to him. I really liked the interesting backdrop to this historical romance and Serena's exotic background gave her an added dimension. I didn't quiet feel enough chemistry between the two characters and I think that I was less invested in the story because of this. I did enjoy the writing enough to read more of this author's work. I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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