Reviews

Gambling on the Duke's Daughter by Diana Bold

ahand_tocrossstheuniverse's review

mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I often feel with historical romance that authors need to either (a) disregard a good portion of historical accuracy in favor of a more independent FMC and a loveable MMC or (b) lean into historical accuracy and all it’s inequality and ask the reader to consider what was possible at that time. Unfortunately, this book tried to walk the line between both. Instead of coming across as independent, the FMC appears to be a wealthy brat and the MMC a misogynistic cad. There were still some fun moments in the book, but overall, a swing and a miss for me.

alejandra_guerrero's review

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

It was OK. There weren't any anachronisms that I could see, though I'm hardly an expert. The whole thing with him being a bastard was unnecessary. At least she insisted he communicated instead of just leaving.

bookishmya's review

4.0

I greatly enjoyed this book. I do love a good damaged Hero coupled with a sheltered insecure heroine. Having returned from the war and being the younger son of an Earl who despised him. Dylan has very little with which to build a life. He foolishly takes a bet that he can get the standoffish Natalia to agree to 2 dances, something she never does. Natalia has secretly fallen in love with the vision of Captain Dylan Blake that she has read of, imagining him to be a soulful hero. From the moment she is introduced and looks in his eyes, what she sees is not her dream but an empty man. In his determination to receive those dances, Dylan inadvertently gets to know the woman behind the dowry every man craves. It makes for an interesting tale as they both enter the relationship with misconceptions of the other and a lifetime of insecurities to come. Never realizing they both dream of the same things. I enjoyed the character development most of all, each of the characters stood out in their own way, even the secondary characters. Understanding the history in each relationship helped to explain how insecure they each are, from Dylan & Natalia to Micheal, Clarice and even Basingstoke. A great cast of characters to ensure continuous stories to come I’m sure.

alisonb's review

3.0

This was okay. I liked the first half more than the last. The conflict was in their own heads. I think an outer conflict (there was potential for it built into the story), would have been more interesting.

Read in the Brazen Belles Anthology.

rlward66's review

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Captain Ḍylan Blake was a decorated war hero and the second son of the Earl of Warren  and could do nothing to please his father.  In fact the last place Dylan wanted to be was at his father's annual ball.   Lady Natalia Sinclair, the daughter of a Duke who also had a very large dowry, was very interested in Captain Blake because she had read many accounts of his bravery and fallen in love with the idea of such an honorable man.   She knew that her father would never allow her to marry a man below her station but she still wanted to meet him.  Meanwhile Captain Blake's nemesis goads him into a bet that he can't get Lady Natalia to dance with him for two dances in one evening.   Will this bet come back to haunt Dylan? Will Dylan and Natalia end up together? I enjoyed this story with its twists and turns.  

payal_reads_alot's review

3.0

Cute and sweet! Not too terribly spicy either. A lot of miscommunication made me take off 2 stars. I hate the third act contrived conflict. Miscommunication troupe is one of my least favorite. But I liked the characters well enough. Insta-love was a bit too much but their relationship grew with some time together.

erin_j's review

4.0

A very enjoyable romance!

I really liked this story. Lovely romance with two people that suit each other so well. Dylan and Natalia were so cute and lovely. Great characters and romance.

Of course they have some silly misunderstanding that could've messed everything up but things got semi-forgiven instead of dragging on. I feel like Dylan and Natalia were smart characters. They talked things out and actually listened to each other for the most part even though trust needed to be built again. Until the end where some stupidity happens. But you can't expect everyone to be perfect and the misunderstanding didn't last long. They had a loving marriage in the end

Contains some sexual content within marriage.

happyocelot's review

5.0

For a romance book, I found this story quite enjoyable. If you are not a fan of romance books, I wouldn’t recommend it.

This quick read is full of scandal, longing, lust, love, confusion, unspoken words, clarification, and a happy ending. However, one of the scandals in this book (there are a few) leads into the next book in the series. So, I would be prepared to keep reading on to the second book in the series as more plot twists unfold.

kimmiereadsalot's review

Free on Apple Books. Fun escape.