Reviews

A Gamble at Sunset by Vanessa Riley

chanteld's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

Great start to a new series, I can't wait to read the next book in the series. 

slewis0819's review against another edition

slow-paced

2.0

 I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Normally, this is my go to happy genre. This book...was not. So many moving parts were happening in this book that just didn't need to be, the romance was lackluster. The focus of the book was on a sonata that then couldn't even be used for the goal. Overall, it was just a busy read that I had to force myself through and I was very disappointed. 

cakt1991's review against another edition

3.0

 I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own. 

Vanessa Riley returns to historical romance with A Gamble at Sunset, the first in the Betting Against the Duke series. This new series promises to be rather high-concept, both setting up an overarching plot for the series and including a self-contained romance, which I felt was a somewhat double-edged sword in places here. 

Vanessa Riley is well-known at this point for her historical research into Black people in Britain, but I love how she continues to surprise with little nuggets of research highlighting how small the world was and is. The lore of her narrative is based on some characters who are descended from the eighteenth century Russian nobleman Gannibal, who was a former enslaved person who ended up being adopted by Peter the Great. And while the characters in the book are fictional, Gannibal truly does have descendants in the British aristocracy, including the modern-day Unicorn Hot Duke, Hugh Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster and George Mountbatten, Marquess of Milford Haven (cousin of Queen Elizabeth II). 

But all this lore is perhaps the most interesting part of the book. That’s not to say that there’s not good stuff here, but there’s so much going on that it all feels half-baked. The romance is cute, for example, and gave me similar vibes to Bridgerton book and season 1 but if the dynamics were flipped, with the compromising position occurring before the fake courtship. And Georgina and Mark are nice characters who do have solid chemistry. 

But they also share page time with all these other characters, namely Georgina’s sister and the Duke, and what I think will be their overarching plotline over the series, that no one felt well-defined and like they “stuck” with me. The stakes for Georgina and Mark weren’t there, and thus, the whole book fell a little flat.  

I am still cautiously optimistic about this series, and will probably read the next to see how the story progresses. But while it was a bit of a letdown, I do recommend it if you’re looking for a well-researched historical romance with Black characters. 

 

bookishmillennial's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial

This was a fun historical regency-era romance, which I didn't know was going to span into a series! I think the rest of the books will *not* be stand-alones, because this book ended with a bit of a mysterious cliffhanger and an exciting reveal! We follow a trio of Black sisters in English society in this series, but this first novel focuses on Georgina and Mark!

Georgina is upset when her older sister refuses the financial help of the Duke of Torres, so she decides to go and kiss the first man (consentually) that she can find, since their family is in dire need to financial support. Their coal business has run into financial trouble due to her late brother-in-law's poor business decisions. So, Georgina find Lord Mark Sebastian to kiss, but they are seen, and this gossip explodes within the ton! With their new fake courtship, Georgina and Lord Mark Sebastian spend more time together, and obviously, fall in love <3

I thought their romance was so sweet to follow, and especially appreciated how they connected over music! I also really appreciated the ending author notes on historical context, and love seeing more and more Black and brown folks represented so beautifully in historical romance.

This is a closed-door romance.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism and Sexism

Minor: Racism

whatebonyreads's review against another edition

I love a Regency novel, but the book felt like the author was trying to rush the characters' stories. We are introduced to many characters, and it feels like too much is happening. When the story begins, we learn that Lady Hampton and the Duke knew each other when they were younger. It would have been nice to see how their past and how their lives and those decisions brought us to current events. The way the book started, it felt like I didn’t have a piece of a puzzle, and that piece was part of the middle of the picture. I am unsure if I would be willing to continue the series. Unfortunately, I ended up DNFing this book.