Series: The Gambler's Daughters, #1
Traits & Tropes: class difference; government work; sister's suitor
Publication Date: 03.28.23
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; Wicklow, Ireland/London, England, 1817
Heat Level: 1.5
Rating: 3/5
Since their father disappeared and their toad of a cousin took possession of their home, the Lanscarr sisters, Gwendolyn, Dara, and Elise, have found themselves in a predicament. To prevent them being forced into unwanted positions, Dara proposes they gamble for the money to finance a season in London. Her hope is that with their looks and charm they’ll be able to snag titled husbands despite their lack of fortune.
It seems the scheme is actually working when the sisters are declared the season’s incomparables, but Dara’s plan is challenged by sensible MP Michael Brogan, who she finds irritating and attractive in equal measure. He doesn’t have the title she craves, but Michael is determined to teach Dara a thing or two about London life and men in general, leaving her to question all the plans she made.
I feel like I keep saying this lately, but I’ve got some mixed feelings on this one. I really liked the premise and I’ll continue the rest of the series because of that, but I think this story succumbed to first in series syndrome. There was just too much ground to cover here with getting everything set up that the romance was rather lost. In the first half of the book especially, Dara was annoyingly naïve but also controlling and manipulative of her sisters. She was determined that they go along with her plan and didn’t really listen to what they wanted. Dara and Michael didn’t even get page time together until a quarter of the way through the book. At 29% they still hadn’t had a real conversation beyond her rudely stealing a dance with him from her sister. This scene just made Dara seem even more rude and I was left wondering why in the world she thought she could warn this man away from her sister when there was no reason to. Of course, it was because she had feelings for him herself, but that aspect didn’t feel especially believable just because of the way her behavior came across to me.
Dara was also quite the little snob and for no reason. She wanted her sisters to share in her ambition but continually failed to ask what they wanted. She claimed to have done so much to get herself and her sisters to London, but really all she contributed was the idea and the nagging. It was Gwendolyn’s card playing that provided the funds that ultimately made the move possible and to be honest I was more interested in her interactions with Beckett Steele than in Dara’s with Michael. In fact, for a while it seemed Gwendolyn and Beck would be the MCs of this story. Anyway, I just couldn't understand why Dara was the self-appointed boss of the other two sisters or why she felt so entitled. Even when she was well-meaning, Dara was obnoxious and difficult to like. She continually assumed she knew best, that flaw even foiling some of Michael's high stakes political investigation and likely resulting in a man's demise because she couldn't keep her mouth shut and quit making assumptions about Michael and her sister. All that said, Dara was much more likable in the latter third or so of the book, but I still didn’t get the romance. Apparently, she and Michael bickered a bit and fell in love, but most of this appears to have occurred off page and we don’t see much of it, so it was hard for me to really believe that they had a connection, much less deep, abiding love.
I think Michael and Dara could’ve used more time on the page together, alone. There’s also a bit of political intrigue going on and that just seemed like another thread of the story that didn’t have time for a proper fleshing out because of all the other elements at work here. Most of the time one or both of her sisters is around and while Gwendolyn is likable and their eccentric aunt was both humorous and charming, the younger sister, Elise, was just over the top. She was this annoying spoiled brat of Dara’s creation and that, of course, backfired on Dara. It seems Elise’s story will be next, and I do want to read it just because of how this one ended, but it’s going to take quite a lot of character development for her to become likable for me. This certainly wasn’t terrible by any means, but I didn’t love it the way I wanted to or thought I would. I think there was perhaps just too much going on here.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5279593412
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/2280348334
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