eli44ka's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
tenderbrushes's review
5.0
OK I had to jump ahead to book 2 because I kept hearing how great Derek Craven was. He's not my favorite Kleypas hero but I can definitely see the appeal of the abandoned, broken man. So damaged that no one can get through to him, until he meets the heroine of course.
The thing I LOVE about this book is how it starts with a bang (literally). Jesus, she just gets RIGHT to it and I love it. No slow introductions of characters, it's like boom, here's the guy, here's the girl, something horrible has happened, and now we're off to the races.
Minor minor peeve: It was a little irritating that Derek's habit of slipping into cockney seems to disappear somewhere halfway through the book, never to return, even when really bad things happen later.
Having read the Wallflowers books first, I loved getting to learn about Craven's club (as opposed to Jenner's). And the appearance of Ivo as a plot twist had me howling with laughter just imagining Derek's face! Gah!
I loved the masquerade and Sara effortlessly transforming into Mathilda with a little liquid courage. I love Derek's reaction to her. I really just adored this whole section of the book and reread sections several times. His realization halfway through their tryst was just bananas good and then having to stop himself, not because of some goodness on his part, but because he already knew, deep down, that he loved her too much to get that close to her. It was just *shivers* everything.
Now it seems like a lot of people are really upset about a) him sleeping with (it's not explicitly spelled out what they do so I'm not 100% sure it was sex) a house girl after he thinks he's lost Sara forever and b) the depiction of prostitution in general in this book and the good girl/whore thing that seems to be happening. First of all, I think it makes sense TO DEREK to go seek comfort in any way he can because he's going out of his mind in pain trying to get over Sara. He's also drinking himself silly and wrecking his apartment. Tabitha says he "held her" so in my mind, that's how far I saw that going. A man blasted out of his mind on gin is not gonna ravish a girl well, let's be real. This whole Tabitha thing, I don't know why, but this actually didn't bother me at all, and it didn't seem to bother Sara to a point that she ever mentioned it to Derek or it was ever a sticking point. It is a) logical for Derek to do, and b) a plot point that moves the plot forward because then Tabitha goes to find Sara to tell her.
As for the claims there are "crude depiction of prostitutes" I also found that really weird and it didn't seem accurate to me at all? Sara is compassionate and friendly to everyone, and the women that work at the club are treated very well. Derek never ridicules them, and no one else seems to either. Mathilda is an actual celebrity in the book! The plot point of him "never sleeping with them" seems more in keeping with his habit of not mixing business with pleasure and seeking out aristocratic women that can offer him something in exchange. Derek was about acquisition, so acquiring the bedroom favors of high kick ladies gave his ego a stroke, and in the early days, actual cash. It also gives him inside information about his own customers. This isn't a perfect person, but this is how a real imperfect person would act. His mom was a prostitute for Christ's sake and he was born in a drainpipe, I don't think he thought he was ever above these women.
My MAIN gripe with the book is his absolute refusal to deal with Lady Ashby or whatever her name is, after she disfigures him, keeps popping up everywhere, and then essentially rapes him? He knows she's a total loose cannon and she's batshit crazy and will PROBABLY end up coming after his wife. So what does he do? He just casually forgets she exists and does nothing! Bonkers. I would've liked a lot more for him to have attempted to ensure she was not an issue anymore, have some assurances to that, and then have Lady Ashy (sorry that's just her name now) wriggle through his constraints like a good villain. Although burning down his whole club was pretty shockingly awful. But this AND Sara's almost murder were clearly completely his fault. And he doesn't ever have a come. to Jesus moment about it.
The sex scenes were typical Kleypas steamy (aka VERY GOOD) but seemed weirdly abbreviated a lot of the time. For everyone clutching their pearls about how this book leans heavily on pure/dirty girl trope, he doesn't spend much time on her virginity (for Kleypas anyway). Again, I just don't get that vibe from this one. This book feels like it's about a man who can't let himself feel anything and what he's willing to do to keep it like that. So I guess it makes sense that the sex feels a little closed off. But Kleypas is still in my top top top fave steamy writers and, let's be honest, could anyone else give us a sex scene epilogue instead of the standard kids running to daddy in a field (but this one has a lot of daddy love anyway!), and also a breastfeeding sex scene plus confirmation that he now loves her and her body more than ever?! This woman is an amazing writer.
Sara is fantastic. I love how she tells Perry to go kick rocks and the fact that she's not a 98 pound waif. And the fact that she shoots someone to save our hero in the first 3% of the book, that was pretty great too! Country girls getting sh*t done.
The chapters were weirdly long and a sex scene would trail off and then it would just be like a little scene filler of time passing. I don't know the "booky" way to explain it, but it was noticeably awkward jumping from scene to scene all of which had no connection to each other in the same chapter. It wasn't that the pacing was off, it was more the way the book was organized.
Looking forward to reading the others in the Gamblers series and now I can attend the next Derek Craven day festivities and not feel like a total fool.
The thing I LOVE about this book is how it starts with a bang (literally). Jesus, she just gets RIGHT to it and I love it. No slow introductions of characters, it's like boom, here's the guy, here's the girl, something horrible has happened, and now we're off to the races.
Minor minor peeve: It was a little irritating that Derek's habit of slipping into cockney seems to disappear somewhere halfway through the book, never to return, even when really bad things happen later.
Having read the Wallflowers books first, I loved getting to learn about Craven's club (as opposed to Jenner's). And the appearance of Ivo as a plot twist had me howling with laughter just imagining Derek's face! Gah!
Spoiler
I loved the masquerade and Sara effortlessly transforming into Mathilda with a little liquid courage. I love Derek's reaction to her. I really just adored this whole section of the book and reread sections several times. His realization halfway through their tryst was just bananas good and then having to stop himself, not because of some goodness on his part, but because he already knew, deep down, that he loved her too much to get that close to her. It was just *shivers* everything.
Now it seems like a lot of people are really upset about a) him sleeping with (it's not explicitly spelled out what they do so I'm not 100% sure it was sex) a house girl after he thinks he's lost Sara forever and b) the depiction of prostitution in general in this book and the good girl/whore thing that seems to be happening. First of all, I think it makes sense TO DEREK to go seek comfort in any way he can because he's going out of his mind in pain trying to get over Sara. He's also drinking himself silly and wrecking his apartment. Tabitha says he "held her" so in my mind, that's how far I saw that going. A man blasted out of his mind on gin is not gonna ravish a girl well, let's be real. This whole Tabitha thing, I don't know why, but this actually didn't bother me at all, and it didn't seem to bother Sara to a point that she ever mentioned it to Derek or it was ever a sticking point. It is a) logical for Derek to do, and b) a plot point that moves the plot forward because then Tabitha goes to find Sara to tell her.
As for the claims there are "crude depiction of prostitutes" I also found that really weird and it didn't seem accurate to me at all? Sara is compassionate and friendly to everyone, and the women that work at the club are treated very well. Derek never ridicules them, and no one else seems to either. Mathilda is an actual celebrity in the book! The plot point of him "never sleeping with them" seems more in keeping with his habit of not mixing business with pleasure and seeking out aristocratic women that can offer him something in exchange. Derek was about acquisition, so acquiring the bedroom favors of high kick ladies gave his ego a stroke, and in the early days, actual cash. It also gives him inside information about his own customers. This isn't a perfect person, but this is how a real imperfect person would act. His mom was a prostitute for Christ's sake and he was born in a drainpipe, I don't think he thought he was ever above these women.
My MAIN gripe with the book is his absolute refusal to deal with Lady Ashby or whatever her name is, after she disfigures him, keeps popping up everywhere, and then essentially rapes him? He knows she's a total loose cannon and she's batshit crazy and will PROBABLY end up coming after his wife. So what does he do? He just casually forgets she exists and does nothing! Bonkers. I would've liked a lot more for him to have attempted to ensure she was not an issue anymore, have some assurances to that, and then have Lady Ashy (sorry that's just her name now) wriggle through his constraints like a good villain. Although burning down his whole club was pretty shockingly awful. But this AND Sara's almost murder were clearly completely his fault. And he doesn't ever have a come. to Jesus moment about it.
The sex scenes were typical Kleypas steamy (aka VERY GOOD) but seemed weirdly abbreviated a lot of the time. For everyone clutching their pearls about how this book leans heavily on pure/dirty girl trope, he doesn't spend much time on her virginity (for Kleypas anyway). Again, I just don't get that vibe from this one. This book feels like it's about a man who can't let himself feel anything and what he's willing to do to keep it like that. So I guess it makes sense that the sex feels a little closed off. But Kleypas is still in my top top top fave steamy writers and, let's be honest, could anyone else give us a sex scene epilogue instead of the standard kids running to daddy in a field (but this one has a lot of daddy love anyway!), and also a breastfeeding sex scene plus confirmation that he now loves her and her body more than ever?! This woman is an amazing writer.
Sara is fantastic. I love how she tells Perry to go kick rocks and the fact that she's not a 98 pound waif. And the fact that she shoots someone to save our hero in the first 3% of the book, that was pretty great too! Country girls getting sh*t done.
The chapters were weirdly long and a sex scene would trail off and then it would just be like a little scene filler of time passing. I don't know the "booky" way to explain it, but it was noticeably awkward jumping from scene to scene all of which had no connection to each other in the same chapter. It wasn't that the pacing was off, it was more the way the book was organized.
Looking forward to reading the others in the Gamblers series and now I can attend the next Derek Craven day festivities and not feel like a total fool.
bamf's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
ksnowden2's review
4.0
This was my first Lisa Kleypas book, and it did not disappoint. I totally see why everyone is obsessed with Derek Craven, as this story is largely about his own redemption and character arc. I enjoyed Sara as well, but I do wish we could have seen more of realizing her own agency and getting some more character development. There were also some moments that were very much of an old school romance, especially with the inexperience virgin trope which I am not really a fan of. However, this was such a sweet, romantic, sexy, and beautifully written story. The pacing in this books was also flawless, and the third act conflict is something I’d never seem done before but absolutely loved. I really loved the writing style of this book, I can’t wait to dive into the rest of her backlist!
Actual rating: 3.75/5 ⭐️
Actual rating: 3.75/5 ⭐️
ezichinny's review
4.0
Wow.
At the beginning of this story, Derek Craven was getting on my nerves. He was a sarcastic old grouch. He was just so ornery.
But as you got to know him, you saw that it was just a hard shelled formed from decades of living the hard knock life of an orphan street urchin.
He had to develop this barbed tongue to keep people at an arms length because he didn't want to be close to anyone or need anyone. What a complicated character.
Then came Sara Fielding. She was just the opposite. She was honest, content, inquisitive, wore her heart on her sleeve, she was kind of simple and trusting etc. What a pair. I enjoyed these two slowly making their way to each other.
This story wasn't anything like Lily & Raiford's story. Nothing at all. I still enjoyed it immensely. I don't know which one I enjoyed more. What I enjoyed was Sara's parents. They weren't like the typical parents, they were so humble and down to earth, no wonder Sara was such as nice character.
I enjoyed getting to know some of the characters at Craven's Gambling hall, especially Mr. Worthy. I hope we hear more of Ivo too. I hope Lord and Lady Ashby get on some boat to Scotland and get shipwrecked.
I have to give kudos to Lisa Kleypas. Sometimes when you read a lot of romance novels by the same author (cough at my favorite romance author Julie Garwood), some of the stories in a series seem the same only with different H/h. Well, that hasn't been the case with Lisa Kleypas yet.
Lisa Kleypas is giving Jennifer Ashley competition for which author is going to be #2 to Julie Garwood on AutoBuy Romance list.
At the beginning of this story, Derek Craven was getting on my nerves. He was a sarcastic old grouch. He was just so ornery.
But as you got to know him, you saw that it was just a hard shelled formed from decades of living the hard knock life of an orphan street urchin.
He had to develop this barbed tongue to keep people at an arms length because he didn't want to be close to anyone or need anyone. What a complicated character.
Then came Sara Fielding. She was just the opposite. She was honest, content, inquisitive, wore her heart on her sleeve, she was kind of simple and trusting etc. What a pair. I enjoyed these two slowly making their way to each other.
This story wasn't anything like Lily & Raiford's story. Nothing at all. I still enjoyed it immensely. I don't know which one I enjoyed more. What I enjoyed was Sara's parents. They weren't like the typical parents, they were so humble and down to earth, no wonder Sara was such as nice character.
I enjoyed getting to know some of the characters at Craven's Gambling hall, especially Mr. Worthy. I hope we hear more of Ivo too. I hope Lord and Lady Ashby get on some boat to Scotland and get shipwrecked.
I have to give kudos to Lisa Kleypas. Sometimes when you read a lot of romance novels by the same author (cough at my favorite romance author Julie Garwood), some of the stories in a series seem the same only with different H/h. Well, that hasn't been the case with Lisa Kleypas yet.
Lisa Kleypas is giving Jennifer Ashley competition for which author is going to be #2 to Julie Garwood on AutoBuy Romance list.
anabelsbrother's review
4.0
I would have liked it a lot better if there were less drama re Lady Ashby, I think. But I very much want to have Derek Craven's babies ok bye.
Reread: June 2017
I have a new appreciation for Sara this time around. Still want to have Derek Craven's babies, yep.
Reread: January 2021
I can't believe I rated this a 3????
Upping it a star because Derek x Sara deserves it.
CW: attempted sexual assault
Reread: June 2017
I have a new appreciation for Sara this time around. Still want to have Derek Craven's babies, yep.
Reread: January 2021
I can't believe I rated this a 3????
Upping it a star because Derek x Sara deserves it.
CW: attempted sexual assault
kgroberts13's review
3.0
A Lisa Kleypas book is like conversation with a good friend: familiar, intimate, and comforting with the occasional surprise and delight.
Though the Hathaways and Wallflowers series are my favorite, the Gamblers of Craven's books were solid, satisfying reads.
Though the Hathaways and Wallflowers series are my favorite, the Gamblers of Craven's books were solid, satisfying reads.