Wench Review of The Gamblers Series by Lisa Kleypas

By -
These books came highly recommended when Wench Zee told me that I had to read a book by Lisa Kleypas. What can I say except that she has great taste! Plus we both share a weakness for Regency/Historical Romances. There is just something about them that I can’t resist. Whether it's the eventual happily ever after or the magnetism of the leading men, I love binge reading historical romances. Lisa Kleypas has wonderful heroes and heroines that you can't help falling in love with. Plus some of her characters wouldn't exactly be called "respectable" by societal standards of their respective settings. At least, not initially. Nevertheless, that just happens to be part of their attraction for this reader.
Not your usual period romance.
So I picked up Then Came you and Dreaming Of You! Click through to see what I thought of The Gamblers!

Then Came You (The Gamblers #1)



Lily Lawson has a secret.

She acts the part of a woman not caring about her reputation or what others think of her. Lily acts heedlessly and the ton seems to marvel at her willingness to do anything. She has a reputation of taking lovers and being up for any challenge. It's all a masterful illusion though.

She lets people think Derek Craven (Sigh, more on him in my second review) who runs a gambling den is her lover. An impression that seems to suit them both for a time. The devil may care attitude really hides a broken heart and the anguish of a woman who is being blackmailed. Complicating Lily's life is one Lord Alex Wolverton who wants to marry Lily's sister. Lily, believing that she has seen Alex's true nature, will do anything to stop this from happening. She knows her sister would be trampled into the dust by Alex's alpha personality. Plus she knows her sister loves another man. Lily and Alex clash at every turn. Their banter is one of the highlights of the novel. This may have led to an incident of kidnapping.  Or more aptly coercion of a family member to draw Lily's prey (Alex) to London. As the sexual tension builds, it's only a matter of time before the chemistry they feel comes to a head. 

Lisa Kleypas sure knows how to write a sizzling hot love scene in a genre where oftentimes the sex can be quite repetitive and dull. And while I don't read the books for just the love scenes alone, I always look forward to them. As the blackmailer tightens the noose around Lily, she is finally going to have to rely on someone to help her.  I enjoyed Lily and Alex's story, but have to say that book #2 Dreaming of You was easily my favourite read out of the two book series.

 Wench rating :


Dreaming of You (The Gamblers #2)



Dreaming of You introduces one Derek Craven to my reading life. Who doesn’t love a bad boy? And Derek is as unscrupulous as they come. He’s the kind of character you know you should avoid, yet his magnetism draws you in. 
Derek Craven will definitely pique your interest.
His mother was a prostitute; he was raised by prostitutes and did whatever it took to survive. By this I do mean whatever was required. His will to triumph has seen him become fabulously wealthy, but guarded. Even though he is wealthy the ton wants nothing to do with him. He doesn't have the right breeding *eye roll*. However, when you are making a lot of your money via gambling, the ton can’t help but interact with you and be fascinated by the danger you exude. It also might help that when you run a gambling establishment you find out your client's secrets. What could shake up the world of a man who guards his heart so fervently? Why one author, Sara Fielding, who quite literally stumbles across Derek when she is doing research for her next novel in some of the... murkier streets of London.

Sara sees the world in a very different way to Derek, but that compliments his world weary view perfectly. Plus it’s not long before all the staff think Sara is wonderful as well. That doesn’t mean she isn’t handy to have on hand when a gun is required. She is very resourceful. A handy trait to have if you are associating with the Derek Cravens of the world. As these two characters from very separate worlds are drawn together, you can’t help but marvel at how well they suit each other. Like any great romance, love conquers all and our characters have their Happily Ever After. The reader is left satisfied that all is right with our characters future. Even if the ton now finds them irresistible. An absolute must read for fans of the genre, or if you want to venture into the genre. 

 Wench Rating :



Do you love Lisa Kleypas as much as Zee and I? Any recommendations in the genre you have for us? Let me know below!

Comments

Post a Comment

You Might Want to Read...

Black Dagger Brotherhood: Scenes That Left us Begging for More

By -
Image
Created by Olga Daniels What better way to prepare for the impending release of the next Black Dagger Brotherhood novel, Lover at Last by J. R. Ward, than to relive some of our favourite scenes in the previous books?! Some of these scenes were selected by multiple Wenches, others are just personal favourites. One is. Clearly. The. Wench. Favourite. It won't be hard to tell which one! After the jump, see which scenes made us ooh, ahh, and pant for more.
Keep reading »

A Tribute to The Fiery Cross

By -
Image
Or How I Learned to Stop, Smell the Pig Shite, and Fall in Love with the Fifth Book in Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander Series A young White Sow dreams of all the food she’ll be eating to grow into her role in this book As the wait for the new Outlander book and television series drags on (and oooooonnnnnnnnaaaarrrggghhh), many fans have been rereading the first seven books in the series. Fascinating online discussions abound as to the motivations of the characters, the nuances of meaning within various scenes, and future possibilities and foreshadowing. Amongst enthusiastic effusions about all things even remotely associated with our beloved series, I’ve seen one recurring subject of complaint. People like to pick on The Fiery Cross . “It’s too slow.” “It doesn’t have enough action.” “Where’s the mystery?” So during my recent reread, I set out to take a few notes about memorable moments. But I gave that up early on. There were far too many. Because the book was like a beautifu...
Keep reading »

When The Music's Over

By -
Image
A SUPER Spoilery Discussion of Feversong by Karen Marie Moning by: Zee the Terrible and Barbara Bones By Olga. It's now been two weeks since we got our hot little hands on Feversong , the final book in the Mac & Barrons part of Karen Marie Moning's Fever series. It's almost all we can talk about in the Saucy Wenches hallways (which is really online, but you get the drift) and we have lots of thoughts and opinions so we aren't putting off our Super Spoilery Recap Extravaganza any longer!  Zee told you about how much she loved it in her Wench review, here , and it will surprise exactly no one that Barb did, too. Loved it to pieces. Thought it was pretty much perfect, exactly the kind of conclusion KMM has been promising us since she gave us Iced , leaving everyone precisely where they need to be. That said, we have lots and lots and LOTS of thoughts. So come with us through the jump where we're dishing all the dirt, in filthy, spoilery detail. We menti...
Keep reading »

Dani Mega O'Malley: Superstar

By -
Image
Giddy with anticipation for the release of Karen Marie Moning's Iced , a lot of the Wenches have been thinking about Dani "Mega" O'Malley, the young sidhe -seer we first met in Bloodfever , who is poised to step out of the shadows behind Mac and Rowena and take center stage. Though Moning has recently said the three books she is writing for Dani will continue the story we've been following in the Fever books, the POV will shift to reveal the next chapters through Dani's eyes. With our heads firmly buried in Shadowfever in a frenzied effort to finish our rereads before the new release, we Wenches have been wondering what's in store for Dani. But no one has wanted to stop reading long enough to write a proper tribute to our young heroine as she prepares to take the leap to leading lady. Though we all think she's pretty awesome and deserves a big ticker-tape parade to show our support. So a sneaky Wench tried the stealth approach and asked us...
Keep reading »

Review: Annihilation (Book and Movie)

By -
Image
When I read Annihilation last fall, I was intrigued, repulsed, mystified, enchanted, horrified, compelled, absorbed, and ultimately so unable to articulate what had happened that I didn’t attempt a review. But it has never stopped growing on me, new insights twining around in my brain. It’s insidious. Then the movie happened. I. Had. To. Go. I didn’t think anyone could film the book, and I was on Cloud 9 when I saw the abundance of rave critical reviews. It got compared to Apocalypse Now and 2001: A Space Odyssey ! It got called “stunning” and the “Best Sci-Fi Film in Years” that “ranks among great philosophical sci-fi”! And though there were many differences from the book, it sounded almost as batshitcrazybrilliant as the book!! Which means there are now two equally haunting versions of this story for me to wonder WTF happened. I might not have all the answers, but I’ve certainly enjoyed replaying scenes in my mind and pondering the possibilities. And I suspect that’s...
Keep reading »