As seems to continue happening, I was searching for a book to listen to at work on Libby, and Vanessa Riley’s newest, A Gamble at Sunset was available to check out immediately. Riley is one of those authors whose novels I always have the intention of reading. I read one or two of her self-pubbed books a decade ago, but keep Not Reading the others, for no fault other than they’re not at the top of my list when I’m looking for my next read. And that’s on me?
So I was ready: a fake engagement, music, and a realistic portrayal of Black people in 19th Century London? Sign. Me. Up.
The story was a bit slow to get moving, especially as it introduced us to characters who weren’t the central couple. I came to enjoy them later, but I wanted to just be dropped into the relationship, you know? And that’s my biggest complaint, I think. There wasn’t enough of the relationship in the book for me. I loved all of the characters, and the secondary relationship (that set us up nicely, I hope, for the next book, and maybe a Big Reveal about one of the younger siblings???), but I felt like I couldn’t root for the central couple. I kept listening because it was an easy read and I was curious enough about where everything was going to go. But it didn’t wow me, which was disappointing.
This is the first in a new series about a family of sisters, led by Catherine, a recently-widowed Viscountess. (I think her name was Catherine.) A long time ago, she was in love with a man who is now a Duke, who has had to fight for his right to inherit for two reasons: his Russian heritage, which also includes African ancestry. But they were parted for reasons that she isn’t aware of and the man she would end up marrying has told her incredible lies about the Duke. When he returns to her life, he takes a strong liking to the Wilcox sisters, and after a long setup the titular gamble happens: Torrance wagers with Catherine that if he sets up her younger sisters with successful marriages, they’ll come to a different kind of arrangement. Mind you, this happens far enough into the book that the actual romance that is supposed to be happening is well underway. The actual romance story of this book is between Lord Mark Sebastian and Miss Georgina Wilcox. He writes music and she just wants to help keep her family’s coal company afloat, but there’s a kiss in a garden and suddenly they have to both pretend to be engaged and also do regular music lessons at Torrance’s house, for both of their sakes.
I swear it all makes sense when you’re actually experiencing the story. But you can see why I didn’t feel particularly rapt. Mark and Georgina are both delightful people, and seemed to be well developed, but the Duke of Torrance loomed heavily over the entire story, and it was very distracting.
All in all, I don’t not recommend it? But just know there is a lot going on and you’re more reading it for Vanessa Riley’s razor-sharp depiction of 19th Century London and the diverse populace therein than the central romance.
If that’s a thing you’re interested in.
