The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

A Gamble at Sunset is the start of a new series about the daughters of a coal entrepreneur, the Wilcoxes, whose options have been limited by their financial ruin after the eldest daughter’s failed marriage to a gambling wastrel. When they are befriended by the powerful Duke of Torrance, they have the ability to improve their situation, including making favorable marriages. The situation is complicated by Georgina getting caught in a compromising position, a passionate kiss in the garden, with the third son of a marquess, Lord Mark Sebastian, a dreamy music composer with aspirations to write an award winning arrangement. The Duke hatches a scheme for a fake engagement, although Lord Mark is already very smitten with Georgina. Georgina understands the gamble they would be undertaking together, as she is black and many in the ton fail to hide their prejudice against her race and her origins as a tradesman’s daughter. However, can she ignore what her heart is telling her?

A Gamble at Sunset is refreshing with its distinctive writing, characters and storyline. It examines the lives of black Britons and the impact of racism and classism on relationships. Although there are plenty of witty, lighter moments, there is also a lot of pathos and angst in this novel, as the sisters have faced their share of troubles. Georgina is a strong-minded person, very loving and devoted to her family, and extremely practical. She rightly has reservations about a relationship with Mark, but some readers may not like how much she fights her feelings for him. Mark is a gentle hero with an artistic heart. He falls deeply for Georgina, but also has to acknowledge that their world would not be as kind and accepting of their match. He is forced to realize that if he wants Georgina, he has to be willing to fight society and his family for her. He evolves over the book more so than Georgina as he has to move forward in his inner maturity if he wants a life with her. The writing did feel disjointed at times, and it took a while to get into the feel of the prose, but the unique feel really makes an impact. The characters are well-developed, and feel like real people with all their flaws and beauty, and the family focused storyline is so heart-warming. A very nuanced and complex romance that gives readers so much to ponder and experience, A Gamble at Sunset is a promising start to a new series worth following.

I normally love Vanessa Riley. Her titles have been witty, serious and well researched. Unfortunately I just didn’t relate that well to the main characters here. The chemistry wasn’t there for me and the storyline became confusing.

A Kensington Books ARC via NetGalley

I liked the story between Georgina and Mark, but there was so much other stuff going on it was sometimes hard to keep track of everything. Each chapter also changed who's perspective the story was from and I was often confused as to who was telling it...There was potential, but this one fell flat for me.

Vanessa Riley does. not. miss. If you want swoony, diverse storytelling like Bridgerton with a closed-door approach, I point readers to Riley. I point readers to Riley even if they don't mind spice, because Riley's a legend. Her historical easter eggs are awesome. If you sit down with a book of hers, you're pretty much guaranteed a good time. And this new series is no exception. <3

Complicated and steeped in art, research, and historical figures from the regency period, Vanessa Riley’s newest read explores a diverse cast of sisters and their machinations to rebuild their family’s wealth and manage to rehabilitate Georgie (FMC)’s reputation after she shares an impulsive kiss with Lord Mark Sebastian.

At first, the love story here struck me as a bit one dimensional. Boy sees girl who looks like his favorite painting. Boy forms obsession. I think that's perhaps why I had such a rough time with the first half--I found the side characters far more interesting.

But then Riley pulled me in the rest of the way.

The narrative is complicated, and the dynamics of power, racism, prejudice, and wealth are thoroughly explored. It’s both escapist and swoony, and I adored how the flimsy backdrop of insta-love is drowned out by something deeper and more grounded. Across a tapestry of pride, shame, and music, we see these two evolve into smarter, more mature people. In many places, it reminded me more than a bit of Austen's social critiques. Absolutely brilliant. Love, love, love.

I look forward to seeing how more of this series unfolds!!

While A Gamble at Sunset sets the stage, it leaves us yearning for more. In this first book I had a bit of a challenge following the storyline. The emotional depth and historical richness are just the beginning. As we eagerly await Books 2 and 3, we can only hope that they will bring even more of a connection to the character's journey, delving deeper into the lives and loves of the Wilcox sisters.

The Duke of Torrance is back in town and gambles to get someone’s trust back through family in “A Gamble at Sunset” by Vanessa Riley, first in her newest series Betting Against the Duke!

If you enjoy fake engagements, then you’ll enjoy the push and pull between one couple. I loved the external influence that the couple needed for their realization. Plus, there was exterior conflict that added to the love-conquers-all concept.

If you enjoy lovers to enemies in denial, then you’ll absolutely enjoy this read. The story was driven forward by the secondary couple and their individual secrets. There was a lot of pushing away that built the anticipation for their book.

This was a well-paced historical fiction and romance. I enjoy Riley’s books for the historical aspects woven into her stories and the author’s notes that add to our learning of what’s not mainstream until discovered. Women of color dared to be in places they shouldn’t be during Regency era and I loved that!

Thank you to Net Galley, Kensington Publishing, and Zebra for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Going with the Bridgerton theme we are dealing with people of colour. A family business thriving and a rich family driven into the ground by a son in laws gambling, and the attempts of the eldest daughter to turn it around. Opening the story with the death bed scene of said son in law, we have his friend, also of mixed ancestry come to the family’s aid.

Taking the Wilcox sisters under his wing, the Duke of Torrance did not know what he was getting into.four ladies all determined, independent and knowing what they want. Katherine the eldest hating the Dukes help, at the same time the feelings she has for him, not diminished but she suppressing them. Then Georgina pushed into a farcical engagement having been caught in a kiss and Lydia the baby of the group, having caught the heart of the Duke who sees in the little girl the sister he lost.

The story revolves around Georgina and Katherine mainly, how they navigate British society with their background of being people of colour, the prejudices they face and how they overcome them. Very brave women here.

Interesting take from a very different angle of a romance of the times.

Historical romance is one of my favorite genres, and I know Vanessa Riley can write it well, but "A Gamble at Sunset" never really clicked for me. I didn't believe in the central romance, between the strange Mark, and the rather uninteresting Georgia. The occasional anachronisms in the historically rather formal language were jarring.

I'll read more from Riley, but will probably avoid any more in this particular series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I usually shy away from historical romance unless it is Ms. Bev but this was a really good story.

Georgina and Mark had an interesting tale. He thought she was a courtesan. She thought he was just a means to irritate her sister. One kiss changed everything.

The side story in this book also had me going and I can’t wait for the next book that I hope is coming. This family has me intrigued.

Zero pepper
3.75 ⭐️/5
0.00 🌶️/5

As entertaining as this book was, I struggled to connect fully with Mark and Georgie fully. Not sure if it was because they almost became side characters of their own story: much of the book was devoted to developing Katherine and Jahleel’s storyline (which is the more emotional compelling story to me, setup for their book a 2nd chance romance big on heartbreak and angst). Or if it was because I felt at times there was too much internal dialogue of our lead characters where there was a disconnect between their thoughts and their behavior.

We get:
Dual pov - 1st person
Duke chapters 3rd person
Race and discrimination
Mistaken situation at a chance encounter
Fake public engagement
Racist cartoon
Composer and his muse
Realities of love vs cause & effect
Chronic illness sickle cell anemia
Zero on the spice meter (maybe 2 kisses)
TW: pregnancy loss

I loved all the characters but felt the story was weighed down with so much telling about bets and jumping between Jahleel and Katherine’s history to the actual love story between Mark and Georgina.

I wanted to love this book and I was so excited to get my hands on it. However, it didn’t give what I thought it would give. The romance was lacking. Mark and Georgia didn’t have any sparks between them. Also, it was like reading 2 stories are once. You have Mark and Georgia story happening as well as Jahleel’s and Katherine story. To be honest I was more interested and Katherine and Jahleels story than Mark and Georgias.
I think the writing was write well and so on. I just didn’t love all the characters.

This is the first story in what promises to be a wonderful series about four captivating sisters who inherited their father’s coal business, have many talents, and strive to find a cure for their sister’s disease. Georgina Wilcox is a wallflower who is musically gifted. She meets Lord Mark Sebastian who is a composer. They are caught in an embrace and enter into what is at first a fake betrothal. They have much in common and care about each other as friends, but soon they feel more. There are problems, but things have a way coming out right, and for this couple they do. This is a very well-written story with an interesting plot and complex characters. The research included at the end of the story is fascinating.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

I found that this book tried to do a bit too much to be truly successful at any of its storylines. I did also feel a bit thrown for the first several chapters of the book while I tried to keep track of the various characters as they were introduced. Even once I felt confident in knowing who everyone was, I still found it difficult to immerse myself in this book. While I understand that the Duke and Katherine's story will likely come to a conclusion near or at the end of this series, this first book focused on them quite a bit, to the detriment of Georgina and Mark. There are a lot of elements of this book that could work to create a truly enjoyable title, but something about the way it was presented didn't work for me. I am not sure that I will be picking up the next book in the series, though I think I will still try another of Riley's books.

I loved the premise of the book but it seems as if the author had two stories going on at the same time. The story was about Georgina Wilcox meeting Lord Mark and with the help of the Duke of Torrance, forming a fake engagement to boost Georgina's confidence in her singing skills, thereby boosting her appeal to eligible bachelors interested in marriage. The book kept reflecting on the previous relationship with Georgina's sister, Katherine Hampton and the Duke of Torrance. I think the first book should have been about them as opposed to Georgina and Mark as it seems their story was overshadowed by Katherine and the Duke's. I enjoyed the story but it seemed to take a long time to get to the HEA for Georgina and Mark with all of the backflash events of Katherine and Jahleel. I am hoping there is a story for the Jahleel and Katherine in the works to expand on what we learned of them in this story as to me it seems more believable than Georgina and Mark's.


I received an ARC from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

I love the way that Vanessa Riley writes historical fiction, and I will always buy and read her books! In this particular historical romance, she is taking some significant risks. While the book is a stand-alone, it will also be part of a larger arc following the Duke of Torrance and the oldest Wilcox sister with whom he shares a history. All of this is set up in this novel as well as centering the love story of Mark and Georgina. That is where this was a tricky book for me. While I am very much looking forward to seeing where Riley takes the story, this particular installment felt like it was doing a bit too much for me. There were times when the Mark and Georgina storyline was strong and other times where it felt like filler for the ultimate final couple.

One of the best parts of the book is the way that Riley is writing about the history of sickle cell anemia. I have not seen anything like this in fiction.

I love Riley's storytelling, so I know better than to not pick up the next book, but this one was not quite as good as her other books for me.

First of all, how could I look at that gorgeous cover and not want to dive in to the story behind it? Second, the description had me at ‘fake relationship’. Yes please! One of my favorite tropes. Once I started reading, however, it was the characters and the deeply-layered history that kept me turning the pages. Don’t get me wrong – I love the romance (no surprise to anyone here) but … and I can’t believe I’m saying this LOL … even if the romance hadn’t been part of the story I would still have been invested in the outcome. Can YOU believe I just said that? haha.

But y’all… in A Gamble at Sunset, Vanessa Riley introduces us to a fascinating group of diverse characters. Several intriguing blends of culture and ethnicity mingle together, including descendants of a Russian Black prince (this bit of history absolutely intrigued me) and of course the beautifully Black Wilcox sisters from the ‘other side of the Thames’. The history here… the discrimination…. the misogynistic & racist cartoons… the estrangement from families over loving someone of a different race… none of this is what I usually associate with the Regency era. And yet, it WAS a part of that time period and needs to be studied, with important lessons to be learned.

Not only is the history and background of these characters compelling, so is their story. The sisters, trying to hold on to their father’s once-thriving and well-respected coal business. The eldest, a new widow with deeply buried secrets and regrets. The second-born, a guarded beauty with hidden talents and dreams, in many ways the rock of her sisters. The third, the science-minded sister who wants to be a physician despite the odds stacked against her as a Black woman. And the littlest, an endearing bundle of sunshine with lots of love to share in spite of her health issues. A mysterious duke, longing for the woman who got away and pursuing her anew in his own enigmatic manner. A composer, the spare’s spare, who struggles to find his place in the world, in society, and in the heart of the woman he loves. I love that this is the first in a new series, and I also love how Riley set up several storylines here that I’m eager to see play out to their full potential in later books.

Bottom Line: In A Gamble at Sunset, author Vanessa Riley immerses readers in a Regency world that is at once both familiar and unfamiliar. Compelling history begs you to further study outside the fictional realm and opens your eyes to things you may not have learned about in school – but should have – through the beauty of a well-told story. Not only does this book entertain with a sweet romance and an engaging plot, it also sets the stage so well for the rest of the series, ensuring that readers will be invested in knowing what’s in store for the rest of the Wilcox sisters and their duke. Subtle notes of faith run throughout as well, if you’re watching for them, and I appreciated those added elements. I loved the Wilcox sisters for their communal heart and strength, as well as their individual personalities, and I look forward to visiting with them again.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

This is a brilliant start to a new Regency romance series. The characters are diverse and interesting and while the central romance between Mark Sebastian and Georgina Wilcox is great, you will enjoy digging deeper into the history between Lady Hampton and the duke. I can't wait to read book two.

It's a fascinating historical romance that fans of the genre will definitely enjoy. I loved both the story and the characters. Another thing that goes in its favor is the pacing. Often in historical fiction pacing can be imbalanced and the story would drag in the middle, but this book doesn't have that problem. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to others as well.

I was so grateful to have had this opportunity to read A Gamble at Sunset early! Vanessa Riley has a gift of storytelling & putting me as a reader in a genuine touch out of reality.