Series:
Gambler's Daughters (Book 1)
To Marry a Duke…
Once there were three Irish sisters -- Gwendolyn, Dara,
and Elise -- who had to fend for themselves when their gambler of a father
disappeared, leaving them with an unscrupulous cousin. Dara hatches a daring
plan: they gamble what little they own to finance a London season. Her goal: to
use their looks and their wits to find a duke to marry for each sister!
It seems her crazy plot might work when the sisters are
declared the “Incomparables” of the Season. Dukes and lords line up at their
door, but bold women and scandal always go hand in hand. Particularly when
Dara's plans are challenged by the likes of Michael Brogan, who provokes Dara
as much as he tempts her. The handsome, clever, and rising politician is
definitely not a duke, but he's determined to teach her about ambition, men,
and, above all, love, making Dara wonder if her plans are about to change.
Good start to the new series. Gwendolyn, Dara, and Elise
are three sisters and daughters of a gambler. The girls lived with their
grandmother when he went off on his travels. It's been a long time since anyone
heard from him, so when their grandmother dies, their unscrupulous cousin
claims the heir's rights and moves into the house. He promptly tries to marry
the girls to anyone who will have them. Middle daughter Dara decides their best
bet is to go to London for the season and find dukes to marry.
The three women are short of cash, so when they sneak off
on their trip, they stop first at their father's favorite gaming hell in
Dublin. Gwendolyn disguises herself and enters a game of faro to win the money
they need. Though a talented player (she counts cards), she finds herself
losing badly, unaware that the dealer is cheating. She is rescued by a
gentleman named Becket Steele, who stakes her further play in exchange for a
later favor and stops the cheating. Gwendolyn rapidly makes up for lost time,
returns the stake, and escapes when things turn rowdy.
We next see the sisters in London, where things start
slowly, thanks to their one Society connection being out of town. Thanks to the
mysterious Mr. Steele and Michael Brogan, an Irish MP, they get a break. Suddenly
Elise and Gwendolyn are declared the "Incomparables" of the season,
and men have lined up at the door to court them. Dara remains in the
background, believing she is the "plain" sister. But Dara is the
brains behind the plan and keeps her sisters focused on the prize. But that
focus gets disrupted as Michael Brogan begins paying attention to Elise, who
eats it up. Dara is furious and does her best to discourage him.
Dara irritated me at first with her mercenary approach to
husband hunting. I got that they needed husbands, but her narrow focus on dukes
left out many perfectly suitable men. I enjoyed seeing Michael give her a hard
time about it. It quickly became apparent that there was a strong attraction underneath
their antagonistic encounters. However, Dara refused to accept it, knowing how Elise
felt about him. It isn't easy, and a couple of passionate kisses complicate her
efforts.
I enjoyed seeing the progression of the relationship
between Dara and Michael. The bickering between them is a different sort of
flirting, though neither realizes it. I liked Michael's realization that he got
much more enjoyment out of his duels with Dara than he did talking to Elise,
and I was happy to see him pull back from that relationship. Dara's life
becomes even more complicated when her rescue of a drowning child and Michael's
assistance put her at the center of a scandal. Suddenly the sisters find
themselves again on the outside looking in, with their plans in ruins. I loved
Michael's insistence on doing "the right thing" and had to laugh at
Dara's attempts to get out of it.
Besides his duties as a member of Parliament, Michael has
learned of an ongoing embezzlement problem at the War Office. With Steele's
help, he has identified one of the players, but Dara inadvertently interferes
with one of his attempts to learn more. She is later with him when they witness
a murder, and I loved how her practicality helped temper his emotional response
and how he's impressed with how much help she is when there is more trouble. I
also approved of his protectiveness when he realized she was in danger. I ached
for Michael when he thought the investigation was ruined and cheered when an
unexpected twist turned things around. The resolution was very well done.
At the same time, Michael and Dara realize the truth of
their feelings for each other but fear rejection if they say anything. I liked
seeing Dara gain her courage first. Her confession was fun and quintessentially
Dara-like, followed by the most Michael-ish response. I hope we get to see more
of them in the following books.
I liked the dynamics among the three sisters and loved
their aunt "Tweedie." Dara is the planner, but all three are
intelligent, well-spoken women interested in more than your average debutante. As
the book continued, you could feel their frustration at hiding who they were.
Dara tends to be heavy-handed in her need to keep them on the straight and
narrow, and eventually, her sisters rebel. Gwendolyn was okay, just more
interested in having some time for her pursuits as well as their Society
obligations. But Elise was a spoiled brat. Her popularity quickly goes to her
head, especially regarding Michael's early attention. She doesn't seem to
notice when he backs off and becomes insufferable when she discovers Michael is
more interested in Dara. She desperately needs an attitude adjustment. The book
finishes with an epilogue that appears to be a lead-in for the next book and is
Elise's story. I have high hopes that she will get that awakening.
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