A Gamble at Sunset

In just a few days, Vanessa Riley will release her second Betting Against the Duke book… but I still had to read the first! A Gamble at Sunset came out last year, and at long last I’ve made time to read it. Kicking off the series, this one focuses on a fake engagement scheme between Georgina Wilcox and Lord Mark Sebastian. Between a composition to win a coveted music prize, fooling the ton, and the wager between the duke and Georgina’s widowed sister, there’s a lot happening in this Regency romance.

Why I Chose This Book:

I’ve been wanting to read Vanessa Riley’s books for a few years, and this looked like a fun place to start. I like that music plays such a central role in it and that some of the main characters (the sisters in particular) come from a Caribbean background.

What I Liked:

Music! Mark is a composer with goals of entering his own symphony into a prestigious competition. He also poses as Georgina’s music instructor as she practices singing. I loved all the music and references to composers of the time.
Racial diversity! The Wilcox sisters are of Jamaican descent; their doctor is from Trinidad; the duke has an Ethiopian mother. I loved seeing their diversity and felt for them when they faced racism from others.
He’s shy and awkward. Mark often doesn’t know what to say and can put his foot in his mouth. I enjoy seeing characters who, like me, aren’t always that great at socializing.

What Didn’t Work for Me:

Georgina and Mark often don’t actually feel like the central couple of the book. This whole series seems to be about the duke and the eldest Wilcox sister. Their story overshadows everything, often making Mark and Georgina’s love story feel like a subplot instead of the main event.
Likewise, much of what happens here feels scattered and random. I read a lot of romances, including historical romance, and I’m no stranger to the fake relationship trope. But this book left me puzzled sometimes, like it wasn’t sure exactly what it wanted to be.

Final Thoughts

I wanted to like A Gamble at Sunset more than I did. While there is much I enjoyed about it, there was also a lot that took away from the main story. At this point, I’m not sure if I’ll continue this particular series. (The second book, A Wager at Midnight, is out next Tuesday.) However, I do intend to read at least one or two more Vanessa Riley books; hopefully they’ll be more to my taste!

Special thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

*My sincere apologies for being so late on reviewing this book! Between late 2023 and 2024, I had a series of health issues, a difficult pregnancy, and then a very active baby to care for. I’m only just finally starting to catch up and hope to be through all the late 2024 books before summer.

Get the Book

You can buy A Gamble at Sunset here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

A Gamble at Sunset by Vanessa Riley
Series	Betting Against the Duke (#1)
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Romance
Setting	England
Number of Pages	336
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	May 21, 2024
Publisher	Kensington Books

Official Summary

Award-winning author Vanessa Riley turns all convention on its head for the first in an enchanting, dazzlingly diverse new Regency romance trilogy featuring a duke, three sisters, and a tantalizing bet with a most desirable reward…

“A triumphant return to romance….Riley renders the Regency in living color, with impressive historical detail and an admirably diverse cast. Historical romance readers will be entranced.” –Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

When a duke discovers the woman he loves was tricked into marrying another, the master chess player makes the now-widowed Viscountess the highest-stakes wager of his life in a last-ditch effort to win her affection: he will find husbands for her two sisters—or depart forever...

Georgina Wilcox, a wallflower with hidden musical talents, is furious when her reclusive older sister—the recently widowed Viscountess—refuses sorely needed help from the Duke of Torrance, the only gentleman who has shown kindness to the bereft Wilcox sisters. Georgina decides to get back at her sister and shock the Viscountess by kissing the first willing stranger she meets in the enchanting gardens of Anya House. Unfortunately, her sister is not the sole witness. A group of reporters and the ton’s leading gossips catch Georgina in a passionate embrace with a reticent composer, Lord Mark Sebastian.

The third son of an influential marquis, the tongue-tied Mark is determined to keep the scandal from ruining Georgina’s reputation and his own prospects of winning the celebrated Harlbert’s Prize for music. Under the guise of private voice lessons, the two embark on a daring gamble to fool the ton into believing that their feigned courtship is honorable while bolstering Georgina’s singing genius to captivate potential suitors. Sexist cartoons, family rivalries, and an upcoming ball test the fake couple’s resolve. Will their sudden fiery collaboration—and growing attraction—prove there’s nothing false about a first kiss and scandalously irresistible temptation?

About the Author

Vanessa Riley is an acclaimed author known for captivating novels such as Island Queen, a Good Morning America Buzz Pick, and Queen of Exiles, an ABC View Lit Pick. She was honored as the 2023 Georgia Literary Fiction Author of the Year for Sister Mother Warrior. Her craft highlights hidden narratives of Black women and women of color, emphasizing strong sisterhoods, diverse communities, and power across historical fiction, romance, and mystery genres. Her works have received praise from esteemed publications like the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Publisher Weekly, and the New York Times.

Beyond her literary achievements, Vanessa holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Stanford University, adding a research-oriented approach that emphasizes inclusivity in her storytelling about Caribbean, Georgian, and Regency eras, resulting in over twenty-five published titles.

As a member of Regency Fiction Writers, Crime Writers of Color, Mystery Writers of America, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Christian Book Lovers Retreat, and the Historical Novel Society, Vanessa advocates for diverse voices and storytelling. She’s also working to increase Sickle Cell Anemia awareness. When not writing, she can be found baking, crafting her Trinidadian grandma’s recipes, and writing on her southern porch, fueled by the perfect amount of caffeine.

Sarah Younger of the Nancy Yost Literary Agency represents Vanessa.