My Lady Gamester

This was a great read with strong, compelling characters. The author has clearly done a lot of research into Regency era gaming, but the gaming scenes are dramatic even for readers (like me) who lack any card sense. She's tackled some serious issues--the effects of gambling on families, the horrors of war, but blended these into a heartfelt romance.

Of all the Regency Romances I've ever read, this is now my favorite. The characters felt very real to me, reacting to events with appropriate levels of motivation and urgency. And any book that involves gaming starts out well ahead in my mind. It was a pleasant diversion, and I look forward to more from the author.

When I picked up this book, I did not quite know what to expect. The last few debut novels I had read had been disappointing to some degree, and the subject of gambling is not of such great interest to me. I was thrilled when I found out (after the first few pages) that what I held in my hands was a GEM. The novel is one of the very few (in the fields of historical and regency romance anyway) where everthing fits together smoothly. The plot is wholly character-driven, and the protagonists were real people with real emotions that one could wholly relate to although one has never been in the same situation. The young people in the story behave according to age, and both hero and heroine develop and mature in a completely believable manner. Indeed, the author has managed the extremely rare feat of creating a hero who is a good man without being boring at all. (I am slightly tired of jaded rakes, as you can see). Although there is little in actual love scenes, the growing attraction between the protagonists can be felt on every page. The descriptions of Regency society seemed wholly accurate to me and were never overpowering in detail. I shall be looking out for Cara King's next novel!

Cara King's gem of a book is a delightful Regency with surprising emotion. Though the book is set in a time and place so unlike our own society, the emotions her protagonists display are recognizable and heartfelt. The conflicts facing her hero and heroine are intense and the arguments realistic. The love story is believable and has you rooting for both of them in the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it for anyone who thought the Regency genre was on its last legs. Not if Ms. King has anything to say about it.

A entertaining story of family, love and revenge. It keeps you guessing whether Atalanta James will exact her revenge on the three men that cheated her father. The Earl of Stoke has since passed away and his son, Richard Stanton is now the Earl and does not share his father's love of cards. Richard feels the need to protect Atalanta from the dangers of playing against the gamesters and falls in love with her. Can she return his love, or is his fortune at risk as well as his heart. I look forward to reading more of Cara King.