The Gamester's Daughter

by Dorothy Mack

When her father, the owner of a fashionable Parisian gaming hall, is murdered, Claudia Herbert arrives by accident at the home of his handsomest patron, whose five nephews and nieces require looking after, as does her heart. Original.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Regency, Regency Romance

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1998

Reviews

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another enjoyable book by Dorothy Mack. Well written with great characters. I loved Claudia interacting with the whole Brewster family, including the great aunt. She really was a lovely person.

It was based on love at first sight, as there is very little time for the hero and heroine to interact, but they both seemed like such nice people (apart from one incident where our hero wasn't really thinking clearly) that I could easily picture them together and cheered on their HEA.

[Patrizia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dorothy Mack è capace di tessere trame avvincenti, credibili, con personaggi interessanti, situazioni intense... fino alle ultime pagine. A quel punto, il passo della narrazione, che si era mantenuto abbastanza posato – lasciando spazio alle riflessioni personali dei protagonisti, e all'introduzione di un cospicuo numero di personaggi minori – corre sconsideratamente verso la fine lasciando per aria vari fili della trama e incappando in sviluppi improbabili.
È chiaramente un suo difetto 'congenito', che mi impedisce ogni volta di andare oltre le tre stelle: e anche in questo caso, per dirne una, perché lasciare l'eroina in coma, senza darle la possibilità di mangiare e bere per più di tre giorni (in tempi in cui non esistevano le flebo) per poi farla risvegliare fresca e riposata e pronta a liberarsi di tutti i suoi segreti e a correre verso l'happy end... in cinque pagine?

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paris, 1816. Claudia has traveled to France to renew her relationship with her British officer father in the months after the final fall of Napoleon. He and a fellow de-commissioned soldier have started a gaming club on the Ile St. Louis. There she almost meets a British gentleman who is in Paris to participate in a family wedding, but his judgmental expression makes her turn away despite the connection their eyes have made. A few weeks later, Claudia's father is murdered and she finds herself on the run to avoid both his business partner and the killer. Back in England, she helps a young man with a sprained ankle and winds up at his family estate helping four orphans, inclufing a nine-year-old with a broken leg. It seems like a perfect place to hide out for a while until the owner of the estate, who is also the children's guardian, returns from abroad. It is the very man who scorned her in Paris. While Claudia tries to find a way to leave, he tries to figure out how to keep her for himself and his unexpected family. Neatly plotted despite the unlikely confluence of characters. Claudia's aunt was a particularly admirable character.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story

A very disappointing end. After murder and mayhem, disguise and escape, we enter the world of domesticity. Claudia subtly takes charge of the children, weaving her way through hysterics, hypochondria, and hateful houseguests. It’s all 4-star good until the final chapter, where we are left with a plethora of unresolved issues, a spaghetti heap of loose ends, and an extremely truncated finish.
A mouth-open WTF - the final couple of chapters are missing.
Do read but watch that sudden end…

[Miriamgreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of its moment, late 90s
blurb says it all. The romance was stuttering but always there. In this instance didn't mind all the children. The Aunt was a hoot. Her sparring with the potential betrothed mother worth price of admission. Finally admitting the betrothed was already spoken for so everything ended well.

[Lazy Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

lacked dialogue. boring

The writing is good but the lack of dialogue made it drone on and on. Improbable plot. Her dislike of the hero without even being introduced is ridiculous. She disliked him and resented him because of a look?? She was in a gaming house and was going off to a private room to play cards with a man. Of course he thought she was no innocent.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

I realized this book was not a four, but only at three when I was able to put it down over and over again, even up to, and including the last couple of paragraphs. It just didn’t grip me. There was no humor.

[Nonice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Laura Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A traditional recency

Claudia is on the run but detours to help a family in crisis and so finds love and family, recommend.

[sushma das · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing

The end was too abrupt . The book sometimes was so boring & dragging .
Had skip lot of pages .

[Marya · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[T Wright]

I enjoy reading Dorothy Mack’s books but not these ebooks that abruptly end leaving the reader not understanding what’s happened and with a lot of the story edited out

[Tim Covell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good romantic suspense with a strong woman on the run, though the resolution undercuts her power.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s not Heyer but it’s not bad! Beautiful girl leaves Paris after father is murdered and ends up by chance in the home of the devilishly handsome man she met and admired back in France. Taking care of his wards, she wins her way into the heart of the family.

[Ernestina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.6 Not great, not terrible. I've read also Mack's The Impossible Ward and The Gamester's daughter is much better. Characters were more fleshed-out in this one, however the final twist could be executed better.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claudia Herbert's father is part owner of a gaming house in Paris and many men believe she is less than a lady. After some tragic circumstances, Claudia leaves Paris and during her journey encounters an injured boy named Julian Brewster. Julian, his 4 siblings and aunt are in great need of assistance and Claudia allows her journey home to be postponed long enough to help his family. Miss Herbert is shocked when Lord Pelham, Julian's uncle and guardian, returns because she recognizes him as a one-time patron of her father's gaming house, one she had thought never to see again.

I enjoyed this book. I loved reading about Miss Herbert's acceptance into the Pelham household and the romance that blossoms between her and Lord Pelham. I knew they would get together in the end, but that didn't stop me from feeling concern about their relationship as I read the book. The secondary characters are great, especially the Brewster children. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

[HistoricalHussy · Rating 3 out of 5]

H/h spend very little time together so it’s not at all surprising that there isn’t much romance (and boy is that ending RUSHED).