What do you think?
Rate this book
The Gamester
When her brother loses everything, even the family home, to an infamous gambler, Zelda must play the hand of her life to win back her family's honor. Desperate to regain possession of her home, the beautiful but proud Zelda cloaks herself and challenges the shrewd card shark to a game where the stakes are high. The gambler, smooth, calloused and undeniably handsome, is a man unaccustomed to losing. A master of deception, the gambler quickly discovers Zelda's façade, but not before desire begins to burn in his soul. Before the final card is dealt, Zelda must outwit a master or all hope to recover her family's estate and her heart is lost.
204 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
14 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Chater
74 books22 followersElizabeth Chater (1910-2004) was the author of more than twenty-four novels and countless short stories. She received a B.A. from the University of British Columbia and an M.A. from San Diego State University and joined the faculty of the latter in 1963 where she began a lifelong friendship with science fiction author Greg Bear. She was honored with The Distinguished Teacher award in 1969 and was awarded Outstanding Professor of the Year in 1977. After receiving her Professor Emeritus, she embarked on a new career as a novelist with Richard Curtis as her agent. In the 1950s and 60s she published short stories in Fantastic Universe Magazine and The Saint Mystery Magazine, and she won the Publisher’s Weekly short story contest in 1975. At the age of sixty-eight, she began writing in the romance genre and published twenty-two novels over an eight-year period. She also wrote under the pen names Lee Chater, Lee Chaytor, and Lisa Moore. For more information, please visit: https://elizabethchaterbooks.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
January 16, 2023
A wonderful Georgette Heyer type of Regency! Loads of fun to read, with a feckless younger brother, a smart spinster sister about to marry for the good of her family, a mama's boy fiance with a title, and a charming rogue of a gambler. Our heroine plans and pulls off a marvelously layered series of tricks to get back the estate her brother has thoughtlessly gambled and lost, with the help of a couple of servants and a lot of luck. Can she pull it off without society finding out and ruining their futures? It's old-fashioned in many ways but I love it when a smart heroine pulls off a plan!
September 15, 2012
This is my first Chater. I liked the story, thought the characters were great, but if you are one of those people who would put down a book over a coincidence, you would put it down, and then miss the next two coincidences... Too many. At least 3 big ones. I really liked the heroine, Griselda, except for her name. Who names a heroin Griselda? And all of a sudden, they call her Zelda at the end of the book, so I guess that saves it. Lots of plot, lots of shenanigans. I don't want to give away too much, but I did find it questionable that a very rich girl who probably didn't have to lift a finger for herself had the ability to succeed at the "bet" she makes with the gamester. Even so, I kept on turning pages, despite the faults. The characters were very likable, and you rooted for everyone.
February 16, 2023
Thoroughly enjoyable. Elizabeth Chater is a wizard of romantic writing.
A plucky heroine, a good hearted dashing hero living by his wits, a thoroughly disreputable set of villains and a horrid, with almost no redeeming aspects, younger brother. The plot was quite convoluted and pretty unbelievable and only a writer of great talent could have pulled it off such that the reader just kept reading right on.
A plucky heroine, a good hearted dashing hero living by his wits, a thoroughly disreputable set of villains and a horrid, with almost no redeeming aspects, younger brother. The plot was quite convoluted and pretty unbelievable and only a writer of great talent could have pulled it off such that the reader just kept reading right on.
November 12, 2022
An annoying and thoroughly wimpish, whining younger brother, the heiress in this story tries to pull off a risky masquerade to win back her house. An enjoyable read, with well played out tricky to get out of an imbroglio with wits rather than violence.
November 28, 2021
A surprisingly fun read.
September 5, 2022
Zelda has pluck.
Would have liked to have seen Sholto get his comeuppance though
Would have liked to have seen Sholto get his comeuppance though
August 17, 2024
This was a fun story with a resourceful main couple but the villains got off a bit too easy and her brother who is a disgusting little snot didn't really learn anything.
November 12, 2015
The Gamester by Elizabeth Chater is a clean Regency romance. It's the first book in the Elizabeth Chater Regency Romance Collection #2.
Twenty-three-year-old Griselda Grant, known as "Zelda", is the wealthiest heiress in England. Since Zelda's deceased father was a merchant, Griselda is a cit, and isn't likely to be able to marry into the nobility, regardless of her extreme wealth. I loved Zelda's character!
Griselda is the guardian of her younger brother, seventeen-year-old Sholto, who is very irresponsible. Sholto gambles away Zelda's farm and her London townhouse, which was never his to begin with. Zelda seeks to avoid exposing him to the ridicule of the London townspeople by not revealing it wasn't his to gamble away. She cleverly comes up with another plan to save her property.
Timothy "Devil" Fallon is the new owner of these properties, and is the hero of this story. Devil Fallon is the son of an Irish preacher and has been a successful gamester in England.
What I liked:
*I loved Griselda and her butler Wiggins, as well as Timothy and his valet Denny.
*I liked seeing into Zelda's head. She coolly thinks through things logically.
What I disliked:
*Typos - there were enough to be slightly annoying. Not rampant, but there were too many. Capitalization errors, letters dropped, etc. I don't know whether this is only a problem on the Kindle version.
Some reviewers mentioned that they disliked not seeing Zelda's brother again before the end of the book for closure. I understand this point of view, but I do think that at the end we get a hint of what Griselda will expect of Sholto in the future in her reaction to her brother's actions near the end of the book. I don't consider this a flaw to the story as many seem to. Epilogues are more common in contemporary novels, and this one, while written within my lifetime, has the feel of an older book.
I wish I could give this 4 1/2 stars! I'm reading Chater's second collection and will continue on to the second book soon! I highly recommend this book to fans of clean Regency romance.
Twenty-three-year-old Griselda Grant, known as "Zelda", is the wealthiest heiress in England. Since Zelda's deceased father was a merchant, Griselda is a cit, and isn't likely to be able to marry into the nobility, regardless of her extreme wealth. I loved Zelda's character!
Griselda is the guardian of her younger brother, seventeen-year-old Sholto, who is very irresponsible. Sholto gambles away Zelda's farm and her London townhouse, which was never his to begin with. Zelda seeks to avoid exposing him to the ridicule of the London townspeople by not revealing it wasn't his to gamble away. She cleverly comes up with another plan to save her property.
Timothy "Devil" Fallon is the new owner of these properties, and is the hero of this story. Devil Fallon is the son of an Irish preacher and has been a successful gamester in England.
What I liked:
*I loved Griselda and her butler Wiggins, as well as Timothy and his valet Denny.
*I liked seeing into Zelda's head. She coolly thinks through things logically.
What I disliked:
*Typos - there were enough to be slightly annoying. Not rampant, but there were too many. Capitalization errors, letters dropped, etc. I don't know whether this is only a problem on the Kindle version.
Some reviewers mentioned that they disliked not seeing Zelda's brother again before the end of the book for closure. I understand this point of view, but I do think that at the end we get a hint of what Griselda will expect of Sholto in the future in her reaction to her brother's actions near the end of the book. I don't consider this a flaw to the story as many seem to. Epilogues are more common in contemporary novels, and this one, while written within my lifetime, has the feel of an older book.
I wish I could give this 4 1/2 stars! I'm reading Chater's second collection and will continue on to the second book soon! I highly recommend this book to fans of clean Regency romance.
December 11, 2021
Fabulous! A unembarrassed, but sorely put upon heroine, a hard gambling hero with a kind heart, and a cast list of the Good and the Bad, the Kind and the Cruel, Dastardly Villains and Protective Servants, all bound up on a roller coaster ride to an HEA!
Sod the ‘coincidences’ - do yourself a favour - read this book if only for the fun & laughs.
Sod the ‘coincidences’ - do yourself a favour - read this book if only for the fun & laughs.
February 27, 2012
"The Gamester" is a wonderful, wonderful Regency Love Story. The main characters, Griselda Grant and Tim Fallon (Devil Fallon) are richly protrayed and reminscent of Rhett Butler and Scarlet O'Hara. The plot is filled with delightful suspense as the reader is invited to share the lives of a wealthy, beautiful and strong Griselda Grant and the attractive gamester, Devil Fallon. Even the supporting characters of faithful servants are richly drawn and enliven the unfolding drama. This one is a keeper!
April 16, 2013
Enjoyed this traditional regency romp about a young lady trying to preserve her family's honour while breaking into the minor nobility and an inveterate gamester living on the edge, with a colourful cast of characters. Black is black and white is white with nary a grey shade to be seen in the characters. The character of the weak feckless younger brother just didn't sit right - a person with almost no redeeming quality and no remorse or shame for his actions? Nevertheless in my quest for Georgette Heyer like authors I'm adding Ms. Chater to my to read list.
March 10, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. The only problem is that I felt there were some things that were left unresolved, really I just wanted to see the heroine's brother get his ass handed to him, but I won't hold that against the author.
March 15, 2013
Good book! I thought it was going to be a little cliché, but then it surprised me. Clean G-rated romance. Was left a little open ended with the villains, but in this case, I think it's alright.
Happy Reading
Frankie
Happy Reading
Frankie
July 19, 2012
Great character depth. Clean romance
4.5 STARS
4.5 STARS
June 3, 2016
1st read: 8/4/12 - 4*
2nd read: 6/1/16 - 4*
2nd read: 6/1/16 - 4*
February 28, 2013
A fun regency romance with wit and adventure!
March 5, 2013
Wonderful entertaining traditional regency. I could not put it down!
April 13, 2015
Nice escape. I enjoyed it.
May 11, 2013
Loved this one. A very fun and clean regency. I got this as a Kindle freebie.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews