I was sent this book in exchange for a review—sorry it took so long!

Okay, first thing to note here: I know nothing about gambling. I don’t know how to play poker, or blackjack, or any of the other games mentioned here. Sadly, the author lost me a little over some of the gambling terminology (there is a very handy glossary is the back, though!) and that’s on me.

Now that that’s out of the way: I really enjoyed this book! I found the characters to be realistic and fun to read about, even side ones like Little Theo, and I certainly couldn’t help but be fascinated by the mystery of the Countess. I loved the slight magical element, and I thought the writing style was engaging and easy to read at the same time.

This is an excellent debut, if you ask me, and I think that even those who don’t gamble or know the games, like me, can find something to enjoy in this book.