The Gamblers Books in Order

The Gamblers of Craven’s series revolves around a legendary London gambling club and the people who risk their hearts as well as their fortunes there. With just two novels and a related novella, it nonetheless casts a long shadow over later Kleypas books, thanks largely to the enduring popularity of Derek Craven.

In Then Came You, wild and reckless Lily Lawson is determined to stop her younger sister from marrying the wrong man—respectable, duty‑bound lord Alex Raiford. Lily storms gaming hells, racecourses and drawing rooms to derail the engagement, only to find herself constantly colliding with Alex instead. Their romance is a classic clash between a disciplined aristocrat and a heroine who refuses to be tamed.

Dreaming of You follows shy country novelist Sara Fielding, who travels to London’s rougher districts to research criminal life for her next book. One night she intervenes in a violent attack and saves Derek Craven, the ruthlessly successful owner of Craven’s club. Derek, born in the gutter and hardened by survival, wants nothing to do with the innocent woman who risked herself for him—until he realises that her quiet courage is exactly what he has always been missing.

Together, the books paint a vivid picture of a world where lords and thieves mingle at the faro tables, fortunes change hands overnight, and reputation can be won or lost with a single scandal. They are grittier than some of Kleypas’s later work, with more on‑page violence and vice, but they also contain some of her most beloved, emotionally intense romances.

The Craven’s novels link directly to the Wallflowers—Derek’s club and a few minor characters reappear there—and are often recommended as part of a larger Kleypas reading arc. They are particularly rewarding if you enjoy stories about self‑made heroes, class boundaries, and heroines who stubbornly believe there is more to life than the role society has assigned them.