Review: Hazard a Guest (Ladies' Revenge Club #3) by Ava Devlin

            

Print Length:  302 pages

Publisher:  Ava Devlin (August 11, 2025)

From Goodreads.com:  Ember Donnelly is not a woman who needs rescuing.

Ten years ago, she turned a derelict gambling hell into one of the most infamous establishments in London, and she’s outplayed every man who’s tried to take it from her—until now. When a ruthless rival makes a dangerous play for all she holds dear, Ember must seek out aid from the last person in the world she wants to ask for help.

Joseph Cresson is a quiet, meticulous barrister with a well-known blushing weakness for the formidable Miss Donnelly. But a year in revolutionary Lisbon has left him stronger, steadier, and surprisingly difficult to fluster. He’s still a man of principle—he’s just no longer afraid of breaking a few rules to do what’s right. Like keeping Ember safe. Or finally telling her how he feels.

The plan is avoid detection by the enemy, stop a hostile takeover, and keep an errant earl and a mischievous debutante out of the trouble served up on every passing platter at a party like this one. Joe and Ember are about to learn that at Blackcove, even the sharpest players can’t rig every game—and when hearts are on the table, all bets are off.

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My Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5 

In my opinion, this was hands down the strongest book in the series so far. While it still embraces the slow-burn romance trope that the series is known for, this relationship benefited immensely from the groundwork laid in the previous books. We've already had the chance to watch Ember and Joe's attraction slowly develop alongside their tentative friendship through their mutual circle of friends, so by the time their relationship finally began to shift into something more, it felt earned rather than rushed.

I especially enjoyed their banter, which has been one of the highlights of their interactions from the very beginning. They play off each other so naturally that even the quieter moments between them were entertaining, making it all the more satisfying when those lingering feelings finally bubbled to the surface.

Another pleasant surprise was Freddy's return. Looking back at where he started in the first book, his character growth has been nothing short of remarkable. It's one thing to tell readers that a character has changed, but it's another to actually demonstrate it, and I think this book did that exceptionally well. What made his development even more impressive was the setting. The majority of the story takes place during a house party centered around gambling; arguably the worst possible environment for someone with Freddy's history. Yet rather than falling back into old habits, he shows real maturity and self-awareness. Knowing the host would expect to see his lucky dice, he has the foresight to bring them while also asking Joe to hold onto them so he isn't tempted. It was a small moment, but one that spoke volumes about how far he'd come.

Where the book stumbled a little for me was the central conflict involving the purchased debts (and especially the resolution of said conflict). After spending so much time building it up, everything was resolved far too neatly and conveniently. I understood, to a point, why the antagonist was so determined to acquire the gaming hell, but I expected him to present a much greater challenge. Instead, he ended up feeling less like a threatening villain and more like a lost puppy who simply needed someone to point him in the right direction.

Even so, that wasn't enough to dampen my overall enjoyment of the story.

While I do think this book can technically be read as a standalone, I also believe readers will get far more out of it if they've read the previous installments first. So much of what makes Ember, Joe, and especially Freddy so enjoyable comes from watching their relationships and personalities evolve over the course of the series.

Overall, this was an entertaining read and as I said above, easily my favorite installment so far. I still have one more book featuring this core group of characters to finish, but after meeting the couple who headline the fifth novel, I have a feeling I'll be picking that one up as well.