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Love is the greatest gamble of all . . .
Nina Sheridan desperately needs a timeout vacation. With a fiance who can't even remember how she takes her coffee, Nina wants some distance to rethink her engagement. Flying halfway around the world from England to a mountain town in Colorado should do the trick. But when she finds a gorgeous man at her rental cabin, Nina's cold, lonely adventure suddenly heats up.
The owner of the house, Holden "Max" Maxwell is surprised by the beautiful woman who turns up at his door. But when Nina becomes ill, Max spends days nursing her back to health. A private man with a broken heart, Max finds himself drawn to the strong-willed woman. Soon it becomes impossible for Nina and Max to deny their growing attraction to one another. Yet even as these two wounded lovebirds think about taking a chance on a relationship, a dangerous secret from Max's past emerges-and threatens to end their love for good.

640 pages, Paperback

First published April 18, 2011

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About the author

Kristen Ashley

116 books38.6k followers
Kristen Ashley was born in Gary, Indiana, USA. She nearly killed her mother and herself making it into the world, seeing as she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck (already attempting to accessorise and she hadn't taken her first breath!).

Kristen grew up in Brownsburg, Indiana but has lived in Denver, Colorado and the West Country of England. Thus she has been blessed to have friends and family around the globe. Her posse is loopy (to say the least) but loopy is good when you want to write.

Kristen was raised in a house with a large and multi-generational family. They lived on a very small farm in a small town in the heartland and existed amongst the strains of Glenn Miller, The Everly Brothers, REO Speedwagon and Whitesnake (and the wardrobes that matched).

Needless to say, growing up in a house full of music, clothes and love was a good way to grow up.

And as she keeps growing up, it keeps getting better.

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5 stars
29,639 (50%)
4 stars
19,224 (32%)
3 stars
7,104 (12%)
2 stars
1,977 (3%)
1 star
1,207 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,259 reviews
Profile Image for Misty.
14 reviews9 followers
February 9, 2012
I made it to page 1354 of 1466 before I decided to stop torturing myself (Kindle pages! The book isn't THAT long...though it sure felt like it).

The main character, Nina, is British (American really, but has a British Accent). I didn't like her. It's not that I disliked her, I just didn't like her. I found her very one dimensional, without depth to her character. And she says Um a lot. A LOT. I tried to use the find button to find a specific paragraph that really irked me, but I gave up after the first 100 "Um.."'s. Here's how it went.

Max "So you knew?"
Nina "Um..."
Max But you didn't tell me?"
Nina "Um..."
Max " How could you not have told me ?"
Nina "Um..."
Max " Didn't you know how that would hurt me? Jesus Nina!"
Nina "Um..."

Ok, possibly not quite that bad, but seriously, there were quite a few "Jesus, shoot my head off now!" moments for me. If Nina wasn't bad enough, the rest of the characters were. Maybe it's because I'm from the west coast, and never been to Colorado,but none of them seemed real to me. Especially the way they talked. They were all over the top, and they were ALL eccentric. I can understand having a kookie mother, or neighbour, or main character, or sister... but when they're all competing it hurts my eyes!

Max... I had to re-read his sentences SEVERAL times because they left critical words out. Not a grammatical error, either- as it was done throughout the book. I don't know why, perhaps people in Colorado talk like this, but I sincerely doubt it. It aggravated me to no end. Oh, and Max also says "Yeah" a lot, which bothered me. It seems British or Australian. "Nina, just don't do it again. Yeah?" But the main thing for me is that they ALL sounded alike, and none of them had any distinguishing characteristics. They were too cliche. Macho mountain man always protecting his woman, eccentric mother who wants to move in next door, crazy hermit neighbour...you get the idea.

And Max...I have nothing against domineering men. I LOVED Fifty Shades, and I think that's why this was on my recommended list. But Max isn't the same. Sure he talks dirty, but it didn't turn me on. I didn't feel the chemistry between him or Nina either- I mean, he falls in love with her because she gets pissed at his cabin? Really? After that it was over, and he'd die for her. Oh, taking her car keys away? That kind of did it for me. She wasn't even angry (well,the book says she was angry, but I didn't see it!). The moment his lips touched hers, she was happy. I would love to meet a man whose lips are so magical, no matter how angry I was, I forgave him instantly and jumped on my back. Ugh.

Take this review with a grain of salt, because I'm obviously a dissenter here. A book with this many 5 star reviews must have something going for it... I'm just not sure what. Maybe the sex scenes? They were pretty hot. But I can't even bring myself to finish the last 100 pages to find out who did it (the murder, which apparently is the "plot" of this book). I don't care- about who did it, or why, or even that the guy is dead. I grew up reading Harlequin romance novels, and while my literary palette has slowly graduated, I do still love to read beach novels and easy reads. I was hoping this would be one of them.

Alas, all I can think is ick- and I'm glad I don't live in Colorado!

Profile Image for ♥ℳelody.
666 reviews708 followers
August 21, 2018
DNF @ 45%

I give up.
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My first Kristen Ashley read and most likely my last. I've heard so much about her books, I finally got around to trying one and unfortunately the experience was not so great. Rather miserable to be honest. Just gonna get straight to the problems...

THE WRITING
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Dear gawd. There is absolutely no structure or editing in this. It's a looooong-winded mess with no direction. I needed to re-read a Lisa Kleypas book to flush this out of my system. Gah.

-Use of parenthesis
"Charlie, as ever (if he'd been there but, unfortunately, he was not), was right"

What is the point of this?! Someone explain this to me because I really don’t understand this superfluous writing approach. It's totally unnecessary. Stating the obvious is one thing but doing it constantly and in such a manner is super annoying and very disruptive. It breaks up sentences that are already fragmented or ridiculously long so it's hard to follow along. The writing does not flow well because of this.

-Emphasis on wrong words. KA has this strange tendency of italicizing words that do not need emphasizing and only manages to make the characters sound strangely juvenile.
"He cracked two eggs into the side of the skillet with the bacon and the bacon grease and I stared."

Just...WTH?

-Fragment and Run-on sentences. They wreaked havoc throughout the book. The inner dialogue is riddled with endless rambling sentences that have no end and are hard to follow. Words are missing in some places, incomplete sentences that just hang there and make no sense in other places.
"And, I also had to admit, no matter where I went and what I did, Niles didn't seem bothered with whether I arrived safe and sound. He didn't check in, even if I was traveling for work and would be away for a few days. And when I checked in, he didn't seem bothered with the fact that I was checking in. Or, lately (because I tested it a couple times), when I didn't check in and then arrived home safely, sometimes days later, he didn't seem bothered by the fact that I hadn't checked in."
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-Summarizing and repetition of words.
"After doing that, I cleaned up my face. Then I threw another log on the fire. Then I stared at the log burning, trying to sort out my head. Then I failed at sorting out my head. Then when it got late, I made dinner for one and ate cookies for dessert. Then I read until it got later."

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WHAT'S WITH ALL THE LISTS??! Stop stop stop it.

-Shitty grammar: 'the further fact', contentish, nice-ish, fuckeva, a-fuckin-gain.
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-Flat characters. There is no substance or dimension to the characters in this story. All the men talk the same. And it doesn’t help that the entire story is being told in first person by the heroine, so readers are already at a disadvantage. But the bizarre dialogue and over the top reactions and mannerisms does not fit the characters KA tries to bring to life. A nineteen year old girl who was raped 3 weeks prior and is in an abusive relationship does not "skip-dance" everywhere she goes and "cry for joy" so easily. Like huh? Very cartoonish and inaccurate.

Which brings me to my next major bone to pick...

MAIN CHARACTERS
Nina- Our heroine is one inconsistent spineless stuttering mess with zero personality. She’s a 37 year old British-American lawyer who’s supposedly confident, independent and has had years of experience with men—- 8 relationships to be exact. Yes EIGHT. Bwaha! Yeah...ok. Yet she comes across as oblivious, stammering, huffy, frigid, defensive and unbelievably dense to certain things. It’s obscene how every little thing needs to be pointed out to this woman. Whenever she’s around Max, the "Hunky Colorado Mountain Man" she’s reduced to this:  photo 243qbsw.gif  photo 7_7.gif
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She's a stammering mono-syllable confused idiot who parrots and repeats everyone else’s simple questions. The countless ‘I-...Um...Sorry?’ DROVE ME FUCKING NUTS! She’s confused when someone asks a question, when someone changes the subject, when someone tries to pay her a compliment. How is this woman a lawyer? For someone who's apparently so smart she seemed to be the last one to buy a clue or would point out the obvious to everyone like she's sherlock and solved a mystery. RME. Good grief. Am I seriously supposed to relate to someone like her? It just made no sense and was unreal. Make it a drinking game, take a shot every time this woman says I’m sorry? in this book and I promise you will be knocked off your butt after just 50 pages.

Here are some examples of our brilliant attorney:

She shook her head and announced, “Damon did this.”
“Did what?” I asked stupidly, feeling my heart start beating faster and my palms start itching.
“Your car, honey,” Max answered, and I looked at him.
“My car?” I repeated..
He tipped his head to the rental and his arm slid around my shoulder. “Damon, he did that to your car.”

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***************

"Hello? Nina?"
My body jolted and I asked "What?"
He grinned and asked back, "Baby, you awake?"
"Um..."
"Sit down."
"But-"
"Sit down."
"All right." I muttered.


*************

“So, Nina, you come back with Max?" Harry asked me.
“Back?” I asked him.
“Yeah,” Harry said grinning a somewhat goofy grin.
“Um….” I replied, answering his confusing question the only way I could. “No”

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I just….can’t.

Max- He’s the most cardboard-like hero I think I’ve read in a Contemporary setting. Nothing about him impressed me. He’s a walking cheesy overly-sentimental extremely macho stereotype. Like..where did you get this guy?
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He’s a rugged alpha man in his 40s but doesn’t talk like one at all. The endless slang, excessive swearing with words like ‘fuckeva’ and ‘a-fuckin-gain’ made it worse. Get serious. I found none of it attractive or realistic. And I had a hard time understanding what Max saw in Nina that had him so quickly enamored with her. He’s calling her cutesy names like ‘Duchess’ ‘baby’ and ‘babe’ just after 2 days of meeting her and taking liberties like they are in a full fledged relationship. Very odd. Apparently to him she’s the cutest thing in the world when she gets angry and he goes from not caring at all to being wildly attracted to her because she’s a big softy when she's passed out unconscious with the flu. 😒 Yeeeeah...nope.

There was absolutely zero build-up or momentum with these two. I only read up to page 259 and the only thing I got was them ‘making out’ constantly and Nina waffling and finding endless excuses to leave Max. Didn't even manage to get to the first love scene. This was a book that had no business being 688 pages long when all you have is endless droning on and chewing scenery. Nothing happens.

Clearly this wasn’t a winner for me. I have a few other works by KA on my TR list but I’m not sure if I can sit through another round of this. She��s not for everyone that’s for sure. I have quite a few GR friends who’ve given her work high ratings but even so, the overall issue people have is with her writing--which I'm honestly surprised could ever be overlooked. Unfortunately for me the writing is the deal breaker and something I could not ignore. There was no way for me to even get into the story, what little there was of it, with all the ridiculous bizarre hiccups I kept encountering.

Sorry Kristen Ashley is not for me.
May 25, 2017
4.5 Wonder Max Stars

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“Duchess?” He threw his other hand out, his gaze drifting the length of me as he said, “Fancy-ass clothes, fancy-ass purse, fancy-ass boots, fancy-ass accent.” His eyes came to my face and he finished firmly. “Duchess.”-Nina and Max

Spoilers

Ok so this is only the 4th book by Kristen Ashley that I have read. The other 3 being the books from the Three Series which is her PNR series. The Three Series was iffy for me. I hated the first book Until the Sun Falls from the Sky with a deep passion. I hated that hero so much I thought my head was gonna pop off. Then I loved the second book With Everything I Am and the third book Wild and Free was just Meh for me. So I have been putting off reading any more Kristen Ashley books afraid of what I would get. But because a ton of my friends love KA and brag about how great her books are I thought I would give her another shot. I'm so glad I did. I loved this book, but boy is it a big book. 629 pages but never was I bored. Also because the book was so big it never felt rushed. There was great character, and relationship development in this book that I felt like I really got their whole story.

“Jesus,” he muttered, dropping his head. “What?” He looked back at me. “Duchess, you can argue about anything.” “No I can’t.” “So, now you’re arguin’ about not arguing?”-Max and Nina

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“Has anyone told you you’re domineering?” “Nope.” “Well, let me be the first. You’re domineering.”-Nina and Max

Max was amazing for me. AMAZING!!!! I fucking loved him. He was super sexy, totally domineering, and could be really sweet. Max for me was the perfect Alpha male. He had all the yummy qualities of a bossy, protective , possessive Alpha without going over that line into abusive controlling dickwad. I loved that even though Max is a widow and even though he really loved his dead wife, I never felt like Nina came second. I never felt like he compared the two, never felt like she had to compete with a ghost. Hell he never even brought Anna(Dead wife) up until almost the end and that was after he found out she already knew almost the whole time they had been together. Max didn't come off bitter, mean or uncaring. In fact he treated Nina great was thoughtful, romantic, and supportive. Truly Max made this book for me.

"Shut up and kiss me, Duchess." "Max!" "All right, I'll kiss you.” -Max and Nina

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“Fucked her last night, man, and this morning. Five times. Five. It was like she hadn’t been touched in a decade. So fuckin’ sweet. Damn,” he taunted, his eyes locked on Niles. “You’ve had her, you gotta know, not enough money in the world’s worth that.” -Max

Nina I also really liked, not as much as Max but damn close. Nina wasn't perfect, but her flaws made her endearing for the most part. The only thing she did that kinda annoyed me was all through the book she kept saying Sorry?...... Uhh....... HMMM..... I'm sorry.....mmmhmm...... Max....... I bet she said sorry at least 200 times in this book! Oh and I didn't really care for the fact that she had some major insecurities. It didn't make me dislike her but I wish she would have just talked to Max about her fears instead of getting all up in her head. Max may have never seen her as second to his dead wife or treated her that way but Nina seen herself that way. She just decided that because he loved Anna and she died that she was his one great love and she would never have his love. And that she would be his second and have to settle for being runner up if she stayed with me. And although I think any woman would have her doubts She should have talked to him about it like a grown up. He asked her a number of times what was wrong and each time she lied to him. That being said I still really liked her crazy, sassy, and funny self. The thing I loved the most about her was that she didn't take shit. If someone got in her face she would go off. I love that she stuck up for herself and the ones she loved like a little bulldog!

“Babe,” he replied, grinning then said no more. Still being helpful, I explained, “I know you think that word speaks volumes but, I have to tell you, it actually doesn’t.”-Max and Nina

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“Learned some things in my life, Duchess, one of the most important, you find a good woman, you take care of her.” “Please” “This happens between us, Duchess, I’d take care of you.” “Don’t” “Die doin’ it,” he vowed.” -Max and Nina

Nina and Max's relationship was cute. They bickered all the time. Neither one had a problem with speaking their mind or taking the other to task if they did something hurtful. There was some steamy sex in this book, but not so much that it was ott. I also liked that that sex happened towards the middle of the book. Giving them time to get to know each other. I loved Nina's mom and step dad. I also loved Mindy and was glad that she got her Hea in this book. Something I noticed right from the start was this book made me laugh. I laughed so much reading this book that my face hurt at times. I love that when a book can make me smile and laugh and just give me hours of happiness. I adored the HEA totally swoon worthy. I can't wait to try another KA book.

"I lucked out, baby," Max went on. "When I was young life handed me somethin' beautiful. Then it took it away. Ten years down the road, somethin' different, but no less beautiful, showed up right at my front door. I knew it almost the minute I saw it and nothin' has happened since to shake that. You think, findin' that in you, I'm gonna let you change my password, write me some fucked up note and walk away?"-Max
Profile Image for Aestas Book Blog.
1,059 reviews75.2k followers
July 27, 2012
“In my life, I’ve learned when to let shit go and when to fight for it. This, babe, what we got, I’ll fight for.”

What is it about Kristen Ashley’s books that just leaves you with the warmest, fuzziest feelings ever ?

They just reach right into your heart and connect you so deeply with each of the characters *big smile*. Absolutely LOVE her writing!! and I’m officially in love with Macho Mountain Max!!

Tired of her boring life with her bland and clueless fiance, Nina decides she needs a timeout to rethink what she wants out of life and so she books an idealic 2-week stay in a gorgeous mountain house in Colorado. But things don’t quite go according to plan. She arrives in the middle of a bad storm, late, exhausted, coming down with a bad cold, only to find that there was a mix-up with the house and that the owner, swoony-gorgeous-Alpha-hot-Macho-mountain-man Max, is occupying it. At first, he wants nothing to do with her and tried to send her back to town to stay at a hotel. Frustrated by this huge wrench in her plans, Nina leaves in a huff only to end up in a ditch on the side of the road. Utterly depressed over her ruined timeout vacation plans, she bursts into tears and promptly falls asleep. When she wakes up some time later, she’s in a warm, fluffy bed back at Max’s house, and is changed, cleaned up and sick as a dog. And over the next several days, Max continues to look after her and nurse her back to health.

Right from the start, they have grin-enducing banter and Max just swoonily slips into her life. And, unphased by her many ruffled feathers, he starts convincing her to stay a while longer.. and take a gamble on him.

“You’re half a world away, Duchess, you been sick as a dog and your man doesn’t contact you?”…
“Niles is reserved,” I whispered.
“Niles is an ass,” He returned…
“You don’t know him.”…
“I’ve seen you naked, I’ve seen you sweet, I’ve seen you unsure and I’ve seen you riled and, seein’ all that ,I know, you were half a world away from me, I’d fuckin’ phone.”


Then, to add a little spice to the story, a local man is murdered, and, as with many KA books, there is a healthy dose of kidnappings, death threats, swoony seductions, second chances, brawls, shebitchesfromhell, healing, rape (happened to one of the side characters prior to the story), beautiful family moments, squee-worthy showdowns, plot twists…. oh, and did I mention the Macho Mountain Man?!

Oh, Max! Holden Maxwell. LOVED him! I loved how affectionate he was – both physically and verbally. He was always doing something sweet, calling her affectionate names, looking out for her, paying attention to the small stuff. I love that he just never let their relationship slide into the “stupid zone.” He was laid back, but at the same time deeply possessive and totally Alpha.

“Found somethin’ I want, don’t tend to fuck around when that happens, Duchess. Ever.”

Its kinda hard not to love a man who calls his woman ‘babe’, ‘darlin’ , ‘honey, baby and Duchess… and all in a sexy-as-all-hell gravelly voice… *swoooooon*

“Learned some things in my life, Duchess, one of the most important, you find a good woman, you take care of her.”
“Please.”
“This happens between us, I’d take care you you.”
“Don’t.”
“Die doin’ it,” he vowed.“


Nina was also a surprisingly fun heroine. Sure, she fought his affections a little at first, but only to the extent that it was cute, not annoying. She could be soft and sweet at times, but had a totally tough-as-nails side and would take no shit from anyone or let anyone walk all over her or her friends. She was loyal, and I loved how she just ‘got’ some things – there were some characters with some serious hurt and trauma in this book, and she just totally knew how to handle it.

There’s a whole slew of side characters that we meet who become integral parts of the story. There is something just so deep about many of KA’s characters – little gestures and actions that convey a world of understanding or tell you so much about a character. I just love it! It connects you so strongly to the story.

The pacing of the book just never lets up – you go from funny to swoony to action-packed to oh-my-god to *squeeeee* to fanning yourself to heart in your throat – its just non-stop and keeps you flipping the pages!

It had me smiling right from the beginning! KA’s writing style is so effortless and easy to connect to – I could literally just see the story enfold in front of me as though I were watching a movie. My first sitting reading this book, it kept me riveted to the story until 5am!

This book was not quite as light-hearted as the Rock Chick series and not quite as badass as the Dream Man series. It was just about a real life, super-swoony Alpha guy finding his woman and I loved every minute of it. It’s the perfect kind of story you can just loose yourself in

“I’m not making out with you in a bar.”
“Why not?”
“Why?”
His face dipped closer. “Because, first, I want you to. And second… guys are checkin’ you out and that’d be me stakin’ my claim.”
“Staking your claim?”
“Its a guy thing.”
“Its a Macho Mountain Man thing.”
“Same thing.”
“You’re impossible.”
“You gonna kiss me or what?”
“If I don’t, you’re just going to kiss me anyways, aren’t you?”
Again, he gave me a grin. “You finally got that?”
“Impossible,” I muttered.
“Kiss me, Duchess.”


C’mon, doesn’t that make you smile?!

And I have to just say that Kristen Ashley writes the. BEST. epilogues. EVER!!!! The HEA was perfect and beautiful and I ended the book wiping my happy tears <3

I don’t think I’ll be able to stop myself from going straight to book 2 of this series…

How I see Max and Nina:



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Profile Image for Anovelqueen .
297 reviews918 followers
April 19, 2021
***4.5 STARS***

Reread 4/18/21

I am currently rereading some of my favorite Kristen Ashley books. Way back when this was one of the first books of hers I read and I was instantly hooked.

Her heroes are just so alpha and possessive. Pure book boyfriend material. And her heroines are intelligent women who are usually self-sufficient. Her writing style just flows and reading is effortless. Her novels are usually long page wise but the time just flies. I really liked this series because it is a small town in Colorado.

I highly recommend this series.
Profile Image for NMmomof4.
1,586 reviews4,238 followers
October 5, 2022
4 Stars (Originally Read 1/2/2014)

3.5 Stars (Re-Read 2/8/2017)

4 Stars (*2nd Re-Read 3/27/2019)

4 Stars (**3rd Re-Read 8/10/2020)

**3rd Re-Read Note: Not much to add here. I was in the mood for a KA re-read and I enjoyed it. It’s not my absolute favorites of Kristen Ashley, but it’s one I obviously enjoy returning to every once in a while. Good characters, good small town vibes, and good romance. Still frustrated with Max’s reactions but appreciated how he admits when he was wrong, and I would’ve loved more of an extended HEA, but that’s my greed showing. Overall it is a good, reliable book that I will probably continue to re-read 😊

*2nd Re-Read Note: This was enjoyable as another re-read. I'm in a major book funk, so this helped a little in that I knew going in that I was going to enjoy it. I liked their relationship and I liked the kookie side characters that KA always does really well. I wasn't bothered too much with the touchy subject, but again I did have some issues with how Max handled Nina finding out. I also still wanted more with the epilogue. Otherwise, a good re-read and enjoyable enough that I'm going to up my rating to the original 4 stars (mainly because I'm happy I could rely on this for a solid read after feeling meh about so much).

Overall Opinion: I'm not feeling like I liked this as much as I did the first go-round, so I'm dropping my rating from 4 stars to 3.5. It might just be that I had read it before, so the mystery of what was going to happen wasn't there -- but who knows. I was a little disappointed in the H not being upfront with the h about his past, and I was really disappointed how he acted when he found out that she knew some of it. I have to say because of that whole thing I don't think of him as one of my favorite KA heroes. This does have a theme that I know many readers have issues with , and while I normally don't get bothered by it -- this bugged me a little here. I understood all of the h's hesitations and inner thoughts regarding the H's past so it made me sympathize with her, and maybe that was why I wanted a better reaction from the H regarding the whole situation.

Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Nina and Max's story. Nina is taking a "time-out" from her neglectful fiancé and leaves England to stay in a cabin in the Colorado mountains. She is shocked when she arrives and there is a grumpy mountain man telling her she has to leave. Max owns the house she rented, and there was a mistake made to where he is home. After a not-so-great introduction, they part ways only for Max to save Nina and nurse her back to health after a nasty flu. Nina then finds herself in an awkward situation where Max won't let her leave. She gets sucked into lots of town drama, some family drama, and the sexy Max...and they do eventually fall in love and get a HEA ending.

POV: This was told in Nina's POV (with a section of the epilogue in Max's POV).

Overall Pace of Story: Ok. I found the end oddly abrupt where the rest is kind-of drawn out. I never skimmed, but was a little tempted to at times (maybe partially because I've read this before).

Instalove: Kind of. They know each other a short period of time (a week!) before those stronger feelings are developed, but I still found it believable.

H rating: 3 stars. Max. He was ok. I wish that he was more upfront with Nina.

h rating: 4 stars. Nina. I liked her. She was kind of crazy, but I think that's part of why I did like her.

Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed this time around -- I do remember shedding a few tears the first time I read it though.

Push/Pull: Yes

Heat level: Good. They have some good chemistry and scenes, but not so much it takes away from the story.

Descriptive sex: Yes

Safe sex: Not really

OW/OM drama: Yes

Sex scene with OW or OM: No

Cheating: Not with mcs

Separation: Kind of, but extremely short (hours).

Possible Triggers: Yes

Closure: This had a little bit of an abrupt ending with a jump ahead epilogue and a HEA. I would've liked more time experiencing them working through some of their logistical issues, maybe Max's proposal, pregnancy, etc. We all know I'm greedy ;)

How I got it: I bought it from Amazon for $3.71 back in 2014.

Safety: This one should be either Safe Or Safe with exception for most readers depending on personal preferences.
Profile Image for Stacey.
1,446 reviews1,144 followers
January 14, 2021
Kristen Ashley magic...or my blind devotion?

I absolutely love this story, but sometimes I feel guilty because it makes me feel like a hypocrite. It sort of has cheating in it, sort of has Nina trapped against her will and is completely OTT insta-love. These are all things in other books, I wouldn't enjoy or find unsavoury and abhorrent.

It must just be KA magic. I'm blinded to the things that would normally make my eye twitch. I honestly never saw those things when I initially read it and had to have someone tell me.

How the hell does she do it? Magic, I tell you...

**********

The Gamble definitely paid off...

I've decided that my re-reads will be done on audio. With my busy schedule and real life, I don't have time to enjoy my re-reads anymore. The beauty of audiobooks is that you can listen to them anytime. I listen to them when I'm exercising, baking, doing school pick-ups (obviously not when my little munchkin is in the car) and when I'm mucking around on Pinterest. As these are re-reads, I don't need to worry that I'll miss something important or need clarification on a plot point, it's just a nice and relaxing way to keep reading while I'm doing stuff.

The Gamble was one of the first books I read by Kristen Ashley and I have a signed paperback that sits on my shelf and never gets touched. If I want to see the message inside...I look at the photos I took. I want it to stay in mint condition. I wasn't sure how the audio would go, to be honest. Nina's character is an American who has spent a lot of time in England and has a "bit" of an accent. The narrator managed Nina's English accent perfectly while also giving Max a fantastic slow and smooth drawl. I always knew when the characters were changing as there was a slight difference in the accents and the way they talked which made it easy to distinguish them.

Max and Nina's story is still one of my favourites. Nina comes to America from England to have a break from her fiancé and to decide if she really wants to stay with him. They had been having difficulties in the relationship leaving Nina concerned she was making the wrong decision. Unfortunately, Niles, the fiancé, wasn't listening when Nina voiced her concerns and didn't really see any problems with the way things were. It doesn't take Nina long to realise that she doesn't really matter to Niles and his work was a lot more important to him than she was. Even when she finally explains this all to him, he can't be bothered or is too busy to "deal" with it. I was glad to see the back end of Niles.

Max has faced heartache and managed to keep going even though he's not happy. When Nina rocks up to his house for her holiday, they realise a mistake had happened and Nina's holiday destination will need relocation. Stuff happens, Nina's sick, the plans are a mess and Max ends up having to nurse Nina back to health. It doesn't take Max long to realise that Nina is awakening feelings in him that he hasn't had for a very long time. He knows he wants more with Nina and doesn't want to see her return to England. When Niles eventually comes out to see what the problem is, Max explains to Niles where he went wrong and why he doesn't get to keep Nina.

The Gamble is at times funny and at times so sad you can't help but shed a tear. All of these emotions are hard to hold back as you're sitting in your car out the front of your kid's school. The squirming at the set of lights when Max is speaking all husky and smooth, demanding that Nina "tell him" (while he's deep inside her) the words he wants to hear. The crying when your heart is breaking for the woman who feels dirty and unclean. The laughing out loud when Nina turns into Zombie Nina in the mornings. But generally, this book just leaves me with a smile on my face.

I still love The Gamble and the audio just reinforces my love.

Profile Image for Kristen.
841 reviews4,960 followers
February 10, 2012
Solid 4 stars

Wow! Kristen Ashley is one fantastic storyteller! I adore her charismatic characters, her intimate writing style, and her fabulous, sexy, overprotective, alpha heroes. Her heroes are truly swoonalicious!

Overall, I really enjoyed The Gamble. I did feel the book was a tad long-winded and wish the hero and heroine spent more time together without the constant interruptions from the secondary characters. With that said, I still loved this story. I loved Max's and Nina's characters. I loved their chemistry, as well as their bantering. I did have a few small issues with their lack of communication (i.e., talking about Max's deceased wife) and Nina's inability to utter more words than Um... Max... and I'm sorry?  Those small annoyances, however, were not enough to hinder my overall enjoyment of the story. (Note: I might tear my hair out in frustration if all Kristen Ashley's heroines use the term "I'm sorry?" when not comprehending a question or statement. Just saying.).

The secondary characters were superbly developed, entertaining, endearing, and, frankly, nuttier than fruitcakes! There were times I felt Nina and the cast of characters belonged on an episode of the Jerry Springer Show.  It became that kind of crazy! That being said, I couldn't help but fall in love with them. 

The best part of The Gamble, other than Max, was the epilogue. It's become my favorite epilogue to date. It was poignant, heartwarming, and left me with happy tears and a full heart. Thank you Kristen Ashley for another great story with a lot of heart-and-soul. 

If you're already a Kristen Ashley addict, or interested in checking out her books, be sure to stop by our Kristen Ashley Addict's Support Group here on Goodreads!
Profile Image for Arini.
857 reviews2,006 followers
December 20, 2020
4.25 Stars

I’m this . . . *pinch thumb and forefinger together* . . . close to pack up my life and move to Colorado. The promise of it is probably not as sweet as this book made it seem, but damn if it’s not tempting.

I mean, how many of you get to or how often do you travel (alone) to a beautiful, picturesque mountain town AND stumble upon a hunk of a man who’s so wonderful he dishes out swoonworthy alpha male behaviors like he invented them and might be your soulmate?

“You just need to know, I gotta fight to keep what we got so we can build on it, I will. Him, your Dad, you, I don’t give a fuck. In my life, I’ve learned when to let shit go and when to fight. This, babe, what we got, I’ll fight for.”

The meet cute: Creepy or charming?

I happen to think that the world is full of creeps, so THAT scenario is unlikely. It’d take a miracle and hundred times a day of me praying to my lucky stars. That said, the beginning of this book was a little iffy and kinda unrealistic to me considering the characters didn’t know and never met each other.

Nina (36) was supposed to occupy this house she rented for her timeout. Upon arrival, she met Max (37) the owner of the house who explained that there was a mix up and she couldn’t stay. It was late at night, snowing heavy, and in the middle of nowhere.

In the end, they shared the house together. Nina was sick as a lamb the next day, and Max nursed her back to health. This included: her sleeping in his bed weak and barely conscious, him taking care of her fever, him changing her clothes, and them cuddling.

I was totally oohing and aahing, but that’s beside the point. Had it been me (and any other sane person I would assume), I’d be thankful but uncomfy and wary as heck. Then again she was delirious and not 100% sane. So, I guess lucky her and thank Jesus, Max was a good guy.

The romance: Insta or deep?

The romance played out in the span of two weeks. Normally, that would raise my hackles. But like, Max and Nina went through so much (life altering) shit together in those short amount of time more than me (and the avarage normal person I assume) in my lifetime—granted I live a boring life and am still in my early twenties.

To be honest, going into a KA book the romance most of the time feels slightly insta lovey. HOWEVER, at the same time you feel like you’re already more than well acquainted with the characters and they themselves have always known each other despite their ‘stranger’ status. This is because their chemistry is off the charts, their connection so deep, and their relationship full of passion.

The same goes with Max and Nina. There was one subject matter that took time for Max to open up to Nina about, but Nina had accidentally already found out from someone else. It created a bit of conflict towards the end, and I was lowkey annoyed that Nina was so hesitant to confront Max and they didn’t have the discussion until it was too late.

Nina’s accent: Sexy or cringey?

“Fancy-ass clothes, fancy-ass purse, fancy-ass boots, fancy-ass accent.” His eyes came to my face and he finished firmly. “Duchess.”

Nina was American, but she’d lived in England for a while that she picked up a bit of the British accent. Max thought it was sexy. I’m sure I would think it was appealing too if Nina was a real person and I listened to her speak in real life. I was actually interested in this book because I’d known this about the heroine.

The problem is the audiobook, or the narrator specifically. Well, not exactly a problem. It WAS NOT cringey at all to me, but I also wasn’t hyped about it. She did a pretty good job. It was just kinda weird, though I got used to it and enjoyed the audiobook immensely. Honestly, Idk why I mentioned it. I’m not even English myself. 🙈

“Thank you for showing me it was worth taking a gamble again, darling.” I dropped my head until my lips were against his and finished, “It feels good finally to win and win huge.”

Aside from those, I also really liked the small town dynamics and all the other little subplots and shenanigans. Not to mention, the side characters were a bunch of fun and loving crackheads. 😂 Plus, the suspense—thrilling! And that plot twists, shocking.

All in all, this book is everything I want in life. Just from the simple, ideal small town lifestyle with peaceful and wholesome mountainous view standpoint if the romance is too much of an impossibility to hope for, LOL.

TW:

(Read as an Audiobook)
Profile Image for mel ☽.
369 reviews10.4k followers
December 5, 2020
reread (nov 2020)3.5 stars

hi hello don't mind me im just rereading old KA books because i'm procrastinating again even though i have a presentation and 2 finals this week but am i feeling unbothered?



HAha ha ha no. what are they gonna do? fail me? please 😅✋🏼

soo anyways, this is about Nina Sheridan (h) booking this house in the Colorado Mountains to go on vacation/timeout from her fiance not knowing that Max (Holden Maxwell) (H), owner of the house, is still IN the house. there's some mix-up, she gets mad because he was trying to kick her out, he failed, then Max suddenly becomes your typical KA H where they see something/someone they want, they'll do anything to have them yada, yada.

this basically has your typical dynamic where:
KA Hero: i want you. you're my woman. end of discussion. you're rejecting me?? lol babe, baby, honey, sweetheart. no.
KA heroine: omfg you're f*cking crazy i'm not your woman but also like.......... i am? idk but imma keep rejecting you because i love you??

add in murder mystery, dead wife (emphasis on this), ex fbuddy and ex fiance drama, small-town vibes, great side characters that are very nosey and up in each other's business, strong MURICA vibes, y'all know the drill.

✦✧ SPOILERS AHEAD ✧✦

— 𝐑 𝐎 𝐌 𝐀 𝐍 𝐂 𝐄

you know what's mindblowing about this book? everything takes place in 2 weeks. TWO WEEKS, PEOPLE. when it felt like everything happened in the span of 2 MONTHS. but yeah because of this there's definitely insta love but at the same time i don't feel it? maybe because the insta shit was more on Max's side and Nina kept rejecting him because duh he's crazy. but if you look at it... obviously there's insta love since again, 2 weeks guys.

their banter is still cute though.
"Perhaps we should stop talking and go back to relaxing.”
"Explain somethin' to me, babe, why is it you always wanna stop talking when I'm winnin' the fuckin' argument?"
"Because you're more annoying when you're right than you are just normally."


see? cute. and am i the only who likes the scenes where KA MCs fight?? it's so entertaining. like yeessss please keep fighting I LOVE IT



there's some push and pull here because of the ex drama and the fact that Nina has common sense and thinks falling for this man and becoming his girlfriend after meeting him for a few days is fucking crazy. so she pushes him away a little bit but we all know how that ends.

— 𝐂 𝐇 𝐀 𝐑 𝐀 𝐂 𝐓 𝐄 𝐑 𝐒

Nina 'Duchess' Sheridan
"God, next time I want an adventure, strike me with lightning. You have my permission."

this bish crazy af but i love her. love the fact that she doesn't take any shit from anyone and calls them out when they're being annoying or out of line. her getting angry at Max whenever he shows his "mountain man" dudebro side? yes please.

Holden 'Mountain Man Max' Maxwell
"You just need to know, I gotta fight to keep what we got so we can build on it, I will. Him, your Dad, you, I don’t give a fuck. In my life, I’ve learned when to let shit go and when to fight. This, babe, what we got, I’ll fight for"

not gonna lie some might be a little ehh towards Max if you're not used to KA H's but he's pretty tame compared to others. just know that he's an overbearing mountain man that if he sees something he wants he does everything- literally EVERYTHING to get it *case in point this entire book*. i was kinda mad at him when he found out that Nina knew about the whole dead wife thing because... um sir. don't scream at her like that please and thanks. but overall he's meh. he's no Mitch and Luke. sorry.

Side Characters
and the side characters!!! are you kidding me?? Mindy, Max's "little sister" is the one that made me cry the most because TW // she was sexually assaulted weeks before Nina arrived and she tried to commit suicide // i love Mindy so much and her relationship with Jeff was so wholesome oh my god. but yeah, as you all know, side characters in KA books are always something i look forward to because they're usually the ones that makes the book more memorable.

— 𝐄 𝐗 𝐃 𝐑 𝐀 𝐌 𝐀 (spoilers)

okaaayy time to talk about the uncomfortable part so y'all just sit down and relax, i'm about to spill the tea ✨

let's start off with the ex-fiance drama where in the beginning, Nina was engaged to Niles but they were in a timeout when she went on her vacation but when she was starting things off with Max she was still kinda with him. they broke up around 17%. and then there's the ex fbuddy drama, Shauna, who was with Max a year before Nina arrives and they were together for 2 months in a span of a year but she was also sleeping with his then-friend, Curtis Dodd, who is married to Max's best friend, Bitsy, who was paralyzed from the waist down after the accident where Max's then-wife also died 10 years ago. and then Curtis was killed in the beginning so this is where the whole murder mystery plot happens. She causes some problems, trying to make Nina jealous, and there's this uncomfy scene where Max tells her about their "relationship" and y'all know how KA H's are the kings of TMI. like, did i wanna know the OW gave great bj's no. but thank you for the information i guess???

and THEN when i found out about the dead wife- oh... oh no. oh no no no. honey.



i was ready for the drama.

soo according to everyone in the town Max and Anna loved each other and she was his "world", they were married for a few years and then she died from the car accident (Max was 26-27) and he was "never the same". this part was painful af because look:

"He loved her, Nina, she was his world. When a woman is a man's world and he loses her, ain't nothin' gonna take the place of that and you gotta know that. This is somethin' he wants, Max'll do good by you but he'll know and the whole town'll know, you ain't that to him, what Anna was, you never will be."




... pain .

and then when Max found out that Nina knew about Anna all along, he was kinda mean and dare i say, gaslighting? i don't know but he was saying all these things to her and never heard her side, so obviously Nina left but of course Max found her the next day and explained his history with Anna. he said she was his world (emphasis on was), she's the sweet kind and they barely had any arguments while Nina is full of fire and passion, and then he said "You're night, Duchess, she was day." ummmm sir. i don't know if you mean that as a compliment but ummmm. are you- are you telling me she's "dark and full of terrors" or something? he said Anna was harmony sooo is Nina... chaos? i don't even know. but i do know that i'd rather be day thank you very much.

i just think she forgave him too easily. i just wish there were more push and pull because at that point i wasn't that convinced that Nina was the love of his life. i don't care if Max was fighting for her the majority of the book, i just wish she talked about HER feelings instead of Max talking over her. i mean it's nice he was explaining but i just wanted her to say what she was feeling about not wanting to be second best and Max reassuring her she's not 😤😭

-ˋˏ ༻ ❁ ༺ ˎˊ-

Kristen Ashley books make me hungry af. i know, random thought but SERIOUSLY. the description whenever someone cooks something makes me hungryyy. when Nina was making her casserole dish? jesus i was salivating.

do i think Nina is first best? yeah, i guess so? i don't know. i was looking for the scene where Max tells Nina she's his world but i ain't see NOTHING. plus the ending kinda made me bitter because Anna's ghost was talking to Max and she called him "baby" like, please. no. i know that's something small but im bitter okay?

but anyways, since it's exam season, y'all know im about to binge some old KA books so don't mind me if you see me reading more KA books for the next few weeks 😌✨

-ˋˏ ༻ ❁ ༺ ˎˊ-

first read (apr 2019)5 stars
Profile Image for Christy.
4,077 reviews34.5k followers
April 20, 2015
Loved this book... The main reason I loved it? Max!

Nina is tired of her life. Living in England, engaged to a boring man who never listens to her, she decides she needs a time out. This brings her to the Colorado mountains for a two week get away. She arrives to the house she's rented, only to find there had been a mix up. The owner Max is in town. After getting in an argument, Nina decides to leave for a hotel. But its storming. And she is really ill. She ends up in a ditch and none other than Alpha Mountain Man Max <3 nurses her back to health.

"Duchess, remind me never to get you that riled. You're a handful when you're angry but you're hell on wheels when you're seriously pissed."

Now there is a lot of drama going on in this little mountain town right now. Nina meets a lot of new people who she falls in love with right away. You will love these supporting characters! I know I did! Mindy, Brody, Jeff, Cotton, Arlene, Nina's mom and Steve- but no one could hold a candle to Max. What a man! He could be overprotective and a little possesive, but he was also incredibly sweet(Oh I loved the nicknames: Duchess, honey, baby, darlin'...) Couldn't get enough of Max!

"You're being domineering again."
"Yeah, baby, fair warnin', when we're naked, you better get used to that."


I actually really loved Nina as well. She was funny and cute, but she also didn't take any crap. She stood up for her self and other people. I loved her interaction with Mindy and some of the other characters. She had tragedy in her life with past relationships and her brother Charlie, but she used her past to help others which is an admirable thing to do.

This was a really good read, loved the characters and the writing. The book was a little long, but it didn't feel that way. There was just a lot of story and it really gave you time to get to know the characters- it wasn't at all rushed. The ending was great, nothing better than an epilogue that leaves a huge smile on your face!

"There was a time in my life where I used to roll the dice. I did it a lot and I always lost. Every time, I lost and when I lost, I lost everything. So I got scared of rolling the dice. Thank you for showing me it was worth taking a gamble again, darling. It feels good to finally win and win huge."
Profile Image for UniquelyMoi ~ BlithelyBookish.
1,097 reviews1,672 followers
July 22, 2013

There are already many excellent reviews of this book, so I’m going to keep mine short -

I kept seeing Kristen Ashley’s name show up on my Goodreads friends’ status and review updates, so I had to see for myself what all the hoopla was about! Well, to be honest, I can't quite put my finger on it, but whatever it is about this book and this author, I’m sold! The writing isn’t flawless and it took me a bit to get used to the author’s style, but once I did it was easy to read and I couldn't put it down. The characters are often times annoying as hell, especially Max who is, hands down, one of the most obnoxious, domineering men I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about. The story itself is all over the place and yet easy to follow and a joy to read.

The bottom line - Sometimes heartwarming, sometimes tragic, The Gamble is a funny, romantic, hot story, one I truly, truly enjoyed!

-----
If you're a Kristen Ashley addict, or just interested in checking her books, be sure to stop by our Kristen Ashley Addict's Support Group here on Goodreads!
Profile Image for Shawna.
3,587 reviews4,705 followers
January 8, 2015
5+ stars – Contemporary Romance

The Gamble is my second Kristen Ashley read, and I enjoyed it as much as Sweet Dreams, mainly because yummy, protective alpha hero Max actually rocked my world more than SD’s Tate. Nina and Max were great together, and the story kept me completely engaged, despite the fact that it’s very lengthy. The Gamble is another winner, and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author. 5 stars!

One of my favorite scenes is when Max mops the floor with Nina’s snooty ex-fiancé, Niles, without even delivering a single punch.



Max:

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Nina

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Profile Image for Baba  .
859 reviews3,949 followers
September 6, 2012
REVIEW COMPLETED SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

"You'll get the good stuff, Duchess." Wonder Max. Divine.

Photobucket

Admittedly, my Max did change his eye color from grey to brown. Whatever. He is gorgeous.

"Forgot about carin' about someone so much you would do everything in your power to stop them havin' pain."

I should have read The Gamble sooner rather than later. Yes, Sweet Dreams and Tate will always stay above and beyond, however, Max…he is simply another divine KA hero. I was surprised that he had very few jerk-ish moments, and I felt that he was kind of tamer than her other badass alphas.

"You're being domineering again," I informed him.
I felt his mouth grin under mine and watched his eyes do it.
"Yeah, baby, fair warnin', when we're naked, you better get used to that."
I gasped at his words then he kissed me.


Without a shadow of a doubt scrumptious, studtastic, yet caring and tender Max is responsible for another unforgettable read. Max challenged Nina. He made her think and kept her on her toes. Max is the opposite of boring, that's for sure, and Wonder Max offered me another wonderful taste of KA sweet. Mmmm…Max is sex on a stick! And while we're on it, the sex was good, however, for such a loooong book I'd've appreciated some more smexy times. Whatever. Despite that The Gamble is not a perfect book, there is always something very specific that I can find in every KA story: a feel of utter contentment after having read one of her novels. Kristen is able to make me want to devour her stories and characters. Yet again, she left me wanting more.

"I'm not making out with you in a bar."
"Why not?"
"Why?"
His face again dipped closer. "Because first I want you to. And second whether you believe it or not, guys are checkin' you out and that'd be me stakin' my claim."
"Staking your claim?"
"It's a guy thing."
"It's a Macho Mountain Man thing."
"Same thing."
"You're impossible."
"You gonna kiss me or what?"
"If I don't you're just going to kiss me anyway, aren't you?"
Again, he gave me a grin. "You finally got that?"
"Impossible," I muttered.
"Kiss me, Duchess."


Where this book did not quite work for me was the heroine. I'm very sorry to say it but Nina has to be one of KA's most annoying heroines. She was simply too neurotic and hysterical for me. That said, she was always so wrapped up in her own drama and neuroses that she never gave enough thought about what Max was going through. I've had my issues with her jumping to conclusions all the freakin' time, and when did she actually ask Max about the stuff that bothered her? I mean why is it so difficult to voice what you'd like to know? Now and then I silently told her "Just spill it already!!" I think Nina has a hearing defect 'cause she did not listen to me. Having said that, she was listening to other people's insights and was jumping to conclusions again. Yeah, and then when Max laid it all out to dear Nina…hell, what did she do, huh? She was *pulls hair out* Nina, just get your head sorted! Further, I really didn't appreciate it that she had to tell me what Max was thinking or feeling or how he'd react. Bottom line: she was very exhausting.

Now that my Nina rant is over, let me say something positive about this heroine. Nina had some terrific moments. When Mindy tried And their conversation after this "incident" was very thoughtful and heartwarming. It really touched me in a major way. Lovely.

It was then I wondered if things would have felt differently if Max had been around when If I'd have had this, maybe not the view, but his strong arms around me, his cheek to my hair. If I'd had him to hold onto.

I really liked Brody, Mindy, Cotton, Nellie and Steve (Nina's mom and stepdad). As always the cast of secondary characters was amazing. Kristen brought them to life and they simply clicked for me.

From time to time I had to suspend belief a little bit, especially when Nina Right, this is fiction and I have to live with it. What grated on my nerves as well was the screeching, shrieking, and crying (shouting). Let's just say that less is more. Then again, I couldn't help but enjoy it and shake my head when the bunch of crazy yet endearing people cracked me up.

Kristen writes the very best epilogues--ever. Max was holding

Yeah, my throat got very tight. Beautiful.
Profile Image for Wendy'sThoughts.
2,662 reviews3,270 followers
December 28, 2023
2023
Needing some space to regroup, I took a ride back to re-discover books and authors that touched me and wouldn't let go. Kristen Ashley has always been my calming go to. She has this way of writing that once you get her mindset and understand how she weaves a tale, it can be addicting, especially with her "Vintage OG series. These books are always something I come back to.

2020
* * * * * During these times in 2020 of Cray Cray, I decided I needed Max and Nina. The OG Ashley will always be a draw for me.
❤️❤️❤️ ❤️❤️❤️ ❤️❤️❤️ ❤️❤️❤️
5 Rolling the Dice Stars !!!!
Spoiler Free-Full Review 2013/2018
Once Upon a Time, I discovered Kristen Ashley. I was new to Goodreads and never had any idea I would ever start reviewing. I just had heard about Ashley and the only way to get her books were as an Ebook. I went to Amazon, got the Kindle App, and then my addiction started.


I was hooked from the start and over a few weeks, I read everything I could get my hands on... I even would risk reading at work...Not just at lunch... but at my desk, on the work computer!

I loved them all and just gave them ratings from the heart... But man, oh, man...Max was special.

Recently I saw The Gamble was FREE and all of the wonderful memories of reading it for the first time came flooding back...Endorphins, light-headiness, and just the silly grin I could not wipe off my face.

I am not an authority of Kristen Ashley in any shape or form...but I do have an appreciation of her talent and publishing arc. For those who would like to find Like-Minded Lovers of Ashley, Goodreads has a group aptly titled, Kristen Ashley Addict's Support Group. https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

From what I could find on the web, her book Rock Chick was self-published in 2008. She had tapped into a need for fun, flirty, sexy reads with her own independent twist. She took the idea of women being friends, a little reckless...daring, and paired it with romance that was like no other.

Her woman was strong... clear-headed and willing to go to the mat for her friends. It was sometimes this side of goofy in parts but all of it had heart and swoon-worthy moments that were off the charts. And this new author with her style of describing everything.... homes, decor, clothing, and inner dialogue was fresh and liked...

A Lot.

She proceeded to publish in 2009 and 2010 a new entry to the series each year.

Then 2011 happened and all hell broke loose! Ashley published a total of 21 books... all of different series and types of romance. She covered fantasy, suspense, paranormal, and motorcycle brotherhood. She gave her original series 4 more books. She had to have been working on all of these projects during her quiet years because of the volume of work produced.

This leads me to The Gamble. This was a release during Ashley's Golden Year of 2011. It was the first book in a new series based in a small town Gnaw Bone, Colorado. It had the allure of the concept of Mountain Men who were dominant but not in an ugly way... there was this charm in their need to protect, handle things, and be committed to what they saw was right...and the trick was they were correct, too.

The story opens with a woman in flux...Nina Sheridan is re-thinking her engagement to a man who seems to not listen to her when she speaks or never has time to take her calls because the meeting or project he is about to do is much more important. But with all Nina has gone through in her life...she thought safe and polite was the way to go...but she now was feeling the boredom, how what said was not counting and mostly...how alone and lonely she was. She explained to her fiancee she was going to leave England and go back home to the States, for a two week Time Out to evaluate everything. Nina even told Niles she was not feeling that great when she left...but it seems to have fallen on deaf ears...once again.

Nina had decided she needed an adventure and when she saw this beautiful A-Frame in the Colorado Mountains online with views to take the breath away...she reserved it, paid upfront, and was now driving to the location through a snowy night. Nina took the time to buy groceries and supplies and only wanted to climb into bed and crash. She had flown 17 hours with her body telling her a cold of some kind was coming. When she saw the actual A-frame ...it was more beautiful than the pictures. She hoped the man who opened the door as she approached was the realtor.

Holden "Max" Maxwell was not expecting anyone. As the owner of the house, he was kicking back having a beer, and relaxing. Then this beautiful, well-dressed woman is walking in boots that have too high a heel and no business being in the snow. As she comes closer to the door, she calls out and her accent clearly sounds British.

Nina is asking him if he is the realtor and the next thing she knows he is telling her no and to go on her way...Well, that won't do, not at all. With flashing eyes and a strong stance, Nina informs him she has paid for the A-Frame in advance, wants to get her groceries, luggage and supplies into the house, and settle.

As Max takes all of this in, he is on the phone letting the realtor know he messed up big time. Max rents out the house when he is on construction sites and somehow Nina was confirmed for this time. Max hangs up the phone and tells Nina to turn around, go to town and there is a very nice motel where she can stay.

Words are exchanged, first with Nina standing her ground...then with her feeling worse and Max seeing she is not the best, he offers her to stay since the night is getting later and the snow heavier. Nina now will not admit anything to Max and stomps out to her car, muttering how she wanted an adventure...well remind her to never come to Colorado to have one.

Nina tries to go down the hill to the road but gets stuck in a ditch. She has no strength to do anything but go to the trunk, put on every piece of clothing she could find, take the cold medicine she bought in Denver and climb into the back seat to sleep. She would worry about the car tomorrow.

Nina opens her eyes barely, as the pain is so great, and doesn't understand where she is...and when she figures out it is a comfy bed with soft sheets and comforter, she tries to feel for her clothes...only to feel a t-shirt and panties on her body, a body which aches and hurts from her cold...

Max makes an appearance and Nina wants to fuss and fight but is too sick to do it for too long...Max had checked after a while to see if Nina had reached the motel and then became concerned when no one had seen her anywhere. He found her in the ditch, out to the world, and carried her and all of her stuff back to the house. Now he is looking at Nina and sees she is running a fever and needs to take more medicine.

This Mountain Man, someone Nina has never experienced, is doing more for her than the man she was supposed to marry.

This is the setup and Boy, oh, Boy...what a tale. You have these two people and each has their own backstory which will rip your heart out...but not to worry because by these two coming together...all will be JUST FINE...

Now Max is a man any woman in their right mind would want...I am not going to go into a whole thing...I am going to let you meet him for yourself and bask in the glory of Max.

I will share, though, that he has the ability to get his point across and not like many other Ashley Men, speaks in complete sentences. They may be a bit short or direct to the issue...but what he says is clear and so Max. Max also is a man who knows how to love up a woman...and Ashley is the best in how she creates the scenes, dialogue, and feel of every touch and caress. The chemistry between Nina and Max together is strong and true. What works so well is the fact that Max is a toucher...he touches his woman, holds her, leans into her, wraps his arms around her front to his back...and man...can he kiss. Ashley shows all the ways to take readers right into the moment, feel everything that was happening but never crossing into an awkward or clumsy coupling.

Nina is also a strong character with all the quirks and issues Ashley is known for ...Nina has pain from a loss of her brother and there is a past history of bad choices in men...so her default is to expect the worst. She has to work to see what Max is and is not...

There is so much in this book with people figuring out they are worth love and then accepting it. Ashley addresses the need for those who have experienced traumatic events to get the help they need and being open to sharing their pain before it becomes too much. There is more, too..but what really worked was how every event was structured to make sense...not just thrown in there for the excitement.

As I said in other reviews of Ashley, I have always felt this series had more depth and intensity than many of her earlier ones. The layers of crafting, the way the plotting worked on all levels were impressive. I know there are many fans of Max and Nina and hopefully, new ones will be coming.

This was another re-read of this book and won't be my last...


The Gamble (Colorado Mountain, #1) by Kristen Ashley The Gamble (Colorado Mountain, #1)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sweet Dreams (Colorado Mountain, #2) by Kristen Ashley Sweet Dreams (Colorado Mountain, #2)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Lady Luck (Colorado Mountain, #3) by Kristen Ashley Lady Luck (Colorado Mountain, #3)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Breathe (Colorado Mountain, #4) by Kristen Ashley Breathe (Colorado Mountain, #4)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jagged (Colorado Mountain, #5) by Kristen Ashley Jagged (Colorado Mountain, #5)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Kaleidoscope (Colorado Mountain, #6) by Kristen Ashley Kaleidoscope (Colorado Mountain, #6)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Bounty (Colorado Mountain, #7) by Kristen Ashley Bounty (Colorado Mountain, #7)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


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Profile Image for Flo.
286 reviews590 followers
March 9, 2020
4 the definition of guilty pleasure STARS



And another Kristen Ashley book for me. I simply can't stop with this woman. I'm guessing it has something to do with my current mood and my need to read something lovely that makes me feel good...like coming home, or eating comfort food in grandma's kitchen.

Anyway...why did I put 'the definition of guilty pleasure' up there in my rating? Because it's one of those chick flicks where you have to suspend your disbelieve and just go with the flow.

“I looked to the ceiling and told God, “God, next time I want an adventure, strike me with lightning. You have my permission.”


Thirty-six year old Nina Sheridan needs a timeout from her job and her life, but most importantly from her neglecting fiancé. So naturally she hops on a plane from England to America, drives into the Colorado Mountains where she booked a beautiful A-Frame for two weeks.

Turns out the idyllic get-away is occupied by the owner and her booking was made by mistake. Said owner, Holden "Max" Maxwell makes her turn around in a snow storm to find a hotel room in town. What could possibly go wrong, right?

“When I met you, my first thought was you were very pretty, great fuckin' eyes, but not my type. High-class which means high maintenance. Then you got pissed and that was it. Even if you hadn't been in that ditch, now you'd still be in my bed. So if you think this attitude is a turn off, baby you're wrong.”


Just a minor accident. Nina lands in a ditch and wakes up in the A-Frame...rescued by Max. *sigh*

The moment she hit that snow bank I jumped up and down and screamed...OMG she's about to be rescued by someone tall, dark and handsome...See where I'm going with the whole cliché, guilty pleasure, suspend your disbelieve thing?

No?

Well, I'll give you one more thing.

Turns out Nina gets sick...honest to god...fever and not being able to walk sick. Max takes care of her and after she is better he won't let her leave...o.O I mean he is sweet about it and there is a spark there and they go into town and do stuff and have guests over and all that, but common sense says ...RUN, girl...RUN!

Remember? Suspend your disbelieve!

“You think to slide back, settle for something that made you run away because you think it's safe, because it's familiar, because your scare of taking a GAMBLE on me, I'm warning you now, Duchess, I'm not gonna allow that.”


If you just go with the flow, this is one hell of an entertaining book. The whole town is involved and is cheering for Max and Nina and there are a lot of crazy mountain town people shenanigans going on and oh...there's a murder.

Didn't expect that, did you?

Then there is also the matter of the fiancé and family is always a bad thing and thank god for pretty mountain views...life would be really hard otherwise. ;P

“Babe,” he replied, grinning then said no more. Still being helpful, I explained, “I know you think that word speaks volumes but, I have to tell you, it actually doesn’t.”


My biggest problem was Nina. She is a smart woman, a lawyer, and she is very independent and self sufficient and all that. But for some reason she doesn't talk in whole sentences. Here are her favourite words: 'Um...' 'Max.' and my personal favourite...'Sorry?'

I think she has some hearing problems. Nina doesn't get what you're saying the first time around, which is odd since she is a smart girl. But in the end it leads to people always repeating their sentences to her...Ugh and that's just not cool.

But Max on the other hand is AWSOME!! He's all -mountain man, no bullshit, I take what I want and I take care of what I own- fabulous. It's pretty neat, in a romance book kind of way.

“You’re being domineering again,” I informed him.
I felt his mouth grin under mine and watched his eyes do it.
“Yeah, baby, fair warnin’, when we’re naked, you better get used to that.”
I gasped at his words then he kissed me.”


So, Max the local poster boy who everyone loves and the American girl who lived too long in England and who speaks in an English accent. They're the best. OMG, they fight...mostly because Nina is a hell cat and Max is a stubborn mountain man and they bicker and they are made for each other. From the moment they met there was no other way but for them to be a couple...fate really. ;D

I'm going to read the first book in The ‘Burg series next...just hopping around and checking out all of KA's books and different scenarios. I'll be back to the Colorado Mountains in no time.

See you then. ;D





Profile Image for Jilly.
1,838 reviews6,360 followers
February 21, 2016
I've never actually watched one of those Lifetime movies that are dramatic and sappy, but I imagine that this is what they are like. Along with an improbable romance, there are kidnappings, suicide attempts, bar fights, abusive men, murders, and alien babies. (okay, maybe not the alien babies. Too bad because that would have been awesome! oh, oh, how about alien twin babies and one of them is an evil twin? Yes! I love evil twins!)

This book is about Nina, an American girl who has spent most of her life in England and is engaged to a boring guy who doesn't care about her, and Max, an alpha Colorado mountain man who owns the cabin that Nina rented to get away from it all and decide if she really wants to marry Mr. Boring Dud. (I'm guessing "no".)

Nina shows up at her rental cabin and finds out that there was a mistake and the owner, Max, is at home. He's a dick, she leaves, and promptly crashes her car into a ditch. Thanks a lot for making us women drivers look bad, Nina!!


I bet she makes a great sandwich, though...

Max saves her, and immediately she gets sick, so he keeps her at the cabin and nurses her back to health.

Okay, that's really sweet, BUT, he also decides to undress her - including her bra, while she is asleep, to help. Ummm, dude, are you a nurse? Is my bra being on life-threatening? No? Then, hands-off motherfucker! No verbal consent means no touchy the goodies!



Interestingly enough, Max has many young female friends that he considers like sisters to him. Why didn't he call one of them over to undress a woman he doesn't know who is definitely wearing an engagement ring? Hmmmm, good question. I don't want to call him Chester the Molester or anything, but... well, I just did. I can live with myself.

Max must have liked the merchandise that he so creepily leered at while Nina was unconscious because when she is well, he tells her that he has taken the keys to her rental car and will not allow her to leave. He also called the only taxi service in town and told them not to pick her up if she called for help a ride. And, as I mentioned, this cabin is in a remote area of the woods....


Director: this is the perfect setting for a cutesy rom-com!

Isn't this romantic? Don't answer that. Because, you see, Max is hot, so this is all good. If he were old or ugly, this would be horrible and terrifying. But, he's hot. So,,,,, you know. It's cute and sweet - not a felony kidnapping and sexual molestation charge.

Okay, but this is Kristen Ashley. All of her books have this kind of thing going on. It's fiction.
I just have to keep reminding myself of this and then I can enjoy her books. Because, the woman sure does write some great characters, funny dialogue, and hilarious situations. If you can get past the almost criminally pushy main male characters, you will have a blast reading her books.

Will I keep reading her books? Probably.
Will I keep complaining about the overbearing alpha males that she writes? Definitely.
What can I say? I apparently like to complain. Who knew? (Don't answer that!)
Profile Image for Pearl Angeli.
627 reviews1,000 followers
June 17, 2016
"You think to slide back, settle for something that made you run away because you think it's safe, because it's familiar, because you're scared of takin' a gamble on me, I'm warnin' you now, Duchess, I'm not gonna allow that."


4 Holden Maxwell Stars!

Be still my heart. This book was all kinds of sweet and adorable and wonderful!

The Gamble may be wordy but it was so worthy. 670+ pages and I regret nothing! Perhaps it has something to do with the way the author made me feel so ooey and gooey inside all throughout the book and how she provided such an atmospheric depiction of Colorado Mountain.

The story started when English heroine Nina Sheridan went to Colorado Mountain for a vacation-slash-timeout. She was confused with what's going on with her relationship with her fiancé and she needed a moment to think. In order to do that, she has to go somewhere far and cozy and Colorado Mountain was perfect for it. The moment she stepped into the beautiful mansion she's supposed to stay, she met the handsome (or should I say, perfect) owner named Max. While staying there they were able to get to know each other and well, eventually developed attraction and fell in love. Of course it wasn't that perfect and easy since Nina's already engaged and Max has a complicated past that she has to find out.

I found this book quite a guilty-pleasure. I'm a first-time Kristen Ashley reader and I couldn't help but admire her delicious writing. She has this way of engaging her readers through her entertaining characters and romantic, sexy innuendos. Max was literal Alpha-Male. He was a jealous and possessive caveman but I couldn't help but fall in love with his character. While Max was sometimes a jerk, Nina was the exact opposite. She was soft but she's a tough one. Not to mention she was cute and funny. The two of them totally made a great couple and yes, they're now my favorite sweethearts.

There were lots of conflicts in this book and while I found some of them quite unnecessary, such as Mindy's personal dilemmas, I think they added a little bit of spice to the story. There were also lots of misunderstandings between Max and Nina but they were resolved and I was happy with that.

One thing that made me appreciate this book was Nina and Max's relationship which felt real to me. They both have imperfections but they've willingly accept them. They also made some mistakes but they corrected them and didn't let them become a reason to let each other fall apart. The give and take relationship amazed me.

And now here's my favorite line from Max to Niles:

"Fucked her last night, man, and this morning. Five times. Five. It was like she hadn’t been touched in a decade. So fuckin’ sweet. Damn,” he taunted, his eyes locked on Niles. “You’ve had her, you gotta know, not enough money in the world’s worth that."


Yes. Be still my heart...

The Gamble, as a whole, was a beautiful start to the series. After reading it, I decided to read more books written by Kristen Ashley. She has so many novels that were recommended to me by my lovely friends. Do you fancy winter romance books? Then put this on your tbr. :)

Pearl's Book Journey (1)


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Profile Image for Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾.
2,118 reviews13.1k followers
October 1, 2013
4 Please stop saying you're sorry before I hit you stars
"You lose anyone, there’s no replacing them. What you need to get is that's precious. You get to keep that. You don't want to replace it. That doesn't mean you can't find something else just as good."


Welcome to Gnaw Bone, Colorado.

I'm not sure why I spent my time searching through pictures to find my perfect Max and Nina, where really, I could have just gone with

(Did I just age myself?)

I love, and I mean LOVE Kristen Ashley books. I have no idea how I managed to read every book in the Colorado Man series BUT this one. Really. I'm still trying to figure that out. Obviously I've been a bad bad girl, and Max need to punish me...thoroughly...


But I digress. After reading a few of KA's recent books, my first thought when I started reading The Gamble? THIS! This is KA at her finest. Damn but I missed her. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed her recent books, but it always felt a little off. So it was so great to get my KA fix with Max and Nina. What did I love the most about The Gamble?
Max


The man was perfect! No seriously friggin perfect! He said things like this
Learned some things in my life, Duchess, one of the most important, you find a good woman, you take care of her."
"Please."
"This happens between us, Duchess, I'd take care of you."
"Don't."
"Die doin' it," he vowed.

He was growly and possessive and I just wanted to lick him! What? It's this thing I get with growly and possessive heroes. You don't? Huh. But then there was Nina

Now I know I tend to have a short fuse when it comes to irritating heroines...but FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT'S HOLY she worked my last damn nerve. Here we have a 36 year old woman, a professional lawyer, and most of the time she acts like a teenager. Yes she was sassy when it came to standing up for herself and I liked that. But when it came to Max? GAH!

I mean here we have a situation that can easily be resolved by talking it through. Max is willing to talk it out with her. Max even pretty much begs to talk things out with her. Yet every single time instead of talking it out, she just jumps to her own stupid conclusions. The other times she stews on it, gets mad and takes it out on Max, or just runs.


Here you have this amazing, sexy, growling man that for some god unknown reason wants your crazy ass. Yet all you do is give him shit, more shit, and then dish up shit some more. I ask you


Though to be fair, I would have been fine with all that. If I could give Nina just one handy dandy little thing.

Please, for the sake of my sanity, Nina, look up the word "sorry". I'm sure there will be something in there. It felt like most of her vocabularly when it came to Max consisted of: "I'm sorry", "Um", and "Uh". GAH!



The story itself was fantastic. I loved the mystery, suspense, and full out drama. All the side characters and their stories were great too. I love how KA can include a few side character plots without it getting muddy or confusing. The who-done-it ending caught me by complete and utter surprise. I did not see it coming at all.

Then there was the epilogue. *GUSHING* No one and I mean NO ONE can write an epilogue quite like KA. And this one was no exception. Nina was definitely not a favorite heroine of mine, but luckily the book was still THAT good that I was able to more or less tolerate her. So that is all the heroine bashing you will be getting from me. And I thank you



Though now I'm feeling the sudden urge to re-read this entire amazing series. *dreamy sigh*
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Profile Image for ♥Rachel♥.
1,989 reviews880 followers
May 22, 2018
Re-read (on audio) for the 3rd time May 21st 2018 and loved it all over again. I'm changing my 4 star rating to 5 star!

Re-read (on audio) April 22nd 2015


Just as good if not better the second time around. This is classic Kristen Ashley with all the rambling and crazy, fun friends. Of course wouldn't be KA without a delicious Alpha male who won't let go or take no for an answer.

Emma Taylor does an excellent job with Nina's English accent. Max calling Nina "Duchess" made even more sense hearing her accent.

December 25th 2012
Well, this was a lot of fun! Can I have my own Colorado Macho Mountain Man?!! Max was a typical Kristen Ashley Alph-Male, but isn't that what we love about her writing? Domineering, possessive, growly, and of course, 100% HOT!!

Nina was a cutie and I loved her big heart. This poor girl got knocked around a fair amount. I would say Daemon paid dearly, though. The secondary characters were loads of fun and provided extra entertainment throughout. This story was long but I never felt it lost my attention. KA definitely knows how to write an addictive story that will have you clicking through pages, oblivious to all that surrounds you.

Favorite quote:

"I lucked out, baby," Max went on. "When I was young life handed me somethin' beautiful. Then it took it away. Ten years down the road, somethin' different, but no less beautiful, showed up right at my front door. I knew it almost the minute I saw it and nothin' has happened since to shake that. You think, findin' that in you, I'm gonna let you change my password, write me some f&%ked up note and walk away?"

A copy was provided by Grand Central Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
Profile Image for Rachel  L.
1,938 reviews2,397 followers
May 13, 2017
4 stars

“In my life, I’ve learned when to let shit go and when to fight. This, babe, what we got, I’ll fight for.”

The Gamble was my second ever Kristen Ashley novel. I think I discovered it on a random listopia list here on Goodreads. This is the book where I fell in love with her as an author, and I devoured the Mountain Man series. I've never read another series like this one, and I don't think I ever will.

I love Max and his Duchess. Such a wonderful story of a lost woman who found herself with the help of the right man. The plot is a little crazy yeah, but just fall into it and the fantasy and you'll love it.

My only criticism and why it's a 4 and not a 5 even after a reread is it's way too long. But otherwise it's wonderful.

“Learned some things in my life, Duchess, one of the most important, you find a good woman, you take care of her.”
“Please”
“This happens between us, Duchess, I’d take care of you.”
“Don’t”
“Die doin’ it,” he vowed.”



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Profile Image for * Meli Mel *.
856 reviews672 followers
September 18, 2013


♥♥♥ 5 'Macho Mountain Man' Stars ♥♥♥





The Gamble takes place in a small town named Gnaw Bone, Colorado. This is the place Nina Sheridan goes to for a "timeout" from her fiancé Niles. When she arrives at the cabin she rented, she meets Max, the owner of the Cabin. Max only rents out the cabin when he isn't home, so there has been a mix up. He pretty much kicks her out of the cabin and tells her to go to a hotel. Nina gets pissed off then storms away only to get stuck in the snow and fall sick. Max finds her and takes care of her during her illness. He agrees to have her stay, and as time goes by, they start to fall for each other. But their lives are disturbed by the events that are occuring in town. One being a murder of man Max knew, and him being a suspect.





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“You just need to know, I gotta fight to keep what we got so we can build on it, I will. Him, your Dad, you, I don’t give a fuck. In my life, I’ve learned when to let shit go and when to fight. This, babe, what we got, I’ll fight for.”

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My sweet, sweet Holden 'Max' Maxwell... how I LOVED him. I want to be sick just so I can have him take care of me.... *sigh*. I melted with the way he cared for Nina while she was ill. He was domineering and very much an Alpha but it was never overbearing. He was super loving and I just wanted to kiss him for it. He took care of almost everyone in that town in some way. I loved the kisses to the forhead, him calling Nina "Duchess" and just pretty much anything he would do. And he does what every girl wants from her man... HE FREAKING LISTENS!! He made me swoon at how he remembered all the small things that had to do with Nina. He had a tragic past though, and still, he was kind and didn't stay bitter about what happened. I loved that he showed Nina how it's like to be in a relationship where she matters. He was just perfect... *dreamy smile* LOVED HIM!!



●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

"There was a time in my life where I used to roll the dice. I did it a lot and I always lost. Every time, I lost and when I lost, I lost everything. So I got scared of rolling the dice. Thank you for showing me it was worth taking a gamble again, darling. It feels good to finally win and win huge."

●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●


I really liked Nina 'Duchess' Sheridan. She was definitely a feisty nut but I loved that she had some backbone. This girl can really stand up for herself, even when she's facing someone bigger and scarier. She will defend those she cares about. She leaves England and her dumbass fiancé to find herself, to figure out her wants. I loved that even though her past was not a walk in the park either, she remained strong. Yes she had a shield, but she was still very loving to those around her. I'm so glad Max was able to breakdown her barrier because together they were so freaking adorable. I love how independent she was and how she supportive she was of Mindy. She was an amazing friend. I just loved her.



Their romance was definitely what had me glued to this book. But I was also quite interested with what was going on with the case of the murder of Curtis. I wanted to know who did it. It was like freaking clue, and I love that game. I suspected a person and then I was SO shocked to find out who the killer really was. I had quickly dismissed this person and that person ended up being it. What also had me interested was the story with Mindy and Jeff. I was so happy for her, she's been through so much and all I wanted was for her to be blissfully happy. I'm glad she found that with Jeff. Niles... He was a friggin' idiot!...Nuff said. Damon... I just wanted to castrate him... Nuff said. Shauna... I hated the bitch... Nuff said. Kami was a bitch in the beginning, and in a way, I'm glad she had to go through all that she did in order for her to see the light. She may not be 100% bitch free, but she became better. I loved Nina's family, especially her mom, she was a hoot. I also love how Kristen Ashley incorporated Nina's brother, Charles into the story, that was awesome!



●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

“You know, I do too,” I heard his gravelly voice rumble quietly.

“What?” I asked his throat.
He didn’t answer and when his silence lasted a long time, I lifted my head and looked down at his face to see he looked sated and serious.
“What do I know?” I queried.

His fingers stopped their roaming, one arm locked around my waist, the other hand slid up my spine and into my hair. His amazing gray eyes didn’t leave mine when he answered gently, “I do too. I said it the other day and I meant it.” His fingers tensed against my scalp. “I’m in love with you, Duchess.”

●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

The ending was great. I liked how everything was resolved. But what I absolutely LOVED, was the epilogue. It was so adorably sweet. I had the hugest smile and a few tears. I loved it! I actually wanted to know more about Mindy and Jeff. But I am so happy with the HEA. I LOVED Max, I was surprised I really liked the heroine and the story was really entertaining. The only thing I could complain about would be the length. It was so long! But still, I really enjoyed it.

Profile Image for Jen.
1,655 reviews1,104 followers
February 12, 2015
This was another great Kristen Ashley read.. I did however find it somewhat long. In fact, I am thinking it was over 600 pages...I felt that some of the story could have been shaved down a bit; but even so I did enjoy this read over all! I am looking forward to the rest of the Colorado series, and of course; more of the gruff Alpha men that KA gives us in her stories!!! If you are a reader who enjoys Ms. Ahsley's style of writing; then this will be a book you will highly enjoy. A great addition to her many wonderful stories!!!
Profile Image for Lady Heather .
1,301 reviews767 followers
March 22, 2023
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First read: Feb 7-10. 2012

The book's synopsis basically says it all. It was a none stop roller-coaster ride throughout the whole story.
The characters are brilliantly written.
The story is AMAZING!
There was so much going on all the time, and yet it wasn't 'busy'.
I loved the author's style of writing.
The characters became real and were extremely likeable.
This book is not a quick read, so if you want to put the time into a really good read.
I highly recommend this book!


Re-read: August 29-31, 2013
Once again a 5 star rating!

GAWD! I forgot how friggin good this story was!

So, this is me (and my husband) moving 'our last daughter' (we have 4) on this fine Labor Day weekend to Ottawa University into residence (because we live 4 hours away). My husbands driving, my daughters listening to her I-pod, and I'm reading this bloody book's epilogue and bawling my eyes out.


My husband just looks at me and shakes his head (because I've been reading a lot of books lately that have had me in tears... {thank you very much KA!}).

I finished this book with such a warm-fuzzy feeling because I TOTALLY forgot how friggin HOT Holden Maxwell was, and how much I liked Nina character!
Their chemistry was off the charts.

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I LOVED the characters, the story, and the writing, but most of all I ADORED the second chance these two characters got in the story!

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AMAZING! AMAZING! AMAZING!


Third re-read: Finished July 26, 2014
Still one of my favourites!


Fourth re-read: September 16-18, 2017

Wow! I hadn't realized it had been 3 years since I last read this book.
This is the book where it all begins.
Where we (the readers) are introduced to these incredibly strong, mountainous, domineering, protective, smart Colorado Mountain Men.
Loved this re-read!
Once again the characters were amazing to read and get to know all over again.
It's funny, I just re-read this whole series over the last month and I was saving this book (the first book in the series) for the last because it was the first book I ever read by Kristen Ashley, the one that got me hooked, and it's still one my favourites.

Fifth re-read December 10-11, 2018
Damn!

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I thoroughly enjoyed this re-read.
It was amazing to revisit the incredible characters in Gnaw Bone and once again read Nina and Max's wonderful story.

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Profile Image for Wendys Wycked Words.
1,579 reviews3,884 followers
December 10, 2020


Re-read ...again...5/29/17

Another one of my favorite KA books. I absolutely love this series and Nina is one of my favorite KA heroines, I say "one of", because I have many (Circe will always be my nr 1). We also get a hot, growling, domineering, alpha mountain man, in the form of Max....it was utterly delicious :P

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Nina is a 36 year old (American) lawyer who has been living in England for years. She is engaged to a boring ass man, who doesn't pay her any attention and Nina decided that she needed a time-out. She booked a two week vacation in an A-frame in the Colorado Mountains, to think about her life...and her relationship especially.

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Things don't go exactly as planned though, because upon arrival, it turns out that there has been some kind of mix up and that the owner, Max is home.

He wants Nina, to go to a hotel and after argueing for a bit, she does.... She not only get's stuck in a ditch, but she is also very sick. Max finds her and nurses her back to health.

Apparently he sees something in Nina he likes....and we all know how that goes. He insists that she says with him for the duration of her vacation.

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A lot of things happen in this book, there is plenty of drama and while all of this is going on...Nina falls deeper and deeper in love with Max.

The only problem is, that Max has been keeping something from Nina...something she already knows and is struggeling with.

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These two were awesome together, not to mention extremely HOT. I really liked Max, though he did make some mistakes, which happens, but putting the fault on Nina didn't really sit right with me. He redeemed himself though, so we are good ;)

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Even the side-characters were amazing. I have a feeling I will be reading this book many times over.

“This, babe, what we got, I’ll fight for.”
Profile Image for WhiskeyintheJar.
1,367 reviews629 followers
August 21, 2018
I've, mostly, given up on Ashley as her writing style/voice more often than not, constantly draws me in with promise but never delivers. This was a Kindle Freebie and Random Number Generator picked it out of the abyss.

This story:



An Ashley hero calling the heroine "babe" and/or "baby"? NEVER. (She has an English accent so he also calls her Duchess)



"Executed a perfect 3 point turn". Why did I read this sentence over and over again? Was Ashley a driver instructor in a former life??


Sandwiched between the "babe" calling, three-point turning, and drama ending was some honest to god deep emotional issues (domestic violence, rape, disabilities) that get broached but never fully developed. Ashley's ability to incorporate these issues and emotions are what tempt me to keep reading her (the promise I was talking about) but ugh, no development. These issues almost start to seem sensationalized and click-bait reading because Ashley doesn't develop the issues and characters.



The ending, my god, the ending. Drama after sensationalized drama. The repeat situations our heroine found herself in got to be tedious and one of the villains ended up being portrayed cartoonish.


I can see why Ashley is popular and I can see why she in not popular. All I know is, my kingdom for an Ashley hero to speak in full coherent sentences.
Profile Image for Kellie Maddox-Ward.
743 reviews519 followers
July 19, 2012

Dear GR Friends,
After reading the 3 books in this series I am packing up my shit and moving to Colorado.
I'm going to get me a Mountain man! Anyone with me?
We shall leave on the red eye.
Sincerly Kellie.


Ok Seriously after reading the Rock Chick series and falling for most of them but Luke took top spot, and then the Dream Man series and falling head over heels for Tack and Hawk I didn't think I had much more in me.
Until I met Max, Ty and Tate!
GOOD DDAAYYMMNNNN My hoo ha was quivering!

I loved this story. Leaving your stuck up Fiancee for a timeout only to meet the man of your dreams by staying in his house! Only that shit happens in fiction books!

but what a great story it was, Amazing man, amazing woman, witty dialogue, great secondary characters, good laughs It has everything you could want!
Get on this series! Seriously!
Profile Image for Dilek VT.
1,545 reviews1,486 followers
February 28, 2021
4.5 stars

Well, that was a really long read – nearly 600 pages. Although I quite enjoyed the book, I really think it did not need to be that lengthy.

This is not a romance novel only– it is a mixture of everything. So much stuff happens. Romance, mystery, murder, kidnapping, rape, suicide, cheating, beating... And that was too much after a while. I may enjoy a little bit of action in a romance book but not the overdose like in this one. That was over my limits. Somewhere towards the end, I was yelling at the writer, saying, “Oh my God, enough. She has had enough trauma in her life, aren’t you satisfied?”



OK, well, that said, I can say that I still loved the book, but the hero, Max, is the main reason why I loved it. He is a hero I will never ever forget. He easily takes his place in my favorite book boyfriends list.

Normally, I am not a fan of alpha males. I can accept them only if the dose of possessiveness and dominance is well balanced with compassion and tenderness. They should not be giving orders all the time or they shouldn’t humiliate or hurt women for any reason. Then, I can accept them. But there is a difference between “accepting” someone when you find them tolerable and “loving” them. For me, to be able to love an alpha male, there must be something exceptional about him, the way he shows his love must be one of a kind – somehow special – very very special.

And, in The Gamble, MAX had it all and more! I loved MAX, and he made me love this book. He made my heart melt. OK, so the bottom line is if he can melt my heart, I can love an alpha male :)



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Then, there is our heroine, Nina, or the Duchess, as Max calls her. I had mixed feelings about her. She is cute, sassy and ballsy. She is also witty, compassionate, friendly and funny. However, because of her terrible past relationships, she is insecure and defensive, jumping into conclusions all the time. That is why, the situations that can be resolved easily just by talking becomes a reason for her acting stupid or running away. Her lack of communication with Max about her insecurities is sometimes annoying.



Also, she sometimes sounds annoying because of her one word answers/questions or objections such as “Um...”, “Uh...”, “Max”, “Sorry?”, "I..." etc... She also repeats questions asked to her or repeats what someone has just said to her like a parrot, which is kind of irritating and tiring. Once or twice, it may be OK but again, there is an overdose of it.

One also questions why she can stand up for herself or for the ones she cares about defending them with enthusiasm using complex and long sentences that will really amaze you with their wit and humor in them but why she stammers like a confused idiot in simpler dialogues.

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I enjoyed the chemistry between Max and Nina, their bantering and flirting. I loved it when Max called her names like Duchess, Zombi Nina, Sweet Nina etc. I loved how he held her tight and hugged and kissed her so often. I loved how he defended her in all situations. I loved how he remembered the little details about her. I loved how he never let go of her.



The story takes place in Colorado Mountains. The views of mountains, cute towns and the mountain cabin were vivid in my mind all along the book.





The secondary characters were also fun, providing more entertainment. There were a lot of secondary characters, though. And a lot of stuff was happening around them. There were times when I felt like I was watching a soap opera – and not just a few episodes but the full season of it till the finale!

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I don’t know if people in Colorado speak like that but there was something interesting in the way they spoke. Important words, mostly conjunctions, are missing in some places (especially “if” in conditionals). Some sentences sound kind of incomplete just hanging there. I guess it is the casual way of speaking and although they make sense, they felt grammatically incomplete. Well, I got used to it after a while but that was a drag for me at the beginning.

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Well, talking about the plot is not easy because there are too many details but things more or less revolve around Max and Nina.

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Max had a happy marriage but he lost his wife 10 years ago in a tragic car accident and since then, he never had another woman that he cared about. He just had casual relationships with no commitment.

Nina is engaged and lives in England although she is American. She is not happy and she needs a timeout before she gets married. She buys a ticket and goes to Colorado Mountains to spend some time alone. There, the problems begin. There has been a mistake in the booking and the house she rented is not available because the owner is staying there at the moment.



Then, things get interesting and they live the forthcoming weeks like on a roller coaster. Max soon realizes that Nina is "the one" – the one he would like to keep for good and he does everything in his power to make her believe that they will be a good couple together. However, it is not only up to them. As things go out of control, they find themselves in the middle of a lot of drama. There is kidnapping, violence and murder.

Because of the millions of events in the story, it feels never-ending at certain points but I still recommend this book because it is a nice and fun read despite all its flaws and lengthiness.

It is safe as there is no cheating. Both of them had other partners before. She is 36 and he is 37 years old. However, she is engaged when Nina first meets Max but then, a few days later, she sends her fiancé an e-mail, saying their relationship won't work and breaks up with him.

She was already on a timeout here in Colorado, thinking her relationship was not good enough for her to marry him.

Although her (ex)fiancé comes and creates a little drama, I had no problem with it because on her part, it was definitely over.

A woman Max slept with before also creates a few problems but Max and Nina deal with her brilliantly.

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The writing is good and it makes you feel. I just would prefer it to be less lengthy but still it's good.

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Now, let me present you our main character MAX in all his glory and then, you decide if you would like to read about him:



“I dropped my arms and then I slid them around what felt like a man's waist. Then I cuddled closer. It felt like arms came around my waist too, and it also felt like a hand was trailing gently up and down my back.
"You're sweet when you're sick."
"I am?"
"Hellion when you're riled."
"Yes?"
"Yeah."
"Mm."
Then he muttered, "Not sure which I like more.”

***

“I’m Holden Maxwell,” Max answered immediately, in other words before I could. “I own the house Nina rented. There was a mix up, I had to be in town on personal business and Slim didn’t tell Nina. She showed up at the house and I was there. Lucky I was. She was sick as a dog, lapsed into a fever so bad she was delirious for two days and I was worried I’d have to take her to the hospital. The fever broke and since then things have advanced between us. We’ve gotten to know each other, we both like what we know and, bottom line, you didn’t take care of what was yours. Now, as Nina has explained, you’ve lost it, I found it and it’s mine.”

***

“I was your man, you were halfway around the world from me, honey, I'd fuckin' phone you," he said quietly.
"Niles is reserved," I whispered.
"Niles is an ass," he returned and my brows drew together.
"You don't know him."
"I know men, and I know he's not reserved, he's an ass."
I pulled my head together, my hand from his and snapped, "Yes? And how do you know that?"
"Because I've seen you naked, I've seen you sweet, I've seen you unsure and I've seen you riled and, seein' all that, I know, you were half a world away from me, I'd fuckin' phone."
"Perhaps that's not the kind of relationship Niles and I have," I suggested snottily, but his words hit me somewhere deep, somewhere I didn't know I had.
"You on a timeout?"
"What?"
"If you told me you needed a timeout, first, I wouldn't fuckin' let you have one, second, I wouldn't give you reason to fuckin' want one, last, you took off anyway, I'd fuckin' phone.”




“His hand at my face slid into my hair and his face got close before he said,
“I know this. Those assholes are assholes because they did what they did and because they did it to a good woman. Learned some things in my life, Duchess. One of the most important—you find a good woman, you take care of her.”
“Please.”
“This happens between us, Duchess, I’d take care of you.”
“Don’t.”
“Die doin’ it,” he vowed.”

***

“You just need to know, I gotta fight to keep what we got so we can build on it, I will. Him, your Dad, you, I don’t give a fuck. In my life, I’ve learned when to let shit go and when to fight. This, babe, what we got, I’ll fight for.”

***

Niles didn’t bother to look at Mom, he continued to stare at Max.
“You’d be a fool to walk away from that,” Dad advised.
“What offer?” I asked, looking up at Max.
“Your father offered this…” Niles started explaining and my eyes went to him, “ man two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to disappear out of your life. I’m making it three quarters of a million.”
I gasped at this news and took a step back but Max’s hand held mine fast, he took a step forward and he was stronger than me so I went with him. He put the knuckles of his fist to the table, leaned toward Niles and spoke quietly, cuttingly, in his rough, gravelly voice:
“Fucked her last night, man, and this morning. Five times. Five. It was like she hadn’t been touched in a decade. So fuckin’ sweet. Damn, ” he taunted, his eyes locked on Niles. “You’ve had her, you gotta know, not enough money in the world’s worth that.”

***

“Looks like you’re gonna lose it, you do everything you can to stop that from happening.” Max looked back to Niles. “And you didn’t do that. She was a week away from me, she walked into a room I was in holdin’ another man’s hand, I’d lose my fuckin’ mind. Not at her. Wonderin’ where I lost my way and I’d talk to her about how to find my way back”

***

“Never," Max said, again ignoring me. "Never did I walk into a room and see her dressed to go out and forget how to breathe like I did when I saw you before we went to The Rooster." I felt my eyes grow wide at this admission and I, too, forgot how to breathe.”




Originally read in February, 2016
Reread in January, 2020


It still felt good when I read it a second time. Max still feels so very swoon-worthy.


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Profile Image for Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘.
1,314 reviews2,966 followers
August 13, 2019
Second re-read: 13.08.2019
The thing is, this one is one of the better ones of KA. Max is quite perfect and Nina isn't so annoying as KA's other female characters (though her not talking to Max is annoying). That being said, the book is awfully long, as in; it's too long, and the insta-love is not for me. I mean, a week in and they are talking about moving in. Well, not talking, telling. Overall, I don't regret reading it, but it's too long with little happening in it.

Re-read: 19.02.2017
Before you ask: I have no idea why I ended up re-reading this book. Seriously! I liked it the first time, but I didn't love it, so I don't understand why I suddenly found myself starting reading this one... I mean, Nina Sheridan (36) is cute and all, and I find Holden ‘Max’ Maxwell (37) sexy and hot as hell... but enough to re-read it? I hadn't thought so... but obviously I was wrong... Hell, it even has insta-love and shit...
“In my life, I’ve learned when to let shit go and when to fight. This, babe, what we got, I’ll fight for.”


Quick basic facts:
Genre: - (Adult) Contemporary Romance
Series: - Series, Book One
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Holden ‘Max’ Maxwell
Would I read more by this author/or of series? - Yes.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes.
Will I read this again in the future? - Who knows?
Rating - 3 stars.
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