Review: The Gamble by Kristen Ashley

Title: The Gamble
Author: Kristen Ashley
Series: Colorado Mountain, #1
Publisher: N/A
Release Date: April 18, 2011
Pages: kindle edition, 629
Rating:

Nina Sheridan’s on a timeout adventure in the Colorado Mountains. She needs distance from her clueless fiancé, distance to decide whether she wants to spend the rest of her life with a man who doesn’t care enough to learn how she takes her coffee.

Arriving in a blinding snowstorm at the A-Frame she rented, she comes face to face with the most amazing man she’s ever seen. Minutes later, when he kicks her out of his house, she goes head to head with him.

Beyond angry because she’s flown half a world away to start her timeout adventure, not to mention her sinuses hurt, she heads back down the mountain and ends up in a ditch. Unable to extricate herself, she gives up, hopes for rescue and falls asleep in the backseat.

The next morning she wakes up in the amazing man’s bed and she’s sick as a dog.

Holden Maxwell spends days nursing her back to health and then he spends the next two weeks trying to convince her to take her Colorado adventure further, in other words, make it permanent and take a gamble on him.

Nina has a tough time fighting her attraction to Max, especially when it seems all Max’s friends, her mother and stepdad and the whole town want them together and both she and Max get embroiled in the murder of Max’s ex-friend and the town of Gnaw Bone’s most detested resident – a man everyone has motive to kill, especially Max.

“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.” 

There is no way, I repeat, no way, no words that can present themselves to how FUCKING AMAZING this book was. THE GAMBLE was one of the best contemporary romance books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. I admit that I was nervous at first seeing that this book was 624 pages in ebook form. That is long for a book to me and what if I don't like it. Quickly into the book, my worries were lost. I can't believe I read such a long book in 2 days, I rarely ever do that! But honest to god, I have never loved a book so much in a while!

I knew before I even took this timeout that Niles and I were never going to work and I realized that I’d known that for a long time. I’d either fallen out of love with him or he’d bored the love out of me.

Nina Sheridan is on a timeout from England, from her fiancé, Niles, who seems not to care at all. Nina wants more in this relationship, despite being with Niles she still feels alone, so she takes a trip to Colorado and rents this beautiful house only to get there and the owner, Holden Maxwell kicks her out and begins the showdown of Nina and Max! Nina later is caught out in the cold and got sick and Max ends up bringing her back to the house to take care of her and somehow she ends up staying at the house with him together, thus begins Max wooing Nina.

“I was your man, you were halfway around the world from me, honey, I’d fucking phone you … 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. And last, you took off anyway, I’d fuckin’ phone.” 

Holden Maxwell is everything I want in a man! He is sweet, gentle, kind, funny, entertaining, loves to tease his woman, A LOT! And he is 100% Alpha Male Material! I fell in love with this man early on, I mean right away. And how many times did this man make me smile, giggle and fall out of my bed laughing? Well, let's see....Hmmmm...ONLY ABOUT 100 TIMES! Max has lived and been through a lot and when Nina comes into his life, he finally finds happiness again and doesn't hesitate to fight for it! And Oh.my.god. I love it when he calls her, Duchess!

I wondered if I could make it to Denver then to England before anyone discovered Max’s body. Then I wondered if anyone would bother with extradition if they figured out it was me who did the deed.

Nina is a girl who is lost and looking for an answer to if she should just settle and marry a man, who doesn't even know how she takes her coffee after all of this time. At first, you don't really see it, until you get a little bit more into the book, but Nina has been through a lot! She has been through hell and back and she deserves to get happiness too and feel secure and not alone. Nina fights what could happen between Max and her a lot through THE GAMBLE where I am banging my head against the wall. Woman, don't you see he is the man for you?! But Max fights for it and wins it!

“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.”

Together these two are so HOT! I seriously could not get enough of Max and Nina! And plus the sex is so hot! Yum! I Love Max and Nina's bickering and Max teasing Nina and calling her Duchess and Baby! And when he says, Babe like it answers Nina's every question. I most likely had about 52 swoon moments in this book! How can a couple be so freaking adorable? It was hard to read Nina wanting to leave Max and not talking to him about the things that were bothering her. I wanted to SCREAM at her, TALK TO HIM! Just don't give up! But Max saved the day more times than one!

“Haven’t had breakfast,” Jeff replied too casually. “Well, that’s just awful,” I noted, making this news sound dire, my eyes going to his hands. “No wife to fill your belly before a hard day of the God’s honest work of tackling crime?” Max’s head came up and he made a strangled noise which I hoped was him choking back laughter because he thought I was cute. “Nope,” Jeff answered through his grin.” 

Max and Nina were not the only reason I loved the book! I absolutely love it when an author is able to get me to love the book with absolutely everything she throws in. I loved the side characters and their problems and drama going on and I love how everyone knows everyone in this town and everyone is in everyone's business, knowing everything, gossip, whatnot! So there was never a dull moment in this book. I enjoyed it immensely. Many WTF moments, which this girl right here loves! I loved this sexy Mountain Man and I want MORE! I cannot wait to dig my claws into the next Colorado Mountain book!