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Betting on Hope
When her father loses the family’s Nevada ranch in a poker game, Hope McNaughton decides to win it back—from New Jersey Mafia boss Big Julie Saladino. She’s got time…thirty days. Thirty days before they have to move out or swim with the fishes.Hope calls on her honorary uncles—who are totally legit, honestly—to sharpen her game. Poker champion Tanner Wingate—whose shady past is all behind him, really—wants to pull her out of that deep water and into his life. Hope doesn’t want to get mixed up with card sharks who are too much like her father—irresponsible gamblers who cheat, take too many risks, and hurt their families. But she’ll do what she has to do to get the ranch back.When she and Tanner both wind up in the Big Game with Big Julie, only one of them can win. And whoever walks away with the pot will be the biggest loser. But Tanner knows that the game’s not over until the last card is played, and all they need is a fake black ops mission to discover that love’s not such a gamble, after all.
371 pages, Paperback
First published August 22, 2011
43 people are currently reading
503 people want to read
About the author
Kay Keppler
17 books20 followersKay Keppler likes happy endings, whether they’re in the fiction she writes, the fiction she edits, or the fiction she reads. After all, an unhappy outcome is what the newspaper is for! Her characters are resourceful to a fault, hard-working to the extreme, and loyal to the end—qualities she absorbed growing up in a small town in Wisconsin. Resisting the character-building aspects of deep snow and cold, she now lives in California and spends her time creating happy endings.
You can reach her at
kaykeppler.com, kaykeppler@yahoo.com, @KayKeppler, or facebook.com/kaykeppler.
You can reach her at
kaykeppler.com, kaykeppler@yahoo.com, @KayKeppler, or facebook.com/kaykeppler.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
May 6, 2013
Having read my reviews, anyone would think that I am a bitter, hateful old hag with nothing better to do than to criticize other people's work. Actually, I'm 25. The rest is true.
I'm kidding - the truth is that I really only bother to review a book when it sufficiently irritates me. And this book has earned my ire, although not for the reasons most people would think.
The slightly daffy heroine does not particularly bother me. Nor does her idiotic ten-year-old niece (one of her first lines is "Who's Dad? Do I know him?" - she frequently behaves/speaks like a six-year-old - I feel like this author has never met a child and is merely postulating on what one might be like). Nor is it the would-be lothario who woos his potential beloved with cheesy lines, comparing their love to potato salad. No, really. He compares love/sex to potato salad - repeatedly and with childish zeal. And he compares her to a pumpkin (curvaceous and firm - bleh). Coincidentally, I hate pumpkins and all pumpkin-related foods - this is irrelevant.
No. What really bothers me is that I feel that, at least on a bare minimum level, authors should do their research. And this author's familiarity with research is about on par with my own knowledge of the Korean language. I am speaking here, mostly, about the Russian mobsters - and yes, I know, they're somewhat of a stock character, but this author has managed to take the traditional Russian mobster and make him downright insulting. I don't think the author has ever met a Russian person (or at the very least, she did not like him very much).
These Russian blockheads hit on anything that moves and apparently cannot go two seconds with pledging allegiance to Lenin or quoting socialist theory. Quite an accomplishment for monosyllabic morons, actually, which is how they are otherwise portrayed. Also, Ms. Keppler apparently cannot even muster the strength for a simply google search. Here I mean Ms. Keppler's definition of 'varenikis.' Not only is Ms. Keppler incapable of using the correct word (vareniki is plural. Varenik is singular. Varenikis is not a word) - she also manages to describe the completely wrong thing.
Actually, I have no idea what the hell she is describing. It appears to be some sort of fried apple pie, but it has absolutely nothing in common with the dumplings I've grown up with.
Outside of these things, we have a hotel maid who, outside of being the worst kind of stereotype, is seemingly incapable of using correct Spanish (again, something a simple google search would have fixed).
I tried to read this book as a parody. But somewhere around the point that the Russian mobsters decide to take their intended victim for a helicopter ride (because killing him at present would be going against Leninist theory) I couldn't take it anymore.
I can understand why people like this book - it's light and frothy with an occasional laugh. But honestly, I can't take an author seriously who refuses to put the bare minimum of effort into her work.
The basic issue here is that I feel characters in a book - regardless of genre - should behave like reasonable human beings. In general, they should make choices that a reader could understand. They should behave like people - not like stick-figure caricatures. I feel that even minor characters deserve to be treated like characters and not like wooden props. And that lack of reasonable decision-making, combined with the wooden (and really quite insulting) characters is what essentially ruins this book for me.
Bitter old hag signing off.
I'm kidding - the truth is that I really only bother to review a book when it sufficiently irritates me. And this book has earned my ire, although not for the reasons most people would think.
The slightly daffy heroine does not particularly bother me. Nor does her idiotic ten-year-old niece (one of her first lines is "Who's Dad? Do I know him?" - she frequently behaves/speaks like a six-year-old - I feel like this author has never met a child and is merely postulating on what one might be like). Nor is it the would-be lothario who woos his potential beloved with cheesy lines, comparing their love to potato salad. No, really. He compares love/sex to potato salad - repeatedly and with childish zeal. And he compares her to a pumpkin (curvaceous and firm - bleh). Coincidentally, I hate pumpkins and all pumpkin-related foods - this is irrelevant.
No. What really bothers me is that I feel that, at least on a bare minimum level, authors should do their research. And this author's familiarity with research is about on par with my own knowledge of the Korean language. I am speaking here, mostly, about the Russian mobsters - and yes, I know, they're somewhat of a stock character, but this author has managed to take the traditional Russian mobster and make him downright insulting. I don't think the author has ever met a Russian person (or at the very least, she did not like him very much).
These Russian blockheads hit on anything that moves and apparently cannot go two seconds with pledging allegiance to Lenin or quoting socialist theory. Quite an accomplishment for monosyllabic morons, actually, which is how they are otherwise portrayed. Also, Ms. Keppler apparently cannot even muster the strength for a simply google search. Here I mean Ms. Keppler's definition of 'varenikis.' Not only is Ms. Keppler incapable of using the correct word (vareniki is plural. Varenik is singular. Varenikis is not a word) - she also manages to describe the completely wrong thing.
Actually, I have no idea what the hell she is describing. It appears to be some sort of fried apple pie, but it has absolutely nothing in common with the dumplings I've grown up with.
Outside of these things, we have a hotel maid who, outside of being the worst kind of stereotype, is seemingly incapable of using correct Spanish (again, something a simple google search would have fixed).
I tried to read this book as a parody. But somewhere around the point that the Russian mobsters decide to take their intended victim for a helicopter ride (because killing him at present would be going against Leninist theory) I couldn't take it anymore.
I can understand why people like this book - it's light and frothy with an occasional laugh. But honestly, I can't take an author seriously who refuses to put the bare minimum of effort into her work.
The basic issue here is that I feel characters in a book - regardless of genre - should behave like reasonable human beings. In general, they should make choices that a reader could understand. They should behave like people - not like stick-figure caricatures. I feel that even minor characters deserve to be treated like characters and not like wooden props. And that lack of reasonable decision-making, combined with the wooden (and really quite insulting) characters is what essentially ruins this book for me.
Bitter old hag signing off.
October 29, 2014
I loved this book! It was so good, I read it in one setting! I truly enjoyed the characters, plus it had me laughing out loud in places. If you are looking for lite read that's has a feel good ending, you will really enjoy this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 7, 2012
Hope McNaughton hasn't seen her father in years but he can still create havoc in her life. He has lost the family ranch in a poker game.
Hope thinks that just can't be true but she finds out her father got the house in the divorce and they have been renting from him all these years. Hope learns he lost it to New Jersey Mafia boss Big Julie Saladino. He happens to be in Vegas hosting some private poker games so while she hasn't played cards in quite a while she thinks with the right help she can win the ranch back.
Hope calls on her honorary uncles--who are totally legit, honestly--to sharpen her game. Poker champion Tanner Wingate doesn't know what's at stake but tries to convince Hope gambling when you can't afford to lose is the wrong thing to do. Hope doesn't want to get mixed up with a card shark like Tanner, who's too much like her father--an irresponsible gambler who cheats and takes too many risks. But she'll do what she has to do to get the ranch back.
Dollycas's Thoughts
This was a fast and fun read that I didn't want to end.
Hope is a complex character dealing with abandonment issues because her father left their family and never looked back. She has a hard time dating and trusting men which was written beautifully. The romance is true to real life making her character so easy to identify with.
The Russians are hilarious and the shopping trips Hope took with Baby are hysterical. Her honorary uncles are loving and so funny. They are really there for Hope and her mom and her sister. Her niece Amber even lines up a couple honorary uncles for herself.
This story has it all romance, suspense, and humor. Gambling, mobsters, dysfunctional family, organic farming, Vegas, I loved it!!! I am so glad that what happened in Vegas this time didn't stay in Vegas. I am "all in" on this one. JACKPOT!!
Hope thinks that just can't be true but she finds out her father got the house in the divorce and they have been renting from him all these years. Hope learns he lost it to New Jersey Mafia boss Big Julie Saladino. He happens to be in Vegas hosting some private poker games so while she hasn't played cards in quite a while she thinks with the right help she can win the ranch back.
Hope calls on her honorary uncles--who are totally legit, honestly--to sharpen her game. Poker champion Tanner Wingate doesn't know what's at stake but tries to convince Hope gambling when you can't afford to lose is the wrong thing to do. Hope doesn't want to get mixed up with a card shark like Tanner, who's too much like her father--an irresponsible gambler who cheats and takes too many risks. But she'll do what she has to do to get the ranch back.
Dollycas's Thoughts
This was a fast and fun read that I didn't want to end.
Hope is a complex character dealing with abandonment issues because her father left their family and never looked back. She has a hard time dating and trusting men which was written beautifully. The romance is true to real life making her character so easy to identify with.
The Russians are hilarious and the shopping trips Hope took with Baby are hysterical. Her honorary uncles are loving and so funny. They are really there for Hope and her mom and her sister. Her niece Amber even lines up a couple honorary uncles for herself.
This story has it all romance, suspense, and humor. Gambling, mobsters, dysfunctional family, organic farming, Vegas, I loved it!!! I am so glad that what happened in Vegas this time didn't stay in Vegas. I am "all in" on this one. JACKPOT!!
April 23, 2012
This book was very entertaining and funny in a madcap adventure kind of way. I could really visualize the mobsters bumbling around. The book made me smile.
"No, you’re the muscle,” Tanner said. “You’re the one supplying all the gravitas.” “Gravitas?” Marty asked. “I thought that was a smoked fish.” Kenji smiled. “A smoked fish,” he said. “Good one.”
"No, you’re the muscle,” Tanner said. “You’re the one supplying all the gravitas.” “Gravitas?” Marty asked. “I thought that was a smoked fish.” Kenji smiled. “A smoked fish,” he said. “Good one.”
September 9, 2018
Great book!
Betting on hope was a fun book... was one that moved fast enough to stay interested and well written ...and kept me nervous how it would turn out okay in the end. Enjoy!
Betting on hope was a fun book... was one that moved fast enough to stay interested and well written ...and kept me nervous how it would turn out okay in the end. Enjoy!
September 15, 2020
Quirky, fun, entertaining read
This story has a bit of everything—a ranch, high stakes gambling, Russian mobsters, great shopping, humor, family, and a hero and heroine you can’t help rooting for. It was a very fun read and definitely left me with a smile on my face,
This story has a bit of everything—a ranch, high stakes gambling, Russian mobsters, great shopping, humor, family, and a hero and heroine you can’t help rooting for. It was a very fun read and definitely left me with a smile on my face,
Want to read
February 25, 2022Author's guest post at my blog:
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https://bookfare.blogspot.com/2022/02...
September 28, 2012
I totally could see this book as a movie...
Dont know why, but with every scene, as it had humor, drama & all leading to the big build up of a big card game, I just saw it becoming a movie on a big screen... I think it would be a good one too :)
This is the story of Hope & her family, whose ends up loosing their ranch when their gambling father looses it in a bet. Hope calls her "uncle" who are also known as the Jersey Mob & they come immediately to her help. To win the house back, Hope needs to learn to get her own card game back & win it in a big match with Big Julie.
Crossing paths is Tanner, another card player that has to work with the FBI while he's on probation for cheating in casinos 20 years ago. He only has one final thing that is required of him before his probation runs out... & its in the big card game with Big Julie.
Little do Tanner & Hope know that they are getting closer, having no idea they will face each other in this game.
So many characters in this book - with Hope's family & the uncles & Big Julie with his wife & his mistress, Baby (who I thought was hilarious)
Sometimes the story got a little crazy - I could have done without the whole Russian mob coming in - it took WAYYYY too long in a few chapters with them...
but otherwise, the story was entertaining.
Dont know why, but with every scene, as it had humor, drama & all leading to the big build up of a big card game, I just saw it becoming a movie on a big screen... I think it would be a good one too :)
This is the story of Hope & her family, whose ends up loosing their ranch when their gambling father looses it in a bet. Hope calls her "uncle" who are also known as the Jersey Mob & they come immediately to her help. To win the house back, Hope needs to learn to get her own card game back & win it in a big match with Big Julie.
Crossing paths is Tanner, another card player that has to work with the FBI while he's on probation for cheating in casinos 20 years ago. He only has one final thing that is required of him before his probation runs out... & its in the big card game with Big Julie.
Little do Tanner & Hope know that they are getting closer, having no idea they will face each other in this game.
So many characters in this book - with Hope's family & the uncles & Big Julie with his wife & his mistress, Baby (who I thought was hilarious)
Sometimes the story got a little crazy - I could have done without the whole Russian mob coming in - it took WAYYYY too long in a few chapters with them...
but otherwise, the story was entertaining.
April 17, 2012
Make sure you're wearing your big girl disbelief suspenders...
It's an average book for the genre. Hope calls In her honorary uncles (otherwise known as her dad's gambling buddies) to reteach her the rules of high stakes poker. Her dad, it seems, lost the ranch in a poker game with a mafia boss, and she intends to win it back. Hope says she wants nothing to do with card players, but Tanner seems to make her want to break all of her rules. Tanner sometimes cheats at cards, and sometimes works for the FBI. In the world of high stakes poker, no one can afford to lose.
Everything is fairly predictable, even as it boarders on the absurd. Nothing really takes you by surprise, but nothing really pushes you into the realm of horrible. It's a decent way to spend an hour or two, if you've got nothing else to do.
It's an average book for the genre. Hope calls In her honorary uncles (otherwise known as her dad's gambling buddies) to reteach her the rules of high stakes poker. Her dad, it seems, lost the ranch in a poker game with a mafia boss, and she intends to win it back. Hope says she wants nothing to do with card players, but Tanner seems to make her want to break all of her rules. Tanner sometimes cheats at cards, and sometimes works for the FBI. In the world of high stakes poker, no one can afford to lose.
Everything is fairly predictable, even as it boarders on the absurd. Nothing really takes you by surprise, but nothing really pushes you into the realm of horrible. It's a decent way to spend an hour or two, if you've got nothing else to do.
May 9, 2013
This book is about several women who rent a dilapidated ranchhouse from their father/ex-husband. The fellow loses title to the property in a poker game and one of the daughters (who is a SFO at an software company) decides to win it back in another poker game. Great premise.
I only got half way through this book before I gave up. Maybe the second half was an improvement but there's much better books out there so I decided to look for greener pastures. As these women should have done once the ranch was gambled away, I might add. Sure they made significant capital improvements to the property (state-of-the-art stable and huge greenhouse) but they were losing money on the side ventures and frankly, why were they pouring money into a property they didn't own? Some CFO!
I only got half way through this book before I gave up. Maybe the second half was an improvement but there's much better books out there so I decided to look for greener pastures. As these women should have done once the ranch was gambled away, I might add. Sure they made significant capital improvements to the property (state-of-the-art stable and huge greenhouse) but they were losing money on the side ventures and frankly, why were they pouring money into a property they didn't own? Some CFO!
July 9, 2012
This story is about a down on her luck girl, Hope, who gets some bad news. Her gambling addicted father has lost the family ranch to a mafioso, and she, her mother, younger sister and niece are about to lose their home and livelihoods. So what does Hope do? She decides to call in old debts, learn to gamble, and win the ranch back!
This book is great! The story was different and very humorous. I laughed at the antics of the bumbling Russian gangsters, especially Johnny Red. And I liked how Ms.Keppler wrote about Hope, Faith, Suzanne, and Amber. I was really able to to empathize with them. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more books and stories by Kay Keppler!
This book is great! The story was different and very humorous. I laughed at the antics of the bumbling Russian gangsters, especially Johnny Red. And I liked how Ms.Keppler wrote about Hope, Faith, Suzanne, and Amber. I was really able to to empathize with them. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more books and stories by Kay Keppler!
May 4, 2013
Once again Goodreads, I really wish that you offered 1/2 stars - I would give this one 3 1/2 stars.
This book started a bit slow for me, but I found myself enjoying it more and more as I read on. I found the "slap stick" comedy to be a refreshing change of pace. The Russians reminded me a little of the Three Stooges (but more of them). I enjoyed the relationship with Tanner and Hope and found Baby and Big Julie to be hilarious. The development of the other characters was a bit soft and the storyline too was weak...but all in all...just a good fun read
This book started a bit slow for me, but I found myself enjoying it more and more as I read on. I found the "slap stick" comedy to be a refreshing change of pace. The Russians reminded me a little of the Three Stooges (but more of them). I enjoyed the relationship with Tanner and Hope and found Baby and Big Julie to be hilarious. The development of the other characters was a bit soft and the storyline too was weak...but all in all...just a good fun read
April 25, 2012
This was a pretty good book! I don't know much about gambling so those parts were lost on me but I like Hope and Tanner was great! I did find it strange that he was supposedly a player but then he didn't act like one. I also didn't like the intimate scenes, a little too much for me. Good story though
May 7, 2013
Hope's father lost the ranch in a card game. Hope calls in her "uncles" to help her hone her poker skills and try to win the ranch back.
The story involves multiple characters that are interesting, but perhaps not believable. Thus strange relationships evolve. Mix that with danger, mystery, threats and love.
This was a free kindle book. The price was right.
The story involves multiple characters that are interesting, but perhaps not believable. Thus strange relationships evolve. Mix that with danger, mystery, threats and love.
This was a free kindle book. The price was right.
April 30, 2012
This book was so much fun. Cheaper than a trip to Vegas, but you end up feeling like you are at a casino and the best part is not losing money in the process. :-)
I loved the quirky characters and how Hope handled her situation. Sexy, sassy and so sweet.
I loved the quirky characters and how Hope handled her situation. Sexy, sassy and so sweet.
April 26, 2012
Better than I expected. I was pretty tired of the "uncles" saying some of the same things over and over and becoming this one line type characters other than Marty the Sneak, but the rest of it was interesting.
May 2, 2013
I liked the idea of this story, but it had many editing issues, and a sex scene that was too much for me. A few cuss words, but not many. Many situations were unrealistic. Over all, I think I would not have chosen this book, but I think it was a freebie somewhere.
Read
May 6, 2013Kindle freebie.
Fairly standard romance with a lot of side plots and characters. If you like that sort of thing this might be for you. I could have done with simplifying the side plots but that is just me. It was an okay read since it wasn't exactly my thing.
Fairly standard romance with a lot of side plots and characters. If you like that sort of thing this might be for you. I could have done with simplifying the side plots but that is just me. It was an okay read since it wasn't exactly my thing.
March 16, 2016
I enjoyed reading how Hope had to overcome obstacles and learn how to play cards. Her sitting with her uncles was enjoyable. Ryan's character was well developed, but I feel like the attraction between him and Hope could have used work. The writing was weak on this.
July 8, 2013
I didn't bother to finish this one. There was a lot of filler and because of this, it moved at a snails pace for me. Also, I couldn't make a connection with the characters. They weren't well developed. Such a shame. The story line had promise.
December 4, 2014
I thought this book was good for what it was. I found it entertaining and it didn't really bother me that I knew exactly what was going to happen. It was a quick read, I think I finished it in a day.
April 28, 2012
This was one of the best free Amazon kindle books I've read which isn't saying a ton but I basically enjoyed it. I do feel like there were a ton of characters and too many storylines going on.
Want to read
April 18, 2012Kindle Freebie 4.18.12
April 19, 2012
This is a fun, easy read which was just what I was looking for at this time.
April 30, 2012
It was a fun, easy read book. Light romance mixed in with a bit of the mob and gambling.
June 24, 2012
excellent gym faire. read it for free on my kindle while working out. not too deep. some sexy time for sure. satisfying ending.
May 20, 2012
Great book!
Gambling, the mob,damsels in distress mixed with a little bit of a love story (of sorts) make this book a fun read!
Gambling, the mob,damsels in distress mixed with a little bit of a love story (of sorts) make this book a fun read!
May 31, 2012
This was a fun book. Funny. Cheesey romance. A cute summer book!!!
June 21, 2015
This is different that what I usually read... but I really like it so far
July 24, 2012
What can I say? I'm a sucker for a free book. Not bad considering I'm not a romance novel kinda girl.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews