From the Bookshelf of Turning Pages At Midnight…

The Gamble (Colorado Mountain, #1)

Kristen Ashley

Start date: December 27, 2020

Finish date: January 1, 2021

Discussion: Buddy Reads

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* October 2025 Buddy Reads
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What Members Thought

Jul 10, 2013 SamJ ★Needs a HEA★ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: re-read-2015, re-read-2014, theme-horrible-ex, book-challenge-2014, heroine-suited-office-ceo-lawyer, book-challenge-2015, genre-contemporary-romance, book-challenge-2019, read-2013, heroine-traumatic-tortured-sad-past

Re read - love it as much as the first time.

I loved Nina and Max, even with their flaws and issues. Even when they were being daft or doing something I did not agree with, it was obvious it was borne out of a sense of fear.

Great cast of secondary characters (and as I thought the first time, Brody needs a story!)

Great exciting plot with characters you care about. The writing gives a very real sense of what is happening, and how something is, so you have a very clear picture in your head.

As usual ...more

37 likes · Like · see review

Nov 15, 2014 Diane (Books and Tequila Blog) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: listened-to, kindle, library, audible, junkie-recomends, re-read, paperback, favorites, 5-stars, more-than-5-stars

The Gamble is the first book in the Colorado Mountain Series. I pulled the book off my shelf to loan it to a friend and the pull was too strong- I had to start a reread myself. So I downloaded the audiobook and did not regret a moment of my reread/relisten!

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

The Gamble is a great introduction to all things KA with a gruff, protective mountain man Max, a sweet heroine Nina, ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Jul 02, 2012 Jennifer☠Pher☠ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, re-read-2020

**Re-Read**

So, yeah. I've jumped down the rabbit hole and it feels so good.

description

Back when I originally read this I had a serious, SERIOUS fear of writing reviews. I'm not even sure when I finally got to where I could even write like one sentence when I finished a book, but obviously, it wasn't when I read this the first time. So, 8 years later, I'll write a sentence or two :)

I have this marked as a favorite and really, I guess I could say all of KA's books probably fall into that category in a genera ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Jul 26, 2014 Heather added it

This is my first KA book. Maybe I should've picked a different first, I don't know. For almost the first half, and it's a long book, I didn't like it that much. By the end, I found myself loving the characters, really wanting them to end up together. And I didn't even want it to end (even at 672pgs!). I am going to read another Kristen Ashley book soon. Mostly because I want to be one of her huge fans. One that isn't about to give one of her books a dnf. Still I enjoyed enough.

I feel I have to ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Apr 26, 2014 Shan ~A~ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, contemporary, romance, erotic, books-i-own, 1st-in-series, owned-kindle, romance-humor, audio, series-trilogies-i-started

Reread 07/26/2024 ~ 5 stars
Holden Maxwell and Nina Sheridan

Time has not lessened how I feel about this story. The emotions that are drawn up inside while reading this story. I feel for Nina on so many levels and I felt like I was the experiencing the things she was going through.

I had forgotten some of the events in this book and it was hard to read them when they happened this time around. I had completely forgotten the villains, but one thing this shows is that everything isn't black and whit ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 26, 2014 Cyle rated it really liked it

Shelves: mystery, romance, contemporary, mature, alpha-male

GENRE: Contemporary Romance
THEME: Mystery, Mature
RECEIVED: Bought
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/

REVIEW:
Oh boy…or should I say oh man! I’m a new fan of Kristen Ashley and was so excited that author Jennifer Armentrout recommended her writing. There is so much about the Colorado Mountain series that I adored, from the heavy length of the novel; meaning well thought out character developments, steamy romance, and a fantastic murder mystery was all put into this storyline.

The Gamble follows GENRE: Contemporary Romance
THEME: Mystery, Mature
RECEIVED: Bought
BLOG: http://seeingnight.blogspot.com/

REVIEW:
Oh boy…or should I say oh man! I’m a new fan of Kristen Ashley and was so excited that author Jennifer Armentrout recommended her writing. There is so much about the Colorado Mountain series that I adored, from the heavy length of the novel; meaning well thought out character developments, steamy romance, and a fantastic murder mystery was all put into this storyline.

The Gamble follows Nina Sheridan, who decided she needed a breather from her fiancé and took a far trip to the Colorado Mountains to do it. A long way from England and a little irritated with her fiancé she cant wait to get out of the car and into her warm bed at her rented A-frame. But to her shock, she isn’t alone, the owner, Max is just as surprised to see her in his house. After learning about the mix up and some much heated arguing, Nina finds her self-driving to a hotel, to only get stuck in the snow a few miles down. She wakes up warm and bundled and the arrogant and handsome Max who kicked her out is now taking care of her. Max starts to fall for this fierce and tiny woman who lights up every time they argue and every time he gets close to her. But everything changes when the cops come knocking on Max’s door and a murderer has come to town.

Nina has been living in England for many years, practically going through the days. After losing her brother she hasn’t been the same and her fiancé practically ignores her half the time. She needed a fresh look at her life and wanted some space, which her fiancé didn’t seem to mind…of course… Nina is such a well-developed character; she’s had a tough life with a terrible father and the loss of her brother who was also her best friend. Taking a trip to Colorado changes her outlook in her life and makes her realizes she hasn’t been living. Max shocks her with his aggressive and overprotective nature, but his kindness towards everyone he knows and how much he adores his home and town. It makes Nina fall for him each day. I was so curious on what Nina would do after getting to know and adore everyone in this town would she marry? Or would she take a chance and start over? Ashley does an insanely good job writing the progression of Nina’s change, she is so different at the beginning than the end, in a good way. The way she befriends people in town, her relationship with her mother and the deep love she has for standing up for good people makes her character easy to love.

Max is one heck of a mountain man and I’m sure would scare the living crap out of me if I actually met him. He is all man and seriously intense, but he has such a soft side for the people in his life. He adores Mindy his best friend Brody’s sister and Becca, two girls who are like his little sisters. He is also the got to person if people need help and it seems like a lot of people trust his word. Max also has a really tragic past, losing someone he loved very much, which caused a chain reaction that caused a lot of hurt around town. But Nina changes everything for him; she opens up his heart and protective nature. I loved every scene they were together in, with all the angst humor and intense passion they had, it was easy to see how they connected. My only real issue was with how Max spoke; his sentences were a bit off for me, missing words here and there. I think it was on purpose, but it bothered me at times during an intense scene. Also he cusses like a sailor and has no problem with interrupting Nina every conversation. No matter that, he still won me over.

Overall this is a heavy book, with a fantastic plot filled with a murder mystery and lot of romance. I didn’t realize how long this book was until I was half way through, but with such a good story I easily got lost in it. Every character introduced, no matter how small, has a history and the readers will get to know a lot about them. I felt like I was actually living in this small town with all these great characters and seriously would love to live in a place like this. The murder mystery was a bonus, I was not expecting it to be so suspenseful but I was totally wrong on who was behind it all and I liked that. I’m already finished with the second book in this series and will now be starting the third, which obviously means I’m in this for the long hall. Ashley is just that good at writing unforgettable characters.

RECOMMENDATION:
This is an adult novel meant for mature readers over the age of 18, for its sexual content. Fans of Samantha Young’s On Dublin Street and Wallbanger by Alice Clayton, will love The Gamble by Kristen Ashley. ...more

1 like · Like · see review