Romance Lovers for the Challenge-Impaired discussion
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The Gamble
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Archived "Buddy Reads"
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The Gamble by Kristen Ashley, starts July 1st.
ParticipantsSusan
CaroB
Josephine
Lurkers
~Megan~
Utterly Huggable Quills
shosho
Date Chapters Volunteer
01-Jul 20% Susan
02-Jul --- Caroline
03-Jul --- ???
04-Jul --- ???
05-Jul --- ???
I can't tell you how excited I am for this!
OMG, a KA buddy read? I will be lurking LOL!
Great Megan! You're our first lurker, lol :-)
Please add me as lurker. Thanks! :)
Added you both, Josephine and UHQ :-)
Man-oh-man! I really want to read this with you. Don't know if I should, as I'm supposed to do one with Vi on the 2nd. It is a chunkster, too.
I thought you'd already read it Lisa?
No, CaroB, I read
- twice. I have been trying to decide which to read next...
or
. I put a poll up in the KA group and LL won. But, I kind of wanted to read them in order... as much as I could...
I'm reading this at the moment for another buddy read its really good so far, its the first Kristen Ashley book i've read.
The Gamble is the first in this series, Josephine! It is really good, but the next two are my favorites!
Elishia wrote: "I'm reading this at the moment for another buddy read its really good so far, its the first Kristen Ashley book i've read."Good to know Elishia!
I am so tempted to get in on this one. Let me see what my July reads look like and I will get back with ya CaroB ☺
I asked my library today about this book and the librarian took down the information and she is going to try to get it ordered. If it doesn't come in by July 1, can I jump in late if and when it does come in?
No worries Robin. I have the ebook you can borrow if you have an eReader or kindle?
Ohhhh good...I will let you know CaroB because I do have a kindle. Josephine I guess I could use it on calibre if I can figure out it works lol.
But I will get back to both of you one way or the other ☺
Hi Ladies, are you all ready to start this on Sunday? Robin, were you still interested in joining us for this?
YES!!!!
Sorry, ladies. I've been sick as a dog. Though back with the living, I'm still not 100%. Let me see what the day holds. I want to wind up one "buddy read" b/f I take this one one.
I'll do the first set of questions...I'll stop at whatever chapter is around the 20% mark :) I've read ch 1 and am heading to church in a few minutes, so I'll post the questions later this evening.
Hey girls :) I'll be lurker in this one
Excellent, thanks Susan!Oh, feel free to add some comments along the way if you like shosho. I noticed you weren't a big fan of this one, is that right?
CaroB wrote: "Excellent, thanks Susan!Oh, feel free to add some comments along the way if you like shosho. I noticed you weren't a big fan of this one, is that right?"
No it was the second one in the series that I didn't like . I gave 4 stars to this one.
Let me preface by saying...these are some LONG ass chapters!!! Susan's Questions for ch 1 - ch 5
1. What a first impression Max gave us! Would you have stood there and argued with him when he told you to leave or would you have just gotten in the rental car and left? I think if I'd have been faced with a total stranger cursing at me about me being there, I'd have fled immediately and then called the caretaker from the hotel LOL
2. What do you make of Becca? And who's Mindy that Max has talked to about Nina? And Arlene at the cab company? Do you think Max is really as bad as he comes off?
3. It doesn't really seem like Niles cares for Nina at all. Was Nina's needing a timeout justified? And I have to giggle every time I read that cause it reminds me of Ross and Rachel on Friends "taking a break" :)
4. Who do you think this Charlie that Nina keeps thinking of is?
5. Anyone else a little confused by the whole Shauna (of the computer password)/Harry/Max dinner conversation?
6. Poor Harry! Shebitchfromhell666 was sleeping with Curtis Dodd behind his back and now Curtis is dead! And Curtis had a wife! I was literally floored when Max told Nina that they use to fuck. Such bluntness. Comments.
7. Soooo... 10 years ago and Curtis Dodd. Speculations?
8. What a kiss!!! It was so good it prompted Nina to officially break it off with Niles. How do you think Niles will respond? What will Max say? And where the heck do you think Max went?
9. We met Mindy and Nina was jealous! What a way to inform Max of her life. I was surprised by her story. You?
10. Were you chuckling over the guy at the photo store insisting "Jimmy Cotton does not do snapshots"?
11. Does Mindy REALLY need to call Brody to figure out what it means that Max took Nina to the bluff? I got it figured out LOL
12. Damon! What a dick! I wish Max would have hit him some more. My heart hurts for Mindy. I hope she doesn't go back to him.
13. What do you think of the writing in this? I'm finding it a little hard to read sometimes - like maybe it's missing punctuation or the word order is wrong. It's almost like a stream of consciousness type of writing, and those can be hard to read. Or is it just me? LOL
OMG! I'm loving Max
I'm loving Max as well :)
Susan's Questions for ch 1 - ch 5 1. What a first impression Max gave us! Would you have stood there and argued with him when he told you to leave or would you have just gotten in the rental car and left? I think if I'd have been faced with a total stranger cursing at me about me being there, I'd have fled immediately and then called the caretaker from the hotel LOL Truthfully, if I were tired I’d be just as likely to have fought back as to have burst into tears. Talk about bad first impressions!
2. What do you make of Becca? And who's Mindy that Max has talked to about Nina? And Arlene at the cab company? Do you think Max is really as bad as he comes off? Becca seems nice enough, I had thought at first that Mindy might have been a sister, then read that she’s the next thing to... Arlene cracked me up. I think Max’s bark is definitely worse than his bite, but Geez he’s a bossy bit of goods!! Awesome to read about, but it would take a very strong personality to live with someone like that or you’d always end up railroaded.
3. It doesn't really seem like Niles cares for Nina at all. Was Nina's needing a timeout justified? And I have to giggle every time I read that cause it reminds me of Ross and Rachel on Friends "taking a break" :) I’m really trying to figure out why Nina is even with Niles. The way he’s described seems a bit braindead to me.
4. Who do you think this Charlie that Nina keeps thinking of is? I had thought maybe her dad, but was surprised when I read he was a younger brother and the circumstances there... also wondering where all the “Charlie talk” is going to go / coming from
5. Anyone else a little confused by the whole Shauna (of the computer password)/Harry/Max dinner conversation? OMG!! Shauna is a classic beeyatch! I loved that Nina did what she did to put her nose in it. And it also explains a little better to me why Max reacted to Nina the way he did at first. If she’s the most recent relationship he’s had then no wonder he preferred to be on his own.
6. Poor Harry! Shebitchfromhell666 was sleeping with Curtis Dodd behind his back and now Curtis is dead! And Curtis had a wife! I was literally floored when Max told Nina that they use to fuck. Such bluntness. Comments. Yeah, I was a bit taken aback by the way he spoke about it, but on the bright side, Nina’s always going to know where she stands with Max!
7. Soooo... 10 years ago and Curtis Dodd. Speculations? hmm, at this point, I’m thinking it may have something to do with his wife...
8. What a kiss!!! It was so good it prompted Nina to officially break it off with Niles. How do you think Niles will respond? What will Max say? And where the heck do you think Max went? I don’t get why he doesn’t just tell her where he’s going. And it would be too little too late, no matter how Niles responds.
9. We met Mindy and Nina was jealous! What a way to inform Max of her life. I was surprised by her story. You? YES, very surprised. And I can completely understand teh jealousy. She doesn’t really know him well and Mindy WAS WEARING HIS T-SHIRT!!!!
10. Were you chuckling over the guy at the photo store insisting "Jimmy Cotton does not do snapshots"? lol, yep!
11. Does Mindy REALLY need to call Brody to figure out what it means that Max took Nina to the bluff? I got it figured out LOL No, I figured she just wants to spread the word, lol
12. Damon! What a dick! I wish Max would have hit him some more. My heart hurts for Mindy. I hope she doesn't go back to him. He is a waste of space. I agree, I wish more damage had been done to him, and feel so sorry for Mindy that she has to go through this as well, but better that she find out now, I guess.
13. What do you think of the writing in this? I'm finding it a little hard to read sometimes - like maybe it's missing punctuation or the word order is wrong. It's almost like a stream of consciousness type of writing, and those can be hard to read. Or is it just me? LOL No, I’m definitely having to work at it, the editing is truly atrocious. The sentences are so long sometimes, there are three or four points raised. You’ve said it well, I think “stream of consciousness” makes me like it better. Luckily the story is good enough that it’s sucked me straight in, but I do find that the grammar and editing errors sometimes pull me out of the story.
Re your answer to #13 thank God it's not just me!!! I am really enjoying this, to the point where I'm thankful my kids are old enough to feed themselves so I can read more LOL but sometimes the editing and monstrously long sentences kill me.
and the long chapters!! They're humongous! I fell asleep just trying to finish off chapter ten!
LOL Yes, the chapters are looooong! And tons of detail :)
OK, I'm hoping this may be a case of better late than never, but since I know we've both finished the books, I'm just going to post general questions about the book rather than break it down by chapter sets. Is that ok?
That's fine with me LOL
14. What did you think of Nina's mum? Did you find it odd that Nina didn't just go spend 2 weeks with her for her time-out?15. To me, Max was the ultimate alpha-male. But it really annoyed me how he kept talking over the top of her ALL the time, and how she let him. But I loved how affectionate he was, how touchy-feely and possesive. Freakin' loved that! What were you pet peeves and drool moments where Max was concerned?
16. Why do you think Max didn't just tell Nina about Anna? It wasn't like they didn't have the opportunity when they were talking about past tragedies or even just past lovers. Do you think he had a right to get shitty that she didn't tell him she knew? What would you have done in Nina's place?
17. Did you see the suicide attempt coming? Do you think the author did that incident justice?
18. Thoughts and opinions on Nina's dad and Niles. Before his true colours were revealed, did you think that Nina had dealt fairly with Niles?
19. What did you think of the fact that Charlie talked to Nina?
20. I felt so sorry for Harry until he was a dick at the bar. But I still never suspected the ending and the plot twist. I kind of wish it hadn't ended like that, it made me think the author was a little too eager to keep adding subplots. Would you agree or disagree and why/not?
14. What did you think of Nina's mum? Did you find it odd that Nina didn't just go spend 2 weeks with her for her time-out? I did find it odd that Nina didn't just go to her Mom's. I would have LOL Her mom was an interesting character, with her fawning over Max. I hope to be a mom like that one day ;)15. To me, Max was the ultimate alpha-male. But it really annoyed me how he kept talking over the top of her ALL the time, and how she let him. But I loved how affectionate he was, how touchy-feely and possesive. Freakin' loved that! What were you pet peeves and drool moments where Max was concerned? I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that he was so touchy-feely and possesive! The touch and kisses to her forehead had me swooning. As for him talking over her, she did that to him sometimes too and it was slightly irritating. My biggest pet peeve with this book was that it seemed like Nina couldn't say anything other than "Max", "sorry?", or "um". Drove me crazy!
16. Why do you think Max didn't just tell Nina about Anna? It wasn't like they didn't have the opportunity when they were talking about past tragedies or even just past lovers. Do you think he had a right to get shitty that she didn't tell him she knew? What would you have done in Nina's place? I don't know why Max just didn't tell her about Anna. He did have the oppurtunity. No, I think he was wrong to get mad at Nina cause she knew. Of course she was relating knowing he was married to herself, why would she think of how that would affect him? And his blatant avoidance of the topic would make me (if I were in Nina's place) feel much like she did...that he loved her and I would never be loved by him as much as he loved her. I probably would have left too.
17. Did you see the suicide attempt coming? Do you think the author did that incident justice? Nope, didn't see that coming. I did like the way she handled the rescue from the river, but I found the intervention at Mindy's house with Bitsy the next day to be a bit unrealistic.
18. Thoughts and opinions on Nina's dad and Niles. Before his true colours were revealed, did you think that Nina had dealt fairly with Niles? Yes, I did think Nina had dealt fairly with Niles up until the restaurant scene. She was trying to do the right thing and Niles was ignoring her. Who skims an email from their girlfriend/fiance? And who can keep skimming it once you get the gist of what's being said? LOL I feel that the whole dad thing could have been a little more fleshed out. It's like Niles and Nina's dad just disappeared after the showdown at breaksfast.
19. What did you think of the fact that Charlie talked to Nina? I liked that.
20. I felt so sorry for Harry until he was a dick at the bar. But I still never suspected the ending and the plot twist. I kind of wish it hadn't ended like that, it made me think the author was a little too eager to keep adding subplots. Would you agree or disagree and why/not? Honestly, I almost quit reading at the point where Harry shot Damon and kidnapped Nina for himself. I did think it was like she was trying to add more drama to the story. The twist with Harry and Bitsy totally threw me! I didn't expect that at all.
I have to say, I loved the the author showed Nina and Max falling in love. They asked questions (not always the right ones though LOL) and got to know one another.
Ladies, if you liked this one, you will lurrrve the next ones in the series.....especially number three!
I've seen mixed reviews about #2, but I did like the way the romance was depicted, really sweet fiery at the same time... and yet I wouldn't have said that the charcaters were sweet in themselves. I would have liked to see a book about who Brody ends up with, but from what I saw of the synopses, the next book in the series is a completely different set of characters... what's the link between them all, apart from being in Colorado, Megan?
The first book really has only the slimmest link to the other two. Books 2 and 3 are pretty closely related, as they take place in the same town. Book 4 comes out soon and is related to 2 and 3. KA has said she wants to go back and revisit Max's best friend (Mindy's brother....is that Brody, I can't remember?) at some point.
Yes, Brody is Max's best friend. And I would love his book!
Thanks The Megster! :-p
I know this is for another group, but thought it relevant here. There's a Kristen Ashley Q&A this week over at Gotta Have Paranormal Romance with a Kick group for anyone who might be interested. Link!
I'm taking this one down off our home page. Really sorry I missed it. **sigh**
OK, can we pencil in a buddy read for the next one in this series? Sometime in August?
Just read this one and loved it. My first book by this author.
It was mine too Pamela! I had to get used to the writing style, but once I did I loved it!
yes, pick a date and I'm in!Pamela, I loved it too and am looking forward to more by her.
OK, how about the 5th August?
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Romance Lovers for the Challenge-Impaired
Books mentioned in this topic
Sweet Dreams (other topics)The Gamble (other topics)
Lady Luck (other topics)
Welcome to our "Buddy Read". Stop by and say "Hi" and while you're here let us know what your thoughts are on the book... OR... stay and answer discussion questions, volunteer to post some, or just chose to comment on the ones you want.
This will be an open discussion of The Gamble by Kristen Ashley
PLEASE EXPECT SPOILERS!
Goodreads Synopsis
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.