4.5 Wonder Max Stars“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 SpoilersOk 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 th [...]

“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 thewarmest, fuzziest feelingsever ? 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 [...]

Solid 4 starsWow! 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 lo [...]

I made it to page 1354 of 1466 before I decided to stop torturing myself (Kindle pages! The book isn't THAT longough 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 firs [...]

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 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 [...]

5+ stars – Contemporary RomanceThe 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 [...]

REVIEW COMPLETED SEPTEMBER 6, 2012"You'll get the good stuff, Duchess." Wonder Max. Divine.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-i [...]

4 the definition of guilty pleasure STARSAnd 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 goodke coming home, or eating comfort food in grandma's kitchen.Anywaywhy 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 [...]

DNF @ 45% I give up. 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 problemsTHE WRITINGDear 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 eve [...]

Nina Sheridan desperately needed a timeout from her life (especially her fiancee). So spending a week in a rented A-Frame in the Colorado mountains sounds like haven.Unfortunately, when she gets there she has a nasty surprise. The owner changed his mind and is staying in the house.And to top it all, her car went into a ditch and she has a nasty flu. A great start, no? And that's just the beginning.Nina was an OK heroine, I liked her. She's feisty, argumentative, has a pretty bad temper, and she' [...]

"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 [...]

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 Alp [...]

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 [...]

♥♥♥ 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 fa [...]

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 ha [...]

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 . 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 [...]

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 he [...]

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 was another great Kristen Ashley read I did however find it somewhat long. In fact, I am thinking it was over 600 pagesI 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 he [...]

Re-read (on audio) April 22nd 2015Just 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 2012Well, this was a lot of fun! Can I have my own Colorado Macho Mountain Man?!! Max was a typ [...]

As usual, Kristen Ashley doing what she does best! Hot, sexy, dominant, protective alpha males. 5 stars for Nina and Max!This book is long. To be honest, this was a bad week for me to read it as I had lots going on outside of my 'reading world' but it's been sitting on my Kindle for ages and I just really felt the need for a good KA hero. And despite the length of this book, it does not drag. At all! It's fast paced, action packed and I wouldn't have wanted it to be any shorter.The story is that [...]

I'm starting to wonder if I'll ever read a KA epilogue and won't have tears in my eyes <3 This was a re-read, and as much as I remembered how great this book was, I actually didn't remember enough, because this was absolutelyfreakingamazinglyfabulous! It just confirms Colorado Mountain as my favorite KA series <3The story - I loved the beginning, Nina rents a house in the middle of nowhere, during winter, she gets there, meets Max who essentially throws her out, she gets pissed and ends up [...]

*****6+++++ Very Lucky Stars****I really wish The Gamble was like those soap opera TV shows that last for ten years or more, I would happily read about Max and Nina forever and now I'm terribly sad because is over. I must say that Kristen Ashley never does me wrong, this novel was absolute perfection to me.Nina is an American girl living en England; she has a great job and a beautiful home that was built by her dear brother but her relationship with her fiancé is anything but ideal. He rarely p [...]

First read: Feb 7-10. 2012The book's synopsis basically says it all but there is SO MUCH intensity to this book. 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 rec [...]

I enjoyed that. Great story and a great hero by the name of Max. Some may be put off by him, with his controlling and domineering way, but I wasn't, I liked him. The heroine Nina, is no wallflower, she's great and she doesn't take crap from anyone if she knows you're in the wrong.The story itself took, lots of twists and turns and the ending took by surprise. Great HEA too.My Max.

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 [...]

This is the second book I've read by Kristen Ashley. I'm beginning to think I am developing an addiction to her male characters.

If taking a timeout leads me to my own Mountain Man Max, I’m as good as on it right now. Wow, he just blew me away, foul mouth and all. He brash, arrogant, demanding, possessive, and I just loved him. I adored Nina, and she was at her best when she went toe-toe with Max. Of course, she rarely won, because well, Max is Max, and he gets what he wants, and I for one would agree to anything he said. He could “Babe”, “Baby”, “Honey”, “Darlin’” me right into submission. Every time [...]

I did it. I FINALLY read a Kristen Ashley book. I wasn't going to, because I really didn't want to, but underneath it all I sort of wanted to and therefore it made it all super hard not to, even though if you were to have asked my GR friends, of which there are many and some of them don't even like KA but some of them are super obsessed with her and they would all say to go ahead and read her except for my friends Karla and Catherine who I don't think will give her a try. Whereas, I sat down the [...]

4 Stars (Originally Read 1/2/2014) 3.5 Stars (Re-Read 2/8/2017)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 be [...]