Who is Eldorado Jane? Long-lost friend or scheming superstar? Texas Hill Country — 1879 Plain Jane Dority vanished while riding in a storm beside her childhood best friend. Eighteen years later, Wild West trick-riding superstar Eldorado Jane returns to claim her birthright: the Dority homestead now owned by the steadfast Texan who never forgot Jane or forgave himself for her disappearance. … disappearance.
Lewis Adams would give anything to see his friend come home, but he’s certain Eldorado Jane isn’t his Jane. So why does this mesmerizing woman—with the talent and fame to have anything she desires—want the remote patch of land that he loves? There’s only one way to find out: accept a wager with a deceiver who holds the power to bring back his friend or break his heart. The outcome rests in her hands. Or does it?
Friendship. Betrayal. Blackmail. Eldorado Jane holds every card…except the one that matters most.
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I’ve always been a fan of take charge women who rule their own destinies, so Eldorado Jane struck a cord with me right away.
Imagine being married to a man you detest for a decade in order to protect the people you love.
Eldora is the star of her husband’s Wild West Show, but that’s not all. She’s also being forced to pretend she’s someone she’s not in order to gain the rights to a piece of land owned by Lewis Adams.
When Lewis meets Eldora he sees a similarity to his old friend, Jane, but quickly realizes the woman pretending to be her has an agenda of her own. Still, he can’t help the attraction that he feels for this mysterious woman.
Can she lead him to Jane? Why is she lying, and why does she want his land? And can he find out all her secrets without falling in love?
What follows is a story of blackmail, heart-pounding excitement, and suspense.
My favorite lines:
Her voice had dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “I’m sorry. I’m going to have to hurt you again.”
“Eldora, is he dead?” The not-too-distant bellow made them both flinch. The eagerness in that shout rang in his skull like the bells of hell anticipating a funeral.
That’s fresh writing!
I give Between Home and Heartbreak 5 lovely kisses
A great series with fun characters. Loving this series.
This is a great read with a plot that is fantastic. There are plot twists and turns that keep you wondering what is going to happen. You don’t have to read book one of the series.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This story had mystery and intrigue between Lewis and Eldora . With Eldora pretending to be Jane Dority and Lewis knowing she wasn’t. Can anything come between these two? What happened to his Jane? Great characters and a really good story line.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The second book in the Gambling Hearts series and once I started reading I was not putting the book down. There is danger, suspense, drama, twists, turns, villains, blackmail,a mystery, and romance. Who is Eldorado Jane and is Jane Dority still alive, or are they the same person? All that is answered in this book. I recommend this book. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Unusual and so interesting
Jacqui Nelson is a new author for me I can tell you this will not be the last book of hers I plan on reading. This story was unusual and so interesting, well written with a great flow I was hooked from the beginning. This is a story of loss, of finding what is missing problems that need an unusual way to be solved all mixed into a wonderful romance. This one is so good and I believe a must read I highly recommend. I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it
I was not wild about the first book of the series, though I had enjoyed other books by this author. So I wanted to give the second book in the series a chance. I am glad that I did. I found this book so much more riveting than the first. The book is full of intrigue, lies, secrets, and blackmail. From the start, it is hard to know who or what to believe, but all is gradually revealed as the book goes on. The hero is hard-working, smart, and swoon-worthy (even if he isn’t the best rider or horse breaker). The heroine has quite a detailed backstory that is fully revealed over time. The initial question, whether the heroine is the girl that the hero knew back in childhood, only scratches at the surface of the deeper questions raised in this book as it moves along, which it does at a fast pace.
The author has a good command of Old West history and the western Romance subgenre. She has a way of describing items and settings that makes you feel like you can see precisely what is going on without being overly descriptive such that it overwhelms the narrative. I like how she slips in Western idioms and colloquialisms that make the text come alive.
The poem “Eldorado” by Edgar Allan Poe started this wonderful story and made me smile because in one of my favorite movies “Eldorado” with John Wayne and James Caan, James receited this poem, and I could hear it in my head!
A friend who had only wanted to ride her horse and be the best she could be, Jane Dority and her horse Scout had disappeared on that fateful day in the storm as they rode together. But Lewis never forgot her and eighteen years later, he was training horses for the Rangers on her families land he had managed to buy. Being thrown from one of the horses, he looks up and there was an angel standing over him. Then a man comes up and claims the land is his and his wife’s because she is Jane, although she goes by the name of Eldora and rides in his wild west show. Lewis thinks she is an imposter although she seems to know a lot about his friend Jane.
This story pulled me right in and made me feel like I was in the wild west and could see the land and all the wonderful horses. Mystery, excitement, strong emotions and suspense kept me on the edge and made me hold my breath that Lewis and Jane would truly reunite and find the happy ending they deserved! Another delightful story by this must read author!
I read this through Booksprout
ONE AMAZING RIDE!!!
Fudge nuggets! Jacqui packs a punch with this raging storyline and explosive plot that brings this bad boy to life wonderfully. All the twists and turns propel all of your spinning emotions into play with a whirling vortex of unbelievable events that rock this baby to the core. Filled with all the drama, uncertainty and suspense that add a spicy mix. This is one action packed, hard hitting, heart pounding, page turning thrill ride that holds your attention from start to finish. The characters are authentic and so realistic with depth and traits its like finding new friends. The scenes are so vividly detailed it gives the illusion you’re right there in middle of ground zero with them. Remarkable job Jacqui, thanks for sharing this bad boy with us.
This is another wonderful story by this author. I was swept away into another time and place, back into the mid 1800s. This story starts out 18 years earlier with childhood friends Jane and Lewis, when Jane disappeared into a storm.
Come forward in time and is Jane alive, or is this an imposter? This is a journey of love overcoming obstacles in their paths, blackmail, murder and some friends who are not who they seem.
The story was well written, grabbing the reader and thrusting them into the surrounds. You can almost smell the dirt and the horses. The characters were engaging and will have you wondering what will happen next. Will there be a HEA?
For lovers of romance in past and modern times I recommend this book.