Sometimes it only takes a minute. A connection of eyes across a room, a quickened heartbeat, and everything changes.I was a cocktail waitress with a fondness for partying and meaningless sex. He owned half of Vegas, with the reputation to match. I should have turned away. Instead, I stepped closer.Then, the lies started.Rumors spread.Stalking commenced.And someone died. None of it stopped me from … commenced.
And someone died.
None of it stopped me from falling in love.
*This is book 1 in a duet. The second book, Double Down, will release on June 18th*
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Even Money, the explosive beginning of Bell Hartley and Dario Capece, a beautiful sassy cocktail waitress with a history of no-strings (or emotions) attached hookups and the super-sexy-super- alpha king of Vegas that exuded power and danger!!
I was instantly hooked on this exciting story of Vegas casino life where the high rollers are gambling the nights away but the highest stakes are being dealt in combustible chemistry, steamy seduction, and powerful passion where the most risky bets may lead to the most intense love to ever be won!!
“It had been sixty seconds of interaction. Less than a commercial break. As short as a hand of blackjack. Forgetting her should be easy. But in sixty seconds, a gun could be fired. A knife thrust. A bomb ignited. Sixty seconds could be nothing, or it could destroy a man.”
But those risky bets aren’t just about chemistry, passion, or love when Bell and Dario aren’t the only players and especially when the other players are playing to destroy, the stakes become life or death!!!
“Is love worth a death?”
The ENDING was everything, everything that has me desperate for Double Down (All In #2)!!!!
I loved every sexy, seductive, suspenseful second of this book!!!!!
I don’t know what it was about this, but truthfully, I haven’t been this hooked and obsessed with a work by Alessandra Torre since Black Lies. Hell, I can’t even remember the last time I devoured a book this fast and in one sitting. Something about this story—about Bell and Dario—just pulled me in, intrigued the hell out of me, and had me unbelievably addicted in the blink of an eye. It was mind blowing. Heart pounding. Remarkably gripping.
“She was a liability, and he was the king of this town. Any love between them would only end in tragedy, the sort that involved body bags and evidence lockers.”
I couldn’t, for the life of me, put this book down. Every line, every chapter compelled me to go on—to know what would happen next and more. Every vivid detail had me engrossed in no time. The tension and chemistry between Bell and Dario let a swarm of butterflies pumped with a high dose of adrenaline loose in my stomach. But the nerve wracking suspense had me at the edge of my seat almost every second I was immersed in this exceptionally constructed fictional world by Ms. Torre.
“I hadn’t lived much. Done much. I didn’t know much, but I knew that our connection wasn’t normal. It was two planets colliding. Explosions. A black hole that pulled you in, regardless of the danger.”
Even Money was FIRE in every single aspect—the sex, the romance, the angst, the suspense—all of it was just pouring out of the pages. It’ll give you a bone-chilling thrill unlike any other. It’ll make you sweat, make your heart clench and ache at every turn. Until that very last page, that last line… this book had my heart on a vice grip. My eyes were about to pop out of their sockets and my mouth was just hanging wide open.
“With him, I felt untouchable. Protected. Loved. I should have been afraid, but I only felt comfort.”
And seriously, with that kind of ending, I have no idea how I’d be able to deal. How I could move on when all I’d be able to think about are the possibilities that would connect to that motherfreaking cliffhanger. That cliffhanger, that killer of an ending that just left me speechless and out of breath. I need Double Down. Right. Now.
Even Money by Alessandra Torre is Book One in the All In Duet Series. This is the story of Dario Capece and Bell Hartley .
Bell has worked her way out her trailer park past by going to college and working as a waitress in a Casino. Dario is a hard man who goes for what he wants and when he walks into the Casino that Bell works in he was headed to buy the place but when he saw her the more he wanted her. But Bell knows he is off limits and to stay away from him. But Dario is finding it impossible to walk away from Bell. Other people to try to keep them apart during this book.
This book does end to set us up for then next book “Double Down” in that continues their story.
Exciting story!
Wow! This story has everything you want in a book. An unexpected/forbidden love story; intrigue, heart-stopping drama and action. Add in smoldering chemistry between the two main characters and you have a book that is impossible to put down. I loved that Dario and Bell aren’t looking for love and still it finds them. What amazing chemistry these two have. Alessandra created the perfect web of characters, their pasts, and unforseen events and set them in the ideal setting of Las Vegas. I was intrigued by Dario’s past (especially), Gwen’s story in addition to Bell’s. I didn’t want the story to end. Now, I eagerly await to see what happens in the next book. I’m still trying to process all that happened in this story. Especially toward the end 😉 I have high hopes for the conclusion of Bell and Dario’ story.
Well… that was one hell of ride!! This book had me hooked from the first chapter to the very last page. It is suspenseful, captivating, and passionate. Even Money is the first book of the “All In” duet series. It is an amazing story with great writing. The story revolves around Dario Capece a dark, powerful, and commanding man; and Bell Hartley a loyal, sassy, and emotionally unavailable woman.
From the moment they noticed each other, there was something captivating… they just could not look away. I would not say it was insta-love, but a spark. A connection like two magnets they could not fight the pull. They tried to combat their attraction and no matter what they did, they had to seek each other out. The need for one another was going against everything they wanted or believed in eventually turning into something dangerous. I cannot wait to see how their story unfolds and concludes in book #2, Double Down. Definitely a page turner!!!
Well that was one hum-dinger of a story! Or half a story, since this one left us on a freaking cliffhanger and we have to wait for book 2 to come out in a few weeks! At least the second half is only a short wait, because I don’t know what I would do if I had to wait months to find out what the hell happens.
Bell Hartley is a cocktail waitress at an exclusive gambling room, a college student trying to make her way in life after surviving a really rough childhood. She sees Dario Capece one night when he comes into The House. She knows who he is. He’s married to Gwen Hawk, Vegas royalty whose father owns multiple casinos on the Strip. His reputation precedes him, and Bell is immediately intrigued and fascinated with him. As he is with her. Everyone warns her to stay away from him. But what is that saying, people always want what they cannot have?
Alessandra weaves a twisty tale of two people who know they shouldn’t be together, have never wanted to be in a serious relationship with anyone before, but dammit, they just can’t stay away from each other. This obviously presents unique challenges for this couple. Dario is married, and Bell has no desire or intention of being anyone’s mistress. And even though Dario and Gwen have an “understanding”, her father would do anything necessary to make sure no one ever wrongs his daughter. And if any of the longstanding rumors about her father are true, God help anyone that ends up in Robert’s Hawk’s crosshairs.
I was so immersed in this book. There are so many elements included throughout that created a perfect story filled with drama, suspense, twists, passion, sex, and that shocking cliffhanger! Oy vay, I’m dying for book 2!!
Even Money is the perfect blend of danger, seductiveness and suspense. Alessanda Torre truly shines in her edgier, fast paced writing style, and she has delivered us a powerhouse.
Set in the allure of the sunset strip, this book has you teetering on the very edge of power and control. Torre is a master at combining romance and suspense. I could not put this book down. Each chapter more addictive than the next. I can’t wait for book two.
I’ll be on the lookout to see if this book becomes an audiobook. I think it would be out of this world!
What’s not to love about Bell and Dario’s story? I was all in by the end of chapter one. A chance meeting leaves Dario Capece, King of Vegas, infatuated by cocktail waitress Bell Hartley. He’s not into serious relationships and although married, is a bit of a player on the quiet. Don’t think badly of him, this is one of the many layers you’ll discover in this book. Bell likes uncomplicated relationships and really is only interested in the lust and not the love. They meet and BOOM!!! The attraction is instant but Bell doesn’t trust Dario, he’s married and connected and she knows to be involved with him could be dangerous. Bell has her secrets too and quickly finds herself falling for Dario. He wants her, she wants him what could be more perfect? Add to the story his wife’s father who is an evil manipulating man and you know there is a possibility it’s all going to go pear-shaped. Will a relationship with Dario put Bell in danger and can he protect her? Well can he? I’m not going to say but the ending does make you immediately want to start the next book Double Down. The characters are well written and the side characters are entertaining. There are a few twists and turns to the story and not everything is as it seems to be. Alessandra Torre never fails to deliver when it comes to the ‘sizzling stuff’ and there’s plenty of ‘sizzling’ between these two. It’s one of those books that you want to read in a day. Bring on Double Down I can’t wait to read it.
Leave it to Alessandra Torre to suck me in again. Dangling a sexy alpha hero and a spitfire heroine in Sin City, this story read super fast and had a deliciously wicked ending.
Dario Capece…….his name alone sounds fierce, powerful and sexy. He’s the man of Las Vegas. People both respect and fear him. And he’s married.
Bell Hartley……a cocktail waitress whose beautiful and sassy. But she hasn’t had an easy life and she doesn’t do relationships.
But…..*“Of all the gin joints in all the towns…” “I didn’t plan to walk into yours,”* Dario and Bell have an intense combustible attraction. Both feel it and both try but can’t deny it. It’s a No Win situation for either but their connection can’t be denied. They take their attraction slow…..it’s a push and pull but the pull is magnetic.
*In the third kiss, he owned me, the contact deepening, a delicate play between two mouths born for each other, one where arousal flared, breaths quickened, and our hands tightened and traveled, first needy, then frantic.*
The story has twists and turns. The authors incorporates them and spins them in major ways. There is some mystery, intrigue, and lots of sexual tension. The intensity of Bell and Dario’s relationship is marred by several factors and those factors makes for a wickedly wonderful read. And that ending…….pure Alessandra Torre!!! I know I’m counting the days till the next book!!
Alessandra can weave a tale like no other. You think you know what’s going to happen, and you’re almost never right. And I love that about her books. I’m always enthralled from the first word to the last. Bell and Dario are drawn to each other immediately. But forces are working against them, powerful, crazy forces — a bad combination. It will take an outlandish plan to get them out of trouble. Can’t wait for book 2. I’m sitting on the edge of my seat waiting!!!
I don’t often read books by this author, but when I do I’m blown away with her talent to tell a story. Bell is a cocktail waitress who is caught up in Dario, the King of Vegas and hotel millionaire. The two can’t stay away from each other. From start to finish, I was enraptured with these two characters. I can’t wait for the next book in this duet so I can get back to their story.
Firstly, gah! This book made me want to go back to Vegas!!
Bright light city gonna set my soul, gonna set my soul – or at least Bell’s soul – on fire!
I was hooked on Even Money from the minute I started reading. I adored Bell, liked that she didn’t just throw herself at a rich guy just because she could. She makes Dario fight for every morsel of her time, and I love her for that.
Dario – oh my goodness I want that man’s… goodness! He has upped the ante on what I want in my BBFs.
As this is a duet, I knew that there would be a cliffy of some kind, however Ms Torre has upped the stakes with this one, and my jaw hit the floor as I hit the last page.
It is only a few weeks until we get the conclusion to this story, and I for one cannot wait.
What I love the most about books from Alessandra is that the story is the focus and the relationship or romance is second. When you read her books it is so much more than a couple falling in love. For me, that is what sets her books apart from others. After reading Even Money I am wondering where this even balance she usually has went. This delivered on the story aspect but the romance was very lite for what I have come to expect from her.
Did I enjoy this book? Yes I did.
Will I read part 2? Yes I will.
Do I recommend this book? Yep I sure do.
I love Dario and I want to find out so much more about him. I really enjoyed Bell and I think we are only at the tip of what is to come from her. The thing that is still lacking for me is where I’m supposed to feel their connection. I didn’t feel their spark. I was just getting into them being together and then he is already declaring he loves her. I am hoping that the second book helps fill in these gaps I am feeling.
The ending was on point though. Wow I was not expecting that. I have so many questions that I can not wait to get the answers for.
4.5 Captivating Stars
If you like Romantic Suspense then you will love this brilliant start to a new series from Alessandra Torre.
She has delivered a intense story that has you on the edge of your seat with the unexpected twists and turns that will leave you completely captivated and unable to put this beauty down. It has all the must haves of sex, danger, mystery, intrigue and one hell of a hot AF anti-hero in Dario
Dario and Bell’s romance was so hot, it was intense and very erotic. The connection between them is felt through the pages making the hairs on your arm stand up.
I am on the edge of my seat patiently waiting for the next book in this series.
Alessandra Torre always brings the suspense and I just love it! She has a knack for the not so normal love story and I just cannot get enough of it! With Even Money she brings us another page turner that I devoured in a day! I couldn’t get enough of Bell and Dario’s story! Bell is the kind of girl you could relate too and Dario you can’t help but love! I cannot wait for Double Down to see how it all plays out!
Bell is a cocktail waitress is a small casino off the strip in Las Vegas. Its the kind of casino that real celebrities and the rich attend so they are not spotted in the big downtown mega casinos. Bell is down to earth and the kind of person you would want to hang out with. She’s doesn’t take crap from anyone and knows how to handle the richest men with a sugary sweet smile.
Dario is the owner of one of the largest casino’s in Las Vegas. He’s looking to buy the small casino that Bell works at. There is no one bigger than him in Vegas and his rise to the top has him allegedly to the mob. When he stops by the casino to scope it out, he’s immediately mesmerized by Bell.
There is one little problem with Dario though, he’s married. But when he has his sights on something there is no denying him. He gets what he wants and right now he has his sights on Bell. But Bell is not a girl to be taken lightly. She is not about being someone’s mistress.
As the story unfolds there is so much more to Dario than his public persona. Dario’s pursuit of Bell is relentless. But as in all things Vegas, someone is always watching. I cannot wait to see how things unfold in Double Down. The ending of Even Money was jaw dropping and cannot wait for June 18th to get here!! I would highly recommend this series and really you cannot go wrong with anything from Alessandra Torre!!
What a great start to a duet!! I love the casino theme! I haven’t read many (if any) books with this theme which makes it a refreshing change for me. I enjoyed the air of danger that I felt while reading. It kept me on the edge of my seat and I can’t wait to see what happens next!!
WOW! What an ending! This book was SO good! I devoured it fairly quickly. Bell is a waitress at a high end casino in Las Vegas. She has a tragic past and doesn’t do relationships. She’s a friends with benefits kind of girl. That is until she meets Dario Capece. He is a big name in Las Vegas and they have an instant attraction. This book was amazing. I loved watching (reading) it all unfold. It has a suspense aspect to it the I also loved. I definitely recommend this book to everyone! I can’t wait to get the next book in the series. I NEED to know what is going to happen next.
Even Money is the first book in this Duet. Double Down book 2 will be releasing the end of June. Not much time to save for the new kindle you will need after throwing your old one at the wall with the ending of Even Money!!! Wow…… Can I get a time travel capsule to take be ahead in time…I need Double Down…. Stat!!!
Bell Hartley is living the better life, now that she has moved from her parents’ home. Attending college…enjoying the after-class benefits with her professor and working as a waitress in a small casino in which she loves.
Dario Capece is the big man in town. Successful Casino owner, Married with an understanding wife. If there is something he wants in town, he gets it. If there are problems in town, he takes care of them. If one of the people he cares for gets hurt, he takes care of it. No problem he can’t handle.
That is until he walks into the casino he is thinking about purchasing. Going through security check entering the casino, his eyes land on her…
Her eyes land on him… There is instant chemistry… They both feel it.
But can this young student/waitress fall for the big guy in town? Can this big guy in town seriously fall for the young lady? Sounds simple, right???
If a wedding band doesn’t stop these two, there is someone else who will!!
Eeep! I need book 2…..
#BookBistroBlogApproved
A MUST READ!!! And I’m claiming Dario Capece as MINE!!!
Everything I LOVE in a book is here. I love Alessandra Torre writing, her books are phenomenal, but her romantic suspense stories?! Out Of This World magnificent!
I starve for this feeling. A feeling of a well written book that makes my heart beat uncontrollably with the suspense, the twists, the sensuality and sexual tension between the characters, the intensity of the plot making me growl more than once between pages.
Dario Capece.
Strong, wealthy, powerful, dangerous and oh so sexy owner of several hotels and casinos, married to the queen of Vegas in a unconventional way, has his eyes on Bell, a younger and independent woman that despite the attraction between them, doesn’t want anything with him… until she can’t deny him anymore.
Their affair is dangerous, their encounters off the charts HOT and their connection so so good!
Those last pages contain a powerful high that will leave you breathless, begging for more!
I highly recommend this book, I know you wont be disappointed!
4.5 Stars!!!
“It had been sixty seconds of interaction. Less than a commercial break. As short as a hand of blackjack. Forgetting her should be easy. But in sixty seconds, a gun could be fired. A knife thrust. A bomb ignited. Sixty seconds could be nothing, or it could destroy a man.”
What the what?! OMG… what just happened?! This book! It sucks you in and spits you out with a bang! Just when I thought I knew how it all was going to go down, those last few words! Holy hell, things are about to get craaazy! I’m so nervous! What is going to happen now? Oh my heart. It broke for Dario. From the moment he was introduced in this story, I was captivated. I knew there was no way Bell could resist such a stunning, powerful man. I loved the sexual tension and the chemistry between them. Who knew loving someone could end so badly? All I know, is that this is a must read for fans of romantic suspense! I highly recommend!
“He was handsome, but it wasn’t even his looks. There was something between us, and I stepped back in hopes it would fade. It didn’t.”
Review by Lys
*Book 2, Double Down, to be released June 18. I am counting down the days!