In the game of love all bets are offWhen professional poker player Matthew Shaughnessy wins the pot of a lifetime, he didn’t expect to land himself a fiancée.Cassandra Gardener is left with little choice but to play the part of a Texan’s fiancée for a week if she wants to clear her father’s gambling debt.Will two people with so much to lose win the biggest bet of all- love?
Cassandra Gardener is about to get married in Las Vegas but when her gambler father gambles not only her engagement ring but her as well, she’s furious. But when the winning gambler makes a proposition that will help them both out, she sees no other alternative and reluctantly agrees.
Matthew Shaughnessy is a professional poker player and just when he thinks Lady Luck has abandoned him, he scores the juiciest pot of all: a beautiful fiancée to bring home to the family ranch. Sure, she’s a fiery princess but it’ll make his ailing grandma proud. The only problem is that the more he’s around Cassandra, the stronger his attraction for her. But she’s engaged and way too good for him. If only his mind, heart and body would agree. If he goes all in, will he secure her love or wind up with a broken heart?
Las Vegas and Texas are the backdrop for this novella, which is portrayed accurately (I’ve been to both). The characters, though, are what made this story gleam as bright as the Vegas strip. Both Cassandra and Matthew are complex characters with a strong work ethic. Biggar reveals the conflict in their lives with emotive prose and I found my heart going out to them both. The chemistry between Cassandra and Matthew are electrifying… singe-worthy for sure. I was sad when it ended (though the ending was beautiful) and I want more! Highly recommend, especially if you’re looking for a beach read.
I really like this author and find her books are great!
It’s so nice to read an upbeat funny romance. You’ll enjoy this one!
What an intriguing tale this one was. Matthew Shaughnessy is a professional gambler. He wins a high-stake poker game in Vegas. He doesn’t just win money though. Cassandra Gardener’s father bet her engagement ring and money that he doesn’t have. To clear the debt, Cassandra goes to Texas to pose as Matt’s fiancee for a week. Matt’s grandmother is dying and she wants to see her grandchildren married with a passel of kids. Cassandra is torn as she is already engaged and due to marry in just a matter of days.
What these two go through over the next few days is a tale that shouldn’t be missed. This two are highly attracted to each other. Poor Cassandra though, she struggles to stay faithful to her fiance against the highly alluring Matt. Matt on the other hand is struggling to come to terms that he is falling in love with a woman who is forbidden to him.
The story was very well written and flowed nicely. I adored the way the story was written. Not only were the POVs of the two main characters given, but several of the secondary characters as well. I was just sorry to see the story end.
This is a sweet, clean romance. I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves horses, a strong heroine and a cowboy gambler.
Matt has just won a fake fiancé for a week and he is taking her to his ranch in Texas to meet his dying grandmother. Cassandra has to fake an engagement with Matt to help her gambling father, when she is supposed to get married in two weeks. Can this bet bring Cassie and Matt together? I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.
This fun bit of romantic escapism made me laugh, although it was at the expense of the heroine who had been manipulated both by her irresponsible father and the opportunistic hero. Caught in a trap of her father’s making, Cassandra has to pose as Matthew’s fiancée for one week, even though her own wedding is just a fortnight away. To her surprise, Cassandra finds that she cannot hate Matthew for what he has done, and instead can understand his reasoning, obscure as it is. Meeting his family makes her realise all that she has been missing out on, and when their scheme is exposed, Cassandra has to make a choice between a safe bet and one that will probably lead her on the adventure of her life. Although the book is fairly lightweight, and an uncomplicated read, it is fun and leaves one feeling good. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.
I thought it was very easy to read, I only spent a couple hours to read the whole story. In my opinion the story was predictable and the characters not very believable. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily review this book. This is my honest review.
Absolutely fell in love with Matt and Cass. A tender compassionate love story, I could just feel the sexual tension and I wanted them to fall in love. Wanted more, didn’t want it to end. Matt won Cass in a poker game with her dad. Dad couldn’t cover his bet so he agreed Matt could have her for one week to impress his dying grandmother. During this week, Cass was to pretend to be Matt’s fiancee. She was going to be married to Jeff in two weeks. A lot can happen in two weeks and it did. Definitely a MUST READ.
This was such a good book. Cassandra’s (Cass) father was in Las Vegas playing in a big poker game with Mathew (Matt) Shaughnessy from Texas as well as a few others. It was down to Matt and Cassandra’s father (who didn’t have enough to cover the call), but he bet and lost. Matt needed a fiancé to take to Texas for a week as his beloved grandmother didn’t have much time to live. Her greatest wish was to see him happy and married before she died. Matt told Cass that he would forget her father’s debt if she pretended to be his fiancé for a week. Of course, Cass was suppose to be getting married to Jeff in two weeks. Read the book to see what happens.
I loved Matt’s character and how much he loved his family. He had such a special relationship with his grandmother and the housekeeper. Matt would do anything for his family. Cass had always been the one to try and do everything right and help others. Cass fell in love with Matt’s grandmother as soon as she met her. The description of the land was so beautiful I could picture it. The writing is so good that when Cass and Matt was caught in the rain and were cold, I felt cold too! This was a good love story that while you were reading you couldn’t help but hope Cass fell in love with Matt! You really need to read the book. I voluntarily read an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book.
HOLD ‘EM: A GAMBLING HEARTS ROMANCE by Jacquie Biggar is a contemporary romance that has a cast of characters that are heartwarming, caring, funny and just all around wonderful! The hero and heroine find they have an instant attraction and even though they are opposites, they both have caring hearts and strong family attachments.
Matthew “Matt” Shaughnessy is a high-stakes poker player winning his way up to the World Series of Poker. Just when he thinks he may have lost a huge stakes game, his opponent cannot cover his makers. What Matt needs is a fiancée to make his dying grandmother happy so a deal is struck. Gardner offers in payment his daughter’s heirloom wedding ring and one week of Cassandra playing his fiancée on his family’s Texas ranch.
Cassandra Gardner knows her father has a gambling problem, but she never imagined it would lead to her playing the part of a finance on a ranch with a stranger, when she is supposed to be getting married in two weeks in Las Vegas to someone else. She is a city girl through and through and knows nothing about ranching or the great outdoors. She also has very strong feelings against lying to Matt’s grandmother, family and friends who accept her on sight.
Matt has one week to convince his grandmother he is settling down and found the love of his life, which if he keeps enjoying Cassandra’s looks and spirit may be true in reality, but can he keep her on the ranch? Cassandra cannot believe the intense feelings that started as annoyance and now are so much more for this cowboy, but she has a fiancée waiting in Vegas.
Ms. Biggar has written an easy to read, heartwarming, sexy and funny, opposites attract hero and heroine that could walk right off the page and into your heart. There is sexual tension throughout, but Cassandra never breaks her promise to her real fiancée and there is no sex in the story. Matt’s grandmother, brother and sister and his care of them all and the ranch at a young age shows the depth of his character, while they are all interesting characters on their own.
Right now this book is a standalone, but the story definitely is set up for Matt’s brother and sister to have their own stories in the future. I really hope they get them because this is a family that I want to check back in with in the future.