EVEN MONEY / DOUBLE DOWN (All In Duet 1 & 2) by Alessandra Torre-reviews

EVEN MONEY
(All In Duet #1)
by Alessandra Torre
Genre: adult, contemporary, romantic, suspense

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 4, 2018

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 falling in love.

*This is book 1 in a duet.

••••••

REVIEW: EVEN MONEY is the first instalment in Alessandra Torre’s contemporary, adult ALL IN romantic suspense duet focusing on thirty seven year old, Las Vegas billionaire and multiple casino owner Dario Capece, and twenty-two year old, college student /cocktail waitress Bell Hartley.

NOTE: Due to the story line content, there may be some triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from first person point of view (Bell), and several third person perspectives including Dario Capece EVEN MONEY follows the forbidden relationship between Las Vegas billionaire casino owner Dario Capece, and twenty-two year old college student / cocktail waitress Bell Hartley. Bell Hartley is a struggling cocktail waitress working for an underground casino that caters to the uber rich and famous- those who wish to remain out of the public eye. Enter Las Vegas casino owner Dario Capece, a married, powerful, self-made billionaire, known as the king of Vegas, who worked his way up through the ranks including a ten-year marriage of convenience to the Majestic Casino heiress Gwen Hawk, a marriage, that for all intents and purposes was, in name only. Affairs and sex outside of the marriage is an accepted practice between the married couple but falling in love, with someone else, meant a change in status that was a difficult prospect to swallow. Meeting Bell Hartley threw all caution to the wind including his personal mandate never to fall in love, or to let any outside relationships interfere with his business or his wife.

Dario Capece wants Bell Hartley within minutes of meeting our story line heroine but Dario’s reputation as a manwh*re with a hard-nosed, take no prisoners attitude is only surpassed by the scathing reputation of his father in law Robert Hawk. Warned by her friends to not get involved with Dario Capece, Bell Hartley is drawn like a moth to a flame, an involvement that has attracted the attention of the man in charge. Bell Hartley is no withering wallflower but a tormented heroine whose own past is filled with betrayal and loss. What ensues is the insta-lust/inta-love relationship between Dario and Bell, and the fall-out as the upset to the status-quo means someone may be about to lose their life.

EVEN MONEY is an intriguing and suspenseful story line that reveals a number of heart-breaking backstories, the power of money, and the potential for greed and jealousy to destroy them all. The premise is edgy and fascinating; the characters are spirited, flawed and tragic; the romance is intimate, intense and provocative without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text. EVEN MONEY ends on a cliffhanger-you have been warned.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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DOUBLE DOWN
(All In Duet #2)
by Alessandra Torre
Genre: adult, contemporary, romantic, suspense

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 18, 2018

In Vegas, there was one man who was off limits. One man… and I fell for him.

I knew there were risks. Still, I played the game. When Dario Capece called, I answered. When he beckoned, I came. When he broke all my rules, I looked the other way.

I knew there were risks. I just never realized they included death.

••••••••••••

REVIEW: DOUBLE DOWN is the second instalment in Alessandra Torre’s contemporary, adult ALL IN romantic suspense duet focusing on thirty-seven year old, Las Vegas billionaire and multiple casino owner Dario Capece, and twenty-two year old, college student /cocktail waitress Bell Hartley. DOUBLE DOWN should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately following the events and cliff hanger of book one EVEN MONEY.

Told from first person point of view (Bell Hartley), and several third person perspectives including Dario Capece DOUBLE DOWN follows in the aftermath of a tragedy that all but destroys Dario’s life. With Bell in hiding, Dario is forced to face his demons including the man he holds responsible for all that has happened, and possibly more. An ensuing investigation begins to point fingers in only one direction but a direction that could quickly bounce back to our story line hero. The relationship between Bell and Dario takes a backseat as a plan is put into motion to expose the truth, a truth that becomes more volatile with every reveal.

From murdered and missing girls, to a vendetta aimed at destroying them all, DOUBLE DOWN focuses on the take down of a man so corrupt that his remaining family vows vengeance against those perceived to be in the wrong. Just when their lives begin to settle down, the vendetta reaches another crisis point, and Bell becomes fodder for revenge against years of abuse and betrayal.

DOUBLE DOWN is a story of romance and love, and of one man who has found his happily ever after only to have it quickly pulled in the blink of an eye. The investigation and take down are quick; a number of details are behind the scenes and mostly implied; the conflict resolutions are questionable and without much fanfare or exposure. Overall, DOUBLE DOWN is an entertaining and engaging story but the rush to the finish, and open-ended conclusion left me a little unfulfilled. Alessandra Torre’s ALL IN duet is a dramatic and intense series that will captivate your attention until the very end.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy