Lottie Mason is all out of options. Her father is now in
danger of going to jail and his fate is in the hands of a
blackmailer who wants more money then she can put her hands
on. After the war her family was left pretty bare bones as
were others in the south and she picked up on what could be
her only hope. Word was that gambling on a riverboat in a
high stakes tournament could solve her dilemma. Sounds
promising only there are a bunch of problems, first is
getting passage on the riverboat, second is finding this
cardsharp named Dyer Straights and third getting him to
teach her how to pay poker. These are just a mere taste of
what lays ahead of once she gets aboard but she is up for
the challenge. So what if this gentleman cardsharp,
questionably a gentleman, who is out to prove that Lottie
has definitely bit off more then she can chew if she hopes
to win much less even enter the tournament. But something
about Lottie entices Dyer and he belligerently decides to
give her private lessons in his cabin no less. Now no true
lady would be caught in a man's cabin unescorted, but with
the life of her father hanging in the balance Lottie decides
that being a lady is overrated. The lessons Dyer has in mind
for Lottie include much more then poker and the question is
will she be a willing student for all he has to offer. The
stakes are high in the game between Dyer and Lottie and the
grand prize will surely be more valuable than the cash at
stake.
What can I say about this book. Sum it up to say that by
page 40 I was hooked and in love with so many of these
characters that I couldn't put the book down. Lottie was
easy to love. Cooke wrote her with an amazing sense of humor
and wit that laughing out loud was the by product. The
interaction and relationships between the characters and the
poker tables jumped off the page and you felt like you were
right there rooting for your favorites. Easily one of the
most entertaining reads in a long time. Enjoy.
As if losing the war to the Yankees hadn’t been bad enough,
Lottie Mason now needed $15,000 to keep her ailing father
out of prison. The only place she could think of to get that
kind of money was a riverboat poker tournament. Problem
was, she didn’t know a thing about playing cards.
Dyer Straights may have been the best cardsharp in New
Orleans, but the true goal of this hardened gunslinger was
vengeance, not profit. He didn’t have time for a beautiful
belle who wouldn’t take no for an answer. So to scare her
off, he upped the ante with a proposition: He’d give her the
lessons she was so desperate for. And if she won the
jackpot, she’d owe him one naked night in his bed. He didn’t
realize she couldn’t afford to refuse.
As the cards are dealt and the seduction deepens, the two
find they’re taking a gamble on a lot more than a good hand
and a one-night stand—they’re betting on a lifetime of
love.
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