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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
And as I predicted, I couldn’t get into this second book. I had trouble with the first book, liking the characters. The insta-love wasn’t for me and seeing as it went on in this book with lots of trouble and drama on top, I just can’t say I enjoyed it.
If you want to read the conclusion, go for it, but only if enjoyed the first book.
I received this ebook copy from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.
If you want to read the conclusion, go for it, but only if enjoyed the first book.
I received this ebook copy from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.
4 stars for this duet!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I can’t love you and not protect you. I can’t love you and not fight for you.”
This was a sexy, suspenseful, and romantic read. I'd read a couple AT books, so when I saw this duet was on KU, I jumped right in. I'm glad I did; the plot was suspenseful and all the characters-even the secondary ones- were likable and unique. The story seemed to be told mostly from Bell’s POV, with Dario contributing at times as well as a few other people. Was this a case of insta-love? Yeah, probably, but I feel like it is possible that sometimes, you just know. However, it was Dario that stole the show for me.
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. It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime connection, but everything around us was once-in-a-lifetime levels of fucked up.
Dario and Bell meet when she's waitressing at an independent casino in Las Vegas. As a lot of reviewers have noted, Dario is married when him and Bell meet. If you want to know those dynamics, here ya go, but they're integral to the plot so I'm tagging them as a spoiler.. They embark on a whirlwind of both an emotional and a sexual relationship, but their bonds are tested at every corner. They always prevail, though, and Dario gets dreamier with each page. He's possessive and a bit spoiled, but underneath it all, he's actually a very good person. He's also a beast in the sack, which totally helps. I loved how he worshipped Bell at every turn. I also loved how he allowed himself to be vulnerable, how he'd lay all his cards on the table. The man knows what he wants, and I found it both sexy and sweet.
Ten thousand cocktail waitresses in this town and he had to meet the one that might break him.
He was too everything—a black hole that could suck me in without even feeling the crush of my soul.
Yes, Bell can be a bit annoying and stubborn, but she's young. She also has trauma in her past that made her life an endless string of temporary relationships. Dario bulldozes through and decimates her walls, and I commend the effort she put into navigating her feelings for him in a healthy way. She handles all the roadblocks fairly well, all things considered. She has a strong sense of self, which I liked. She also wasn't easily taken with all his glamour. She wasn't perfect, but she stood by her man, and at the end of the day, that was enough for me.
The stronger the fear grew, the stronger the love became. His only option was to remove all risks. Keep her safe, treat her like a queen, win her heart. Go all in, and hope that luck, for just this one time, was in his favor.
Now, the plot. I personally thought that while the overall storyline was somewhat predictable, the twists themselves weren't. There was a character in the first book that I found quite interesting, but I assumed they would become a "villain." That didn't happen, which relieved me. It wasn't so much that I was surprised about things that happened, but I was shocked by the timing of certain events. It kept me on my toes and I liked that. I also really liked certain secondary characters, especially Bell's roommates and bosses. They provided badly needed comic relief, and I'm glad certain scenes didn't end up discarded! That being said, sometimes the swiftly moving timeline and all the action overshadowed Bell and Dario's relationship. I would've liked more time to just experience them together without all the bullshit. That's often a complaint of mine, so clearly, that's easier said than done. Readers want action, after all. Still, I wanted more of "peacetime" Belario :-) Also, some of the plot had holes, and the resolution regarding a certain character definitely wasn't enough for me.
He’d never had a woman so responsive, so engaged. When she was touched, she bloomed. When he fucked her, she was a rabid animal. When he made love to her, she melted.
Yes, there are triggers. Yes, the overall plot isn't hard to predict. Yes, it is love at first sight. Yes, he's a married man. None of those things bothered me, though, and I had a lot of fun reading a book with intense danger interwoven with romance and the glitz and glamour of Vegas!
“I can’t love you and not protect you. I can’t love you and not fight for you.”
This was a sexy, suspenseful, and romantic read. I'd read a couple AT books, so when I saw this duet was on KU, I jumped right in. I'm glad I did; the plot was suspenseful and all the characters-even the secondary ones- were likable and unique. The story seemed to be told mostly from Bell’s POV, with Dario contributing at times as well as a few other people. Was this a case of insta-love? Yeah, probably, but I feel like it is possible that sometimes, you just know. However, it was Dario that stole the show for me.
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. It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime connection, but everything around us was once-in-a-lifetime levels of fucked up.
Dario and Bell meet when she's waitressing at an independent casino in Las Vegas. As a lot of reviewers have noted, Dario is married when him and Bell meet. If you want to know those dynamics, here ya go, but they're integral to the plot so I'm tagging them as a spoiler.
Spoiler
His wife is his business partner and best friend. They had only a brief sexual relationship a decade earlier, and also, she has a lover of her own. Dario's reasons for marrying Gwen are twofold: materialistic and noble, as he inherits an empire while also keeping her safe from her psychopathic fatherTen thousand cocktail waitresses in this town and he had to meet the one that might break him.
He was too everything—a black hole that could suck me in without even feeling the crush of my soul.
Yes, Bell can be a bit annoying and stubborn, but she's young. She also has trauma in her past that made her life an endless string of temporary relationships. Dario bulldozes through and decimates her walls, and I commend the effort she put into navigating her feelings for him in a healthy way. She handles all the roadblocks fairly well, all things considered. She has a strong sense of self, which I liked. She also wasn't easily taken with all his glamour. She wasn't perfect, but she stood by her man, and at the end of the day, that was enough for me.
The stronger the fear grew, the stronger the love became. His only option was to remove all risks. Keep her safe, treat her like a queen, win her heart. Go all in, and hope that luck, for just this one time, was in his favor.
Now, the plot. I personally thought that while the overall storyline was somewhat predictable, the twists themselves weren't. There was a character in the first book that I found quite interesting, but I assumed they would become a "villain." That didn't happen, which relieved me. It wasn't so much that I was surprised about things that happened, but I was shocked by the timing of certain events. It kept me on my toes and I liked that. I also really liked certain secondary characters, especially Bell's roommates and bosses. They provided badly needed comic relief, and I'm glad certain scenes didn't end up discarded! That being said, sometimes the swiftly moving timeline and all the action overshadowed Bell and Dario's relationship. I would've liked more time to just experience them together without all the bullshit. That's often a complaint of mine, so clearly, that's easier said than done. Readers want action, after all. Still, I wanted more of "peacetime" Belario :-) Also, some of the plot had holes, and the resolution regarding a certain character definitely wasn't enough for me.
He’d never had a woman so responsive, so engaged. When she was touched, she bloomed. When he fucked her, she was a rabid animal. When he made love to her, she melted.
Yes, there are triggers. Yes, the overall plot isn't hard to predict. Yes, it is love at first sight. Yes, he's a married man. None of those things bothered me, though, and I had a lot of fun reading a book with intense danger interwoven with romance and the glitz and glamour of Vegas!
OH. MY. GOD! Double Down is equally as gripping and engrossing as Even Money; I could NOT put it down!! The story picks up right where the first book left off with Bell and Dario dealing with Gwen's death. Because Even Money left us with one hell of a cliffhanger, the second Double Down landed on my kindle I was on it so dang fast. I was borderline obsessive with it. After reading it, I can rightfully say that I am so in love with this book. Double Down brings the suspense, the drama, the heat and the passion. It’s so good. Alessandra Torre is a master of romantic suspense. She has a way of giving you just enough information so the story is not boring or predictable and has you craving and devouring more and more.
The only reason I could not give this book the full 5 stars is because I did not feel as emotionally connected to Dario and Bell's relationship as I was in the first book. Individually, I loved them both. I liked Bell’s independence and her relationships with her friends. As for Dario, I liked him in Even Money but I absolutely loved him and his fierce protective nature in this book. There were so many times that I wanted to reach in and take away all his grief. My feelings for him only grew. Although, I loved both main characters, when they were together, I wasn't fully sold on their love. Yes, they were fire when they were intimate. Outside their intimacy, I thought there was just something off.
Both Even Money and Double Down are perfect example of why Alessandra Torre is one of my favorite writers ever. She can write anything!
The only reason I could not give this book the full 5 stars is because I did not feel as emotionally connected to Dario and Bell's relationship as I was in the first book. Individually, I loved them both. I liked Bell’s independence and her relationships with her friends. As for Dario, I liked him in Even Money but I absolutely loved him and his fierce protective nature in this book. There were so many times that I wanted to reach in and take away all his grief. My feelings for him only grew. Although, I loved both main characters, when they were together, I wasn't fully sold on their love. Yes, they were fire when they were intimate. Outside their intimacy, I thought there was just something off.
Both Even Money and Double Down are perfect example of why Alessandra Torre is one of my favorite writers ever. She can write anything!
Was this really necessary? And what was it for, with that ending and all... Just nah.
I am always a little afraid of being disappointed when it comes to sequels, especially when I enjoyed the first book so much. I worry it isn't going to live up to its predecessor, or the author is going to take the characters in a direction I don't like. So I was a bit nervous going into this book. I needn't have been though because I enjoyed book two just as much as I enjoyed the first.The writing remained outstanding. It was well paced (for the most part). There was a small bit around three-quarters of the way through when the plot did start to lag a bit for me, and I felt the author could have tightened up the story a bit. But it wasn't a bit enough issue for it to affect my rating in any way. The plot remained engaging. There was no OW or OM drama. The sex scenes were suitably spicy.
This book was a bit lighter on secondary characters than the first. We get a couple of brief appearances by Rick and Lance. I was a smidgen bummed by that, and I hope we see them again in books of their own. We are also introduced to a new character...Laurent. I was super intrigued by him, and yea...he needs a book of this own as well.
Both Bell and Dario continued to be very likable main characters. Their chemistry remained off the charts. As did their devotion towards each other. Last, this was all wrapped up in a sweet HAPPY FOR NOW. I will say, I expected closure on all fronts, this being a duet and all. But we are left with a pretty sizeable loose end. Because of that, I can only assume more books may be coming?? In any case, again it wasn't a huge enough issue to affect my rating. Plus, more Bell, Dario, and their friends can only be a good thing in my opinion.
Wow, that is all I can say! This was a great continuation of the story and at the same time I fill left with so many questions! My mind has been spinning since I finished reading this last night! Absolutely recommend this duet!
Alessandra Torre is one of my favourites. However, this series is not my top favourite. I don’t know why but I could not connect with the characters that much. I felt detached.
The second was not that great either. It was an okay read and I became a little bored in the middle.
“the man still didn’t understand what made me tick. He still waved money and finery in the same fist as love and comfort, not recognizing the value in his presence. I wanted him. I wanted his love. His time. His attention. Nothing else.”
I loved Dario. He was so protective and loving. I cared about him a lot. Bell still was okay character. She did not evoke any feelings in me. However, I did not believe that their bond was strong enough at all. I just did not feel the love. Something was lacking in this duet. I don’t know what but something was missing.
“What’s different about him?”
It was a steep question, one that would take a week to answer. I met her eyes and gave the best answer I could. “Everything.”
It was true. Everything was different about him. Some of it I didn’t want, some of it I loved. But everything about him—the issues, the sincerity, the passion, the love … it was all authentic. I trusted him. That was the biggest thing about him. I lost my breath when he looked at me. I swooned when he reached for me. I loved him, even if I didn’t fully understand it. Even when I hated him”
Dario and Bell refused to lose. A team of double down with no looking back.
The second was not that great either. It was an okay read and I became a little bored in the middle.
“the man still didn’t understand what made me tick. He still waved money and finery in the same fist as love and comfort, not recognizing the value in his presence. I wanted him. I wanted his love. His time. His attention. Nothing else.”
I loved Dario. He was so protective and loving. I cared about him a lot. Bell still was okay character. She did not evoke any feelings in me. However, I did not believe that their bond was strong enough at all. I just did not feel the love. Something was lacking in this duet. I don’t know what but something was missing.
“What’s different about him?”
It was a steep question, one that would take a week to answer. I met her eyes and gave the best answer I could. “Everything.”
It was true. Everything was different about him. Some of it I didn’t want, some of it I loved. But everything about him—the issues, the sincerity, the passion, the love … it was all authentic. I trusted him. That was the biggest thing about him. I lost my breath when he looked at me. I swooned when he reached for me. I loved him, even if I didn’t fully understand it. Even when I hated him”
Dario and Bell refused to lose. A team of double down with no looking back.
Wild Card
Double Down pretty much picks up where Even Money leaves off.
Bell is now in hiding. Gwen has been identified as the victim and both Robert and Dario are playing a dangerous game.
There was a twist fairly early in the book that I didn’t see coming. It definitely changed the trajectory of the the story.
I was ok with the ending, but the events left a lot open. Hopefully a future book will emerge that wraps up the loose ends and a truly HEA can occur. Books for Lance and Rick would be great too.
Double Down pretty much picks up where Even Money leaves off.
Bell is now in hiding. Gwen has been identified as the victim and both Robert and Dario are playing a dangerous game.
There was a twist fairly early in the book that I didn’t see coming. It definitely changed the trajectory of the the story.
I was ok with the ending, but the events left a lot open. Hopefully a future book will emerge that wraps up the loose ends and a truly HEA can occur. Books for Lance and Rick would be great too.