Lisa Cooke

I wish there were a mechanism to split stars in this ranking system. I'd love to give an extra half star for this story of a naive young woman who decides to raise money by joining up with gamblers on a riverboat in post-Civil War America. I enjoy that period of history, and Ms. Cooke did a credible job of capturing the resentment of the Southern people toward the victorious Yanks. (As a northerner living in southern Virginia, I can tell you I've been called Yankee more than once....and I'm not sure they were kidding!) :-) The love scenes were well done (for those who like their scenes spicy but not cringe-worthy graphic), and the characters were likeable.

It's "believability" that keeps me from adding an extra star to my ranking. I simply don't buy the original premise that sends the heroine off on her journey. And that's a problem. I also don't buy the hero's actions at the end of the book (the "black moment" in their relationship). I don't think enough of his story was conveyed for the reader to "get it" on more than an intellectual level. It's that emotional attachment that propels me, as a reader, from "liking" to "loving" a story, and it was missing in this story for me.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and would definitely read more of Ms. Cooke's works.… (more)

Things couldn't get much worse for Lottie. The Civil War took her family's wealthy plantation, and her father's so ill that he requires constant care (from Lottie's aunt). To make matters worse, a dangerous man claims to have proof that her father is a murderer. She has 6 weeks to pay him $15,000, or he will expose her father. Desperate, Lottie decides there's only one way to earn that much money so quickly--she must learn to play poker and enter the tournament in St. Louis with a $25,000 jackpot. Her adventure begins when she boards a riverboat and seeks out a handsome gambler (Dyer) to teach her how to play the game. Little does she know that the payment for his lessons might be her heart.

This book has an interesting romance, characters you care about, and a mystery that adds suspense. Dyer isn't much of a gentleman. He's rough around the edges, and he's known as a womanizer. The last thing he wants is to spend time with a girl who looks and behaves like a Sunday School teacher. Obviously, as this is a romance, his opinion of Lottie changes. He can't seem to get her out of his mind, and Lottie has never been around a man as handsome and mysterious as Dyer.

Along the way, Lisa Cooke introduces us to a couple of wonderful secondary characters. I was almost as interested in Newt and Sally as Lottie and Dyer. I could not put this book down. The pacing was perfect, and the ending was satisfying without being too "happily ever after." The ending is good, but the characters have to work for it, which is the way it should be.… (more)