Gambling on A Secret by Sara Walter Ellwood
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Gambling
On A Secret
By: Sara Walter Ellwood
Blurb:
When Charli bets everything on a secret, will she
find the deck stacked against her?
Former
runaway-turned heiress Charli Monroe is hiding her sordid past and planning a
future in Colton, Texas.
Attending the local college for a degree in social work, she intends to raise
cattle on her newly purchased ranch, which she plans to open as a home for
troubled teens. Only a few glitches—the Victorian mansion is crumbling, the
barn needs a roof, and her oilman neighbor wants more than friendship. When she
meets Dylan Quinn, Charli is willing to take a chance on the town drunk to help
her rebuild the rundown ranch.
Dylan has his demons, too. The former
Special Forces commander can’t get past his ex-wife’s betrayal and the botched
mission that left him with much more than a bad limp. Certain the greedy oilman
next door to Charli wants much more than just her heart, Dylan’s even willing
to stop drinking in order to protect her.
When things get dangerous and secrets
of the past are revealed, is he only looking out for his new employer, or is
she the new start he so desperately needs?
CONTENT
WARNING:
Details abuse of a minor, drug abuse, alcoholism, swearing, spicy sex,
murder.
COVER QUOTE:
“Full of intrigue, tangled pasts, and raw emotions, this one is guaranteed to
keep you turning pages from start to finish and then wishing for one more
chapter!”
Carolyn Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Just a Cowboy and His Baby.
Carolyn Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Just a Cowboy and His Baby.
Ms. Brown also named Gambling
On A Secret as one of her favorite romance reads in 2012 in the Happy
Ever After Blog on USA Today.
Excerpt:
“Ferguson,
what are you doing here?” Dylan barked.
Leon
ambled toward them on the stone path. “I’m saving a young maiden from torment.
What are you doing here, playing the part of the devil?”
“I’m
Miss Monroe’s new manager.” The deadly edge of his voice matched the flintiness
of his eyes. “If there’s anyone to save the young maiden from, it’s you.”
“Mr.
Quinn, please.” She turned to Leon. “Leon, is there something I can do for
you?”
He
smiled, showing off perfect white teeth in a face handsome enough to belong to
an actor. “I was just passing by on my way home and decided to stop. How are
the boys working out?”
Dylan’s
stance widened and his hands flexed at his slides. “What boys?”
“Charli
and I have entered into a business arrangement.”
She
lost the battle with the urge to wrap her arms around herself. As much as she
appreciated Leon’s kindness, respected him, and was even a little attracted to
him, something about him didn’t sit right with her. He represented her peers in
the community. According to Mrs. Pratt, besides the Cartwrights, she and Leon
were undoubtedly the wealthiest residents in the county. No one in Colton could
learn about her past. It would ruin her, and Leon, no doubt, had the means to
dig up the dirt.
“Really?”
Dylan stepped closer to her in a protective manner. Whiskey tainted his breath
as the warmth of the exhalations tickled her cheek. “What kind of business
arrangement?”
She
could protect herself. Dylan Quinn wasn’t any safer than Leon Ferguson.
Stepping away from him, she forced her arms to her sides. “Mr. Quinn, I can
handle this.”
She
faced Leon. “I’m amazed by how much the men got done since starting on Monday.
The foreman told me last evening they’d be reseeding another fifty acres for
hay this morning. And they have the corrals fixed and started on the fencing in
the north pasture.”
“Good,
good.” He glanced at Dylan. “I’ll be going, unless you need a more reliable
exterminator. I couldn’t help but overhear about your snake infestation. I can
give you the name of the company that has gotten rid of the snakes in our lakes
over on Oak Springs for years.”
Although
he presented the perfect solution, she didn’t the like way Leon had looked at
Dylan as he said the word exterminator. “No, Mr. Quinn is quite capable
of getting rid of the snake.”
“Oh,
I’m sure he is.” Leon tipped his hat. “Let me know if there’s anything else I
can do for you, Charli.” Dylan’s jaw tightened as his uncle glanced at him.
“It’s good to see you up among the living again.”
Leon
headed back to his Porsche. With no pretense of lowering his voice, Dylan said,
“Now, there’s a snake no one wants in their garden.”
Upon
hearing the jibe, Leon’s shoulders jerked in mid-stride.
Rattled
by Leon’s attention and the snake fiasco, she turned on Dylan. “You aren’t off
the hook. I want those snakes gone.”
“We’ll
see.”
“I
hate snakes.” She shuddered and put her hands on her hips. “Maybe I should have
asked him who the exterminator is.”
Bio:
Sara Walter Ellwood is
an award winning author whose novel Gambling On A Secret was named by
bestselling author Carolyn Brown in the Happy Ever After Blog on USA Today as one of her favorite
romances of 2012. Although Sara has long ago left the farm for the glamour of
the big town, she draws on her experiences growing up on a small hobby farm in
West Central Pennsylvania to write her stories. She’s been married to her
college sweetheart for nearly 20 years, and they have two teenagers and one
very spoiled rescue cat named Penny. She longs to visit the places she writes
about and jokes she’s a cowgirl at heart stuck in Pennsylvania suburbia.
She also writes
paranormal romantic suspense under the pen name of Cera duBois.
Buy Links:
Barnes
and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gambling-on-a-secret-sara-walter-ellwood/1114062294?ean=2940016153667
Author links:
Website:
http://www.sarawalterellwood.com
Review:
Gambling on a Secret, the title says a lot about this book. Gambling on whether or not to tell your secrets (and there are many secrets in this book), gambling on love, taking chances on committment.This book was full of "should I", "could I", "will I", & "won't I" from both of the main charecters. I really enjoyed the back and forth of the desicion making and thought processes of Charli and Dylan. Usually, too much of that puts me off of a book, but not in this case. It worked very well. I found myself so involved in the story, I was cheering Charli & Dylan on throughout the entire book. I love when a book just drags me in and won't let go until the end. This story will get you emotionally involved. After all the charecters have been through in their lives you just want them to have their HEA! I think we may even see more from supporting charcters, I hope so anyway!
Wow love what I read so far need to read more..Love the cover..
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