Texas Hold Him by Lisa Cooke
Genre: Historical Romance
Pages: 228 (Ereader)
Description:
To save her family from ruin, a Southern belle appeals to a high-stakes gambler to teach her poker, but he’s more interested in giving her lessons in love
My Rating:
Charlotte who goes by the alias, Lottie Mace, must come up with the $15,000 demanded by a blackmailer in order to save her ailing father's life. Dyer drowns his pain in gambling and drinking on gambling boats while he searches for his family's killer on stops. When a certain Lottie Mace comes to him for gambling lessons so she can win the $25,000 prize at a big tournament, he is intrigued enough to help. His protective instinct soon kicks in and he can't help but be as invested in Lottie winning as she is herself.
Though this cute read isn't perfect, the banter and romance between Dyer and "Lottie" makes it worth the read. I kept thinking the plot would be predictable and would go a certain way but I was pleasantly surprised each time. The flirting and banter might have gone on too long as it seemed the ending was a bit rushed. The actual tournament wrapped up so quickly that if I had blinked I would have missed it. Also, the ending concerning the blackmailer and the murderer was wrapped up pretty quickly as well and we went right back to the romance. It was fine with me but it felt like a tease. I thought the plot was unique and it kept me interested and "Lottie" and her adventures ended up growing on me.
Read this if you are looking for a cute romance. If you intrigued about the gambling or action part of the plot, just know that it is a tad underdeveloped.