vvalley's review
4.0
I really liked this book my only thing is I didn’t like how Ellison had less chapters than Katie i was interested in her perspective in certain situations but amazing book regardless
khylabevibin's review
5.0
Beginner's Bet has quickly found itself on my favourite books of 2021 list! The writing was captivating and the characters were lovable and had amazing chemistry both platonic and romantic. This is definitely a heartwarming romance that you have to read!
5 stars! I absolutely loved this book. Fiona Riley is one of my favourite les fic writers and she did not disappoint with this book. I highly recommend not only this book but all of Riley's books. If you haven't read book one in this series or her Perfect Match series, you're missing out.
Beginner's Bet by Fiona Riley follows Ellison Gamble, who you may recognize from the previous two books in this series as the owner of the luxury real estate firm that the characters from those books work at, and Katie Crawford. Katie is a newly introduced character who's life turns upside down when her mother suffers a stroke. From the very first page I was hooked to this book.
The book starts off on a heartbreaking note for Ellison which I'm going to leave to you guys to find out as it feels a bit spoiler-y. Ellison had always been one of my favourite characters in this series so it's safe to say I've been waiting for this one for a while and not only did it live up to my expectations, it surpassed it. This book allowed me to fall more in love with Ellison's character. She's selfless, funny, romantic and just in all has a warm personality.
Something that I've always admired from Riley is her ability to make her character their own distinct beings. Particularly in this book, Riley does an amazing job at perpetuating just how flustered Katie feels. In this book Katie has a lot on her shoulders, which is ironic since a massage therapist may just be the most tense one in this book. Dealing with the decline of her mother's health and her bank account Katie is at a lost and does not know what to do... until her new friend mentions just how valuable her house might me.
Katie and Ellison may just be the most compatible characters I've ever seen. Something about them just clicked and it presented the cutest chemistry. The plot, though relatively uneventful, was perfect. Sometimes authors try too hard to make simple plots all extra and special but end up ruining everything else. Riley presents an interesting yet simple plot. There is conflict but it wasn't blown out of proportion, it was just... perfect. Guys I really do not know how to describe how much I enjoyed this story.
I highly recommend this book! More so for readers looking for a slow simple romance!
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC for a honest review!
5 stars! I absolutely loved this book. Fiona Riley is one of my favourite les fic writers and she did not disappoint with this book. I highly recommend not only this book but all of Riley's books. If you haven't read book one in this series or her Perfect Match series, you're missing out.
Beginner's Bet by Fiona Riley follows Ellison Gamble, who you may recognize from the previous two books in this series as the owner of the luxury real estate firm that the characters from those books work at, and Katie Crawford. Katie is a newly introduced character who's life turns upside down when her mother suffers a stroke. From the very first page I was hooked to this book.
The book starts off on a heartbreaking note for Ellison which I'm going to leave to you guys to find out as it feels a bit spoiler-y. Ellison had always been one of my favourite characters in this series so it's safe to say I've been waiting for this one for a while and not only did it live up to my expectations, it surpassed it. This book allowed me to fall more in love with Ellison's character. She's selfless, funny, romantic and just in all has a warm personality.
Something that I've always admired from Riley is her ability to make her character their own distinct beings. Particularly in this book, Riley does an amazing job at perpetuating just how flustered Katie feels. In this book Katie has a lot on her shoulders, which is ironic since a massage therapist may just be the most tense one in this book. Dealing with the decline of her mother's health and her bank account Katie is at a lost and does not know what to do... until her new friend mentions just how valuable her house might me.
Katie and Ellison may just be the most compatible characters I've ever seen. Something about them just clicked and it presented the cutest chemistry. The plot, though relatively uneventful, was perfect. Sometimes authors try too hard to make simple plots all extra and special but end up ruining everything else. Riley presents an interesting yet simple plot. There is conflict but it wasn't blown out of proportion, it was just... perfect. Guys I really do not know how to describe how much I enjoyed this story.
I highly recommend this book! More so for readers looking for a slow simple romance!
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC for a honest review!
kburns2004's review
4.0
Downloaded this book on my work computer because I HAD to finish it. I have only read one other Fiona Riley book, but I will be buying and adding them all to my TBR. This was so good.
angieinbooks's review
3.0
We finally get Ellison’s love story in the third (and final?) installment of the High Stakes series. And I hope it’s not the final one—I need some closure on another character’s arc (no spoilers, though). I’ve really enjoyed this series and really like Ellison, so I was really looking forward to this. It mostly didn’t disappoint and surprised me a bit as to how everything was to play out. And I think Fiona Riley’s choices were better than mine.
Ellison Gamble is successful and rich and she makes everyone around her better. But she’s a failure in love and, as the book opens, she gets the most devastating news of her life. Kate Crawford’s life is in shambles and she’s barely holding on. She’s just had to put her mother in too-expensive-for-her-to-afford long-term care and the family’s Victorian home is close to being condemned. Also, her car has broken down and she has no money and her older-than-anything cell phone has lost its charge and she’s stranded inside Mirage (a local bar and favorite of the Gamble reality crew) waiting for her car to be towed. And in this very moment she meets Ellison Gamble.
I’m not usually into big age gaps, and this was is 15 years big (Ellison is 42 and Katie is 27 at the start of the novel), but this is one instance where this didn’t bother me so much. So, kudos, Fiona Riley, because that’s hard to do.
I thought Ellison and Katie come together in a realistic and organic way and I was really rooting for them to succeed. And as much as I enjoyed it and wanted to just keep reading, I did have some major issues. Mainly, Ellison and Katie get together very quickly and things get serious super fast. And I didn’t quite find it believable, considering everything happening in their lives. Don’t get me wrong, Riley sets it up in such a way that it works, but given other facts/circumstances, it wasn’t quite pulled off with enough believability for me to give this top marks (which, for me is 4-5 stars). So a solid 3.5 stars on this. Book 2 remains the series high for me.
One random complaint on the series as a whole… Kendall (from book 1) is not featured nearly enough here or in book 2. I know Trina, Lauren, Jax, and Ellison are the core of this series, but considering Kendall is also one of Ellison's employees, it’s odd to me she just never seems to be in on office shenanigans. And I wanted more Kendall in both books.
Ellison Gamble is successful and rich and she makes everyone around her better. But she’s a failure in love and, as the book opens, she gets the most devastating news of her life. Kate Crawford’s life is in shambles and she’s barely holding on. She’s just had to put her mother in too-expensive-for-her-to-afford long-term care and the family’s Victorian home is close to being condemned. Also, her car has broken down and she has no money and her older-than-anything cell phone has lost its charge and she’s stranded inside Mirage (a local bar and favorite of the Gamble reality crew) waiting for her car to be towed. And in this very moment she meets Ellison Gamble.
I’m not usually into big age gaps, and this was is 15 years big (Ellison is 42 and Katie is 27 at the start of the novel), but this is one instance where this didn’t bother me so much. So, kudos, Fiona Riley, because that’s hard to do.
I thought Ellison and Katie come together in a realistic and organic way and I was really rooting for them to succeed. And as much as I enjoyed it and wanted to just keep reading, I did have some major issues. Mainly, Ellison and Katie get together very quickly and things get serious super fast. And I didn’t quite find it believable, considering everything happening in their lives. Don’t get me wrong, Riley sets it up in such a way that it works, but given other facts/circumstances, it wasn’t quite pulled off with enough believability for me to give this top marks (which, for me is 4-5 stars). So a solid 3.5 stars on this. Book 2 remains the series high for me.
One random complaint on the series as a whole… Kendall (from book 1) is not featured nearly enough here or in book 2. I know Trina, Lauren, Jax, and Ellison are the core of this series, but considering Kendall is also one of Ellison's employees, it’s odd to me she just never seems to be in on office shenanigans. And I wanted more Kendall in both books.
hhushaw's review
4.0
An honest review thanks to NetGalley. I love Fiona Riley and especially this series in articular. IT was fantastic to finally see Ellison on a different level. The charm from the beginning leading to the amazing connection between Ellison and Katie. It was a meet cute that had me feeling all the emotions. Fiona Riley is an amazing lesbian romance author and I can't wait for more.
00leah00's review
4.0
4.5 Stars
“Beginner’s Bet” is the third book in the High Stakes series. It’s also easily my favorite. It’s a rich girl/poor girl, age-gap toaster oven romance that is sweet but with a lot of heart and substance.
Ellison Gamble is the owner of luxury real estate firm. Katie Crawford is a massage therapist in a spa that’s next to Ellison’s realty firm. They meet after a mix-up at the spa and form a quick and sweet friendship.
Ellison was introduced in the previous two books, “Bet Against Me” and “Bet the Farm.” She was my favorite in those so I was very happy to get to her story and for her to find her happy ending. She’s busy with her realty group and secretly trying to have a baby when she meets Katie. Katie is working as much as she can to pay for her mom’s care home. Her mother has recently had a debilitating stroke and needs constant care. It has taken all of Katie’s savings and she’s worried she only has a couple months left. Ellison comes up with a plan and over the course of the summer, the two grow close.
What I really loved was the budding relationship between the two of them. They got to know each other as friends and while it became more for Ellison, it wasn’t as straight forward for Katie. Katie has never been in a same sex relationship and can’t decide if Ellison is actually flirting with her or if she’s just a very nice woman. Spoiler alert, the answer is both. I liked how Riley took the time for them to get to know one another before things changed. That was something that was missing in the other two books so I liked that I really felt their emotional connection here.
My only complaint is the 85% dark moment. It really seemed to come out of nowhere and didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Especially considering that all of the issues would be worked out soon enough or maybe if the two sat down and talked about the issue. Also, that Ellison might’ve been too nice and generous and patient. She is basically the perfect person with no flaws, but that’s me just nitpicking but she was literally flawless!
Otherwise, I absolutely loved this and highly recommend it! I'm really looking forward to Jax's story in an upcoming novella.
*edited to add that I don’t think you need to read the others to read this. This is just fine as a stand-alone.
I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
“Beginner’s Bet” is the third book in the High Stakes series. It’s also easily my favorite. It’s a rich girl/poor girl, age-gap toaster oven romance that is sweet but with a lot of heart and substance.
Ellison Gamble is the owner of luxury real estate firm. Katie Crawford is a massage therapist in a spa that’s next to Ellison’s realty firm. They meet after a mix-up at the spa and form a quick and sweet friendship.
Ellison was introduced in the previous two books, “Bet Against Me” and “Bet the Farm.” She was my favorite in those so I was very happy to get to her story and for her to find her happy ending. She’s busy with her realty group and secretly trying to have a baby when she meets Katie. Katie is working as much as she can to pay for her mom’s care home. Her mother has recently had a debilitating stroke and needs constant care. It has taken all of Katie’s savings and she’s worried she only has a couple months left. Ellison comes up with a plan and over the course of the summer, the two grow close.
What I really loved was the budding relationship between the two of them. They got to know each other as friends and while it became more for Ellison, it wasn’t as straight forward for Katie. Katie has never been in a same sex relationship and can’t decide if Ellison is actually flirting with her or if she’s just a very nice woman. Spoiler alert, the answer is both. I liked how Riley took the time for them to get to know one another before things changed. That was something that was missing in the other two books so I liked that I really felt their emotional connection here.
My only complaint is the 85% dark moment. It really seemed to come out of nowhere and didn’t make a lot of sense to me. Especially considering that all of the issues would be worked out soon enough or maybe if the two sat down and talked about the issue. Also, that Ellison might’ve been too nice and generous and patient. She is basically the perfect person with no flaws, but that’s me just nitpicking but she was literally flawless!
Otherwise, I absolutely loved this and highly recommend it! I'm really looking forward to Jax's story in an upcoming novella.
*edited to add that I don’t think you need to read the others to read this. This is just fine as a stand-alone.
I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
amcheri's review
3.0
This is my first Riley book. I've heard her name for years and even picked this book up as an ARC last year but kept passing it by on my ereader in favor of something else that piqued my interest a bit more. I've been on a romance kick lately and Beginner's Bet finally grabbed me.
I was pretty sure this was going to be a 4 - 5 star review for me but as I got to the last quarter or so, a few things got in the way. The sheer perfectness of Ellison got to be too much. I mean, really, she's perfect: gorgeous, super rich, charming, generous, devoted, and a knight in shining armor for Katie. Katie is pretty awesome, too. I won't go into spoilers but Katie stopped being pretty awesome in order to create the drama in the story. Suddenly and without much thought, it seems. And the resolution was just too easy.
This is a longish book for romance and there was a lot of time given to family issues, work stuff, reflecting on just how rich Ellison is, and how poor - and plagued by bad luck - Katie is. What there wasn't much of was discussion between the protagonists about the future. Which struck me as very odd since one of them was actively trying to have a baby. You know, a pretty huge thing. The very thing that broke up her marriage.
I don't know... Maybe I'm being too hard on the way these things were handled. I really loved the beginning of the book so I was extra disappointed when it all seemed to unravel for me.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
I was pretty sure this was going to be a 4 - 5 star review for me but as I got to the last quarter or so, a few things got in the way. The sheer perfectness of Ellison got to be too much. I mean, really, she's perfect: gorgeous, super rich, charming, generous, devoted, and a knight in shining armor for Katie. Katie is pretty awesome, too. I won't go into spoilers but Katie stopped being pretty awesome in order to create the drama in the story. Suddenly and without much thought, it seems. And the resolution was just too easy.
This is a longish book for romance and there was a lot of time given to family issues, work stuff, reflecting on just how rich Ellison is, and how poor - and plagued by bad luck - Katie is. What there wasn't much of was discussion between the protagonists about the future. Which struck me as very odd since one of them was actively trying to have a baby. You know, a pretty huge thing. The very thing that broke up her marriage.
I don't know... Maybe I'm being too hard on the way these things were handled. I really loved the beginning of the book so I was extra disappointed when it all seemed to unravel for me.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
oddgirlsmedia's review
5.0
Beginner's Bet is the final book in The Realtor Series by Fiona Riley, so if you are one of of those people who only reads completed series now is your time!
I really enjoyed this series overall, particularly because the universe of characters goes so deep. There are the main characters of the series, and their partners, but also so many from previous books in the greater universe. For example, in this book we find out that Ellison briefly dated Lucinda, and there is a cameo by everyone's favorite firewoman both from the Perfect Match series.
This one may actually be my favorite of the three, although Bet Against Me is a close second, and that is for one reason Ellison. Don't get me wrong I love Katie, even if she a is a bit of a mess, but Ellison is the perfect mix of power and empathy. From book one of this series I knew I wanted a whole book about Ellison. Everything from her character description and history, to the way her dialogue is phrased makes her feel so grounded. I don't think I have ever read a character who is so sure of who they are, and what the have to offer, without them coming off cold or cocky.
Ellison and Katie seemed to have a connection from the beginning, starting with what has to be one of my favorite meet-cutes. As a marketing professional I felt for Katie and that automated phone system. Their communication through the book is so well-written you never feel like they are moving too fast.
If you haven't jumped in to this series yet go grab the books, or listen to it in audio form the fabulous Melissa Sternenberg does a great job of bringing the characters to life.
I really enjoyed this series overall, particularly because the universe of characters goes so deep. There are the main characters of the series, and their partners, but also so many from previous books in the greater universe. For example, in this book we find out that Ellison briefly dated Lucinda, and there is a cameo by everyone's favorite firewoman both from the Perfect Match series.
This one may actually be my favorite of the three, although Bet Against Me is a close second, and that is for one reason Ellison. Don't get me wrong I love Katie, even if she a is a bit of a mess, but Ellison is the perfect mix of power and empathy. From book one of this series I knew I wanted a whole book about Ellison. Everything from her character description and history, to the way her dialogue is phrased makes her feel so grounded. I don't think I have ever read a character who is so sure of who they are, and what the have to offer, without them coming off cold or cocky.
Ellison and Katie seemed to have a connection from the beginning, starting with what has to be one of my favorite meet-cutes. As a marketing professional I felt for Katie and that automated phone system. Their communication through the book is so well-written you never feel like they are moving too fast.
If you haven't jumped in to this series yet go grab the books, or listen to it in audio form the fabulous Melissa Sternenberg does a great job of bringing the characters to life.
gloriamontagov's review
4.0
➥ 4 Stars *:･ﾟ✧
wouldn't it be nice if i actually wrote a review? LMAO. i will eventually i promise i'm just not v inspired rn. loved ellison, loved katie, this was such a fucking cute friends to lovers. is this the love story of the century? NO. but it was one of the most romanctic, cutest books i've ever read. they meet and everything happens from there. beach house nights, massages (katie works at a spa), steam, and i got so emotional sometimes bc it was so perf ugh (!!!). ellison is HAWT goddamn where can i get me one of those fr pls. the like first 85% would have gotten 5 stars from me but this is same old same old - fiona riley's downfall is her conflicts. this one sprung out of nowhere, lasted a WHILE and then they just got back together? also, i personally don't adore books that deal with struggling w infertility bc it's not something i can relate to. wishing anyone struggling with that the best though, ofc. but yeah, and though there's this whole "wanting a kid" aspect, we only see children in the epilogue (we got one YAY) and it was only mentioned in the actual story. ANYWAY this was hot and great and good but i liked the other books better bc there was face sitting. peace <3
wouldn't it be nice if i actually wrote a review? LMAO. i will eventually i promise i'm just not v inspired rn. loved ellison, loved katie, this was such a fucking cute friends to lovers. is this the love story of the century? NO. but it was one of the most romanctic, cutest books i've ever read. they meet and everything happens from there. beach house nights, massages (katie works at a spa), steam, and i got so emotional sometimes bc it was so perf ugh (!!!). ellison is HAWT goddamn where can i get me one of those fr pls. the like first 85% would have gotten 5 stars from me but this is same old same old - fiona riley's downfall is her conflicts. this one sprung out of nowhere, lasted a WHILE and then they just got back together? also, i personally don't adore books that deal with struggling w infertility bc it's not something i can relate to. wishing anyone struggling with that the best though, ofc. but yeah, and though there's this whole "wanting a kid" aspect, we only see children in the epilogue (we got one YAY) and it was only mentioned in the actual story. ANYWAY this was hot and great and good but i liked the other books better bc there was face sitting. peace <3