Excerpt & Review of Let it Ride by Melanie Jayne

Author: Melanie Jayne
Publisher: Big Dog Publishing
Date of publication: April 2016

The first time he met her, he couldn't have her. In their world there are rules against that kind of interaction. So Remington Cooper watched, waited, and planned. 

Now his luck has turned and he five days to win the woman of his dream's heart.

Francesca Luchetti knows that Remy is interested, he's made that clear. She likes the idea of a fling. Conventions can be dull, so the promise of sex with a hot man will make things more exciting.\

When there is a threat to Francesca's safety, she learns that Remy is the man to keep her safe, but is she ready to gamble with her heart?

Let it Ride is a prequel short story to the Casino Nights series.  It introduces us to Francesca and Remy. They are both in the casino business and have been working together on a panel for a convention. Remy has designs on Francesca and hopes the convention is the place he can finally make his move.

I liked the story, but I didn't love it.  I did like the chemistry between Remy and Francesa.  I thought they were cute together. But, what made me not love it was the feeling that I was missing something in the beginning because I didn't get a good sense of the characters right off.  I would have liked to see more of Francesca with her security team to get a feel for them. I was also disappointed that it ended in a cliffhanger. It's a short story, but probably could have been combined with the first book in the series to make one book about the couple.  I'm not a fan of cliffhangers in general.

Still, I 'd say it's worth a read.  You may want to wait until the next book in the series comes out so you don't have to wait too long to finish out Remy and Francesca's story.

Excerpt:  “I don’t like that a self-proclaimed enemy of Jimmy’s might be attending this event. He’s mentioned you by name in several of his rants.” Blade’s soft voice radiated concern.

“His career is over. His company has been through Chapter 11 and now they have nothing. He’s a pariah in this industry, so what does he have to lose if he harasses you?” Rico rested his hands on the table in front of him.

“Casino life is hard and the business is cut-throat. Jimmy ingrained that into me from the day he adopted me. I’ll be careful. I promise.” She gave Rico a reassuring smile. “I don’t want anything to happen to me, either if that makes you feel any better.”

“Plus it will be hard to get to know that Hoosier Hottie if you have a detail following you around.” Hadley added helpfully.

“Hadley!” She felt her cheeks burn. God she wasn’t a prude, how could she be after living and working in Sin City? Her body’s response frustrated her.  

Blade ran his fingers over his tablet and a photo of Remington Cooper flashed up on the flat screen hanging on the wall behind her chair. “I’ve done some research. This guy can take care of Frankie. I’m not worried. If he’s around her, she’ll be fine.” He flashed what could only be described as a shit-eating grin. “He’s had training, very specialized training, in the military. Plus he’s not too bad looking is he?”

“I suppose that he could protect her, but the question is, would he?” Rico looked straight at Frankie.

“Oh, I think he’d like to get next to Frankie any way he could.” Hadley winked and gave a salacious smile. “The man has been very busy pursuing our Francesca.”

“Enough.” She gave her friends an evil look. “I only talk to Remy because he is chairing the panel that I’m a part of.” She prayed that her hands weren’t shaking. Her attraction to Remy was becoming a problem. No matter what she told her body, it throbbed whenever she thought about him. “I think you all are exaggerating this just a little.” She displayed a half inch of space between her thumb and index finger.

She watched them exchange looks. This was the problem with spending so much time together. There were no secrets.

Buy links:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/1VRGOlh

iBooks: http://apple.co/20yZ7ws

About the Author:

I live on a grain farm southeast of Indianapolis, Indiana with my very patient husband of twenty-five years and our two English Mastiffs, Buster Brown and Ginger. I graduated from Indiana University when it was the #1 party school in the country and I took great pride in helping the school achieve that ranking.

I haven't figured out what I want to be when I grow up. I change careers every decade. I have worked in retail, a federal courtroom, travelled across the state closing loans, and behind the scenes in a casino.

I've always had an active imagination so when a good friend suggested that I try writing a book, I thought why not, it should be fun. It has, but I have had to work very hard to learn how to do it. I am so lucky for the outpouring of advice and education from so many in the industry, plus the hand-holding and cheerleading from My Gurls. I also have an incredible Ad-man-istrative Assistant, who tries to keep me under control. He rolls his eyes so much that I worry about a permanent condition.

When I ‘m not working or writing type stuff, I sleep, watch courtroom TV shows, and sports. I was a competitive pro-am ballroom dancer for ten years and I read as many books as I can.

I love to attend Author-Reader Conventions and look forward to meeting you.

Website: http://www.readmelaniejayne.com/
Newsletter: http://www.readmelaniejayne.com/contact-us.html
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mjsmut
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mjsmut
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13547924.Melanie_Jayne