Monday, September 29, 2014

GUEST REVIEW OF ~~~ ALL BETS ARE ON by CYNTHIA COOKE



Derek Wescott is the ruler of the Eighth Level of Hell. When he is not punishing sinners who commit white collar crimes, he is running his car dealership with his three minions. Derek has been grouchy and his minions feel that if her gets laid, he will be calmer. Unbeknownst to Derek, the minions set him up on an online dating site. The minions accept a date with the "mousy looking" Jaclyn for coffee the next day. Before Derek goes, they make a bet with Derek to see if he can get Jaclyn into bed within forty eight hours.. Whoever wins, will have to wash and wax every car in the showroom.
Jaclyn Reynolds lives with her dog Rufus and runs a nonprofit organization/shelter to provide daycare services for people trying to get back on their feet. Jaclyn's friend Trish thinks she is working too hard and has neglected her social life. Together they look at the dating site and choose Derek, send a response and they arrange to meet for coffee. Jaclyn has issues with handsome men due to the fact that her mother abandoned her for a handsome man when she was younger. She didn't want to go out with Derek because "he was too handsome." Derek makes a bet with her that she will sleep with him after the fundraiser. Jaclyn needs the money for her foundation, so she agrees to the bet convinced that she can resist Derek. Jaclyn loses the bet, with consequences.
Just as Derek begins to have feelings for Jaclyn, Marlena, Derek's mother gives him another assignment. It seems that someone is embezzling money from Jaclyn's foundation and he is to shut down the foundation and punish the sinners. Can Derek save Jaclyn from punishment and prevent her foundation from closing? Can he accept what he feels for her, tell her who he really is? Will Jaclyn get over her distrust of handsome men and admit her feelings for Derek. Can they save the foundation?

I enjoyed this story. Derek thought Jaclyn was a sure thing and was really surprised when he had to actually work for it. Using a series of bets, he eventually won Jaklyn's attention. He also had to work hard to win her trust too. Jaklyn also had to let go of her insecurities and open her heart to the possibility of love. During this process, both characters finally figure out what is important to them both. The secondary characters were well written. The minions were funny, Derek's mother and sister were the bitches you would expect demons to be, her friend misguided by a man and two surprises make this a great read. I recommend this story by author Cynthia Cooke. I give it five stars.

~JANET RODMAN~

No comments:

Post a Comment