4.5 stars!

Bell works as a waitress at The House, a Vegas gambling establishment run by two of her best friends. She is in control of her life, enjoys working with her friends, and is happy with her casual relationships. Then, in walks Dario Capece, the owner of several casinos and well known around Vegas. There is an instant spark between Bell and Dario, something about him affecting her completely, and we can instantly tell that she has caught his eye as well. There is an all-consuming pull that won’t let go no matter how hard they fight it.

"I knew that our connection wasn’t normal. It was two planets colliding. Explosions. A black hole that pulled you in, regardless of the danger."

Bell is strong, driven, and knows what she wants. Her past broke my heart and I understood how it shaped the person she became. Her connection with Dario is so different than anything she has felt before because she has always kept things purely physical. However, as Dario starts to make his way into her heart, I felt her confusion as well as her intense desire and I understood her conflicted emotions.

"I could already tell that—with him—my emotions wouldn’t behave. A physical relationship between us might take my cold and lifeless heart and actually cause it to beat. To hum. To swell with blood and emotion. To hurt."

I was a bit unsure of Dario in the beginning but he proved himself as the story unfolded. I loved seeing how big his heart is and the reasons he acts the way he does. He’s a great guy who is willing to fight to keep the people he cares about safe. I loved that Bell took him by surprise and he’s not quite sure why she has invaded his mind and heart. Everything Dario has fought for is at risk and I felt his turmoil as he realized that Bell was more than just another woman.

"Ten thousand cocktail waitresses in this town and he had to meet the one that might break him."

I believed the attraction between Bell and Dario. They have amazing chemistry, the sexual tension is off the charts, and the sexy time is smoking hot. Even their first kiss kicked my heart beat up a notch as I got lost in the moment along with them.

"It was a soft kiss that asked permission. My hands weakened against his suit, and I gave up with the second kiss, one that brushed more firmly across my lips, opening my mouth. In the third kiss, he owned me, the contact deepening, a delicate play between two mouths born for each other, one where arousal flared, breaths quickened, and our hands tightened and traveled, first needy, then frantic. It was a kiss that seduced, then branded. A kiss where he gave as much as he took, and I lost as much as I gained."

I loved how this story was written in different point of views. We get to see what’s going on in Bell and Dario’s minds and their true feelings which made me like them even more. I also enjoyed that we don’t just get Bell and Dario’s POV. There are other key players who add danger and suspense to the mix and I loved it!

Overall, Even Money is a fast-paced, entertaining, romantic suspense that keeps you on your toes while sending your heart soaring. And with jaw dropping plot twists and an ending that leaves you desperate for more, Double Down, the second book in the All In Duet, cannot come soon enough.

“I can’t love you and not protect you. I can’t love you and not fight for you.”

*ARC generously provided by the author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

What I love the most about books from Alessandra is that the story is the focus and the relationship or romance is second. When you read her books it is so much more than a couple falling in love. For me, that is what sets her books apart from others. After reading Even Money I am wondering where this even balance she usually has went. This delivered on the story aspect but the romance was very lite for what I have come to expect from her.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes I did.

Will I read part 2? Yes I will.

Do I recommend this book? Yep I sure do.

I love Dario and I want to find out so much more about him. I really enjoyed Bell and I think we are only at the tip of what is to come from her. The thing that is still lacking for me is where I'm supposed to feel their connection. I didn't feel their spark. I was just getting into them being together and then he is already declaring he loves her. I am hoping that the second book helps fill in these gaps I am feeling.

The ending was on point though. Wow I was not expecting that. I have so many questions that I can not wait to get the answers for.

Even Money is the first book in this Duet. Double Down book 2 will be releasing the end of June. Not much time to save for the new kindle you will need after throwing your old one at the wall with the ending of Even Money!!! Wow…… Can I get a time travel capsule to take be ahead in time…I need Double Down…. Stat!!!

Bell Hartley is living the better life, now that she has moved from her parents’ home. Attending college…enjoying the after-class benefits with her professor 😉 and working as a waitress in a small casino in which she loves.

Dario Capece is the big man in town. Successful Casino owner, Married with an understanding wife. If there is something he wants in town, he gets it. If there are problems in town, he takes care of them. If one of the people he cares for gets hurt, he takes care of it. No problem he can’t handle.

That is until he walks into the casino he is thinking about purchasing. Going through security check entering the casino, his eyes land on her…
Her eyes land on him… There is instant chemistry… They both feel it.

But can this young student/waitress fall for the big guy in town? Can this big guy in town seriously fall for the young lady? Sounds simple, right???
If a wedding band doesn’t stop these two, there is someone else who will!!

Eeep! I need book 2…..

Gah... y’all Even Money is a MUST read! I’ll admit that I got on the Alessandra Torre train late in the game but since The Ghostwriter I have been obsessed with her stories. Torre is one of the most versatile authors I have ever read and I read a ton of books every week! It doesn’t matter what the genre is... is Ms. Torre is writing it, it will suck every reader into the world she creates. It’s an incredible gift. Even Money was some of my genres is in! We get this sexy romance (like it’s hot in here sexy!!), there’s some major suspense, which for me, madness has e this book even more captivating.

Bell is perfection! I loved her sass and her spunk. She’s fiercely independent but she’s got these bruises buried just skin deep. She tries hard to hide them. Dario is just what she needs... this strong alpha male with attitude and broody and it was just right! They were a great couple fit and that chemistry and heat level was through the roof!

I’m gonna be honest, Alessandra Torre is one of the authors I turn to. She writes like it just flows out smoothly from a pen. She’s so descriptive and entertaining. This book, while it had that suspense and heat that I love in a romance book it also had a bit of fun with it being in Las Vegas. Hold onto your chips though because you’ll be going for a ride and who know what’ll happen in Vegas?!

I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that... my opinions.

Bell is working as a waitress at the most exclusive private/underground casino in Las Vegas. The House. She makes good money and she's happy with her two bosses. She also goes to school by day and has a purely physical affair with her prof. She doesn't do commitment! Ever since things happened to her when she was only 15, she needs to be in control of those kind of situations.

Enter Dario.

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Ten years ago he married into the city's biggest Vegas casino family. And after working hard and investing very well, he's now the biggest guy in town!

And he's looking into buying or partnering with The House. But Lance and Rick are not interested.

And while Dario is at The House, he sees Bell. It wasn't more than 60 seconds and a few words, but he can't forget her. It's almost an obsession.

But he's married and she doesn't do serious.
What will happen with those two?
And if all their problems weren't already enough ... there's also Dario's mega-psycho father-in-law ...

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Well, that was really amazing!

The first couple of pages I wasn't really sure about things. Not sure if I liked Bell, the situation, the writing. BUT - I really started to love it after a few pages. It's a really amazing story. Lots of sexiness and Las Vegasness and heat and sparks and crime and lies and danger and mystery. And lots of pain and sorrow in both our darling's past.

The only thing I wasn't 100% in love with... Dario is a bit too old for me. Or rather for Bell. He's in his mid to late thirties. BUT you don't really notice it. He has the body of a 25-year-old! ☺

What more can I say?
Amazing Sexy Suspense Las Vegas Love Story- I can't wait to get my hands on book #2 !!

Thank you Alessandra for the opportunity to read Even Money. This book was not for me so I will not be posting an extensive review.

"She was a liability, and he was the king of this town."

Dario Capece was caught between two lands–two women–the one he promised to protect and the one his heart desired. Bell Hartley was just a cocktail waitress that happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A connection of eyes across a room changed everything, but was their love worth fighting for?

With its addicting Vegas atmosphere, suspenseful plot, characters that I rooted for no matter how forbidden they were together, steamy moments that had my uterus fanning itself, and an enticing writing style, Even Money lured me into its grip and kept me there. I couldn't breathe until the very end, just for the author to make me stop breathing all over again.

Not even the most powerful man in Vegas can afford to get distracted by a cocktail waitress without paying the consequences.

Can't wait for Double Down!!!

“Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden.” ~ Phaedrus

Even Money is book #1 of the All In Duet!!

Another captivating story from Author Alessandra Torre! Even money is intriguing, captivating, emotional, steamy and suspenseful. A real page turner at its best!

This sexy story is superbly written, scorching hot, and very intense. Just perfect. Well plotted, with many twist and turns, great and believable characters that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

The addictive storyline made of this an excellent read, which lead to a delicious escapade that end it in a cliffhanger.

Can't wait for Double Down and more of Bell & Dario’s story and their HEA!

I love it when Court reads ahead of me because she gets me all sorts of excited about whatever we're reading and that's exactly what happened with Even Money by Alessandra Torre.


Within minutes of reading I felt like this was old school Alessandra Torre, didn't you, Court?! The setting (out west in Las Vegas), the characters (a powerful older man, a younger woman not yet established, and the push and pull of their attraction), the sense of danger and of something being forbidden? it threw me back to the Innocence Series and I loved every second of it. Even with all the things that brought me back to the debut series of Alessandra Torre, there was so much to this novel that also made it feel different too. The secondary characters--Ian, Gwen, Robert, and Claudia + Lance and Rick--all added interesting plot points and conflicts and that ending?! That ending has me ready for the middle of June! We have many predictions, speculations, and questions that have us very eager to see how in the heck Alessandra Torre will wrap up all the loose ends.


This is one of those novels that you find yourself inhaling within hours (while also trying to slow down your reading pace so that you can draw it out as long as you can); it's one of those novels that you wish had many more books in the series because there just seems like there could be so many plotlines and characters' stories that would be fun to read (we're greedy bitches when it comes to wanting more, more, MORE) but we're just excited to know that Double Down is out soon and will undoubtedly have us entertained and book drunk and hungover by the end of the day.

Be ready to have your mind blown!
As soon as I started reading this book, I wasn't able to put it down.
Dario and Bell's story is one that will captivate you.
Intense, mysterious, suspenseful, your emotions will be high and once you reach the end you will be left in such an amazing book hangover.
I can't wait to find out what will happen next in Book 2.
I have my predictions and can't wait to see if I am right or totally off.
Author Alessandra Torre does it again with leaving readers breathless and having their minds racing into theories of how will it all wrap up.
Go One Click & be ready to take your Highest Bet on love.

So dang good!!! YOU NEED THIS BOOK!

This book sucked me in, dug its claws in, and wouldn’t let me go until I read the last word. This may end up being my favorite duet of the year!

Bell Hartley is a cocktail waitress and college student who is having fun and just going with the flow until one night, Dario Capece walks into her job. I love these two main characters! Bell is head strong, fierce, and independent. She refuses to fall to Dario’s feet and lets him chase her. Dario is true book boyfriend material! He’s sweet, caring, protective, and a total Vegas boss! Their chemistry sparked off the pages right away and their slow burn romance was perfect.

How does it end like that?!?! Such an amazing twist that I never saw coming! I need the second part of this duet right now! The ending was so perfect to set up the second half, Double Down. I’m going to be waiting very impatiently for the rest of Bell and Dario’s story!

If you love a story that has the perfect amounts of suspense, heat, danger, and romance, you have to read this one!

Even money is book one in the All In Duet. It was sexy and suspenseful. The action began on the first page, quickly drawing the reader in and connecting you to the characters. The shroud of mystery covers everything from the beginning but urges the reader to turn the pages quickly to get to the bottom of the secrets lurking around every corner.



This was a steamy thrill ride that had me biting my nails until the very last page. It was a quick read and now I'm waiting on pins and needles for book 2, Double Down, coming later this month.

***4 Stars***

The blurb was the hook, especially the whole “And someone died.” part, and while the blurb is most definitely accurate, this book threw a few things that surprised me, or I guess I should say, the characters surprised me and I thoroughly enjoyed it...even with that ending aka cliffy from hell.

I really liked Bell and Dario. Their pasts are both troubled and dark and yet they’ve both persevered and have become something more than either thought they’d ever be. I loved Bell’s sass, snark and confidence. She does have a few walls up, for good reason, but she’s honest and upfront about it. Dario is all kinds of alpha AF male. Determined, overbearing while being charming and sweet and smexy as all get out. As for their relationship...it’s definitely convoluted and there will be those that just won’t feel it, regardless of that inexplicable pull they have towards each other. For me though, I really enjoyed their dance because they were actually honest about what they wanted and where they stood.

The writing was engaging and so easy to get lost in. The various POV’s were done in an interesting manner, but I didn’t find it difficult to follow. The secondary characters are all quite interesting and there are a few I’d love to know more about, so we’ll have to see what happens in the second book. And as this is a duet, there is a cliffy and dear lord what a cliffy it is. Things are about to get really complicated and I NEED to know how it all plays out.

~ Copy provided by the author via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~

This story was full of danger and suspense and twists you won't see coming. I am already dying for the next book. I was also heating up over the steam and chemistry between these characters. There was also emotion an angst enough to satisfy me and I love my angsty romance. This story had a little bit of everything and it was very well balanced. I loved the characters as well and I would love to learn more about them even after reading this book. I can't wait to see where Alessandra is going to take us with this story.

So suspenseful! I felt like I needed to look over my shoulder while I was reading this book. It's like you never knew when things were going to change and at the hands of which character. This story is written by the POV mostly of the two main characters, Bell and Dario. But every once in awhile you get a surprise POV. I really enjoyed the mix of characters in this story. There are some really ugly ones along with fun, interesting ones. The mystery of the story kept me turning the pages. There is a cliffhanger, but it's manageable and we don't have to wait very long for the conclusion! This was a surprising change from the books that I have been reading

***I received an ebook copy from the author at no cost***

Alessandra has done it again with Even Money.

I was instantly hooked with this story. Bell works for her friends, in a sort of underground casino (The House) that they operate in Vegas. Dario Capece is one of the most well-known—and feared—men in Sin City. He owns multiple casinos and has a bank account with more than enough cash in it. The night he enters The House, he's there for business reasons only. But then he encounters Bell and soon they both find their worlds turned upside down.

The story in this book is so good. It has a ton of elements that I love, like organized crime, suspense, red hot sex, and a sizzling forbidden love. On the surface, Dario seems like a typical egotistical businessman, but that's not at all who he is. He has so much depth to his character. Alessandra did an amazing job when she crafted him. There's a whole side of him that doesn't see the light of day, but that comes out when Bell is around.

The forbidden love aspect of this story is so well done! Bell and Dario know they shouldn't be together. There's so many reasons why either one pursuing the other is a bad idea. But there's this pull between these two. They're like two planets orbiting around one another, just waiting for that moment when one breaks the orbit and smashes straight into the other. And as a reader, I was literally on the edge of my chair, unable to put my Kindle own, eagerly watching these two do this dance around one another and wondering when (or if) they'd finally come together.

This story kept me on my toes. The different elements, like suspense, romance, and a bit of angst, are balanced out, and the plot moved along so good. There were moments that totally threw me for a loop and I loved this cast of characters too. (The girls that Belle lives with are amazing!!)

This ends on a crazy cliffhanger, so now I'm waiting on pins and needles for the next book in the duet to come out. I can't wait to see what Alessandra gives us in the next installment!

Five stars to this novel!

Oh was this one hell of a read!

I always know to expect some great suspense when it comes to Alessandra Torre books. She knows how to capture my full attention to no end and I am always well satisfied with her twists and turns in her books. Now, we get a cliffy with this one since it's a duet and mind you, I'm sitting here impatiently awaiting for book no. 2.

Dario Capece is a very powerful and influential man in Las Vegas and normally what Dario wants Dario gets. Once he sets his eyes on Bell Hartley, a waitress at one of the casino's he is interested in purchasing, he is relentless in her pursuit.

Bell has a pretty sad past that has made her to steer away from relationships, she can do hook-ups and she can do one-night stands and she can do casual, but she can't do relationships -- until Dario comes in the picture, that is.

Bell knows that hooking up with Dario is not a good idea, he is dangerous and because he is dangerous, that means her life can be put to danger. She wants to stay away from him, but her pull towards him is just too strong and it doesn't help that he's there to woo her in, every which way he can.

Dario is a charming man, he may have his faults and he may have baggage, but he certainly knows how to get what he wants when he wants it.

The problem here is that now that Bell has pledged herself to this man, can anything good come out of this relationship or is she just walking into some seriously dangerous territory?

I am hooked -- I mean completely HOOKED!

I don't think I've ever read a book from Ms. Torre that I was not satisfied with and I love how she has those twists and turns that are so darn unexpected that have me reeling for days.

This was an excellent story that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

5 EVEN STARS!!

Even Money read like the city it was set in: sinful, thrilling and a little bit deviant. The pure magnetism between the main characters was palpable from the very beginning and only grew as the story went on. It felt nostalgic and beautifully poignant, two traits that made it easy to devour, and I was captivated from the get-go.

Most enchanting was the dynamic between Bell and Dario; how they had this hugely pivotal connection that became irresistible to ignore and yet they took their time exploring one another’s intricacies and heart. Bell wasn’t cowed by the wealthy man’s world, and that made her a character well worth exploring. Dario’s all-consuming and alluring nature was a huge part of him, but under that was a man that, without his empire, was just as hypnotic. Their coming together was explosively sexy and impossible to put down.

And I’ll tell you, it’s a good thing the second book in the duet is out later this month because that ending was brilliantly wild. Even Money is a thrill ride of a romance and I cannot wait for what comes next.

Even Money is the first part of the All in Duet. The story is fast paced, captivating, well written, and I read it all in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. The characters were likeable and well developed. Bell and Dario had such an intense attraction towards eachother, that I'm surprised smoke wasn't coming out of my kindle. I liked the secondary characters too. I can't wait to read the next part of this duet, so I can find out what happens.

Once again, Alessandra Torre has blown me away with her intensely romantic novels. I loved Even Money. I couldn't get enough when I was reading and I couldn't stop thinking about it when I was finished. This book is the epitome of romantic suspense and one that all readers should consider if they like the genre. Now, I don't want to say too much about the novel because I feel it's important that readers go in blind without preconceived notions, but I will say this. It's heart stopping and utterly delicious! I am so excited for the next book to release that I can barely hang on!

Readers, fans of the author, and those who love devilishly good novels that will keep you on your toes and melt the ever living hell out of your heart, this is the book for you!