All Bets Are On by Cynthia Cooke
Paranormal Romance
Released September 22, 2014
Entangled: Covet

Reviewed by Sheena

Favorite Quote:  “Let me get this straight. You’ll stick your hands in my pants and take my money, but you won’t sit down and have a cup of coffee with me?” And  “Some dogs didn’t have a problem with him, others tried to eat his face off.”

This was so damn fun to read!  Yes it’s light-weight and frothy and entertaining!  The tagline from the blurb sold me: The Prince of Hell needs to get laid.  Snort.   Seriously?  It was so putzy that I had to give it a chance and I am supremely glad I did.  Derek Wescot is the Prince of Hell.  He is all work and no play and his minions decide to toy with his personal life and create a personal ad to bait the perfect woman to torment him.  Jaclyn Reynolds is all hidden lushness, camouflaged by her mousy exterior.  She is a genuinely innocent soul whose extrovert best  friend and business partner sets Jaclyn up on a blind date with none other than Derek.  Electric blue eyes Derek. Devilish Derek.  To beautiful for mere mortal eyes Derek.  Did I mention that due to childhood trauma, Jaclyn has some serious hang ups about rich, attractive men. Let’s just say, their first meeting was a near disaster.

Okay so I have to be honest.  Some of the outlandish stuff just didn’t gel.  Derek is a Prince of Hell, but initially seemed like such a non-confrontational mamas boy! I kept thinking, dude, you are THE Prince of Hell, get your shit together!  He also had some supremely rude and non complimentary thoughts about Jaclyn (who I loved), so for a little while I really did not like him.  I can handle my hero being an overbearing jerk.  I can take a scarred hero who needs to be taught how to love.  But dammit, I don’t want my hero taking low blow shots at my heroine!

“The nine circles of Hell!” he cursed.  The poor woman gave definition to the word boring.  No wonder she had to stoop to using a dating website.  Mousy brown hair and mud green eyes covered up by dark rimmed glasses. A grandma button up shirt.  he couldn’t see her skirt but if he had to bet, he’d say it was gingham and covered every bit of her pasty white skin.”

Well fuck you too Mr. Hot-As-Hell Lucifer’s gift to mortals!  I could not believe he was so damn mean!  I hated him….until….Ah yes….the proverbial thin line….I hated him-until I loved him!

Like Jaclyn, there was definitely more than meets the eye to Derek.  He is all bored playboy with  Ambitions his mother keeps beyond his reach.  Quite honestly, I still wonder just how nefarious and powerful he was…seemed more pouting poor-little-rich-kid at times!

Wagers of the skin are recurring through this novel. As I expected, Jaclyn intrigues Derek soon enough and before you know it he is betting on conquering and bedding the  poor unsuspecting woman.  The banter and chemistry between them was palatable.  Though light on A substantial plot and some head scratching moments, Cynthia Cooke has a great voice.  This little gem of a story felt alive and well just fun. I still have a huge grin on my face and while I was reading, I became hyper-aware of the dwindling remaining page numbers as.I would have certainly enjoyed spending more time with this quirky little paranormal world.  I think what appealed to me is that this e-book didn’t take itself too seriously.  Sure it could have skewed darker and Derek could have been more Dark Lord and less, Rom-com Matthew McConnnahey-ish but it worked. The uber predictable story line.  The anti climactic climax, the odd cast of characters, none more entertaining than the underworld ‘s meddling minions and non more wrath inspiring than Derek’s Mother’s tempered cruelty and his truly evil sister Diedra.  It all just comes together like one of those unconventional but good and filling, one pot meals.

Kudos to Ms. Cooke for allowing the necessary GTFOH reaction when Jaclyn discovers Derek is no human man. It often nags me when paranormal story heroines are all like NO Freaking WAY for exactly one paragraph and then suddenly they are all fine and well with their abnormal new lives.  I appreciate that a series of events laid the ground work for Jaclyn to come to accept Derek’s demon Identity.  Atta girl!

There is a LOT going on in this quick little read, but instead of  the mish-mash being a repellent, I longed for more!  To put it plainly, it is a worthwhile escapist short story that definitely educes some head shaking, but damn if it wasn’t the most pleasantly bewildering  thing  I have read in a long while. Check your sensical sense of reality at the door and get lost in All Bets Are On.

Annnnd it is super sexy! Without spoiling too much, I am not a blusher but it’s very dirty!

Grade: B

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