A Betting Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion
A Betting Man by Sandrine Gasq-Dion
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Blurb…
How bad could one harmless bet be? Kent Samson is about to find out. Raised in Alabama, Kent has hidden his past and now loves his life as a big time ad exec for a prestigious advertising company in New York. But when he makes a bet with his best friend, Blaine, Kent is thrown for a loop—for Kent has to make the next person to walk through the door fall in love with him.
Terry Barron is hiding out in New York. Raised in England in a wealthy family, Terry escapes to New York to avoid arranged marriages and the lifestyle he’s grown to hate. When he delivers a package to an advertising firm, he meets the unbelievably sexy Kent Samson. Suddenly, secrets and lies complicate everything and both men find themselves in uncharted waters. How will Terry feel when Kent is revealed as a betting man?
So what did I think?
I read this story for beginning to end in one go. Sure, its not really that long but it definitely had me hooked right from the beginning. It’s written in first person alternating between the two main characters.
The story revolves around Kent making a bet with his buddy Blaine. The bet states that Kent has to make the next person to walk through the office door fall in love with him within six months. That person is Terry the bike courier.
Kent is hiding from his past (to be honest I am not 100% sure why) and hides his southern upbringing. He is a very successful executive, with all the trappings of success, although it is clear that he is not truly happy. Terry sees through to the real man within Kent. “He’s a good man. You just have to look beneath that layer of bullshit.”
I loved the dates that Kent and Terry went on and the gradual evolution of their relationship. They seem to balance each other so perfectly. They work well together sexually and I loved the way Kent, perhaps a little subconsciously, referred to their first encounter as ‘making love’. “I had lost my straight man virginity last night. I’d made love to Terry.”.It becomes clear to everyone around them, just how much they have come to love each other. But of course, the bet gets exposed and Kent needs to win back his man.
The families play a role in this story and it is great to see that both men are accepted by their parents and both turn to their parents for support. “We haven’t stopped loving you yet, and you’ve been an asshole for five years,” my father drawled.
The story is written with heaps of humour with some of my favourite parts coming from Kent’s parents.
“We’re not naked!” I shouted. “Well hell,” my mom poked her head around the wail. “Your father and I will leave so you can be!”
The only part of the story I didn’t like were the early references to Kent’s sexual experiences with women. There are no actual sex scenes, just a couple of comments but I found the references to ‘tits’ and ‘pubes’ a bit crass but perhaps the language/tone was used to show Kent wasn’t getting much out of the experience. Or maybe I just didn’t like it because I didn’t really want any m/f component in the story? Anyway, it wasn’t enough to really detract from the overall enjoyment of the book.
Fabulous happy ending!
This book was provided by the publisher in return for a fair and honest review.
To find out more about Sandrine Gasq-Dion and her books, visit her Facebook page.
Buy A Betting Man from Amazon.