ALL IN DUET by ALESSANDRA TORRE

‘He watched her and felt something he didn’t understand. Vulnerability with a side of fear. Want eclipsed by need. Intrigue overshadowed by jealousy…This girl would be the death of him.’

Even Money had us completely compelled from the moment we dived in. We fell in instant book love and just couldn’t stop turning the pages, moving straight on to Double Down to find out what was going to happen to Dario and Bell. Two brilliant characters in a sexy, dark and thrilling storyline. This duet stole our book loving hearts and we have to stress how much we loved the way in which Alessandra Torre wrote the POV’s and laid the groundwork for a thrill-tastic suspenseful romance set in Vegas.

“I don’t like to waste my time, Bell. If you don’t want me to chase you, I won’t.”

Bell Hartley is a wonderful heroine and we fully connected with her and the journey she’s on; stemming from a horrific episode as a teenager which broke our hearts. When we meet her, she’s working as a waitress in the prestigious casino; The House. Her bosses, Lance and Rick are hilarious and so very protective of her. We loved these lads and would love to hear their individual stories. When Bell isn’t working, she’s studying and shagging her professor on the side. Everything plays by Bell’s rules, well until Dario Capece walks into The House and an instantaneous and intense attraction blows Bell’s rules straight out the water.

“I can’t love you and not protect you. I can’t love you and not fight for you.”
‘His hand ran along my back. “Don’t give up on me, on us.”

Dario Capece, well where do we start on this man, be still our pounding hearts. He’s the typical three p’s in the book boyfriends we love. Powerful, possessive and protective. Dario is a king of the Vegas strip. He’s worked his way out of poverty and is a somewhat self-made man except for that one dangerous and disastrous liaison which will truly test Dario and the love he craves, desires and needs. The love he’s willing to risk it all for; the love that will make him a winner and someone subsequently a loser. The personal stakes are high, perhaps too high, but Dario plays to win and Bell is the ultimate prize.

‘Everything was different about him. Some of it I didn’t want, some of it I loved. But everything about him – the issues, the sincerity, the passion, the love…it was all authentic. I trusted him. That was the biggest thing about him. I lost my breath when he looked at me. I swooned when he reached for me. I loved him, even if I didn’t fully understand it. Even when I hated him.’

We really did love this thrilling and sexy duet. It went places we were not expecting and kept us absolutely riveted. We just wish a couple of loose ends had been tied up as it felt a tad unfinished, also we felt that Dario lost some of his edge in the second book ‘because of love’, which didn’t seem in line with his fabulous character.  That being said though, we could not put this duet down and our hearts fell in love with Bell and Dario’s twisty, intense and dramatic romance that had our pulses racing.

‘Underneath my palm beat a heart that loved more fiercely than I thought possible. A heart that protected those he loved and spoiled me with every beat and chance.’

Even Money – 5 Stars
Double Down – 4 Stars