When I Bet on Mara Jacobs, I Always Win

I cannot tell you how many times I have recommending Mara Jacobs' "The Worth" Series to fellow readers.  It is one of my favorites.

So when I picked up a book from one of her other series', I was expecting a lot.  And once again, Ms. Jacobs delivered.  Her writing is just....

Spotless.

All of her characters have depth and none of them even remotely resemble any other character. Even from book to book.  Her story lines are fun and interesting.  But they are written in such a way that they aren't far fetched.  Everything that happens probably does happen in real life.  Not that other books aren't written about real life.  But not every author can pull it off EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Mara Jacobs can.

This time, I read "Against the Odds".  Check out the Amazon synopsis:

"My name is Anna Dawson, and I'm a professional poker player.  And I'm good.  Very good.

But, I also have a little bit of a problem with placing bets on a sporting events.  Not so good.

Sometimes my little problem becomes a whole lot of trouble and I need to resort to some, shall we say, less than stellar actions to get out of debt.  So, I become my alter ego, JoJo, and fix college basketball games.  Hey, a victimless crime, no one's the wiser, and it's better than the alternative, which is a drive into the desert with my loan shark and a shovel in the trunk.  Although, it has to be said, my loan shark is pretty good looking.

I love Vegas, and I love the life I've built, but when one of my friends is murdered, and another one shot at, I know I need to take a serious look at myself.  And I need to call in the big guns. Even if that means teaming up with detective Jack Schiller, a man who's dealing with his own problems.  But dang, he sure is sexy.

Right now I'm just trying to juggle protecting my friends, helping sexy detective Jack while not letting him get to close, and finding a murderer.  And, oh yeah, no one can learn about JoJo, or this will be the last hand I'm dealt."

Normally I'm not one to pick up a mystery book of any sort.  And certainly not a mystery with a romantic thread running through it.  But since it was Mara Jacobs, I figured I'd give it a shot.

True to form, this one had me hooked from the beginning.  Not only did I adore the characters, but learning some of the ins and outs of high-stakes gambling was really interesting to me.  For a "who done it" book with some romance involved, it was really good!

Be forewarned, it's not a cliffhanger, per se, but you will definitely know there is more to discover by the time you're done.  And at that point, you'll be hooked.  You can start your obsession with Anna Dawson and her friends by clicking here.

Once again, Mara Jacobs proves to me why I love her writing.  I took a chance on this book and won.  Ms. Jacobs solidifies her role as one of my favorite authors with an easily earned