Beginner's Bet
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- Create Date：2021-09-06 07:51:22
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Fiona Riley
- ISBN：163555733X
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Summary
Ellison Gamble owns the most successful luxury real estate firm in Boston， but the accomplishment feels hollow when she comes home to an empty house。
Institutionalizing her mother for her own safety was the hardest thing Katie Crawford has ever done。 The costs are becoming more than she can manage， and her only solution is to sell her childhood home that has fallen into disrepair。
After a tense first interaction with Katie， Ellison eventually finds herself in an unlikely friendship and makes a risky offer to help Katie sell her mother's home。 Katie will do anything to help her mom， but being attracted to a woman for the first time was not in the plan。
Will the risks they take be worth the reward？ Or have they wagered on a losing bet？
Institutionalizing her mother for her own safety was the hardest thing Katie Crawford has ever done。 The costs are becoming more than she can manage， and her only solution is to sell her childhood home that has fallen into disrepair。
After a tense first interaction with Katie， Ellison eventually finds herself in an unlikely friendship and makes a risky offer to help Katie sell her mother's home。 Katie will do anything to help her mom， but being attracted to a woman for the first time was not in the plan。
Will the risks they take be worth the reward？ Or have they wagered on a losing bet？
Reviews
Sam
，
Fiona Riley’s High Stakes Romance series is lovely and I am very happy we finally got to read Ellison’s story！ Ellison is the owner of the company all the other mains from the series work for and she is just a caring and cool character。 As Riley said in the acknowledgments this is a bit more of a personal story as Ellison’s story resembles her struggles to become a mother and I think it shows that this is a more personal storyline。 When Ellison first meets Katie she can't help but flirt but Kari Fiona Riley’s High Stakes Romance series is lovely and I am very happy we finally got to read Ellison’s story！ Ellison is the owner of the company all the other mains from the series work for and she is just a caring and cool character。 As Riley said in the acknowledgments this is a bit more of a personal story as Ellison’s story resembles her struggles to become a mother and I think it shows that this is a more personal storyline。 When Ellison first meets Katie she can't help but flirt but Karie is a tad unaware or even oblivious to the possibility of this awesome woman showing any interest in her。 Not that she has any interest because for all she knows she's straight。 It's cute how their relationship grows from some chance encounters where Ellison is so friendly and caring how can one not fall for her？ And her boss bitch vibe？ Makes it even better。 Katie is equally caring but a bit lost with all that is going on in her life。 That is until she has her self-professed gay awakening。 All seems to be so nice and perfect。I do understand some of Katie’s insecurities and general feelings of not belonging in Ellison’s world。 And her slight jealousy towards Faith， I'm there 100%。 I wouldn't say I'm a jealous person but that wouldn't be good for my mental state。 My girlfriend being best friends with occasional benefits with her ex， that’s a lot。。。 Overall I'm glad Ellison got her sweet romance because she is the best character and I enjoy the doses we get of Trina， Lauren and Jax， it's an amazing team of friends and colleagues。For me， it's a toss-up between this book and Bet Against Me for best in the series and I think Bet Against Me wins out for me because there is more banter and no kid focus。 I understand that for some this might be a storyline they enjoy and identify with， but for someone like me with 0 interest in raising tiny humans， it isn't as interesting。 I do still love this book and the characters， enjoy the banter， it's fun but has storyline I don't necessarily connect with。*ARC received in exchange for a voluntary and honest review* 。。。more
Jen
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Loved this one。 Easily one of my favorite romantic reads this year。 That’s it。 Now go read it。
Natalie
，
Oh， Ellison *swoon*How can a character be so perfect but also feel so real？！ You'd think it wasn't possible if it weren't for Ellison Gamble。 I adored the way she first interacted with Katie。 She’s so， so kind but also playful and honest。 It’s absolutely riveting when a character seems so earnest with their interactions with others。 Ellison felt like this， not only with Katie， but also with her colleagues and friends。 It was lovely to read and feel apart of those interactions。 I really enjoyed t Oh， Ellison *swoon*How can a character be so perfect but also feel so real？！ You'd think it wasn't possible if it weren't for Ellison Gamble。 I adored the way she first interacted with Katie。 She’s so， so kind but also playful and honest。 It’s absolutely riveting when a character seems so earnest with their interactions with others。 Ellison felt like this， not only with Katie， but also with her colleagues and friends。 It was lovely to read and feel apart of those interactions。 I really enjoyed this novel for its characters。 Ellison and Katie were great love interests and I was completely backing them from start to finish。 I loved Ellison's work colleagues and friends who seemed quite well-rounded for secondary characters。 I'm also saying this as someone who hasn't read the previous novels in the series， which featured two of these friends。 It didn't take away from my enjoyment of this novel。I'd be remiss if I didn't say that there were aspects that I didn't quite like in this novel （for example， the sudden change in relationship as well as the conflict at the 85% mark that felt a bit too scripted for my liking） but overall I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Katie and Ellison。Many thanks to Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for a copy of this novel。 ARC provided in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Domi
，
This 3rd book in the High Stakes romance series is by far the best of them and Riley set a high bar because I loved the other 2 as well。 The latest focuses on Ellison， the boss of the office and her road to a happy ending with Katie。 I loved Ellison！ In the first two books you get to know her a little bit， but when the focus shifts to her you find out what a great woman it really is and I liked the interaction with the other members of her office; Trina， Lauren and Jax。 Katie fit in seamlessly a This 3rd book in the High Stakes romance series is by far the best of them and Riley set a high bar because I loved the other 2 as well。 The latest focuses on Ellison， the boss of the office and her road to a happy ending with Katie。 I loved Ellison！ In the first two books you get to know her a little bit， but when the focus shifts to her you find out what a great woman it really is and I liked the interaction with the other members of her office; Trina， Lauren and Jax。 Katie fit in seamlessly and even though there is an age gap where the relationship could have been out of balance due to the events in the book， it really isn't。 Ellison is a real powerwoman who is at a secure place in her life while Katie's life is falling apart around her， yet their relationship makes both women better and I was rooting for them from the start。All books in this series I would highly recommend to anyone who loves romance， the can be read as a standalone so it is possible to start with Beginner's Bet。 In all honesty though: I would start at book 1 to get the full experience and save the best for last！***An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review *** 。。。more
Della
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Beginner’s Bet is the third book in the High Stakes Romances。 This is the first book I have read in this series and Fiona Riley made it easy to catch up with the characters from the previous two novels。 Ellison Gamble owns a high end real estate and development company。 She is a self made women， divorced and trying desperately to become pregnant。 Katie Crawford， a message therapist， dropped her life and dreams three years ago after her mother was in a serious car accident and required her consta Beginner’s Bet is the third book in the High Stakes Romances。 This is the first book I have read in this series and Fiona Riley made it easy to catch up with the characters from the previous two novels。 Ellison Gamble owns a high end real estate and development company。 She is a self made women， divorced and trying desperately to become pregnant。 Katie Crawford， a message therapist， dropped her life and dreams three years ago after her mother was in a serious car accident and required her constant care for any chance of recovery。 As her mother’s health and independence declined even more so after a stroke， Katie made the tough and costly decision to place her mom in a rehabilitation center。 Yet even with working double shifts her money will run out in a few months。 She has no idea what she will do at that time for herself or her mother。I really enjoyed reading this novel。 It is well written with humorous dialogue and a depth of character I constantly look for from writers。 As well， it is about mature women dealing with hard knocks that life tends to throw no matter your economic stature。 After the first few chapters I thought I knew where the storyline was going and was pleasantly surprised that my assumptions were incorrect。 The love story read as genuine with the two women meeting on the worst day of both their lives。If you are a reader who tends to skip the Acknowledgments I will strongly suggest to take the time to read them in this novel。 Having the author share the reality of her life struggles shines an intimate light on the story。 It undeniably made this story genuine and a must read。 I received a free ARC from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review。 。。。more
Patty Bryant
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Loved this story。 The romance was very fun loving and sweet between Ellison and Katie。 Even though there's a age gap between them you could tell that it was a mature relationship with all the ups and downs of any pairing。 There's some drama and angst， but it just seemed to make this story better。 Ellison seemed like such a sweet soul you just wanted to root for her to get everything she wanted out of life and Katie was such a contrast to Ellison by being more hesitant in how she felt about where Loved this story。 The romance was very fun loving and sweet between Ellison and Katie。 Even though there's a age gap between them you could tell that it was a mature relationship with all the ups and downs of any pairing。 There's some drama and angst， but it just seemed to make this story better。 Ellison seemed like such a sweet soul you just wanted to root for her to get everything she wanted out of life and Katie was such a contrast to Ellison by being more hesitant in how she felt about where her life was and could go that at times she sabotaged what was growing between the two。 The supporting characters were great too couldn't get enough of Trina， Lauren， and Jax。 I would definitely recommend this book to all my friends and family， and I will definitely be on the lookout for what this author writes next。 。。。more
Betty
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Beginner’s Bet is the third novel in the “High Stakes Romances” series by Fiona Riley。 I loved the first two books in this series， but I think I love this one the best of all。The series centers around a luxury real estate firm and the people who work there。 Each book covers the romance of one of the employees。 This book tells the story of the firm’s owner， Ellison Gamble and Katie Crawford， a young woman who has to sell her childhood home。 This book has everything I expect from a Fiona Riley con Beginner’s Bet is the third novel in the “High Stakes Romances” series by Fiona Riley。 I loved the first two books in this series， but I think I love this one the best of all。The series centers around a luxury real estate firm and the people who work there。 Each book covers the romance of one of the employees。 This book tells the story of the firm’s owner， Ellison Gamble and Katie Crawford， a young woman who has to sell her childhood home。 This book has everything I expect from a Fiona Riley contemporary romance。 We have two vibrant and exceptionally likeable main characters that have a definite chemistry that only grows as they get to know each other。 There is an age gap and a financial disparity that fuels the conflict in the plot。 The sex scenes are quite steamy， exactly what I look for in a Fiona Riley romance。 Since all three novels are set around the realty firm， we also get to reconnect with some of our favorite people in the first two books。You could read this novel as a standalone if you wanted， but I would suggest that you read all three books in order。 They are all fabulous stories with Beginner’s Bet being the best one yet。I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review。Rainbow Reflections https://rainbowreflections。home。blog/ 。。。more
Bonnie
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Katie Crawford is at the breaking point and if something doesn’t give soon she’s afraid she’ll have no place for her mother。 She’s just put her mother into residential care because of her health issues。 She doesn’t make that much money as a massage therapist and she has to find a way to pay for her mother's care。 She has the family house where she lives but it’s in such bad shape she doesn’t know how she will ever come up with the money required to fix it up。 Ellison Gamble’s got one of the bes Katie Crawford is at the breaking point and if something doesn’t give soon she’s afraid she’ll have no place for her mother。 She’s just put her mother into residential care because of her health issues。 She doesn’t make that much money as a massage therapist and she has to find a way to pay for her mother's care。 She has the family house where she lives but it’s in such bad shape she doesn’t know how she will ever come up with the money required to fix it up。 Ellison Gamble’s got one of the best luxury real estate firms in Boston。 But she never takes the time to look after herself so her employees decide she needs a massage to ease some of the stress。 Not so much the business side of her life but the personal side， where she wants to add motherhood is a whole matter。 Unable to carry the baby herself she’s booking for a surrogate to carry her baby for her。 She only has two eggs to play with so she has to make the right decision for herself and her unborn baby。 When she goes for her massage she meets Katie and can’t help but like her。 On the other hand when Katie meets Ellison she， for the first time ever finds herself attracted to another woman。 Not just any woman but the very person who will hopefully help Katie raise enough money to keep her mother in care。 Ellison feels she’s too old for Katie but that’s not what Katie feels。 Ellison seems to be the perfect person for her。 Very enjoyable read。 Had a hard time putting this one down。 ARC via NetGalley/ Bold Stroke Books 。。。more
Sarah
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Riley has hit another home run with her third novel in her High Stakes series。 We finally get to know Ellison Gamble， the sort of matriarch of the series。 （And it is now just occurring to me that her last name is Gamble and the titles are all about bets… wow！ I guess I never claimed to be clever nor observant。） Ellison is a competent， strong， successful woman。 She is such an amazing character who is hard not to admire and we are finally invited to really understand what makes her tick。 Katie is Riley has hit another home run with her third novel in her High Stakes series。 We finally get to know Ellison Gamble， the sort of matriarch of the series。 （And it is now just occurring to me that her last name is Gamble and the titles are all about bets… wow！ I guess I never claimed to be clever nor observant。） Ellison is a competent， strong， successful woman。 She is such an amazing character who is hard not to admire and we are finally invited to really understand what makes her tick。 Katie is struggling to get her footing in life。 When she meets Ellison she is trying to find a balance between her job， her ailing mother and a house that has become “an albatross。” The two connect and easily become good friendship which quickly evolves into much more。 They are clearly well matched with a really healthy dose of trust and mutual support and easily help each other navigate life’s challenges。 My only one critique would be with the quick， and seemingly out of nowhere conflict。 This book was so easy with a solid relationship progression right up until the climax where Katie becomes overwhelmed and just， kind of， falls apart。 It seems to develop almost out of no where and a bit of an overreaction。 She is so happy in content in her new world， her problems solved， but doesn’t seem to have a spare thought for the future。 When she is questioned about next steps， she just falls off the wagon within less than 24 hours。 It doesn’t make sense to me。 People， by nature， tend to consider their futures， so how can someone be so surprised and shocked when checked with a dose of reality？ But maybe that’s just me。 Also， and this has nothing to do with anything， but the use of the word tissue as a synonym for skin makes me cringe a bit。 It’s makes me think of blood and guts， not something soft and touchable。 。。。more
Kristy Drexel
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Woohoo we made it too book 3 and with that comes the end of a awesome series。 i love that Riley saved the best for last， and that is juts what we get out of this book。 This book grabbed onto me and held my heart hostage。 I totally love Ellison she has been with us through all 3 books and became a fixture in each。 I was very excited to see that she was the main story for book 3， she is the total package， Classy， Sexy and has her own company。 How can you not love her let alone wanna be her， she ha Woohoo we made it too book 3 and with that comes the end of a awesome series。 i love that Riley saved the best for last， and that is juts what we get out of this book。 This book grabbed onto me and held my heart hostage。 I totally love Ellison she has been with us through all 3 books and became a fixture in each。 I was very excited to see that she was the main story for book 3， she is the total package， Classy， Sexy and has her own company。 How can you not love her let alone wanna be her， she has it all and now she has found love with a capitol L。 The chemistry between Ellison and Katie was off the charts， and not to mention the steamy sexy times that we can always count on in a Riley book。 If your looking for a great romance about the woman that finely gets it all then this book is for you。 I received an advanced readers copy from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review。 。。。more
JWG1973UK
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This is Book 3 of The High Stakes Romance series by this author and she left the best til last。Ellison is the owner of the Real Estate Company and more than anything， she would love to have a child of her own and Katie， who works at a Spa as a massage therapist， is struggling with juggling between work and having to put her mother in a care facility after she has a stroke， to having to sell her childhood home。These two are great characters。 Ellison， I have loved from the beginning of the series This is Book 3 of The High Stakes Romance series by this author and she left the best til last。Ellison is the owner of the Real Estate Company and more than anything， she would love to have a child of her own and Katie， who works at a Spa as a massage therapist， is struggling with juggling between work and having to put her mother in a care facility after she has a stroke， to having to sell her childhood home。These two are great characters。 Ellison， I have loved from the beginning of the series and Katie is a loveable down to earth character。 When these two meet， you can feel the chemistry straight away and they just click。 It is well written （like all of her books are）， some drama， hot sex scenes， low angst and it was also great to catch up with the other characters from the previous books。 When they all get together I love the banter between all of them。 One of the secondary characters that I would love to read more about is Jax。 I received an ARC copy of the book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review。 。。。more
Rosi
，
This has been the best romance of the year for me to date， deserving of the highest rating and I am really glad that the author is who she is because she had already given us great stories。 But for me this one surpasses them all。It has two excellent protagonists。 We had already met one in the previous two books in the High Stakes Romances series， as she is Ellison Gamble， the owner of Gamble and Associates， The other is a new character， Katie， who currently works as a chiropractor at a Spa that This has been the best romance of the year for me to date， deserving of the highest rating and I am really glad that the author is who she is because she had already given us great stories。 But for me this one surpasses them all。It has two excellent protagonists。 We had already met one in the previous two books in the High Stakes Romances series， as she is Ellison Gamble， the owner of Gamble and Associates， The other is a new character， Katie， who currently works as a chiropractor at a Spa that is next door to Ellison's office。 Well， Katie gives massages and does everything she can to get the most money since her mother has just suffered a seizure that has left her disabled and in need of constant care。 In fact， Katie has gotten her admitted to a rehab facility， but she doesn't know how long she'll be able to afford it。 So the two of them meet casually for professional reasons but quickly realize that there may be much more between them。 All despite the fact that Katie isn't gay to begin with， and the two of them are in such different worlds ptofessional and economical， not to mention their fourteen year age difference。 And Ellison wants to be a mother because she has been putting it off for so long， even though she physically is not going to be able to do it。 There are so many factors that should prevent them from starting something but at the same time so many align to make things easier for them。But here the author has managed to chain the facts and do it in such a perfect way that the story surrounds you and the desire to see how they overcome all obstacles and their own fears grows more and more。 Both women are wonderful， I have adored them from the beginning and they have not disappointed me， which is unusual。 And their demeanor is honest， sincere and generous at all times。Do not forget that it is a part of a trilogy， so we can reconnect with Trina and Lauren and also with Jax and Thea， from other stories as well。 It is always appreciated。 But this story is perfectly independent in itself， without having to read previous parts。But without a doubt I consider this one the best of the three and it is a really safe bet。 winner gamble。 Publisher Bold Strokes Books was kind enough to provide me with an advanced reading copy via Netgalley for my honest review 。。。more
Judit
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Definitely the best book in the series。This was a shift from the previous book as it gets very deep and emotional but still has some light and fun moments you would expect from the author。Loved the journey of both characters as none of them was dealing with an easy situation。The book has my favourite massage scene ever。ARC provided in exchange for an honest review
H M
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If I can give this more than 5 I would。 ever since I started the first book in this series。 Ellison was my favorite and having her own book made me like her even more。 glad the author made her like someone as likable as her。 very very enjoyable read I honestly did not want it to end。
pipsqueakreviews
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Ellison。The High Stakes series revolves around a realtor firm and this is its third and final book。 It is also the best， in my opinion and I love this book to bits for one specific reason - Ellison。 Ellison is the perfect character and I fell for her instantly。 This realtor boss is classy， mature and so put together。 She's dependable and I love how she takes on the protector role in the relationship。 Katie is lovable too but in a different way。 They are exact opposites。 She’s young and her life Ellison。The High Stakes series revolves around a realtor firm and this is its third and final book。 It is also the best， in my opinion and I love this book to bits for one specific reason - Ellison。 Ellison is the perfect character and I fell for her instantly。 This realtor boss is classy， mature and so put together。 She's dependable and I love how she takes on the protector role in the relationship。 Katie is lovable too but in a different way。 They are exact opposites。 She’s young and her life hasn’t been stable since her mother’s stroke。 And although Ellison and Katie are so different， I love that none of that really matters to them and they fit like pieces in a puzzle and they complete each other。 They meet at the lowest points in their life and the idea of them being together really grew on me。 There is one thing that Ellison wants more than falling in love and that is to have a child of her own。 Ellison doesn't compromise on that。 There is a whole storyline about this and it sort of runs in parallel with her love life and while I'm not personally thrilled by the timing of it， I think I understand why this is important to Ellison。 But the main couple skirts around the issue for a long time and I wish they hadn’t。This is a strong end to the series and it is my favourite out of the three。 But before I end this review， I feel like I need to say that there was something that bothered me – that is Ellison having an ex turned best friend with occasional benefits。 I honestly can’t wrap my head around it because I can't deal with a partner who still hangs out with someone this special even if cheating isn’t in the cards。 It is weird to me but I get that it is my personal bias。 It is not an issue because none of the characters make a big deal out of this and it doesn't take away the enjoyment I had from this book。 It's really just me and I’m the only one still perturbed。I know Riley has written other books apart from this series and I really need to check them out。I received an ARC from Bold Strokes Books through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jenna
，
Beginner's Bet has a giant hold on my heart and I'm not sad about it one bit！ I honestly haven't been this smitten with a book in a really long time and can't wait to read it again。 This is the third installment in Fiona Riley's High Stakes Series and while we met and got to know Ellison Gamble in the first two books， Beginner's Bet is where she finally took center stage and boy did she ever！ In the previous books， readers knew Ellison as the head of Gamble and Associates。 She laid down the bet Beginner's Bet has a giant hold on my heart and I'm not sad about it one bit！ I honestly haven't been this smitten with a book in a really long time and can't wait to read it again。 This is the third installment in Fiona Riley's High Stakes Series and while we met and got to know Ellison Gamble in the first two books， Beginner's Bet is where she finally took center stage and boy did she ever！ In the previous books， readers knew Ellison as the head of Gamble and Associates。 She laid down the bet for Trina and Kendall in Bet Against Me and helped save Thea's family farm in Bet the Farm。 Ellison was， to put it simply， an enigma。 In Beginner's Bet， the reader really got to know Ellison and see her for the intelligent， motivated， persistent， compassionate， and selfless person that she was。 Yes， she was a "boss bitch" but she was so much more。 It's been said that people come into your life for a reason and for Ellison and Katie， this is true。 Katie， a 28-year-old massage therapist was struggling to make ends meet， care for her disabled mother， and maintain her family's ancient Victorian house。 They met by chance at Katie's place of employment and established a friendship that slowly morphed into more as the chemistry between the two was undeniable。 Fortunately， the age difference never caused any unnecessary drama nor did Katie's newfound gayness。 We were able to catch up with friends from other Fiona Riley books。 This book was really just so wonderfully written， from the descriptive detail to the witty dialogue to the steamy sexy scenes。 I just loved everything about it and highly recommend it。 It is definitely my favorite Fiona Riley book so far！ I received an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kady
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Downloaded this book on my work computer because I HAD to finish it。 I have only read one other Fiona Riley book， but I will be buying and adding them all to my TBR。 This was so good。
Kaye
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Five Stars！！！ This is already topping my read again list。 I intentionally slowed down my reading speed to enjoy the characters and pacing。 Fiona Riley is a master of writing dialog that moves the story forward in natural， sexy， honest and endearing ways。 Ellison Gamble owns a successful luxury real estate agency in Boston。 At 43 she has everything she wants but she is alone。 Katie Crawford （28） is working as a message therapist in the same building as Ellison。 She is overwhelmed with the course Five Stars！！！ This is already topping my read again list。 I intentionally slowed down my reading speed to enjoy the characters and pacing。 Fiona Riley is a master of writing dialog that moves the story forward in natural， sexy， honest and endearing ways。 Ellison Gamble owns a successful luxury real estate agency in Boston。 At 43 she has everything she wants but she is alone。 Katie Crawford （28） is working as a message therapist in the same building as Ellison。 She is overwhelmed with the course her life has taken after moving home to help her mother recover from a car crash and eventual stroke。 She wants her mom to have the best care and is working as much as she can to cover the expenses。 She isn't looking for love and is shocked when it walks through her door。These are two of my new favorite characters。 They are honest and deep in their thoughts and feelings。 I could have read another few hundred pages of their conversations， sexy times and joy found in each other。 This is the third in Riley's High Stakes series but easily can be read alone。 I'm not sure if this completes the series or if Jax will get their story。 This is for anyone who loves a good f/f romance。 Thank you NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Aleana Harris
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Ellison learns she can’t carry a baby to term because she has a hostile uterus all she wants is to be a mom。 She now has to decides wether to use a surrogate and she cautions because that’s a lot of trust to put into someone but the support of her friend Faith and sometimes friends with benefits decides to give it a go。 Katie is struggling although she got job she likes she still worries on how she be able to keep her mother at care living facility that she been thriving at。 Katie and Ellison me Ellison learns she can’t carry a baby to term because she has a hostile uterus all she wants is to be a mom。 She now has to decides wether to use a surrogate and she cautions because that’s a lot of trust to put into someone but the support of her friend Faith and sometimes friends with benefits decides to give it a go。 Katie is struggling although she got job she likes she still worries on how she be able to keep her mother at care living facility that she been thriving at。 Katie and Ellison meets after a misunderstanding and a friendship is form。 Ellison helps Katie with the selling of her house as they get to know each other their friendship turns into something more。 I love this read the words flow easily the MCs have great chemistry I like that their romance was slow build it started as a friendship。 Love the supporting characters that works with Ellison Jax Lauren Trina that’s seen more then coworkers but family and Katie best friend Shaina who there to lend an ear when Katie needs to talk。 I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review。 。。。more
khi s
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Beginner's Bet has quickly found itself on my favourite books of 2021 list！ The writing was captivating and the characters were lovable and had amazing chemistry both platonic and romantic。 This is definitely a heartwarming romance that you have to read！ 5 stars！ I absolutely loved this book。 Fiona Riley is one of my favourite les fic writers and she did not disappoint with this book。 I highly recommend not only this book but all of Riley's books。 If you haven't read book one in this series or h Beginner's Bet has quickly found itself on my favourite books of 2021 list！ The writing was captivating and the characters were lovable and had amazing chemistry both platonic and romantic。 This is definitely a heartwarming romance that you have to read！ 5 stars！ I absolutely loved this book。 Fiona Riley is one of my favourite les fic writers and she did not disappoint with this book。 I highly recommend not only this book but all of Riley's books。 If you haven't read book one in this series or her Perfect Match series， you're missing out。Beginner's Bet by Fiona Riley follows Ellison Gamble， who you may recognize from the previous two books in this series as the owner of the luxury real estate firm that the characters from those books work at， and Katie Crawford。 Katie is a newly introduced character who's life turns upside down when her mother suffers a stroke。 From the very first page I was hooked to this book。 The book starts off on a heartbreaking note for Ellison which I'm going to leave to you guys to find out as it feels a bit spoiler-y。 Ellison had always been one of my favourite characters in this series so it's safe to say I've been waiting for this one for a while and not only did it live up to my expectations， it surpassed it。 This book allowed me to fall more in love with Ellison's character。 She's selfless， funny， romantic and just in all has a warm personality。Something that I've always admired from Riley is her ability to make her character their own distinct beings。 Particularly in this book， Riley does an amazing job at perpetuating just how flustered Katie feels。 In this book Katie has a lot on her shoulders， which is ironic since a massage therapist may just be the most tense one in this book。 Dealing with the decline of her mother's health and her bank account Katie is at a lost and does not know what to do。。。 until her new friend mentions just how valuable her house might me。 Katie and Ellison may just be the most compatible characters I've ever seen。 Something about them just clicked and it presented the cutest chemistry。 The plot， though relatively uneventful， was perfect。 Sometimes authors try too hard to make simple plots all extra and special but end up ruining everything else。 Riley presents an interesting yet simple plot。 There is conflict but it wasn't blown out of proportion， it was just。。。 perfect。 Guys I really do not know how to describe how much I enjoyed this story。 I highly recommend this book！ More so for readers looking for a slow simple romance！Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC for a honest review！ 。。。more
Sloan Stryker
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A beautiful， complex love story。A successful realtor， Ellison wants to have a baby but has been told she isn't able to carry one。 As she seeks alternatives to her dream she suddenly finds herself drawn to young Katie， a massage therapist。 Katie has her owns struggles which Ellison has suddenly been there to help her through。As their friendship grows into more， what is Katie's part in Ellison's life？ Did Katie imagine being a mom？ Is this all happening too fast for her？There will be struggles for A beautiful， complex love story。A successful realtor， Ellison wants to have a baby but has been told she isn't able to carry one。 As she seeks alternatives to her dream she suddenly finds herself drawn to young Katie， a massage therapist。 Katie has her owns struggles which Ellison has suddenly been there to help her through。As their friendship grows into more， what is Katie's part in Ellison's life？ Did Katie imagine being a mom？ Is this all happening too fast for her？There will be struggles for them but will they take a chance？You will not be disappointed in this Fiona Riley love story。 Thank you for the ARC from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books 。。。more
Pamela
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Simply said， this is the best LesFic romance I've read this year。It has everything: strong women characters， a romance that will have you both swooning and hoping it will last a lifetime， drama， a tiny bit of angst， and HEA ending。If you only read one LesFic romance this year， read this one。 Simply said， this is the best LesFic romance I've read this year。It has everything: strong women characters， a romance that will have you both swooning and hoping it will last a lifetime， drama， a tiny bit of angst， and HEA ending。If you only read one LesFic romance this year， read this one。 。。。more
Raychel
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A very sweet sapphic love story。 Beginner's Bet follows Ellison， a highly successful realtor of luxury properties who is reeling from the news that she will never bare genetic children， and Katie， who has recently had to institutionalize her mother and the bills are piling up on her。 This romance heavily focuses on pregnancy and motherhood， as well as the intersections with queerness that can have。 There was a nicely diverse cast here。 The extenuating circumstances and hurdles to overcome are be A very sweet sapphic love story。 Beginner's Bet follows Ellison， a highly successful realtor of luxury properties who is reeling from the news that she will never bare genetic children， and Katie， who has recently had to institutionalize her mother and the bills are piling up on her。 This romance heavily focuses on pregnancy and motherhood， as well as the intersections with queerness that can have。 There was a nicely diverse cast here。 The extenuating circumstances and hurdles to overcome are believable。 This wasn't my typical f/f romance， I just really like queer love stories， y'all。 **I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher！ 。。。more
Danni Mladenovic
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This is by far the best book I've read this year so far， hands down！ I don't know how Fiona Riley does it， but I never read "just a ok" book by her。 She's become my favorite dialogue writer and my Top 5 lesbian fiction author。 Ellison is such a great character， amazingly written！ If that woman was real， I'm sure every single woman would have a seriously deep crush on her！ Now， include a beautiful， smart redhead， with amazing green eyes in the story， you get dazzling sparkles flying everywhere！I This is by far the best book I've read this year so far， hands down！ I don't know how Fiona Riley does it， but I never read "just a ok" book by her。 She's become my favorite dialogue writer and my Top 5 lesbian fiction author。 Ellison is such a great character， amazingly written！ If that woman was real， I'm sure every single woman would have a seriously deep crush on her！ Now， include a beautiful， smart redhead， with amazing green eyes in the story， you get dazzling sparkles flying everywhere！I read this ARC in one take， because once I started reading those effortlessly written dialogues， I couldn't put the book down。 Pure， bright， huge 5 stars！！！ 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Beginner's Bet
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Beginner's Bet&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Beginner's Bet&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0