A Deadly Bet by Jen Cousineau Series: Summers #1
Published by Self-Published on April 24th 2014
Genres: Dark Romance
Format: ebook
Source: Purchased
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Veronica's life was right on track. Attending University of Wisconsin – Green Bay and trying to complete her final year, she had amazing friends, was happily in love with her best friend, and was just working to make all of her dreams come true.
One night changed her whole world. What was supposed to be a girl’s celebration for her friends twenty-first birthday, turned into the worst mistake of her life.
Veronica makes a deadly bet that destroys everything she loves.Four years later, Veronica has a life-altering decision to make. Stay for all the loves of her past and hope for the best or plan an escape for the ultimate love of her future.
If she breaks her word and leaves, can she keep her loved ones safe? Can she survive if she fails?
Liezel’s Thoughts:
Veronica was looking to have a good night out with her friends. While it should have been like any other birthday celebration it turns into one where she ends up making the worst mistake of her life. That night was when she first becomes entangled into Joe’s depraved life. To save her family from Joe’s insanity she agrees to do everything…and I do mean EVERYTHING that he commands. She is put through her paces and even though at first, she attempts to fight and resist she eventually realizes that her fight isn’t worth all the risks.
Her life in misery lasts for years but when she finds out that not only her life but that of her own is also on the line she decides it is time to escape. With nowhere else to go she ends up paying a visit to her grandmother. Coincidentally the man she considered her one great love just so happens to be there.
Chase and his brothers immediately notice that Veronica has changed. It takes them a lot to convince her but she eventually narrates what she has been through these past few years. Being the protective men that they are they convince her that it is time to stop running and deal with her issues at hand. This is where we are thrown into a whirlwind of suspense and drama.
I have mentioned time and time again how I love a great dark romance but for some reason, this one just didn’t do it for me. There were so many things why I would say this. The first reason among them being that was unnecessarily too graphic for me. Unheard of in a dark romance right? I just was not expecting such brutality to be THAT detailed.
Another reason would be the heroine Veronica. I had this love-hate relationship with her. There were moments where I felt sorry for the situation that she was put in but then again I couldn’t help but feel very frustrated in her for being in that position in the first place. There were times when her decisions made perfect sense but some that left me exasperated. Her character confused me.
As the story flow goes, I thought the beginning was great. It was intriguing really. I wanted to know the mystery behind the why, when and how she landed herself in such a horrible predicament. As the story went on, however, it became too long and drawn out. For some odd reason, it seemed that the story became too annoyingly focused on V’s appetite. The story was redeemed by a good enough ending but then it felt a tad rushed. I was hoping for so much more.
Despite the negatives, I thought that A Deadly Bet was an interesting start to the Summers Series and since I found Trey’s character outstanding I will still be looking out for the second installment.
The Verdict:
