Review: The Gambler

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Libby St. Clair believes in fate—so much so, she’s willing to pin everything on a curse a fortune teller placed on her and her two best friends when they were kids. The curse, that each of them will marry before thirty, have a disaster of a wedding, and end up with a man other than her original fiancé, has come to fruition for both of her friends, who are now deliriously happy. But Libby’s attempt to quick-start the curse by proposing to her wrong-for-her boyfriend ends in a wild dash from the altar. She’s rescued by her friend Noah, the only person who understands her impulsive decisions--because he’s the same way.

Having spent most of his adulthood fleeing responsibility and commitment, Noah McMillan is finally ready to grow up. Of course, figuring out how is still a work in progress. When he realizes he’s in love with Libby, he flies to Kansas City to put a stop to her wedding. But Libby’s already pulled a runaway bride. Eager to cheer her up and prove that he can be the man she deserves, he takes her on a madcap car trip that will bring them all the way to the City of Sin.

In Vegas, those who risk it all either win big or lose everything, so what will happen if Libby and Noah take a gamble on love?

Genre: contemporary romance

Publishing date: September 2015

Offensive content: Two sex scenes in the book, almost at the end.

Review: 

The Gambler is the final book in the Wedding Pact trilogy, Libby and Noah's story. Oddly, the last book is where the whole wedding pact/curse is better explained. There were references to it in the other two books, but much more detail in this one, which I liked. 

This was also my favorite story of the series. In terms of writing it is a mix between the funny scenes of The Substitute and the more serious drama of book two (The Player). Noah was also one of my favorite characters ever since book one, so I was very happy to see he got the star role in this one. I liked his careless and playful side but I always had faith he would step up and take the lead of things when he was needed to.

The story starts in an unusual way, with the bride (Libby) ditching her fiancé (Neil, not Noah) at the altar, right before saying her vows. The reason for her actions has, once again, to do with the famous curse. When she runs from the church, she meets with Noah and they start off on a - unusual, to say the least - road trip that will take them, ultimately, to Las Vegas and one Vegas wedding you will not want to miss. Trust me.

Libby and Noah were destined to be together ever since they met right before Megan and Josh's wedding in book one but I guess both needed to grow up before committing to each other. 

The epilogue is a bit cheesy, with all three couples remembering how they met and what happened in the previous books but I was on a high after seeing Libby and Noah finally together that it didn't really bother me. So five stars as well!

This is another not-to-miss romance by Denise Grover Swank but though the three books can be read as stand alone stories, I would advise you to read them in order, to better understand each character. 
But just the Vegas wedding scene is worth the price of this book alone!

Read my review of The Substitute here and my review of The Player here.

Happy readings,