Gambling on a Dream by Sara Walter Ellwood

Before I proceed with my review I must warn you that Gambling on a Dream is the third book in the Colter’s Gamblers series.  It works  as a stand-alone, but it would be good to read the first two books before proceeding with this one. I say this because there is a lot of information about past characters that can be overwhelming. I had the chance to read book one, but missed out on book 2.

This story is about Dawn Madison and Wyatt McPherson. The two have been friends since childhood. As adults they became law enforcement officers for the Dallas PD. They became romantically involved, however tragic circumstances led to them breaking apart. After the break-up Wyatt joined the Texas Rangers and Dawn returned to Colton where she is now the interim sheriff.  Their paths crossed again when Wyatt came to assist with the investigation of a string of drug related murders that had taken place in Colton.

It was evident that they were still in love with each other.  I had an intense need to knock some sense into these two. Their penchant for playing the blame game got tiresome.  None of them wanted to take responsibility for their break-up. Instead of sitting down and discussing what happened they continued to cast blame.  If it was not for the interference of a mutual friend they would probably still be playing that game even after everything was over. Despite this I liked Dawn.  I thought she was strong, determined and brave. She was not the one to back down from a challenge and was not afraid to take risks.

I thought the drama surrounding the murders and the drug trafficking could have been better dealt with.  It didn’t have the effect that I have come to expect from romantic suspense.  I was curious to find out who was supplying the teens with drugs and why were they being killed.   I had my suspicions as to whom the villain was from early in the story as such when it was revealed I was not in the least surprised.  This aspect of the story shows just how greed can cause destruction.

There was more than one story taking place, however this did not detract from the main story. The author was able to blend all the stories making for an interesting read. I believe based on the details provided in relation to Rachel (Wyatt’s sister) and Talon (Dawn’s brother) readers will  their story next. Let’s  hope this will be the case.

I wavered with my rating for this title. I was not sure if it was worth 4 stars or 3.5 stars. However, after going back over the story in my mind I finally settled on 3 stars. This was a quick and entertaining read, however, it was not mind-blowing.

I recommend Gambling on a Dream to fans of contemporary romance, romantic suspense and a second chance at love romances.