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McMaster the Disaster #2

Gamble on Engagement

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Book 2 in the McMaster the Disaster series, complete with all new Disaster Diary entries.

Josie McMaster is on the move to London for a top-secret stint as a ghostwriter for a high profile celebrity. It's her dream job; she's got a beautiful place to stay in the English countryside, full access to the celebrity, and three months to complete the best ghostwritten autobiography anyone has ever seen.

In true McMaster the Disaster fashion, Josie tumbles head-first into scandal, apparently more than just an average ghostwriter in the eyes of this new celebrity. Not to mention she has never written a biography, but how hard could it really be?

Of course, the paparazzi is not helping matters, constantly publicizing the 'when will Jake Hall pop the question' betting pool, which is completely ridiculous considering she and Jake have only been dating a short while...

... or is it?

55,980 word count

175 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 2, 2011

178 people are currently reading
1025 people want to read

About the author

Rachel Astor

23 books257 followers
Rachel Astor is a twin (yes, probably the evil one), a stepmother (not as wicked as you'd think), and a USA Today Bestselling Author who spends a suspiciously large portion of her days correcting the word "the".

She's had a lot of jobs (bookseller, realtor, 834 assorted admin roles), but none as, ahem, interesting, as when she waitressed at a small-town bar named after a dog. 🐶

When she’s not crafting romantic comedies that blend heat, humor, and heart, Rachel splits her time between the city, the lake, and as many made-up worlds as possible.

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5 stars
893 (23%)
4 stars
1,262 (33%)
3 stars
1,182 (31%)
2 stars
331 (8%)
1 star
76 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews
Profile Image for Janelle.
273 reviews30 followers
January 31, 2015
The book is just okay. Something about this sequel was much less satisfying than the first one. The first one got off to a rocky start - *everyone* in Josie's life was hounding her about entering the lottery? - but picked up steam after Josie was already in it. This one, however, is mired in silliness the entire time, from the annoying seat mate to the completely expected ending. The problem is Josie, I think. Josie shone in the first book only in her interactions with Matt and Jake, and they aren't here enough to make it enjoyable to spend time with her. The celebrity client is hardly present enough to take their place (and the client is no Jake, or Matt). In the first one, I was rooting for Josie, who seemed like a nice enough girl. In this one, she strikes me as much less mature and incredibly lazy. (Did she really think this was a free trip to Europe and that she wasn't going to have to actually do the job she was being paid to do?)

And then there's this out-of-place story that crops up on Josie's ill-fated trip to Spain and doesn't go anywhere. I imagine it'll come back in the third book. At least, I hope it does, otherwise, it didn't need to be there at all.

At some point in the story, I realized Josie felt like a slightly more likable version of Becky Bloomwood from the Shopaholic series. Even with Josie being a more palatable heroine than Becky, the shenanigans in Gamble on Engagement wore me out a lot faster. I made it to the third Shopaholic book before giving up, but I'll be stopping here with Josie.
Profile Image for Cyndi.
2,450 reviews122 followers
July 7, 2019
In Book 2 of the series we finally get to see McMaster the Disaster earn her nick name. Although she has landed the hot guy, she has lost her job. Things begin to look dire until she finds a job as a ghostwriter. The best part is she finally gets to travel to Europe.

This is a cute book that sometimes makes you cringe for the heroine's sake, but hang in there. She should be heading to her Happily Ever After. (we hope)
Profile Image for Sara.
153 reviews122 followers
April 13, 2015
This is a classic example of a second book in a series that is considerably worse than the first one. I sincerely enjoyed McMaster the Disaster, #1, and bought this book in hope to find that same enjoyment, unfortunately I was disappointed. This book was not as gripping or witty and I really regretted wasting money on it.
Profile Image for Jaclyn.
426 reviews9 followers
June 4, 2014
While I thought the first "McMaster the Disaster" book was a cute read, this book was a bit more plodding.. The first book was an easy read, and it was pretty fun, despite the fact that it was a predictable and a bit unrealistic. This book was pretty boring to me, and even more unbelievable.

First - how many times do people ACTUALLY spit whatever they're drinking out of their mouth?!? I felt like there must have been some weird bug going around that caused everyone to have chronic swallowing issues, the way this person and that person was spitting things out or almost spitting things out of their mouth. Oh Josie, you're so funny, here let me spit my water out of my mouth as you regale me with your tales of embarrassment, that really aren't even that embarrassing.. Wow Josie - I am shocked that you don't have much of your book written, because I know you so well and you're such a hard worker, let me practically spit my drink all over because I'm so shocked by your retort that the book isn't going well.

Second - how many rich and famous men are going to fall for Josie?!? Jake fell for her after a couple of weeks (in which I think they only saw each other a handful of times), and now all of a sudden she's ghostwriting a book for a prince, who also conveniently falls for her?!? Sheeeesh... I thought Josie was pretty likable in the first book, but not so much in this one. It was just irritating to me how dumb she acted and how lazy she was. It drove me crazy how she wouldn't just buckle down and get to work. Have some pride in your work, develop a work ethic, and put some effort into DOING YOUR JOB to write the book!!

This book also bothered me because it would tell us about things instead of having us learn/experience them, if that makes sense. Like instead of us reading about Josie calling Jake and experiencing their phone conversation, we were just told that they talked every day, or that she kept getting his answering machine and hadn't spoken to him in 3 days. It was hard to believe they were really so close and were at a point where they might even be considering marriage (after like 3 months?!? Seriously??) when it didn't even seem like they had any interaction. Maybe if we got to read about their phone conversations and how they stayed in touch and continued this relationship while long-distance, I would have felt more invested in them as a couple. It just seemed like Jake was hardly in the book, yet somehow this relationship has progressed awfully quickly.

Also, Josie signed a confidentiality agreement and agreed not to tell anyone who she was ghostwriting this book for. Her friend Mattie begged her to tell him, and after making a big deal about it, she finally told him. Then somehow Jake and Jennifer knew who she was working for. It referenced how she had told Jake, but we didn't see/experience that - we were just told. Then, unless I missed something, Jen just seemed to know who she was working for. So she makes a big deal (rightfully so, IMO) about this LEGAL DOCUMENT she signed that she wouldn't spill the beans about who she was working for, so she won't tell her best friend Mattie who she's working for, yet she tells Jake and Jennifer, who she has only known for a few months?? I mean, that obviously seems like a good decision. It's not like you haven't been burned in the past where someone sold private details about you to the press or anything.. What's the worse that could happen?! You could get sued? Pshaw..

Also, her friend Jennifer comes into play a lot toward the end of the book, and I though their friendship seemed to have developed awfully quickly without us actually experiencing any of it, similar to Josie and Jake's relationship. Josie met Jennifer through the bridesmaid lotto, and then Jennifer moved in almost as soon as the wedding was over, before Josie went to London. Yet Josie made references as if she and Jennifer were super close friends.. At one point, she said that Jen was one of the most level-headed people she knows. She's known her for probably 3 or 4 months. Yet she somehow just KNOWS this about her. Also, Josie has a daydream about a wedding and Jennifer being one of her bridesmaids. You JUST met and became friends with her.. is she really going to be in your wedding?! Although it's apparently not just Josie that may be rushing this friendship, because Jennifer apparently is somewhat at fault as well. At some point in the book she says something along the lines of this to Josie, "One of these days, you're going to realize that it's okay for other people to do nice things for you too. it doesn't always have to be the other way around." Uhh.. what??! Is she delusional? What has Josie done for Jen, or really anyone other than herself this or the entire last book?!? It seemed like Mattie was always dropping everything to be there for Josie, but she didn't really show much interest in his life or do anything for him or her other friends. But yeah... you're right Jen - Josie deserves to be selfish sometimes! If by sometimes, I'm assuming you mean all the time..

Another really obnoxious part in the story is when

ANYWAY, this book just drove me up the wall. I'm hoping the third and final (I think) book in the series is a bit less grating and more enjoyable.
46 reviews3 followers
April 3, 2012
I think the author made a mistake by making these into a series. It makes more sense to me to turn these into 1 book. It reads fast, but the story isn't really believable...
Profile Image for Quentin Feduchin.
412 reviews11 followers
August 18, 2013
I really liked the first book in the series, so I read the second (Gamble on Engagement). It truly is a great disappointment for anybody at all familiar with England.
The first book, Bridesmaid Lotto, was written by an American about America. The second book is written by an American largely about England and it is so full of inaccuracies and ridiculous assumptions as to really ruin the book except for those Americans who know little about Great Britain. So lets examine it:
1) The ONLY princes in England are members of the royal family. They are Prince Charles and his two sons. ALL other scions of various noble families, whilst being related to the royal family, are NOT princes.
1a) Thus Prince Leo was not a prince!
2) Other members of the royal family are Earls and Lords. Their sons are Viscounts etc and do not gain titles of Earl or Lord until their fathers die. (I'm not really up with this title stuff, so those Brits who know about it, please excuse my ignorance..)
3) Nobody in England goes out and buys a castle unless they are mega rich and basically nuts! Firstly there are VERY few (if any) castles for sale, secondly there are not that many of them, thirdly they are usually highly inefficient buildings costing a fortune in upkeep! And finally who keeps a gigantic building like that EMPTY? What's this business of 'wings' - 'his wing', 'her wing', good Lord, apart from princes from Saudi Arabia or Dhubai who has the loose money?
4) NO 'scion' of some noble family has access to any real money, unless he makes it himself. Most of these types either join the forces; sometimes ending up senior military figures; or enter some profession or if they're lucky, enter the family business. NOBODY 'buys a castle' because he likes 'his solitude'! LOL.
5) The idea that these guys are 'soft' or 'silly' as the story implies couldn't be farther from the truth.
6) The idea that the housekeeper would for a moment hope to be the love interest of the lord of the manor is another reason for a LOL! These employees are highly professional and would certainly be totally UNinterested in such an idea. Also, the very idea that an English nobleman would be interested in the help (beyond a quicky with some willing local girl behind the stables, in their 'teens..) is far from reality. (Sorry, I'm not a stuffy type, I just know the facts.)
6) NOBODY takes the best part of a 2-day train trip to Marbella! To save money they might drive in a large RV if they have a family, I guess. Otherwise THEY FLY! Duh.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Rachel Astor obviously did absolutely NO research whatever. However, even if she HAD done any she would still have been unable to write such a story without serious help from an English co-writer, if only for the sake of realism. It's a pity because her first book was such fun, AND realistic and made this book even more irritating to me. For goodness sake, can you imagine a woman from Manchester (in England) writing a book about the deep south, such as New Orleans, or the midwest? Now THAT would be a laugh, right?
I might read the third in the series if the story is placed in the US, otherwise I'll probably give it a miss. Regretfully I think Ms Astor isn't good with foreign country research.
Profile Image for Sandy.
144 reviews
July 5, 2012
I hate to say it but I was really disappointed in this book. The first one (which I got for free from Amazon) was entertaining and I like Josie's character. She was a little naive and, like most novels in this genre, she was completely unaware of how beautiful she was, etc. I was a little hesitant to buy this second book and I really could have skipped this one. Josie goes from unaware of her looks to completely self-absorbed and complimenting herself in everything she wears. She was down right annoying and I wanted to stop reading but I wanted to get my money's worth. I will not be buying the 3rd book. I don't care how she and Jake end up. This is very unlike me.
Profile Image for Danielle.
91 reviews16 followers
January 24, 2014
This was a cute & fun story. Kind of silly & cheesey at times, but it was a quick read so I didn't mind too much. I read the previous book in the series a while ago, which I liked a lot more. This was about a girl who went to England to ghost-write an autobiography for someone famous, and the adventures she had along the way.
Profile Image for Jules.
61 reviews
July 20, 2022
After the first one, I had high hopes, but jeez. This book had barely any high points. There’s barely any scenes with jake, Jen and Mattie who were big favorites of mine in book one. The main character in this book (besides Josie) is Leo who is probably one of the most boring, annoying characters I ever read about. The whole book was Josie failing to do her job and specifically doing things that could be mistaken as her cheating on jake. The ending led to some decent scenes, but honestly not sure if I even want to read the third after this “disaster” of a story.
Also, just one more thing. At one point Josie thinks she sees the prince with a mistress and a cute little boy but it turns out not to be the prince but she writes a whole fiction about it. But it literally does nothing to move the story along so why is it even a part of it? I was hoping it would turn out to be the prince living a whole secret life which might have made him more interesting, but it’s just Josie’s mind playing tricks on her, so what was even the point?
Profile Image for Brenda M..
180 reviews2 followers
June 9, 2017
Who can't relate to a bit of humanization?!
Poor Josie McMaster (the Disaster) has a never ending case of "if it can happen, it will happen to me".
She's found the Man of her dreams in actor Jake Hall, a dream job of Ghostwriting for a famous..... Prince (shhhhhh) in the wonderful English countryside, and yet mayhem seems to follow her everywhere.
You can't help but laugh at the multitude of issues that arise, and find yourself saying "that is so me"!
Great job, and there's more books in the series!
Profile Image for Erika.
70 reviews
October 30, 2018
Pretty good sequel

Josie continues to entertain as she travels overseas to ghost-write an autobiography, but she foolishly wastes most of her allotted time. I wanted to strangle her for her stupidity! Lol. Usually second books in a series aren’t that good, but this one was a winner! It wasn’t at all what I had expected, but was charming in its own way. I was quite surprised by the seemingly quick change of heart one of the characters experiences at the end - that was the only part that felt a little contrived. But overall another great read!
945 reviews7 followers
April 10, 2018
McMaster the disaster strikes again. This story was so funny and sweet. Josie finally finds out her secret writing assignment, which she handles with her typical style, a full comedy of errors. Her relationship with Jake gets a bit rocky as the paparazzi drum up more fantastic stories about her and the subject of her book. But things resolve sweetly and there's a wedding in our future!
Profile Image for Krystyna.
5,134 reviews55 followers
June 13, 2018
Ghostwriter - how hard can it be?

Wonderful. She's got through the wedding and now she's even had a few dates with the heartthrob but taking on the new job might not have been such a good idea. Okay she's a writer but she's never had anything to do with biographies and the media is still dogging her footsteps. Great escapism into a lighthearted chick lit that is both funny and entertaining.
28 reviews
August 6, 2024
Josie sure knows how to mess up her life...

This book ties on more disasters in Josies life to the point I thought she would never recover. You've got to
read the saga of Leo's interference.
57 reviews6 followers
July 28, 2017
I read this because I was hoping to see what would happen next in the love story between Josie and Jake and learn more about how she dealt with her domineering mother since the first book. As stated in my review of the Bridesmaid Lotto, the characters could have been developed better. Josie goes to England to ghostwrite an autobiography, did it ever get published? What about the book she started writing based on people she observed while she was on vacation? And interactions with the Prince left me unimpressed. The story seems to jump around with no development and no focus. It's just all very superficial.

Sidenote: I've started the third book in the series, The Wedding Wager, and one week later I haven't gotten past the first chapter. It's more of the same.
Profile Image for Susan Kiley.
Author 12 books18 followers
March 10, 2018
I had high hopes for book #2...didn't hit the mark for me.
55 reviews
September 2, 2018
Very good 2nd book in series. There wasn’t a lot of repeat from the first book. I enjoyed the humor and the author didn’t dwell on anything too long.
4 reviews
March 12, 2019
Sadly this book was nothing special. The story line never got exciting.
Profile Image for Het.
722 reviews24 followers
May 31, 2019
Still so superficial. Got lots of missed opportunities.
Profile Image for Kylie Oberlies.
89 reviews1 follower
July 31, 2019
I am very much enjoying this series. This book wasn't as great to me as the first one but I did really like it.
Profile Image for Cathleen Adams.
43 reviews4 followers
May 17, 2020
Read the first book which enjoyed so thought would continue the series as of course had to see who she was tasked to writing and autobiography about. Nice quick and easy read.
Profile Image for Beth B.
96 reviews1 follower
April 22, 2024
Rating: PG

Read on a 4 hour plane ride! Enjoyable light and funny read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews

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