No Limit

Nadia Wolf #1

by Nicolette Pierce

Originally published under the title The Big Blind

Nadia Wolf has one wish: Win the World Poker Tournament and collect the one-million dollar prize. Beating the arrogant and sexy Caleb Usher, who challenges her professional poker career and tempts the hell out of her, wouldn't hurt either. However, the tournament goes sideways when the million dollar prize disappears in front of a live audience. Not one witness sees what happened or where the money went.

Sinfully handsome Greyson Miller, CEO of the Lost City Casino, teams up with Nadia in an attempt to find the missing prize and to solve a perilous mystery that plagues the casino. With Greyson’s overwhelming allure, Nadia has to keep her head in the game and her hands to herself.

With Caleb and Greyson claiming a stake; Nadia’s career, life, and heart will never be the same again.

Genres: Mystery, Romance, Romantic Suspense, Fiction, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Cozy Mystery

271 pages, ebook

First published May 7, 2013

About the author

If you want to know more, visit my website at www.NicolettePierce.com

Reviews

[S.A. Krishnan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable mystery.
Nadia as the poker player was a great heroine in the story through whom the entire story unfolds. Every single character in the story is very well etched and the plot was just perfect. Fast paced and mixed with enough mystery and romance, the story was thoroughly entertaining.

[Say · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really don't know why this book nor the author is here in Goodreads. Because this book is FREAKING AMAZING!!!

The things I LOVE about this book:

1. The female MC Nadia Wolf she's not kick-ass (well at least not physically....though she would kill a punching bag) but she rock in POKER!!! Yes guys poker!!! She has this really cool attitude and a smart ass which we all love in our female characters.
2. The love triangle Greyson/Nadia/Caleb which is not irritating and you wouldn't mind which guy Nadia ends with because both of them are HOT and GREAT!
3. Nadia's obese cat Gus.....who hates to diet and love his hotdogs. Need I say more?
4. Remy, Greyson's bodyguard/driver/Nadia's ride.....the guy is bad ass. Again need I say more?
5. Mya, Nadia's so called "best friend" the perky sister in law of Greyson who loves pink and glittery things.
6. And last but not the least Frankie, Nadia's manager (well he wants to be but Nadia hates it)/a celebrity impersonator who dresses himself silly while of officiating drunk couples weddings. Oh but I love this guy!!! He's hilarious!

I just love this week, starting with Crossing and then The Summer I Became a Nerd this is the third book I have read which I really really enjoyed!!! I can't wait for the second book. I wanna know where Frankie "shipped" Nadia for another poker tournament.......hehehehe!!!

[Colin Devonshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a lot of fun. Excellent card games and thrilling (and funny) action.

[Annette Dahl "Old Vicarious Reader" · Rating 4 out of 5]

An Adorable Girl with 9 lives, and Just Can't Seem to Get Lucky!

Just like the title says the story was hilarious. And, I don't think it was meant to be realistic, (unless, there are Millionaires who own casinos who are down to earth men), this tale was meant to be funny.

I have never laughed so hard when reading. Most of the laughter came between Nadia and her boss/landlord/friend/gay manager.

I had an extra treat because this young girl was NOT TSTL. She was 28, witty, snarky, had street savvy and was pretty darn smart.

The fact that she had two hunky guys sniffing her skirt only brought more enjoyment to the story for me.

The one thing that's important to me is writing style, and I loved the author's writing.

But, I won't be continuing on with Nadia's adventures. Not because the story wasn't a fun read; I'm just not a fan of cliffhangers or clean reads. Seriously, I waited for 271 pages for just a little lovin' and got zip.!.

Great Read

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad and an easy book to get into but ugh, love triangles .

No Limit introduces you to Nadia Wolf. Now she's a pretty good poker player and she has big dreams about becoming a professional at it. She's also such a smart ass and I loved everything about her. Well, almost everything.. because that damn love triangle killed me.

Ugh, okay, so you meet Greyson and Caleb. They aren't completely terrible or anything I just don't like love triangles or any kind of love shape. Ever. So I guess they are okay in their own way but I also don't really care who ends up with who.

Other than that, you do meet some other side characters and I think my favorite was Gus. He is Nadia's cat and very obese. Kind of reminded me of Garfield because he did not want to diet. He wasn't about that life. Preach Gus, preach!

[Coco.V]

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[Gayle Parish · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I'm getting old, when I begin to read a mystery I want it to focus on the mystery.. If there is sex it should help to develop the story line and not take over the story.. That is how I felt about this book.. If I want a romance I'll pick one.. I was disappointed in the ending ... well lets say if three quarters, mostly sex, was shortened this book and the next one have the potential for being a good book. as it is I'll probably never find out if the bad guy ever does get caught.. I like mysteries that challenge me to 'figure out' the plotline but I'm not sure if I'll buy the next one to find out if the inept bad guy gets his due..

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the story was really great and action filled there were many unbelievable moments. I don't understand how a supposedly strong and independent woman can back and forth between wanting to sleep with two different men. I also didn't like that it ended with a cliffhanger. How could a wanted man get on an international flight?

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a little of everything, mystery, sensuality, humor and a kick-butt heroine who makes you want to buy matching BFF bracelets & braid each others hair. I can't decide who I want plain, snarly professional poker player Nadia to be with. The winning poker player Caleb has that elusive "something" and can raise her hackles with a look, while the sexy casino owner Grayson is sweet, protective and honest with her, at the same time making her shake with lust.

Nadia and Grayson are trying to hunt down a counterfeit money printing scheme in Grayson's casino, and Nadia seems to get herself in more trouble than usual. She moonlights at a wedding chapel where her new "manager" Frankie marries drunk couples and generally makes her do strange and ridiculous things she doesn't want to do by baiting her with money. Nadia also befriends Grayson's sweet but slightly ditzy sister in law who's tight clothes cuts off Nadia's circulation just looking at them.

Nadia is an excellent new heroine that fans of romantic suspense will root for and laugh at. And with. I can't wait to read the second in the series, High Stakes.

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I should have enjoyed this book. Nadia was a wonderful character, and the plot was interesting, but too many of the characters I think we were meant to like (especially the men) were horrible people, and Nadia (who seems mostly like a smart woman) constantly bends her will to accommodate men who don’t deserve her.

Even worse, this book ends with a significant cliffhanger. In my opinion, a book should be a complete story. A final-chapter cliffhanger shows a lack of respect for your readers and for the money they (hopefully) spent to buy your book.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I was up till 3am because I needed to finish this book. I enjoyed everything about this book. The characters are all well described. The story was extremely interesting, I could no put it down. I finished and just started the next novel High Stakes. It is starting out just as great as this one. This author, Nicolette Pierce rocks.

[Steve · Rating 1 out of 5]

Three chapters in and I quit. I was drawn to this because I enjoy poker, but don't make that same mistake. This is chick lit romance, heart palpitating excuses with poker as the vehicle. Eyes rolled and one spelling error in, “Roy peeled with laughter.”, and deleted from my ereader, where I ran for something good.

[MiniMe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Epic doses of suspension of disbelief are required to accept Nadia's story and the situations she gets into and out of. Plus, the story had a lot of nerve to end as a cliffhanger. As wacky as the misadventures of Nadia are, I won't be reading more of this series. It's not for me.

[Linda T · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected a mystery with a strong female lead. It started out okay, but then turned into a predictable, formula romance novel. I quit without finishing it.

[Kitty · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had an interesting story line, but I just hate the sex for no reason scenes.

[Vivian Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is a great find. Do yourself a favour and read her book!!

[bex · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 star

Book was more about men than the mystery. Ending is a huge hook with unresolved issues. Not something I want more of.

[Vivienne Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Cozy Mystery with an Enjoyable Edge

What an amusing story where the backdrop is Las Vegas, but it doesn’t stop there. The main character Nadia Wolf is a professional poker player with a vivid imagination and is participating in a tournament where the winning is a high payout, but things are not always what they appear to be because Nadia becomes involved in other activities, namely Caleb Usher, a competitive poker player that will keep you laughing and turning those pages, but when she is faced with strange events, she has to use her, intellect and humor to solve some strange occurrences facing Greyson Miller, the CEO of a highly successful casino. There are strong, descriptive and interesting characters, great dialogue and opinionated male poker players with machismo attitudes. The narrative exposes many twists and turns, betrayal, secrets and lies, engaging plots, theft, envy, gossip, and fraud, building up to a twist of a turn stirring ending.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Big Blind” is a fun, fast read set in Las Vegas, a city where anything is possible.
It's the ideal setting for a madcap romcom.
Nadia Wolf plays poker for a living but she's not quite good enough to make enough money to live on.
She also works in a themed (Elvis, Harry Potter, etc.) wedding chapel which operates at night and specialises in tying the knot for drunk couple.
Oh, and she does card tricks as a side job.
She's got the hots for two men – Caleb, a poker player with phenomenal luck, and Greyson, wealthy owner of the Lost City Casino.
There's a mystery involving poker prize money that simply disappeared.
The book is well plotted (possibly too much so) and the story moves quite fast, but it somehow failed to spark for me.
The ending is dreadful - a cliffhanger of the worst kind.
3 Stars.

[monacia williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vegas Thrills

Hilarious, it certainly was, I found many instances not just to smile but to laugh as I followed the adventures of Nadia while she traveled the Vegas poker circuit.
Tough, funny endearing Nadia ends up biting off more than she bargained for as she becomes entangled with danger. The story plays out well even though there are still unsolved mysteries at the end.
Great characters, Frankie, Mya and Rhemy are good fun and add spice to the story. The others, Greyson and David included will also keep your attention fixed until the end. The many twists and turns will also help to keep you riveted.
Go ahead and enjoy.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun (and funny) read

Nadia is a professional poker player in Las Vegas. In the course of her activities she meets a lot of people, Freddie, an impressionist who runs a wedding chapel and is her landlord, Grayson, a casino and hotel owner, and Caleb, a winning poker player. The novel is technically a mystery, but, in actuality is chick lit with a little mystery thrown in. It was amusing and held interest. Thanks to the author and publisher for an e-galley for an honest review.

[Jennifer Rupp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to be Nadia Wolf when I grow up. She’s smart, wickedly witty, and totally in control. She takes calculated risks at the card table, but never with her heart. Will it be Greyson or Caleb? When she finds herself swept up in unsavory casino business, she keeps her head and her sense of humor no matter how dire the circumstances. I spent 8 hours alternating between laughter and biting my nails! Five stars for No Limit audio version. Wendy Darling was a great narrator.

[Ferne Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story

I really enjoyed this story. Not very intense but fun. I loved the characters and the little twists and turns. Nadia is a professional poker player in Vegas. She's up against really cut throat players and doesn't win much. She lives above a Vegas wedding chapel and works there evenings to make money. Her life is about to take a wide turn into a dark and dangerous world. But along the way there is fun to be had. Looking forward to the next book.

[Walter Stumpf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great writing

I usually hate authors who write books that aren't complete and make you buy another one just to get the rest of the story, but I will make an exception this time. The story was complete enough that you don't necessarily have to buy the next one if you don't want to, and the writing was very good. So the author gets a pass this time but I am only giving it 4 stars because of that.

[Laura Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was free so I gave it a whirl. It’s good and has KA rock chick vibes that I liked. But it also had two of my most hated things. A love triangle and cliffhanger. I kinda hated the ending too. There are nine books in this series. The rest are not on KU and I’d have to buy the series to find out how she eventually winds up with who she does about four books in. Not sure I want to invest in that. I’ll see. It could be an in between books, series for me.

[Nadine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty good book. I could’ve done without the sex scenes which were highly unbelievable…. Nobody stops that close, but it didn’t ruin the book. I loved the comedic part of the book. The mystery was kind of a side burner…. but I was wondering through the whole book. I think this was more about the quirky characters and how they may play out through the other books in the series. I liked it enough to read the sequels. Happy Reading:)

[ebsTx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome female lead

Maria may be a girl, but she can hold her own in the world of poker. Between poker tournaments she works another job in a celebrity impersonations wedding chapel. There is plenty of Vegas crazy in this book! The suspense is strung tight as she helps unravel a counterfeiting ring.

[K Kulis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice romp through Vegas gamblers antics

She's a young woman who manages to get into unusual situations with quirky results. 2 romantic suitors with a wacky landlord thrown in. I like a series as I get o know characters but like it to be a stand alone read. It is not, hence the rating of 4.

[Lise · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the end, I managed to finish reading the story. While the premise was fantastic, I did not care for the execution. I had a long diatribe that I wrote in my head but I'll boil it down to: women are smarter than this. The main character, Nadia Wolf, allows all the men in her life to manipulate and/or exploit her. We've come so far; let's not return to the worst time in our history.

[Gloria Kojakanian · Rating 5 out of 5]

You nailed it.

Enjoyed the the cat, the illusions, behind the scenes. I worked in Branson Missouri for several attractions and they all have this fakery, throat cutting style. Of all the millions of tunes they could choose, they all HAVE to play the orange blossom special.upside down in a cart driven by a chimpanzee. Y