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Don't Bet On It
Tallulah Hayes has a bad temper but a good work ethic.
Ronan Hawthorne has a world-class pedigree but wants a different life.
They hate each other. They have since high school, when Ronan ghosted Tallulah on prom night. They’re not going to be friends. Unfortunately, they are going to be co-workers.
Ronan has been working under the radar at his family’s rival casino for a year. He doesn’t want to run anything. He just wants to save up enough money to open his own art gallery … one day.
Tallulah has no choice but to take a position in the high rollers’ pit at Stone Casino after losing her most recent job. Her friend Olivia procures the placement thanks to her new husband, and Tallulah is grateful … if a little worried. She doesn’t do well under pressure.
When Ronan and Tallulah come face to face after years apart, sparks fly. Not necessarily good ones, however. They instantly start fighting, both of them happy to remain enemies, until they stumble upon something to worry about together.
Stone Casino is under siege from a secret enemy. Ronan and Tallulah are going to have to join together to keep the people they care for safe … whether they like it or not. Along the way, they just might find out they have more in common than they ever realized.
What will that mean for their futures?
Ronan Hawthorne has a world-class pedigree but wants a different life.
They hate each other. They have since high school, when Ronan ghosted Tallulah on prom night. They’re not going to be friends. Unfortunately, they are going to be co-workers.
Ronan has been working under the radar at his family’s rival casino for a year. He doesn’t want to run anything. He just wants to save up enough money to open his own art gallery … one day.
Tallulah has no choice but to take a position in the high rollers’ pit at Stone Casino after losing her most recent job. Her friend Olivia procures the placement thanks to her new husband, and Tallulah is grateful … if a little worried. She doesn’t do well under pressure.
When Ronan and Tallulah come face to face after years apart, sparks fly. Not necessarily good ones, however. They instantly start fighting, both of them happy to remain enemies, until they stumble upon something to worry about together.
Stone Casino is under siege from a secret enemy. Ronan and Tallulah are going to have to join together to keep the people they care for safe … whether they like it or not. Along the way, they just might find out they have more in common than they ever realized.
What will that mean for their futures?
324 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 17, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 17, 2025
Tallulah Hayes is the best friend of Olivia Stone. Wife to Zach, casino owner, and sister to Rex, the head of security at said casino. The two women have been tight since what feels like forever. Tallulah has not had it easy in life she has never really known her father and her mother is a real piece of work. If anyone seriously looked at that situation they would think that
Tallullah is the parental figure between the two of them. The book opens with her being pulled into her manager's office for putting her hands on someone who had put his hands on her without permission.
She had been harassed over and over again and management had been doing nothing about it This time when she handled it herself with the younger male employee he said, No he wasn’t punishing her he was letting her go. He felt Jay was young and had a bright future, and sticking him with a sexual harassment charge just wouldn’t help a kid with a bright future. She had just had her monthly expenses. So, she punched her now ex-boss, too. After talking it out with both Olivia and Zach. “I might be able to move in with her for a bit,” I said lamely.
“Zach.” Olivia’s voice was shrill, and there was no misinterpreting her intent. “Take a breath,” Zach said calmly, rubbing his hand over his wife’s back. “Just sip your tea.” “You can’t move in with your mother.” “I don’t have a lot of other options. The severance would have gotten me another six weeks in my place, but that’s not going to happen now.” “Well, then you’re going to have to be open to accepting help.” “I’m not a charity project.” “Olivia is going to melt down if you don’t take a breath and open yourself up to other possibilities.
Now, I need you to be serious for a second and talk to me as if I’m an adult.” “Then don’t talk to me as if I’m a child,” she muttered under her breath. “Sorry. I’m used to putting out small fires in the casino all day. I forget sometimes.” “I’m sorry. It’s just been a rough day.” “I know.” “You need a job. There are openings in various bars and restaurants here.” She was thrown. “You want me to work here?” “If you want to work at this bar, I can arrange it,” he assured her. “I know the sports bar in the high rollers section of the casino needs a server, though.”
“The tips there are pretty solid.” “Aren’t those positions coveted by other servers already entrenched in the Stone ecosystem?” He shrugged. “Yes, but I’m the boss. What I say goes. I can get you the job.” “But…” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Won’t the other workers hate me?” He shrugged. “Does it matter?” “Um, yes. Anywhere I’ve worked, half the people have always loved me, and the other half have always hated me. I like that balance. It tells me who the good people are. If I take that job, everybody is going to hate me.”
“I can’t pretend to understand the politics of that,” he admitted. “I don’t really care either, and I don’t see where you have a choice. This is the sort of job that could change your life. You would be able to pay your rent and save up a nest egg in short order.” “Nest eggs are nice,” Olivia enthused. “I didn’t know how nice until Zach and I got together.” “It’s not a good feeling to always fear that you’re going to be homeless … or that you’re going to have to move in with Sharon.” “This job will save you.” “It will at least give you breathing room,”
Zach agreed. Olivia grinned. “Yay!” She did a hip shimmy on the booth seat. “This is going to be so great. I’ll be able to see you all the time now.” “We love you. We want you here. Sometimes, it’s okay to accept help. It doesn’t make you less than you want to be.” “It’s going to be great.” She didn’t feel it, but she knew it was the right response. “I can’t wait.” Enter Ronan Hawthorne. It turns out that on the way into the ladies' employees’ restroom, Tallulah literally runs into a brick wall that plows into her.
He had reached out to steady her saying how sorry he was, with an audible, “Crap!” at the end of it. Tallulah being her gentle self was annoyed. Her eyes were dark pits of annoyance as they locked with his. “Watch where you’re going,” she barked, straightening. “Geez Louise!” he pressed his lips together, caught between amusement and annoyance. Tallulah had always thrown around ancient sayings even back when we knew each other in high school. That was a long time ago—almost fifteen years, in fact—and he held his breath as he waited to see if she would recognize him.
Please don’t recognize me he prayed. He wasn’t that lucky, however. “Ronan?” Tallulah straightened, her hand immediately flying to her hair. “Ronan Hawthorne?” “Where… What… You…” She had questions, obviously, but didn’t seem to know where to start. “You didn’t see me?” Tallulah’s eyes scanned the floor. The years had been kind. Tallulah had always been beautiful. But they shared a past, and she knew his secret. He hadn’t lied on his application, but he hadn’t given them full disclosure when it came to whom it may concern as to who he was.
But it wasn’t just what family he came from that irked Tullulah it was prom. Find out the connection and if they can get past it, and if his explanation will make a difference in both their futures.
Tallullah is the parental figure between the two of them. The book opens with her being pulled into her manager's office for putting her hands on someone who had put his hands on her without permission.
She had been harassed over and over again and management had been doing nothing about it This time when she handled it herself with the younger male employee he said, No he wasn’t punishing her he was letting her go. He felt Jay was young and had a bright future, and sticking him with a sexual harassment charge just wouldn’t help a kid with a bright future. She had just had her monthly expenses. So, she punched her now ex-boss, too. After talking it out with both Olivia and Zach. “I might be able to move in with her for a bit,” I said lamely.
“Zach.” Olivia’s voice was shrill, and there was no misinterpreting her intent. “Take a breath,” Zach said calmly, rubbing his hand over his wife’s back. “Just sip your tea.” “You can’t move in with your mother.” “I don’t have a lot of other options. The severance would have gotten me another six weeks in my place, but that’s not going to happen now.” “Well, then you’re going to have to be open to accepting help.” “I’m not a charity project.” “Olivia is going to melt down if you don’t take a breath and open yourself up to other possibilities.
Now, I need you to be serious for a second and talk to me as if I’m an adult.” “Then don’t talk to me as if I’m a child,” she muttered under her breath. “Sorry. I’m used to putting out small fires in the casino all day. I forget sometimes.” “I’m sorry. It’s just been a rough day.” “I know.” “You need a job. There are openings in various bars and restaurants here.” She was thrown. “You want me to work here?” “If you want to work at this bar, I can arrange it,” he assured her. “I know the sports bar in the high rollers section of the casino needs a server, though.”
“The tips there are pretty solid.” “Aren’t those positions coveted by other servers already entrenched in the Stone ecosystem?” He shrugged. “Yes, but I’m the boss. What I say goes. I can get you the job.” “But…” She chewed on her bottom lip. “Won’t the other workers hate me?” He shrugged. “Does it matter?” “Um, yes. Anywhere I’ve worked, half the people have always loved me, and the other half have always hated me. I like that balance. It tells me who the good people are. If I take that job, everybody is going to hate me.”
“I can’t pretend to understand the politics of that,” he admitted. “I don’t really care either, and I don’t see where you have a choice. This is the sort of job that could change your life. You would be able to pay your rent and save up a nest egg in short order.” “Nest eggs are nice,” Olivia enthused. “I didn’t know how nice until Zach and I got together.” “It’s not a good feeling to always fear that you’re going to be homeless … or that you’re going to have to move in with Sharon.” “This job will save you.” “It will at least give you breathing room,”
Zach agreed. Olivia grinned. “Yay!” She did a hip shimmy on the booth seat. “This is going to be so great. I’ll be able to see you all the time now.” “We love you. We want you here. Sometimes, it’s okay to accept help. It doesn’t make you less than you want to be.” “It’s going to be great.” She didn’t feel it, but she knew it was the right response. “I can’t wait.” Enter Ronan Hawthorne. It turns out that on the way into the ladies' employees’ restroom, Tallulah literally runs into a brick wall that plows into her.
He had reached out to steady her saying how sorry he was, with an audible, “Crap!” at the end of it. Tallulah being her gentle self was annoyed. Her eyes were dark pits of annoyance as they locked with his. “Watch where you’re going,” she barked, straightening. “Geez Louise!” he pressed his lips together, caught between amusement and annoyance. Tallulah had always thrown around ancient sayings even back when we knew each other in high school. That was a long time ago—almost fifteen years, in fact—and he held his breath as he waited to see if she would recognize him.
Please don’t recognize me he prayed. He wasn’t that lucky, however. “Ronan?” Tallulah straightened, her hand immediately flying to her hair. “Ronan Hawthorne?” “Where… What… You…” She had questions, obviously, but didn’t seem to know where to start. “You didn’t see me?” Tallulah’s eyes scanned the floor. The years had been kind. Tallulah had always been beautiful. But they shared a past, and she knew his secret. He hadn’t lied on his application, but he hadn’t given them full disclosure when it came to whom it may concern as to who he was.
But it wasn’t just what family he came from that irked Tullulah it was prom. Find out the connection and if they can get past it, and if his explanation will make a difference in both their futures.
October 28, 2025
This might have been the worst book I've ever read. I hate listened to it for some reason and finished it. I think I needed to see how it ended, but the narrators' voices were awful, whiney and nasal. The story was really bad. The main characters were not likable, there was no chemistry or slow burn, it was basically they hated each other, one side with a reason and not the other, then they bantered because of a common enemy, then they had sex, claiming it was friends with benefits, and then they were madly in love and spending every minute together, none of which were very interesting. I can't decide if it was the recording or the writing that was worse. Not a fan. And not sure why the ratings were so high on goodreads??
July 10, 2026
The story is a standalone in a series and I enjoyed the book. It didn’t quite come up to my expectations, but it’s a good read. I liked the characters, even if I didn’t find them all that exciting. The story was good and the setting was ok as well. I just had hoped for more, based on other books from this author.
October 8, 2025
The book content is good. If you’re listening to the audible, the female narrator is terrible. She uses high-pitched, whiney voices when they’re not appropriate and uses the wrong inflection and emphases on words. I wish I had read this book instead of listening!
February 17, 2026
Love it
Great character development and connection to other characters in this series. Laughed out loud. Was a fun read with lots of snark and sarcasm. A strong leading lady with romance. What more could you ask for!
Great character development and connection to other characters in this series. Laughed out loud. Was a fun read with lots of snark and sarcasm. A strong leading lady with romance. What more could you ask for!
April 7, 2026
Fun times
Who knew?!! Going out in public and your friends actually see you! Silly people thinking they were keeping it a secret!?? If you want a secret you don't go out in public! Imagine that!
Who knew?!! Going out in public and your friends actually see you! Silly people thinking they were keeping it a secret!?? If you want a secret you don't go out in public! Imagine that!
September 30, 2025
Don’t bet on it…..
Love reading stories that include the Stone family. Hope there is more in the future. Avery Kane books never disappoint.
Love reading stories that include the Stone family. Hope there is more in the future. Avery Kane books never disappoint.
dnf-2025
October 28, 2025what even was this
December 21, 2025
always well edited
The stories are always entertaining, endearing, funny, and edited well. Backstories are consistent from book to book and play in to each character’s development.
The stories are always entertaining, endearing, funny, and edited well. Backstories are consistent from book to book and play in to each character’s development.
January 27, 2026
I finished this because I really wanted to find out what happens but it was quite meh. Also. Kyla got away with way too much awhile behaviour without getting fired
April 6, 2026
Awesome Series
As always Amanda Lee delivers a great book! A fun series with interesting plot lines, fun characters and laughter. Excellent!
As always Amanda Lee delivers a great book! A fun series with interesting plot lines, fun characters and laughter. Excellent!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews