4 stars...I don't traditionally read contemporary romance, not because I don't like romance, but mainly because it's two perfect people coming together. This is not the case with The Gamble. My first book by Kristen Ashley and I have to say I really enjoyed it. This book has been making it's way through the GoodReads community and I decided to jump on the bandwagon, sure glad I did.Here is the cast of characters: We have Nina and American that was living in England and decided to take a Timeout adventure in Gnaw Bone, Colorado (that's not a real town, I searched :). She meets Holden Maxwell, 'Max' to everyone and that when the true adventure starts. The characters that bring this book such a loving feel are the quirky inhabitants of Gnaw Bone. Max's door is always open and let me tell you sometimes it feels like the whole town is knocking on it. Nina and Max are older, mid thirties and they have a past that's not pretty and that's what makes their characters so easy to love.Holden Maxwell, is domineering, controlling, honest, not afraid to reveal his faults or apologize for something he's done wrong. He's a marvelous Big Mountain Man that you cannot help but fall head over boots for. This book has it's flaws, could have used more editing and it's way too long. Nina is always looking at something and that's described in excruciating detail. That fades away when a story grips you and you cannot stop thinking about it, that what happened to me while reading The GambleNote: If you liked this book, it reminded me of another series by Robin Carr, Virgin RiverThis is who I pictured as Max, Timothy Olyphant
