Title: Scarlet Lady
Series: Mac’s Angels
Author: Sandra Chastain
Genre: Romance
Blurb: Beloved author Sandra Chastain ignites a simmering story of two passionate souls who discover what happens when fate deals the cards.
Katie Carithers walks onto the riverboat casino Scarlet Lady with just one intention: win enough money to pay off her brother’s debts and save her family’s Louisiana plantation. A no-nonsense accountant by day, Katie decides that tonight she’ll wear a tiny red dress and be a sexy gambler—albeit one with an uncanny head for numbers and odds. But when Katie lays eyes on the handsome owner of the Scarlet Lady, all bets are off, as he quickly threatens to take more than her money with his roguish charm.
The man everyone simply calls “Montana” runs his Mississippi River casino like the tightest ship in the navy. But the night the brunette in the red dress appears, Montana feels his steely control waver. He’s never been so overwhelmed by a woman, not since he lost the courage to love years before. When the woman in red wins, Montana suspects that she has cheated—and just like that, one hand of poker ignites a passion play with the highest of stakes: two hearts.
Thoughts: I read this book once before, years ago when it was originally released in 1997. Personally, I thought the book would have been a little better as a stand-alone rather than have it as part of a series. The whole Mac’s Angel thing really didn’t play much of a role in the book, and really just seemed to muddy the waters of the original plot.
Ignoring that, I really enjoyed the parts when Katie and Montana squared off to gamble against each other. I liked how Katie was capable of holding her own with the big name gambler, and the sparks between them were really interesting. Katie did get a little annoying with her persistence in trying to fix everything for her brother, but other than that I really enjoyed her character. Sometimes she was a little rash in her behavior, but that was just part of her character. She was spunky, daring, loyal, and still sweet and innocent. Montana was very intriguing and a joy to read. They played off of each other really well. I thought it could have been better. It’s not one of my favorites, but as with most of Sandra Chastain’s books this one was still well worth a read.
Rate: B-
