{Review+Giveaway} Shuffle Up and Deal by Susan DiPlacido

Posted February 28, 2013 by Michelle @ Book Briefs in Reviews / 11 Comments

Welcome to my stop on the Shuffle Up and Deal blog tour!
Be sure to check out the rest of the tour
 
Paperback, 424 pages
Published March 17th 2010 by Neon Fiction/CreateSpace 
Age Group: Adult
Source: ecopy from Author
Series: N/A 🙁
 
Summary: 

When Izzy and Nick meet in embarrassing fashion at a Las Vegas poker tournament, Izzy’s secret dreams turn into a public nightmare. But despite her humiliation, she may have finally sparked Nick’s interest in something other than cards. Before long, Nick takes a gamble on Izzy and raises the stakes when he offers to help her sharpen her game. But Izzy’s convinced that Nick is bluffing and will fold his hand after he’s had her on the flop. But a string of outrageous proposition bets and steamy trips on the poker tour, from Los Angeles to Miami, make these two fierce competitors realize that it may be time to put all their chips on the table. Will Izzy and Nick pair up? Or will they lose it all if they go all-in for each other? Sit down, ante up, and hang on, as Nick and Izzy get ready to Shuffle Up and Deal.

 

Note: this is an Adult Contemporary Romance
 
I thorogouhly enjoyed Shuffle Up and Deal. It was a quick witted, and hilarious adventure from start to finish. There was never a dull moment with Isabella and Nick. I loved the poker premise and I actually feel like I picked up a few game pointers while reading!
 
Isabella was such a joy to get to know. I loved her. She is a great poker player, a hard worker, and super sassy when she wants to be. But even though she can be no holds barred feisty, she is still genuinely a sweetheart. She is always looking out for other people. She was vibrant and full of life and I was so happy when she ditched her lame ex boyfriend early on in the book. I especially loved that Isabella wasn’t super thin and didn’t have the perfect body. And it was great that she can really take a joke. She has no problem laughing at herself and that is always a great trait. 
 
Nick is a bit cocky, and that is a bit of an understatement. But he is so far from a cocky jerk. When it comes to Isabella, he was actually kind of adorable. I loved how the book was split up into 4 or 5 sections and each one was from an alternating point of view, but it isn’t chapter by chapter. You go several chapters with Isabella before we got to the Nick part of the book, so it was a surprise to me when I finally got to see things from his point of view. I loved the way the book was set up. I thought it was the perfect amount of switching view points. Ok, back to Nick. Even though he has a bit of a reputation, we didn’t see too much of his playboying in this book. I liked that right away Isabella seemed to catch his eye. 
 
The writing in Shuffle up and Deal is so witty. I really loved reading this book. It was full of pop culture references and banter back and forth between the characters. Susan DiPlacido showed some very smart writing with this book. I thought it was perfect for the two main characters, and it made me fall even more in love with them. So much goes on in this book, I feel like we got to experience several years of Nick and Isabella’s life, and I loved that. I think this was meant to be a standalone book but Isabella and Nick are one of my favorite couples that I have read about in a long time and I know I would love to read more about them. I would love to see some of their hi jinks continue. This book is like a royal flush- sorry, I couldn’t resist. 
 
4.5/5 Gavels
 
Susan DiPlacido is the author of 24/7, Trattoria, Mutual Holdings, House Money, Lady Luck, Shuffle Up and Deal, and American Cool. Trattoria was nominated for the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Small Press Romance 2005, and her short story, “I, Candy,” won the Spirit Award at the 2005 Moondance International Film Festival. American Cool won the bronze medal in the 2008 IPPY awards and was a finalist in the 2008 Indie Book Awards. Shuffle Up and Deal was nominated for the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Small Press Erotic Fiction 2010. Her fiction has appeared in Susie Bright’s Best American Erotica 2007, Maxim Jakubowski’s Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica vol. 6 and 7, Zane’s Caramel Flava, and Rebellion: New Voices of Fiction.
 
 
Become her friend her on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/susandiplacido

 

 
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