Review: Inside Bet by Katie Porter

Where did you get the book: E-arcs offered by authors via Novel Sidekick
Publisher: Samhain
Release Date: Out now

 

Zero to kinky in 3…2…1

As assistant director in an accounting firm, Heather Morris is at the top of her game. Her straight-laced colleagues wouldn’t believe the secrets she hides: her wild teenage past, work-of-art tattoo and nipple ring.

Her orderly life veers off course when she’s approached at a wine tasting by an arrogant pretty boy with a dirty mind and a hardcore dangerous profession. She finds herself tempted to step outside her respectable façade for some well-deserved excitement.

Captain Jon “Tin Tin” Carlisle knows women. Loves women. One glimpse of the nipple ring under Heather’s conservative blazer lights up all his instincts. He’s stumbled upon a rare treasure: an exotic beauty with a sexy laugh and a taste for dares.

After a red-hot hour of roulette, their simmering attraction bursts into an exploration of mutual passion that tests even Jon’s erotic limits. Soon he craves something he’s never desired before. More. But for Heather, more means trusting, and trusting leads to trouble.

Now Jon must decide if the best sex of his life is worth chancing his heart on a woman who shields hers so well.

Warning: Contains hot power play featuring a fighter pilot who comes from old money but knows all about bringing the dirty. Also: a nipple ring, sex on the hood of a hella sweet sportscar, and one teensy, tiny, wickedly naughty fluid exchange.

*Blurb taken from Goodreads*

 

E: I enjoyed reading the first of the Vegas Top Guns series, Double Down, and I was curious to see what the duo (who makes up Katie Porter) could come up with for their second installment, so I accepted their review request. Again, they did not let me down when it came to smoking hawt smex scenes. In fact, I actually ended up going o_O a few times as their scenes together progressed. While I enjoyed how Jon and Heather’s relationship was initially based only on a certain daredevil streak I found that at times it seemed as if they weren’t really part of the world. They did have friends and interacted with them but both Jon and Heather had done so much work making themselves into who they appeared to be that sometimes I got the feeling they didn’t know who they were and how to just be if it wasn’t involving sex.

 

Has: I have the first book in my TBR pile but this is my first Katie Porter/Vegas Top Gun
book, and despite it being the 2nd book in the series it was easily readable without missing anything from the previous installment.

I totally agree with you about the hot sex scenes! I almost imagined my ereader was smoking because it was that hot. I loved the opening scenes with Heather and Jon daring and betting with each other sexually which was fun, sexy and very very intense. And I totally agree they created their own sensual little world where they explored each other and that their relationship was based on sex in the beginning. I was so drawn into their story that I lost track of time and was surprised how far I read.

 

E: Like you I was totally sucked into their world of dares and wanted to know what they could possibly come up with next. One of the things I enjoyed about their relationship together is that they took turns with the dares, and while they were dares, both parties reaped the benefits. They intended only to share a mutual pleasure not to humiliate or demean each other. I also liked their interaction with their friends. Having read the first book it was good to catch a closer look at the original three pilots, see how their dynamics changed with the addition of Cass. I was also curious to see if Leah was going to continue down her path of personal self-destruction. The scenes involving her were touching, poignant and full of some sort of backstory. She helped Heather understand a bit more about Jon and his persona which I thought was key to the success of that relationship.

 

Has: I will definitely be reading the first book soon to catch the nuance and the setup I missed. I loved the giving and taking love scenes between Jon and Heather. Sexually they were dynamite together and each encounter they had pushed up the ante for them, and I really enjoyed how it helped to shape their relationship in the beginning. But, over the course of the book I wished we saw more of the emotional development that Heather and Jon underwent, especially as it helped to crack their emotional walls. Although that evolved later towards the end of the book, I wished we saw more of that because I felt it was a bit of a sudden revelation for them both. Both Jon and Heather are closed off and afraid to open up emotionally, but focused on channeling that with sex which really heightened up the sexual tension. I felt a bit disappointed that this wasn’t explored as much. However, when it did towards the end it did strengthen the romance and I could believe they had strong feelings for each other and will be together long-term.

 

E: That is a good point Has. I do think a lot of their emotional development happened off screen so to speak for the majority of the book. I think the turning point was the scene in Heather’s office. When I initially read it I was furious at Jon and hurt for Heather but thinking back on it Heather needed to get jarred from her carefully constructed facade about who she was. You should not have to hide yourself to such an extreme that you seem to be living a double life. Likewise Jon’s caring only appeared evident when he was around his other two pilot buddies. The tension he had at work seemed to indicate that whatever his internal issues were they were going to come through one way or another and sex was no longer enough.

 

Has: And this is why I wished there was more on the emotional aspect of the book because it was so intense with how much they held inside and they both tried to suppress it or channel it via sex. But I did enjoy that scene because it felt that their emotional growth was finally evolving. I just wished it was developed a bit more. I did love how the romance was based on sex and that was a powerful element in the love story. Usually that wouldn’t work for me but the fun and playful nature along with the sexually intense love scenes, it was a powerful combination that made this a very enjoyable read – and you definitely will need a fan or the AC running when reading this book!

 

E: Forget the fan or AC go straight for the ice *grin*. Like you, I found that the combination of fun (Panda), playful yet at the same time extremely intense love scenes added to the complexity of the story. It was almost like each encounter both Jon and Heather gave everything they had because they were both so sure that no one would love them for who they really were. Porter did include subtle nuances throughout the story so while their decision to have more than a sex based relationship wasn’t a surprise there still seemed to be something tiny missing. Overall I enjoyed this read and I look forward to seeing what they have come up with next.
I give Inside Bet a B.

 

Has: I will also be looking forward to the sequel as well as prequel books. Inside Bet was a sexy, earthy and very intense erotic romance which was filled with memorable love scenes. Even though I was slightly disappointed with the emotional growth of the characters, it was filled with real depth. I really enjoyed the book because it was sexy, fun and filled with a great cast of characters who were engaging and real.I inhaled it in one session! I highly recommend it if you like you’d like a charming flyboy with dimples and a heroine who knows how to challenge him!

I also give Inside Bet a B.

Kindle eBook