Review of Bet the Farm by Fiona Riley

This is book 2 of 3 in the High Stakes Romance series which started with Bet Against Me and will finish with Beginner’s Bet. This series follows the lives of a group of realtors specialised in high luxury condos in Boston. Even though Bet the Farm can be read as a standalone, you will miss part of the background story. Book 1 is enjoyable too so it’s worth starting at the beginning.

Lauren Calloway is going through a rough patch with her bestie never around and a big real estate deal falling through. So when she had a chance to have a one-night stand with a gorgeous stranger, she took it.
Thea Boudreaux’s family is in financial trouble and about to lose their dairy farm. Now the future of the farm is in Lauren’s hands, her one-night stand. Can Thea keep the farm and Lauren in the process?

This is another hot and entertaining installment in the series. And when I say hot, I mean scorching, sizzling, flaming HOT. No wonder Fiona Riley is called “the Queen of Steam” as she writes flirting, sexual tension and sex scenes like very few authors in lesfic. It’s hard to write a one-night stand and make it memorable but Ms. Riley does exactly that and then keeps the same level of heat for the rest of the book. Lauren and Thea have serious chemistry.

Having said that, what I like about Ms. Riley’s books is that there’s an important storyline beyond all that steam. The author submerges the readers in the world of real estate business, this time in rural property and land. I liked all the tidbits of information that Ms. Riley adds to the story making it more interesting and feeding the tension around Thea’s family crisis. I also loved Lauren’s role in it and how her outgoing personality brought lightness to Thea’s family woes.

The High Stakes Romance series features a cast of diverse characters in ethnicity and sexual orientation. Those readers who have enjoyed Riley’s novel Media Darling will be happy to see that Emerson and Hayley make an important appearance in this novel. Personally, I cannot wait for book 3 featuring one of my favourite characters in this series, the intriguing real estate boss Ellison Gamble. But until then, this is the best in the series so far. 4.5 stars.