Week 50 Review: High Stakes

From Goodreads:

All bets are off as #1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen introduces gambler Logan Tanner, a man with a secret past that's about to come back to haunt him.

Logan Tanner lives the exhilarating life of a professional gambler, taking risks with nerves of steel. From casinos in Macau to Monte Carlo to Milan, he's racked up a fortune and become a living legend. But all the glitz and glamor hide a dark and violent past as an extractor—a world that comes rushing back to him when the beautiful and innocent Lara Balkon enters his life.

Soon Logan is drawn into the conflict between two Russian mafia bosses over Lara, whose life now hangs in the balance. Logan has been offered something more valuable to him than money—information he desperately needs—in exchange for getting Lara out of Russia and to safety. Once together, Tanner discovers that Lara is a force to be reckoned with in her own right. Tanner's search for the truth leads them to the bright lights of Las Vegas. Where the person who was hunting Lara now lies in wait for them.

With the stakes climbing with each deadly confrontation, Logan and Lara are soon catapulted into a game against pure evil. The odds are stacked against them, but it's a game they know they must play…even if it may cost them their lives.

My Review:
Well this was a fantastic read! I love Iris Johansen's books, and Goodreads is saying it's a start of a series (though I'm a bit dubious, given that it's the end of 2022 and there hasn't been a 2nd book announced.) I really enjoyed Logan and Lara's story!

Logan is a gambler, he knows how to read people, to run the risks, and he's good with numbers. And Lara has been raised by a crime family, a father and an important guy are gamblers-and they gamble on her performances in these tests that they make her perform, of increasing difficulty and illegality. Which means she has a poor opinion on gamblers.

I love the fact that they were both lovers of music, him hearing it, and her creating it on the piano. It's what she wants to do, but again, crime family, tests. So that the music was one of the big reasons why Logan agrees to get her out of Russia, that's great! 

The information that he needed-and how it was connected to her, yeah, that was heartbreaking, especially when they made that discovery. Which made it all the more satisfying to watch the bad guys being taken down! 

This was a great read, and I can't wait to read more by Iris Johansen! 

Author: Iris Johansen

Series: Logan Tanner #1
Read: December 16th, 2023
Source: Bought
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded great, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2022 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: September 7th 2021

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars