Review: from FictionZeal.com re: Jamie's Gamble by Gregg Bell
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 18, 2014
Fake it ‘til you make it!  “I can make it on my own.”  If nothing else, Jamie had sheer determination on her side.  Her father was a loving man, but oh so controlling.  She felt bad about leaving her family, but at twenty-one years old, she just had to get out.  So, as the story begins, she’s driving from the suburbs of Chicago to Langston, TX where her friend, Courtney, had said she could stay with her.  The job Courtney had lined up for her fell through so she takes the first thing available waitressing at the Double D Bar & Grill.  It’s there she begins to hear the truth about Langston – about the recent string of rape and murder of illegal immigrants; how the sheriff will do anything to keep his own son out of trouble; and how the occult is deeply believed and feared.  It’s also there she meets Ricky Benson who had long since given up on himself.  Is this a love story?  Yes, but that’s far from the only story in this novel.At several points, the story sways between Jamie’s and Ricky’s perspective so the reader can understand the thought process of each.  Jamie has a strong personality much like the father from whom she was trying to escape.  I liked her character very much.  Ricky was also likeable although very opposite Jamie in many ways.  There are a couple of shocking twists that I just didn’t see coming.  I did question the order of which some of the scenes were told midway into the book.  Overall, I rated Jamie’s Gamble at 4 out of 5.