Poker Face

Chimera Club Stories #1

Romance - Contemporary
178 Pages
Reviewed on 10/16/2017
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

❤️Cybill Cain writes stories about love, adventure and romance, and is the author of The Chimera Club Stories.❤️

She is an international award winning author, experienced journalist, blogger and fanfiction enthusiast who writes romance because to her, "every story is a love story." She is also a member of the Romance Writers of America and the Alliance of Independent Authors.

The Chimera Club Stories are written as stand alone steamy romances that you can read in any order. (With the exception of the short story collection. That one you may enjoy better if you have read the first four books.)

Each love story is told against a backdrop of mystery and suspense and anchored by the resident bad boy of Chimera, Thomas Meenan.

Sign up for her newsletter and never miss a release. https://www.subscribepage.com/cybillcainreleases

    Book Review

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Poker Face: Chimera Club Stories is an erotic contemporary romance written by Cybill Cain. Camille’s life had morphed from one of promise to the dullness of a dead-end job as a hotel clerk after her mom was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s. Her plans for graduate school and a career as an architect all dissolved with that diagnosis. Now every penny and ounce of energy she had went into keeping her mom in the facility where she was being cared for. That’s why Camille even briefly considered Thomas Meenan’s bizarre proposal. The special events organizer for the Chimera Club had first approached her at her job as he was checking in, and he mentioned an opportunity whereby she might be able to make a decent amount of money. Camille’s rebuff was met with his ominous persuasion to keep the card -- just in case she needed it. Meenan’s creepy manner and almost threatening tones were unsettling indeed. Brandon had everything, riches, looks, but the orphaned-at-a-young-age heir found something was missing from his life, a spark, the motivation to make him feel alive again. Thomas Meenan’s offer, though completely absurd, seemed to dangle that spark as a possibility before him -- an all-stakes game that would be very challenging indeed.

I’m never exactly sure what I’m getting myself into when I begin an erotic romance, but Cybill Cain’s novel, Poker Face: Chimera Club Stories both dispelled any trepidation and exceeded any and all expectations. Somehow, Cain manages to instill a sweet and sentimental romance novel into the most outlandish of erotic situations, and she succeeds brilliantly. Watching as the two protagonists fall in love, in spite of the Chimera Club’s conditions, is grand entertainment. Cain’s erotic passages are beautifully crafted as the twenty-three-year-old learns about love for the first time and the somewhat world-weary nearly-thirty-year-old Brandon discovers what his life has been missing. The erotic scenes are tender and enthralling, and they work perfectly within the storyline, as do the getting-to-know you interludes that make Brandon and Camille’s story seem a fairytale, rather than an erotic romance. I came to care deeply about each of these characters as I read this book and was fully invested in the challenge they had to face. This is an awesome read! Poker Face: Chimera Club Stories is most highly recommended.

BookAddict

When I started reading this book, my first thought was, “That is some seriously whacked premise for a book, even an erotica book.” Erotic poker game? Partnering with a complete stranger? You can’t be serious. But I should have known. Cybill Cain doesn’t do blazing hot reads without evoking a wealth of feeling and emotion in the reader and revealing a great deal of depth and insight into matters of the heart. And the outrageous premise set up Brandon and Camille for a story that was as sweet, tender and humorous as it was hot. These two characters are night and day, in every way possible, but their need for the other and the connection they shared secured them a place in my heart, captivated my attention and filled me full of all the best kinds of emotions. I loved them, delighted in their story, adored their texts, and definitely recommend this book for a spicy, heartfelt, phenomenal read.

Susan Williams

This is the first book I ever read by Cybill Cain. And because I've spent time reading other author's books in the wrong order, I thought I'd start this series off right and begin at the beginning, sort of (you'll find out I messed that up with the second book I read, but if you know me, you'll know I don't care, they're all good). I was surprised, and pleased, by Cybill's writing.

This story started with Camille working in a real dump of a hotel and having to deal with a slimy co-worker who eventually does something that will get her fired. But that's the good news, because Camille has met Thomas Meehan previously and he gave her a business card and promised her that she would be paid well for her time. Meehan has something to do with the secretive Chimera Club, but that's all anyone knows. And don't be surprised if your reaction to him is that he's a bully and quite mean. You'll change your mind, but you'll have to read the other books in the series. ;-) And then there's Brandon. I think Brandon's background could have been developed a bit more, but I can tell you that you'll learn more about him farther on in the series. I think a reader knows enough about him to enjoy his character before he and Camille get past Chapter 3. This is a story about one arranged meeting and one meeting by happenstance. The fact that the same people are meeting at both is the crux of the book. Its a wonderful story about love, and how, in this case, the attraction between Camille and Brandon would have happened regardless of how or where they met. And it is a story of Fate. And yes, there's a poker game involved and a backstory going on, but in reality, in this book, you are only going to care about Brandon and Camille while they navigate their attraction.

This is one of those books that made me smile, fan myself, wipe the Kindle down because it was steaming up, laugh out loud (ho, ho), and go check to see if my teeth were rotting because of the sweetness. The author managed to bring me into the conversation (and no, no spoilers here except to say there's some interesting texting dialogue) and hold me there. I read a lot and once in a long while I find a book that can bring me into the characters enough that I can hear the words. Brandon and Camille did that for me. I could also hear the music and see the steam. I didn't read the book in one sitting, but I found things I wanted to write down, words that were worthy. I highly recommend that, if you are a lover of sweet, hot romance combined with VERY hot and steamy scenes, you should take a chance on this book. I like my romances spicy and this one had that in spades. Cybill, you made me want to go find my one and only and keep him occupied all night long.