Waking Up in Vegas


Fiction - Chick Lit
363 Pages
Reviewed on 07/09/2018
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Gabrielle is a rare breed of lawyer who prefers researching and writing to standing up and arguing. Maybe they are not so much rare as they are going about unnoticed. She has practiced civil and criminal law, in many different legal areas. She is used to the looks she gets when she tells people she enjoyed practicing tax law. She loves writing in the romantic comedy genre.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Ray Simmons for Readers' Favorite

I like Waking Up in Vegas. I like the way it is told. I give a lot of credit to Gabrielle Dorian for the imaginative beginning. It is a text message from a drunk mother, on vacation in Las Vegas, to her son back in Chicago, telling him that she is married, so he has a new stepfather. This opening is done very well, complete with images of the text messages as they would be displayed in a cellphone. I haven’t read a chick-lit book since the days of Bridget Jones' Diary. It isn’t my go-to genre, but Waking Up in Vegas reminded me why it can be a great genre. Gabrielle Dorian is funny and insightful from page one, and the humor and insights keep coming until the very last page. I liked getting a glimpse into the mind of the modern American woman and I think most readers will like that too. I have never really thought about what life in Las Vegas must be like for a normal woman in a regular profession. Now I have some idea about that.

The strong element of Waking Up in Vegas is the humor. This is displayed in witty dialogue between intelligent and interesting characters. I liked the women of Waking Up in Vegas. My favorite is Mallory, but Amanda and Quinn are very likable too. Gabrielle Dorian writes the men well too, but women take the lead in Waking Up in Vegas, which is why it is listed under chick-lit, I guess. The plot is intricate and assured to produce laughs. The setting is Las Vegas, the regular working world of Vegas outside of the casinos. The writing is superb. Sharp and witty, with some irony and sarcasm thrown in for good measure. I liked this novel. I think you will too.

Alyssa Elmore

A young attorney risks her job for love in the romantic comedy, Waking Up In Vegas by Gabrielle Dorian. As an Estate Planning Attorney, Mallory loves her career; it is predictable, secure, and interesting. Most importantly, it never requires her to go to trial. If only her love life were as simple. After a nasty break-up two years ago, Mallory has sworn off lasting relationships. Refusing to date, she has built a steel wall around her heart, never to allow anyone close enough to penetrate it. When her boss suddenly instructs Mallory to expand her legal knowledge to represent an important client in an uncontested divorce, Mallory balks. Terrified she might have to take her case to court, Mallory wants to refuse. Focused on her law career, she agrees to take the case, confident that she isn't too far in over her head, until she meets sexy, out-of-town opposing counselor, Tyler; it is instant attraction. Tyler is representing his mother, who in a drunken state married Mallory's wealthy client. Determined to avoid losing her license or job over a fling through a conflict of interest, Mallory tries to hide her feelings from Tyler. As Tyler's good humor and comforting presence lure Mallory into thinking of another kind of life, their clients decided to wreak havoc on The Strip.

I really enjoyed this novel. It is light and funny! Waking Up In Vegas by Gabrielle Dorian is a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy about learning to love again. Mallory is an excellent attorney, but her life has become closed off and uneventful. When handsome Tyler enters her life, Mallory prepares to shut the door on her heart once more; only Tyler isn't prepared to let her out of his life without a fight. With encouragement from her paralegal, Mallory tries to allow Tyler in, but his mother and her new husband keep complicating things for them. With the romantic undertones of Romeo and Juliet and Cinderella, this novel will please fans of light romantic comedies such as Bridget Jones' Diary. Due to some adult content, I recommend this novel to readers eighteen and over.

Anne-Marie Reynolds

Waking Up in Vegas by Gabrielle Dorian is a romantic comedy with the emphasis firmly on the comedy side. Mallory is an estate planning attorney, a shy girl who hates taking risks. She is working towards partnership in her law firm and the opportunity arises for her to show them just what she is made of – a divorce case that has every chance of ending up in a court case. Mallory is being pushed by her paralegal, Amanda, to get together romantically with Tyler Scott, the counsel for the other side. However, Mallory just isn’t interested in a relationship and anyway, the client is Tyler’s mother and she isn’t too sure she wants a divorce. Amanda wants the case done and dusted so she can date Mallory’s client and Mallory has her hands full trying to get the case sorted, get Tyler’s mother out of jail and keep Amanda’s hands off Mallory’s client. There’s only so much a girl can do!

Waking Up In Vegas by Gabrielle Dorian is a delightful tale, more comedic than romantic. It’s the stuff that rom-com films are made of! The story flows well, with plenty going on to keep your attention. Just when you think something is resolved, we’re off again. The characters are developed well, with enough background to give you an idea of who they are and what makes them tick. I wasn’t sure about the start of the book, being written in the style of text messages, but it did fit in with the story – just a little difficult to read. It is a good story, ideal for those who want a few hours away from reality to live another’s life vicariously. It’s a light read, nothing serious, and it provides some light-hearted relief from the struggles of everyday life.

K.C. Finn

Waking Up in Vegas is a women’s fiction, chick-lit style novel by author Gabrielle Dorian. In a story playing out against the wild backdrop of Vegas in the early summer, our central heroine begins as anything but a party girl. Mallory is an attorney with a complex case on her mind, and she’s determined to settle it before it makes its way to court, simply to prove her worth to the firm in which she’s trying to succeed. Several problems stand in her way, not least of which is the task of keeping her paralegal and friend Amanda away from her would-be-divorced client, and the romantic advances of her opposite number in the case, the deliberately sexy-and-he-knows-it Tyler Scott.

Waking Up in Vegas is described as chick lit, but I found so much more within its pages than your standard light drama. Mallory is a strong heroine, unlike your expected lead female, and I don’t feel she undergoes any particular transformation during her wild journey through the messy case she’s dealing with. Although her life changes, the character remains true to herself, and I really appreciated that in a genre where conformity to the ‘typical’ woman is usually key. Tyler was an amusing male lead whom the target audience are certain to enjoy reading about, and Gabrielle Dorian writes with an easy-to-read style. It was also clear she’s done her reading up on estate planning law, as the details of the dispute were concise and really interesting to follow. Overall, Waking Up in Vegas gives a lot more than promised!

Samantha March

Waking Up in Vegas by Gabrielle Dorian kicks off with a bang, and the beginning of this novel really set the tone for the rest of the story and immediately had me interested. The text message exchange between mother and son had me intrigued, especially when the first chapter started with Mallory’s story, and I tried to figure out how the characters would be introduced to one another. I loved having the setting in Vegas, and not just as a vacation destination, but also getting to see the City of Sin through a local point of view. Mallory was a lovely character to watch on her journey from being a workaholic lawyer that doesn’t have a lot of time for fun, to meeting a guy she truly cares about and starting to throw some caution to the wind.

While I did enjoy Mallory’s character, the secondary cast in this story really takes the cake. From Mallory’s paralegal and her crazy antics, Quinn and her sudden husband and their hilarious stories, and even Mallory’s booty call, each character had a lot to bring to this chick lit novel. I had a great time reading this book, and my only complaint was that it did get a little drawn out at times. With Mallory being hesitant about a budding relationship, the back and forth did get a little tiring after happening so many times, but it was still a really enjoyable read and one I would recommend. I think it would be fantastic to get a sequel to this story and see where the characters have ended up!