Double Down by Tess Hudson

Twelve Step programs have a saying, "the program works if you work the program." Skye McNally does not work the program. She's been gambling since she was eight years old and her mother died, leaving her bookie father to raise Skye alone. Three years ago she went on a bender and ended up in Vegas with her father's protege, Jimmy. The weekend started with a wedding and ended with Jimmy in the emergency room getting stitches. He went back to New York and Skye stayed in Vegas, got the marriage annulled and started trying to get a life away from gambling. After 3 years of attending Gambler's Anonymous meetings she has yet to get a 30 day chip. Her sponsor and best friend is T.D., a former pro football player whose gambling got him banned from the game. He loves Skye even though he knows she's trouble, but even his unconditional support can't help Skye follow the rules.

After the death of a friend Skye takes a road trip in the desert to clear her head. At a diner in the middle of nowhere she meets runaway quarterback Mark Shannon, who is all over the news for going AWOL before the Super Bowl. The attraction between Skye and Mark is fast and hot, but there's no way they can be an ordinary couple. Mark has a serious secret, and worse, football and gambling do not mix. Sorting out all their problems and getting to their HEA is a true long shot.


This book is realistic about addiction in the sense that for much of the book Skye is the least likable character, or at least the most frustrating. She attends GA meetings and desperately wants a 30 day chip, but she isn't really following any of the 12 steps. At one point I found myself wondering how it was possible that she never considered filling her time more productively by doing something radical like going to school so she could get a job that didn't involve breaking bones. Even after she has her epiphany she makes some very questionable decisions.

Still, I found myself rooting for her. Skye is tough and determined enough to keep at it until GA "takes" and she gets her life figured out. She's also loyal to all the people she loves, even when it would be easier not to be. In the end my main problem with the book was the romance. It's written in first person and has a style more common in chick lit, which created a couple of problems for me. First, Mark ends up being the least developed character, which made it tough for me to get fully invested in the HEA. Second, the epilogue tied everything up in an absolutely perfect package. This type of epilogue always makes me think that even the author knew she didn't fully sell the HEA in the book. So, I liked Double Down, but I didn't love it.


Grade: B- C-

Update: The more I think about this book the more bothered I am about a couple aspects of it.

First, there's an implication that if an addict just finds the right person to love s/he will lose the desire to pursue the addiction. I know that romances are all about the idea that love conquers all, but the reality is that it doesn't. Implying in any way that the right love cures the addictive impulse is really insulting to addicts and their loved ones. Tess' transformation isn't a total miracle cure, she still has to go to meetings, but it's way too close for comfort.

Second, the lack of character development for Mark really is a problem, mainly because what little we do find out about him is at odds with the things he does. We only learn two things about him. He has loved football his whole life and he is having a very serious problem with a gambling addict and a bookie. The idea that he would blithely throw away his football career to become involved with a gambling addict who is the daughter of a bookie just doesn't ring true.

This drops the book from a B- to a C-.