This was such an enjoyable read, with many twists and turns that had me so addicted, I highly recommend this book.

This is a gangland thriller filled with gritty drama.
The characters were well developed. Some were likeable and other weren’t.
This book was filled with many twists and turns and was full of surprises.
A fast paced page turner

not a bad read but in a busy genre I felt it quite slow paced and wanted more to happen - wasnt over keen on Nathan

Risking it all by Stephanie Harte.
Gemma has always been there for Nathan. He's the love of her life and she made a commitment to him, one she'd never consider breaking... until smooth-talking gangster Alfie Watson comes into their lives and changes everything...
A very good read. Good story.Some good characters although I didn't like Alfie at all. He was slimy. I liked Gemma and how she was straight with Alfie. I wasn't sure if I liked Nathan. 4*.

Risking It All
an addictive new crime saga series perfect for fans of Martina Cole
by Stephanie Harte


Aria
General Fiction (Adult)
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 12 Mar 2020



I am reviewing a copy of Risking It All through Aria and Netgalley:






Gemma is about to risk everything for the man she loves. But will she even survive entering into a life of crime.







Alfie could careless about true love. What he wants is Gemma, and as a gangster he always gets what he wants. Alfie gets payback by recruiting Gemma to carry out a Jewelry Heist. It takes everyone by surprise to discover she is a natural. But she has no choice but to accompany Alfie on more heists until he forgives Nathan’s debt. But one slip up could cost her everything.







Despite the fact that Nathan may have fallen under Alfie’s spell it doesn't take long for him to realise that he needs to save Gemma from his own mistakes if their marriage is to have any chance of surviving. When this means taking on the East End's most notorious gangster at his own game, will he find himself up to the challenge?







I give Risking it All five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

This is my first but certainly not my last read by this author. If you enjoy gangland crime then you will love this story.

Nathan owes gangster Alfie a lot of money. His wife Gemma is caught up in it but she will do anything to save her husband.

I thought this was a great read. I can’t wait to read from her.

Dark, gritty and addictive, Stephanie Harte’s Risking It All is a fantastic debut East End thriller readers will not want to miss.

Gemma has been head over heels in love with Nathan for as long as she can remember. There is absolutely nothing Gemma wouldn’t do for the man she loves and nothing and nobody is going to come between her and the man she adores. But Gemma hadn’t counted on vicious villain Alfie Watson, the smooth-talking gangster who comes into all of their lives and ends up shaking the foundations of their existence forever. A man who always gets what he wants, Alfie has set his sights on Gemma and whatever the gangster wants, he always gets – regardless of the cost or the consequences.

When Nathan ends up owning Alfie money, he seizes his chance. Recruiting Gemma to carry out a jewellery heist, Alfie ends up pleasantly surprised when he realises that his reluctant recruit is actually pretty adept at carrying out his nefarious jobs. With Alfie’s debts still weighing heavily upon her shoulders, Gemma finds herself thrust knee deep into the criminal underworld and with no other choice available to her, ends up accompanying Alfie on his heists on a regular basis. As the jobs begin to get more and more daring, the stakes have never been higher and Gemma finds herself having to keep her wits about her and not slip up because one mistake is all it takes and she could end up losing everything which she holds dear to her heart.

Realising that he needs to rescue his wife from the clutches of this evil gangster who has taken over their lives, Nathan finds himself having to step up to save Gemma from ending up mired even deeper into this dark and dangerous world which he has reluctantly dragged them into. With his marriage in danger and Gemma’s freedom in jeopardy, Nathan needs to take on the East End’s most powerful gangster. But is he up to the challenge? Or is Nathan about to take on more than he could possibly ever handle?

Gangland thriller fans are going to love Stephanie Harte’s fantastic Risking It All. A high stakes, nail-biting and action-packed chiller that will go down a treat with fans of Kimberley Chambers and Mandasue Heller, Risking It All is a heart-pounding roller coaster ride that grabs readers by the throat from page one and keeps them absolutely riveted to the page until the very last word.

Fast-paced, terrifying and compulsively readable, Risking It All heralds the arrival of a new star in gangland thrillers: Stephanie Harte.

I am so excited to tell you that there is a new Grit Lit author in town. Those for you that know me, know how much I love this genre. So I couldn’t wait to get my teeth into this beauty.

The author doesn’t disappoint and bringing us a nail biting, addictive read. Risking It All is a different grit lit read. Normally they are packed full of characters. And one of the things I loved about this story is the fact that it only has a hand full of characters.

We follow a story that alternates between them told from their POV. Where we meet Gemma and Nathan who get involved with bad boy Alfie. After Nathan takes a loan out with him and the debt gets bigger and bigger. To pay it back Gemma finds herself involved in a jewellery heist and that’s just the being!

This is such a simple story that captures your imagination. Making the reader feel the tension and emotion the characters go through. I was absolutely gripped. It is full of twists and turns and OMG moments.

I loved Gemma and Alfie they are very strong characters. Nathan is just Nathan he loves Gemma but sometimes I just wanted to shake him for being so stupid. Alfie is everything you would expect a gangster to be. I must admit I had a soft spot for him.

Has the story unfolds Gemma’s character grows stronger when the pressure is on. There is so much I want to say about this book but you will have to read it and find out for yourself.

This is one hell of a debut novel and an author to look out for. I cannot recommend it enough giving it all the stars. If you love Kimberly Chambers, Kerry Barnes and Dreda Say Mitchell you will love this.

Thank you to Vicky at Head of Zeus for a copy and for the blog tour invite

3.5☆ A Pacy Gang-Lit Thriller


Risking it All is a Pacy Gang-Lit Thriller.

Nathan is a bit of a chancer so borrowing money from local hardman Alfie Watson to fund another of his hair brained schemes comes as no surprise to wife Gemma

But what does come as a shock is the violent lengths Alfie is willing to go to get his money back, manipulate Gemma and Nathan for his own self gain. Knowing they are forever in his debt.

You see Alfie always gets what he wants, he has a long term score to settle with Nathan's past, and he has a soft spot for Gemma.

So when he forces Gemma to steal a diamond ring by switching it with a fake, he quickly realises she's a natural and Alfie knows he can manipulate her to do his dirty work.

But surely Alfie's luck is due to run out soon?
Can Gemma escape his clutches before she lands herself in some seriously hot water!

Unfortunately for me I just couldn't connect with Nathan. He's character grated on me.
I was getting fed up with the whole way through the story, nathan blamed his shitty behaviour on his dad abandoning him. He came across as a spoilt shit, I didn't like his whiny character at all. If there was less of the mention of his abandonment issues then I would of enjoyed the story so much more.

I did really enjoy reading Risking it All, I liked the little twists that kept me intrigued throughout, although this wasn't a fast pace read, it was gripping, told a story of unconditional love and the lengths you will go to protect someone you love and it had an element of danger and passion.

Risking it all had a great concept, I liked the thrill of the jewelry swaps and the will she, won't she get caught.
Alfie's character really intrigued me and I do hope there is another book about him.
I would definitely read more from Stephanie Harte.

Thank you to Aria fiction for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I read the synopsis for 'Risking It All' and it certainly sounded like just my kind of read. Stephanie Harte is being compared to Jessie Keane, Kimberley Chambers and Emma Tallon. As I am a huge fan of Jessie, Kimberley and Emma, I just knew that I was going to be in for a treat with 'Risking It All'. I wasn't wrong either because I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Risking It All' but more about that in a bit.
I took to Gemma from the first time I met her as it were. She is married to Nathan and to be fair she has put up with a hell of a lot from him over the years and she has forgiven him more than the average woman would. To be fair, I can sort of understand where Nathan is coming from when he wants to escape the poverty of his childhood. That said he makes some pretty dire judgment calls and he ends up in serious hot water with Alfie, the local gangster. Inevitably Gemma ends up having to work to pay Nathan's 'debt' off. I just kept wanting to jump inside the pages of the book to give Nathan a darn good slap with a wet flip flop or a wet fish- whichever hurt the most. I felt sorry for Gemma for all the crap that Nathan has put her through and at times I just wanted to give her a hug.
It didn't take me long at all to get into this story. In fact by the time I got to the end of the synopsis alone, I knew that I would find it nigh on impossible to put the book to one side for any length of time. I had to read this book in binges rather than in one long continuous reading spree but for me, this only served to enhance my enjoyment of the book. If I wasn't reading the book, I was thinking about the book. I totally immersed myself in the story to the extent that I was able to shut out all distractions so that I could solely focus on the story and on the story alone. I lost all track of time, whilst I was reading this book and I was staggered to realise that I had been reading for over an hour when I first looked up to check the time.
'Risking It All' is well written. Stephanie certainly knows how to start the story with a bang. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained the pace throughout. Stephanie grabbed my attention from the start and she drew me into the story. The story is well plotted and well thought out with several twists and turns throughout the course of the story. Some of them I saw coming and some of them I didn't. Stephanie uses such graphic and realistic descriptions that I really did feel as though I was part of the story myself.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Risking It All' and I would recommend it to other readers. Stephanie Harte is being compared to Jessie Keane, Kimberley Chambers and Emma Tallon and in my opinion she is just as good an author as the three aforementioned ladies. I will definitely be reading more of Stephanie's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Bok Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.

Gemma loves her husband with all his faults, she knows theirs is not a happy marriage since they have fought so many times that she is not scared of anything, until Alfie. Alfie is a “business man” who wants his money back and every day that the returning is delayed the taxes grow, how will Gemma and Nathan’s love and life survive this kind of pressure without risking it all?
This had been a complicated read, it doesn’t fit in only one category or emotion, it’s a twisted and dark read about marriage, gangs and sacrifice. What would you do for your marriage and the love of your life? Would you follow them till the end of the world knowing that their flaws will risk all you have, even your life? I’ll admit that I don’t think I will. For the first moment Gemma seems to be a brave and intelligent woman with her husband Nathan being her weakness. He is a gambler and is not ready to admit it or heal, that’s how all this story will begin. He is in high debt with a dangerous shark who will ask for more money than he will ever have. So, Gemma and Nathan will have to follow all Alfie’s rules and instructions if they don’t want to be killed. I could understand Gemma’s following situation if Nathan was more approachable, but I never felt any deep emotions from him, only the need to play and not be killed. That’s mainly why I have biased feelings about this book, the atmosphere and pressure of the story is amazing, but I don’t fully understand Gemma’s decisions, I would had left Nathan a long time ago, I don’t think he is capable of stop playing.
But, yes, there’s a but, the story is addictive and dark, you can feel the tension and fear on your skin all the time and you’ll have to read the story to decide what would you do in Gemma’s case, follow the love of your life or try to stay alive?
Ready for Risking It All?

This was quite a good book. Much like the other gangland story lines that are out. it didnt stand out for me and took me quite a while to get into as I found the pace a bit slow .

This was a fast paced and gripping novel that was a delight to read. The story was about a strong female character Gemma who will do everything possible to help her husband and love of her life, Nathan be free from a malice in their life, and that is Alfie Watson. Due to a gambling debt, Nathan and Gemma’s life had been in chaos losing their home and now involved with a local gangster Alfie who is doubling the payback of the loan. Alfie has them on the palm of his hand, and he has forced Gemma’s hands into helping him in a heist job which Gemma turns out to be quite really good at. Unfortunately, until the debt is fully forgiven, Gemma is indebted to Alfie and the life of crime.

This is a really great read from a new author to me, Stephanie Harte. She is definitely an author to watch. I highly recommend this amazing read I thoroughly enjoyed.

Fast-paced and detailed, this ganglit novel follows Gemma and Nathan's fall into crime. Is it because of Nathan's mistake? Or does, gangland boss Alfie have a sinister agenda?

The violence is mostly implied, rather than implicit in this book, which is unusual for this genre. The underlying menace is always there, as the couple's enforced stealing spree, takes in Europe's most glamorous cities. Told, from the three main characters points of view, you gain insight into each characters' motivations.

Gemma follows her heart, she gave up a lot for Nathan and continues to do so. She's intelligent and you may wonder why she sticks with such a selfish man. Love makes fools of all of us, and Nathan is Gemma's weakness.

Nathan is irritating. He says, he loves Gemma, but he continues to drag her down and lacks the insight, to see what he is doing. Seeing the events unfold from his point of view, you do understand why he behaves as he does, but he is weak, and hard to empathise.

Alfie is the archetypical hard guy. His agenda is the reason Gemma's life is in turmoil, but she proves to be a challenge, which leads to some unexpected outcomes for him.

An interesting read, which opens the door for more stories of Gemma, Nathan and Alfie.

I received a copy of this book from Aria via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Thank you netgalley for giving me this book. Well written, with twists that keep you engaged. Next one please.

Risking It All is Ms Harte’s first foray into the thriller genre and she manages to spin a compelling gangland yarn. Gangster and all-round nasty piece of work Alfie Watson is feared by the locals who try to tiptoe around him as much as humanly possible. Unfortunately, some families are in such desperate need of money to live that they go to Alfie who acts as a loan shark type figure as an additional unscrupulous way of lining his pockets. When Gemma returns home to discover her husband, Nathan, bloodied and terrified she knows he’s in trouble. He’s a gambling addict and is forced to admit to his patient wife that he has loaned £500 from Alfie which quickly becomes £10,000 as East Ender Alfie takes advantage of a “client”.

They are soon so far in debt that they haven’t much choice when he recruits Gemma into his gang to pay off Nathan’s debts by committing jewellery store robberies whereby she swaps real jewels in high-end shops for fakes pocketing the genuine articles. Will they ever be free of him? This is a compelling, gritty and exciting gangland tale with engaging characters, both bad and good; I found myself rooting for Gemma and Nathan against the bully Alfie. There are a few twists and surprises and I enjoyed that this was a more nuanced tale of love and an emotional partnership rather than simply being just a captivating rivalry. I look forward to reading more from Harte. Many thanks to Aria for an ARC.

This is the first book I have read from this author Stephanie Harte and it won't be the last. "Risking It All" by Stephanie was a cracker of a Book.
I was gripped from the first few pages and didn't want to go to sleep until I finished it..............Before I knew it, I had finished and the birds were singing outside my window. So be warned don't start this book before you go to bed!!!!!

What would you do for loVe?

Gemma and Nathan have been childhood sweethearts and now married. They love each other so much, Everything seems to perfect but is it? Gemma comes home, only to find blood on the wall of their home and blood on Nathan's face!
Nathan is a gambler and it has always been problem with money, he never wins and only loose's.....but he tells Gemma he has a plan that will make him rich!!!! She's always stuck by his side, even when he lost everything, their home etc. They had to move and work for Nathan's mother Rosa at their restaurant. This was hard for Gemma, especially as she had a great job that she loved and a group of good friends.

Nathan had borrowed some money from a local gangster called Alfie, he is a nasty piece of work. Gemma found out it was £500. Nathan has no way of finding this money quickly.
Whilst trying to find this amount of money the clock is ticking...............the amount of money he owed was growing bigger by the minute!
When Nathan gets the money together and goes and pay Alfie the £500 back Nathan is informed it has doubled! Nathan is in shock and has no way of repaying Alfie back the money now!!!!

The tables turn and Alfie now wants Nathan's wife to do a job for him! Gemma has to steal some jewelry for him. But, Gemma has never done anything like this in her life. She has to act quickly and do this job for him. When Gemma steals the jewelry for Alfie, she thinks its over.
The debt has been paid! But Alfie has another job for her..............Alfie threatens them and their lives are about to change, they start a life on the run travelling all over Europe, whilst living the life of luxury the debt that started off at £500 is getting bigger.............and they can not see anyway out of this debt.

Are they going to get caught???

Well, you will need to buy the book to find out........However, I highly recommend "Risking it all" I did I didn't get any sleep that night, but worth it!!! I loved this book!!!

I love a good gangland crime novel and this one doesn’t disappoint.

Big thank you to Netgalley, Aria and the author Stephanie Harte for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review's left on Goodreads, Amazon UK etc

Gemma returns to find her husband Nathan's face covered in blood. He tells her that he's borrowed money from Alfie. Gemma is horrified as Alfie has a bad reputation. Then one night Gemma wakes up to find Alfie and two of his heavies are in her bedroom. Nathan had been forced to give Akfie a key to their house. Nathan's original loan of £500 is now £5,000. Alfie insists that Gemma joins his gang to clear Nathan's debt. Gemma had no choice but to do as Alfie says.

Thenoace flows along nicely most of the time but every now and again, it gets a bit sluggish. My favourite character was Alfie. Nathan was a bit too weak for my liking. This is not as goo as some of the other gangland novels that I've read ut it's still a good read. My first book by this author ut it went be my last.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Aria and the author Stephanie Harte for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It was OK but I was expecting alot more from what it promised.

Not as fast paced as I would have liked, found it repetitive and sluggish and felt like I was always waiting for something to happen and too long for what it contained.

I enjoyed this book but found it a little slow. It dragged a bit and sometimes it felt like not much was happening. It was a good book and I would read more by this author.