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Verdict: A sweet, slow-burn second chance set in Las Vegas: Jordan Stryker left the FBI after her multiple sclerosis diagnosis and now plays professional poker, and at a tournament she runs into casino security officer Ashley Noble, the woman she had an affair with fifteen years ago. Readers like the older leads and the honest handling of MS; others found the affair backstory and Jordan’s stubbornness hard going.
Best for: Readers who like second-chance romance, forty-something leads and a heroine living with chronic illness.
Heat level: Heat not rated
Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.5/5 — a 3.78 Goodreads average across 121 ratings and 4.4 stars across 67 Amazon ratings)
Tropes: Second chance, slow burn, 40+ leads, Las Vegas, workplace, disability representation.
Up the Ante is PJ Trebelhorn’s 2015 second-chance lesbian romance from Bold Strokes Books, which received a 2015 Rainbow Awards honourable mention. Jordan Stryker’s MS diagnosis changed her life: she left the FBI and turned to professional poker.
It holds a 3.78 average across 121 Goodreads ratings, with 62% of them four or five stars, and 4.4 stars across 67 Amazon ratings.
What Is Up the Ante About?
Nothing prepared Jordan for what she would face in Las Vegas away from the tables. Ashley Noble, after a failed marriage and a disgraced exit from the LAPD, is grateful just to have a job in casino security.
When Jordan walks into her casino, Ash has to face the woman she thought she would never see again. The attraction is undeniable, but Jordan keeps her distance because of her MS, and getting her to call the bet will be damn near impossible.
What Works in This Book
- Older leads: Readers appreciate heroines in their forties with realistic baggage.
- MS representation: The fear of burdening a partner with an uncertain future comes through strongly.
- Chemistry: Readers say it is clear the two belong together.
- Slow burn: The will-they-won’t-they keeps it moving for fans.
Book Synopsis
A poker player who has folded on love. A security chief who never stopped wanting her.
Fifteen years later, the stakes are higher.
My Review
Trebelhorn wrote from a personal connection to MS, as one reader notes after reading her blog, and it shows in how carefully Jordan’s choices are drawn. Ash refusing to give up this time, where she once did, gives the romance a satisfying arc, and fans describe it as sweet, well written and easy to root for. It is not a deep book, one reader says, but deep enough.
The premise divides readers. A couple struggled with the leads’ history of an affair while Ash was married, and one felt cheating and betrayal run through the whole cast. Jordan’s determination to keep Ash away became exhausting for one reader, another nearly gave up before the story strengthened past halfway, and one found it a fairly standard romance beyond the MS element.
My honest note: A warm second chance if you can accept the backstory.
| Element | In Up the Ante |
|---|---|
| Central relationship | Jordan Stryker (ex-FBI, poker player with MS) & Ashley Noble (casino security) |
| Core tropes | Second chance, slow burn, 40+ leads |
| Setting | Las Vegas |
| Heat level | Heat not rated |
| Length | 264 pages (paperback) |
| Series | Standalone |
| Content notes | Infidelity (past), chronic illness, betrayal |
How Spicy Is Up the Ante?
We could not find enough reader detail to rate the heat; readers describe the romance as sweet.
Readers mention a past affair, betrayal by friends and the uncertainty of MS.
Who Should Read This Book?
You’ll likely love it if: you want a mature second-chance romance with a lead who has MS. It is on our disabled sapphic romance list.
You may want to skip it if: infidelity in the backstory is a deal-breaker.
In short: All in, second time around.
What Readers Are Actually Saying (September 2026)
On Goodreads the split is 24% five stars, 38% four, 31% three, 7% two and 1% one.
Why readers love it (according to the discourse): Older leads first. Second, MS representation. Third, chemistry. Fourth, the slow burn.
What readers argue about and complain about: The affair backstory, above everything. Second, Jordan’s stubbornness. Third, a slow start.
The comparison worth making first: Just Physical, another romance where MS makes the heroine keep love at arm’s length.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does multiple sclerosis shape the story?
Jordan left the FBI after her diagnosis and keeps Ash at a distance because she does not want to burden anyone with an uncertain future. Readers say that fear is felt strongly on the page.
Is there cheating in Up the Ante?
In the backstory, yes. Jordan and Ash had an affair fifteen years earlier while Ash was married, and a couple of readers struggled with that premise.
How old are the leads?
They are in their forties, which a couple of readers especially appreciated.
Do I need to know poker?
No. One reader who knows little about poker says the nuances went over their head but did not matter.
Is Up the Ante on Kindle Unlimited?
Not when we checked; the Kindle edition was listed at $5.99.
If You Loved Up the Ante, Read These Next
Try Trebelhorn’s Face Off, or Just Physical and Mending Defects. Browse our disabled sapphic romance list or the full Book Reviews archive.
The Bottom Line
Up the Ante sets out to be a mature second-chance romance shaped by chronic illness, and its older leads and honest fears deliver. What holds it back is a backstory some readers could not get past. A solid, quiet read. Check Up the Ante on Amazon →
The Eikna Overall Ranking
On the Eikna scale, Up the Ante ranks as a fair disability-rep pick — mature, uneven.
The Evidence Scorecard
Overall ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
- ✓ 3.78 average across 121 Goodreads ratings
- ✓ 62% of Goodreads ratings are four or five stars
- ✓ Too few StoryGraph reviews
- ✓ 4.4 stars across 67 Amazon ratings
Romance ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
- ✓ Second chance
- ✓ Slow burn
- ✓ Chemistry
- ✓ Affair backstory
Characters ★★★☆☆ 3.4/5
- ✓ Stubborn Jordan
- ✓ Persistent Ash
- ✓ 40-something leads
- ✓ Selfish cast for one
Writing ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
- ✓ Well written
- ✓ Few errors
- ✓ Slow start
- ✓ Standard
Emotional Impact ★★★★☆ 3.5/5
- ✓ Fear of burden
- ✓ Regret
- ✓ Hope
- ✓ Sweet
Heat Level ★★☆☆☆ 2/5
- ✓ Not rated
- ✓ Sweet
- ✓ Adult
- ✓ Romantic
Ending ★★★★☆ 3.6/5
- ✓ They figure it out
- ✓ Hopeful
- ✓ Standalone
- ✓ Warm
Re-read Value ★★★☆☆ 3.2/5
- ✓ $5.99 Kindle price
- ✓ 264 pages
- ✓ Not on Kindle Unlimited
- ✓ Quick read
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