I had heard great things about Jennifer Crusie, but she’s not known in Ireland. Thankfully, a number of things came together to allow me to discover her – a trip to the States where I got one of her books, and a Kindle, so when I got addicted, I could read more.
Bet Me is the tale of two people who didn’t realise how perfect they were for each other until a bet brought them together. Cal reluctantly takes a bet to ask out Min, she accepts having overheard the bet being made and wanting to make him pay. A banterfilled meal follows, and they’re off.
I loved a number of things about this book – the side characters, the theories about love, the fact that [slight spoiler] Crusie resisted the common romance trope of making everyone pair up at the end, but most of all her writing style. I marked a number of bits for this review (I am that dedicated to my Cannonball!) but they are too numerous.
“Taking risks. Like having lunch with a wolf.”
“I’m a wolf?” Cal said.
“Oh please.” Min said. “You picked me up on Friday with ‘Hello, little girl.’ Who did you think you were channelling, the prince?”
There are cute throw-away fairy tale references that are enjoyable, but not so plentiful to be annoying (and actually easy to ignore or miss – I only realised some writing this review.)
Definitely a recommendation, but just a four and a half – I will say, that there were a few unrealistic elements – the “bad guy” was unrealistically awful, making me doubt the hero and heroine would ever even talk to that kind of person.
Great review. I really like Jennifer Crusie and Bet Me is one of my favorites. If you haven’t already, find one of her first books – a novella called Manhunting.
Woohoo – first out of the gate! Well done.
First! Nicely done. Happy New Year!
Is it kind of She’s All That-y in the good way or the bad way?
Emmalita – thanks for the advice! As a complete Crusie newbie, I had no idea where to go next, and was torn with the options.
Mswas and scootsa – I was pretty amazed to be that quick off the mark – all credit to the time difference over here and the sheer addictive nature of Crusie I think!
Nova – that’s a great comparison! I hadn’t thought of that film, but should have. It’s similar but in a great way – it does have the hot guy and less attractive girl, and the horribly unsavoury elements of betting over women and their sexuality. But it’s great, because Min overheard the bet being made – so she takes all the control into her hands, and gives Cal a really hard time on his date. Slightly “How to lose a man in 10 days” as well.
I have very strong feelings on the bad and good sides of “She’s All That” – this one was much more equal and less filled with elements of predatory control.
The bad woman/guy combo was a bit odd but I too loved this book. Looking for more Crusie? You betcha!
Congrats on being the first to post in CBR7. As a big Crusie-fan, I can say that Emmalita’s recommendation of Manhunting is really good. My absolute favourite is probably Welcome to Temptation and I’m also very fond of Faking It. If you like some action mixed in with your romance, Agnes and the Hitman is also a fun read.
Welcome to Temptation was the first Crusie I read! I really loved it, especially the ending and Sophie’s future career plans! :)