The Bet Review

Book Review March 29

The Bet by:
Rachel Van Dyken

★★★★★ 5 Stars 

Blurb: "I have a proposition for you..."

Kacey should have run the minute those words left Seattle millionaire Jake Titus's mouth. Instead, she made a deal with the devil in hopes of putting her past behind her once and for all.
Four days.
She could do four days!
But she wasn't counting on Jake’s older brother Travis being there to witness their farce of an engagement.
One thing is for certain.
One brother is right for her.
One wants a lifetime.
And one is in league with the devil.
She should have gotten Jake’s signature in blood.

Rachel Van Dyken has done it again. Blown me away and made me want to curl up inside her book and live their happily ever after. 

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

Oh how I loved The Bet, let me count the ways:

1.       A+ beginning. Pulls you in from the start and doesn’t let you go. Seeing the characters as young children really helps set the stage. And the start of the bet, so adorably hilarious.

2.       The interaction between the brothers as children was hilarious.

3.       Jake-once we get to know him… You can’t help but hate him. He’s so cocky and conceited, yet you feel connected because you saw him as a child. Still trying to understand where he went wrong!! He has no remorse and honestly believes Kacey should thank him. I vote for decking him in the baby-maker, repeatedly.

4.       Travis is so cute. He has no idea how to act on his crush as a young kid so he bullies the crap out of Kacey. His idea is to be and create the foes/dragons in Kacey’s life so he can be the one to save the day… AWWWW

5.       Jake manipulates Kacey but I’d say she comes out the winner in the end.

6.       The boys’ grandma was too wonderful. She doesn’t let her age hold her back from anything, let it be an affair with the neighbor or meddling in everyone else’s life because she feels her age gives her the right.

7.       I think Travis’s crush as an adult was interesting to witness. He still feels so strongly for Kacey he does not know how to act. You can almost hear them buzzing with anger/lust as they fling insults around.  He’s definitely the hero-type even if his methods are a little skewed.

“Because of you, Kace. Everything I do, everything I’ve done in my life, it’s all because of you.” - Travis

8.       Jake needs to be hit by a car for the way he treated Kacey. I can’t believe she even bothers talking to him at all and when Travis finds out the truth, well, he’s lucky he has a face left.

9.       I thought Kacey’s fear of flying was hilarious. Her sarcastic remarks and studies of the fellow passengers was an added delight until Jake had to open his stupid mouth.

10.   If Travis wasn’t perfect enough, his fear of clowns drove it home. And Kacey is afraid of the cartoon version of Alice in Wonderland. These two are made for each other.

11.   The pranks Kacey and Travis pull on each other were hilarious even when they were mean. Kids do the darndest things LOL.

12.   Why I hated Jake so much was because he constantly kept thinking or saying he would be, “perfectly happy having a wife with a mistress on the side.” Someone stab him please.

13.   Kacey is very respectable. Having been through what she has with Jake she finally started to recognize his character and thankfully did not fall prey to his tricks. Even with all his schmoozing, he’s till the same asshole that took her virginity and ran away the same night her parents were killed. Not the actions of a best friend.

14.   Kacey’s childhood love of the Backstreet Boys made me love her more. And they took her to the concert and backstage. Ugh, how many hot guys does she need around her!!!

15.   And Travis and Jake doing their own *Nsync video was too amazing for words. Thank you grandma and your amazing home videos.

16.   Every time Travis mentions owning a ranch you can’t help but picture him on a horse. Shirtless and sweaty.  

I wonder though where some answers are. There was no epilogue but I love Rachel Van Dyken enough and this book that I’ll allow it lol. (I am going to assume there will be another book, probably Jake’s story, though; I can’t imagine who will be able to tame him.) We don’t know the final decision about the company and Jake’s place, the outcome of the bet (Jake needs to pay up, will he?), grandma’s final decision and why Jake is the way he is.

I had a minor issue with the consistency of Jake’s bachelor status. Apparently he is the one of the most eligible and sought after bachelors yet I can’t seem to understand his penchant for prostitutes and strippers. Why is he paying for it, when the most eligible bachelor would have women all over him, cleaner, less expensive ones too? 

“I’ll get hurt either way, Travis. Just depends on which brother I decide to give the opportunity to”-Kacey

Overall

Read The Bet. Even if you have never read a Rachel Van Dyken novel before, read this one. Every moment was pure magic and you will not be disappointed. There is no cheating, absurd love triangle or cliffhangers here, more like two childhood enemies that finally grow up and realize being together is much easier than denying the truth and putting gum in each other’s hair. You will laugh out loud at some the pranks Travis and Kacey pull and be sad when it’s over.