**New Adult Review ~ The Bet ~ Rachel Van Dyken**

The Bet
The Bet Series #1
Release Date: March 26, 2013
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance
Source: Purchased paperback
Rating: 3.5 Bookworms
Goodreads

Synopsis
"I have a proposition for you." Kacey should have run the minute those words left Seattle millionaire Jake Titus's mouth. It's been years since Kacey's seen her childhood friend Jake, but the minute Jake mentions his ill grandmother, Kacey is ready to do anything for the sweet old woman. And if that means pretending they're engaged for her sake - so be it.

But Kacey wasn't counting on Jake's older brother Travis still being there. She calls him "Satan" for a reason: she's never forgotten the way he teased and taunted her. Yet when they meet again, Travis's gorgeous smile is a direct hit to her heart...and Kacey's more confused than ever. As the days pass, only one thing starts to become alarmingly clear - she never should have accepted Jake's deal...

Back in June, I attended the Emerald City Author Even and spent the weekend with Robyn (@RobGirlBooks). We, of course, picked up a few books and one of those was The Bet. I don't know if Robyn saw the irony in us picking up a book about a bet, seeing as we've made a few with one another, but I thought it was pretty funny! ;) Oh, we met Rachel Van Dyken, too. She's adorable! Anyway, a few weekends ago, Robyn and I read The Bet together. We ended up chatting about it over the phone, so I don't have the chat. But here are my thoughts.

***

The Bet was a sweet, light, and quick read. Kacey, Jake, and Travis grew up together. Jake and Kacey have always been best friends and inseparable. He's always taken care of her. But Travis has been in love with Kacey since...well, forever. He's just never known how to show her. 

When the Titus brothers' grandma has a stroke, Jake feels pressured to show he's ready to settle down and run the family company. And since Grandma loves Kacey, she's the obvious choice. Kacey, having always been close to the family and particularly Grandma, agrees to Jake's plan in order to help Grandma recover. She agrees to spend the weekend at the Titus family home, pretending to be engaged to Jake. What Kacey doesn't plan on is having to deal with Travis. He's always picked on her, starting with pulling her pigtails and throwing rocks at her when they were young. However, the more time she spends with Jake and Travis, the more she realizes she'd rather spend her time with Travis.

One thing Robyn and I both agreed on was that there wasn't anything earth-shattering about this story. It was predictable but it was fun. We enjoyed the history between Kacey, Travis, and Jake, the bantering, teasing, etc., especially between Kacey and Travis. It was a sweet story about two brothers and the girl they both want. And it was typical NA fare with the characters figuring out what they want and who they are, which is something I like about NA. It's also a story about coming home. Oh, and a grandma who isn't above conniving and conspiring to speed these three along their path.

I will probably continue this series at some point because I'm interested to see Jake get his comeuppance. :)