Book Review: The Bet by Rachel Van Dyken

I saw this book in the 2013 new releases list and after reading the synopsis, just grabbed it and book was just fantastic. No single word to describe about the book - it was a mixture of everything, sweet , funny, refreshing! I finished the book in a single read till morning 3am. 

 A short summary -

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 . . .

 

Ms. Rachel has done a great work with this book.

I enjoyed the book very much for its funny, hilarious dialogues. Really entertaining! And i want to tell a bit about the story also, i loved the situations created in the book and how the author has beautifully sketched the storyline. The characters are nicely depicted.
Kacey, Travis and Jake are just wonderful, i loved each of their characters. Kacey's world was turned upside down after a fateful night where she not only loses her best friend but also her parents. Jake has always been Kacey's best friend and protector from not just his older brother who terrorized her as a kid, but also mean high school girls who did not understand their relationship. Travis, Jake's older brother, has a big crush on Kacey from their childhood. He teased and tortured Kacey as he was not able to express his feelings properly and also, he thought he was her savior by slaying dragons (created by himself) for her (so cute and sweet:) thinking ). A few years later, after the falling out with Jake, Kacey gets a call from her ex-best-friend, Jake who is a millionaire playboy and heir to the Titus throne, with a proposition to be his fake fiancee for a weekend so that he can save his image in front of press and family. Kacey agrees to play the role for the sake of Jake's family and especially his grandma who she loves more than anything. Now, when Kacey and Jake comes to the family home, the story becomes really interesting as Travis, Kacey's nemesis, is also there the whole weekend. From there, it is lot of funny dialogues and sweet conversations between Travis and Kacey which will make you laughing out loud and happy at heart. I loved how they both develop their relationship and understand each other's feelings, and it was so cute to see their fights, very enjoyable. 

Travis's 85 years old grandma is a fantastic character , makes you laugh a lot, her affair with her neighbor was awesome :). This book was a refreshing experience for me. When you start the first chapters, you will think the story is going on the best-friends turned lover track, but it was a change from all such stories when we meet Travis. And you will love it, it makes the story more entertaining. It would be really unfair not to mention Jake, even though this is not his story but he has a equal role in this book - Ms. Rachel has created a great character in Jake, you will love and hate him at the same time. And because some chapters have Jake's point-of-view, it will help you to know him and understand why he is doing the things he does.
 

All in all...a romantic read with lots to laugh. It was an excellent read for me!!