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albro__'s review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
joeymd's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
4.0
A fun and steamy open door, dual perspective enemies to lovers romance set on a farm. I loved the chemistry and banter between Olivia and Jake. Each inherits 50 percent of a struggling dairy farm when a man they both love dies. Olivia is a city girl who comes back home to help revive the farm with her influencer know-how and Jake just wants her to leave, thinking she won't be able to hack it living in the country. I really enjoyed the immigrant aspect of this story. Jake is from Croatia and has to battle ICE to stay in the country. Great on audio, this was another win for me from Staci Hart!
ldooten's review against another edition
4.0
This was a pretty good read. The writing flowed well, and I liked Jake and Olivia together most of the time. Jake was a jerk from the time Olivia comes back to the farm and doesn't really change but for a small amount of time in the middle. He was able to turn from caring to cold in a blink of an eye. I get that he had his reasons of not trusting, but I'm not sure if I was Olivia that I could have kept forgiving the mean things he said when he was lashing out. Olivia was the complete opposite and pretty much completely trusting. Even though it ends up being well placed trust, she didn't know it at the time, and turning her nose up at the warning Jake tried to give her made me want to shake her. They did have great chemistry, and I loved that they were able to make it back to each other (with lots of apologizes from Jake) eventually. The ending was really sweet, and I thought it was perfect for these two.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.
drewslibrary's review against another edition
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
petraperusesbooks's review
4.0
BET THE FARM - STACI HART
FULL REVIEW: https://petraperusesbooks.wordpress.com/2021/02/16/bet-the-farm-staci-hart/
"I thought about nothing and I thought about everything, caught in that state of static, wondering how I could feel so much and still be empty. Flickering memories fluttered in my mind, peppered with questions about my future and the future of the farm. But the threads were impossible to grasp. I stood at a nexus with innumerable paths stretching out before me. I could go one of so many directions, but I didn't have a single hesitation about which way I wanted to go.
What I didn't know was how far I'd make it."
Jake and Olivia just lost someone – Livi’s grandfather -, who they both regarded as their last living family member. Their inexpressible grief is shared… and so is the Brent farm, to the surprise of both of them.
Olivia left her successful career and aunt in New York behind, arrived at her childhood home with the guilty regret of someone, who can’t turn back time and undo her neglect towards her Pop.
Jake is out of his place, his new-found burden of operating a failing farm quickly catching up on him. He swore to continue Pop’s legacy, so Olivia coming home and stirring up the farmlife with her social media-led agenda is the last thing he needs.
After realising neither of them are giving up their ideas to turn the business profitable, they make a bet: Olivia has a summer to prove her ideas are paying off, otherwise Jake would take rein – forever.
Let me preface it: I never expected the book to grab me by the throat – emotionally draining me. Growing up, my grandfather was a man connected to land and animals, so I grew up around chickens, pigs, cows, horses & dogs. I know what it takes to make sure the corp is harvestable, the milk is plenty, animals are taken care of. I walked behind my grandpa, following him like a shadow most of my childhood, and I found myself getting teary-eyed reading about of the death of Olivia’s grandfather. Because it reminded me of my own loss.
Aside from the fact that I cried my eyes out, I really enjoyed Livi and Jake – they obviously had a history, chemistry and shared the same values, had the same goals in life. Jake was the perfect dark, brooding hero, while Olivia was the happy-go-lucky, fiery redhead. They complemented each other well, even at the start of their story, amid all their animosity. I laughed out loud in the bathtub once or twice while reading, and had a goofy smile on my face during certain quick-witted parts.
Their romance wasn’t instalove, they needed time to rekindle their relationship from the dust, but once they started to trust one other, and their hidden secrets came out of the bag, their emotions up their sleeves, you could see they fit each other. Jake was a new man with love on his side, and Olivia flourished with new inspiration the relationship gave her.
The rivalry between the Brents and Pattons gave a bit of spice to the storyline, I once or twice got angry with Olivia for putting the farm’s survival in jeopardy by not deflecting Chase, but his character arc was consequential for the Happily Ever After to work. I enjoyed the side characters, I think Staci Hart has a knack to involve them in the story, in a way, that helps the flow of her ideas.
I’m hoping to read more countryside stories from the author, because while I enjoyed her big town settings, this one, with the close proximity of the love insterests, the meddling small town folks was special. I must also mention, that I love Staci’s writing style, she expresses feelings with careful consideration towards literary language like few of her peers in the romance community.
Thank you, Staci, for placing trust in me by lending an Advanced Reader Copy in my posession.
Here’s to hoping this wasn’t the first and only time we collaborated!
Good luck with publishing!
FULL REVIEW: https://petraperusesbooks.wordpress.com/2021/02/16/bet-the-farm-staci-hart/
"I thought about nothing and I thought about everything, caught in that state of static, wondering how I could feel so much and still be empty. Flickering memories fluttered in my mind, peppered with questions about my future and the future of the farm. But the threads were impossible to grasp. I stood at a nexus with innumerable paths stretching out before me. I could go one of so many directions, but I didn't have a single hesitation about which way I wanted to go.
What I didn't know was how far I'd make it."
Jake and Olivia just lost someone – Livi’s grandfather -, who they both regarded as their last living family member. Their inexpressible grief is shared… and so is the Brent farm, to the surprise of both of them.
Olivia left her successful career and aunt in New York behind, arrived at her childhood home with the guilty regret of someone, who can’t turn back time and undo her neglect towards her Pop.
Jake is out of his place, his new-found burden of operating a failing farm quickly catching up on him. He swore to continue Pop’s legacy, so Olivia coming home and stirring up the farmlife with her social media-led agenda is the last thing he needs.
After realising neither of them are giving up their ideas to turn the business profitable, they make a bet: Olivia has a summer to prove her ideas are paying off, otherwise Jake would take rein – forever.
Let me preface it: I never expected the book to grab me by the throat – emotionally draining me. Growing up, my grandfather was a man connected to land and animals, so I grew up around chickens, pigs, cows, horses & dogs. I know what it takes to make sure the corp is harvestable, the milk is plenty, animals are taken care of. I walked behind my grandpa, following him like a shadow most of my childhood, and I found myself getting teary-eyed reading about of the death of Olivia’s grandfather. Because it reminded me of my own loss.
Aside from the fact that I cried my eyes out, I really enjoyed Livi and Jake – they obviously had a history, chemistry and shared the same values, had the same goals in life. Jake was the perfect dark, brooding hero, while Olivia was the happy-go-lucky, fiery redhead. They complemented each other well, even at the start of their story, amid all their animosity. I laughed out loud in the bathtub once or twice while reading, and had a goofy smile on my face during certain quick-witted parts.
Their romance wasn’t instalove, they needed time to rekindle their relationship from the dust, but once they started to trust one other, and their hidden secrets came out of the bag, their emotions up their sleeves, you could see they fit each other. Jake was a new man with love on his side, and Olivia flourished with new inspiration the relationship gave her.
The rivalry between the Brents and Pattons gave a bit of spice to the storyline, I once or twice got angry with Olivia for putting the farm’s survival in jeopardy by not deflecting Chase, but his character arc was consequential for the Happily Ever After to work. I enjoyed the side characters, I think Staci Hart has a knack to involve them in the story, in a way, that helps the flow of her ideas.
I’m hoping to read more countryside stories from the author, because while I enjoyed her big town settings, this one, with the close proximity of the love insterests, the meddling small town folks was special. I must also mention, that I love Staci’s writing style, she expresses feelings with careful consideration towards literary language like few of her peers in the romance community.
Thank you, Staci, for placing trust in me by lending an Advanced Reader Copy in my posession.
Here’s to hoping this wasn’t the first and only time we collaborated!
Good luck with publishing!
agrandromance's review against another edition
4.0
Swoony Slow Burn Romance
4.5 Stars
Staci Hart has, once again, crafted a romantic comedy written with frankly exquisite language which features a swoony romance with a tiny lactose intolerant heroine, a broody grump hero, goats in pajamas, and a mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.
What you need to know about “Bet the Farm”:
✔ Enemies to Lovers
✔ Broody farmhand
✔ Lactose intolerant city girl
✔ Baby cows
✔ Hayloft kisses
✔ Goats in pajamas
✔ Second Chance romance
✔ Sweet, sweet heat
Olivia Brent returns to her grandfather’s California farm from New York City after he passes away. She’s been gone for several years and Jake, his right-hand man and surrogate son, feels bitter about her previous abandonment of the farm and Pop for the big city. Jake and Olivia shared a single kiss once when they were sixteen but now they stand as opposing forces. After they get through the turmoil of Pop’s funeral, they find out that they’ve each been left fifty percent of the farm. The farm is in deep debt and their ways of saving the farm are diametrically opposed to one another. Olivia wants to open the farm up to tours and use the power of social media while Jake wants to preserve all the old traditions of Pop. They really know how to push each other’s buttons and so they bet each other that they will each succeed in saving the farm over the summer. Winner gets controlling interest in the farm.
After more than enough of Jake’s grumpiness, he gets a talking to by Kit, the farm’s cook and one of the delightful cast of small town characters. Jake starts to see that Olivia’s ways might have some merit. He’s still not happy about it though. (Release the brooding!)
They’ve got an even bigger enemy to deal with as the Brents have been feuding with the powerful Pattons for 125 years and they want to buy the farm. Neither Jake nor Olivia are willing to sell to them even though they seem to have deployed handsome Chase Patton to convince Olivia.
Soon, however, no matter what they do, there is something nefarious at work. Someone is sabotaging the farm. Will they catch whoever is sabotaging them? Can they save the farm? Can Jake and Olivia keep their hands off each other? Will Olivia be able to stop swooning every time Jake takes off his shirt? Which is all. the. time.
I love the way Staci Hart writes. She has such an impressively distinct authorial voice. She frames scenes like an artist paints a picture; she captures the dew on the grass, the light in the sky, the textures and sounds of a particular scene in minute and glorious detail. This is all evident in Bet the Farm but it doesn’t overload the romantic comedy or the mystery surrounding the sabotage. The romance is a slow burn, not gaining steam until the latter half of the book and then really bursting into something that is just so, so romantic. (And I’m pretty sure she got in a quote from the Big Lebowski early on) She captures the pain both characters feel over the loss of a loved one and the hurt it causes them for those wounds to rub up against one another.
Jake feels a deep responsibility for the situation the farm finds itself in while Olivia bulldozes her way in and wants to fix everything in only the most full-hearted way. But even though they both want the same end result they can’t seem to understand one another’s means of making it happen and they keep butting heads. In the meantime, though the connection between them is fraught, it is there.
“He looked up at me, our eyes locking, the connection tangible. It lived in the tingling of my hand over his, in the beat of my heart, in the air between us, in the depth of his eyes.”
I can’t recommend this book enough. I know there are a lot of choices coming at you on this date but Bet the Farm is at the top of my list.
WRITING STYLE: 5/5
PLOT: 4.5/5
WORLD-BUILDING: 5/5
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 5/5
ROMANCE: 5/5
HEAT: 5/5
4.5 Stars
Staci Hart has, once again, crafted a romantic comedy written with frankly exquisite language which features a swoony romance with a tiny lactose intolerant heroine, a broody grump hero, goats in pajamas, and a mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.
What you need to know about “Bet the Farm”:
✔ Enemies to Lovers
✔ Broody farmhand
✔ Lactose intolerant city girl
✔ Baby cows
✔ Hayloft kisses
✔ Goats in pajamas
✔ Second Chance romance
✔ Sweet, sweet heat
Olivia Brent returns to her grandfather’s California farm from New York City after he passes away. She’s been gone for several years and Jake, his right-hand man and surrogate son, feels bitter about her previous abandonment of the farm and Pop for the big city. Jake and Olivia shared a single kiss once when they were sixteen but now they stand as opposing forces. After they get through the turmoil of Pop’s funeral, they find out that they’ve each been left fifty percent of the farm. The farm is in deep debt and their ways of saving the farm are diametrically opposed to one another. Olivia wants to open the farm up to tours and use the power of social media while Jake wants to preserve all the old traditions of Pop. They really know how to push each other’s buttons and so they bet each other that they will each succeed in saving the farm over the summer. Winner gets controlling interest in the farm.
After more than enough of Jake’s grumpiness, he gets a talking to by Kit, the farm’s cook and one of the delightful cast of small town characters. Jake starts to see that Olivia’s ways might have some merit. He’s still not happy about it though. (Release the brooding!)
They’ve got an even bigger enemy to deal with as the Brents have been feuding with the powerful Pattons for 125 years and they want to buy the farm. Neither Jake nor Olivia are willing to sell to them even though they seem to have deployed handsome Chase Patton to convince Olivia.
Soon, however, no matter what they do, there is something nefarious at work. Someone is sabotaging the farm. Will they catch whoever is sabotaging them? Can they save the farm? Can Jake and Olivia keep their hands off each other? Will Olivia be able to stop swooning every time Jake takes off his shirt? Which is all. the. time.
I love the way Staci Hart writes. She has such an impressively distinct authorial voice. She frames scenes like an artist paints a picture; she captures the dew on the grass, the light in the sky, the textures and sounds of a particular scene in minute and glorious detail. This is all evident in Bet the Farm but it doesn’t overload the romantic comedy or the mystery surrounding the sabotage. The romance is a slow burn, not gaining steam until the latter half of the book and then really bursting into something that is just so, so romantic. (And I’m pretty sure she got in a quote from the Big Lebowski early on) She captures the pain both characters feel over the loss of a loved one and the hurt it causes them for those wounds to rub up against one another.
Jake feels a deep responsibility for the situation the farm finds itself in while Olivia bulldozes her way in and wants to fix everything in only the most full-hearted way. But even though they both want the same end result they can’t seem to understand one another’s means of making it happen and they keep butting heads. In the meantime, though the connection between them is fraught, it is there.
“He looked up at me, our eyes locking, the connection tangible. It lived in the tingling of my hand over his, in the beat of my heart, in the air between us, in the depth of his eyes.”
I can’t recommend this book enough. I know there are a lot of choices coming at you on this date but Bet the Farm is at the top of my list.
WRITING STYLE: 5/5
PLOT: 4.5/5
WORLD-BUILDING: 5/5
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 5/5
ROMANCE: 5/5
HEAT: 5/5
swagginswanigan's review against another edition
3.0
‘Twas cute and fun. Not a lot stood out and the tension/conflict never really drew me in. But I wanted a cute rom com to listen to as I cleaned my apartment and this accomplished that!