Reviews

O Desafio by Rachel Van Dyken

cdb393's review against another edition

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3.0

A

kreeps's review against another edition

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5.0

Yay! :] I love this series. I'm glad that Jake got his shit together and finally found happiness. I love Char too. She's a good female main character. She's not as cool as Kacey but I still really like her. I loved how we still got to hear about Kacey and Travis. Those were my favorite parts of this book. And you have to LOVE Grandma Nadine. She's so great. I wish there were more Titus brothers so that this story could keep going on. Maybe we'll get to hear about Char's sister and the senator (I forgot their names haha). I would like that :]

thefauxwriter's review against another edition

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4.0


3.5 Stars!!

This is kinda really funny...!
Cause I wanted The Bet to be a little longer. And I couldn't wait to finish this book.
It was too long!
I really did like the grandma in Book 1. But in this one its like she's controlling every damn thing. And it became irritating at times:(



But the book did make me laugh at times.
I got a little of Kacey and Travis. So no complaints on that regards.



So if you are looking for a good laugh and happen to like meddling grandmas..
Pick the book!!!;)

paddlefoot55's review against another edition

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5.0

ARC received for honest review

We first met the Titus brothers, Travis and Jake, in The Bet. The Bet is about the love triangle between Jake, Travis and Jake's best friend Kacey.

Following on from The Bet, The Wager is Jake's story with Kacey's other best friend, Char.

Char had a crush on Jake when they were kids, but he hurt her then. Years down the track he hurts her again after one night and a horrible morning after.

Now she is paired up with Jake at Travis and Kacey's wedding - awkward.

Char tells herself that she can't let Jake sweet talk her again, her heart just couldn't take it. But the Jake of today seems different - but is he? Always the womaniser - rich, successful and sexy as sin, what woman wouldn't fall for his charms?

The "wager" in this book is who can be the better matchmaker for Jake. Travis and Kacey think their friend Jace is just the man to sweep Char off her feet. Grandma Nadine just know that Jake and Char belong together.

Gotta say, I love Grandma Nadine. I want to be just like her when I hit my 80s!!

Nadine is a spitfire of a woman, loves to meddle in everyone's business, still has her booty calls with the neighbour. Awesome! She is the heart of the story, and steals every scene she is in.

Nadine's antics to keep Travis and Kacey from the "marital bed" for the week before the wedding are hilarious.

Nadine's shenanigans to get Jake and Char together are brilliantly executed - all in the name of the wedding of course. And what she ends up doing - bravo Grandma Nadine, bravo!

The chemistry between Jake and Char is tangible. Explosive even. They go from bouts of lust and tenderness, to fights like you can only have with people you truly care about. Their's really is a love/hate relationship. Their shared history adds fuel to the fire for their arguments but also to the passion they feel for each other. This history also gives a lot of fodder for their witty banter. Who could not love them (even if occasionally I did want to castrate Jake!)

The mutiple POV's give a great insight to what the characters are thinking and feeling at the time.

Rachel van Dyken has written another of my favourites of the year. I loved The Bet, but I LOOOOOVE The Wager from the prologue to the epilogue. Cannot wait for more.

lazydream's review against another edition

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3.0

60% and I can't go on... not that it's bad. It's just that I can't take the female lead. She is stupid and dumb and she is making me mental. I liked the writing.. like granny and out male lead who is a slut but a nice slut but man am sorry the only reason I am giving up this is because of that stupid character. So.. byeeeeeeee

blackpansy's review against another edition

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4.0

I was surprised I enjoyed this one better than the first once I got into it! A tad predictable though!

hlgarcia3's review against another edition

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5.0

Lose a bet, lose your heart...

What is it about a junior-high crush that can send an otherwise intelligent woman into a tailspin? TV reporter Char Lynn wishes she knew. Jake Titus is too rich, too handsome, too arrogant: a trifecta that once lured Char into the best night-and worst morning-after-of her life. Now they've been thrown together in a wedding party. It's awkward, but survivable . . . until Jake stops acting like a jerk, and starts acting like the man she'd always hoped he could be.

If watching your brother marry your best friend is weird, being attracted to your best friend's other best friend is downright bizarre. Unfortunately for Jake, Char hasn't forgotten how he once tossed her aside. Worse still, Jake's already-nutty grandma is even crazier about Char. Cue meet-cute shenanigans and all manner of meddling, and somehow, Jake's falling. For Char. Now all he has to do is make her believe it.


I received an advanced copy of this book for my honest opinion.

I adored Jake Titus in The Bet. He was a bit of a jerk but you could tell he was genuinely a sweet heart. He hid behind a mask in The Bet and kept that mask on in The Wager. Thankfully though you get to learn more and more about him. I enjoyed learning about all the ups and downs he has faced throughout his life and seeing what makes him the way he his. His story was awesome and watching him grow was even more amazing.
Char, I LOVED her! I could understand her because I felt like I WAS her in school. Always mooning after the boy everyone else is, friends with him but not a priority. Then you get screwed over by said guy and that just puts you at your limit and you can’t handle it anymore…..yeah that ALL seems familiar. Char was such a sweet woman, strong, loyal, funny, and beautiful. I was so happy that there was a woman who could handle Jake’s attitude and sarcasm. Watching her face demons from her past and putting Jake in his place was fantastic.
Grandma Nadine……there are no words to describe my love for this woman! She is up to her shenanigans again!! I love, love, LOVE her! She had me laughing, snorting and bawling my eyes out. I just love her and hope she gets her own little novella (hint, hint).
This book took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions for sure. One page I would be laughing and the next I would cry. All of the characters played so well off of each other. Kacey and Travis still hold my heart form the first book and their story is just beautiful. There is just too many things to talk about with this book but I don’t want to ruin anyone’s experience. So I will just say be prepared for some ridiculously funny parts, some parts that might tick you off, some ridiculously sad parts (tissues may be needed), and most of all be prepared for an amazing story. 5/5

emilyhei's review against another edition

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5.0

Char Lynn has been burned more than once by childhood crush Jake Titus. One night together in a drunken bout of sex, Jake left without a word, instead he left a note. Who does that? Well Char has not forgotten and when she sees him on the plane heading for her best friend’s wedding, she plans to make up for all the insecurities and hurt she lived with since that day.

Jake knows he did wrong, but he has enough problems without the hot tempered blonde making it worse. His Grandmother has decided she needs to ruin him and he is trying to think of a way to get rid of her, but Char seems to have found an ally with his Grandmother and now he is trying to figure out how to deal with it. Of course neither Jake or Char realize they are both players in her scheme and if they don’t play along, they may miss the best thing in life, each other.

Hilarious, charming, and a perfect addition to a wonderful series. If you read the first book The Bet, you will remember Jake and his womanizing ways. His Grandmother, who is a hoot, decides to fix him and the lengths she goes makes for a frolicking, gut busting ride. Char is feisty and has no problem telling Jake off, however when Jake begins to realize his feelings for Char he has a hard time proving how much she means to him. Excellent read.

melwasul's review against another edition

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3.0

*3.5/5*

jaimereadsromance's review against another edition

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5.0

I don't even know where to begin this review in order to do the book justice. I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more...a whole lot more. I couldn't put the book down but I never wanted to finish it. This book owns me!
So let's the start with Grandma because, let us face it, she is the star of this book. She is the best and I want to be her when I grow up. She doesn't hold back at all and I love her for it.

"Sweetheart, I'm the one with hearing aids, not you. I called you a whore. Would you like me to spell it for you, too?"

OMG...dying. From her dog, Charles Barkley to her love of Benadryl and red heels, she made this book!!
Let us move on to Jake Titus...sigh. Honestly I didn't care much for him in The Bet even though I knew there was more to him than we knew. We finally got to meet the real Jake in The Wager. Jake sees himself as undeserving of a love because of his past mistakes. When circumstances throw him and Char together he starts to wonder if he hasn't been missing out on her all along. Does he want to pursue these new found feelings or walk away like he always does?

"And that's when he saw it. The pull, the reason he was so unable to leave well enough alone--her strength. He craved what he saw in her so much--his subconscious, moral compass, everything about him was so screwed up that he craved her the same way am alcoholic craves whiskey."

Char has been in love with Jake since they were kids and hung out everyday until she watches him stand by why another girl torments her. After that things were never the same. Fast forward to the night of Kacey & Travis's engagement party when a little too much tequila, sex and a thank you note leads to a night Char can't forget and for a second time Jake breaks her heart. She vows that she won't let it happen again but the pull to him is just too strong.
This was seriously the funniest way to see two people fall in love. I think I highlighted a paragraph on each page. Watching Jake come to terms with his feeling and fight for Char was sweet and when he finally admitted his feelings to her it was totally swoonworthy.

"Love is hell, it's torture, it drives you insane, and it's the scariest thing I've ever felt. I feel like I just jumped into a burning building...but Char, you're my water I just need to know one thing. Will you come to my rescue?"

And melt.

Aside from that I love that we got more
of Travis and Kacey and not just a glimpse here and there but full blown chapters dedicated to the continuation of their love story.
This book had it all. I'm basically ready to read it all over again.
Before I go I need to share just a few more of the fun quotes from this book.

"Holy shit, we're officially in the Hunger Games."

"Love is magic."

"I'm killing her. Tonight. Either that or putting sleeping pills in her Fiberease." "Oh. Well, just don't use Benadryl. She's built up a tolerance."

*I received an ARC from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review