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A review by caseroo7
The Wager by Rachel Van Dyken
4.0
I have to admit that after reading The Bet, I was a little bit worried about The Wager. I knew that we were going to get Jake's story next and that he had a lot of ground to make up. I really couldn't stand Jake for pretty much all of The Bet, and I was worried that he wouldn't be able to redeem himself in The Wager. At first he seemed to be exactly the same Jake, but as the story went on he really seemed to change. I ended up really enjoying Jake and Char's story and in the end Jake totally won me over. You can read these books as standalones, but there are some things that will be spoiled if you read them out of order. I really recommend that you start at the beginning of these so that you get to know all of the characters and really get to see the progression that they each go through.
In junior high, Char Lynn had a huge crush on Jake Titus. He was her best friend Kacey's other best friend, and they all hung out together. Things were good between them until he dropped her during a trust fall because he was he was distracted by another girl. Years later, Char and Jake had a one-night stand with him leaving her nothing but a thank you note the next morning. When she runs into him on an airplane with his grandma things go from bad to worse quickly. She wants nothing more than to get away from him, but fate has other plans. With him the Best Man and her the Maid of Honor for Kacey and Travis's wedding, they are stuck working together and are forced to help get everything ready. Grandma is up to her normal meddling and before long Jake and Char are beginning to feel more for each other than they planned. Will Grandma's actions push them to finally pursue a relationship with each other, or will they drive each other crazy before ever having a chance to have a future together?
I will just say that at first I couldn't stand Jake. He was a selfish man-whore that had no problems telling you just how great he was. It was nice to see him get knocked down a peg or two and really start to mature. I liked seeing a different side to him, and I honestly felt a little bad for him at times because of how everyone treated him. Not that he didn't earn it, but it was still hard to see him changing and really trying to grow and they would still throw it all back in his face. I liked the man he was becoming and I really loved how he had no problems committing to Char once he knew how he felt about her. Char was great. She was a little insecure and vulnerable because her parents treated her horribly and she was made fun of in school. I liked that she was so perfect for Jake though, and she was always there to tell him how it was. I loved that she never let him get away with any crap, and she encouraged him to not walk away but rather to fight for what he wanted. Char and Jake were great together and I thought that they really were exactly what the other needed. They brought out the best in each other, and I thought that were one was a little bit weaker the other was strong. It was nice to see how they balanced each other out. I also thought that they had a lot of chemistry together and you could really feel it.
Overall, I actually ended up liking this story better than The Bet. I think it is because we were really able to see such growth from Jake and he didn't spend the entire story as such a conceited jerk who thought he was God's gift to women. I also really loved getting more of Grandma and her crazy ways. She is over-the-top fabulous and I love her crazy schemes. You just never know what she will pull next, and it keeps you laughing the entire way through. Love her character so much. I did think that this story focused a little too much on Kacey and Travis towards the end though. I really felt like they had already had their book, and even though it was nice to see them they really pulled focus from Jake and Char more than I would have liked. The story even switched from just Char and Jake's POVs to getting some of Travis and Kacey's as well, and it honestly felt like too much to me. I thought it just complicated and confused things. I am really excited about the next book in this series though. I liked Char's sister Beth and Jace a lot, and of course I can't wait to get more Grandma. This series is a good one if you are looking for some laughs and like to see some real growth take place without the story being too dark or weighed down. I love how light-hearted these books are and I can't wait to read more from Rachel Van Dyken.
**Complimentary Copy provided by Publisher via NetGalley**
In junior high, Char Lynn had a huge crush on Jake Titus. He was her best friend Kacey's other best friend, and they all hung out together. Things were good between them until he dropped her during a trust fall because he was he was distracted by another girl. Years later, Char and Jake had a one-night stand with him leaving her nothing but a thank you note the next morning. When she runs into him on an airplane with his grandma things go from bad to worse quickly. She wants nothing more than to get away from him, but fate has other plans. With him the Best Man and her the Maid of Honor for Kacey and Travis's wedding, they are stuck working together and are forced to help get everything ready. Grandma is up to her normal meddling and before long Jake and Char are beginning to feel more for each other than they planned. Will Grandma's actions push them to finally pursue a relationship with each other, or will they drive each other crazy before ever having a chance to have a future together?
I will just say that at first I couldn't stand Jake. He was a selfish man-whore that had no problems telling you just how great he was. It was nice to see him get knocked down a peg or two and really start to mature. I liked seeing a different side to him, and I honestly felt a little bad for him at times because of how everyone treated him. Not that he didn't earn it, but it was still hard to see him changing and really trying to grow and they would still throw it all back in his face. I liked the man he was becoming and I really loved how he had no problems committing to Char once he knew how he felt about her. Char was great. She was a little insecure and vulnerable because her parents treated her horribly and she was made fun of in school. I liked that she was so perfect for Jake though, and she was always there to tell him how it was. I loved that she never let him get away with any crap, and she encouraged him to not walk away but rather to fight for what he wanted. Char and Jake were great together and I thought that they really were exactly what the other needed. They brought out the best in each other, and I thought that were one was a little bit weaker the other was strong. It was nice to see how they balanced each other out. I also thought that they had a lot of chemistry together and you could really feel it.
Overall, I actually ended up liking this story better than The Bet. I think it is because we were really able to see such growth from Jake and he didn't spend the entire story as such a conceited jerk who thought he was God's gift to women. I also really loved getting more of Grandma and her crazy ways. She is over-the-top fabulous and I love her crazy schemes. You just never know what she will pull next, and it keeps you laughing the entire way through. Love her character so much. I did think that this story focused a little too much on Kacey and Travis towards the end though. I really felt like they had already had their book, and even though it was nice to see them they really pulled focus from Jake and Char more than I would have liked. The story even switched from just Char and Jake's POVs to getting some of Travis and Kacey's as well, and it honestly felt like too much to me. I thought it just complicated and confused things. I am really excited about the next book in this series though. I liked Char's sister Beth and Jace a lot, and of course I can't wait to get more Grandma. This series is a good one if you are looking for some laughs and like to see some real growth take place without the story being too dark or weighed down. I love how light-hearted these books are and I can't wait to read more from Rachel Van Dyken.
**Complimentary Copy provided by Publisher via NetGalley**