Title: Bet Me Author: Jennifer Crusie
Published: August 31, 2004
Genre(s): Romance: Contemporary
Page Count: 391
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:Minerva Dobbs knows that happily-ever-after is a fairy tale, especially with a man who asked her to dinner to win a bet. Even if he is gorgeous and successful Calvin Morrisey. Cal knows commitment is impossible, especially with a woman as cranky as Min Dobbs. Even if she does wear great shoes and keeps him on his toes. When they say good-bye at the end of their evening, they cut their losses and agree never to see each other again.
But Fate has other plans, and it's not long before Min and Cal meet again. Soon, they're dealing with a jealous ex-boyfriend, Krispy Kreme donuts, a determined psychologist, chaos theory, a freakishly intelligent cat, Chicken Marsala, and more risky propositions than either of them ever dreamed of. Including the biggest gamble of all—true love.
So, let’s be honest. This sort of doesn’t seem like much of a “Renae book”. Attractive man-dude makes a bet that he can take home a random woman and have sex with her? Ew, gross. Not my sort of romance at all. Too…condescending and douchey on the part of the male love interest. Not okay.
Except…that’s not really what happens in Bet Me. First, the love interest, Cal, is very attracted to Min’s “unattractive qualities” (namely her curves) and he’s extremely supportive and kind. Second, there’s not actually…a bet; it’s kind of all a big misunderstanding. Basically, Jennifer Crusie starts out with a premise that seems highly unpromising, and then twists the crap out of it to create a funny and tension-filled novel that was, for me, absolutely unputdownable.
The highlight for me is definitely, and obviously, Cal and Min’s relationship. They start out hating each other, but Cal gets jealous when he sees Min eating a doughnut and decides he want her to look at him like she looks at doughnuts. So he kisses her. And, surprise: they really like kissing each other! The rest of Bet Me is one very long, deliciously frustrated (and unconsummated) journey towards happily ever after. It was often hilarious, occasionally histrionic, but with Cal and Min as the backbone, this novel was always entertaining and juicy.
But, back to the overdramatized plot: oh wow. Crusie pushed the amount of ridiculous romance clichés included in one novel to its limit. Especially ridiculous was Min’s jealous ex-boyfriend, who concocted nefarious plans to win her back. It was honestly too much, and if it had been another book, I might have thrown it. I definitely like Bet Me for the characters, and not for the plotline. Which is fine, but goodness. Such theatricality was hardly to be borne! (“Are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted?”)
Also, in general, I think Bet Me got off to a really rough start. I was really frustrated in the beginning because it seemed like Crusie had introduced too many main characters and was spending too much time in their perspectives, rather than Cal and Min’s. I did, with time, warm up to the large cast of secondary characters, but I think the first few chapters could have been better.
I did enjoy the secondary characters, though, after a while. Cal and his two best friends plus Min and her two best friends made a great little sextet of hilarity and also genuine friendship. I also liked Cal’s nephew, Harry, and while I didn’t necessarily like Cal and Min’s parents, I thought the way Crusie handled the dysfunction was both authentic and amusing.
That being said, what we really need to talk about is the sexual tension in this novel. Like. You guys. This is not one of those romance novels with copious sex. Oh no. Bet Me makes you wait for it. It was torturously wonderful. Cal and Min’s chemistry is ridiculous, through-the-roof type stuff. And Jennifer Crusie does it so well. I never once doubted that Cal and Min could make it as a “real” couple, and while a lot of romances can rely on sex to make the relationship work, this book doesn’t do that (because, haha, you have to wait until the very last chapter for the sexytimes). So while I like the tension, I also like the waiting, because it avoided the whole “omg I slept with you and now it’s a mistake, let me go bewail my lost virtue” situation (which, I admit, is a lot more common in historical romance, but allow me my analogy).
To make a longish review short, Bet Me was gloriously surprising. I laughed, I rolled my eyes, I groaned. But stayed up until 2 AM to finish, and I was extremely satisfied that I did so. I think the chemistry and development of the main couple’s relationship vastly outweighs the sometimes silly plot. Jennifer Crusie has certainly caught my attention with this.
