Sunday, December 1, 2013

Review: The Wager by Rachel Van Dyken









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 . . .




Christina says...


Okay I have to admit I was pretty upset with Jake at the end of The Bet.  But once I got into The Wager, I knew I would love him. He just needed to find his heart again.

I honestly do not think I could have loved this story any more than I did. Seriously Grandma had me rolling with laughter every twist and turn. Once she decides to take on a challenge, there is no stopping her or for that matter hiding from her!

"Grandma sees all. It's like hiding from God."

Jake has spent a lifetime living off his millions and being a playboy. Never caring about anyone around him. There was never going to be anyone who could tame him. Or so he thought. That is when Grandma decided it’s about time he settle down and she knows just the way to handle him.

“Karma: It was finally coming for him. And it was in the form of an eighty-six-year-old woman with lipstick on her teeth. Hell.”


Char has loved Jake forever. She has also had her heart broken several times by him. But putting all that aside she must now work with him for her best friend’s wedding. Being the Maid of Honor was a big deal and she wanted Kacey to have the happy ever after fairytale. 

But Grandma of course has other plans, OMG this woman is insane!! She seriously thrusts them together making them do all these weird wedding tasks for the wedding. And of course NO ONE can say no to grandma.  One thing for certain is the wedding between Kacey and Travis will go off without a hitch. It will be beautiful and magical.

“Marriage is just the beginning of our story, and I hope to God that when he writes The End, it’s us, on that last page, still holding hands.”

But will Jake grow up and realize what has been in front of him for most of his life? Will he change his bad boy ways? From the moment Char was thrust into his life by grandma something has been stirring in Jake. When he reads the letter from Kacey’s dad to him, all of a sudden things become clear to him.

“My advice? Be the man. Don’t let yourself drown. Don’t run or swim away from the safety of the boat. The boat, that’s your home, your family, your life. The preserver that keeps you afloat will always be your wife, your partner. Without a preserver you drown, a preserver without something to hold onto has no purpose, so you see, you need each other… you need to rely on one another for everything.”

“I guess what I’m saying is … love yer. Please her, cherish her, and by God, son, her smiles better outnumber her tears.”

Life changes.. when the game of love becomes:

 “Life altering, earth moving, soul searching”

Jake and Char, there is so much love between them, they just need to find each other. Grandma always knows best!! I don’t know why they ever doubt her. LOL… I hope you will enjoy this book as much as I did. I give it a solid 4 stars! I truly hope this is not the last we have seen of the Titus family. That Grandma is a character and a half. I really feel there is more to her than anyone could ever guess.  And we all know Grandma is definitely not done meddling in the lives of loved ones:

Jake Sighed.  “It’s like waiting for the storm to hit. No matter how many times you scream ‘Hurricane, take cover!’ the poor unsuspecting victims just stare at the sky in awe.”

  “Grandma has that effect on people.” Char linked her arm with his.

“I can’t look away,” Travis said. “It’s like watching a car wreck. You know you should call 911 and help, but damn if you can’t manage to do anything but drive by slowly and gape.”

“Only God can help them now.” Kacey sighed.




Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestselling author of regency and contemporary romances. When she's not writing you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.
She keeps her home in Idaho with her Husband and their snoring Boxer, Sir Winston Churchill. She loves to hear from readers! You can follow her writing journey at www.rachelvandykenauthor.com

1 comment:

  1. I love Grandmas in stories. They do enliven it.
    debby236@gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete