Bet Me

By: Jennifer Crusie

Narrated by: Deanna Hurst

Length: 12 hrs

Publisher's summary

Min Dobbs knows that happily-ever-after is a fairy tale, especially with a man who asked her to dinner to win a bet. Cal Morrisey knows commitment is impossible, especially with a woman as cranky as Min Dobbs. 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 are dealing with a jealous ex-boyfriend, Krispy Kremes, a determined psychologist, chaos theory, a mutant cat, Chicken Marsala, and more risky propositions than either of them ever dreamed of, including the biggest gamble of all: real love.

©2004 Jennifer Crusie (P)2004 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Hurst's voice contains an energy and exuberance that leaves little doubt that she's the perfect narrator for Crusie's heartfelt comedy of errors....[A] zesty, vibrantly told tale." ( Publishers Weekly)

Jennifer Crisie books. 5 stars

Enjoyed reading all of Jennifer Crusie’s books. And now I am enjoying listening to them. They make me laugh.

Funny love story

The characters are all great. They play off each other very well. I’ll definitely listen to another one of her books.

My favorite Crusie book. Wonderfully witty lines.

Guaranteed to make you feel good. I did not want to stop reading.

The book starts with a well done mis-communication - the bet. David bets Cal that he can’t get Min to bed in a month. Cal refuses but says he’s willing to bet ten dollars that he can walk out the door with her. Min overheard part of the bet but not all of it, and she thinks it’s a bet to have sex with her. She is angry, but she leaves with Cal because she wants to be rude to him. Their paths keep crossing, and each time she insults him. But at the same time they are kind of falling for each other, but they don’t want to. It’s a fun set up with clever dialogue.

One of the best things about Bet Me were the character definitions. The good guys had flaws and weaknesses.

Min is caring and smart and works as an actuary. She has a round shape and will never be thin. Her mother has bullied Min her entire life about dieting and losing weight. Min tries to diet to please her mother but it doesn’t work. Cal encourages her to eat forbidden foods: bread, butter, doughnuts. He enjoys watching her sensual love of food. And he likes her looks.

Cal was dyslexic which had limitations for him, yet he was smart about people and did well in business because of that. He too was bullied by his mother who was rich, thin, unaccepting of other people, and uncaring about other people.

Cynthie was a psychologist studying dating and mating habits. She was writing a book. She was so sure she was right about Cal and Min - spouting things like they are in this stage or that stage and here’s what’s going on. Yet she was sooooo wrong - almost stupidly wrong.

Bonnie was sweet, innocent, and naive appearing. Yet she was the most successful at finding and knowing a guy was right for her from the moment they met. She was smart in that way - so opposite from Cynthie who thought she knew it all, but was all wrong.

A great scene is when Min has dinner with Cal’s family. I read this book several years ago and that dinner scene stayed vivid in my mind ever since.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Deanna Hurst did an excellent job.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Story length: 391 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words but not often used. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: one. Setting: current day southern Ohio. Copyright: 2004. Genre: humorous contemporary romance, plus size heroine.

Taking a Gamble on Love

On the night that Min's boyfriend, David, dumps her (in a bar!), he also bets handsome and successful businessman, Cal Morrisey, that he can't get her to sleep with him in a month. Cal is loath to make the bet, and decides to counter David's bet with a less offensive one...that he could get her to have dinner with him that night. Unfortunately Min, who was about to approach him at the behest of her friends, overhears (and misunderstands) part of the conversation. As Min & Cal get to know each other, often trying to avoid their mounting attraction and feelings toward each other, that first night's events continue to haunt them. All of this is compounded by and ex-boyfriend an ex-girlfriend who can't seem to let go, and continually interfere in hopes of getting their exes back.

Jennifer Cruise has included a wonderful cast of characters whose witty conversations are matched by their deep friendship. There are also multiple sub-plots in the book which helps keep every minute fun & exciting. What's really interesting is that Cruise has managed to depict a great attraction between Cal & Min with almost no sex scenes. Deanna Hurst does a good job as narrator. I thought her child's voice was especially adorable.

Always a Pick-Me-Up ;)

This book always makes me smile. I had actually listened to this audio book a long time ago and always had fond memories of it so it is fantastic to now own it so I can listen to it any time. It's full of wit and romance. Enjoy!

Okay story, not terribly engaging though

The story was not bad but it lacked that excitement element. Liked that the heroine was "chubby" but the fact that the hero was a hunk made the story unbelievable. People usually become who they want to attract and if the guy is that hot, it is unlikely he would go for her. Almost makes one think that this story was what J Crusie wishes would happen. I do wish we lived in a world where the inner beauty counted and the outer shell was icing on the cake, but as we all know that is not real life. this aspect of the story made it unbelievable and unlikely. A negative in my opinion.

I usually evaluate a book by my reaction to it. If I can't put it down, it is well written, engaging and well performed and if I can walk away and stay away for hours at a time, well, then it is not a winner. The book was not bad but it was not good either. I'd say don't waist your credit on this one.

Thank you for reading my feedback and thank you for leaving me a response.

A Good Bet!

Funny and entertaining throughout the story. It is a sweet and sassy tale.

Too Many Annoying Quirks

A story where the guys make bets on women. Grown adults! How juvenile! I expected to not like it because I had a stereotypical scenario in my mind about how it would play out. As it turned out, I did like how the relationship developed. It wasn't what I had envisioned at all.

There were some very annoying details about the story. The word "said", the doughnuts, and how many times did they eat Emilio's cooking during the course of this one month period? For crying out loud, I don't know anybody who eats out this much, let alone the SAME restaurant over and over again. Despite these annoyances, the story moves along at a comfortable pace, and I enjoyed it more than I expected to.

Hay You

You know you have purchased a great novel when reviewers say they re-listen to it when they need a lift or a laugh. A lot of the reviews for this particular story have That in common. In almost every chapter, you laugh your head off, if you just pay attention to Miss Crusie‘s dialogue. If you are too busy, you will miss it. The characters just steal your heart. I love this new narrator for me, and I am owning most of her reads,Hence the title. I now own two if not three of this authors books that I can say I re-listen to them as they breathe fun back into your busy life. I did write to Bob Mayer and asked him to please join Miss Crusie again and write new books, and they now have three new ones together.
The books that Miss Angela Dawe reads from this author, were my first re-listens. This story pretty much tops those. It’s that good for laughter and a smile
Where my comments of help?

Good time!

I first read this novel in paper back several years ago. I loved the story line and the strong personalities of the characters. It all came thru in the audio book. I laughed out loud. Again.