Reviewed by Larissa

TITLE: Bet U

SERIES: Franklin U, Book #4

AUTHOR: Neve Wilder

PUBLISHER: Self-published

LENGTH: 216 pages

RELEASE DATE: September 15, 2022

BLURB: 

Spencer

Whose brilliant idea was it to build university housing next to one of Franklin U’s most notorious party frats?

I’m a real student—the kind who actually came to college to learn, not some dumb frat bro who sees Franklin U as a four-year challenge to consume the most booze and throw out the best pick-up line.

Their all-hours lifestyle is driving me crazy. Not to mention, the jerks keep taking my assigned parking spot.

But the worst offender might be Cory Ingram. Sure, he has a smile that could melt a polar ice cap, but no way will I ever be one of his minions. I’m pretty sure I made that clear when I blew my top at him. So I have no idea why he’s suddenly everywhere around me, turning on the charm like I might actually fall for it.

Nope. Not gonna happen.

Cory

From the first day I set foot on Franklin U’s campus, everything has been golden. I have a ton of friends, endless parties to be the life of, and whoever I want in my bed on any given night. Sure, I’m a shameless party boy, but I’m not a jerk. Ask anyone. Seriously.

Even the crotchety old groundskeeper waves and smiles at me when I pass.

Then there’s Spencer Crowe. I’ve never seen a guy’s face get so red over a parking spot. Even when I try to make it right, he proceeds to give me the tongue-lashing of a lifetime—which is about the moment I notice that, in addition to being irrationally irate, he’s also crazy hot.

My friends think I’ve finally met the one person I can’t seduce…

Bet you I can.

REVIEW: 

Bet you you won’t find a better “bet” romance (“It was all a bet!”) than Bet U, a sweet and spicy nerd/jock (frat boy) love story from the queen of incendiary sex scenes, Neve Wilder.  The fourth book in the multi-author Franklin U shared universe, Bet U regales us with the improbable romance of brilliant, studious, sharp-tongued, saucy Spencer, and Cory, the cocky, rich frat boy with a penchant for needling and an ego (and experience) that tells him he can have anyone he wants. Except apparently Spencer.  Similar in vein to Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, when Cory’s frat bros throw down the gauntlet, challenging him to get Spencer in his bed, Cory can’t resist the challenge to prove even prickly Spencer can’t resist his charms.

The pairing of Spencer and Cory bears similarity to Sam and Jesse in Wilder’s excellent Show Me from her hot hot hot Extracurricular Activities series. Show Me’s Sam and Jesse are total opposites, nerd/jock (frat boy), and an exhibitionist couple, albeit much more extreme than Spencer and Cory.  Both couples ooze serious BDE with one of the two characters physically embodying the BD aspect of BDE, like Spencer does here in Bet U.  They have a similar chemistry that is extremely enticing and effective.

That being said, BDE aside, these couples have a very different dynamic. Spencer and Cory’s relationship has a bouncy, vibrant, UST-laden energy to it, a push-pull of irritation and attraction. Cory does his pulling-pigtails provocation, and Spencer gets both pissed off and turned on, and then pissed off that he’s getting turned on by Cory’s antics. Spencer doesn’t trust Cory to be anything other than his rich, entitled, frat boy facade portrays. Yet when Cory starts to let him in, Spencer sees he may have been wrong.  But he wants assurances.  He doesn’t want to be made a fool of …  To borrow lyrics from The Who, Spencer and Cory’s antagonistic/playful rapport contains a dynamic challenge that they implicitly if not explicitly banter back and forth: “You better you better you bet”. 

Bet U showcases what Wilder does best:  real relationships with stratospheric levels of heat, but more importantly, deep, abiding love and affection that resonates.  We love her characters for all of their unique qualities and flaws, and we love how seamlessly Wilder fits them together as a couple. While her storylines aren’t always super surprising – Bet U is fairly predictable – it’s almost irrelevant to the experience of the story Wilder tells. Through her incisive, witty, emotionally connected prose, we get a seemingly simple yet overwhelming complex and enjoyable romance that I could easily read over and over.

I made the following comment in my review of Show Me, but I’ll repeat it here because it is absolutely spot on for Bet U:  Wilder mixes high heat, tenderness, emotions, humor, and swoon to produce a romance that is 100% sexy and 0% smutty, despite the explicit sex scenes throughout.  Bet U is an impactful, funny, sweet, sexy romance with BDE of its own.  I bet you you’ll love it as much as I did.

RATING:

BUY LINK: 

Amazon