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Is there such a thing as a fairy tale romance? Does anyone ever live happily ever after? Actuary Minerva Dobbs finds out in BET ME, the latest in a string of Chick Lit books written by the popular author Jennifer Crusie. In this story, the focus is on a young woman who does not wear a size six dress nor cares about how she appears to the opposite sex. She is tired of the dating scene and of her criticizing mother, and is ready to move in with a cat.
The story opens in a bar in New York with Minerva and her soon-to-be ex-boyfriend David breaking up. Apparently he is not happy that she has refused to have sex with him during their entire dating relationship, and he decides it's time to move on. Not that Minerva cares; she is actually relieved. She was tired of David's advice on how to lose weight and what not to eat, and wished that he could have accepted her the way she was. She leaves David and seeks out her two best friends, Bonnie and Liza, who are waiting for her at the bar.
Min soon notices a trio of men across the way who are watching them. Three guys for three gals --- a perfect match. So Min decides to go over there and see what's up. As she approaches, she overhears them talking about her (in a rather unflattering way) and the man who has caught her eye is making a bet with his friends that he can convince her to go out to dinner with him by the end of the evening. On that note, Min runs back to her safe corner with Bonnie and Liza, and as the women wait, the man who caught her attention, Calvin Morissey, walks over to them, and subsequently asks Min out to dinner. Min accepts.
What Min does not know is that David was the one who made this initial bet with Cal. She also isn't aware that David bet Cal $10,000 that Cal could not get Min to have sex with him within a month. David thinks this is an easy win for him, since he is under the impression that Min simply is not interested in sex. But what David does not understand is that Min simply was not interested in David, period. Cal, on the other hand, has a reputation for never losing a bet. He does not take David's sex bet seriously, but nevertheless wins the $10 bet regarding dinner with Min, thanks to her eavesdropping just minutes earlier. She basically went out with Cal just to infuriate David.
From that point on, the crazy up and down friendship between Cal and Min begins. The two are obviously attracted to each other, but they drive each other nuts. It's like oil and water. They talk, they tease, they flirt. But neither one wants to admit that there is anything going on between them. Bonnie and Liza notice that something exciting IS going on between the two, and so do Cal's friends, Tony and Roger. Soon, the six of them become regular buddies, with Roger and Bonnie falling in love, Tony and Liza "dating" but with no serious intentions for a commitment, and Cal and Min arguing, flirting and stealing kisses every now and then.
Min soon sees another part of Cal's life --- his personal relationship with his family, his ex-girlfriend Cynthie (who is secretly plotting a way to get Cal back), and a childhood that left Cal scarred and scared about being a failure. Cal also meets Min's wacky family, including a sister who is having pre-wedding jitters, an overbearing mother and an overprotective father who may be having an affair with his secretary.
BET ME is a winning book. Although this reviewer feels it went on a bit too long, Jennifer Crusie does an excellent job creating some very funny characters. We see each individual written into this story as someone uniquely important in his or her own right, yet integral to the love story of Cal and Min. There are subplots that surround the fairy tale; although at first this reviewer did not see the point in throwing in all of these characters, it all comes together nicely by the end of the book. BET ME is recommended for all fans of Chick Lit.
--- Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton (Ratmammy@lofton.org)
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