Reviews

Hedging His Bets by Laura Carter

darkness223's review against another edition

4.0

This is the third book in the series and I enjoyed it just as much if not better than the previous two. Jake and Jess were fantastic characters and I just loved the banter between them both are a little bit broken and not looking to risk their hearts but have no problems with a roommate/best friends with benefits arrangement but when he takes her with him back home to see his brothers that line starts to get blurred and feelings start to develop, this was a really good read and a great addition to the series and while it can easily be read as a standalone I think its better to read them in order

jaimejustreadsromance's review

3.0

This is my first read by Laura Carter. I thought the writing was okay but I honestly didn’t care that much about either of the main characters. I’m afraid this might be a case of “it’s not you, it’s me” and that my mood at the time of reading this might have played into my opinion of it. Mostly I just didn’t understand Jake’s pining away for his best friend, especially when we actually meet her and listen to her explanation for her “betrayal”. The whole friends with benefits arrangement felt kind of icky to me, not because I think there’s something wrong with that type of relationship but because of Jake’s attitude about it.

I’m not sure if I would read more from this series or not but I’d probably give the author another chance at some point.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for voluntary review

boekenworm's review against another edition

4.0

This is my first Laura Carter book, thanks to a copy received through Netgalley. It will not be my last. Overall I enjoyed this story. The characters felt real and there was lots of banter and humor in the story. Jake was a real sweetheart and although Jess had a tragic youth and emotional problems, she still was a likeable character. I loved Jess's parts and the stories about her travels. It explained a lot about her character. The only confusing thing in the story was Jake's relationship with Emily. We are told that it ended 3 years ago, but further in the book he refers to, him having last made love to her 7 years ago. While still further we are let to believe they were never lovers but Jake contemplating taking their friendship further when he has finished college and Emily still has to finish her studies. Earlier in the book there was a quick reference to Emily wanting Jake to be her first lover. Unless they were "friends with benefits" the time line and their relationship story does not seem to make a lot of sense. The whole Jake and Emily relationship seemed a bit contrived and I found it distracted from the main story of the developing love story between Jake and Jess. Despite this I found the book an enjoyable read and I am ready to purchase the first 2 books in this series.

jaimereadsromance's review against another edition

3.0

This is my first read by Laura Carter. I thought the writing was okay but I honestly didn’t care that much about either of the main characters. I’m afraid this might be a case of “it’s not you, it’s me” and that my mood at the time of reading this might have played into my opinion of it. Mostly I just didn’t understand Jake’s pining away for his best friend, especially when we actually meet her and listen to her explanation for her “betrayal”. The whole friends with benefits arrangement felt kind of icky to me, not because I think there’s something wrong with that type of relationship but because of Jake’s attitude about it.

I’m not sure if I would read more from this series or not but I’d probably give the author another chance at some point.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for voluntary review

klndonnelly's review against another edition

4.0

I requested this from NG on a whim -I'd never read any of Ms. Carter's works, but this one sounded like fun. Boy, am I glad I did.

This is a perfect book for anyone who loves friends-to-lovers with a side of angsty drama and tragic backstories. Oh, and you must love witty banter and be okay with the odd line between friends/lovers/covenant partners that some folks trip through on their way to happily ever after.

Highly recommended for upcoming beach vacations.

thatbooknerd__'s review against another edition

5.0

I've only read book 2 in this series, each can be read as a standalone. I have to say I enjoyed this book so much more then book 2. Jake and Jess just jumped out to me from page 1 and I couldn't get enough of their story.
There were a few times that I wanted to bang their heads together, but only because they both couldn't see how perfect they were for each other.
The whole story was fun and easy to read. I did have tears in my eyes at a few points when Jess was talking about her parents. I can't imagine what she went through at such a young age, and it was understandable why she would build this giant wall around her heart.
Jake had had some heart ache in his past and was still struggling with it. So their arrangement of friends with drunk benefits works well for them both. But the problem is spending a lot of time with someone is that you can start to get feelings for the other person. Weather they are wanted or not.
I loved the banter between all the characters not just Jake and Jess. They were this big friends/family group of people that got on amazing. I would love to have a group of friends like those lot.
I think I need to go back and read Drew and Becky's story to see how they got together. I really enjoyed Drew's character!