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Welcome To Temptation / Bet Me
Welcome to Temptation Sophie Dempsey wants to help her sister film a video and then get out of Temptation, Ohio. Mayor Phin Tucker wants to play pool with the police chief and keep things peaceful. But when Sophie and Phin meet, they both get more than they want. Gossip, blackmail, adultery, murder, vehicular abuse of a corpse, and slightly perverse but excellent all hell breaks loose in Temptation as Sophie and Phin fall deeper and deeper in trouble... and in love. Bet Me This is New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Crusie's novel about long shots, risk management, true love, and great shoes. . . .
Minerva Dobbs knows how to work the odds.
Calvin Morrisey always plays to win.
But when they face off, neither one is prepared.
Because when real life meets true love, all bets are off. . . .
Minerva Dobbs knows that happily-ever-after is a fairy tale, especially with a man who asked her to dinner to win a bet, even if he is gorgeous and successful Calvin Morrisey. Cal knows commitment is impossible, especially with a woman as cranky as Min Dobbs, even if she does wear great shoes and keep him on his toes. 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 meet again. Soon they're dealing with a jealous ex-boyfriend, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, a determined psychologist, chaos theory, a freakishly intelligent cat, Chicken Marsala, and more risky propositions than either of them ever dreamed of. Including the biggest gamble of all---true love.
Minerva Dobbs knows how to work the odds.
Calvin Morrisey always plays to win.
But when they face off, neither one is prepared.
Because when real life meets true love, all bets are off. . . .
Minerva Dobbs knows that happily-ever-after is a fairy tale, especially with a man who asked her to dinner to win a bet, even if he is gorgeous and successful Calvin Morrisey. Cal knows commitment is impossible, especially with a woman as cranky as Min Dobbs, even if she does wear great shoes and keep him on his toes. 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 meet again. Soon they're dealing with a jealous ex-boyfriend, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, a determined psychologist, chaos theory, a freakishly intelligent cat, Chicken Marsala, and more risky propositions than either of them ever dreamed of. Including the biggest gamble of all---true love.
704 pages, Paperback
First published September 5, 2006
107 people are currently reading
450 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Crusie
80 books7,818 followersJennifer Crusie is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publisher's Weekly bestselling author of twenty-three novels, one book of literary criticism, miscellaneous articles, essays, novellas, and short stories, and the editor of three essay anthologies.
She was born in Wapakoneta, a small town in Ohio, and then went on to live in a succession of other small towns in Ohio and New Jersey until her last move to a small town in Pennsylvania. This may have had an impact on her work.
She has a BS in Art Education, an MA in literature, an MFA in fiction, and was ABD on her PhD when she started reading romances as part of her research into the differences between the ways men and women tell stories. Writing a romance sounded like more fun than writing a dissertation, so she switched to fiction and never looked back. Her collaborations with Bob Mayer have pretty much proved everything she was going to say in her dissertation anyway, so really, no need to finish that.
For more information, see JenniferCrusie.com and her blog, Argh Ink.
She was born in Wapakoneta, a small town in Ohio, and then went on to live in a succession of other small towns in Ohio and New Jersey until her last move to a small town in Pennsylvania. This may have had an impact on her work.
She has a BS in Art Education, an MA in literature, an MFA in fiction, and was ABD on her PhD when she started reading romances as part of her research into the differences between the ways men and women tell stories. Writing a romance sounded like more fun than writing a dissertation, so she switched to fiction and never looked back. Her collaborations with Bob Mayer have pretty much proved everything she was going to say in her dissertation anyway, so really, no need to finish that.
For more information, see JenniferCrusie.com and her blog, Argh Ink.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
August 22, 2021
“Look, Mother, I am never going to be thin. I’m Norwegian. If you wanted a thin daughter, you should not have married a man whose female ancestors carried cows home from the pasture.”
***Review is for Bet Me***Enjoyed this very much. I definitely will be revisiting this talented author again soon. I do remember really liking Jennifer Crusie years ago, especially Welcome to Temptation. I think I got off her when she started writing with another author. I thought I had tried Bet Me before, but on this reading, nothing rang a bell! It was so good, I know I would remember it. I loved her humor and wit. The hero and heroine were both very likable, with a lot of baggage that made them the way they were. It added a lot of depth to the characterizations. I loved their friends. The conflict with their semi-horrible and horrible parents added tension and emotional involvement. I loved the way they stood up for each other and championed each other in the face of their emotional abuse. And the epilogue was perfection.
The trajectory of the romance got a little stalled in the middle, but there were enough laughs and subplots to keep it interesting and entertaining. Bet Me is on a lot of lists of best Romantic Comedies written, and it fully deserves, 15 years later, to be considered a "classic" in the field. so many of the popular romance authors writing today pale in comparison.
https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....
February 6, 2012
I listened to both Welcome to Temptation and Bet me over the weekend.
Welcome to temptation is the best audiobook I have listened to so far this year. The dialogue was smart and funny. The characters were amazing. Sophie Dempsey goes to Temptation, Ohio - a very small town to help her sister shoot a movie. her sister and brother are both raised by Sophie and relied on her their whole life. So her life centered around her little sister up until they reached Temptation. In temptation Sophie meets with the gorgeous mayor - Phin. From the moment of their first meeting they feel attraction to each other but otherwise bump heads every time they meet. The town council are convinced that Sophie and her sister are shooting porn, although that is not the truth..at least not in the beginning. The encounters between the main characters are so funny, I laughed almost the entire time while listening. The sex scenes were also incredibly funny but good, also creative but not descriptive. I truly enjoyed this book. The narrator was amazing - Aasne Vigesaa. I listened to Bitten by Kelley Armstrong narrated by her and was completely captivated in the story. I wish she narrated the rest of Jennifer Crusie books. Also Aasne is one of the narrators who do male southern accents come alive, though there was none of that in this book, still I highly recommend.
Bet me was the second book I listened to. I was not so captivated in the narration. I think it was ok but it was hard distinguishing the characters, and there are a lot of those to go around. Its good that Jennifer Crusie follows the dialogue with "....said" or I might have not known who was talking at the time. The book was funny and enjoyable but not on the same scale as Welcome to temptation. The romance was not to my liking and there is no steam until the last 10pages or so. Overall good book but Welcome to temptation is better.
Welcome to temptation is the best audiobook I have listened to so far this year. The dialogue was smart and funny. The characters were amazing. Sophie Dempsey goes to Temptation, Ohio - a very small town to help her sister shoot a movie. her sister and brother are both raised by Sophie and relied on her their whole life. So her life centered around her little sister up until they reached Temptation. In temptation Sophie meets with the gorgeous mayor - Phin. From the moment of their first meeting they feel attraction to each other but otherwise bump heads every time they meet. The town council are convinced that Sophie and her sister are shooting porn, although that is not the truth..at least not in the beginning. The encounters between the main characters are so funny, I laughed almost the entire time while listening. The sex scenes were also incredibly funny but good, also creative but not descriptive. I truly enjoyed this book. The narrator was amazing - Aasne Vigesaa. I listened to Bitten by Kelley Armstrong narrated by her and was completely captivated in the story. I wish she narrated the rest of Jennifer Crusie books. Also Aasne is one of the narrators who do male southern accents come alive, though there was none of that in this book, still I highly recommend.
Bet me was the second book I listened to. I was not so captivated in the narration. I think it was ok but it was hard distinguishing the characters, and there are a lot of those to go around. Its good that Jennifer Crusie follows the dialogue with "....said" or I might have not known who was talking at the time. The book was funny and enjoyable but not on the same scale as Welcome to temptation. The romance was not to my liking and there is no steam until the last 10pages or so. Overall good book but Welcome to temptation is better.
September 7, 2015
Was in the mood for a breezy, rom-com read and this pair of books hit the spot. Heard of "Bet Me" via the Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast and my library's e-book copy came with Welcome to Temptation as well. Tore through each of them in an afternoon by the pool, and it was a perfect pairing. Snappy, funny dialogue with predictable plots but sometimes that's just what a girl wants. When I read fluff, I like it to be well-written and that can be a hard combination to find.
September 29, 2018
I'd heard of Crusie, of course, and picked up one of her books (Don't Look Down). I did not like it. At all. So I thought I didn't enjoy Crusie's writing and read no more--end of story. Until, at a writing workshop, the presenter used chunks of Bet Me as examples and strongly recommended that novel and all of Crusie's writing as examples of anchoring (craft term--setting the reader in place and character). I requested Bet Me from the library. It came packaged with Welcome to Temptation, a novel I would have avoided based on title. It was GREAT. Hilarious, clever, and very funny. I also really liked Bet Me, and will now go on to read all of Crusie. Highly recommend. She hasn't published anything in a couple of years, so I hope she hasn't retired. More, please!
September 6, 2017
Fun books
There's two stories in this book. I have both in paper and bought this in e-book because I love both of them.
Welcome to Temptation introduces us to the Dempsey family, two sisters and a brother who were raised by a con man and are slightly "bent". Their hearts are in the right place though. This is Sophie and Phin's story. A slightly bent girl and a small town mayor.
Bet Me is about Minerva, a voluptuous girl whose mother is obsessed with making her diet, and Cal who has commitment issues.
These are funny and romantic stories. The secondary characters in both books are great.
There's two stories in this book. I have both in paper and bought this in e-book because I love both of them.
Welcome to Temptation introduces us to the Dempsey family, two sisters and a brother who were raised by a con man and are slightly "bent". Their hearts are in the right place though. This is Sophie and Phin's story. A slightly bent girl and a small town mayor.
Bet Me is about Minerva, a voluptuous girl whose mother is obsessed with making her diet, and Cal who has commitment issues.
These are funny and romantic stories. The secondary characters in both books are great.
March 27, 2021
So good every time you read it!
I have read all of Jennifer Crusie's books. Whichever book I'm reading at the moment is my favourite! Bet me was the fist book I read and could relate to all the characters. My hard copies of each book are really worn out so now I have them all on my Kindle to read any time I want! I also love that she bases her characters in Ohio. I have read every book at least 20 times each, they are that good!!! I have laughed, cried and fallen in love with her characters and I will read them again and again. In fact I'm going to read Welcome to Temptation again today!!!!
I have read all of Jennifer Crusie's books. Whichever book I'm reading at the moment is my favourite! Bet me was the fist book I read and could relate to all the characters. My hard copies of each book are really worn out so now I have them all on my Kindle to read any time I want! I also love that she bases her characters in Ohio. I have read every book at least 20 times each, they are that good!!! I have laughed, cried and fallen in love with her characters and I will read them again and again. In fact I'm going to read Welcome to Temptation again today!!!!
March 26, 2023
Welcome To Temptation- My first time reading Jennifer Cruise and maybe my last. I know I have Bet Me to read but I'm not sure I'll want to. Welcome to Temptation was a weird combination between small town murder mystery and two sisters making a porno. Phin's daughter was the only good character in this story. His mom was horrendous. This is definitely dated with characters making inappropriate moves. Fifteen days reading a book that should have taken me two is a beacon of surrender.
Read
December 15, 2024DNF on Welcome to Temptation. I couldn't get into it. The characters felt flat, the plot was bizarre, and the humor just didn't land with me.
HOWEVER, Bet Me was excellent. I was drawn in immediately with the "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" start and really enjoyed the character and relationship development throughout. The supporting characters were enjoyable and fun as well.
HOWEVER, Bet Me was excellent. I was drawn in immediately with the "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" start and really enjoyed the character and relationship development throughout. The supporting characters were enjoyable and fun as well.
May 26, 2019
The first book was recommended to me, and both hit the perfect spot... Sometimes you need books with empty calories and this was an easy read from the library. I’m curious if her other books hold up as well
July 29, 2017
Good, fun read. Need to read more by this author.
October 5, 2017
Cute fun quirky. Lots of miscommunication.
March 31, 2019
I love both of these books. This is A 2-1 book. Welcome To Temptation and Bet Me. Both books are great, I really like Jennifer Cruise
December 9, 2019
Entertaining. Not my favorite. Typical romance novel.
July 5, 2020
Both books were fantastic. They made me laugh. I loved all of the characters. Definitely need to read more of this author!
July 16, 2020
"Welcome to Temptation" only. Haven't read Bet Me
August 14, 2021
Good story, but the constant advertising for a certain chocolate mark and - les frequent - whiskey really put me of. If I had known I wouldn’t have bought this book.
July 30, 2022
Great light reads. I liked Welcome to Temptation best, and could easily see it as a weekly comedy TV series.
October 18, 2025
3.0-3.5 stars. Love this author, this is one of her earlier books. Listened to this on audible. Enjoyed the narrator. Small town romance, cute story. Just not as good as later books.
February 25, 2017
This is two books. Welcome to Temptation and Bet Me, both by Jennifer Cruise. It is not bad. An easy read that follows the traditional "cheap hope" romantic formula. I did find Bet Me to be a little more amusing than Welcome to Temptation
August 17, 2011
This is the first time I have ever read anything by Crusie and what a pick! A town called Temptation with a water tower painted like a nipple and shooting a porn film trouble is just about everywhere.
Then who can resist a bet? And when your target is such an underdog who would think you might fall for her? I love this story it goes along with one of my favorite authors Jennifer Weiner. Be confident in who you are and stick up for yourself even if no one else will. Great read and will definitely pick up a few more to read up on!!
Then who can resist a bet? And when your target is such an underdog who would think you might fall for her? I love this story it goes along with one of my favorite authors Jennifer Weiner. Be confident in who you are and stick up for yourself even if no one else will. Great read and will definitely pick up a few more to read up on!!
June 2, 2015
Crusie's dialogue in both books was refreshingly witty and fun, and entertaining enough that I'll probably seek out more Crusie novels for quick, silly reads. The overall 4 star rating primarily goes to Welcome to Temptation with Bet Me riding its coattails. Bet Me seemed unpolished and unconvincing. How often would a charming, hot "beast" of a man find attraction in a frumpy, plump woman and why would he repeatedly feed this "sturdy legged", plastic shoe wearing creature doughnuts and chicken marsala? Seriously?
July 12, 2016
Slow start but worth the read
If you like romance novels this is a fairly good read. The opening didn't ground me to the characters and the theme bar was awkward and I couldn't 'see' it.
The author stated it was a rewrite of her first book. It seems the front was chopped and not well. There are extra words, tense issues and references that don't make sense.
However if you get to the part where it smooths out the chapters develop muscle, skin and bone.
Predictable, quirky in a good way. Pretty good ride.
If you like romance novels this is a fairly good read. The opening didn't ground me to the characters and the theme bar was awkward and I couldn't 'see' it.
The author stated it was a rewrite of her first book. It seems the front was chopped and not well. There are extra words, tense issues and references that don't make sense.
However if you get to the part where it smooths out the chapters develop muscle, skin and bone.
Predictable, quirky in a good way. Pretty good ride.
March 6, 2013
Bet Me is the second of Crusie's books that I've read. Both were romantic comedies. While the romance genre has never held my interest, Ms. Crusie develops characters that are quirky and smart. The snappy dialogue is light and fun. This is Chick Lit all the way but an entertaining read that lightens up my mood after a heavy or dark book.
December 24, 2014
Bailing out of Welcome to Temptation in the middle of chapter 5 because I hate every single character. Suppose I should give Bet Me a try while I've got it.
Update: Enjoyed Bet Me, but I'm not a huge fan of how she gives everyone horrible parents. Someone has to have nice parents so the others can share them! Also the epilogue seemed like overkill.
Update: Enjoyed Bet Me, but I'm not a huge fan of how she gives everyone horrible parents. Someone has to have nice parents so the others can share them! Also the epilogue seemed like overkill.
March 2, 2016
Not the kind of book I'd normally read, let alone reread, but I can't help myself - it's a good time! Not overly chic-lit-y, nowhere near bodice ripping, just a fun modern romance/mystery story that reads like a movie. Perfect for giving me a quick escape from work, nursing school, and life in general.
July 21, 2016
I enjoyed it at first but got tired of it really quickly. I get bored after a while of sex scenes, and the plot was just a bit too improbable for me to suspend my disbelief. Especially the murder mystery thrown in at the end - it felt like a vague afterthought.
May 16, 2013
Started Welcome to Temptation and only read a few pages before skipping to Bet Me. Bet Me was good. Over the top - not sure who wouldn't excise toxic people like David and Cynthie, but whatever. Not sure about Welcome to Temptation. Might go back to it later. Might not.
October 21, 2013
A wonderful Book by Jennifer Crusie. A humorous contemporary romance that takes you across lanes. The wonderful description of scenes and emotions make this book a memorable one. But my favorite book is Bet Me.
December 20, 2014
me encanto!! es perfectamente inprfecto, es encantador y adorable y hace que te vuelvas loca. este libro es como estar enamorada, al principio crees que puedea manejarlo pero con el tiempo pierdes la cabeza de felicidad y puede que al final termines llorando de alegria y felicidad.
May 16, 2008
I just read "Bet Me." It was great! A fun read, very entertaining.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews