Friends with Benefits

by Jenna Bennett

A Cinderella story about a pregnant waitress who marries her boring next-door neighbor for his health benefits... only to realize he's the man she should have been with all along.

What Kaylee Carter needs, is a friend with benefits.

Health benefits, that is.

An accidental pregnancy has left her jobless and broke, with no money to cover her car payment or rent, let alone prenatal care and childbirth.

When next door neighbor Owen Taylor offers a marriage of convenience – room, board, and medical insurance – it’s an answer to prayer. But as they settle in together, Kaylee can’t help but wonder what Owen gets out of the deal.

What Owen Taylor wants, is Kaylee Carter.

Nice guy Owen has been quietly pursuing Kaylee for months, but she’s never given him the time of day. Now that he’s gotten her into his life and his bed, he’s not about to give her up.

But when Kaylee’s baby daddy comes knocking, what will Kaylee do? Does she choose her husband, or her baby’s father? The man who knocked her up... or the one who put the pieces together afterwards?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Adult, Contemporary

180 pages, ebook

First published July 15, 2014

About the author

Jenna Bennett writes the USA Today bestselling Cutthroat Business mysteries featuring Southern Belle and new-minted real estate agent Savannah Martin in Nashville, Tennessee.

As Jennie Bentley, she writes the New York Times bestselling Do-It-Yourself Home Renovation mysteries from Berkley Prime Crime, featuring designer and amateur sleuth Avery Baker and her boyfriend, handyman Derek Ellis, who renovate houses in Waterfield, Maine.

She also writes a variety of romance for a change of pace.

aka Jennie Bentley

The DIY series:

FATAL FIXER-UPPER (November 2008)
SPACKLED AND SPOOKED (August 2009)
PLASTER AND POISON (March 2010)
MORTAR AND MURDER (January 2011)
FLIPPED OUT (October 2011)
WALL TO WALL DEAD (September 2012)
HOME FOR THE HOMICIDE (December 2013)

The Cutthroat Business series:

A CUTTHROAT BUSINESS (May 2011)
HOT PROPERTY (June 2011)
CONTRACT PENDING (July 2011)
CLOSE TO HOME (September 2011)
A DONE DEAL (December 2011)
CONTINGENT ON APPROVAL (November 2012)
CHANGE OF HEART (May 2013)
KICKOUT CLAUSE (October 2013)

Soldiers of Fortune series:

FORTUNE'S HERO (December 2012)

Various:

ISLAND GETAWAY (October 2012)
VIRGINIA CREEPER (October 2013)
BEFORE YOU (March 2014)

Reviews

[Vikki ~ *squee* lite ~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I have to say - I almost put this one down within the first couple of pages. Neither of the main characters are portrayed in a particularly flattering manner in the beginning of the book. Kaylee comes off as a shallow, not terribly bright, gold-digger and Owen seems like a slightly geeky, insecure beta male. Not exactly the kinds of characters I'm all fired up to read about.

Pretty soon though, that all turns around. Don't get me wrong - there are pieces of those characteristics still there, but eventually you get to see beyond the surface to what's underneath. In particular, Owen and his supper sweet KISA ways really won me over.

Overall this was a short and sweet Cinderella like story. You know, if Cinderella got pregnant from a one night stand. The characters were likable, the writing was good, the plot (including the little twist) was enjoyable. I'll be picking up more from this author.

[❃**✿【Yasmine】✿**❃ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 STARS
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Cover: 5/10
Writing: 7/10
Heroine: 6/10
Hero: 6/10
Humour: 2/10
Hotness: 4/10
Romance: 7/10
Extra book Details: Heroine & Hero POV; 3rd person. Approx 190 kindle pages.

A nice 'cutesy' read about a seemingly shallow & poor waitress and a geeky & insecure payroll clerk.

Unfortunately the Blurb on Goodreads gives away the whole storyline and left nothing for me to discover.

The characters were nice, imperfect and cute together, but nothing enthralled me. It could have done with something to make it stand out, maybe some proper laughs or fun side characters.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book but it was very slow and all over the place at the beginning. Owen was a kind and sweet guy who would do anything to help someone but he didn't expect to fall in love. I wanted to scream at the book a few times that why I didn't give the book more. xx

[Marisa Hurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice guy romance.

Nice guys do finish first. This was a refreshing romance where the hero is an actual good guy who ends up with the girl. Owen is Kaylee’s neighbor. He moved in next door to her a few months before and tried to ask her out but Kaylee never paid much attention to him. Kaylee is a waitress who gets pregnant from a one night stand. The father of the baby has disappeared and she ends up losing her job. She doesn’t have any family or health insurance and is in danger of losing a place to stay. Owen being the nice guy that he is, offers to marry her so she can have a place to stay and health insurance. Owen foots the bill for everything and treats Kaylee very well. He genuinely is a nice guy and eventually gets Kaylee to see him in a new light. He also hides the fact that he is in reality the heir to his family’s fortune. This was a sweet story with some heat. It is a marriage of convenience with a Cinderella aspect to it.

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like Kaylee all that much. She seemed shallow at the beginning of the book. Then she waited so long to tell him she actually wanted him. Then she went and fucked everything up when all she had to do was talk to Owen.

Owen I'm confused about. He was living next door for 5 months did he not date at all, he seemed so shy then all of a sudden he was all sexy and a completely different person.

I didn't really find this book that great. But it wasn't terrible either.

[Ambisaurus Rex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story.

This book had a very interesting premise and happened to center on my absolute favorite romantic trope so I figured why not jump in? The characters are relatable and their banter was enjoyable but there were spots where the story simply wasn't all that interesting and I had to skim. The main sort of mystery was a bit too predictable but the romance between the two characters made it worth the read. I'm a tiny bit sad that there was no epilogue but nevertheless, I don't regret this time spent on this fake marriage story.

Owen by the way, is one of the sweetest humans I've met in a book in a while. She was smart to stay married to him.

[Jan L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a Cinderella ending with some magical maturing throughout the story. I disagree with some reviewers because everyone makes mistakes and has flaws of some type. Kaylee and Owen prove that. Every character was written as believable, from the waitresses and their boss, the sleaze bucket baby daddy, the banker and even Owen's mom and grandfather. My personal reading preference is not to have all the intimate information repeated throughout (less is more) so I skimmed a lot but since I've loved everything I've read from Jenna Bennett I gave this a try and her usual creative writing lit up the pages I read. Chattanooga is my hometown so that also made it fun.

[Charliegirl1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow build

This book has a slow build of attraction and love between characters that are different from most cookie cutter romances. It does drag in some spots, but it's overall a good story, right up until the end, which comes suddenly. They characters get their HEA, but I wanted more of their story. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I'd like to read more, but unfortunately the bulk of her books seems to be an ongoing series of mystery stories, nothing like this book at all.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kaylee Carter had a one-nighter with a man because he was rich, she didn't really like him but he was rich. Of course, he lied about who he was and disappears. Enter neighbour Owen Taylor (he is rich but she doesn't know) who offers her a marriage of convenience because she lost her job and was going to be homeless.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not gonna lie - this was a kind of like a fanfiction and I'm not sure on which New York Times Bestsellerlist Jenna Bennett appeared or how.
But: If you make it past the first very bad pages in which you probably will get annoyed about the stupidity of the main characters, it's gonna be very entertaining and in parts quite hot.

[Candi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light, sweet romance

I stayed up most of the night reading this great little book. The characters, plot and pacing all worked well and will leave you more than satisfied.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A feel good story with a guaranteed HEA. Likable main characters.

[ABreaux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wrong title

The title doesn't work with the story for me, maybe Lucky in Love. Anyway an enjoyable read. The ending was a little fast but strong, with that " Happy ever after" .

[Hana Bilqisthi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is fun read. The writing is page turner and the plot is cliche but it is good when you want fast paced good feeling reads

[Janet Morais · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, good reading

[Charlene Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok

3stars for being able to read it the whole way through. Through the typos and other bad editing. The story was ok though.

[Megan Rath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cutesy and predictable, and a really fast read. I good break between the heavier, more literary stuff I've been trying to get through.

[Lisa Mills · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish

I got 20%in and just had to quit. Characters were too immature and didn't come across as real. The plot line seemed a little to bizarre to b real as well. Sorry

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.6

[Makayla Hryniewicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

good story!

A cute story with a little spice! A little editing may need to be done but, over all, it was a nice read.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s nothing worse than a book with no epilogue

[Cogito_ergo_sum · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars.

I picked this book up because I thought it would be humourous. I mean, come on, with that outrageous plot, it needs comedy. Things like that don't happen in real life.

This book wasn't even funny. Not one bit. It had angst and I couldn't see what the hero saw in the heroine. All he mentioned was how beautiful she was to him, looks-wise. Seriously, that's all she had going for her.

What I got was a heroine who wasn't even likeable. She was kind of stupid. She slept with someone just because she thought they were rich. I know she came from a poor background and wanted to do better, but telling the reader she wasn't a gold digger while her actions proved contrary didn't endear her to me. It made me hate her. And believe me, I can like characters who have bad qualities, as long as the narrator is honest about them. I don't know who the author thought she was fooling, probably herself, but actions speak louder than words, and when those words are trying to convince you of something that is the opposite of the actions, then you've got a dishonest story. It doesn't feel genuine. It doesn't resonate with the reader. And God Damn it! I want a genuine, heartfelt story.

Furthermore, the author telegraphed all her little plot twists and reveals so far in advance that I couldn't be surprised even if I tried when she "formally" unveiled the information. It's not that it was a bad plot--it wasn't--but it doesn't entertain if the reader already knows what's going to happen.

On the upside, the writing was pretty clean. It delivered the story in a clear and concise manner. Maybe if the story was narrated in a humourous tone, it could have livened the story up.

In conclusion, this could have been a hit if

1) It had some form of comedy (narrative-wise or action-wise)
2) Had a likeable heroine
3) All the plot surprises weren't telegraphed.

[Jeanie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love feel good stories and Jeanna Bennet's Friends with Benefits has character, tension, and adorable people that you can't loving.

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the main character in the first chapter, but once I came to know her and understood her background, I fell in love with her and rooted for her the rest of the way.  Her neighbor Owen was a winner from the beginning, although he presented me with a few surprises too.

Kaylee was so excited and impressed by the attention of a player with a well big-shot name she took him home with her even though she wasn't typically a one-night stand kind of girl. She wasn't so impressed by the next morning and even less so a few weeks later when she realized that she was pregnant, especially after she figured out that while his name was well known, it wasn't his!  Lost and jobless she accepted the knight-in-shining-armor proposal from her neighbor whom she had pretty much ignore because he seemed too nice a guy for her. It may not have been a romantic proposal but it did include those three beautiful words, "paid medical coverage"!  Her pride long gone, the need to provide for and protect her baby pushed Kaylee into accepting the proposal. While all was not easy throughout the land, the development of the relationship and the problems the couple encountered created a beautiful R rated fairy tale. (or is that PG 13 now days?)

[Denise Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this sweet, romantic story.

Poor Kaylee Carter can't seem to catch a break. She works in a degrading job but is managing, until she ends up pregnant and unemployed, that is. To make matters worse, her baby's dad is nowhere to be found.

Then, just as it looks as if all hope is lost, Owen Taylor, a neighbor she'd never given much thought to, comes to her rescue and makes things lots better. He has a good job and health insurance. He offers to marry her, for her to move in with him, and to enjoy the benefits of his health insurance.

Kaylee accepts, and it looks like all will be well for her for a change, until the baby's dad comes back. From there a little chaos ensues, and I'll let you read to find out the rest of the story.

I absolutely adore Ms. Bennett's books, and this one didn't disappoint. She writes realistic characters and evokes strong emotions through her writing. I'll continue to read anything and everything she publishes.

[M.E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really cute story. Girl makes horrible mistake, nice guy (who she's ignored for months) steps in to help. Love ensues.

When you meet Kaylee Carter, well, she doesn't start as the most sympathetic heroine. But she's got her reasons - and she changes. And Owen Taylor, well, every woman should have an Owen in her life. I did start to suspect that there was more to Owen than meets the eye, and I am happy to say I was right - but being right made me very happy. Never underestimate a good guy!

Yes, there are some steamy scenes, which pulls this out of the category of "sweet romance" but they stay out of really icky. I started this thinking I'd have a nice, leisurely read. Two days later, I need to look for another book!

[Puna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Barely two stars. The female lead is a total gold digger, she sleeps with a guy she just met only because she believes he's rich. When she turns up pregnant she decided that he better marry her or, at least, give her ALOT of money. Sadly after that she really didn't improve. She was living with her neighbor, rent free, not having to pay for utilities or food, using his medical insurance, but didn't want to use his money for maternity clothes because THAT would be taking advantage. Seriously???

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

Owen has liked Kaylee since he moved in next door to her. When she loses her job because she's pregnant, Owen takes advantage of the situation and offers to help her out. In order to have medical benefits though, Kaylee has to marry him.

It's fun to watch them fall in love though they have secrets which will come out to bite them. In the end, which is more important, love or money?

Cute story, but full of sex and language.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Facebook recommended this book. I will not be listening to FB again. Main female character was a "woe is me" type and a gold-digger. A waste of 2 hours. Also, I didn't care for her writing. Seemed like a horny teenager wrote it, instead of an adult. Yuck!

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute, fun romance. Kaylee had her share of problems and Owen was a bit too much of a sweetheart at times, but, as the story progressed, I found that I came to really like both of them. The story captured and held my attention. Overall, an entertaining read.

[Cynthia Kaley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

Amazing

very erotic, and it reminds me to always talk to my boyfriend no matter what
this is an amazing story