REVIEW: Just a Little Bet by Tawna Fenske

Just a Little Bet by Tawna Fenske: Smokejumper Tony Warren is terrible at relationship, he even has a trail of short lived relationships to prove this, convinced that he is just a sucky boyfriend, Tony let’s his best friend Kayla convince him into going on a road trip to track down all his old girlfriends and find out what he did wrong and once and for all prove weather he is just a bad boyfriend or if he really is a commitment phobe. What started out as a road trip where Kayla would be snapping pictures of old burn sites for her upcoming book deal and for Tony to get to the bottom of his relationship failures soon being to lead the pair into seeing that just maybe their platonic friendship has a more steamy under tone. With Tony finally seeing that he might just be self sabotaging all his previous relationships will he let his past come in the way of his own happily ever after?

“Her hand dragged down his chest, leaving a path of fire in its wake, and the friend theory flew out the window. This kiss was different. Hot and sexy and tender and gentle, and he didn’t know how all those things could coexist. All he knew was that she felt fucking amazing.”

I have come to become a huge fan of Tawna Fenske’s work and her Smokejumper series is shaping up to be one with a lot of promise. I absolutely loved following Kayla and Tony on their strange but cute road trip. It was pretty easy to love both these two characters and then add into the mix the cute little fluff ball that was fireball and I was sold. We first got to meet Kayla and Tony in the Fenske’s first book The Two Date Rule, so I was quiet eager to see what the deal was with these two and let me tell you I was not disappointed; this book was packed with the humour that was expected but also with a few very serious topics.

“I love you.” His voice came out raspy and quiet, so he said it again. “I love you, Kayla.” She blinked at him in the mirror, then gave a nervous little laugh. “As a friend, you mean.” He shook his head. “Not as a friend. As a guy who wants more than friendship. Who wants this— all of this— all of you—for as long as humanly possible.”

This was the type of book that the more you read the deeper invested you got with the characters, this was most true with Tony and seeing his background. I will say that it was nice to see that the author used a different type of domestic abuse, which also highlighted that abuse doesn’t not have to only be physical to be considered abuse. This book also showed that abuse affects more than just the person that is the object of the abuse. Though I will say that it was nice getting to see Tony grow past his past constraints with the help of Kayla.

“I love you, Kayla.” She looked up with a start , and he grinned. “Not just as a friend , though you’re the best friend I have. I love you as the woman I love more than anyone I’ve ever met before. This sentiment, the stupid words on that stupid hanging—they’re what I always wished for, but I’d given up hoping I could really have it.”

As for Kayla, what was not to like about her? I loved the idea of her doing a photo book based on old burn sites showing that new life can come from such dark destruction. I found that she was generally a really nice character and I absolutely loved how she came to adopting Fireball, now that was a hilarious story. In saying this Kayla was not without her own issues to face and I like that Fenske kept it real here, most women feel the same pressure Kayla does with the need to start her own family and find her partner, more so when all her other siblings are all already settled.

Overall I found that Just A Little Bet was a brilliant read, I loved that it was not all fluff but it had grit and touched on real issues. I would most definitely recommend reading this book and to keep a look out for the rest of the books in this series.

Book Info:

Publication: October 26th 2020 | Entangled: Amara  | Smokejumper #2

After a night of too many drinks, smokejumper Tony Warren and his best friend, photographer Kayla Gladney, come to the realization that they’re both bad at love. They even tried dating each other, but that crashed and burned, too. Now he’s got the hangover from hell and the certain conclusion he’s just a shit boyfriend. But Kayla thinks he’s a straight-up commitment-phobe.

So they make a bet—they’re going to hunt down his exes and decide once and for all why he’s so unlucky in love. Terrible boyfriend or commitment-phobe. Why does either answer feel like he’s still losing?

But between roadside burgers and late night detours, they discover some fires never burn out—like the one slowly smoldering between them. And suddenly losing feels a whole lot like winning again.