Blame it on the Bet by L.E. Rico

Blame it on the Bet
by L.E. Rico

Welcome to Mayhem, Minnesota, where the cats wear sweaters, the local priest dispenses dating advice, and you can find your fortune in the bottom of a pie pan.

When her family’s pub is threatened with foreclosure, Hennessy O’Halloran, along with her three sisters, is determined to raise enough money to keep it out of the hands of the L.A. real-estate developer trying to raze it and replace it with a—god forbid!—multiplex theater.

Bryan Truitt always gets what he wants. And what he wants is the sweet corner property on Mayhem’s Main Street where O’Halloran’s Pub sits. But his “quick business” turns into more than he bargains for when he meets the feisty Hennessy. Next thing he knows, he’s betting her he can outlast Mayhem’s punishing winter in time to make the pub his—or he’ll gift it to her for free.

Hennessy knows better than to flirt with the enemy. But suddenly Bryan’s not sure which he wants more…the property or the woman who owns it.

Review:

I was really excited about this one since I fell in love with Lauren’s writing when I read my first book of her Solo.

Solo packed a punch and I am so happy that Blame it on the bet is as amazing!  Lauren is a fantastic storyteller and I just love the characters she creates.  Here we get to know Hennessy and her 3 sisters as they are coping and trying to move on after their father’s death.

I really enjoyed the premise of it being set in a small town, it made it all so much more personal and focused as the sisters and the community play a really good role in the story.

Hennessy and Bryan are totally adorable together and I could not help myself but like them. To be honest, as I was reading I could not help myself but crack up during some really hilarious situations and tear up a little for more emotional ones.

Blame it on the bet hit all the right notes and does that with style.  Based on what I see on the cover, I am guessing this is book 1 of a series and since we have 4 sisters then I am assuming we have 3 more stories to cover.  I really love that idea a lot cause well, it is a good way to keep tabs on Hennessy and Bryan.  Plus, well the sisters are all really unique characters so it will be good to get to know them better.

Can I vote on James’ story to be next?

Oh and btw.. I need to give a special mention to Father Romance. Not often do I give a shoutout to a religious character in a book, but Father Romance is something else and deserves it!

Blame it on the bet is a marvelous easy read, had a hard time putting it down and is so very entertaining. Lauren has done it again by delivering a really exceptional read and a slew of new beloved characters.

I am going to highly recommend it and encourage you to read her other work as well!

Excerpt:

Standing there, looking bedraggled and exhausted, is Bryan Truitt. He’s holding his iPhone up to the door, and I can just make out the tiny image of Peter Gabriel’s album So on the screen. Bryan doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t knock. He doesn’t ring. He just stands there, phone up, waiting for me to hear him and open the door.

I do.

“In your eyes, I see the doorway to a thousand churches…” Peter Gabriel sings just loud enough so as not to bother my neighbors.

“That’s my favorite line,” he says. “The doorway to a thousand churches line…”

“Yeah, that is a pretty amazing image,” I agree, playing along as he pretends this is a perfectly natural situation.

“I get it.”

“What?” I ask, neither of us budging.

“I get what he’s saying. Because I see that when I look into your eyes.”

I stare at him, my breath suddenly caught in my throat.

“You…you do?” I ask, sounding tentative.

He nods.

“I do. And that’s why I’m here.”

“It is?”

Jeez, could I be any lamer?

He nods again.

“Can I come in?”

I step back and hold the door open so he can pass me.

I realize I’m dressed in only a terrycloth robe with my hair swept up in a towel turban. No clothes. No makeup. Not even a pair of slippers.

“Uh… Let me go put something on—”

“No,” he says sharply. The surprise must register on my face because he’s quick to jump in again. “I don’t want to let you out of my sight. Not for a second. I can’t.”

“Bryan…”

He sets his phone down on the breakfast bar and wraps his big, strong hands around my forearms.

“No, Hennessy. I let you go once, and I won’t do it again. Not ever.”

Author’s Bio:

L.E. Rico didn’t set out to be an author. In fact she’s made a name for herself as a classical music radio host—doing her best to make the music and the composers relevant by putting them into a modern context. It was just a few years ago that she discovered a passion for writing that blossomed into an entire novel. And then another. And another. And, while she still spends plenty of time on the radio, telling the stories of the great composers, she spends even more time composing her own great stories.

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