Bet the House

Bet the House by Erika Marks

Willa Dunn has grown up knowing at least one thing for sure:  the Loveless Brothers are EVIL.  Their construction company has always been at odds with her family's historical preservation business.  Now, not only has her baby sister has turned traitor and agreed to marry the oldest Loveless Brother, the middle brother just out-bid her on her dream house.

Knox Loveless can't fully fathom why he lets Wilhelmina Dunn get under his skin, it's just been that way since a teenage bet changed their relationship all of those years ago.  It's none of her business why he joined the Historical Society Board, or that building "McMansions" with no character irritates him.  When he discovers that Willa's dream house is for sale, and that she might be out bid, he steps in and buys it himself.  Now, Knox is once again public enemy number one.  Can another bet change their relationship again?

Willa is often described in the book as being passionate or high-strung.  That is actually a spot on description.  I loved how the author doesn't leave out the ugly bits of a passionate personality.  Passionate people do tend to be self-centered and make a habit of walking over people to achieve their goals.  Being passionate is not a terrible thing, but people like that do need someone in their life (a friend, family member, or partner) to ground then and keep them from alienating people.

All of the characters in this book have massive flaws that the author uses to benefit the story.  The "drama queen" sister isn't chastised, but accepted; the blustering father isn't turned into a villain, just a typical big personality; the "other guy" is actually likable, despite committing a huge social gaffe.

Overall, I really liked this book.  The way that for every situation, both sides of the story were told with equal weight, appealed on many levels.  Plus, the resolution was actually very satisfying and didn't feel forced or rushed.

Ratings:

(1=unacceptable, 2=poor, 3=acceptable, 4=good, 5=excellent)

Continuity/Flow – 5

Sex – 3 

Language – 3

Storyline – 5

Overall – 4