The Bet (The Players #1) by Elizabeth Hayley

Releasing: June 27th, 2016

Jace “the Jet” Benning is a legend on the football field. And off. He has the arm, the charm, and the reputation of being the hottest player in the league.

Too bad Dr. Alessandra Mastrazacoma is not impressed.

With a busy schedule and a bruised heart, Alessandra doesn’t have time to date, but when she is lured into making a friendly bet with her best friend, she finds herself agreeing to go out with the next guy that asks…and to give him three shots, three dates, before pulling the plug.

Jace also has a friendly wager with his friends going, and it involves making sure the slightly klutzy, but very pretty, doctor will be his date to the biggest night in sports. With two wagers and two hearts on the line, will Aly and Jace win or are they betting to lose?

5 Amazing Stars

Elizabeth Hayley never fails to give me a story that will make me laugh, that will make me blush, and that will give me unforgettable characters that I can’t get enough of. I have loved each and every one of their books to pieces, and The Bet was no different. With their phenomenal writing, vibrant characters, and with their stories that I can’t ever put down, Elizabeth Hayley once again gave me it all with this book.

The made me laugh until the points that my cheeks hurt with the banter of these characters. They made me feel like I needed a fan after feeling the fire and connection these characters shared. They made me fall and believe in everything that was happening in this book, and more than that they made me love and enjoy every single second I spent within its pages.

The Bet is the first book in their new series of standalone sports romances, and let me tell you, after reading what I did in this book, I can’t wait to get my greedy little hands on the rest of this series. This book, and what I got with Jace and Aly as they experienced just how life changing a simple little bet could be was enjoyable in every way. Those two were real, they were funny as all get out, and there was just something about them that I couldn’t get enough of.

The way Elizabeth Hayley gives you them as this story unfolds will have you in every word of it all as these two see where their bets take them, as they try to wade through what they feel and share, and as they see what could be. Told through Elizabeth Hayley’s effervescent writing, this story gives you them, every bit of what they share, and will have you rooting for the two of them through every word.

Trust me on that.

What I loved about The Bet:

Aly and her no nonsense self. From the very first moment I was in Aly’s head I loved her. That girl was smart, she had some quick wit, and she made me smile because she was so real and just her. There was nothing fake or misleading about her, and Aly owned every bit of who she was. I can’t say enough how much I loved and respected that about her. I loved that she wasn’t afraid to be herself, to be a little nerdy, to be awkward, fumble her words, and just be her. That made her so easy to love and connect to, and it had me loving every bit I got with her as this story progressed. Getting to be with her as Jace flustered her, as he affected her, and as he made her feel all that she was starting to feel was fantastic in every way and made me love that girl more for how she kept him on his toes. Aly is such an authentic and strong female character that I felt for, that I rooted for, and that I felt for through every word of this book, and that is all a testament to how Elizabeth Hayley so phenomenally crafted her character.
Jace and his charm. Jace is a male character that you can’t help but love and fall for. He is charming, he is sweet, and he’s got that something about him that makes you blush, while simultaneously making you want to bat your eyelashes a few times. I loved getting into his head, getting to understand him, and getting to know that man behind all that charm and flirt. There is so much more to his character than what meets the eye, and each turn of the page in this book allows you to get another phenomenal piece to that man. What I loved about Jace was that through every page of this book I knew and felt how good of a guy he was. He was thoughtful, he cared about those close to him, and he was honest. While this whole situation with Aly might’ve started with a bet, it led him to some very real feelings and a connection that wouldn’t quit, and I loved how honest he was about that. Elizabeth Hayley made him a male character that was so beyond easy to fall for and love, and getting to know him as I did in this story pulled me to him even more.
A spark that just won’t quit. Aly and Jace share one helluva connection that starts from the first moment they meet, and continues to build and intensify with everything that they begin to share. While their first interactions are certainly memorable in a lot of ways, these two soon find themselves feeling a whole heck of a lot more than they expected. They have this certain push and pull going between them, and the closer they get and the more they share, the more they can’t help but be drawn to one another. That spark is full of fire and heat and some serious passion that I am telling you will have you looking for the nearest fan with what those two share. The way Aly and Jace’s connection strengthens in this book will have you feeling it all with them as things start to become very real, and as they start to realize that this is way more than they thought it’d be.
All bets are off. The start of this book finds both Aly and Jace placing bets with their friends that ultimately push the two of them together. Aly makes a bet to give a guy a chance and go on 3 dates with him, while Jace makes a bet that he can find the most beautiful girl to bring to an awards ceremony. A bet is what brought these two together, but after their first date and as they start to share more, they both start to realize that what they’re sharing is more than they bargained for. That adds an entirely new layer to this story, and forces these characters to really think about what they want, who they are, and what they’re willing to fight for. Everything between them started with a bet, but as their feelings deepened and their connection continued, Aly and Jace must figure out what in the world they’re going to do with what they share. This book and its events certainly puts them to the test, but I am telling you, you will love getting to be there every step of the way as these characters see what happens when all bets are off.
Humor and vibrancy galore. Now this wouldn’t be a book by Elizabeth Hayley if I didn’t find myself laughing like crazy with what comes out of these characters mouths and the good kinds of crazy they find themselves in. Through every page and chapter in this book I found myself laughing at the banter between all of these characters, their wonderful antics, and the situations they seemed to find themselves in no matter how hard they tried to keep it together. Elizabeth Hayley not only wove together a story with the most enjoyable and authentic humor, they also made these characters and their personalities so vibrant. They made them full of life, they made them fun and real, and they made them all so beyond easy to connect to and love. Aly, Jace, and every other character in this book had me laughing and loving every bit I got with them, and that was just another thing that made this book so enjoyable to read.
A world of characters I can’t wait to get more of. This book is the start to a new series, and I for one can’t wait to get more with all of these characters. This was Elizabeth Hayley’s first foray into sports romance, and I loved what they gave me in this book and what they’ve set up for in this series. They perfectly blended the love story, the characters, and the nuances of the sports themselves into this story and with these characters in a way that had me loving every bit of what I was reading even more. The personalities of all these characters already has me missing them something fierce, and eager for their stories and to get more of the banter and friendships they all shared together. The way Elizabeth Hayley created this world and put me right in the thick of it with all of these characters was enjoyable to the highest level, and already has me knowing that I will love whatever they have in store for them in the rest of this series.

The Bet was a story that had it all. It had the characters I could not get enough of, it had a story that was so consuming through every word, and it had one helluva love story that had me so enamored in everything that I got with Jace and Aly as they tried to figure out what in the world they were doing. This book made me laugh, it made me swoon just a bit, and it gave me two characters who were real, who were easy to love and root for, and who had one heck of a connection.

The way that Elizabeth Hayley brought every word of this story to life had me loving everything I was reading and experiencing with these characters, and so in this story in the most phenomenal way.The writing talent of this duo knows no bounds, and I have no doubt that I will love anything these talented authors write because their books are that good, their characters are that dynamic, and their stories are that unforgettable.

The Bet is a story about two seemingly opposites who find themselves drawn to one another in a way they haven’t been to any other. This story explores what happens when that bet brings them together, yet ultimately pushes them closer to what might tear them apart. Every word in between that these characters share is real, honest, and heart meltingly good, and that is just a part of what makes this story so good to read.