“Carter’s writing style is absolutely brilliant.” —The Romance Reviews A high-flying investor New Yorker Jake Harrington loves a lot of things about living in London. His lucrative hedge fund job. The way British women melt at the sound of an American accent. His just-sex arrangement with his gorgeous roommate, Jess. And, oh yes, being thousands of miles away from the girl who betrayed him. … thousands of miles away from the girl who betrayed him.
His sexy British flatmate
Jess’s deal with Jake suits her fine. No commitments, no risk of being hurt again, just friendship and mindblowing pleasure. And friends do each other favors, like agreeing to go on a trip to New York where Jake will have to face his past.
And a vacation that will change everything…
What friends shouldn’t do? Suddenly find themselves feeling something much more complicated than simple lust. When “no strings” is no longer enough, will Jake be willing to take the ultimate gamble?
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The third novel in the Brits in Manhattan series, Hedging His Bets takes place in London where Jake Harrington is by day working as a commodities broker and by night enjoying his friends with benefits arrangement with roommate Jess. What looks to be an easy arrangement between friends has hidden depths and as this novel evolves we learn through flashbacks that each of them is hiding from deeper emotions. Jess from the loss of her parents at a young age and Jake from the betrayal of his best female friend back in New York, Emily. When Jake has to go to the Hampton’s for a week to visit his family. he asks Jess to go with him for moral support. While working to put his past behind him, Jake realizes what he wants for his future.
Jess was such an interesting heroine! Seeing her mother die from a broken heart, after watching her father waste away, she was afraid of love. She traveled with an aunt and uncle to third world countries and saw a bigger world view that influenced the decisions she made in life. Those flashbacks to Thailand showed a contrast between that culture’s faith and her own despondence and lack of color in her life. When she met Jake, her world bloomed. Jake had a totally different upbringing with a happy family and happy life. His world, until he graduated from college revolved around his friendship and feelings for Emily. When he meets Jess, it is an instant connection but the easiness of their friendship fooled him for awhile. It isn’t until he has to face his past that he truly grows up and see’s what’s right in front of his face.
I liked Balancing the Scales and enjoyed Drew and Becky’s relationship. It was fun, hot and well there were pastries and everything is better with a piece of cake, right? It was a good start to a nice series, however, Hedging His Bets was the full meal, not just the dessert. The characters were well rounded, the sex scenes moved the story forward, and most importantly the emotional climax of Jake and Jess’s story gave the ending the impact I wanted for my happily ever after.
Hedging His Bets is the best book in the series and Laura Carter’s best book to date. If you haven’t read the first two books in this series, I would encourage you to not be discouraged from picking up this novel. It can easily be read as a stand alone novel, but the first two books are also worth reading because of the British cheekiness and charm that infuses Ms. Carter’s style of writing. I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!
Brits in Manhattan Series
This is the second novel I have read in this series, I am not sure if there is a particular order because each one can truly be read as a stand alone!
This is the story of Jake and Jess, roommates, best friends and eventually best friends with benefits. But there are rules to these benefits.
Jess has had a sad but interesting childhood, a true traveler in every sense of the word. She has grown into a beautiful soul, quirky but fun and trying to find her place in the world.
Jake ran from his home in America to get away from his childhood friend and love of his life, Emily. What happened between Jake and Emily was never resolved when he moved to England and he wants it to stay that way.
The chemistry between Jake and Jess is explosive, you can tell that there is much more to them than friendship, but it was enjoyable to read the way they come about realizing it. Their dialogue with each other is funny, it’s hot and oh so romantical!
The secondary characters are fantastic! I enjoyed seeing characters from the other books in the series. It wasn’t overwhelming and it was nice to see how they have progressed.
I so enjoyed this book! Thank you for your words Laura! I can’t wait to see what comes out next!!
Hedging His Bets is book three in the Brits in Manhattan series. Although part of a series, it definitely can be read as a standalone.
This is a typical friends with benefits to much more story. Jess and Jake have a great best friend friendship. That turned to a friends with benefits one evening after feeling frisky, they decided to try it out. It works for them, for the most part, until it didn’t. Neither wanted a romantic relationship, but low and behold, that’s exactly what they were in!
Both of these two have quite a bit of baggage to wade through. Neither confronted their issues and actually dealt with them. They have been there for each other-like best friends are-in times of trouble. These two fit rather well together, but were so very short-sighted in realizing exactly what they had. Jake was a bit crass with his interpretation of their relationship at time, and other times so very caring. He seemed to really understand her fears. But in order to move on, they have to confront their fears and do the dirty work. I rooted for them to get through it.
I enjoyed the book as I love the trope, but it didn’t wow me. I think I was expecting maybe a bit more from these two smart, capable people. Still a good story and solid book to read!
This is the 3rd book in Laura’s Brits in Manhattan series, and I must say this one I loved, the best of the series for me.
Jake is living in London after a suffering from a massive broken heart, a situation that wasn’t closed and one he couldn’t face and ended up running to London to get away from. Jess is his room mate, a wonderful free spirit having traveled the world as a child after suffering a huge loss in her life. She has never settled in any place for long, being in London with Jake is the longest she has stayed anywhere. Jake and Jess have the best of friendships, they are there for each other through thick and thin, but their relationship has developed into one with ‘benefits’, but there are sure and fast rules to this, both more than happy to go along with this as there are no strings and emotions involved for either, right?
Jake has been invited back to the Hamptons to spend a week with his brother, but this may well mean coming face to face with the situation he ran away from, so he invites his best friend Jess to come along, hoping she will be there for him and support him. Jess is happy to go along, but when they get there and are having to share a room and a bed together, emotions and feelings start creeping in and those friends with benefits rules start blurring.
This was a great read, highly emotional at times, making me laugh and smile at others. I loved the main characters, Jake and his determination and understanding of Jess, and Jess with her free spirit but how broken and frightened she was of loving underneath all that. On top of all that you get to reconnect with the characters from Laura’s other two Brits in Manhattan books in this story who are also at the Hamptons for the week, so that just rounded off the story really well for me.
For me this was the best of the series, the story line, the background, the emotions, the characters – beautiful and well written, a truly captivating love story full of emotions from start to finish. A fabulous series.
This is the final book in this Brits in Manhattan. Laura Carter has written page turning read that will make you cry and make you smile. Its a great friends to lovers story of Jesse and Jake.
This time its the New Yorker, Jake Harrington, living in London with his British flatmate Jess. They have a no commitment arrangement. They both have fears from their pasts they aren’t willing to face. One week in the Hamptons turns their worlds upside down and changes everything.
It was great to see the others from the series back so even though this can be read as a standalone I would recommend reading the other books first.
I am looking forward to seeing what Laura brings us next.
Hedging his Bets by Laura Carter a five-star read that gives great odds. This is the third book in the Brits in Manhattan series, but each book is a stand-alone and really can be read on its own. This time it’s the turn of New Yorker living in London Jake Harrington and his sexy British flatmate Jess who he has an arrangement with as neither want commitment, in fact the opposite could be said of both as they are each running from a past neither want to face. One week in the Hamptons will change everything. I loved this book so much that when my friend met me for coffee it took me 5 minutes to realise she had even sat down, I was so engrossed as I was just finding out more about Jess and her story, as a character she is someone you will devour to find out more about, she will make tears come to your eyes and a smile on your face that will fill your dreams of countries far and wide. This was a great friends to lovers story, and it really does make you wonder would you risk it all? After losing everything once would you risk it again.
Whenever Laura Carter releases a book in the ’Brits in Manhattan’ serie I have big expectations. So far she has exceeded everything I could hope for.
It was good to get to know Jake, the brother in London. The same goes for Jess, the runaway roomies.
I loved to meet all the others in NY again. I might need to read the earlier books again, just to linger in their stories again.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.