Now an Amazon Top Ten Bestseller: #1 Sports Romance, #1 New Adult Romance, #1 Romantic Comedy
WSJ bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills returns with an all-new swoon-fest of a novel about what happens when you look beyond labels and take a chance on love.Sexy Athlete: I bet you won’t . . . Penelope Graham: Burn in hell, quarterback.The late night text is random but Penelope figures out exactly … Graham: Burn in hell, quarterback.
The late night text is random but Penelope figures out exactly who “Sexy Athlete” is. And why she shouldn’t take his wager.
Ryker Voss.
Football star.
Walks on water and God’s gift to women.
Just ask him.
His bet? He promises Penelope he’ll win her the heart of the guy she’s been crushing on. His plan–good old-fashioned jealousy. Once her crush sees her kissing Ryker, he’ll realize what he’s missing. Sounds legit, right? The only question is. . . why is Ryker being so nice to her?
Penelope Graham.
Virgin.
Lover of sparkly vampires and calculus.
His mortal enemy.
Penelope knows she shouldn’t trust a jock, but what’s a girl to do when she needs a date to Homecoming? And Ryker’s keeping a secret, another bet, one that could destroy Penelope’s heart forever.
Will the quarterback score the good girl or will his secrets mean everyone loses this game of love?
Penelope Graham was such a spit fire, quirky and smart — not at all the popular type, but I LOVED HER!
Ilsa Madden-Mills is one of my top favorite authors. I have loved every book I’ve read from her and she continues to keep giving me more wonderful and beautiful words. I could never get tired of her writing. She knows how to write a KICK ASS book that’s for sure.
Now, I absolutely love New Adult Romance. I don’t know why, but I do especially college romances. They always tug at my heart and I love how these characters and their romance develops.
In I Bet You, I loved how Penelope harbored a mad crush on Ryker but at the same time she was crushing on the nerdy hot guy, Connor. So what does a girl do here!!
Ryker wasn’t actually the person that people perceived him to be. He had more to offer and he was focused on just “one” person, the problem was, how was he going to get her to notice that he was all in?? He was such a sexy guy, a great quarterback and could score in the sack as well, but will that be enough to win the girl’s heart?
Penelope, even though she’s been crushing on Ryker, she knows better than to fall for the jock. She doesn’t trust them because of her family history. She definitely doesn’t want to end up like her parents. But can Ryker prove her wrong?
I thought this was a sweet, enemies-to-lovers story! I couldn’t stop laughing at Penelope’s silliness, she was just something else!
5 Stars
What a fun story to read! It was rather funny in parts but also a little sad due to some of the teasing parts!
I really liked the characters and how they progressed through the story and I thought the chemistry between Penelope and Ryker was hot!! Their banter was rather good too!
There is so much to love about a story that captures your heart and you feel for the characters and what they go through! You cant help but fall a little in love with Penelope‘s pet! I laughed every time!
Some of the lines that comes out of Rykers mouth though are rather ridiculous, its like hes tongue tied! Funny though as well! I snort laughed quite a but and he just endeared himself to me!! Their text messages are great, the truth seems to come out in them !
A really enjoyable story that will make you fall in love with the authors beautiful words!
I don’t know where to begin… I could say so much about this book, but it wouldn’t do it justice, It’s fun, its swoony romantic, its emotional, its simply and freaking great read !!!!
I started laughing at Dimpleshitz and from that point to the end it continued.
Ryker Voss, the golden boy of football and Penelope aren’t a couple you would imagine would be just so perfect for each other.
The Chemistry between these two sure has the steam rising. The dialogue had me glued to the pages with silly grins, (I am sure i was getting funny looks) but yet there was romance and swoony moments galore and from beginning to end I was captivated and didn’t want to leave their world. I loved that their story felt so real and so easy to get invested in. Ryker really was that guy who always said the wrong thing at the wrong time and it just made you love him all the more. But below all this fun was a very serious love growing, and i for one LOVED ever single moment of it !!
This was pretty entertaining for a new adult romance. It was sweet, romantic, and entertaining. I enjoyed the characters and story. I really like this series. It’s a very good escape from reality.
A funny, sweet, and entertaining story. Ryker and Penelope are cute together, their friendship is adorable, but most of all their chemistry is undeniable. I enjoyed this story.
3.5 Stars!
This was a good enemies to friends to lovers romance story. I enjoyed Penelope and Ryker characters. There was good chemistry between the two, the sex scenes were steamy, and they made me laugh. However, I could have done without so many inner monologue parts with Penelope. The ending of the story was funny and sweet but I wish there was a little more. I think a scene at the end with Penelope, her dad Carson, Cora, Cyan and Margo, Ryker and Connor would have wrapped up this story completely for me. I look forward to reading more books from this author.
She has a parrot named Vampire Bill!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Audio/Narration:
Romance:
Heat/Steam:
Story/Plot:
World building:
Character development:
The setting: Waylon University
The Hero(s): Ryker Voss – QB1 and the most handsome guy at the school. Ryker is always surrounded by Jersey Chasers. He had some trouble last year when his best friend on the team was fighting illegally and he didn’t tell anyone on the team. His friend was suspended for several games and Ryker was cleared but not until his name was dragged through the mud.
The heroine: Penelope Graham – she is a smart girl who studies in her free time and wants to someday be a romance novelist. She daydreams and writes historical romances and they always seem to star Ryker Voss. Her father was a football player and left her mother when she got pregnant, so Penelope will never date a football player
The Love Story: Ryker and his friends have bets going all the time and he makes a bet about Penelope. Penelope has a crush on a studious guy in one of her classes and Ryker tells her he will help her get a date with the guy.
I love Ilsa Madden-Mills books, they have plenty of steam and lots of humor. I am just getting in to audiobooks so I thought this would be a good one to listen to. I enjoyed the narration, though there was something about the inflection sometimes in the woman’s voice that made me dislike Penelope a bit. I am not sure if it was how she was reading certain lines or the actual words, but I suspect it was how she was reading it.
I guess I just got the impression that Penelope was a bit uppity from the way she said certain things. Though overall I really did like the narration and the story was great. I do like sports romances and I love it when the protagonist has an animal. This one was a parrot named Vampire Bill and Penelope was teaching him a new word every day. Overall this is rated 4.5 so I will give it 5 stars.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own.
Wow. I am loving this series! This one definitely had its cheesier moments, but I loved them. It gave me all the feels. The conflict was clear very early on, but even so, it was entertaining. And I loved all the pop culture vampire references. Especially Twilight and Dark Lover, which doesn’t come up very often.
This was such a cute and sweet story between two people: Ryker Voss and Penelope Graham who are different in many ways and filled with banter and more when it comes to each other.
It all started out as helping one get their crush which in turn was to make one realized what they truly want regardless on their personal story. However, the constant word “bet” comes up and your mind will l have you wondering what is real and what is fake.
Penelope is a bookworm, vampire loving virgin who has sworn off football players. They are unreliable and untrustworthy, just take her dad for example.. he left her mom, right after Penelope was born, for the NFL. So no football players and jocks are off limits.
Ryker is the quarterback of their college football team, the “golden boy”, who tells Penelope he will help her get her crush as her homecoming date. But what happens when feelings develop that were never a part of the plan? Will Ryker be able to show Penelope he isn’t as bad as she’s made him out to be or will things crash and burn?
Well one thing I can say is wow. I couldn’t put this book down. It was so good! Sleep? Who needs that when you have this book to read?! This was a page turner, heart wrenching story that I just absolutely adored!! I just wow. I’m blown away by the feelings I had during this book. I wanted to cry and laugh and cry again then laugh some more. This book. I already want to read it again. I want more Ryker and Penelope
“You’re the kind of girl I have to work for…”
I knew I’d love this book!!! Ilsa’s stories are the sweetest, they are full of humor and her couples are so real and genuine; this stories are particularly real and I can totally identify with them, they are utter perfection when it comes to happily ever after!!
Ryker has the world at his fingertips, he’s popular, he’s got girls, friends and the game; as part of a football team, bets are on the table every day; so when his teammates start betting him to approach Penelope; he knows he wants nothing more but get close to her, and if the perfect timing comes as a bet, then so be it!! Penelope is the sweet girl that everyone adores; she’s the girl with the auburn hair, and legs for days, and best of all? She’s the geek you’d never think to fall in love with; but if her life has taught her something is to never rely on an athlete, and being the target of the most popular guy on campus can’t be good…even if he feels right.
Ilsa Madden-Mills has quickly escalated in my shelves, she’s on my top three authors with the most paperbacks I own on my little sanctuary, and let me tell you I don’t think there’s a book she writes I don’t love!!
This was a quick and cute read. Don’t expect anything genre bending, but it was fun and entertaining way to pass a few hours.
Super cute and you’ll love the characters in this.
A quick light read with engaging characters. Love the H..a real sweetie
Entertaining story this series is great
Omg! This was a great book, I couldn’t put it down and immediately read the next book in the series. She writes very well in a way that draws you into the story. I definitely recommend this book
I really liked Penelope and Ryker, I liked the plot; overall I thought the whole thing was well done. I would have liked to see a bit more football and a bit more of what went on in Rykers background. It was better than I thought it would be and I’m glad I took the chance on it. It did help make up my mind reading the couple chapters sneak look offered on Amazon. If you like college romance with give and pull, you will like this one.
I am in love with Ilsa Madden-Mills books! I cannot get enough of the characters and the story! This is a college sports romance book with Ryker, the football player and Penelope, the girl who hates football players.
Ryker Voss is the star quarterback and ladies man who got wrapped up in the fighting scandal in I Dare You (this is a bit of a stretch for me. His”involvement” is that he “let” his friend fight. Lame IMO). Penelope Graham wrote an article about his involvement dragging his name through the mud. Since reading her article Ryker is drawn to Penelope but she wants nothing to do with him. Her dad was a football player who walked away from her and her mom so she doesn’t date football players. While Penelope is working a shift at the local diner Ryker is there with some of his teammates. They bet him that he can’t get Penelope to go on a date with him. When he asks she realizes it is all a bet and turns him down cold – literally, she dumps ice water on his crotch. But Ryker can’t stay away, bet or not. She doesn’t bow down and worship the ground he walks on so he is hooked.
There are too many things going on with this story. There is the I will help her win her crush trope and also the After trope. I wish that there was a different way that the author found to get them talking and being friends than the I will help her win her crush trope. I hate this. But I did like the whole “so you know” thing that Ryker did. Also, Penelope was annoying. I just couldn’t connect with her and I think this added to my disappointment that there wasn’t enough from Ryker’s POV. Overall I enjoyed the book but not as much as I Dare You. I am very curious about I Hate You because the interaction between Blaze and Charisma was fun. There were good secondary characters and am excited for their book.
Fun, quirky and a great read !
Penelope and Ryker (AKA red and little llama (love the llama nickname haha ) )’s story is fun, quirky , hot but slow burn , friends to lovers .
I loved the comic input of vampire bill he made me laugh so many times !
I found it a light and very enjoyable read ! Definitely recommend it !
This is a companion book of I dare you but really is a stand alone as well – in this book we get a few small mentions of Mav and Delaney but we see more of blaze (the next book in this companion series ) .
This was another great read. Ryker and Penelope are awesome together and I really enjoyed their story. I Bet You is a quick, fun, and easy read.