Today I'm sharing an excerpt and short review on The Billionaire's Bet, by Adelia Burke. I'm so excited to be on on this blog tour for this story!
Look at this adorable cover!
Here's the excerpt!
Ben watched her as she took in the entire room. He wanted to crawl in a hole. This place was a
disaster. Old food on plates were in the living room, shoes and clothes strewn around. The kitchen had
stacks of dirty dishes in the sink and counters. It really looked like a hurricane hit. Ben’s family home
never was in this condition. How could he let this happen? As he looked at the room through Delaney’s
eyes, he was disgusted.
“How many roommates do you have?”
Ben ran his hand through his hair. “I have two roommates. Rob is a friend from California who is
visiting for the weekend.”
“You guys should hire a maid. With the three of you splitting the cost it won’t be that
expensive.”
Rob laughed. “That’s a good idea, but they would want to clean before the maid gets here. They
wouldn’t want to show their dirty side.”
“That’s okay. Rob and I got this covered.”
Rob asked Delaney how she knew Ben. While they were talking Ben made his escape behind the
counter to do damage control. He didn’t want Delaney to see any more of his dirt. He finished loading
the dishwasher and started to turn it on when a panicked Delaney stopped him.
“Are you putting liquid dish soap in the dishwasher?” Delaney stood by Ben
Ben hoped he didn’t look as confused as he felt. “Yeah. Why?”
“You need to use dishwasher detergent. It usually comes in a powder or packet. If you use the
liquid stuff, it will make bubbles come out of the dishwasher.” Delaney shook her head. “Do you usually
wash your dishes this way?”
“Yes. We noticed it leaking bubbles every time we used it, but we thought something was wrong
with the machine.” Ben’s face felt hot. This was not the type of impression that he wanted to make. It
didn’t help that Rob was laughing so hard that he fell onto the couch.
Delaney bent down and pointed to the floor. “Look, you can see the linoleum peel right here.
See how it’s lifting up. The manager will make you pay for that. Don’t you have any dishwasher
detergent?”
Ben was astonished by what he didn’t know. The maids, cooks and gardeners kept their homes
running well. It never occurred to him that he should ever learn those things. Now he looked stupid in
front of the girl he cared about. “No. I’ll have to get some cleaning supplies today.”
Rob was still laughing as he stood up and started to pick up the trash. Ben wanted everyone to
leave so he could clean the house by himself. But Delaney had other plans.
“Let’s make a list. Do you have a vacuum? Furniture polish? Toilet cleaner?”
“No.”
Delaney started typing on her phone. Ben watched her stop and turn toward the hall sniffing all
the way. It seemed like she was on a mission. Ben didn’t want her to see the rest of his apartment.
“Something smells over here.” Her sniffing landed her in front of the washing machine.
Tentatively she reached for the door on the washing machine. “I think I found the problem. How long
have these clothes been in here?”
Rob looked at Ben with a raised eyebrow.
“Matt washed clothes a couple of days ago.” Ben was glad this problem was caused by someone
other than himself. The owners of this home wouldn’t like the way the guys had been taking care of this
place. Ben didn’t like it either. He decided right then that he was going to take very good care of this
home.
Delaney pointed to the clothes. “The clothes are moldy now because they have been sitting
there for days. You have to put them in the dryer as soon as they’re washed or they’ll smell like this.”
Ben watched Delaney add some more laundry detergent and fabric softener and start the
machine.
“I think it’s time for me to give you lessons on cleaning.” Rob slapped his back.
“No. I think I can figure it out.” Ben chuckled nervously.
My thoughts: 3.5/5 stars
The theme and feel of this book can be described in one word: Humbling.
We see three people who come from a place where they can have anything they want. Riches, houses, girls. They live in luxary.
It's a beautiful story about getting back to their roots for some, and falling off their high horse, for others.
They find love, and kindness in living life as so many others have to. From having everything handed to them, their now living paycheck to paycheck. For once in their life they have to wonder where their next meal is coming from, and they even have to cook it for themselves. They struggle, they laugh, and they learn humility.
I didn't always find myself vibing with this story. There was conflict but it always seemed resolved quickly. But it was on the shorter story side of things so maybe I'm just being picky. There were some unexpected turns I enjoyed, however.
I really liked the main characters, Ben and Delaney. Their relationship is adorable and I liked seeing them care for each. They definitely had great character development, whereas there were others that did not. But no spoilers😜
Thank you for letting me participate in your blog tour Miss Burke!
Here's the Purchase link for those interested!
~~ Rebekah
