I loved this book, I like the wittiness of the characters, but also the underlying message in the book. There is always a reason why people behave the way they do. I admire the penwomanship of this writer, she finds humor in dire situations. All-in all, I loved the characters and their banter, their encounter with love, life and lust.
Here’s what the book’s about: After a night of too many drinks, completely against his habit, smokejumper Tony Warren and his best friend, photographer Kayla Gladney, come to the realization that they’re both bad at love. They even tried dating each other, but that crashed and burned, too. Now he’s got the hangover from hell and the certain conclusion he’s just a shit boyfriend. But Kayla thinks he’s a straight-up commitment-phobe.

So they make a bet—they’re going to hunt down his exes and decide once and for all why he’s so unlucky in love. Terrible boyfriend or commitment-phobe. Why does either answer feel like he’s still losing?

But between roadside burgers and late night detours, they discover some fires never burn out—like the one slowly smoldering between them. And suddenly losing feels a whole lot like winning again.

Fenske takes on serious subjects with humor and grace and her latest will have you alternately laughing and crying. Kayla and Tony are relationship goals, once they start learning to communicate.

Road trip, lovers-to-friends-to-lovers, second chance romance? Hello, all my catnip in one shiny package! This is the second in a series about smokejumpers, but I read as a stand-alone. I should just note, for anyone looking for firefighter content, while he is a smokejumper, the book happens during the off-season, so there’s very little related content.

“And you’re thinking they’ll just—what? Open up and give me all this insight into why I’m a bad boyfriend? Why would they do that?”
“Are you kidding?” She laughed. “What woman wouldn’t want a chance to tell a guy how he screwed up?”
Tony frowned. “That’s encouraging.”


Kayla and Tony dated for a while but broke up amicably – he wasn’t looking for anything serious while she wants to start a family – and they’re best friends now. But everything changes after his latest breakup – on his parents wedding anniversary – leads to him drunkenly confessing to her that he does want the whole marriage and kids thing. Kayla, spurred on by a self-help book her happily married sister recommended to her, decides on a plan. Tony was already planning to accompany her on a road trip to photograph old fire complex sites, so they’ll also interview Tony’s exes to figure out whether he just sucks as a boyfriend or there’s some other issue.

“I want—” He started there, then stopped himself. There were a million ways he could answer that.
I want to know what a good, solid, healthy relationship feels like.
I want the kind of marriage where no one loses themselves.
I want to be someone’s safety instead of someone’s trap.”


I mean, that’s classic rom-com material right there, isn’t it? I liked Kayla and Tony, and I especially liked them together. They have great chemistry, a great sense of humor, and the sex scenes are steamy. The ex interviews are funny and unique, though they don’t play as much of a big part as you’d think. It’s clear pretty quickly though why Tony has pushed away all his girlfriends, and his childhood trauma is deep and still very much present in the book. Despite his longing for a family – which he seems to barely want to admit to himself – he’s afraid he doesn’t know how marriage works and worries that he’ll only end up hurting Kayla if he tries to have a relationship with her. Kayla has her own issues – namely, being the only unwed one of her sisters – but it’s overshadowed by Tony’s family history.

“I kissed Tony and adopted a dog and almost had two strangers catch me bare-assed in the woods.” She paused, wondering if she should have started with hello. “Not necessarily in that order.”
“Wow.” Willa fell silent. “You’ve been gone three days, girl. What’s your plan for tomorrow, bank robbery?”


And that leads me to my main problem with this book. There’s just too much going on – the self help book, the ex interviews, the random dog (sure, Fireball’s adorable, but what in the world?), the estrangement with his mom. It felt like there were a lot of disparate threads and the tone differences between them all were jarring. Is this a madcap road trip comedy? A heartfelt story about recovering from childhood trauma? I’m not really sure. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy all those parts – I did! – but that I was often left with a bit of whiplash.

Overall, I’d give this 3.5 stars. While I think it had some tone issues, it was overall a funny and enjoyable read.

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I loved this book, it was full of emotions and some fun moments. Tony and Kayla were great, they used to date but decided they were better off as friends. But when something happens with Tony's latest girlfriend, he confesses he wants more out of life and is looking for love, as is Kayla. This was a very well written book and I loved every word.

This was a great friends to lovers, road trip story. I really enjoyed both Tony and Kayla. Kayla and Tony had previously dated each other but like all of Tony’s relationships it didn’t last very long yet they stayed friends. When Kayla had to go on a road trip to take photos, Tony decided to go along. While on this road trip they would look up some of Tony’s exes and figure out what went wrong. This brought Tony and Kayla closer, it allowed Kayla to see a deeper side to Tony that he didn’t normally let people see.
I really liked the friendship that really grew between Kayla and Tony...and Fireball.

I really didnt enjoy this book, the characters were kinda shallow to me. I couldnt connect to them, or the storyline.

Great road trip romance and just like any road trip there were several curves, side trips and unexpected turns in this story. Kayla and Tony are Friends-to-Lovers-to-Friends-to-Lovers, whew that’s a lot to take in. But Tawna Fenske wrote an incredibly true to life story of self-examination of one’s past actions that have led them to where they are today.

Although this book does have humor intermingled into the storyline, it delves into human emotions, actions and reactions as we follow Tony and Kayla on their journey. Both of them discover things that they don’t exactly like about themselves, but they also discover the truth about their lives and their past interactions with others.

I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful and joyful read. Love happy endings in books I suggest reading this book. Couldn't put it down

Tony and Kayla are now best friends after being a couple for a short time. Problem is they are both bad at relationships. When Tony has his last one, he confesses to Kayla that he wants more out of life but not sure he'll ever get it. Kayla is sure he's just bad at commitment but as they road trip together for Kayla's photography project they may just discover there's more to each other than they first thought. This is a wonderful story of how friendship works and just how to move past former bad decisions. I love Tawna's Smokejumper series and this one did not disappoint. Characters are well written and the storyline is absolutely perfect. Thanks to Tawna and NetGalley for allowing me the ARC copy.

Self help, his and her exes, a road trip with her ex, who happens to be her current BFF.
Oh, and a a little bet.

Kayla is BF's with Tony. He can't keep a relationship going past a few weeks. He and Kayla were an item for a hot minute a year ago and now he's her BFF. One road trip, a self help book, his and her exes and a friendly little wager can have these two rethinking their commitment issues and get the thing they really, really want.

Recommend.

Another absolute gem from Tawna Fenske! I just adore her writing, and reading Just a Little Bet was delightful...and also eye-opening and heartfelt.

This has got to be one of the best friends-to-lovers romances I’ve read. The dynamic between Kayla and Tony is electric, and equal parts funny and sweet. Their banter is on point, and their road trip one that shows the highs and lows of friendships, relationships, love, and family.

With a serious subplot to balance everything out, but enough lighthearted feels to make everything feel good, I can safely say that Just a Little Bet is more than just a little bit wonderful.

Is it hot in here...?!
Just a Little Bet, the second Smokejumper book by Tawna Fenske is once again a page turner. We were introduced to Kayla and Tony in the first smokejumper book. Despite them dating and subsequently breaking up, these two became best friends. After a drunken night they make a little bet to determine why Tony is so bad at love. They decide to take a road trip together just to figure it out. Throughout the ensuing road trip they both work on themselves and slowly learn how they both need to learn to love. This book does also tackle a domestic situation that could potentially be triggering for some. Tawna presents it wonderfully and even at the end provides resources. She clearly is amazing! I’m so glad I was able to get an ARC of this from the publisher!

Two best friends/exes go on a fun work road trip together... While simultaneously trying to figure out why they suck at relationships. This is a fun one that tackles some tough situations. And the leading lady is really sexually confident and outspoken, which is so refreshing to read.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this title.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC copy of this book available to me.

Very enjoyable FTL story. The little dog served for a number of humorous scenes and as another means for our lovers to bond. While I do prefer the author's funnier romances (try "Studmuffin Santa" and the rest of the Ponderosa Resort series), this one works quite well. My only quibble would be that while we got a fair amount of background on Tony's firefighting job, we got very little on how Kayla came to be a professional photographer.

Best friends, second chance romance, mention of abuse, family traumas, and a self-help book induced exes road trip.
Kayla and Tony dated briefly before things wilted out and then became friends. The story is not fluffy, the characters show growth, and it was an interesting read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book received from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am a huge Tawna Fenske fan, and, after reading The Two-Date Rule, I was thrilled to receive an ARC of this second “Where There’s Smoke” smoke jumper series (both books can be read as stand-alones). Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for giving me an ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Smokejumper Tony and photographer Kayla had tried dating, but when that didn’t work out, they remained the best of friends. In Just a Little Bet, they take off on a road trip that entails Kayla shooting photos of burned out forests for her new book/gallery show, as well as accompanying Tony to meet some of Tony’s exes, to try and discover why he’s never been able to make a relationship stick. Yes, it’s a geographical, as well as an introspective journey. aOh, but there’s so much more, including very thorough and emotional backstories for both characters, and their realization about their own commitment issues (and strong attraction to each other).

Filled with the spot-on realistic situations and dialogue, hot sex, and humor that makes Tawna Fenske one of my favorite authors, this book also tackles some serious emotional issues, including gaslighting and psychological and emotional abuse. While I was drained reading those chapters, I really appreciated how these things contributed to creating a multi-dimensional picture of both main characters. Overall, this lovers to friends-friends to lovers second chance book was a winner!

Just A Little Bet was a great read for this Fenske fan. While not as laugh out loud funny as some of her books have been, I really enjoyed the easy relationship between former exes turned best friends Tony and Kayla. While touching on Tony’s job as a smoke jumper, this book doesn’t go into as much detail as book 1, The Two-Date Rule, which you don’t have to have read to enjoy this story.
The focus is on Kayla and her photography, and their road trip that brings them in contact with a few of Tony’s many ex-girlfriends. We learn a lot about the kind of guy that Tony is...great, kind, funny, but definitely commitment-phobic. Of course, there’s a loveable pooch, a rekindling of feelings plus some long-ignored family drama that Tony hasn’t shared with anyone. Kayla is great for him and is way too hard on herself where her family is concerned. She’s discovering things about herself on this trip as well.
While I don’t want to give away the storyline, I do want to mention that elements of abuse are discussed, and this might be a trigger for some. It is handled in a factual, caring and informative manner and I applaud the author for her thoughtful and thought-provoking portrayal of this sensitive subject.
I loved it!

Thank you NetGalley, Entangled Publishing and Tawna Fenske for gifting me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
Exes Tony Warren and Kayla Gladney have never let their past keep them from being best friends. Even though their relationship didn’t work out, their chemistry still burns white hot and their bond is still strong. After yet another breakup and a very drunken night, Kayla and Tony take off on a roadtrip to find Tony’s exes and ask them the big question: What went wrong? The more exes they visit and the more miles they cover, the clearer it becomes that they are a lot more than just friends. A childhood of trauma and inconsistency has left Tony with serious commitment issues and goals of getting married and starting a family are keeping Kayla from settling. Can they meet in the middle and make it work?
I’m such a sucker for a second chance romance and the friends to lovers trope that I was instantly down to read this one! Just a Little Bet is the second book in Tawna Fenske’s ‘Smokejumper’ series and I had no problem reading this as a read alone. There wasn’t a lot of fire talk in this book besides mentioning that being Tony’s career, but the author does mention that in her end acknowledgements and says book one lays that info out better.
There were a few moments I found hard to believe, but for the most part I really liked this one! Tony and Kayla have fantastic chemistry and their banter kept some of the heavier subjects this book tackles from weighing the story down too much. WARNING: the intimate scenes are spicy! The book felt quick and was super easy to get into but you still get to know the characters and finish feeling like the story was completed! I ended this feeling happy for these two and is there anything more you could ask for from a romance?

This story has all the heat and all the heart!

A little road trip, a little self-help book, and a little Fireball add up to make this a deeply emotional, sexy, heart-pounding love story. It's both a second-chance and a friends-to-lovers story, as Kayla and Tony have kept their friendship despite their break-up a year ago. Now, Kayla needs to tour old wildfire sites for her upcoming photography book and since the fire season has ended, Tony is the perfect tour guide.

Because it's set in the off-season this book doesn't deal with the smoke jumpers on the job, but it still has plenty going on. In an effort to figure out why he hasn't been able to maintain a lasting relationship, Tony agrees to include interviews with a few of his exes on this road trip. Between those insightful (and sometimes hilarious) scenes and the thought-provoking excerpts from the self-help book Kayla's sister recommended, these two find that laying their souls bare to each other is the most intimate thing either has ever done.

The emotions are sometimes gut-wrenching but necessarily so, while the physical attraction between them is not ignored either. These two go through an entire lifetime of experiences together in just a couple weeks and my heart was captivated every step along the way. Their HEA is hard-won and absolutely perfect for them. I loved every bit of their story, and highly recommend it. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Fab read.

Tony and Kayla met when their best friends got together and later married. They dated for a while but are now best friends. After a drunken bet leads to Tony admitting to things about his past, they end up on a road trip together visiting some of ex's along the way, to find out why he always gets dumped.