I can always count on Cindy Steel to deliver a sweet, clean love story. Double or Nothing is #4 in the "Pride and Pranks" romcom series, and although I haven't read #2 or #3, this is fine as a standalone novel. I enjoyed the banter between Tessa and Logan, and their histories and occasional conflicts added depth to their relationship. It was great to see their friendship and love grow throughout the course of the story.
I recommend this novel to anyone who loves a feel-good romcom!

This was adorable and hilarious.

I feel like I say that a lot in reviews but I have been on a rom-com kick so I feel like it fits. If a romantic comedy isn’t both adorable and hilarious…is it really a romantic comedy? I think no.

This one follows a couple that clearly love each other but are in denial. They have a meddling friend that decides to set them up for the summer - but it’s a bet. And the stakes are pretty high. Either fall in love OR win a pretty high ticket item. We follow these two love birds on their journey to discovering who they are and what the want.

I found this to be a bit longer than I think it needed to be. I’m realizing that rom-coms are actually longer than I thought and I’m not sure how I feel about that.

Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ recommend.

Double or Nothing is fun and sweet small town romance. Super quick read with great pacing, lovable characters and a heartfelt story. It is a great friends to lovers, no spice, charming, low stakes romantic comedy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.

Tessa always had a huge crush on her best friend’s older brother growing up. After years away, they both happen to be back in their hometown for the summer. Their mutual friend thinks they would be a great couple, so he bets them his $80k truck that they can’t go on a date every week this summer and not fall in love. Tessa & Logan don’t want to do this (he doesn’t do long term relationships and she does) but how can they turn down this much money? As they spend the summer together, they can’t deny the attraction but is it something real that’s worth the gamble?

This was a really fun rom-com! I read it quickly because it was just really enjoyable. This was in the middle of a series but it looks like every book in the series follows a new couple within the same world, so it was easy to jump into out of order. Honestly, the book didn’t stick out to me distinctly from other rom-coms where I think I’ll be remembering this plot from others I read in a few months, but for a sweet slump-buster, it was perfect. I don’t feel the need to go back and read the first few books in the series but if another one gets written (about Jake preferably) I’d definitely plan to pick it up.
I liked the audiobook too. There were different narrators for Tessa and Logan which always makes a big difference. The narrator for Logan took me a few chapters to get used to because his voice initially sounded older to me than 30, or however old he was supposed to be. Once I got used to it though, I really appreciated his narration.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced readers copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

If you enjoy the best friend's brother trope, you'll enjoy the story of Tessa and Logan. There is a lot of fun banter, pranks, memories, and teasing as well as a simmering attraction that makes them appreciate one another as adults now too.

While part of a series, you won't miss anything if you choose to read this as a standalone.

I loved seeing the Tessa and Logan open up to one another, and was thrilled when Logan surprised us by being sensitive in a real time of need. While the teasing was rampant, he knew when it was 100% inappropriate and acted accordingly.

All around a great story that was fun to listen to.

Thank you Cindy Steel, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Loved the story but struggled to get through when the male narrator began reading, honestly get a different male narrator.

This was a cute little romance book. Tessa is back home and is against relationships since her fiance dumped her. Logan is back there for the summer for work. Tessa has had a crush on Logan since she was little and Logan only sees her as his little sisters best friends. A mutual friend sees possibility there so he makes a bet with them which has them going on a weekly date. Over the summer they let there guard down and get to know each other as adults instead of kids and end up falling for each other.

I’m not sure why I waited this long to start reading Cindy’s books. After reading Faking Christmas and loving it, I knew I needed to read more of her books and soon.

Double or Nothing was absolutely wonderful! I don’t know what it is about falling in love with your best friend’s older brother, but I love this trope! The country/farm setting was so fun. The 4wheeler games, laying in fields looking at stars, and camping brought back my own memories of hanging out with friends and dating.

Logan and Tessa were so fun and I loved the back and forth banter and flirting. I loved how they tried to keep their relationship “easy peasy” but felt so drawn to each other, they couldn’t stop their feelings from growing deeper and opening up to each other. As much as I loved the funny moments and there were many of them, I loved the slow, quiet moments between them even more!

I hope Jake gets his story told soon. He’s such a lovable character!

I listen to the audiobook and it was great!

Thank you @netgalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this small town romance. Although this book is part of a series, it was fine as a stand alone book.
The main character Tessa came back home to work as a physical therapist at the clinic her brother is having built. . The clinic is being built by Logan, the brother of Tessa’s best friend. Tessa has been crushing on Logan since she was a child. Knowing their history, Logan’s friend Jake comes up with a scheme to get Logan and Tessa together at long last. It’s a fun enjoyable read.
I liked the book. The main characters were fully flushed out, and the secondary characters really added to the story. I listened to the audible book and thought the narrators did an excellent jib making the characters come to life.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Romance Level: 1/5
Thoughts: I really liked this book! It reminded me of the books I would read when I was in high school — but the adult version. Which makes sense, because it’s about a childhood crush that is rekindled years later, when both characters are back in their hometown. While at home, their mutual friend makes a bet with them saying that they will fall in love by the end of summer. If they don’t fall in love, then they can sell their friend’s brand new truck and split the money. There is humor, inside jokes, friendship, nostalgia, flirting, and you get the point of view from both characters— which I always love! It’s a fun, feel good book that I would recommend to others!

It took me a little while to get into this story because Tessa is the sweetest and deserves every happiness in the world and Logan is the guy who can't commit to anything longer than a couple dates. When Jake intervenes with their relationship, daring them to spend time together one on one every Saturday night for the summer, the ice starts to thaw around Logan's frosty attitude.

I really enjoyed seeing the way these two let down their walls and learn to trust one another. The romance progressed in a realistic way and the story is sprinkled with humor, heart and swoony kisses. The epilogue was especially cute!

Many thanks to Netgalley for an advanced audiobook recording of this story. The narrators did a great job with this story and were enjoyable and easy to listen to throughout the entire book.

This is such a feel good, happy ending story!! The best friends brother trope is one of my favorites and this variation made my heart sing. I didn’t realize this book was in a series until after, which didn’t affect my interpretation of the story at all. I did wish that we had a little deeper of a connection with Logan when he talks about his past but having the dual POV really makes the story fly by.
!

Re-read December 2022 Audiobook: I still love this story! It has fantastic banter, all the tension with no spice and the best kisses. I just smiled a lot while listening through this story again. I love dual point of view and both narrators did a great job bringing these characters to life. Since I had read the book before, I already had a voice in my head for each character. Tessa’s parts were spot on for me. The male narrator wasn’t quite what I had in my head for Logan but I ended up really liking his voicing of the character by the end. They both did a great job with dialogue portions where they have to speak for the other gender and this is just a fantastic book.

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from NetGalley. These are my honest thoughts of the audiobook.

Original Review: Oh my goodness I loved this book! I loved the best friend’s brother trope, sort of fake dating and oh the tension between these two while they fought those feelings. Growing up in small town, rural U.S.A, so many of their dates were familiar from my growing up days including laying in a field watching stars, bonfires in a field or even a game very similar to fugitive. Poor Tessa, I don’t know that I would have taken the bet given her past feelings; thankfully, I can usually trust romcom authors for a HEA but getting there is so much fun. This was my first read by this author and now I want to go back to read the rest of this series!

Romantic Content: Kisses

So I loved this book the first time I read it! The characters make me laugh and Cindy Steel is honestly just a wizard of creating funny relatable characters. It’s like magic.

The narrators themselves captured the characters and were pleasant to listen too.

Without giving much away, this was a very sweet, small town romance kind of read. It’s the kind of book you read when you’re in a reading slump and just want something lighthearted and fun. I enjoyed Jake’s character and would definitely read this author again.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Double or Nothing is a sweet love story between Tessa and Logan. Logan is Tessa's best friends brother who she has had a crush on for years! When they both find themselves moved back to their small hometown a bet is made with a pretty tempting prize. Will the couple fall in love or continue their friendship and win a truck?

This book was super cute with the perfect amount of banter along with a clean story. I highly recommend this if you are looking for a great love story with uncomfortable love scenes.

I listen to this on audiobook and enjoyed the 2 person POV narrated by David Bendena and Stacey Glemboski. Both did an excellent job reading the story and portraying the characters.

I give this book a 5 star rating. Thanks to Netgalley and the author for an advanced copy!

A small town rom com that is really fall under multiple sub genres. There’s a crazy bet, a fake/kind of forbidden relationship, childhood crushes, dares taunting and teasing, good friends, secrets, and lots of small town nosiness. Tessa had a crush on her BFF’s brother Logan for almost as long as she can remember and since forever she loses the ability to speak in full sentences in his presence. When he returns to their small town for work, Tessa is recovering from a broken heart and regardless of what her heart says gives him a big NO when he asks her out as a part on a dare and a bet. He thinks his smile and smirk and her crush of yesteryear will have her eating out of his hands no questions asked and the bet will be won easy peasy. Will they, won’t they? It’s fun, but I have to say that though they were adults both they were quite immature. To me it read more as if they were high schoolers and not grown people, but still cute. Or maybe I am just too old. There is the inevitable HEA, which though expected (no shock or spoiler as thats why we read this book) it is sweet and was a fun listen.

Double of Nothing takes a familiar trope of "girl falls in love with her bestfriends older brother" and brings a refreshing new twist to it - the older brother is tasked with a summer of dates and romance with his sisters bestfriend. In exchange, the two will win a brand new $80,000 truck from his friend who has challenged them not to fall in love over the course of the summer. Their summer was really cute and fun to follow and their romance developed very naturally. I thought the ending was really adorable. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a sweet, clean romance with plenty of fun tropes; best friend's brother, childhood crush, modern version of reformed rakes make the best husband's, dating for a bet, friends to lovers, summer romance. It is a charming small town summer romance watching some New Adult protagonists find their way to each other after hard breakups and find their future's full of rewarding career paths as they had been floundering.

I loved this audiobook so much I was disappointed when it ended. It was just adorable with the right about of 🔥. Thank you for the opportunity to listen and review!!