The Dating Dare
A Novel
-
-
4.0 • 3 Ratings
-
-
- $11.99
-
- $11.99
Publisher Description
Buzzfeed's 2021 Romance Novels You Need To Read This Summer
With witty characters and heartrending romance, Jayci Lee, author of A Sweet Mess, returns with The Dating Dare—where two people might just find out how hard it is to resist falling in love with the right person.
No serious relationships. This is the one rule Tara Park made for herself and it has been working swimmingly, thank you very much. The occasional fling is fine, especially since she’s busy with Weldon Brewery. But when Seth Kim, temptation personified and her best friend’s new brother-in-law walks into her life, Tara might be willing to bend her golden rule…but only for four dates—the four dates she agreed to after a few good rounds of beer and a game of truth or dare. It’ll be fun. No biggie.
Seth Kim can’t believe Tara agreed to his dating dare. He’s leaving for a new job in Paris in a month and a no-strings attached fling seemed like a nice little distraction for both… But their secret dates, while sweet and sexy, always hit roadblocks straight out of a romantic comedy. Thankfully, their non-dates and chance meetings are smoother, frequent, and heated. However, the more Seth sees of Tara, the less willing he is to let her go—and what was supposed to be a fun little game turns into something that neither of them are ready for.
But sometimes, the best things in life are the ones we never see coming.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lee dishes up a half-baked rom-com grounded appealingly in cultural specificity but littered with tired romance clichés—including treating jealousy and leering as signs of true love. At the wedding of the couple from Lee's A Sweet Mess, sparks fly between craft brewery owner Tara Park and the groom's younger brother, photographer Seth Kim. But Seth is moving to Paris soon, so despite their killer chemistry, he doesn't want to commit. And that suits attachment-avoidant Tara just fine. So when, during a drunken game of truth or dare, Seth challenges Tara to go on four dates with him without falling in love, both think it should be easy. Readers are told that Seth and Tara are kindred spirits, but their connection is never convincingly shown, thanks to uneven pacing and constant interruptions on their dates. An early scene where Seth becomes aroused by a blackout-drunk Tara taking off her clothes may not sit well with readers; the narration hurries to assure them that Seth would never take advantage of Tara, but for many that will be setting the bar too low. Lee's devoted fans will enjoy her signature fluffy approach, but other rom-com readers can skip this one.
Customer Reviews
So Good...
I received an ARC of this book to read through NetGalley. All opinions are my own. The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee is the second book in her delightful A Sweet Mess series. I think you will enjoy this book more if you have read the first book in the series. Tara Park and Seth Kim are both in the wedding party of her best friend and his brother. She catches him watching her at the reception and informs him that there will be no maid of honour and best man hookup. Tara had her heart broken in college, and she prefers to keep things nice and light, making sure her family life and her love life do not connect. Seth is a month away from moving to Paris, and he proposes a dating dare …. four dates just fun, and no falling in love. Tara takes him up on that dare, and as they spend time together, their attraction to each other grows, but Tara doesn’t do relationships, and Seth is leaving, so it can’t possibly work out. This was such a fun book to read. I enjoyed it immensely, it was the perfect mix of steam, angst and humour, and am hoping that there will be books about Tara’s brothers too. Steam Level: Medium. Publishing Date: August 3, 2021 #TheDatingDare #JayciLee #StMartinsPress #StMartinsGriffin #ContemporaryRomance #ContemporaryRomanceSeries #ASweetMessSeries #RomanceReader #ContemporaryRomanceReader #bookstagram #bookstagrammer