This was an office romance between co-workers who because of a no-fraternization rule, have been stuck in the friend zone even though both are really attracted to each other.

Super cute read. This is the first book I've read by Marissa Clarke but I will be reading more. She creates wonderfully real characters.

My only complaint of this book is that ended too soon! I look forward to more books in this series.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

A light hearted Rom-Com that'll leave you with a smile on your face. I enjoyed Ms Clarke's take on HEA's and what it takes for both parties to get there. A thoroughly enjoyable read.

This book was provided by the Publisher and Netgalley, I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

This one-date wonder is about to find out that there is nothing wrong with her after all. Don't miss another must read from an author who writes loveable characters with heart, heat and soul!

Jane Dixon was a beautiful woman. She had a thriving career as a lawyer but she had major troubles in the romance department. She couldn't ever seem to get a second date. What was wrong with her?

Eric Blackwell was a successful attorney who had dreamed of being an attorney all his life. He thought Jane Dixon was a beautiful woman but she was off-limits for him. There was a no fraternization policy at his law firm and she was the boss' daughter, which made her double taboo. They struck up a friendship that turned into more and suddenly being a successful lawyer didn't hold the same appeal for either Jane or Eric. Was it even possible for the two of them to be together? What would they be willing to give up for love?

This was a sweet story about love but I just couldn't really get into it. It was fairly fast paced and not completely realistic but my biggest criticism was the frequent f-bombs that didn't seem to fit the story. It didn't add to the story, in my opinion, at all.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love it when guys are nervous and afraid to take the leap yet Marissa Clarke rocked it in this book. Jane is loveable and normal in this book she got to me right away. Here is a girl who has gone through many frogs in her life but fail to get another chance with them. Eric is perfect for Jane from being her best friend to bringing out the best in her that many people don`t see. Marissa Clarke knows about love, comedy and a friendship that shines throughout her characters.

3 Stars ~ Dating 101 Lawyer style

WARNING THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Publisher's Summary: Jane Dixon is a dating disaster. Flammable tablecloths and broken arms are just a typical evening for her unlucky companions. No wonder Jane never gets past a first date. But luckily her co-worker and new bff says he’s got loads of friends who’d date her more than once. If only she could stop thinking about how much fun he was to hang out with. And she’d never dropped a bucket of ice on his junk. Win.

All attorney Eric Blackwell has to do to make junior partner is not screw anything up for six weeks, which seems like a slam dunk until he finds himself matchmaker to the office “One Date Wonder” aka the boss’s daughter. It’s hard to stay focused when setting up the hottest girl he’s ever met with everyone but himself. Maybe he could just set her up with all the wrong men, and keep his hands off his new friend… Yeah. His promotion is toast.

REVIEW

Dear Jane by Marissa Clarke is the first book I've read by this author, the synopsis described a book that was just my cuppa tea! Dating dilemmas mixed with a little office romance. What's not to like?

What didn't I like: I didn't particularly connect with Jane, she's an intelligent lawyer who happens to be drop-dead gorgeous. She manages to "make" time to date but never seems to get a second date. We go through the process of the author describing crazy scenarios in which Jane has physically maimed her dates on their date and they still send her flowers! For me its unrealistic, why does Jane feel that she needs a man to complete her??

Then we have Eric, who comes across well I'm not really sure how to describe him. He's apparently super sexy but Jane's never noticed him before even though he works across the corridor from her office within the same legal firm?! He's had a crush on Jane for two years but has done nothing to change that fact.

Another issue I had was with it being called "Animal Attraction" so this installment is to set up the series where we finally see Jane and her childhood friends reconnecting to open their animal sanctuary something they haven't achieve due to them having to become "grown-ups".

Regrettably for Marissa Clarke I've already read Jill Shalvis's series Animal Magnetism and found Dear Jane dull in comparison. Eric does not come across like a strong caring macho man and Jane is not portrayed as a woman who's had a run of bad luck.

What I liked: Eric was a true sweetheart, really putting his heart on the line to help Jane out. Even when all he wanted to do was date her himself. Date after date he'd go round and listen to Jane talk about how bad her dates are.

Jane was surrounded by good people, even when her father fired her for breaking the company policy he did it out of love. He could see that she was truly happen when she was with Eric and that her heart really wasn't in being a Lawyer.

WOULD I RECOMMEND IT? Maybe there isn't anything WRONG with this novel per se, it just happens that I've read a similar series and that had strong characters and a more believe story plot.

4/5 stars for this one. I really enjoyed the two main characters. You really felt immersed into the storyline. The only thing that didn't do it for me was the cover

***ARC received in exchange of an honest opinion***

I liked this office romance, it was a cute read.

But even though it was supposed to be a "light" read, I still expected a bit more depth to it.
The very beginning of the story, for example, felt too rushed. I need something more to connect with the characters and I don't think the story flowed as much as it could.

*3.5 Stars Rounded Up

Cute, light, quick read! :)

I really liked how Jane and Erik slowly developed a friendship after Erik got wrangled into setting his work crush up on dates. The laughably bad dates were great and Jane being accident-prone added extra charm to her already fun character. I enjoyed how she was nicely lacking pretensions and Gandalf the cat was a riot. Erik was also a sweetheart with a great sense of humor and a great fit for Jane, despite being a lawyer.

The ending is pretty indulgently fantastic, with everything wrapping up with a nice little bow. This was a really pleasant and uncomplicated read, hitting the spot perfectly when I was in the mood for just such a Rom Com. :)

DEAR JANE is a funny, laugh-out-loud yet sexy romantic read!

For some reason, Jane Dixon couldn't get a second date. All her first dates end in disaster. So, she was happy when colleague Eric Blackwell says that any guy would be ecstatic to get a date with her and promised to set her up with his friends. Too bad Eric himself didn't seem to be interested.

Eric is more than interested, but there's a non-fraternization clause at the office, plus, Jane seem to see him only as a friend...

I love the story's slow build-up, how Eric and Jane became friends even as Eric sets her up on dates, and the "debriefing" after each date, which was hilarious. And then, I love how hot they are together, how their chemistry just sizzled. All is not smooth sailing, but I love what Eric did to win her back. Marissa Clarke is a new-to-me author, and I'm definitely watching out for her next books!

Loved this one! Jane and Eric were perfect! This was a hilarious, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy. This is perfect for anyone looking for a very sweet romance with lots of laughs.

4.5stars
Dear Jane was a lovely funny read. I enjoyed reading every page of this great love story between Jane and Eric. Both characters great developed with amazing chemistry between. Jane was so funny with all her embarrassing things that she does when she is nervous. Interesting to me was Eric because he didn’t seemed so much alfa male determent possessive but never the less he did had some great seaxapeal and he made Jane feel special. I couldn’t wait for them to get together and was hot and amazing. They were also tears in the story some sad and in the end some happy.
Loved it.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

Dear Jane was a sweet, funny and light read with lovable characters and hilarious dialogue.

Eric has been solely focused on making junior partner at the law firm where he works a gazillion hours a week. He’s only a handful of weeks away from his yearly evaluation and the promotion he’s been working so hard for. His only problem is he’s been secretly crushing on Jane, the boss’ daughter and his colleague, but because of the strict no-fraternization policy he has satisfied himself with just watching her from afar…

Jane is the absolute worst at dating, blundering her way through date after date, never scoring a follow-up date. She becomes friends with Eric, and he finds himself in the unenviable position of setting up the girl of his dreams with other men, then consoling her when it doesn’t work out. Soon, Jane and Eric are spending lots of time together and as their feelings for each other begin to grow, so would the obstacles in their way.

I found both Jane and Eric very likable, and they were sweet and kind of dorky together in a super cute way. I loved how Eric took care of his mom and was adorkably in love with Jane. I wish Jane had been a little more self-reflective about what truly made her happy and gone with it, but I could understand where she was coming from. She was a funny girl and when she could relax and be herself with Eric it was like magic.

Filled with funny moments, sweetness and sexy shenanigans Dear Jane was a truly entertaining and enjoyable read.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC from Netgalley.

This was a nice & quick easy read. I enjoyed it while I read it, however nothing outstanding about it. If you're in the mood for something fun & light, this is the perfect book for you!

This book was a delight to read - light and entertaining with fun lead characters. Jane Dixon works in her family law firm dealing with relationships which have reached nasty ends - divorce all the way. She is struggling to find her own true love as she never makes it past the first date - no second date for Jane.

Eric Blackwell also works in the family law firm and is fast approaching junior partner so long as he doesn't put one foot wrong. The only problem with the straight and narrow path he is travelling on is that he has a bit of a thing for Jane, actually it is more of a giant desire to get to know her much much better.

This book was quite hilarious as Jane went from dating disaster to dating disaster. Her cat, Gandalf, was fantastic and certainly added more fun to the story. Eric was quite delicious and you really did cheer from the sidelines hoping that the romance would unfold towards a happy ending.

If you are looking for a romantic comedy that works on all levels then this is the read for you. It would so work as a film - maybe some day soon I will be sitting in a movie theatre watching Jane and Eric's story play out on the big screen.

4 stars

Dear Jane was a quick, sweet, and entertaining read, I really enjoyed it.

The characters were fun and I found myself connecting with them both.
I enjoyed watching Eric and Jane come together, they made me smile, they made me swoon and they had great chemistry.
Overall, a lovely afternoon's read and I highly recommend it.

*Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy.*

Dear Jane, the first book in Marissa Clarke’s Animal Attraction series provides to be laugh out loud funny, and heart touching all at the same time.

Jane Dixon is a date disaster magnet. She hasn't had a second date in two years. Honestly, she barely makes it through first dates. But she keeps trying. She’s driven by the Dixon name and the expectations put upon her by her family.

Eric Blackwell is living his dream. He has the job he’s always wanted, he’s able to take care of his mother, and he has money in his bank account. He’s six weeks away from making junior partner at Dixon, Rosenbaum & Schoot, the prestigious law firm he works for. His life is sweet. All that’s missing is a social life.

In all the time Eric has worked for the law firm, he’s had a slight crush on Jane. But the company prohibits fraternization amongst its attorneys. When Eric unknowingly delivers a breakup bouquet to Jane, the two strike up a friendship, with her convincing him to help her find dates. Of course, these two end up striking up more than a friendship along the way.

Marissa has this incredible ability to write characters who are so easy to fall in love with and make you want to get to know. Jane and Eric are funny together. Eric is extremely sweet. Their budding attraction is charming and romantic. I can’t wait to see what else she has in store for this series.

Cute little romance
Dear Jane (Animal Attraction #1) - Marissa Clarke

(It was more like *3.75 STARS* but I rounded up to 4.)


DEAR JANE is a fun romantic comedy about two people who can't seem to get out of their own way enough to be happy but I enjoyed every minute of it.

Jane Dixon hasn't been on a second date in two years. She feels that she's doomed to be alone but when her work colleague drops of flowers from yet another guy who doesn't want to see her again, she think things may just be looking up.

Eric Blackwell has been planning for this moment for years. He's just six weeks away from being promoted to Junior Partner at the prestigious law firm he work for, and he just needs everything to fly under the radar until then. So why is he offering to help get a date for Jane Dixon, the woman he's had a crush for the last two years and the daughter of his boss?

Well, maybe he can get her set up with one of his friends and then he can stop thinking about her or wanting to be with her. He knows that impossible because not only does the law firm have a strict non-fraternization policy, but Jane doesn't date lawyers. Of course, fate has other plans.

How cute was this? Jane and Eric were utterly adorable. They were both awkward and perfect for each other. The banter between them was fantastic and really just made the story fly by.

What I wasn't expecting was Eric undressed, so to speak. When he and Jane gave into their attraction to each other, he turned into this whole other man. Very hot, very determined and very skilled in bed. YUM!

My only complaint about DEAR JANE was that it was too short. It's the first book in the Animal Attraction series and I don't think that the book set up the rest of the series enough. We didn't get to meet the other women that the subsequent stories will be centered around and only heard about them in a passing way. I would have liked more there.

But, other than that. I felt like DEAR JANE was a hit. A fun contemporary romance that was easy and enjoyable to read. This is my first time reading something by Marissa Clarke and definitely won't be my last. I found out in the acknowledgments that DEAR JANE and the Animal Attraction series is a spin-off of another series, and I think I will check that out as well.

*Advanced Reader's Copy provided by NetGalley and Publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Jane and Eric are too cute as lawyers who are fighting their attraction to each other. They find friendship and common ground in this super cute fun to read romantic story. Looking forward to more!