Tara Park didn’t know what she was getting into when she invited Seth Kim back to her family brewery. After the wedding of her best friend and Seth’s older brother, Tara found that she didn’t want the evening to end, so she invited him back to Weldon Brewery for another drink.

But she didn’t know that he’d initiate a drinking game of Truth or Dare. First she chose Truth, but that cut a little close to the part of you that she kept private. So the next round, she chose Dare, and that’s when Seth made his move. While his brother and his new bride were on their honeymoon for a month, Seth had agreed to stay in town to oversee the finishing of his brother’s restaurant. After that, he was moving to Paris as a step up in his prestigious career as a fashion photographer. So that gave him a month in Weldon, and he wanted to get to know this gorgeous woman better.

So here was Seth’s dare: 4 dates. 4 dates with him, no feelings, no attachments, and then he’s off to Paris. But first, Seth wanted 4 dates with Tara.

Tara found that she was very attracted to Seth, but generally she didn’t let herself get in too deep when it came to relationships. But 4 dates, no attachments? That she could do. It sounded like fun. She could spend a month getting to know him, and then let him head off to France. That sounds ideal.

But what do they say about making plans? While Tara finds herself drawn to Seth’s sweetness and how he wants only to support her, not control her, Seth finds that the moments he let his vulnerable artist through, Tara is there to notice and appreciate his unique vision. And as they spend time together, laughing and flirting, talking and kissing, they both find their attraction growing strong. Will 4 weeks be enough time for this relationship to play out, or will they find themselves heartbroken as the dare winds its way to the end?

The Dating Dare is the latest rom com from Jayci Lee. Set in the same world as A Sweet Mess, this charming story follows Aubrey and Landon’s wedding, with the characters in the original story making a quick exit from this book so we can focus on Tara and Seth. While there are pieces of the story that overlap, The Dating Dare works well as a stand-alone because these characters’ journeys are so different.

I loved The Dating Dare. I was impressed with Tara as soon as she walked across the room at the wedding reception to tell Seth off, and he grew on me as he defied his image as a womanizer and became a man who is strong, kind, successful, generous, and vulnerable. I was so happy to get lost in this story, to get swept up in the romance and the warmth as love grows between these two, and I couldn’t wait to see what developed between them.

Egalleys for The Dating Dare were provided by St. Martin’s Griffin through NetGalley, with many thanks.

I really wanted to love this book. I was all for the two Asian leads. I was also for the trope of meeting at a wedding, best man and maid of honor. They both were attractive. There was chemistry. Unfortunately, everything happened way too quickly. There was no buildup. They immediately wanted each other, and then there was the made up obstacle of the truth or dare and dates. Also, the writing was a bit stiff at parts. Lots of narration, less snappy dialogue. I love witty banter in a romance novel. Maybe I will try to read a different Jayci Lee novel.

When Tara’s best friend Aubrey gets married, she can’t help but notice Aubrey’s new brother-in-law, Seth, checking her out at the wedding. While she acknowledges that he’s hot as hell, he’s also a bit of a player - and Tara has no need for a player. After a not-so-innocent game of Truth or Dare, Tara and Seth find themselves in the Dating Dare: a month long agreement to go on four dates. That’s it. No strings attached and no falling in love.

This book was cute, cheesy, and quick. All the things a fun romance read should be.

For those who enjoy cheesy romance novels, or someone looking for a quick pick-me-up weekend read, I definitely think The Dating Dare is a good choice.

This one came out August 3, 2021, so you should be able to find it on shelves now!

Thanks to Jayci Lee, St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this.
I enjoyed the chemistry between Tara and Seth. They had easy banter and I felt they got to know each other pretty well. I like that they both used the excuse of Seth leaving to give in to their feelings, and there wasn't too much drama between them.
Overall an entertaining read.

DNF: I'm two for two with this author - I think her writing style just doesn't work for me. While I love the covers, the idea of the stories, and parts of the writing, some of the plot points rub me the wrong way. The "playboy persona" and push/pull in this one were not my favorite, and the whole situation involving their first night together was a complete turn-off. She seriously spent a week wondering if this stranger assaulted her, and he's upset that she didn't call? Not a great way to start this romance. That left me feeling emotionally detached to the story, and having two commitment-phobic leads didn't help. I quickly lost interest, set the book down, and don't have a desire to go back to it. I appreciated receiving an early copy, but this wasn't a win for me.

Complementary copy given for my honest review and opinion. Copy provided by NetGalley.
This was a cute book for a young adult.

Sugar...
Spice...
And everything nice...

This is the story of Tara and Seth who meet at her BFF's wedding. Seth is leaving town in a month for a new job in Paris and he proposes the dating dare: 4 dates no strings. No one can get hurt, right? Their relationship is sweet and oh so spicy! Highly recommend!

This was such a light and fun romantic comedy! From the very first page, Seth and Tara had off the charts chemistry and I loved the premise of their dating dare. I was rooting for both of them individually and as a couple. I didn't read the first book in this series, but I really look forward to picking it up and going back to read Aubrey and Landon's story.

Tara's the maid of honor at her best friend's wedding. She's feeling a little sorry for herself when she notices the groom's brother/best man, Seth, ogling her. After making it crystal clear that she would not lean into a cliched maid of honor/best man hook up, Tara agrees to dance with Seth. After a swoony dance, they escape to the brewery Tara's family operates and test their luck with a round of truth or dare. Seth dares Tara to go on four dates with him but not fall in love. On their official dates, things keep going wrong, but Seth and Tara can't stay away from each other and find their connection getting deep, fast. Problem is, Seth is set to move to Paris for work in a month and Tara's roots are laid deep here at home.

I was rooting for Tara and Seth from the very beginning of their relationship. They both had some trauma in their background to work through, and the author did such a great job of showing us individual growth at the same time they were growing together as a couple. I also appreciated that they spend so much time together in this book! They're constantly running into each other, texting when they're apart, etc. and that contributes to lots of banter and build-up. Their chemistry is off the charts but the book isn't super steamy (I'd rate it a PG/PG13 on the steam scale). I loved how corny Seth was and their prom date made me literally swoon. I wanted a little more resolution in the last chapter/epilogue, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Thanks so much to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

What a fun cute light summer read. Tara has sworn off long term relationships, doesn’t do one night stands and Seth is moving out of the country next month so there is absolutely no reason for them to get together. Except for a game of truth or dare and their undeniable attraction to each other that is. They agree to four dates. That’s it. Four and then they’re done. Oh and Seth is her best friends brother in law, their dates are kept a secret and they’re hysterically funny in the true sense of the romantic comedy genre. Every single one is met with some type of roadblock that makes you think the universe doesn’t have access to the comedy channel and is using them instead! And yet with al of their collective bag (and really who doesn’t come with their own set) they are drawn to each other. Will they, won’t they? Can an ocean, feelings of denial, and stubbornness keep them apart? Its a great romp of a read to their eventual happily ever after. And this isn’t giving away anything as come on, we all read these for the HEA!!

This was such an amazing read, full of laughs and such a unique love in the end between Seth and Tara. Seth sets up a dating dare and Tara accepts and soon we are taken on a rollercoaster ride of laughs and at times angst between the two. You are not going to want to miss this amazing tale of love, humor and joy!

A good holiday read. Tara Parks had been in a mentally abusive relationship when she was in college, and as a result has vowed never to get close to any man again. When her best friend Aubrey marries Landon Tara gets into a snarky conversation with his playboy brother Seth, as she is aware he has been watching her the whole time. He has a similar bad relationship in his past and is also wary of getting involved. He will soon be leaving the country to work in Paris as a fashion photographer, so Tara feels quite safe about not getting romantically attached when they agree to go on four dates together in the four weeks before he leaves.

And so follows four amusing weeks, where they are seeing each other, and texting each other, all the time, but it doesn’t mean anything … they lie to themselves about that! Their picnic date is lovely, and very amusing. Tara gets to see a very different, and sweet side of Seth that she would never have imagined. The last date they go on is super-romantic, but ends somewhat badly. It takes a few weeks for Tara to realise the truth about her feelings, and take action for them to have a happy ending. Seth had long ago understood they were meant for each other but had stepped away to give her time to work it out for herself.

They are both delightful characters, and the story is well worth reading.

a high 3.7! much better than jayci’s first in the series (a sweet mess) and all around more fun characters.

tara and seth start a dating dare (four dates and no falling in love) a month before seth is set off to work and live in paris! and who doesn’t love a good bet?!

jayci writes with a lot of romanticism and ended the first book in this series a little too fairytale-y for me and i thought i would find the same thing here but i liked this one a lot more. the foundations of the characters generally seemed more solid and though some of the dialogue was too ~perfectly written and said~, it wasn’t as mushy as the first. tara and seth were fun and witty characters and seemed to stay true to who they were. i think the helpful background stories they had really created meaningful characters you could get invested in and i enjoyed that a lot.

also thanks netgalley for the copy :-)

This was so cute!!! I smiled throughout the whole thing!! I love rom-com stories like this. So cute and innocent, but full of intense love. Seth and Tara are a great couple. I really enjoyed this one! I have not read the first book in the series, but I'll be putting it on my TBR!

*Thank you @stmartinspress @smpromance @netgalley and @librofm for the egalley and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.*

Tara and Seth made a dating dare, as they both are not into long term relationships. Their four dates turns into much more.
I thought this was a cute book, it had everything it needed to make it a one day read, humor, tears, romance, and a story.

LOVED this one! Please please please read this series. There is something about reading book that represents your background. I love RomCom movies and book .. but give me one where the main characters are have an ethic nationality and I'm here for it!! Gosh there is so many good things about this book all I really want to tell you if you're reading this review is "Please pick this one up and give it a read you will not be let down one bit!" I can not wait for the next book in this series!!

Another cute book in The Sweet Mess series. I'm so glad we got to see Aria and Lucien, and Aubrey and Landon, I love when series have this connection and the characters continue throughout the series. Tara and Seth were an adorable couple and I really like the premise of "The Dating Dare" and what it became. Love their journey and can't wait to read more from Jayci Lee in the future.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Super cute romance novel! Loved the characters and the set up. Great tension and chemistry. Just such a fun read I didn't want to put down.

This story starts at the wedding of Tara's best friend to Seth's older brother. There is some UST between the best man and maid of honor, but both have reasons to be wary of acting on it. During after-hours drinks, Seth challenges Tara to a casual arrangement, since he'll be moving abroad in a month. Unable to resist, she accepts, with the condition that they are not allowed to develop any romantic feelings.



For some reason, this story – cute though it is - didn't really pick up for me. It just felt very slow-paced, although plenty was happening. Perhaps if it had been written in first person, I would have felt more invested.



I also don't understand why Tara is so adamant about hiding the fact that she's spending time with Seth. I get that she doesn't want to flaunt her dating choices with her more conservative family, but since they're in a rather small town and their families know each other, it'll be difficult to hide. Why not say they're hanging out as friends during his stay before his move? It'd be the hospitable thing to do, given their connection through Aubrey and Landon.



I did enjoy the story, though; it just couldn't hold my attention. It did pick up more towards the end, and I did like how things were ultimately resolved. 3.5 stars.

#thedatingdare
#jaycilee
#romance
#NetGalley published 8/3/2021
#StMartinsPress
#stmartinsgriffin

⭐⭐⭐💫 (rounding down for ratings to 3)

Over the top reactions/chemistry from the beginning. Never a fan of that. It was an OK romance. It was a fun premise. She was dared to have 4 dates with Seth and not fall in love. Of course we all know what the out come would be. After all, it is a romance novel. But it was how Tha author went about it it that made me not a tremendous fan.

I did like the omniscient narrator so you could hear both of their thoughts. But I personally, would have kept a lot more of his (or hers) thoughts to themselves. At least some of the time. There was no tension in the story knowing both sides straight from the beginning. Even though, as I already said, we all know how it would be ending.

I love a good Hallmark movie. This was even more corny (horny) than a Hallmark movie. Very Harlequin romance. Haven't read those since I was a kid. Not for me. I won't be looking into more books by this author. It was amusing enough but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it. Sorry.

#romancenovel
#hallmarkmoviestoryline
#notforme
#bookstagram #booknerds #bookworm #booklover #bookdragon #readalot #ilovereading #inkdrinker #librarymouse #booknerdbookreviews #bookaddict #bookaholic #booklover #booknerd #readingaddiction #readingaddict #readingforpleasure #bookreview #booknerdigan #bookish

I enjoyed this book so much that I’m going to read the first book in the series. At Aubrey & Landon’s wedding, Tara meets Seth who is Landon’s brother. Both have been hurt in the past, so neither of them is looking for a relationship. They do have an instant attraction to each other. Seth, a fashion photographer is leaving the country for a new job in Paris in a month. Tara is partners with her brothers in the family brewery. They plan to have four dates and then part ways to go forward with their career goals. Things don't quite go as planned. I found the characters quite well developed and look forward to reading more from this author.

Also reviewed on B&N - 1IrishEyes430 and Kobo - IrishEyes430