2 stars

I'm sorry but this book wasn't for me. I couldn't connect with the characters and I found the dialogues forced and very unnatural. I would have loved to have seen more character development. They went from 0 to 100 in a very short space of time.
I will admit, I have not read the first book within this series, in saying that, I didn't feel lost at all. It can be read as a standalone however maybe it would have been beneficial to get some background information on the characters.

On a positive note, there were a few sweet and funny parts throughout the book, also I loved the cover.

Thank you to @Netgalley, @Stmartinspress and the author for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced reader’s copy of The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee.

The interactions between Tara and Seth were cute. I really enjoyed the part in the story where they are spending time together and falling in love. I found Tara to be a bit frustrating at times but I thought the characters in the story were well developed and portrayed realistically. The description of the various locations brought through the feel of the small town setting. In all, an enjoyable read.

Another enjoyable read by Jayci Lee, I didn't enjoy it as much as A Sweet Mess, but Tara and Seth's story-line was cute and finny in parts, and I liked them both as characters.

The writing didn't flow as well as the first book and I did find parts of the story a little rambly and conversation a bit stilted, but overall an enjoyable addition to the series, I think it could have done with being a bit shorter to cut out some of the drag though.

Seth and Tara start off on the wrong foot at a wedding reception. Soon they are having a game of truth and dare where the dating dare starts.

Neither of them wants a relationship. They have been hurt in the past and do not want a repeat. Just have some fun before Seth leaves for Paris. It's a win win situation. Their casual affair soon turns into more, but they go in denial. Nope. Not going there again. Tara is set on her path and will not be deterred. Seth is more sensible. Will they throw caution to the wind?

It's good in places, but overstretched in others. The storyline is okay.

I received an eARC from Netgalley and the views expressed are my personal opinion.

Just like the main character Tara would say, this book melted me into pink goo. I was charmed by both Seth and Tara, who were both dorky and adorable. Their attraction for each other lit up the page! Their banter was so fun, their love scenes so steamy. I laughed out loud, I felt their fears, and I was enchanted by their love story. Now, more than ever, I’m looking for warmth, hope, and heart in the books I read, and The Dating Dare ticked all those boxes!

Want to escape into a cute romance and read a whole book at the pool? Well that’s what I did when I picked up The Dating Dare. Yes, this book is predictable but it has all the elements of an adorable rom com. I loved it. Be sure to grab a copy of this book before your next vacation or day at the pool.

Thank you to Jayci Lee, St. Martin’s Press, St. Martin’s Griffin, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So, I wasn't aware this was a sequel (whoops, that's my bad), but I still ended up loving it because Jayci Lee is fab and I love her.

The Dating Dare follows Seth and Tara as they go on four casual dates thanks to a game of Truth or Dare. Seth is looking for something fun and simple before he heads off to Paris, and Tara isn't a fan of serious relationships, but the two seem to have bitten off more than they can chew when they realize how well they get along.

The storyline is a bit cheesy and predictable, but if you're looking for a cutesy read then I definitely recommend.

The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee is the 2nd book in her delightful A Sweet Mess series. We meet our heroine, Tara Park, who is Aubrey’s (previous book heroine) best friend, at her wedding to Landon. Tara meets Seth, who is Landon’s brother, and after he constantly can’t take his eyes off of her, they find themselves attracted to each other. Tara has no intention of becoming involved in any kind of permanent relationship, as she was hurt long ago; and Seth is leaving in a month to go to Paris for a new job. Seth is a known playboy, but he is determined to win over Tara; he proposes a Truth and Dare game, with 4 dates, with both enjoying a fun fling; and most importantly, neither can fall in love with each other.

Tara loves her work at the family brewery that she runs with her two brothers; she is a master brewer, creating different kinds of beers, which she hopes will help make their brewery successful. Seth is a fashion photographer, and enjoys his work, but it is Tara who will push him to return to his love of art.

Both Seth and Tara were great together, as he was sweet, romantic and charming; Tara was fun, but also hesitant, but she enjoyed her days with Seth. The chemistry between them was sizzling, and they turned into a fun adorable couple, which we couldn’t help but root for. In a short time, both started having strong feelings for each other. Would Tara allow herself to be in love? Would Seth still leave for Paris?

What follows is a fun, sweet, small town romance, that was a feel-good story, with a great couple and steamy. I really loved both Seth and Tara together. Their dates were fun and cute, not to mention being sexy. The Dating Dare was a delightful sweet, sexy sizzling romance, a wonderful couple, great secondary characters and so much fun. The Dating Dare was a quick and funny read, which was well written by Jayci Lee. Do they have a happy ever after? You need to read this book to find out.

This book is funny and the couple is cute. It’s a fun read and should be taken that way. The couple go on four dates because of a game of truth or dare. This book would make a great Saturday read.

Seth really wants to go out with Tara but he knows she won't go out with him, so he does a dating dare. Neither Tara or Seth want a commitment. They both have had bad relationships and Seth is going to be moving to Paris soon. So they agree to dating for one month and neither of them will fall for the other. Easier said than done. Seth is a great guy, but he is leaving. Tara is the best and she will always be a hometown girl so he knows she won't want to commit him when he is moving to Paris. When they do fall in love, will they be able to be together?

3.75⭐

The Dating Dare is an easy and somewhat fluffy romance. That certainly entertained me throughout. I just didn't really connect with the characters particularly Tara. But, with lots of sugary sweetness it was definitely a charming way to spend an afternoon.

Tara has sworn off relationships. So imagine how shocked she is to be immediately attracted to Seth (her best friend’s new brother-in-law). Seth is also attracted to Tara but he is leaving for Paris in a months’ time. During a simple game of truth and dare, Seth dares Tara to go on 4 dates with him and not fall in love with him. What’s the harm, she’s sworn off everything anyways. Every time they have a scheduled/planned date, something interferes. It’s all the non-dates that they have where they start to fall for each other. So what happens when the month is up? You’ll have to one-click to find out.

This book did take me a little bit to connect and relate with the characters. About the halfway point is where it started to pick up for me. While this kinda’ felt insta-love-ish, it was also sweetly romantic. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffen for the opportunity to read and review it.

DNF. Can't deal with books which start with 'She was so beautiful but she didn't know it trope'. I could have excused one instance, but then it later turns into 'I'm never getting into a relationship cos I have been hurt in the past' trope. There's only so many things you can ignore.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

The Dating Dare is follow-up/spin-off to last year’s A Sweet Mess. It stands alone for the most part, but I do think it does make the relationships between the characters subtly richer if you’ve read the previous book.

This book does one of my favorite tropes, the jaded heroine. I was a bit apprehensive to see that not only was Tara averse to commitment, however, but so is Seth. How would they overcome this? But they do, and it felt more natural than I thought.

Obviously, Tara has more reason to be reticent about commitment, and I felt those were well-expressed here. But she also is enjoying the fun she’s having with Seth, and I like how it’s building subtly for her, even though it does take ruining things to realize it. I liked that even with him initially having his own reasons for not wanting strings attached, Seth is the one to warm up to the possibility of them being more serious first, to the point of him even reconsidering the job opportunity in Paris he was previously anticipating.

This book is a bit sexier than the previous one, suiting the tone of the characters and their relationship. While I was a bit concerned at first if Lee could pull this off, given some her attempts at steam in her Harlequins weren’t great, so I was thankful for the lower steam of ASM, this time around, it feels a bit more refined, and as someone who doesn’t judge the scenes themselves as much as how they fit as puzzle pieces in the larger scope of the romantic arc, I felt it shows her growth in being able to develop these scenes to suit her characters and be less mechanical.

I also appreciated the tie-in with the previous book’s characters. While I did wish there was more with them, given their relationships, I liked what there was. There’s a lovely brotherly bonding scene between Seth and Landon where Seth talks about falling for Tara, leading to Landon remarking about how he felt about Aubrey that was really sweet.

This book is really enjoyable, and is perfect for fans of lighthearted, sexy contemporary romances.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
I read A Sweet Mess last year so I was excited to get an arc of The Dating Dare.
I liked A Sweet Mess, but I think I liked this one more. Seth and Tara had instant chemistry and didn't jump into bed together quite as quickly as Landon and Aubrey. I liked Seth a little bit more than his brother. He seemed to have a playboy image for some reason, but didn't seem like one at all. He was instantly smitten with Tara and hence suggested the dating dare to spend more time with her. They took lots of fun dates which I really enjoyed. This was a little steamy but seemed like more of a slow burn. As always, they had a few issues they had to resolve, but I really liked how it was resolved. I'd love to see a third book in this series!

As with A Sweet Mess, there is a lot of talk of food and beer/wine. This would be perfect pared with a delicious brownie and cold beer.

I will update with the link as soon as I share to my bookstgram account.

It took me a bit to get into this book, but once I did, it was a fun read! Cute premise and storyline. I think it's another great summer read.

4.5 stars for The Dating Dare ( A Sweet Mess #2) which is the second book in the series written by Jayci Lee I'd like to thank Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This was my first expierence reading a Jayci Lee novel and if you appreciate funny, cute light hearted books. This may be the series for you! I will definitely be checking out book one as well; this a perfect summer beach read look forward to enjoying more of the authors novels in the very near future.

Who doesnt love a sweet little RomCom? Tara and Seth are undeniably attracted to each other, but Tara has sworn off serious relationships and Seth is leaving in a month to go to Paris. One night leads to Seth daring Tara to date him until he leaves and Tara says yes. The beginning of this book took me a long time to get into and care about these characters. I actually started to enjoy the middle when Tara and Seth spent more time together and were truly falling for each other (though it did feel a bit insta-love), but the ending was aggravating and left me really annoyed with Tara. They would get mad at each other for not communicating, but then they themselves wouldn't communicate. And then when one would communicate, the other freaked out because they had sworn of serious relationships and didn't really want to hear how the other one was feeling.

This was my favorite read of the summer. Hilarious premise, great romance, strong writing. Everything you need to enjoy yourself for a few hours!

I listened to this one not knowing it was book 2 - and really liked it. But it can be read as a standalone but book one has way more backstory that is helpful. Tara and Seth set a dare after a drinking game for 4 dates. super cute dates! This was a typically rom-com with good banter, steam, chemistry but it was a little flat overall for me compared to other rom-com. But still enjoyed and the narrator was amazing.


4 stars
4 steam


Thank you St. Martin's Press for my gifted copy for review. Also thanks for the ALC @macmillian.audio, @librofm, @stmartinspress, @netgalley