If you enjoyed A Sweet Mess, get ready for The Dating Dare! While I don't always enjoy series that bounce from character to character, I really enjoyed getting to know Tara better and seeing how her relationship with Seth grew! If you didn't get enough of Landon, get ready to meet his younger brother.

Like with A Sweet Mess, I devoured this book in a single sitting, and I again loved seeing more Asian representation in romantic contemporary novels! From witty banter to steamy flirtation, this book has got it all. If you're looking for a steamy rom-com with two characters that have plenty of chemistry, this is what you need!

This is K-Drama on steroids. If you are looking for a steamy cheesy romance this is it! The chemistry between the main characters is enough to put the room on fire (figuratively, ofcourse).

Tara and Seth were both hurt by people they loved in the past, they are in a sense 'broken' and sceptical of relationships of the romantic nature. However, when they come into each other's orbit, the sparks are real. Tara's not looking for anything long-lasting, so Seth seems perfect as he's moving to another continent in a month. And when Seth dares her to go on four dates with him, and not to fall in love with him, that's all the excuse she needs.

But we all know how these relationships (in books) go...

The writing is engaging, witty, cute. Both the main characters are like marshmallows wrapped in porcupine spines (made of chocolate).

That being said, Tara's and Seth's characters read like the male and female versions of the same person to me though. I don't know if it was intentional.

Read this book for the hot as they come chemistry, cute as a button dates, amazing friends, and broken main characters who take a second chance on life.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'd recommend it to K-drama fans, and to anyone looking for a hot and cute romance.

I had such a fun experience with the authors prior novel I definitely wanted to read the next publication that is coming out in August. Based on two best friends, who each get their own story, both can definitely be read as a standalone, but lovely to have them intertwine as well.

Lee created two fabulous characters in Seth and Tara that will capture your complete attention. A little bit of love-hate to start, and definitely heavy on the love and attraction scene as the story builds. The Dating Dare is a sweet and spicy riot of wit and personality that you cannot help but love.

These two try to keep it casual but the heat is radiating off the pages and you know they are going to be in for a big crash of feelings. Lee captures their intense feelings perfectly and builds a sweet romance that leaves the reader with a huge smile.

A delightful and fun romcom that hits the sweet spot perfectly!

The Dating Dare is a lighthearted contemporary romance. A bridesmaid and the grooms brother fall in lust at the wedding and one bet later the two embark on a steamy four date relationship. They quickly realize its hard to stay out of their feelings as these two virtual strangers romp in the bed more than they spend anytime together out of it. Tara and Seth have a timeline hanging over their heads as Seth is set to move away within the month and four dates do not seem to be enough for either of them. While easy to read, the book details a relationship with two people falling in love but never having any conversations to actually get to really know the other person. I found the premise a little far fetch but the book would be a great read for people who like the heat to plot ratio unevenly tilted onto the heat side. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

A cute fun friend to love romance.
Tara and Seth met at there friends wedding ,they had a attraction to each other but neither wanted a relationships,just some fun. But fate decided differently.
Enjoyed reading .
Voluntarily reviewed.

This frothy romance will appeal to a lot of readers who are looking to be salved from the realities of life. Perfect beach read. #stmartinspress #netgalley

ARC provided by publisher St. Martin's Griffin in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Okay, so before I get too in to this, I must preface that this review cannot be 100% accurate, as I did not realize that this was the second book in a series, and I have not read the first one. However, since the series follows different people each time, with previous / future characters being side characters in the story, I felt that I was not walking in to this book completely blind. Surely, there was still much to learn about our characters in their own story.

The Dating Dare is considered the sequel to Lee's "A Beautiful Mess" which focuses on the story of Aubrey and Landon -- a bakery owner and a food critic -- and how they fall in love. We enter "The Dating Dare" meeting our two characters (who I presume we met in the first book!) at Aubrey and Landon's wedding. Here, we have Tara, Aubrey's best friend, and Seth, Landon's younger brother. Right off the bat, the two are attracted to each other, and when one drink leads to a game of truth or dare, the dating dare is born. They will go on 4 dates over the next month, and they will DEFINITELY not fall in love with the other. Then, Seth will move to Paris and Tara will continue on as planned. Sounds simple, right? But their chemistry is off the charts from the start, old wounds get dug up, and soon, feelings start to happen. Who would've guessed?

To start, this is exactly the type of romance book I cannot get enough of. It's somewhere along the lines of fake dating, but with a little bit of enemies to lovers thrown in if you consider the challenge of it all. To top is all off, our characters are both in a little need of some love considering their previous bad relationships. I loved their chemistry, their witty banter, and how their relationship fit together nicely. Their constant denial of their true feelings, all the while showing us with their actions that they *do* feel what they were afraid of, led to a nice tension and a satisfying ending.

However, there were some small pieces that could have been added to the puzzle to make it more complex. Now, while I understand that this is technically a sequel, there were some things that were not explained in a way that gave me much clarify -- my error. But even for a sequel, I felt like the story jumped in too fast without setting up the scene. Our characters meeting and forming the dare came very quickly and did not give the reader much time to take a breath and absorb where and what is going on. From there, it is a whirlwind for sure, and that left me feeling like our characters' development was not being fleshed out. At the end of the book, I felt like I knew little about the characters themselves aside from family and dating background that was crucial to the story. But their lives outside of this dating dare was very minimally addressed, the romance and tension consuming the storyline. Without this dare, could the characters have stood on their own?

In the end, the book was a quick read that made me love the characters and their story, but left me wanting more oomph on the character development and detailing. 3 stars!!!

When I read “A Sweet Mess” by Jayci Lee, I fell in love almost instantly. But I also knew that I wanted to know more about Tara, the best friend. My wish was granted with The Dating Dare.

The Dating Dare lets us get to know Tara, whose walls are up so high around her that no one could get through. Luckily, Seth Kim is leaving at the end of the month and a no strings attached fling with Tara seems like the perfect idea.

The Dating Dare allowed us to dig deep into Tara and Seth’s lives and it made me fall in love with both of the characters even more. Lee also managed to create the perfect little tiny town in Washington state with the perfect cast of supporting characters. I can only hope for more books in the future to bring me back there.

Tara isn't looking for anyone. She's not looking for one-night stands, and she's certainly not looking for a serious relationship, especially with her best friend's brother in law Seth. He's got a huge ego and a charming personality which makes Tara want to keep her distance. The two of them engage in a friendly game of Truth or Dare which is how Tara ends up letting Seth take her on four-date on the condition she doesn't fall in love with him. Seths' leaving for Paris soon, he's not looking for anything serious either. But on their dared dates, the two of them can't deny their attraction to each other. Seth is leaving soon and Tara doesn't want to commit, but they're everything the other has been looking for.

This was a really sweet romcom! From the start, Seth and Tara had an interesting sort of animosity between each other, but there was still some chemistry. The dare was such a cute idea and I love the whole "try not to fall in love with me" trope. There are so many quirky, adorable events in here, too! They go on picnics, they go skiing, but there's plenty of cringe that's necessary for a romcom. I enjoyed Tara as the main character! She was not what I had expected, she was fierce and strong and always spoke her mind. Seth was an amazing hero, too. He was charming, but he also was so smitten with Tara. Such a cinnamon roll hero. I think the reason I didn't absolutely love this book was because the pacing was a little off for me. At the end, I felt like so much was happening in such a little amount of time that it felt almost unrealistic. Nevertheless, if you're looking for a cute rom-com I definitely recommend this one!

2.5 stars. I am not able to connect with this author's writing style. Way too much inner dialogue drama. Pages and pages of it. This story was nicely modern in character and setting, but then cliched in the tropes that drove the drama.

In Jayci Lee’s new book “The Dating Dare,” I was swept away by the author's ability to describe events and places so accurately that I could visualize being there with Seth and Tara while they began their romantic adventures.

I found Seth to be very romantic when it came to wooing Tara, which made their dating journey that much more interesting. Seth was honest with Tara from the very beginning which is another reason why I loved his character so much. Tara was a bit more guarded when it came to how she felt about Seth. She shielded her heart from commitment because of a dark part of her life that she wished she could forget about.
The dating dare between Seth and Tara turned into friendship, fun and thoughts of forever. In a short time they trusted each other with their deepest secrets which made it impossible for them not to fall for each other.

I found Seth and Tara to be a positive and fun-loving couple and I was cheering for them from the moment their eyes met at the wedding. This was just the beginning of a remarkable book that made me laugh and feel happy as I followed along with Seth and Tara as they got to know each other. They tried to fight their feelings, but as their dates became more personal and meaningful, important decisions had to be made.

Would Seth fly off to Paris to start his fabulous new job, leaving behind the love of his life? Would Tara be happy when their dates were over, content with going back to her busy yet lonely life? Or will she take a chance on Seth -- on love, laughter and a life full of more amazing dates?

"The Dating Dare" by Jayci Lee
Your Next Romance Read is HERE !
I really liked this story. On the road to true love, we can often suffer excruciating pain via choices we make and the healing process can take a long time over some truly bumpy terrain. Hopefully everyone finds their way to a happy ending. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did. Happy Reading ! !
Note: I received an ARC of this story from the publisher.
This review is my honest opinion.

So cute!! I so enjoyed this light, funny romp! At first I had a difficult time warming up to Tara but it wasn’t for long! She & Seth are so perfect together. Looking forward to more books featuring Tara’s friends and family!

The Dating Dare is a fun romance book, perfect for laying in the sun on a beautiful day. It’s cute, funny, and a quick read. I enjoyed the characters; the banter was great, and their chemistry was undeniable. The multiple POVs alternating between Tara and Seth were entertaining, and brought out so much in both of them.

This is everything I want in a romantic comedy! The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee was super cute, I loved both Tara and Seth and they’re little “dating dare” - four dates without falling in love (talk about playing with fire). I’m pretty sure Seth is a unicorn though because he was over the top sweet and adorable! There were also some funny and emotional moments in here too! This is the perfect summer read!

The whole trope of a person who had a bad romantic experience when young and then decides that he or she is never going to fall in love again never appeals to me. It’s one thing to not trust people, but to swear off love entirely seems immature and self-defeating. In this book, both characters are suffering from that syndrome. But over a few weeks they date, have some sex and figure things out. Of course they do.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley;
however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

This is the second book in the sweet mess series. It was sweet and super cheesy, everything you want in a romance. The main characters had great chemistry.

Instant attraction leads to the agreement to four dates. Both hero and heroine don’t want commitment. They are both too modern for my liking. Gave it a try, just wasn’t my thing. DNF

3.5, rounded up. Jayci Lee's other books have been middling for me (though I haven't read A Sweet Mess yet), but the main characters are usually cute and have excellent chemistry, so I requested this one. These aspects still hold true in this book, thankfully.

I enjoyed the way the relationship between Tara and Seth played out, even if the whole "I don't want or deserve love" thing gets old at times. I also appreciated the backstory and the flashbacks from both characters, though there were a couple of details missing that I found puzzling. Most importantly, though, Lee's rich descriptions of the food were mouth-watering. (Okay, maybe not MOST importantly, but they certainly helped.)

Read this if you're looking for a light, sweet-yet-authentic, #ownvoices romance.

I read the first book A Sweet Mess last October and already “met” Tara. I can’t say I remember Seth that well or if he was in the first book.

Tara, a beer brewer, and Seth, a fashion photographer, hit it off with the chemistry from the get go! Tara is Aubreys best friend and Seth is Landons younger brother (from A Sweet Mess).

With this book, I kind of had the same problems when reading as I did with the first book. They were perfect together, but both couldn’t get their feelings out, afraid that it would be a repeat of their previous disastrous relationship with other partners. Also the s3xual chemistry was so strong and we get glimpses of what it could become, to only have it fade away when it gets to that final base…

I thank NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin’s Griffin for this ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.