This is my first romance novel and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I found the story to be very cutesy and predictable like a hallmark movie which was fine. It felt a little contrived that basically 3 of the 4 main characters are business owners in the food industry but as a small business owner, I enjoyed the peek behind the curtain. I didn’t know this was part of a series until I was 4 chapters in and checked goodreads but I think this book is just fine to read as a stand-alone. Tara’s relationship with Seth seemed to go from “hi” to obsessed ultra fast. I’m glad they were able to support each other as they worked through their perspective baggage but I found myself skimming sometimes because it seemed a little wordy. I liked Tara’s family as a whole and thought the way she interacted with them was really cute. Also, kudos for the details in Paris because I’m dying to travel right now!

This is a sweet love story. The trope ('let's date but not fall in love') is not my favorite by nature but the characters Lee creates are strong enough to overcome it. I love the way Lee created solid families and backstories for both main characters. Neither are perfect humans and that makes them both incredibly believable. I feel like I know both Tara and Seth in real life and the choices Lee's characters made are realistic for real people. I'm excited to see what Lee does next.

The Dating Dare was the first book from this author for me. While it was a little slow for me and took me a while to get into it, I am glad I stuck with it! I enjoyed Tara and Seth’s story as they connected over their four dates that resulted from a dare. Neither wanted to get involved with the other due to past relationship problems and the fact that Seth would be leaving for Paris in just four weeks. But, feelings happen… This was book 2 of a two book series but having not read the first was not a problem.

After hearing lots of great things about this book, I was excited for the chance to read it. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the hype. I found the banter appealing, bu there was so, so much time spent on the character's inner thoughts. I do appreciate some of that, but whole pages was too much for what I was expecting to be a fun, breezy read

So, this beginnings at a beautiful wedding of Landon Kim to Aubrey, in which the maid of honor Tara Park notices the best man not so sly gawking at her. Seth notices the beautiful Tara Park and can't keep his eyes off oh her. He notices her sassy humor and festy retorts and wants more of it. But how to get the woman to agree to get to know him better? Oh i know make a 4 date dare with the only stipulation no falling in love with one another. Let's just say the first two are disastrous yet funny. Anyways, my heart swooned for Seth Kim, he's a famed fashioned photographer who happens to be a big playboy. Tara Park, works for her family brewery who help create beers ( i don't know what this is called technically) . Anyways, they both find each other attractive but don't act on their feelings. They both have been hurt from their past relationships which makes them hesitant . Yet, from the beginning it's known that Seth was offered a wonderful career opportunity in Paris. I forgot to mention that within the month him tying up loose ties before he moves to Paris he realize he has feelings for Tara. Will the feelings be returned? This is a bit of a clean romance, but i wished the author went into depth for the steamy sexy times. Anyways this is a good book, showing how these two characters grew to know each other better and the funny disastrous dates. but date 3 was epic.

This is a lovely, heartwarming story with plenty of fun and laughter ! Seth and Tara have a month and four dates before he leaves the country. Their dates seem to always be interrupted! Their not-dates are where they really get to know each other. They share the sad past experiences of a “love” that destroys, but their HEA will depend on believing in the true love that heals. I was completely drawn in to this delightful read and found it hard to put down.

I have not read any books from the author and really enjoyed this one. The characters were great and I enjoyed the conversations between Seth and Tara. They had such a sweet element to their relationship. I would highly recommend this to others and look forward to reading more from this author!

The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee is a humorous, sexy, and revealing story about two people very attracted to each other, but so badly burned by previous relationships that neither wants more than a fling. Photographer Landon is leaving for Paris shortly when he proposes the dare for four dates. This reader loved how the author kept the tension and the humor building as the dates never quite go as planned. I also appreciated her insight into the reactions of those for whom relationships have not been uplifting. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Highly recommend.

The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee is a lighthearted romantic novel which strikes all the right notes for a summer beach read. Beautiful, strong woman, hurt in the past, not looking for love? Check. Handsome, successful man, hurt in the past, with a limited amount of the time in town? Check. Quick romance that does not involve falling in love? Check, check check! But we all know how those romances play out!

I enjoyed the premise of The Dating Dare, although I did find the constant repetitiveness of "we only have 4 weeks", "we only have 4 dates", "we only have 2 more dates", etc. incredibly boring. I felt like the author was trying to flesh out the book with all of these reminders, rather than adding content that was interesting. The entire premise of the novel was the two main characters, Tara and Seth, did not want a serious relationship and agreed to four dates before he left for a new job in Paris. There was no need to beat the intelligent reader over the head with it, unless she feels her readers are not terribly intelligent. Ms. Lee could have added more content, more of Seth and Tara's lives and enhanced the novel, rather than bludgeoning her readers with things they already knew. By the end I was skipping over pages to get to the predictable ending.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

It’s a good, fast read with a HEA. It was very easy to get invested in the characters, even as hilarious and crazy they seemed to get. World building was great - not too much detail, not too little. I usually prefer POV books, but this one did quite well, being able to show both of their thoughts and emotions. It’s also very nice to read a book that is without drama that’s based in scandal.

Let me start by saying I did not read the first book in this series. Maybe that was necessary to do before reading this one.

With that being said I just could not get into this one. The plot was flat , not really any character development, and little to no chemistry between Tara and Seth. I love a predictable, cheesy rom com, but I found this writing style hard to read. It was more cringe corny than heartwarming and funny. I think the storyline had a lot of potential (dare the girl to agree to four dates and not fall in love with him, and of course, falls in love with him), but everything just felt flat.

If light, easy read rom coms are you style give this one a shot. Some readers enjoy this author's style, so it may just be me. Just wasn't for me!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Dating Dare is a witty story about a truth and dare game gone wrong, or right depending on how you look at it. Tara doesn't do relationship or tricky one night stands but she's faced with one very attractive Seth. Only problem is Seth is her best friends brother in law. I enjoyed The Dating Dare for the most part. The ending threw off the whole story in my opinion. There was a very dark twist that didn't feel needed. I don't think it added to the story, it really just took away from the charm of this story.

I didn't realize it was part of a series until the first few pages, but I quickly went back and read A Sweet Mess to get caught up on what's up. I don't think you would have to read A Sweet Mess first, but it definitely helped me set the mood.

I thought this was an excellent read. I especially loved that Tara was a brewery owner! I recently brewed my first beer at a brewery after homebrewing for about a year and it was just so lovely to see a female head brewery and owner in such a male dominated industry.

The romance was great, the characters were fun, and I hope that Tara's brothers get their own books!

The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee follows Seth Kim and Tara Park who really get to know each other at a wedding - the wedding of Tara's best friend to Seth's brother. There is an instant attraction between the two of them and one few two many drinks by Tara leads to Truth or Dare. Seth is leaving in one month to go to Paris for work, so he wants a fun fling beforehand and the Truth or Dare game gives him the perfect opportunity to do just that. He proposes four dates only, but the only caveat.. they can not fall in love with each other. *Wiggles eyebrows*

Seth is so incredibly sweet and romantic and Tara has a quick wit to her that makes these characters so lovable. Each date they go on was completely adorable and every time they spend time together, it just caused for more of a slow burn to build and build, until no one could stop it. I would have loved to read in more detail about their bedroom time instead of it just being implied because their chemistry was hot!

I have not read the first book in the series, A Sweet Mess, however the author did specify that this book could be read as a stand alone. Which for 99% of the book it totally could, except for one specific scene where a mutual friend comes to town and treats them both to dinner. Well, since I did not read the first novel in the series, I had no idea who this person was or how they knew both main characters. Oh well.

Such a fun and easy-going novel that I definitely think I'll be checking out more of this author! 4/5 stars!

I really wanted to enjoy this book. I love the fake dating trope and that was what drew me to this book. However, the writing was what threw me off. It felt too cheesy and the dialogue felt extremely awkward.

The storyline was a good one and I think I would’ve loved this book but the writing style was just not my type. The characters also all felt pretty much the same and they weren’t very well developed so it felt a bit bland.

Although this book was not for me, I think there could be people out there who would enjoy it, especially if you love the fake dating trope and cheesy romances.

First of all, when I first received the eARC, I wasn't aware that this was a series read. I just liked the story from the description! Overall, I don't think that you needed to read the following book to understand the story-- so don't let that put you off. I found that this book was a generally good romance. It wasn't the best romance I've ever read, but it was... fine. It was much too cheesy for my liking, but if that's your jam when it comes to a fluffy, cheesy romance read-- go for this one! I didn't read the first book in the series, but I generally think that an author usually carries through with the writing style for each book that they read, so I can assure you that you'd enjoy this one. I think that there were a lot of scenes that felt disjointed (talking about abusive relationships almost 90% through the book was a little strange for me). I personally wasn't a huge fan of the storyline and how it was written out, but I think that this book was okay! Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an eARC! I gave it a 2/5 stars on my scale-- just wasn't my thing, but I can understand why other people would love this, so don't be afraid to give it a go if it looks like something you're interested in!

Cute and fun beach read! The relationship between Tara and Seth was fun to read and the author did a good job of creating the tension where you’re rooting for them to be together. Would definitely recommend if you want a fun, light read.

I enjoyed the banter between the main characters. Tara and Seth create a fun, cute and witty story.
Great romantic summer read! The author’s descriptions made me feel like I was watching a movie.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions in this review are my own. Thank you St Martin’s Press!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I am voluntarily reviewing. This was a romance where neither party wanted to become deeply involved. They met a friend’s wedding and seemed to have an instant attraction and at the same time dislike of each other. They decide to go on four dates as a dare with the stipulation of not falling in love. This is a second in a series and I have not read the first. Maybe I would have liked it more if I had, but I just didn’t find the main character likable.

Loved this book. A quick read, as I couldn’t put it down, as well as adorable, cute, and smile worthy. So glad I came across it.