The Dating Dare | A Steamy Sequel to A Sweet Mess

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

3/5 stars

Aubrey and Landon are off on their honeymoon leaving Tara and Seth to help out with the opening of their new restaurant. Tara doesn’t really do relationships, but when Seth dares her to go on four dates with him she wonders what the worst thing that could happen is. He’s moving to Parish in a month anyway. Tara agrees, but realizes not falling for Seth may be harder than she thought. 

This was another cute and steamy romance from Jayci Lee. I enjoyed getting to read a love story featuring Asian-American protagonists. I was unsure about the premise initially. Not exactly enemies-to-lovers, but platonic acquaintances-to-lovers?  

The dates were cute, but the dialogue was a bit overdone. It was very cheesy and a bit unrealistic for me. The flowery language Seth and Tara use to show admiration for each other took away from their natural relationship. There was a solid build up of tension and the pacing was good. 

Overall, this was a cute romance but I still prefer A Sweet Mess. The Dating Dare could have been a hit, but just a bit too cheesy for my taste.