Didn't care for the first book and couldn't bring myself to read the second. Sorry. ..........................................................................

You could be really judgey about the plot of this one but the characters are good and it's got a humorous bent. A good read.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

I enjoyed the story but I didn’t gain anything from it. I didn’t really like Sara. I didn’t get her argument’s with David, or her logic behind keeping everything quiet or bending the truth slightly. I didn’t like the way she kept getting David to.. well, I won’t say because it’ll give the story away a little. I do like David though. He was one of the good things. He was sexy, funny, charming and a gent. Still, it was well written like the first book, and I did enjoy it.

Unfortunately I am having a hard time connecting to Sarah and David and will be setting this aside. Thank you for the opportunity to review.

All my reviews can be found at https://bookblog.gjmccarthy.co.uk/.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK/HQ Digital for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Although this is a sequel (and I haven’t read Book 1), this book reads fine as a standalone.

I really enjoyed The Dating Game. It is a heart-warming, sexy, romantic tale full of suspense and miscommunication between couples.

Firstly, we have the agreement between Sarah and David, which makes for an excellent storyline, and their chemistry makes for an interesting read. Sarah agrees to model for David as a portrait model and in return, he will provide her with dating advice since her current success rate is dismal. She has set a goal of keeping a love interest for 3 weeks and 1 day in an effort to break the dating curse she feels she has.

Sarah and David are attracted to each other from the beginning, but Sarah won’t act on it because she thinks that Lane might still have an interest in David and she doesn’t want to break the girl code with one of her best friends. However, David doesn’t care about Lane, and is relatively indifferent to Sarah’s desire to keep their arrangement secret. Eventually, Sarah and David do what people do in romances and unwillingly fall in love.
Sarah feels guilty about avoiding Lane and Erica and decides to come clean about what she’s been doing. Once this is done, she and David agree that he will be the person to break her curse and they will date for 3 weeks and 1 day. They do this with the clear understanding that they are secretly in love with one another. To makes matters worse, David has serious personal relationship baggage and, at the end of the best 3 weeks and 1 day contract ever, he leaves Sarah! So frustrating! What will happen next?

This is an easy, addictive, steamy romance and I really enjoyed it. Now, I need to find the first book in the series and see exactly what went down between Adam and Lane.

I was hoping it would be better than the first book but sadly it wasn't.

The Dating Game is actually a sequel, but obviously it works as a standalone.

Sarah thinks she is cursed. Every man she dates breaks up with her before they reach the three week and one day mark. When she meets ladies man David, she agrees to pose for a painting in exchange for some lessons on how to keep a man.

The first part of the book made everything light and didn’t take itself too seriously. It almost fell into chick lit territory. There was conflict in the shape of Sarah’s best friend, Lane. Sarah believes Lane is in love (or, at least, lust) with David but there was never any doubt everything would be sorted and we’d get our HEA. I was just enjoying a bit of fluffy fun along the way. The sex scenes, and the build up to them, were well written. The heat factor was higher than average but there was nothing too crude that put me off. It all worked well.

Then, Tremayne added a couple of new complications, and unfortunately I found my interest wanned along with the book’s humour and sexiness.

The scenarios she introduced were even what I would describe as a little far fetched. The book lost its chick lit feel and dove directly into a pool of 70’s anti-feminist cliches.

I did like Sarah’s backstory which David decides is the root cause of her relationship issues. David’s backstory was probably where I baulked the most. This is 2017…

David’s past experience with women also made me shudder and reminded me of vintage romance. For example, at one stage we find out that he usually has sex every 2 days, at the very least 3 times a week, and always with a different partner who he’s randomly met for the last 9 years. This equates to at least 1404 different partners. Er… You’re getting into creepy Gable Tostee territory here. Keep that condom on, girl!

I found that once Sarah learned of David’s ‘tragic’ past which was affecting his future with her, the book dragged. The time it took from then to resolution was far too long. The dialogue heavy scenes read like a Days of Our Lives script on a couple of occasions.

4 out of 5 for the first part of the book, but my disappointment with the added silliness that screamed 70s Mills and Boon in the second half of the book pushed it down to a very generous 3 out of 5.

PS I don’t understand the American spelling and terminology in a book by an Aussie author with an Aussie setting Yes, removing confusing slang is one thing, but I found the almost… dumbing down? (for wont of a better term) for the American market disappointing.

3.5☆ Sexy and Fun!

This is the second book in the series.
Both books can be read as standalone books.

I absolutely loved the first book, however this one for me just wasn't as good.
I so desperately wanted to like it as much.

I feel the characters was lost on the continuous dialogue between Sarah and David.
I understand the need for back and forth conversation I just feel the actual story was somewhat lost.

We meet Sarah and David in book 1.
I loved the first few chapters where Sarah and David discuss Sarah's disastrous love life. It sets the story up and tied in nicely with the previous book.

So when David decides he wants to paint Sarah, in exchange for helping Sarah in finding a long term partner (one that lasts longer than 3weeks) and what she needs to change or do to meet her man. I loved the idea. I was very excited!

David and Sarah clearly have sexual chemistry and with Sarah's best friend Lane having a crush on David. Neither are willing to take the sizzling tension to the next level.

The chemistry between David and Sarah was clearly obvious to the reader. The way David reacts to Sarah's every move/ touch is made perfectly clear by he's quick arousal, very early on in the book.

I am finding this difficult to write my review because I didn't dislike this book, i did enjoy it.
 It was just missing something.
I just found the endless back and forth conversation a little tiresome.
It lacked the spark the first book had.
I missed the excitement and build up.

Maybe it was too similar to the first book that I was expecting more. I understand they are 2 different stories but the concept is virtually the same.

I think if I read this book a few months later and not straight on top of the first then I think my opinion may well be different.

I want to add that reading both books together for me probably wasn't the right thing to do. As I did find myself comparing.

I would also like to add that there is alot of sexual themes so approach with caution.

Overall a good read. I do hope there will be a story for Erica as she intrigues me the most.

I do recommend reading this book. It does have great characters, lots of sexual chemistry and some very funny moments.
Avril always creates the perfect sizzling and enticing build ups.

I do hope there is more to come from Avril as she is a very talented writer.

Perfect read for lovers of Chick Lit, Romance and Love.

I did not make if very far in this book, the writing style was hard to follow. at times I felt like I was reading an ancient book. I was really looking forward to reading this book too. :(

The Dating Game is the best kind of sexy chick-lit. It's romantic, sweet, dirty, joyful and just a little bit suspenseful. Sarah and David's agreement makes for an excellent storyline, and their chemistry makes for an excellent read. David is one of those amazing book boyfriends that you don't want to leave when it's over, and Sarah is the perfect character to fall into, empathise with and connect with. This is an easy read, and an incredibly enjoyable one. It's seriously addictive too - I did not want to put it down, at all. I now need to find the first book in the series and see exactly what went down between Adam and Lane.

It was an okay story, I just couldn't get into the story from the start, what should have been a witty back and forth fell a little flat. Sarah started as a bit of a downer, crying and I wasn't sure why. David came across as cold. I wished I had read the first book in the series, I found myself feeling like I was plopped down in the middle of a story.

This book is the sequel to 'kiss, don't tell', even when the time frame is about the same time. I liked the first book, but somehow did not feel this one. I thought it was a lot like the first and I did not like the whole argument the H/h were having near the end. I won't spoil it, but it seemed a bit OTT for me. It could have been solved so much easier. The author can write, that's obvious. However, there is a recurring theme in the books with very headstrong MC's (in this case the male character).
Better next time.

I didn't enjoy this book as much a the first book about Lane and Adam. The author has written Mills & Boon books and I found this one to be very similar to a M&B in storyline. I didn't particularly like David and he wasn't my kind of hero. It also went on a bit towards the end.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review. I really enjoyed the continuation of this story in the first book Kiss don't Tell we hear Adam and Lane's story and in this book we get Sarah and David's story. Sarah first meets David at an art gala that Lane takes her to. Lane is interested in David and introduces them so Sarah feels like he is off limits. David is interested in Sarah and they strike up a deal where she will pose for his art work and he will help her break her dating curse. This book was cute and funny and a great chick lit read. I would highly recommend this book and will look out for more by the author

4 'Darling One' Stars!

ARC kindly provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. Loved being able to continue on from Lane and Adam to David and Sarah. I loved both of these characters. Sarah being the bright sunshine pixie with her heart on her sleeve and David with the charming dimples but deep secrets. It was beautiful getting to finally see these two get come together and get it right. Chemistry was hot too....just saying!! *fans self*

I'm really liking these three friends....the blonde, the brunette and the red head! I would love a book that follows Erica's story. She deserves her HEA too. :). Will definitely check out more books from this author! Thanks again!

a good continuation, I liked this book