The first rule of dating? Don’t fall for your business partner! Find out what happens when McKenna breaks that rule in THE DATING PROPOSAL, a witty, clever new standalone romantic comedy from #1 NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely now available in KINDLE UNLIMITED!
Grab it at the amazing price of 99¢ NOW because the price will be going up to $3.99 at the stroke of midnight tonight!
The Dating 101 lesson rule book…
✔ Get back out there!
✔ Have some fun!
✔ Don’t fall for your new business partner!
Dive into this fun, fresh romance about the pitfalls and perils of the dating circuit! Especially when they involve falling for the one person you shouldn’t!
Available Now!
Amazon | Paperback
*FREE in KU*
THE DATING PROPOSAL is narrated by Andi Arndt and Sebastian York!
Lose yourself in this fantastic story, and then, treat yourself to the bonus novella, DELAYED SATISFACTION!
Get your copy today!
Audio
Blurb
Watch out world — I’m ready to date again.
The seven years I invested in my ex left me with nothing but scorch marks from the way he peeled out and left me at the altar. I’m not looking to put my heart into a relationship any time soon. But getting back out there? That sounds like a helluva good idea to get my groove back.
Then I bump into Chris….Clever and funny, with a sexy surfer’s bod and a brilliant nerd brain, he has just the right screwdriver to fix my hard drive. (Yes, the one for my computer.) I wouldn’t mind dating him. The trouble is he just proposed to me—to be the new dating guru on his TV show. Now he’s my new business partner.
What happens when you meet the right person at the wrong time?
Find The Dating Proposal on GOODREADS
Review
4.5 “if we dated” stars!
The Dating Proposal is an entertaining, feel good read that will make you laugh-out-loud while you swoon. It is so sweet and it filled me with nothing but happiness as I followed McKenna and Chris’ journey to love.
A year after being left at the altar, McKenna is ready to move on and get back into the dating scene. She’s up for some fun but not looking for anything serious. When she meets Chris at a video game store, they click instantly but he has a business opportunity McKenna can’t turn down. They enter the friend zone when they start working together because Chris knows firsthand how bad things can go when you date a coworker and things go belly up. But when they have a moment of weakness, a single, hot kiss flips everything upside down and they discover just what they may be missing.
These characters are awesome! McKenna is nerdy, unique and so much fun. She is ready to date and date she does! Only, things don’t go as planned and all her prospective suitors pale in comparison to the man in front of her. Chris is a smoking hot geek who is sweet and swoony, and more perfect for McKenna than she knows.
These two characters are awesome. I love that they are a little quirky but have so much in common. They form an easy, fun friendship and the banter is hilarious. The attraction is immediate, the chemistry is amazing, and the sexual tension is off the charts.
My body is a comet with Chris. I’m a shooting star from the way he kisses me.
Everything feels right in the world when Chris and McKenna are a together and I loved seeing them take a chance. They are sexy and steamy, flirty and fun, and they gave me the warm fuzzies and a huge smile whenever they were together.
“How do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Kiss me like that?”
He slides his thumb along my jaw. “Like it’s all I want to do?”
…“Yeah. Just like that,” I say with a dopey grin.
“Because kissing you is all I want to do. I can’t get enough.”
I have to add that I loved that we got to see Most Valuable Playboy’s Cooper and Violet again. They are always there for their friends and I love their interactions. These characters are hilarious and wonderful, and I will eat up every moment I get with them!
The Dating Proposal is a lighthearted read that will make you laugh out loud, send butterflies flying, and make you fall in love. I recommend it to everyone who wants and fun, low angst, smile inducing love story.
*ARC generously provided by the author and Inklinger PR in exchange for an honest review*
Excerpt
~McKenna~
“What other games do you like?” Hot Guy asks, and something about the question startles me. Maybe because it’s so normal, and he seems legitimately curious. Then there’s the simple fact that we’re having a conversation in the middle of an electronics store.
“Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly,” I say with a completely straight face.
He picks up the cue easily, raising an eyebrow as he asks, “Clue?”
“Of course. And it was always Professor Plum in the library with the candlestick.”
“Interesting. Because Miss Scarlet was pretty wicked with that rope in the ballroom, if memory serves. What about Chutes and Ladders?”
“Let’s not forget Candy Land either.”
“What was your favorite candy destination in that game?”
“The vintage game, right? Not that new King Candy imitator?”
“As if I’d even be talking about that game,” he says playfully.
I’m about to answer when he puts his hands together as if he’s praying and says in a whisper, “Please say Ice Cream Floats. Please say Ice Cream Floats.”
I laugh with the kind of mirth I haven’t felt in a while, the kind that radiates through my whole body and turns into a huge grin. “Of course. I wanted to live in Ice Cream Floats.”
“I was all set to build a chocolate and licorice home in Ice Cream Floats. And this reminds me that I need to stock up on the classic games too. But I don’t think they sell them here.”
“I came here because Gadgets, Gizmos, and Geeks is closed, and that’s the only place nearby that actually fixes hard drives.” I put on my best sad face. “I was the victim of a cat hard-drive attack.”
He pretends to be taken aback. “I’ve heard of those. How awful.”
“It was terrible. Fur, claws, and metal everywhere.”
“My condolences. Hopefully you at least caught it on camera so you can post it on YouTube?”
I snap my fingers, aw-shucks-style. “If only.”
“Next time.”
“Or perhaps next time I will do a better job making sure the hard drive is out of his reach.”
He shrugs confidently, quirks up his lips. “Can I see it?”
“Um, sure.” Does he have a thing for broken hard drives? I reach into my bag where I have the drive and show him the silver device with the cracked end.
He surveys the damage. “I can fix it.”
I give him a quizzical look. “Seriously? You can fix a hard drive? Do you moonlight as a computer-repair guy?”
“Not exactly. I can fix pretty much anything.”
“That’s impressive.”
“Want me to try?”
I study his face, trying to figure him out. “You really want to?”
“I do. Yeah,” he says, as if he’s digging the prospect of repairing the damaged device. “I really enjoy that kind of challenge. It’s kind of like a game to me.”
But I don’t want to hand over a hard drive to a total stranger. “Actually…”
He smiles, raises a finger. “And I bet you probably don’t want to give your hard drive to a total stranger.”
I shrug, a little embarrassed. “Sorry. But you can’t be too careful.”
“I hear you completely. But this is simple. And…” He inches closer, reaches into the pocket of his jeans, and dangles his keys. Is he going to take me for a ride? “I have the tools right here.”
I blink, surprised. “What?”
He waggles the keys, and I spy a tiny little tube that looks like it holds screwdrivers.
“You carry computer-repair tools with you?”
He smiles casually. “You never know when you might need them. I also carry a Swiss Army knife. I read 101 Things a Navy SEAL Knows.” He glances out the window of the store at Chestnut Street, teeming with pedestrians. “And I also know the café next door makes a killer espresso. I’ll fix it while we get a cup of joe.”
Cup of joe! That’s almost like a date!
I mean, it’s not a date.
Obviously.
But it’s training-wheels time. Talking to this guy as he fixes my hard drive might help me prep for when I go out with Steven from Madcap, the Lemonhead Guy, Nathaniel from Julia’s bar, and the other men I hope will come knocking on my door—not literally—once my dating prowess improves.
“Sure,” I say, with probably way more enthusiasm than the prospect of a repair job and coffee deserves.
There’s a big bonus to this cuppa. I’ll get to look at his handsome face while he fixes it. I mean, I’ll look at his hands, because the sight of a man using a tool is super hot.
“By the way, I’m Chris McCormick.”
“McKenna Bell.”
He extends a hand.
We make contact, and there’s something about the feel of his strong hand in mine that kind of turns me on. Maybe it’s the firm grip, or the way his eyes light up as he smiles. I want to tug him closer and plant a hot, wet kiss on his lips.
Nothing will happen though. He didn’t ask me on a date, and I didn’t ask him either.
But it can’t hurt that I’m thinking slightly naughty thoughts. It’s evidence I’m getting my groove back.
Hello, groove. Nice to see you. I’ve missed you bunches.
Giveaway
Who doesn’t enjoy a night out!
This amazing giveaway includes a $100 gift card to your favorite restaurant and a $100 gift card to your favorite clothing retailer to purchase just the right outfit for the occasion.
ENTER HERE
The Escapist Book Blog is not responsible for this giveaway.
About the Author
A #1 New York Times Bestselling, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and #1 Audible Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that’s sweet, sexy and witty. Her heroines are strong and smart and her heroes have hearts of gold and fantastic funny bones. She lives in California with her family, including her smoking hot and hilarious husband and her two brilliant and kind children. She has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs — she might have four dogs, or maybe five. If she’s lucky, she’ll soon have six dogs. With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than 100 times, and she’s sold more than 3 million books. In May she’ll release THE DATING PROPOSAL, in June SATISFACTION GUARANTEED and in September INSTANT GRATIFICATION.
To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her NEWSLETTER!
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS
Check out our LAUERN BLAKELY AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT for more amazing reads!
