Random Reads is a segment created by Books A-Brewin' to tackle my TBR list in light of the mandatory quarantines going on due to the Coronavirus. I have created a list of all review requested books I have accumulated (there are A LOT) and, using a random generator, I have it select the book I read and review. Today's Random Read is...
Truth or Dare by Mira Lyn Kelly
Series: Dare to Love #1
Publication date: September 16th, 2014
Publisher: Loveswept
Pages: 270
Synopsis (according to Goodreads):
In a deliciously sexy twist on the classic game, Mira Lyn Kelly proves that when playing truth or dare--always choose dare.
After her one attempt at commitment ends with the discovery that her fiance already has a wife and kid, Maggie Lawson vows that the only people she'll love 'til death do they part will be her friends. Unfortunately that means Maggie letting her bestie rope her into a year-long dating dare: score a new date each month or pay a penalty. Seems doable--until Maggie's date stands her up, leaving only one option: the sexy stud who just moved in upstairs. The problem? He and Maggie can't stop fighting--and that's just the beginning.
His name is Tyler Daniels and the last thing he needs is his neighbor distracting him with her girl-next-door smile and sharp tongue. Tyler's in Chicago for one reason: to woo back his selfish ex in order to reclaim the child he once thought was his--and that means keeping Maggie out if his bed. A tall order, since Maggie has become a bigger temptation than he ever expected to face. But before they can even consider leaving the past behind, Maggie and Tyler must accept a brand-new dare: real, forever love.
Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from other Loveswept titles.
Available at:
Review:
Ahh. New Adult. One of my favorite genres. It's not as raunchy as Erotica but not as docile as Young Adult Romance. Maybe I enjoy it because it tends to focus around college dorm life or college life in general. I didn't experience any of that as I took local classes while living at home. I didn't get to experience freedom to make mistakes and explore my freedom. So I live vicariously through the characters I read about as much avid readers do with their books of choice. I was excited with my random number generator gave me what I assumed was a stereotypical new adult romance, however, it was different than I had expected.
Maggie has no time nor desire for romance. She is content in her life with the friends she has made and the career she is hoping to nurture into fruition. But when her best friend expresses she may be unhappy with the status quo Maggie and her have set for themselves, Maggie is quick to support her friend the best way she knows how: partaking in wager to force each other to explore potential dating options. Every month the two besties are to find a new guy to date and explore the possibilities with. If it turns into a second date, there is a prerequisite kiss at the end of the night. Maggie is indifferent to most every guy she comes in contact with. A troubled past with an ex put her off men almost entirely. That was until she knocks on the door of Apartment Three with a batch of welcome cookies that the occupant all but spits on. Thus begins a tumultuous battle of wits and animosity between Maggie and Tyler.
Tyler has no desire to make new friends or be involved with anyone else in this new town. He has one goal in mind and that is not to indulge the perky blond bearing cookies. But when he sees the sparks in her eyes at his none-too-subtle rejection, he finds himself irresistibly intrigued. The verbal sparring sets his blood boiling and can't stop a smile from tugging at his permanently downcast grimace. Soon he is looking at his neighbor in a whole new light. A dangerous light that risks everything he is working towards. He should keep himself in line and his hands to himself but Apartment Two has become the increasingly hard to resist.
I absolutely loved that Maggie and Tyler started out verbally sparring and almost loathing each other. I tend to be a sucker for love stories that start with the couple as enemies. More challenging, I guess? How Maggie isn't 600-lbs with as many cookies as she bakes is beyond me, but I love a baker. She has a truly beautiful heart and is willing to do anything for her friends. She would be the best friend to have. Tyler was a misguided idiot. But a sexy one. His whole plan was stupid and I wanted to reach through the pages and strangle him thoroughly. But the two of them together made quite the dynamic duo.
I did have a slight problem with Tyler's believability as a character. No man would throw away the opportunity for no-strings-attached sex if it was offered to them because they "didn't want to risk the friendship". Men will take the sex and then worry about the consequences later on if they should arise. That made me have a little "that doesn't seem right" twinge when it came to Tyler. But it was a small and short-lived one.
I also didn't like that the actual game of Truth or Dare was not actually a main part of the story. The wager with her friend wasn't even called a "dare". The game was referenced once or twice in passing, I feel, just as a way to make the title make sense. It didn't really work. I think the title would have been better if it had more to do with the book's general feel or plot.
But I did really like the book and the characters as a whole. Truth or Dare is a sexy story of a love between neighbors that was much sweeter than any old borrowed cup of sugar.
