can you picture this love story?

Tara Park didn’t know what she was getting into when she invited Seth Kim back to her family brewery. After the wedding of her best friend and Seth’s older brother, Tara found that she didn’t want the evening to end, so she invited him back to Weldon Brewery for another drink.

But she didn’t know that he’d initiate a drinking game of Truth or Dare. First she chose Truth, but that cut a little close to the part of you that she kept private. So the next round, she chose Dare, and that’s when Seth made his move. While his brother and his new bride were on their honeymoon for a month, Seth had agreed to stay in town to oversee the finishing of his brother’s restaurant. After that, he was moving to Paris as a step up in his prestigious career as a fashion photographer. So that gave him a month in Weldon, and he wanted to get to know this gorgeous woman better.

So here was Seth’s dare: 4 dates. 4 dates with him, no feelings, no attachments, and then he’s off to Paris. But first, Seth wanted 4 dates with Tara.

Tara found that she was very attracted to Seth, but generally she didn’t let herself get in too deep when it came to relationships. But 4 dates, no attachments? That she could do. It sounded like fun. She could spend a month getting to know him, and then let him head off to France. That sounds ideal.

But what do they say about making plans? While Tara finds herself drawn to Seth’s sweetness and how he wants only to support her, not control her, Seth finds that the moments he let his vulnerable artist through, Tara is there to notice and appreciate his unique vision. And as they spend time together, laughing and flirting, talking and kissing, they both find their attraction growing strong. Will 4 weeks be enough time for this relationship to play out, or will they find themselves heartbroken as the dare winds its way to the end?

The Dating Dare is the latest rom com from Jayci Lee. Set in the same world as A Sweet Mess, this charming story follows Aubrey and Landon’s wedding, with the characters in the original story making a quick exit from this book so we can focus on Tara and Seth. While there are pieces of the story that overlap, The Dating Dare works well as a stand-alone because these characters’ journeys are so different.

I loved The Dating Dare. I was impressed with Tara as soon as she walked across the room at the wedding reception to tell Seth off, and he grew on me as he defied his image as a womanizer and became a man who is strong, kind, successful, generous, and vulnerable. I was so happy to get lost in this story, to get swept up in the romance and the warmth as love grows between these two, and I couldn’t wait to see what developed between them.

Egalleys for The Dating Dare were provided by St. Martin’s Griffin through NetGalley, with many thanks.