relzreviewz.com The Dating Charade by Melissa Ferguson

Synopsis:~

Just when you think you’ve met your match . . . the charade begins.

Cassie Everson is an expert at escaping bad first dates. And, after years of meeting, greeting, and running from the men who try to woo her, Cassie is almost ready to retire her hopes for a husband—and children—altogether.

But fate has other plans, and Cassie’s online dating profile catches the eye of firefighter Jett Bentley. In Jett’s memory, Cassie Everson is the unreachable girl-of-legend from their high school days. Nervously, he messages her, setting off a chain of events that forces a reluctant Cassie back into the dating game.

No one is more surprised than Cassie when her first date with Jett is a knockout. But when they both go home and find three children dropped in their laps—each—they independently decide to do the right and mature thing: hide the kids from each other while sorting it all out. What could go wrong?

Melissa Ferguson’s hilarious and warmhearted debut reminds us that love can come in very small packages—and that sometimes our best-laid plans aren’t nearly as rewarding and fun as the surprises that come our way.

Necee’s take:~

There was so much heart to this book. At first it seems like it’s focused all on finding love, when there is so much more to it. Though I would not consider The Dating Charade to be a rom com, I thought the book was beautifully written and had some quirky moments. Set the rom-com expectation aside, as it really threw me after the first couple chapters. It’s not as lighthearted of a read as I thought it was going to be by looking at the cover. While the fun cover gives off the effect of a Rom Com, it is really only the beginning that has that feel. That being said, the book was quite good. It starts off with the whole online dating premise with Cassie having one bad date after another. She’s ready to call it quits when Jett decides he has to get to know her more. I loved their budding romance. Then, just as this couple feels they really have met their match, a curveball is thrown at them. Can Cassie and Jett overcome all the obstacles in their lives and dating? As they learn to trust one another and God, the heart of this story really comes to life.

There’s a lot of depth to the characters that made it very intriguing. It had me wondering how they would overcome all of their problems. By the time I finished the story, I understood why the cover was chosen. However, the effect is misleading as they both have to deal with real life issues and learning to trust the other. There was enough humor to lighten the read which I appreciated. It’s about thinking you found your happily ever after and then being truly blessed as God redirects your plans and blesses you more than you could imagine. I loved the heart of this book.

I would recommend this book to anyone that loves real life issues with a dash of humor. What do you do when the going gets tough? Check out The Dating Charade for a great example of putting others before yourself. This is a great novel on dealing with those curveballs and finding Christ at the center.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.