Book Review
Title: Dating Games
Author: T.K. Leigh
Genre: Contemporary/Romance
Rating: *****
Review: I hadn’t heard anything about Dating Games when I downloaded it from Booksprout, but it sounded interesting and like something I would enjoy so I had to read it. So, we are following out protagonist Evie, whose boyfriend Trevor breaks up with her after ten years of being together for someone who will be viewed as more serious by his law firm and she is determined to get him back no matter what despite the fact he dumped her on her 30th birthday. However, will getting drunk she manages to draw the attention of a hot guy sitting the corner she nicknames Mr. Armani Suit among other things.
In the aftermath of the breakup, Evie ends up falling into bed with a stranger after a night of heavy drinking, but she doesn’t let it get in the way of getting Trevor back. However, when she is offered a promotion at work, she needs to come up with something the magazine has never featured before and she chooses to do a story on the most sort after male escort in New York; August Laurent.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Julian the man Evie ended up in bed with finds her again and offers to help her with her situation with Trevor after they all end up in the same coffee shop, and Trevor has a new woman on his arm. Even though Evie has moved out, Julian sends her flowers and Trevor sees them, causing him to call her and he appears quite jealous making Evie think that pretending to be Julian’s pretend girlfriend might actually work in her favour after all.
After meeting for dinner and agreeing the terms and conditions of the arrangement, Julian and Evie are now fake boyfriend and girlfriend with the aim of meeting their own goals but I have a feeling it isn’t going to go to plan as there is already a lot of attraction between the pair and they are going to be getting very close to one another. As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, the mysterious August Laurent actually gets hold of Evie and agrees to give her the interview of a lifetime and he also makes a bet with her that if he meets a woman who makes him want to give up this lifestyle then she can also unmask him to the world and the ambitious Evie is hooked as she has got the ball rolling on her story and possibly her promotion as well.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, we learn that Julian is associated with the Vanderbilt’s and other high standing families, the exact people that Trevor wants to influence. When the arrangement begins in earnest there is a fair amount of flirting between them and the banter is witty and hilarious, and I can’t wait to see where it goes. When Evie arrives at the Hamptons, she is immediately drawn into a patriarchal caste system where people are forced into place by those higher up and she must now learn to survive in a world she has only ever heard rumours about, but she does have some allies in Sadie. However, when she sees Trevor the pain of his leaving and moving on so quickly really hurt her, but Julian is quick to put a smile back on her face.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, Julian can’t hold in his attraction to Evie anymore and decides to offer her the chance at something more than a lie between them and even though she doesn’t get the chance to answer him straight away I know she is going to take him up on this as he makes her feel things that Trevor never did and treats her the way she is supposed to be treated. As they decide to give themselves a chance without actually promising anything serious, I have a feeling that Evie isn’t going to back to Trevor as she has made it clear to him that Julian has given her far more in a few weeks than he gave her in over a decade.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Evie and Julian’s summer is coming to an end and she is so conflicted as she wants to stay with him, but he is hiding his own skeletons just like she was before she met him. Surprisingly, it is August Laurent who gives Evie the strength and courage to do what she has to do, and I am unsure of who August is, but I don’t think it is Julian as she would recognise his voice and even though there is sad feeling about these scenes, I want Evie to stay with Julian.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, so much happens and I can’t really talk about even of it without giving so much away. If you don’t read any other book this year, read Dating Games, while it sounds like a whimsical contemporary romance it is so much more. I definitely judged this book by its cover and it absolutely blew me away. Highly recommended!
Buy it here:
Hardcover/Paperback: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
I received this review copy from Booksprout.
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