Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Eight Dates

AUTHOR:  E.M. Lindsey

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  208 pages

RELEASE DATE:  November 20, 2023

BLURB:

With a brother like this, who needs enemies?

Ben Weiss is perfectly fine on his own, thank you very much. After his last failed relationship, he doesn’t need the drama. But his brother has decided to play matchmaker this year and has set him up with eight blind dates, one for each night of Chanukah.

And with eight in a row, there has to be one decent guy in the lot…right?

With Ben’s luck, apparently not. From a date that bites, to one rude to the server, to the guy who brought along his mom, every single one has been a nightmare. Ben’s ready to give up on love for good, adopt a cat, and call it a day.

But there’s one bright light in Ben’s week he hasn’t expected in the form of Nova, the adorable, kind-hearted bartender who’s come to his rescue every time a date has gone wrong. And while Ben’s not sure he believes in holiday miracles, he’s starting to think that each bad date has brought him closer to the happily ever after he was always meant to have.

Can someone fall in love in eight nights? In Ben’s case, during a wild string of bad luck, the answer might still be yes.

Eight Dates is a stand-alone friends to lovers, swoony, spicy holiday romance featuring terrible blind dates, rooftop espionage, the merits of fine hot chocolate and crispy latkes, and finding love where you least expect it.

REVIEW:

Oh my god.  This book was NOT what I expected.  It starts off with a kind of serious discussion between brothers.  Then a rumination over a bad breakup with a cheating douche canoe.  Then Ben’s tender heart is on display when he completely misreads a situation and gives a stranger the LITERAL coat off his back.  Right then, I was team Ben.  He is such a good guy.  He’s taken a while to come into his own.  His childhood has been happy, but he’s not following “the plan” and that’s been difficult for his family to understand.  After his breakup, they are concerned but they just don’t listen to him very well.  Nova on the other hand has had the opposite experience.  He doesn’t trust easily and has issues thinking that he will be enough for someone to stay.  These two.  Just *sigh*.

That being said, the absolute hilarity of the blind dates that Ben encounters in his Chanukah gift from his brother Aaron (the perfect son) had me rolling on the floor laughing.  What awful people he found.  Thankfully I’ve never ever used a dating app.  I have one friend who met her husband on eHarmony.  He is NOT my cup of tea.  Regardless, these dates had me in absolute STITCHES!  I could not believe the completely awful guys who showed up.   Although I have to say, I have been out at business dinners with many of these types – the narcissist, the frat boy, the blowhard sales guy, you name it.  If anyone really believes that there aren’t people out there who act this way, then I want to congratulate you on the lucky life that you’ve spent if you haven’t encountered them.

The dates all take place (with one glaring exception) and Nova comes to the rescue when Ben ends up with losers 7 nights in a row.  Nova is insecure and scared and insists that Ben keeps on with the dates, despite clear and present evidence that this is NOT a good idea.  Ben goes along with it because he wants his prize at the end – which is Nova of course.  I really enjoyed their banter and Nova’s caring personality. He’s done a lot of work on himself and it shows.  How he learned about Ben and took care of him repeated was so lovely.

While all this is going on, Ben has to deal with his meddling family and some blasts from the past that he’s really not interested in dealing with.  Ultimately though, these encounters allow him closure and clarity around his future.  I absolutely loved these two together.  And really I’d love a coda about them in the future.  They are just getting started.

This is one of my favorite Chanukah stories – although without much religion in it.  More of a feeling.  Just delightful.  Highly recommended.

RATING: 

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