The Dashing Date

Boutique owner Missy finds it hard to trust after her ex-fiancé cheated with her maid of honor. When gym owner Nick proposes a professional arrangement between them, she hopes they can mix business with pleasure. Things heat up, yet she's afraid to give her heart. Is he keeping secrets, or is she being paranoid? This cute chick lit novella features a swoon-worthy hero, and a heroine who doesn't quite have her life all figured out yet (despite appearances to the contrary). Hatler does a great job of creating this kind of a heroine: one who has a major blind spot she needs to confront before she can find true happiness. The author also has a flair for creating a warm small-town feel (even in books that are set in a city, like this one) and for developing strong female friendships that run throughout the series. I wish that Hatler's books had a more diverse cast. Her characters are blindingly white. When she describes her Italian hero as the epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, it just calls attention to the fact that men come in shades much darker than olive-skinned. Overall, this is a fun beach read—sweet escapism mixed with heartfelt emotion. Thanks, Booksprout, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.