Dating for Keeps

by Coleen Kwan

[llamareads]

I've read the previous books in the Pine Falls series, and while I liked them, I found them a bit predictable.  I couldn't help but pick up this one, though, when I saw that the hero was Caleb, one of my favorite side characters, and a confirmed bachelor.  This is the third in the series, though it can be read as a standalone.  Like the rest of the series, this is a sweet and emotion-filled read.

Lily's dating life sucks.  To start off with, she's a quirky woman with an eclectic fashion sense (she wears crocheted flamingo earrings to on elf her dates), and one of her favorite conversation topics is her pet bearded dragon, Noodles.  She's saved from another disastrous date by Caleb, who literally steps in when she's left on the dance floor.  They've met previously at her dad's office - Lily's father manages a construction company, and Caleb is a contractor who's looking to do business with him - and their conversation takes a turn for the weird when Lily confesses her dating woes and Caleb offers to be her dating coach.  Lily wants the stereotypical husband, 2.5 kids, and the picket fence, and Caleb is a commitment-phobic ladies' man, so he's the perfect person to help her weed out the guys she doesn't want to date, right? As the dates go on, they discover that the spark between them is something that can't be replicated with just any person from an internet dating site.

I like the friends-to-lovers trope, and Lily and Caleb are just plain adorable together.  While I worried Lily could fall into the trap of being socially awkward and quirky just for the sake of laughs, I think Ms. Kwan balanced it well.  This isn't a Cinderella story where she turns into some glamourous bombshell, instead Lily becomes more confident and comfortable in her own skin.  I especially liked watching the friendship between Lily and Caleb blossom, from Caleb helping Lily feed crickets to Noodles to becoming the person she calls when a date goes wrong (again).   The chemistry between them was excellent, and this was pretty steamy for a closed-door romance.  And, oh, how can I forget Noodles?  I honestly think that Lily's pet was the breakout star of this book!  I loved how much Lily, and eventually Caleb, cared for that lizard!  Of the other side characters, I loved seeing Lily's relationship with her dad.  Most of the other Pine Falls books have dealt with rocky parent relationships (and Caleb does as well) so it was nice seeing a father who obviously wanted to care for and protect his daughter while still realizing she's a grown woman.

On the cons side, while I enjoyed the "Caleb matchmaking for Lily" angle, I think this may bother people who have issues with "other women" or "other men."  For my part, I didn't like how things were left between Lily, Caleb and Ryan.  There's also a whole "need a boyfriend for college reunion" subplot that was a big deal through most of the book, but then really fizzled out at the end.

Overall, I honestly liked this one better than the first two in the series, and I'm hoping that the next book is about Ryan, poor guy.  I'd definitely recommend this as a fun, sweet summer read!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.