Brand Name Dates

[Note: This review was originally written about the digital version of this book.] Jill Anthony is a newspaper photographer, and she's darn good at it. She loves the camera, and is making impressive advances in her career. Until her mother puts an advertisement for a boyfriend - for Jill! - in the competing newspaper! Apparently, her mother thinks that Jill needs a social life, and Jill's roommate Hayley agrees. At work, Jill is asked to go undercover at a very private local singles' club that none of the other reporters can infiltrate, and she sees it as a way to get everyone off her back. Jill falls into a whirl of dating and work that seems to take over her life - and now everyone wants her to stop! Can't they make up their minds? And throughout all this turmoil, there is the danger of a serial rapist who has been preying on single women in the city. Will Jill be able to see what is truly right for her amidst the uproar? I was very impressed with this novel. The plot is truly complex, and I am amazed at the author's skill in pulling it off! In many ways, it's very like real life - events keep happening and don't stop just because you are overwhelmed or tired. There is a great thread of humor running throughout the book. I liked the theme that dating is like shopping for clothing. Some dates look great on the rack, but then they just hang in the closet once you get them home because they don't feel right; if you're lucky, you'll find a date like the old jogging suit you love and that feels great on, so that you never want to take it off. The characterization of the heroine is very good; Jill seems like a real person to the reader. I enjoyed the brief sketches of many of the supporting characters, especially the "Dates." This is definitely a romance, because it deals with the emotions, not the physical expression of love. The few love scenes are sensual, but not explicit at all. Please do yourself a favor and read this book. It will amuse you, and keep you in suspense, and make you go "awwww" at the end -- it's a keeper on my bookshelf! -- Fallen Angel Reviewer Jean (courtesy of Fallen Angel Reviews)