Being that I’m always on the hunt for new and interesting angles in romance and Dating in the Dark had such a unique plot, it immediately piqued my interest.
Alexandria Bishop is a new-to-me author and I’m glad I decided to take a chance on this book.
Dating in the Dark is the story of Tinley, a call-center operator, and her search for love. Tinley is an ‘everyday’ kind of woman; she’s feeling stuck in her job, loves to stay at home making cupcakes and drinking wine, and has girls’ nights with her roommate and sister.
After being roped into a blind date experience by her friends, Tinley finds out that love isn’t always a big mystery.
What follows is a rollercoaster of emotions and learning to trust another person with her happiness.
The idea of eating and dating while blind was such an interesting concept and the men seated at Tinley’s table certainly didn’t disappoint.
I know they say every shoe has a mate, but Tinley is matched with some very “unique individuals” and it’s the funniest part of the book.
While I enjoyed the storyline, I have to be honest and say that I am not a big fan of third-person perspective in romance novels. In the past, I have found it difficult to connect with characters and I’m afraid to say that this happened again with Dating in the Dark.
To me, the imagery of the scenes needs to become a part of the story, since we do not get to hear the internal monologue of the characters. I guess I was missing that ‘immersive’ feeling here.
All that being said, if you don’t mind third-person POV, definitely give Dating in the Dark a try.
It is part of a trilogy, so be prepared for a cliffhanger ending to this first book.
Tinley’s ears perk up at the sound of his voice; it’s super low and incredibly sexy. She feels along the table for her glass of wine and takes a large gulp of liquid courage before responding. “That’s okay, I’ve always been a fan of rule-breakers. Some rules were just meant to be broken. For now, I’ll just call you Mystery Date Number Four.”
A husky chuckle floats across the table, and she can’t help but be instantly attracted. She can’t see his face, but with a voice like that, it doesn’t even matter what he looks like. “Is that because I’m your fourth date or are you ranking us? What’s my competition look like?”
All thoughts of being ladylike go out the window as Tinley lets out a full-blown belly laugh. If this guy only knew. “If by ranking, you mean which date was the worst, it’s hard to tell at this point.”
“Is that so? I had some pretty bad ones myself.”
She laughs internally at the disastrous dates she’s had so far. There’s no way he can compete. “I don’t know, my dates were pretty awful. I don’t think you can top them.”
“You want to bet?”
“Oh, we’re making bets now? I guess our relationship just cranked up a notch. Instead of it just being a blind date, we’re now at the blind acquaintance level.”
She’s not sure where this level of confidence came from, but she’s liking how easily the conversation is flowing with this guy. It’s completely effortless and she’s just comfortable. It’s never been this way with anyone before.
“Is that a thing?”
“It is now.” She finds herself nodding along as she answers until she remembers he can’t actually see her.
Thank you for the advanced copy of DATING IN THE DARK by Alexandria Bishop. All opinions are my own.
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Born on a small southeastern island in Alaska and raised in southern Oregon, Alexandria Bishop is a PNW girl at heart. By day, she goes to battle with a tiny dictator aka her toddler and by night, she can be found typing ALL the words of her contemporary romance novels accompanied by a glass of wine or two 😉
When she’s not in mommy or author mode, she can be found drinking copious amounts of cold brew coffee, bingeing her latest obsession on Netflix, or attending concerts of her favorite pop-punk bands.
She loves hearing from her readers and you can find her on social media.
date published : March 19, 2018
pages : 210
audiobook narrator: CJ Bloom
audiobook length: 3 hrs, 58 min
Who says turning 30 has to be a bad thing?
Tinley Scott is in a rut. Or so her best friend and sister tell her. She can’t fall in love sitting on her couch watching Friends and drinking a bottle of wine. Their answer?
Speed dating in the dark.
Dating in today’s world is hard enough as it is. Why go adding a new challenge to the mix? By date number three, she’s ready to throw in the towel and return to her safe haven.
Until her final date sets her panties ablaze. His deep voice, his practiced words…everything about him lights Tinley’s fire.
Too quickly their 15-minute date is over and done with. Or so she thought. Their easy banter continues through a slew of text messages until the inevitable happens.
Meeting face to face.
Falling in love wasn’t on Tinley’s radar, but then she wasn’t counting on mystery date number four.
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