About the Book

Book: The Dating Charade

Author: Melissa Ferguson

Genre: Contemporary Romantic Fiction, Romantic Comedy

Release Date: December 3, 2019

Cassie Everson is an expert at escaping bad first dates. And, after years of meeting, greeting, and running from the men who try to woo her, Cassie is almost ready to retire her hopes for a husband—and children—altogether.

But fate has other plans, and Cassie’s online dating profile catches the eye of firefighter Jett Bentley. In Jett’s memory, Cassie Everson is the unreachable girl-of-legend from their high school days. Nervously, he messages her, setting off a chain of events that forces a reluctant Cassie back into the dating game.

No one is more surprised than Cassie when her first date with Jett is a knockout. But when they both go home and find three children dropped in their laps—each—they independently decide to do the right and mature thing: hide the kids from each other while sorting it all out. What could go wrong?

Melissa Ferguson’s hilarious and warmhearted debut reminds us that love can come in very small packages—and that sometimes our best-laid plans aren’t nearly as rewarding and fun as the surprises that come our way.

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About the Author

Melissa Ferguson lives in Bristol, Tennessee, where she is an adjunct professor at King University and pens books that make her laugh and grow. She used to have hobbies like running and backpacking the Appalachian Trail outside her door. Now she and her husband are outnumbered, and her hobbies include diaper changes, chasing toddlers in parking lots, and admiring the Appalachian Trail out her minivan window while singing “Winnie the Pooh.” She survives by Jesus, rom coms, and roughly two espresso shots a day. The Dating Charade is her first novel.

Read an Excerpt

Read an excerpt of The Dating Charade here.

Looking at the cover of the book, I was expecting a fun lighthearted romance. What I didn't expect was the real life issues that children face everyday. The book is a look at two people trying to find their perfect mate. Cassie and Jett are both good characters but I found it funny that they didn't seem to really fit as a match.

Cassie has her doubts about using an online dating service but her profile does catch someones attention. Their first date is fun but will there be another one? There are a few funny moments in the story that I liked. However for me, the real story is about the children. I know first hand what it is like to know that your parents don't want you. For these children they go through such am emotional journey that my heart broke for them. It was hard to believe that Cassie and Jet find themselves with children at the same time. I couldn't figure out why they felt the need to hide the children from each other.

Star picked up right away that Cassie acted like she was ashamed to be seen with her. As a teenager what do you think that will do for her self esteem or rejection issues? The story just didn't flow well for me and it was difficult to connect with Jett and Cassie. I began the book with high hopes, but was quickly disappointed in the story because it was more about hiding children from each other than being honest with someone you wanted a relationship with. The ending was very predictable and the little conflict there was seemed to be skimmed over with an expected fix it solution. I didn't find hardly any faith element in the which disappointed me. I will be looking for more books from this author with expectations of more quality characters and a story that holds my attention.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.