The Perfect Date

Gritty, realistic opposites-attract romance Angel and Duke run in wildly different circles; he's a famous professional baseball player and she's struggling each day to provide for her son while she attends nursing school. After they cross paths a couple times, Duke's image needs a bit of wholesome credibility so he asks Angel to be his fake girlfriend whenever they're in public together. As they get to know each other, the differences in their lifestyles and circle of friends become nearly-insurmountable obstacles. The writing style is unique in a romance book in that we're not directed to see each main character as always doing the right thing or even acting reasonably. Angel is constantly having to rein in her temper, while Duke shows a surprisingly pouty side and occasional lack of backbone. There's also an intriguing storyline running throughout that adds betrayal, mystery, and a bit of a crime drama element. The HEA expertly wraps all the assorted narrative threads nicely. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Angel Gomez was an unwed mother by the time she was sixteen & her personal mission has always been to show the world that a Puerto Rican girl is not to be messed with. The only thing that matters to Angel, now, is providing for her son and earning enough tips at the club to complete her nursing degree along the way. Caleb “The Duke” Lewis is a star pitcher for the Bronx Bolts whose romantic escapades make delicious fodder for gossip columns. But lately he’s been trying to keep a lower profile—so much so that when he meets Angel, first while she’s in her nurse uniform and the next time behind the bar, she has no idea who Duke is, fails to fall for his obvious charm, and ends up throwing a drink in his face! I read the blurb & thought I’d give this book a try as not my usual genre, whilst I did overall enjoy it I didn’t love the main characters & found it very hard to like them & to connect with them. I much preferred Duke to Angel as I found her to be abrasive & had a huge chip on her shoulder. I struggled to finish the book & it took me days to actually finish as I kept dabbling in it between reading other books & that’s so unlike me as I usually devour a book in under a day. It was well written & I'm sure others will love it but unfortunately it wasn't my cup of tea. My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

The Perfect Date by Evelyn Lozado and Holly Lorincz is far from perfect. Angel Gomez is a single mom, finishing nursing school while juggling a practicum, a part time job bar-tending and raising her son; she doesn’t have time for romantic relationships. The “Duke” is a pitcher for the Bronx Bolts but lately he’s been getting more attention for his behavior off the field than on. They meet at the clinic and at the club Angel works at where Duke tries to convince Angel to pretend to be his girlfriend to throw the paparazzi off of why he was actually at the medical clinic. I thought this would be a cute, light-hearted romance, but if was closer to the opposite. Duke likes Angel because she sees the real him, unlike other girls who only want him for the fact he’s a pitcher and has a lot of money. Angel also seemed determined to call Duke out for his behavior; at least for part of the book. As this story continued, the reader is exposed to rude characters who were either mean or angry much of the time. Then there is the male doctor at the clinic where Angel had her practicum who believed it was okay to inappropriately touch the nursing students. There were a number of misogynistic attitudes with some of the male characters or and female characters who did not care who they were hurting. They may have thought it was fun and endearing banter, but this reader found it a bit offensive. The epilogue was a definite redeeming moment in this dramatic and difficult story. Overall, despite the problems and drama, I enjoyed reading The Perfect Date. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.