Typically I’m more of a mystery reader. But lately, I’ve branched out with some romances. As I noted in some of those reviews, I’m not a fan of all the sex scenes and especially when treated so matter of factly.

The Dating Charade is a story where I actually got to know the characters. Smile with them. And even laugh out loud a few times. I was delighted that it was more in-depth and didn’t feel predictable from the first chapter to the last.

Now, on to the Christian aspect. Though I’m Christian, in the past I haven’t been fond of the few Christian novels that read. It’s been a while since I’ve read any since they didn’t work for me. I felt the religious aspect was shoveled into the story, and it felt forced.

Not so with this book. Not even close. It all works! This is a story that everything works together for good.

I laughed, I cringed, I felt the emotions that the characters were experiencing. My hat’s off to Melissa Ferguson and her debut novel.

My thanks to #NetGalley #ThomasNelson and #MelissaFerguson for this ARC. I appreciate the freedom to write this review according to my likes and concerns.

What Concerned Me
For me, absolutely nothing at all. But for the avid romance reader, there might be a concern. This is more about life and family issues. Less about romance.

What I Liked Most
This was a fun, clean book. It had some great lines that made me chuckle. But even more, it demonstrated the loving and caring attitudes of each character.

I hope I haven’t oversold the book. Just tellin’ it like it is. I did a little happy dance after reading it! I’ll be watching for more books by this debut author!

There's theoretically nothing wrong with The Dating Charade - it's a sweet book about two people falling in love. That being said, I think the title and cover are pretty misleading. When I hear "The Dating Charade," I imagine two people going through the trials and tribulations of modern-day dating, pretending not to be interested in each other, playing the field, etc. etc. That is not what this story is about at all. This story is about two people who happen to go on a couple of dates with each other at the same time that other factors made their lives change irrevocably. If you're looking for a rom-com - this is not the book for you.

Amongst all the drama Cassie and Jett face individually, any romance between the two of them was totally lost. I kept waiting for a deeper connection - or even just a kiss! There are so many serious elements within the individual lives of the MCs - and so little actual interaction between the two of them, that you feel like you're reading two different books about separate individuals facing eerily similar new ‘norms’ that came suddenly into their lives, not a romance from two perspectives.

Beyond that, the ending of this book is quite trivial. Maybe if there was a more developed romance between Cassie and Jett I would believe that things would just work themselves out, but without that work and connection, I just don't buy that these people end up as one big happy family.

If you’re not hoping for a romance novel you’ll probably enjoy this book. It's an interesting story if you ignore the romantic elements. But with a title like that I think you’ll be expecting to feel the love.

The Dating Charade is a delightful surprise of a novel. It’s quirky, funny and delivers a whole heap of enjoyment. It is both light hearted and yet touches on some serious topics, from child neglect to the importance of families. My only criticism is that I wanted more of Cassie and Jett. I wouldn’t mind a whole extra book to fill in the time between the last chapter and the epilogue, just because it’s so lovely to hang out with them and their families. If you love humorous romance novels, The Dating Charade is for you.

Cassie has almost given up on love and her dream of a family. She’s an expert at escaping from terrible dates. When firefighter Jett Bentley sees Cassie’s online profile, he is intrigued. She seems different from the girl he knew—and crushed on—in high school. No one is more surprised than Cassie when the date goes well. But when one of the girls from Cassie’s work at Girls Haven, a refuge for young girls, needs a safe place to stay, Cassie doesn’t hesitate to take in the teenager and her two younger sisters. And when Jett’s sister arrives and unceremoniously leaves him with her three small children, he knows he must do the right thing and look after them, even if he has no idea what to do with babies and toddlers. Uncertain of their future, Jett and Cassie hide their new young charges from each other, while trying to learn to balance, work, life, and dating with a new family.

I really enjoyed The Dating Charade. Far more than I expected, actually. The deception isn’t quite as bad as what is hinted at in the official summary. When Jett and Cassie first meet and start dating, neither has a family. Yet just a few dates in, through various circumstances, both must become the carers of three children. It’s totally understandable that neither feels comfortable disclosing their uncertain futures with the other and they don’t deliberately hide them from each other (until Cassie has an incident with a cat, a Christmas tree and a certain young lady calling the fire department.)

Jett and Cassie both have different reasons for taking in their children and different reactions. Cassie doesn’t hesitate and fights to keep Star and her sisters. Jett would rather get his sister the help she needs and just visit his niece and nephews. But they grow on him, and as Cassie and Jett weave the children into their lives, it’s hard for them to imagine a future without them.

The writing style in The Dating Charade is fresh and funny. It’s a clean romance and a Christian novel, though while Jett and Cassie attend church and believe in God, their faith isn’t really a focus of the story. I look forward to reading future novels by Melissa Ferguson and highly recommend this delightful book.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

Dating Charade surprised me, in all the best ways! It is cute, light, and funny, but then you find that Ferguson has created depth with the main character’s storylines that has stuck with me! The secondary characters are even excellent and very memorable! There are definitely some Yours, Mine, and Ours vibes, but the twists make it unique and so heartwarming. The foster care/adoption themes are real and difficult, and approached in a healthy and careful manner. I just adored this book! And better yet, it is all set during Christmas time, without being an over-the-top Christmas book!

Perfect read, and I was just so sad that it had to end! Thank you to Melissa Ferguson, TNZ Fiction, and Netgalley for the free copy of this book to review!

I appreciate a story that tackles real and serious and heavy issues in life, and Ms. Ferguson does it so well.
On the surface the romance was almost too cute, the dialogue, banal banter—ban-ban—was fun and entertaining. But then fate threw both Cassie and Jett a spiral curve ball and the easy romance was suddenly tangled and tricky.
Ms. Ferguson does not gloss over or make light of the messy issues that landed the children with Cassie and Jett. The juxtaposition between their responses added a depth to the story—Cassie embracing the task with open heart and arms, Jett trying to figure how to get out of it.
The balance of gritty reality and sweet romance, with a generous dose of humor, makes this a superb read. Ms. Ferguson writes with a natural and easy style, and her debut novel is a definite winner!

ROBIN’S FEATHERS
ALL | THE | FEATHERS!

I received a complimentary copy of this book, but was under no obligation to read the book or to post a review. I offer my review of my own free will. The opinions expressed in my review are my honest thoughts and reaction to this book.

#Blogwords, Tuesday Reviews-Day, #TRD, Book Review, The Dating Charade, Melissa Ferguson, Celebrate Lit Tours

This is the first book I have read by Melissa Ferguson, but I doubt it will be my last. From quirky dates via dating apps to the trials of the foster care system, Ms. Ferguson crafts a story of love, family and resilience that you don’t want to miss. The characters are lovable and and storyline is is engaging. Very enjoyable read!

Cute romance book with plenty of heart told from dual perspectives. A quick yet enjoyable, comforting read.

I will start from the top saying that I didn’t realize that this fell under the “Christian” category of books until I was part of the way through and looked back at the genre on NetGalley. Now, the fact that the characters went to church regularly and talked about their faith a bit did not deter me from the story, but I did go in expecting a romance and ended up with more of a family drama than anything… I’m not even sure I remember the main characters kissing at any point. It’s a slow burn, so just be ready for that.

That being said, I really liked Cassie and Jett. They are good people and had some really great chemistry when they were together. I liked learning about their individual stories, which showed me why they would end up working as a romantic couple in the end… but I felt that too much of the story split them up. I would have liked seeing them interact a little bit more, instead of just thinking about what the other one would be thinking about their current situation.

I also think the story needed way more Bree, Cassie’s best friend. She was such comic relief in the beginning, and then she really got pushed away and never really came back until the end. I would have loved to have seen a secondary (well, I guess tertiary) storyline with what was happening with her—she was my favourite by far.

I think if I were expecting this book to be what it was—a story about two single people who have a lot of family drama happen and find each other—I would have been in the right mindset to enjoy it a little bit more. Although it definitely wasn’t my favourite read of the year, I expect a lot of people will enjoy it. It’s a heartwarming story, for sure.

2.5 STARS

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a flirty and interesting sweet story.
I just missed more of the romance in the second half of the book.

Cassie Everson is a master at escaping bad dates. She is a planner. If she notices that something major is wrong with a guy she has the best excuses to just get up and leave. But that is all taking a toll and she's getting fed up with online dating. That's until Jett Bentley comes into the picture.

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.

That was a heartwarming storyline and their first interactions are too cute. However, in the second half after the kids and other conflicts are introduced the romance loses its focus and just becomes a bit lukewarm.

Overall this was a charming story, I just wish the same bubbly and enchanting energy could have been kept throughout the whole book.

There was a lot of misconceptions I had starting into this book and, I gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised.

Cassie has had enough with the dating world. After a string of blind date failures she’s ready to hang her hat and buy more cats. She’s skeptical and jaded and now coming to terms with “lady cat” status. Cassie is sarcastic and I love her take on her dating life. She’s sweet and has a wicked sense of humor, exemplified by using her cat’s name as her password and even mistaking a drive-thru quick-marriage chapel for an Arby’s.

Jett is a kind-hearted fireman, that’s all I need to say. The fact that he wants to have the “nothing fights” with his future wife about skipping ingredients in a recipe because he doesn’t want to stop at the grocery store or struggle with finding the perfect gift for an anniversary makes me swoon. He had all of the traits of being the perfect book boyfriend. He was kind and attentive and knew exactly how to woo a girl.

Bree is the best when it comes to being a best friend. She’s funny when you need a laugh, supportive when you need a shoulder, and pushy and intrusive when your trying to stop online dating 😂. Sunny is the one guy who will try to be there for you, let you have your emotional breakdown moment, but also the guy who will not change a diaper when your having said emotional breakdown.

I wasn’t expecting this type of emotion when I read the plot. It was real and tender. The situations that Cassie and Jett are thrown into are devastating and heartbreaking, but at the same time endearing and heartwarming.

It was a heartfelt pleasure watching these characters grow as individuals and stepping up to roles that they were no way prepared for. The author didn’t glamorize these new roles. She showed the struggles of Cassie’s and Jett’s abrupt life transitions but also captured them adapting well to life’s curveballs. These characters were so genuine in their feelings and actions and it made them relatable to the reader and kept the reader rooting for them.

The writing was real and well thought out with care and consideration for each character in the book. The plot was unique and had twists and turns I was not expecting. I couldn’t and didn’t want to put this book down.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley for this complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Dating Charade is a super cute, fast paced and fun read. I knew that this was a debut novel when I started reading it but it certainly doesn't seem like a debut novel at all, it reads as a novel penned by a more experienced author, so kudos to Ms. Ferguson for that.

Cassie and Jett are both sweet, caring and selfless characters, as evidenced throughout the story. Yes, there are some funny moments mixed in with online dating, escape plans and the advice of some well meaning characters but what really got to me was the children and how they became an important part of the story and ultimately to Cassie and Jett. It's heartbreaking while being heartwarming at the same time. I commend the author for her sensitivity in the telling of this story. I loved all of the characters from the youngest to the eldest. I chuckled, got a little choked up but feeling different emotions is what I love when reading a novel.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

This time of year we are all enjoying the Hallmarkish romance books and I was happy to add The Dating Charade to my stack of holiday reads. This romance was filled with heartfelt moments and enough humor to lighten the seriousness of the difficult issues.

What I loved about this book:

1. This book had a great romance, but what I enjoyed the most was that the book tackled some serious issues. The author was able to capture those issues delicately and accurately.

2. This book was hilarious in parts with some of the best banter I've read and I laughed so many times while reading this story.

3. This book had literally everything I love in a romance. It had great (but realistic) main characters with wonderful secondary characters supporting them along the way, humor galore that will have you laughing out loud, and a heartwarming romance with real life problems that ends in a idealic HEA.

I really enjoyed this book and was shocked to find out this was a debut author (I'll definitely read what she writes next).

I totally fell madly in love with this book and all of its characters. I related to Cassie in that I am also unable to have children, but got some fulfillment out of working with kids and would do anything to help any of "my kids." I also understand what a pain in the rear it is to date these days. I love her creative way of having her best friend, Bree, help her out of those most awful dates.

I also just really like Jett. He would totally be one of my best friends, or even ideally, a potential date one day. He's loyal and strong and kind and loving and has a great sense of humor. All of these qualities help him and Cassie to have amazing chemistry between the two of them.

I have to admit that at first, the idea of each of them going home after a date and having three children apiece to suddenly take care of seemed a little far-fetched. But stranger things have happened in real life! And truly, either situation could quite feasibly happen to any number of us, depending on our own family and work situations.

I admire them both for taking on the children out of a sense of duty, but also genuine love for each child. I got frustrated with them for trying to hide their respective situations from each other, thanks to a major lack of communication. And yet, at the same time, spending time without the children also helped them to get to know each other really well.

Again, Cassie and Jett have great chemistry. There are plenty of relatable LOL moments with the kids, especially if you've done any work with them. My extensive experiences in the classroom and as a childcare provider had me right there with them in some of those situations.

And there are plenty of moments that will tug at your heartstrings. I admit that I cried both sad and happy tears while reading this book, as well as almost laughing to the point of tears. There's just so much love and greatness in this story. I'm so glad that I picked it up.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Prism Book Tours for providing me a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A sweet story. The romance has hiccups, the supporting characters are fun, and my emotions were engaged.

Title: The Dating Charade
Author: Melissa Ferguson
Genre: Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5

Cassie Everson has figured out the perfect way to escape from a bad date, and she’s not afraid to use it. After the latest in a string of horrible first dates, Cassie swears off dating and gives up on the idea of having a family of her own. Although an accident years ago left her unable to have biological children, as director of Girls Haven, she’s surrounded by girls every day and that will just have to be enough. That and admiring the cute firefighter across the street.

Jett Bentley is a firefighter recently back in his hometown when he catches a glimpse of Cassie Everson on a dating app. The Cassie Everson, whom he had a crush on back in high school when he was an awkward freshman and she was a popular senior. After a great first date where they both claim they don’t want children, they each return home to find themselves with three kids dropped on their doorstep.

Becoming an overnight parent to three kids was never in Jett’s plans, and while Cassie wanted kids, parenting is tougher than it looks. Add in their fledgling attraction to each other—not to mention their separate decisions to keep their three kids—each—a secret from each other—and things just got a whole lot more complicated.

The Dating Charade is a sweet, funny book. I loved both Cassie and Jett and watching their parenting fails was definitely full of laughs—especially Jett’s bathroom fiasco. I enjoyed this book from the start and read it straight through in one sitting. It’s nice to read something so positive and clean, with characters that you can relate to and that make you laugh.

Melissa Ferguson lives in Tennessee. The Dating Charade is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Thomas Nelson via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

This story is so much fun! I loved the characters and their unlikely pathway to love. This book also highlights some of the heartaches and victories with fostering.

I wanted to read The Dating Charade as soon as I heard about it: a couple meet through an online dating service, both having said they’re not interested in children. Within a day of their first date, both find themselves the unexpected guardians of three children.

Oops.

I expected the story to get straight into the first date and the accidental acquisition of children. It didn’t, which means I did find the beginning slow. However, I was invested enough in the premise to keep going in the hope of the eventual payoff, and I was rewarded. But it took a while, and I may have succumbed to the temptation to skim.

The characters were excellent. Cassie can’t have children, hence her dating profile. But she manages an after-school programme for at-risk children and teens, which is how she ends up with three accidental children. Jett is a firefighter whose upbringing left him certain he doesn’t want children. But then his addict sister shows up with her three pre-schoolers … and leaves without them.

Oops. Again.

The Dating Charade is a romantic comedy, so has the obligatory bizarre situations (like Cassie’s go-to plan for abandoning an undesirable first date). But it also deals with some tough real-life issues in a sensitive way—drug addiction, alcoholism, abandonment, interracial fostering, infertility.

Yes, there are times when it verges on ridiculous, but I find the comic relief is necessary when dealing with such tough subjects. It’s that old line about vinegar and honey, with the comedy being the honey.

Recommended for fans of Kara Isaac and Jessica Kate. Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

This is a charming debut novel by Ms. Ferguson. If you enjoy comedy and romance, then this is a book for you. This story features Cassie and Jett. Jett remembers Cassie from high school and is intrigued with her. Cassie’s idea of a date is in trying to discover her date’s omissions and shortcomings. Then, Jett attempts to go on a date with Cassie. After their first blunder, readers will go on a journey to discover if Cassie and Jett are meant to be together. There are many surprises along the way for both as each are faced with fostering children. Additionally, this book draws the reader in to the entire story so that you not only want to know what happens to Cassie and Jett, but all of the secondary characters as well. The family dynamics in the book are well written and heartfelt. I highly recommend this book! I believe that you will thoroughly enjoy it! I will be reading this author again!
***I was given a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher. This is my honest opinion. Even though I received this copy free, this is my own opinion.

*thanks Netgalley for provide me with a copy of this book for review all opinions are my own*

Is not a bad book,but I didn’t connect with any of the characters and found the story very bland. I like the kinds that are present in the story and how the author deal with them but is not enough to make me like the book. It took ages to read the boom and I admit that I skim read the last 100 pages so I do not reccomend this book after all.

I read this one, turning each page and just hoping that the story would develop into the expectation I’d had going in.

The story was odd, there certainly was no “rom-com” this has so many serious elements to the individual lives of the two MC - and so little actual interaction between the two of them. Most the time it felt like I was reading two difference stories about two separate individuals facing the new ‘norms’ that came suddenly into their lives.

So many plot issues too. At times I’m doing a double take thinking.. “wait, what?” confused over something that just didn’t add up to an earlier statement. Pretty sure they had only three dates, but there’s something about it being their tenth? When did that happen? Ok so, amongst all the dramas they were facing with the children - anything really between the two of them was totally lost. Sadly. I kept waiting for a deeper connection. Chemistry, quite simply more interaction. It just wasn’t there. I finished it, but at times I just felt frustrated. The book needed a little more editing.

If you’re not hoping for a romance you’ll probably really enjoy this. Though with a title like that I think you’ll be expecting it. Hilarious? Hardly. Serious and challenging issues each of them are facing, yes.

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC. This is my honest review.