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annastbrbattle's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.25
kiki86's review
3.0
Thank you NetGalley for a free e-copy for an honest review.
I loved the first book “the wedding dilemma” and this was just as amazing.
We are following a young women named Lexi who works at a youth centre and a hot firefighter , named Dyson, that comes and helps about at the centre. Eventually these two comes together and fake date so his sisters will leave him alone about dating.
There was so many laughs in this book (in the beginning she thinks Dyson is a strip-o-gram) and even some hot scenes (weekend at the cabin).
I can’t wait for the next book to come out in the trilogy!
I loved the first book “the wedding dilemma” and this was just as amazing.
We are following a young women named Lexi who works at a youth centre and a hot firefighter , named Dyson, that comes and helps about at the centre. Eventually these two comes together and fake date so his sisters will leave him alone about dating.
There was so many laughs in this book (in the beginning she thinks Dyson is a strip-o-gram) and even some hot scenes (weekend at the cabin).
I can’t wait for the next book to come out in the trilogy!
perched_crow's review
3.0
3.5 <3
This was an adorable romance. The concept is pretty standard, a straightforward fake dating trope that gives you lots of big feels. The main character Lexi is hard working but also has issues with maintaining her own boundaries in relationships, and Dyson is a man really wounded by a past relationship. Both are incredibly endearing and I can totally see myself being friends with the cast of characters.
This book definitely leans more towards warm and fuzzy (see hallmark) without being cringe, rather than heat and steam (however, there is some steam so that was fun). The conflict is pretty contrived, but in all honesty I think the author did a good job making it believable without it feeling totally out of touch.
*****SPOILER FOR THIS NEXT PART******
One thing that I really loved about this book was the mediators of the conflict. Basically, Dyson goes into anaphylactic shock because of Lexi’s cat, and the only way that they can possibly have a future is if Dyson receives monthly allergy shots, problem? He is TERRIFIED of needles. Lexi literally calls it off right in the emergency room. Later that day (or maybe the next) her roommate was like “girl, you’re not wrong, but you also didn’t give him a chance to be right”. I feel a big pet peeve is when authors make the female leads incapable of being wrong in the inevitable miscommunication of romances, while in fact, miscommunications need two people: one to say it and one to hear it. I loved that the author also made sure that Lexi was just as responsible for her own actions, regardless if the intention behind her issue was warranted. I love it when romances have realistic, but also healthy solutions at the end of them. May just be me, but if feels nice that the love interest isn’t just the object of desire but also a human worth consideration.
Side note, Couldn’t read the name Dyson without thinking of my hairdryer, so that was fun.
Overall really enjoyed.
This was an adorable romance. The concept is pretty standard, a straightforward fake dating trope that gives you lots of big feels. The main character Lexi is hard working but also has issues with maintaining her own boundaries in relationships, and Dyson is a man really wounded by a past relationship. Both are incredibly endearing and I can totally see myself being friends with the cast of characters.
This book definitely leans more towards warm and fuzzy (see hallmark) without being cringe, rather than heat and steam (however, there is some steam so that was fun). The conflict is pretty contrived, but in all honesty I think the author did a good job making it believable without it feeling totally out of touch.
*****SPOILER FOR THIS NEXT PART******
One thing that I really loved about this book was the mediators of the conflict. Basically, Dyson goes into anaphylactic shock because of Lexi’s cat, and the only way that they can possibly have a future is if Dyson receives monthly allergy shots, problem? He is TERRIFIED of needles. Lexi literally calls it off right in the emergency room. Later that day (or maybe the next) her roommate was like “girl, you’re not wrong, but you also didn’t give him a chance to be right”. I feel a big pet peeve is when authors make the female leads incapable of being wrong in the inevitable miscommunication of romances, while in fact, miscommunications need two people: one to say it and one to hear it. I loved that the author also made sure that Lexi was just as responsible for her own actions, regardless if the intention behind her issue was warranted. I love it when romances have realistic, but also healthy solutions at the end of them. May just be me, but if feels nice that the love interest isn’t just the object of desire but also a human worth consideration.
Side note, Couldn’t read the name Dyson without thinking of my hairdryer, so that was fun.
Overall really enjoyed.
shankl's review
4.0
Sound the alarm, Mile High Firefighters, Book #2 - The Dating Dilemma is smoldering! And, who doesn't pick a book by its cover - just look at this cover GULP. In this fake-dating story, two of the most loving and caring people burn-up the pages in this romance. Their chemistry is smoking HOT.
This second book can be read as a stand alone in the series. Lexi and Dyson are fun characters along with the crew at the station, and their family and friends. I enjoyed this read, and look forward to continuing the series.
Thank you Entangled Publishing for the advance reader copy.
This second book can be read as a stand alone in the series. Lexi and Dyson are fun characters along with the crew at the station, and their family and friends. I enjoyed this read, and look forward to continuing the series.
Thank you Entangled Publishing for the advance reader copy.
hayleysnextpage's review
4.0
"But to her, he was more. He made her laugh. Never made her feel bad for her accidental talking out loud quirk. He had been nothing but honest with her regarding their deal. But that wasn't all. He put her first. Something she wasn't used to in any relationship."
The Dating Dilemma follows Lexi, a hard-working manager at the local youth centre, and Dyson, a firefighter. With Dyson helping the centre with free repairs to get it up to code, Dyson asks her to return the favour and pretend to be his girlfriend to get his sisters off his back.
Lexi and Dyson instantly have chemistry and I loved their banter. Ankenman knows how to write witty, laugh-out-loud romances. I enjoyed the fake dating scenario and how they slowly loosened the rules. I also really liked the supporting characters, particularly his sisters.
However, my only critique is the conflict. I know every romance needs a conflict, but this one just didn't feel right for the characters. They both seemed to blow the situation out of proportion, which was unlike them.
But overall, if you're on the hunt for a heartwarming and fun-filled fake-dating romance, I recommend checking out The Dating Dilemma.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Dating Dilemma follows Lexi, a hard-working manager at the local youth centre, and Dyson, a firefighter. With Dyson helping the centre with free repairs to get it up to code, Dyson asks her to return the favour and pretend to be his girlfriend to get his sisters off his back.
Lexi and Dyson instantly have chemistry and I loved their banter. Ankenman knows how to write witty, laugh-out-loud romances. I enjoyed the fake dating scenario and how they slowly loosened the rules. I also really liked the supporting characters, particularly his sisters.
However, my only critique is the conflict. I know every romance needs a conflict, but this one just didn't feel right for the characters. They both seemed to blow the situation out of proportion, which was unlike them.
But overall, if you're on the hunt for a heartwarming and fun-filled fake-dating romance, I recommend checking out The Dating Dilemma.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
litwithnik's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
I voluntarily received an ARC of "The Dating Dilemma" by Mariah Ankenman via NetGalley for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
"The Dating Dilemma" is a fake-dating romance with a bit of spice and lots of laugh out loud scenes.
2022 is my year of reading more contemporary romances and this was such a good start! I follow the author on tiktok and found I loved her humor so wanted to read some of her works.
Lexi and Dyson both have their personally reasons not to date. But when Dyson's sisters get too meddling he asks Lexi to pretend to be his girlfriend. What can go wrong when she is sworn off dating for a bet and he is know as 'One Night O'Neil'? What goes wrong is their fake relationship is just too right and real feelings begin to blur the lines.
This romance was really fun and had lots of laugh out loud moments. So many fire fighting puns and friends who are there to humble the main characters. The spicy scenes are also pretty good, not the spiciest out there but they are well written and really highlight how much the characters really want each other.
My only complaint is that Dyson is not my favourite type of hero. Despite his own claims that he's not perfect, he's kind of too perfect. Though I gotta admit he sounds pretty hot! I just wish there was just a bit more grit.
If you love a lovey-dovey fake-dating romance with a hunky hero and a heroine learning to prioritize herself then this is definitely worth the read.
3.5/5 Stars
"The Dating Dilemma" is a fake-dating romance with a bit of spice and lots of laugh out loud scenes.
2022 is my year of reading more contemporary romances and this was such a good start! I follow the author on tiktok and found I loved her humor so wanted to read some of her works.
Lexi and Dyson both have their personally reasons not to date. But when Dyson's sisters get too meddling he asks Lexi to pretend to be his girlfriend. What can go wrong when she is sworn off dating for a bet and he is know as 'One Night O'Neil'? What goes wrong is their fake relationship is just too right and real feelings begin to blur the lines.
This romance was really fun and had lots of laugh out loud moments. So many fire fighting puns and friends who are there to humble the main characters. The spicy scenes are also pretty good, not the spiciest out there but they are well written and really highlight how much the characters really want each other.
My only complaint is that Dyson is not my favourite type of hero. Despite his own claims that he's not perfect, he's kind of too perfect. Though I gotta admit he sounds pretty hot! I just wish there was just a bit more grit.
If you love a lovey-dovey fake-dating romance with a hunky hero and a heroine learning to prioritize herself then this is definitely worth the read.
3.5/5 Stars
literaryhaylee's review
3.0
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
The Dating Dilemma by Mariah Ankenman is the first book I have read by this author. I would consider this a fun, almost Rom Com read. Overall this started out as a 3 star for me. I didn’t feel super connected to the characters and I just couldn’t get past the name Dyson (all I thought was the dyson vacuum)... But I continued on and because of the character development and some of my favorite tropes were in this, I would place this between a 3.5 - 4 star. (depending on who I was recommending this book to).
We start off with Lexi hard at work. Lexi is our 27 (turning 28) year old, dedicated to working, cat loving, female main character. Since Lexi's birthday is coming up, her childhood best friend sends her a gift at work. So when this hot firefighter shows up, she thinks he is a strip-o-gram - thoroughly embarrassing herself. Dyson is enamored with Lexi’s sudden outburst (she has an issue with saying her inner monolog out loud), but does not poke fun at her because of this. Dyson is a real firefighter sent to her place of work to do an annual fire code inspection. This immediately worries Lexi. Because The Denver Youth Center is run strictly by donations and they do not have the means of fixing and repairing issues. However, the center is critical for the local kids who do not have anywhere else to go. Dyson completes the inspection and states that the center did not pass. But to Lexi’s surprise, Dyson volunteers his time to help repair the issues. Leaving Dyson and Lexi to become closer.However, Dyson has a strict no dating rule and Lexi has a bet to be single for 6 months.
Lexi has an issue with trying to fix people, leaving her to always put herself last and everything and everyone else first.
Dyson has developed a lot of fears from his past. He suffers from anxiety and has major trust issues. Because of his anxiety, he is always early. Because of this, he has picked up on reading. (We love a male book lover). In addition to his anxiety, his ex fiance cheated on him with his best friend, he now has major trust issues and vowed to never date again.
This book includes tropes like: fake dating, forced proximity, and sinlge bed.
TW for cheating and death.
Thank you Entangled Publishing, LLC and Netgalley for the eARC of this book.
The Dating Dilemma by Mariah Ankenman is the first book I have read by this author. I would consider this a fun, almost Rom Com read. Overall this started out as a 3 star for me. I didn’t feel super connected to the characters and I just couldn’t get past the name Dyson (all I thought was the dyson vacuum)... But I continued on and because of the character development and some of my favorite tropes were in this, I would place this between a 3.5 - 4 star. (depending on who I was recommending this book to).
We start off with Lexi hard at work. Lexi is our 27 (turning 28) year old, dedicated to working, cat loving, female main character. Since Lexi's birthday is coming up, her childhood best friend sends her a gift at work. So when this hot firefighter shows up, she thinks he is a strip-o-gram - thoroughly embarrassing herself. Dyson is enamored with Lexi’s sudden outburst (she has an issue with saying her inner monolog out loud), but does not poke fun at her because of this. Dyson is a real firefighter sent to her place of work to do an annual fire code inspection. This immediately worries Lexi. Because The Denver Youth Center is run strictly by donations and they do not have the means of fixing and repairing issues. However, the center is critical for the local kids who do not have anywhere else to go. Dyson completes the inspection and states that the center did not pass. But to Lexi’s surprise, Dyson volunteers his time to help repair the issues. Leaving Dyson and Lexi to become closer.However, Dyson has a strict no dating rule and Lexi has a bet to be single for 6 months.
Lexi has an issue with trying to fix people, leaving her to always put herself last and everything and everyone else first.
Dyson has developed a lot of fears from his past. He suffers from anxiety and has major trust issues. Because of his anxiety, he is always early. Because of this, he has picked up on reading. (We love a male book lover). In addition to his anxiety, his ex fiance cheated on him with his best friend, he now has major trust issues and vowed to never date again.
This book includes tropes like: fake dating, forced proximity, and sinlge bed.
TW for cheating and death.
Thank you Entangled Publishing, LLC and Netgalley for the eARC of this book.
booksreadbyanna's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
The Dating Dilemma by Mariah Ankenman
Book 2 in Mile High Firefighters Series
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Dyson has a dating dilemma on his hands. Problem is he doesn’t want to date, but his sisters have other plans in mind. So when he gets mistaken for a strip-o-gram by Lexi when doing a safety inspection, he realizes what he must do to get his sisters off his back.
Book:
Pros….
Book 2 in Mile High Firefighters Series
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Dyson has a dating dilemma on his hands. Problem is he doesn’t want to date, but his sisters have other plans in mind. So when he gets mistaken for a strip-o-gram by Lexi when doing a safety inspection, he realizes what he must do to get his sisters off his back.
Book:
Pros….