lauriereadsrom1 's review for:

Dare To Kiss You by Julia Jarrett

5.0

emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Kat Donnelly and Hunter Callaghan have been secretly attracted to each other ever since he moved into the house next door, but for several reasons, neither has acted on their crush. Kat recently went through a tough breakup, but her best friend Lily is convinced that it's time for her to get back out there. Knowing that she can't say no to a dare, Lily dares Kat to ask Hunter to be her date for the annual charity gala benefiting the town's animal shelter. He happily accepts, but as the event draws closer, Hunter finds himself overwhelmed with anxiety, convinced that he will never be good enough for Kat. Can he overcome his fears - as well as the objections of Kat's four overprotective older brothers - to build a future with the girl of his dreams?

Having struggled with anxiety myself, I couldn't help both relating to and being heartbroken by much of what Hunter went through in this story. I can't count the number of times I've had similar thoughts of not being good enough go through my head! Kat was in a unique position to understand his anxiety because of her medical background, and I really appreciated that she applied her knowledge to the situation rather than jumping to conclusions. That's just one of the reasons that she and Hunter made such a great couple, and I loved cheering them on to their HEA.

Overall, "Dare to Kiss You" was a sweet yet perfectly steamy introduction to Jarrett's new series, and I highly recommend it for all contemporary/small town romance fans. I can't wait to find out what's to come in the next book of the series.
 
*Review copy provided by the author via Literally Yours PR. All opinions expressed are my own.