Elle Spencer

Veronica Welch has made it. She's about to be named a partner at one of the most prestigious law firms in New York C ity. She's on top of the world, except for one tiny ridiculous thing: she promised herself she'd be married by thirty-five. After a drink too many, she accidentally lets her "life plan" slip to Bea, her steadfast, ever meddling assistant, and now Bea won't let the idea go. Rachel Monaghan doesn't do serious relationships. As a busy wedding photographer, she's jaded about lasting love, has a thriving repeat business, and hasn't had much luck with love herself. While bartending at her cousin's bar, Rachel learns of Bea's plan to get herboss married off by scheduling thirty dates in thirty days. br>In this sophisticated contemporary romance, Veronica Welch tries to find love in the most efficient way possible, while Rachel Monaghan avoids love at all costs. What could possibly go wrong?

30 Dates in 30 Days

Izza

Jude Silberfeld

4.5*

While I really like The Road to Madison, it lacked (mostly due to a rather tragic premise) what made Casting Lacey so good, this quirky and witty sense of humor. But it’s back in this new novel and that makes my heart sing.

Veronica « V » Welch is a very busy lawyer who has sacrificed everything on her way to be named a partner by the firm she works for. One night, she goes out to celebrate a big win and spills the beans to her very sweet and meddling assistant Bea about her dreams: a wife, a family, a beautiful love story by the time she’s thirty-five. With V’s birthday looming, Bea takes the matter in her own hands, with the help of V’s mother, and creates a profile for her beautiful and talented boss on a lesbian dating app. At first, V is irritated then agrees to go on 30 dates in 30 days, hoping to find the love of her life with as little hassle as possible. All the dates take place in the same bar, where wedding photographer Rachel Monaghan, the owner’s cousin, gives a hand as a bartender. She has her own reasons not to believe in happily-ever-afters and actually fight against the temptation but neither V nor Rachel can resist falling for the other.

As usual with Spencer, the characters are wonderfully layered and flawed, the chemistry is out of this world and even though at times I wanted to shake Rachel, I liked the way her journey was told. She also gets bonus points for her taste in wine (I’ll take a Brunello di Montalcino over almost anything). V’s reluctance to date was endearing and funny, and the descriptions of the dates made me laugh more than once. I actually laughed a lot reading this book, right from the start, which I didn’t completely expect. The secondary cast is excellent too, from Bea to V’s cousin Tiffany or her parents. And of course the best are the small gang from the bar: Rachel’s cousin Charlotte, Charlotte’s dead father’s best friend Harry and the very lovable older couple Carol and Joe. I want them all to be my friends, seriously.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Megan Cooper

4.5

I will admit that I was so looking forward to this book and dreading it as well.  I loved Casting Lacey but The Road to Madison frustrated me beyond belief.  Which side would 30 Dates in 30 Days fall on?   Thankfully this one fell in the Love It category.

Veronica Welch is a woman with a plan - make partner and get a partner by the time she's 35.   Well on the way to her professional goal, she is sorely behind on her personal goal.  Thankfully her assistant, Bea, and mother, have her covered and signed her up for an online dating app (Ryder)  so that Veronica can efficiently skim though available lesbians and find Ms Right to check off that final box.    Meeting each date in a local pub, she gives them under an hour for the "interview". Obviously, there's some rather amusing dates and the drink choices definitely set the stage for the personalities of her dates; but, Spencer blends in a few women who actually seem like they would be a good match.     

Veronica isn't necessarily an ice queen, but she's brilliant, focused, practical and has a wonderfully dry sense of humour that makes this rather silly premise work quite well.  As much as she protested Bea and her mother's scheme, she secretly wants a relationship and love but has been so focused on her career, she doesn't really know what she wants in a partner - just that she'll know the it when she feels it.  As she progresses through the dates, it's more and more obvious that she's really not sure what she's looking for, but Rachel Monaghan, the cynical wedding photographer who avoids relationships, seems to have that mysterious "it" factor.  

Helping out her cousin by manning the pub in the evenings, Rachel is quickly drawn into the unfolding parade of dates - and her attraction to Veronica is definitely at war with her reticence in entering another relationship.  There's a definite sizzle between the two women and Rachel's reluctance sets up a great push and pull dynamic that amps up the chemistry.   Both she and Veronica are likable and you can't help but root along with the pub's peanut gallery of regulars that they both get on with it.

On top of two really engaging main characters, Spencer has an interesting cast of secondary characters - friends, family, the regulars at the bar who watch Veronica's dates like it's a spectator sport.  There's a wonderful sense of connection with them all - no cardboard cut outs or stereotypes, each one feels real and endearing.   If you've read her other books, Ana and Madison make a brief appearance - thankfully they have run out of angst (omigod did they have angst) and have settled nicely into their HEA, making them great secondary characters for this story.  

30 Dates in 30 Days is a fun read - Spencer imbues the story with some great humour and witty banter that brings the characters to life and the romance hits all the right notes.  I really enjoyed this one - it hit all the right notes for me and left me with a bit of an aw shucks smile on my face when I finished. 

Definitely Recommended

Jobananareads

Veronica Welch has made it. She’s about to be named a partner at one of the most prestigious law firms in New York City. She’s on top of the world, except for one tiny ridiculous thing: she promised herself she’d be married by thirty-five. After a drink too many, she accidentally lets her “life plan” slip to Bea, her steadfast, ever meddling assistant, and now Bea won’t let the idea go. Rachel Monaghan doesn’t do serious relationships. As a busy wedding photographer, she’s jaded about lasting love, has a thriving repeat business, and hasn’t had much luck with love herself. While bartending at her cousin’s bar, Rachel learns of Bea’s plan to get her boss married off by scheduling thirty dates in thirty days. In this sophisticated contemporary romance, Veronica Welch tries to find love in the most efficient way possible, while Rachel Monaghan avoids love at all costs. What could possibly go wrong?

30 Dates in 30 Days

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