Book Review
Just Three Dates
by David Burnett
NEW RELEASE...When their mothers become matchmakers, entangling them in a series of dates with each other, Karen and Mark must each decide whether to entertain the idea of a “marriage of convenience,” or to hold out for an increasingly unlikely marriage based on love.
Since breaking with her last boyfriend, Karen has refused to trust any man her age. For the past three years, she has not dated the same one twice, and only one in ten has received even a goodnight kiss as she turned him away. Karen is an artist. She follows her feelings, lives in a cluttered loft, and gushes over vivid sunsets.
Mark still dreams about his almost-fiancée, and his date book has been empty since he threw her out a week before he’d planned to ask for her hand. His friends call him the “Ice Man,” since he seldom smiles, especially at a woman. A math professor at the College, logic guides his behavior, he loves order, and an elegant proof is a thing of beauty.
Both Karen and Mark have all but abandoned hope of ever falling in love, and, left on their own, these opposites would never attract. So, their mothers become matchmakers, entangling them in a series of dates by extracting promises that Karen and Mark will go out together three times, suggesting that, in the absence of love, a “marriage of convenience” is a live option.
If you enjoy heartwarming stories based on true-to-life behaviors, with complicated relationships and a less-than-certain outcome, this book is for you.
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Our Review
Both Karen and Mark find themselves at a time of life where they would have loved to be settled down with a family, yet through past heartbreaks they both remain single to the annoyance of their parents or should I say mothers! So what does a mother do when their child can't move forward into a relationship after so long, they feel the need to press the fast forward button and play the blind date host of course!
After being hammered by his mother so many times of the need to find a wife, Mark gives in to her crazy blind date request with her friends daughter Karen, with the promise that they just have to have three dates, and then the whole idea will be forgotten about. Poor Karen is also put into the same predicament and reluctantly agrees. They set out, under duress, to meet for their three dates, but the path of true love never runs smoothly so how will it work out?
David's wonderful writing style has you there in the moment, along with Karen and Mark, it feels like you are reading a true story and the characters are your friends, I even felt frustrated with Mark at times for his stubborn ways just like you would in reality. You get to relive the new relationship emotions, the awkwardness, the stress and anticipation, getting to know each other, searching for clues within each other and perhaps reading the wrong signals. Yet for Karen and Mark they have the added pressure of knowing their mothers expect wedding bells to chime!
I really enjoyed their story and it did leave me thinking about the idea of an agreed marriage against the loneliness of being on your own, the pros and the cons, quite thought provoking. Which is why I love this author so much, a simple, gentle, realistic story that flows in to the readers mind and has you thinking long after you have read the book.
Both Karen and Mark find themselves at a time of life where they would have loved to be settled down with a family, yet through past heartbreaks they both remain single to the annoyance of their parents or should I say mothers! So what does a mother do when their child can't move forward into a relationship after so long, they feel the need to press the fast forward button and play the blind date host of course!
After being hammered by his mother so many times of the need to find a wife, Mark gives in to her crazy blind date request with her friends daughter Karen, with the promise that they just have to have three dates, and then the whole idea will be forgotten about. Poor Karen is also put into the same predicament and reluctantly agrees. They set out, under duress, to meet for their three dates, but the path of true love never runs smoothly so how will it work out?
David's wonderful writing style has you there in the moment, along with Karen and Mark, it feels like you are reading a true story and the characters are your friends, I even felt frustrated with Mark at times for his stubborn ways just like you would in reality. You get to relive the new relationship emotions, the awkwardness, the stress and anticipation, getting to know each other, searching for clues within each other and perhaps reading the wrong signals. Yet for Karen and Mark they have the added pressure of knowing their mothers expect wedding bells to chime!
I really enjoyed their story and it did leave me thinking about the idea of an agreed marriage against the loneliness of being on your own, the pros and the cons, quite thought provoking. Which is why I love this author so much, a simple, gentle, realistic story that flows in to the readers mind and has you thinking long after you have read the book.
Our Rating
Other books by the author...
About the author 
David Burnett lives in Columbia South Carolina, with his wife and their blue-eyed cat, Bonnie. The Reunion, his first novel, is set in nearby Charleston.David enjoys traveling, photography, baking bread, and the Carolina beaches. He has photographed subjects as varied as prehistoric ruins on the islands of Scotland, star trails, sea gulls, a Native American powwow, and his grandson, Jack. David and his wife have traveled widely in the United States and the United Kingdom. During one trip to Scotland, they visited Crathes Castle, the ancestral home of the Burnett family near Aberdeen. In The Reunion, Michael's journey through England and Scotland allows him to sketch many places they have visited.
David has graduate degrees in psychology and education and previously was Director of Research for the South Carolina Department of Education. He and his wife have two daughters.
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Sharon Martin
Blogger & Promoter at Beck Valley Books          |
How dare either mother suggest a marriage of convenience? lol This sounds like an awesome read and I cannot wait to read it. Putting it on my list now.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the nice review. I'm always pleased when people enjoy my writing!
ReplyDeleteDavid Burnett
Romance is my favorite type of book. I bet I would love this. Funny that their mothers are matchmakers!
ReplyDelete