Yoga-loving massage therapist Francesca “Fran” Riley is feeling unsettled in her career and her never-changing single status. Frustrated at seeing loved ones find the happiness she so desires, Fran decides to put her future in to the hands of the universe. And it seems to work, too, when a loyal client wants to set Fran up with her nephew.
But maybe the universe has other plans when a wild turn … wild turn of events leads to a massive case of mistaken identity, leaving Fran with an impossible choice. Though she’s being pulled in two different directions, Fran knows in her heart that fate will show her the way. That is, if she can trust it to lead her to happiness.
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Laid-Back Fate-Driven Romance
What a fun and breezy romantic comedy! The heroine is definitely unlike most that you see in contemporary romance. She’s not a hard-driving career girl nor is her heart too battered and bruised. And she’s actually very laid-back and chill, happy to let fate help her find her path. That’s not to say that she isn’t feeling a little unsettled when the book starts. While she is basically content with her life, she feels a little off, wanting something a little different in some aspect of her life, feeling like she needs more—maybe going back to school to augment her job as a massage therapist with acupuncture. Or perhaps a little romance! Certain aspects of this book make it feel more like chick lit than a romance, as she has the fantastic girlfriends and interesting family dynamics that are often seen in chick lit. But there is certainly romance, and plenty of it, as a case of mistaken identity ends up with her having two men that she is interested in. As it happens, these are both wonderful, decent guys. Usually with a love triangle, it’s fairly obvious who the heroine should choose. One did have a slight advantage or two here—or at least there was one that I liked better—but she probably could have been happy with either guy because they were both good men. if you’re looking for a laid-back romantic that has a plot that is too good to be true in real life (choosing between two lovely, sexy men!), you may very well enjoy this book as much as I did.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
Melissa Baldwin’s “Fate and Blind Dates” was a cute, quirky story that felt more like chick lit with romantic elements than an actual romance to me. I think that may have been because main character Fran was caught in a love triangle between potential boyfriends Matt and Aaron for a good chunk of the book, plus the entire story was told in first person from Fran’s point of view, so I didn’t feel that I got to know either Matt or Aaron very well. That said, all of the characters were quite likeable, and I was satisfied that Fran ended up with the right person in the end. At the very least, he was the guy that I liked best!
Fran was definitely an interesting lead character, and while I did like her, it was a little difficult for me to relate to her at times because her world view was so different from my own. She believed very strongly in fate and allowing it to direct her life, whereas I am kind of a control freak and can’t imagine just going with the flow like she did sometimes. I appreciated how much Fran cared for her family, friends, and massage clients, however, as well as the way she always tried to be up front and honest in all of her interactions.
The book’s secondary characters were a lot of fun, particularly Fran’s meddlesome (but well-meaning) mother and older sister, Kat, who tried to play matchmaker for Fran several times with varying degrees of success. I also enjoyed Fran’s wacky client Polly as well as her younger sister Cami and best friends Cora and Ava. Cora’s story was told in the first book of this series, “Love and Ohana Drama,” which I haven’t yet read but would pick up after reading this one.
Overall, I enjoyed “Fate and Blind Dates” and recommend it for all fans of chick lit and romantic comedy. It’s the perfect summer read to enjoy at the beach or pool.
*ARC provided by the author/publisher via Hidden Gems Books. All opinions expressed are my own.
A good clean romance of Fran, a massage therapist, who’s in a rot in her life, meeting two amazing men and juggling them at the same time. Will she pick Aaron, the nephew of a client and soccer coach of her niece, who is calming but sexy; or will she pick Matt, who is sensitive and sexy?
I really enjoyed this story and seeing her best friend “Cora” from “Love and Ohana Drama”. I highly recommend it.
Fran is not very happy with her life right now. But fate just have put two handsome men in her life. Fate will help her choose the right one to share her love and bring her happiness and love. A charming love story