(Better Date than Never series, Book #1)
Ellen may not believe in storybook love, but it’s about to rewrite her life . . .
Ellen’s figured out that finding the right guy is all about compatibility. That’s why she signs up for Detailed Dating—the local online dating scene in Sacramento. They ask men the hard questions, compare their answers with hers, then she filters through the profiles of … the profiles of each provided “match.” After numerous email exchanges, she narrows it down to two promising candidates she’s excited to meet in person.
When Ellen’s best friend asks her for a favor, dog-sitting leads to disaster and Ellen ends up at the local vet where she meets a man she can’t get out of her mind. Henry isn’t a logical choice, but she finds herself paying for dog obedience class to spend more time with him.
Ellen knows that in order to have a lasting relationship, she should take the safe route and go for one of the pre-screened guys. But, how can she think with her head when her heart keeps begging her to give Henry a chance?
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It’s Time 4 LOVE… “Love at First Date” or “Amor a Primera Cita” Take Your Pick!
Whether it’s “Love at First Date,” or “Amor a Primera Cita,” your gonna be highly entertained reading this delightful Tale by Susan Halter! I can’t TELL you how many times I’ve read Re-read this book since purchasing it in 2018… I keep coming back Again & Again! Why?! Because I truly LOVE IT, & That’s the Hallmark of a TRULY Great RoMANce… When you can ReVisit a book like an OLD friend without getting Tired of it, but instead find Something New & hidden EACH & Every TIME!
I LOVE Susan’s writing! It’s witty & Fresh…. One-Click “Love at First Date” or “Amor a Primera Cita” & Read for YourSelf!!
Even though I already owned Susan Hatler’s “Love at First Date (Better Date than Never Series Book 1),” & “Amor a Primera Cita (Mejor una Cita que Nunca nº 1) (Spanish Edition),” I agreed to Review them as ARCs for Her via B00|{$P®0UT. I recommend this book to others based upon its own merits. All opinions expressed within this review are uniquely my own & freely given!
Until next time… Happy Reading!
Fun beach read!
1 Love at First Date (Better Date than Never Series Book 1)A Woodward Systems Corporation Romance by Susan Hatler
5 stars
I purchased the short novella Love at First Date (Better Date than Never Series Book 1) by Susan Hatler and this review was given freely.
Engaging,fast paced and easy flowing with realistic characters, Ellen and Henry’s story is one of the pitfalls of dating and validates taking a chance on attraction/love at first sight.
Ellen’s got online dating down to a science. She’s made spreadsheets to analyze potential mates according to compatibility scores, and has narrowed down the field. Then, she meets Henry at a dog obedience class. Suddenly compatibility scores seem way less important than how he makes her laugh. And how they can converse effortlessly. And how he makes her tingle all over. But can attraction really predict long-term happiness?
I enjoyed this novella more than I expected to. Light and fun and flirty, it goes down like sweet iced tea on a hot summer’s day. It’s got enough substance that you can connect emotionally to the characters, yet it never feels heavy. It’s the perfect beach read.
This was a fun short novella. Ellen is looking for Mr Right and after watching her Mother experience multiple marriage breakdowns and relationships decides that compatibility over chemistry is the way to find a life partner. So she signs herself up for a dating website. Enter babysitting Chester the gorgeous beagle puppy who Ellen has to babysit, and ultimately helps Ellen find just what she may have needed after all. Ellen is a relatable character and Chester is a gorgeous wingman. Enjoyed reading it one sitting and was just a feel good story. Rating 3.5 stars.
Very interesting read, but not disappointing. Really enjoyed this read, I just couldn’t put it down!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Rating:
I enjoyed this book a lot. The characters were a lot of fun. The heroine was easy to imagine and was complete. By that I mean, she had flaws and insecurities, she had emotion and pain. She felt real. I loved how she grew throughout the story and learned a lot. All the characters were wonderfully developed throughout the story. Everyone had a part. The ending did not disappoint as it was a HEA that really completed the story.
The story follows Ellen. She is very, very organized. Everything comes down to statistics in her mind. That’s why she signed up for an online dating site called Detailed Dating. Over on site, everything is based on compatibility on paper. One night, her friend asks Ellen to babysit her dog so that she can go on a date. She agrees because what are friends for? While she is eating dinner, she sees that the beagle is choking on something. Turns out he knocked over her purse, ate some lip gloss, and possibly something else. She quickly rushes to the closet vet. When she reaches, she’s greeted by Henry who takes out a big chunk of hair from the beagle’s mouth. Hilarious, ain’t it? Ellen, after being intrigued by Henry’s looks and personalities, decides impromptu to sign up to the dog training class that Henry is also taking. But she doesn’t want the storybook love, she wants hard, cold facts.
I wrote this voluntary review in exchange for an ARC copy.
Ellen is tired of weeding out the duds in the dating pool of guys, so she joined Detailed Dating. They’ll do it for her by asking the “hard questions” and she can pick from those she’s most compatible with. She’s got two potential guys to choose from and she can’t wait to meet them. When her best friend Rachel has a hot date Ellen babysits her spoiled pup. Puppy sitting doesn’t go well and Ellen ends up with running the pooch to the vet where she meets Henry. She’s so taken with him she signs the puppy up for obedience classes just so she can see Henry again. Ellen can’t stop thinking about Henry even though they don’t seem to have anything in common and isn’t that what makes a relationship successful?
This is a fun story about a woman trying to find the perfect guy for her. Ellen thinks she knows what will make a relationship last but finds out that what she thinks may be wrong. That the guy she doesn’t seem to have much in common with may be her perfect match. The dates with the guys Detailed Dating picked for her didn’t go so well and one was pretty hilarious. I liked the way Ellen handled the guy that doctored his profile picture for Detailed Dating–she was nice about it and actually gave him good advice.
I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a wonderful job with the voices of the characters and getting the feelings of the story across.
The customer complaint call which Ellen had to field put a damper on the story. Ellen might as well have been a high school teen considering how she acts until her in-person visit with the previously mentioned customer turned the story around. The growth in her character afterwards was awesome.
I received a copy of this book as a gift from the author who did not require a review in exchange and is not attempting to influence the review.. This is my honest review.
3.5 Stars
The story line was good, the character work was great and the book had a fairly smooth flow to it. This was a quick, fun read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Loved the book it was great, the story was well written and the characters are interesting. Ellen and Henry meet when she is looking after her friends dog and now she cannot get enough of him.
Thank you for allowing me to review your book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Ellen is dog her best friend’s dog when she has to rush him to the vet. The vet isn’t in but a man helps her. Henry makes everything better. He’s there for dog obedience classes so Ellen decides to sign up too. Ellen and Henry fall for each other immediately but of course they have to choose to take the long road to get together. Fun and happy story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
In Love at First Date, the first book in this “Better Date than Never series”, Ellen is thirty and wants to find true love. After her mother’s past relationship failures, Ellen wants to use scientific methods to find the one. With her issues, Ellen relies on questionnaires and a machine to take the uncertainty out of romance. This is a humorous, Hallmark type, lovely romance with surprises and characters that make you want the best for them and want to know them better. These characters come to life in this must read story
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I loved this book with its well developed and engaging characters that have loads of chemistry. The flow of the storyline kept me turning the pages. I enjoy reading books by this author.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Susan is an author that doesn’t disappoint. A fantastic story line that pulls you in, characters that you’ll love getting to know, and the right amount of romantic comedy to keep the reader entertained. You won’t be disappointed adding this book to your reading list.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Ellen had learnt her lesson from her mothers failures. A happily ever after can only happen if the two people involved are compatible. So she gives up on the normal ways of dating and chooses a dating app to find her perfect match.
But while she is dog-sitting for her best friend she meets a man she cannot forget.
A funny story, easy to read and well-written.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Ellen is ready to try online dating, but before she has a chance to meet mister maybe, her best friend snags her to puppy-sit. When Chester eats something he shouldn’t, they end up at the vet, and then sign up for an obedience class. Where she meets Henry, hot guy with a cute dog. But she has two guys to meet who are compatible with her, according to Detailed Dating. So why can’t she stop thinking about Henry? I love this book – short, sweet, very cute story. Ellen learned that love doesn’t follow a formula. The (supposedly) perfect matches are hilarious, even though neither of them worked out. This is an enjoyable story that can be easily read in an afternoon. Susan Hatler never disappoints!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
It sounds so easy when Ellen signs up at Detailed Dating— a popular Sacramento online dating site with the idea that it will save precious time in learning about a potential mate up front. The filters can whittle down the application and determine compatibility before you ever set eyes on the guy, right? After six weeks of email exchanges, she had narrowed it down to two men and would set up separate coffee dates to see if there was chemistry with either. But her friend, Rachel, had a favor to ask. She needed Ellen to babysit her dog while she went on a date. Chester would be traumatized if no one came home after work to be with him. So Ellen had to help, even though Chester had already ruined her expensive new boots by chewing on them. But that’s what a good friend does.
When dog-sitting leads to disaster with a choking incident, Ellen takes Chester to the veterinarian where she meets Henry and can’t stop thinking about him. She knows it’s not a good idea to want a stranger who has not even been pre-screened, but she ends up paying for dog obedience class to spend more time with him. Should she give Henry a chance, or play it safe with the guys she knows from the dating site?
Once again, I enjoyed this author’s quirky story. Ellen is a bit over-the-top but seeing her mom’s multiple divorces has scared her off of blindly rushing into a relationship. So now, she tries to be ultra-safe. If only life were that easy, but there’s much more that goes into loving someone than a checklist of good, compatible points. I know some people didn’t like the simplicity of the story line, but I was smiling through the entire adventure. Knowing how it had to end didn’t detract from the journey to get there! Relax and grab a copy and just let yourself enjoy!
Sometimes destiny strikes – even if it’s whatever mystery thing that crazy beagle ate this time. Love can happen.
Compatibility seems like kind of a myth. Agreement on compromises more realistic.
If we both love music, but he really prefers trying to get freaky with my blonde gal pals, he is totally on the catch and release plan. Definitely an immediate release dude.
Someone funny who makes every day feel special, who is more interested in me than the next best thing, and who agrees that stalking my gals is skanky and out of bounds, might be as possibly cool as a dog lover who gives thoughtful gifts.
Fun and sweet romance!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Quick read. The author keeps us interested in the lives of these characters. Ellen thinks the way to find love is through a dating service. She meets Henry at a dog obedience class and feels a connection with him. However, she trusts a computer service more than her own heart.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.