“Complete with hot sex scenes, snarky double-entendres, slapstick humor, and quirky girlfriends, this comedic romp through modern-day dating checks all the romance boxes.” -Kirkus Reviews Willa Frank has one simple rule: never go on a date with anyone more than twice. Now that her business is providing the stability she’s always needed, she can’t afford distractions. Her two-date rule will … two-date rule will protect her just fine…until she meets smokejumper Grady Billman.
After one date–one amazing, unforgettable date–Grady isn’t ready to call it quits, despite his own no-attachments policy, and he’s found a sneaky way around both their rules.
Throwing gutter balls with pitchers of beer? Not a real date. Everyone knows bowling doesn’t count.
Watching a band play at a local show? They just happen to have the same great taste in music. Definitely not a date.
Hiking? Nope. How can exercise be considered a date?
With every “non-date” Grady suggests, his reasoning gets more ridiculous, and Willa must admit she’s having fun playing along. But when their time together costs Willa two critical clients, it’s clear she needs to focus on the only thing that matters–her future. And really, he should do the same.
But what is she supposed to do with a future that looks gray without Grady in it?
Each book in the Where There’s Smoke series is STANDALONE:
* The Two-Date Rule
* Just a Little Bet
* The Best Kept Secret
more
Rules go up in smoke:
Willa and Grady have a deep attraction and enjoy one another’s company, but they have a problem. She has a two date only rule and he doesn’t want anything permanent. It was fun seeing these two work past the barriers they’d erected. There were plenty of sexy times but also what felt like honest personal development as well as growth as a couple. Poor Willa is wounded and has to overcome a lot in order to finally find peace and happiness and it broke my heart at times to see her pain. This book has depth and deals with real and sometimes difficult issues, however the overall tone of the book was hopeful and not too heavy. I also enjoyed learning about smokejumpers and the hardships their profession places on them both physically and relationally. Overall a great read and I can’t wait to read more by this talented author.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
Smokejumpers #1, A sweet and steamy book all in one. I’m new to Tawna Fenske and figured what better place to start that with a new series and it was a good start. I really enjoyed this one it was funny in all the right parts and romantically sweet and hot in the bedroom, but not limited to the bedroom. Best of all it had relatable characters, Grady and Willa are opposites but their spontaneous reaction to each other soon grows deeper but not without its hardships because of those differences.
Willa had a difficult childhood, her mother left and her father was an alcoholic and a gambler and more often than not they had to spend nights “out camping” because of some bill wouldn’t get paid. Willa left home as soon as she could and became a successful web designer with her own company. But she’s still a smart buyer, she hates spending money when she doesn’t have to and when she does she’s smart about it, her friends are use to her. Willa is also a planner and a hard worker and because of that she wasn’t going to let anyone sidetrack her from her goal or her work hence the two-date rule.
Grady is one of ten kids, he can handle chaos. Growing up the son of a smokejumper he knew getting involved in a relationship would be difficult for his partner, he saw how it affected his parents and how hard it was on his mom for his dad to be away months at a time. He decided going into his career he wasn’t going to make plans his work was dangerous enough why look forward to something if there’s a chance you might not make it home.
Willa gives Grady his first date, and then a series of non-dates; miniature golf is not a date, it’s a group outing not a date, meeting his parents isn’t a date and so on until one day it is the second date and then third. Willa and Grady have pretty much fallen in love and not even drama from her past can get in the way of her happiness at least until it interferes in her business. Then their differences seem insurmountable and it would take a pretty big leap for them to find their way back to each other.
Overall, it was a pretty good read. I liked all the characters and the funny situations; all the non-dates. Grady’s parents are pretty awesome too. I look forward to the upcoming books in this series.
A hilarious rom-com with a lot of heart!
Fair warning – this book will make you laugh out loud enough that onlookers will question your sanity. There were more snort-laughs just in the meet-cute scene than most books have altogether. Willa and Grady engage in perfectly-synced banter throughout the book, and it’s one of the best rom-coms I’ve ever read.
But it’s not all humor and heat. There’s a serious layer of heartfelt emotional depth underneath all the sizzling attraction and next-level witticisms. The reasons behind Willa’s two-date rule are nearly heartbreaking in their simplicity, and Grady’s struggle with his own vision of the future revealed an unexpected vulnerability.
We get all the humor and heat and scalding-hot smokejumpers that a reader could ask for, all packaged into a charming, poignant, life-changing romance. Their HEA was simply beautiful, right down to the smallest detail. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and I’m looking forward to reading more. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Great start to a new series. Willa Frank needs to control every aspect of her life to make up for a chaotic and tough childhood. She feels that she cannot have a relationship and do well at her job, so she has a two date rule. She has a meet-cute with Smokejumper Grady Billman at a strip club, where she mistakes him for a fireman stripper. After their first date is very successful, Grady and Willa, figure a way around her rule by getting together in non-date ways. I loved Grady, great guy, loving and caring. Willa was a little harder to warm up to. I kept thinking that she needed to get some therapy. Overall, an enjoyable read. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was my first time reading this author, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well she weaves a story. She managed to make me truly dislike Willa, then sympathize and empathize with her, then want to cry for her, then finally like her. As for Grady, he was easier to like. He may have been financially immature, but his determination to be kept around by Willa proved that he could and would step up when necessary. Willa and her inability to ease up on the quest for success and security made me think that there was something deeper going on, and learning about her past made everything click. She would never be my favorite character, but she was incredibly real. And once she and Grady finally got on the same page, it was nothing but happiness and smooth sailing. They definitely both fought for their HEA, and the hard work they both put into both the relationship and life in general made them truly deserve it.
I was very fortunate to receive an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Willa and Grady – oh the ups and downs! Such drama between what you want and what you feel like you must do. Unfortunately for Grady, Willa’s parents have really screwed her up for a future spouse. Grady’s major flaw is his job/work schedule and his “live life to its fullest” attitude.
The author does a great job delving into the hearts and heads of these characters to provide the reader with an enjoyable read. You definitely need to give this story a try!
Cute and fun
What I liked:
The writing style
The characters
Part of a series: Smokejumper
Standalone
HEA
Epilogue
I look forward to reading more from this author.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC from NetGalley.
The Two-Date Rule by the awesome Rom-Com author, Tawna Fenske, will have you literally laughing out loud!
Hot smokejumper, Grady Billman, AKA Smokey the Bare, is mistaken for a stripper, but earns a date in the process…a first date to be exact…the first of a maximum of two dates, according to Willa Frank’s rule. She cannot afford for anything to distract her from her business…but does bowling with friends count as a date? or hiking? or going to watch a band play?
“If you apologize one more time for calling me a stripper, I’m going to start taking my clothes off in the parking lot while I sing ‘I’m a Little Teapot’ at the top of my lungs.”
I love everything about this one! The absolutely hilarious storyline, the perfection of the characters, their backstories, and all of the feels wrapped up in this! There are a rollercoaster of emotions! I praise (and may be slightly envious of) author Tawna Fenske for all of the first hand research she did before writing this. It brought a deeper depth and admiration to the smokejumper characters. I totally recommend this!
The Two Date Rule by Tawna Fenske a read that you would give five dates for. Willa Frank is a complex character with a history that makes you understand her and feel for her. I identified with Willa so much, it scared me, but seeing her story unfold just made me. Grady Billman mmm I can almost smell the campfire as he is described. We all need a Grady in our lives, he probably wouldn’t last long, but oohh it would be warm. This was a delicious story and the ideas for the non-dates made me smile, this was a great story about how life isn’t black and white but its shades of fire.
I really enjoyed this book.
Two commitment phobic individuals meet and realize that they are interested in each other. However, they both have rules that they live by. However, rules were meant to be broken or at least bent, right??
Grady was a fun character to read about. He comes from a large family and really isn’t a planner. He knows that he should start being he has a demanding and dangerous job but he prefers to live in the here and now.
Willa is the complete opposite. She is someone who needs a plan and her plans have plans of their own. She is always thinking about the future and questioning every decision she makes on how it will impact that.
The banter and sexy times were off the charts. The thing I loved most though was how they were what each other needed. Grady needed to make a few plans and Willa needed to decompress from time to time.
It was cute how ridiculous the excuses they would come up with for it “not” being a date. I also LOVED their first meeting and how an assumption was made and how this individual handled it.
If you are looking for a quick , fluffy, rom-com, this one is not for your. But, if you are looking for a romance with depth that at times is heartbreaking but also heartwarming, this one is definitely the one for you.
Willa Frank is a web designer. To say that her childhood was not easy, is an understatement. With no mother and an alcoholic father, she never knew if she would have the bare necessities in life.
This has made her a worrier and a workaholic. She doesn’t want a relationships and has a two date rule. Meaning, she doesn’t date anyone more than twice.
Then she meets smoke jumper, Grady Billman. A man fascinated by her, and one that lives one day at a time, without plans for the future.
In order to spend time with her, he decides to create non-dates.
But what happens when feelings develop between these two seemingly opposites? Can they help each other overcome their obstacles, or are they so set in their ways, that their HEA is nowhere to be seen?
The plot was engaging, the characters perfect in their imperfections, and the secondary characters were ones you would hope had their own stories in the future.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Entangled Amara. The opinions expressed are solely my own.
Wow, just wow. Tawna really hits with this one.
Willa Frank has not had an easy life growing up. Living without a mother for most of her life and having a father that drank and/or gambled away what funds they did have, she’s determined to make sure her life is financially secure. Running her own business she works day and night and therefore limits what social life she has. While out with her girlfriends she mistakes a Smoke Jumper for a stripper and makes a deal with him for a date. Knowing she has her two-date rule, she’s not worried. Grady is intrigued with this little spitfire and although the first date didn’t quite go as planned, it turned out perfect. Now, how does he convince her to see him again without it being called a date? Grady comes up with some unique ideas on how to make this happen and it’s fun to watch how these two keep avoiding that two-date rule. Things are going great until Willa loses an account that she’s wanted forever. Feeling like she’s let herself and her mother down, she turns Grady away. Willa has alot of personal issues with her parents and discovering that her mother is still alive and well comes as a shock but she’s determined to get answers. Knowing she’s made a huge mistake, she tries to win Grady back. I loved the way she goes about it. These two characters are well blended and the storyline is great. I can’t wait for more of the Smoke Jumper Series. I’d highly recommend this one for your TBR.
**I received a copy of The Two-Date Rule from Entangled Publishing and Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review.**
The Two-Date Rule by Tawna Fenske is fantastic book and I hope there will be more because Kayla and Aislin need their own stories as well as some of the hot smoke jumpers that Grady works with. I loved Grady and Willa’s story so much!
Willa Frank grew up with no money because her dad had trouble keeping a job due to his drinking. So when she built her web design business vowing to never be penniless again. When her two BFF, Kayla and Aislin convince her to go to a male stripper show, she never expects to literally bump into a hot smoke jumper. Now Grady will test her Two-Date rule with every “no-date” they go on until Willa’s loses two big contract she’ll have to decide if their love will be everlasting or will she let it go.
Grady Billman can’t believe his luck when he meets Willa and her friends so asking her to dinner will gives him determination to create several ways to take her out making sure they don’t get to that second date rule she has. He’s “smack dab in the middle of ten kids and a smoke jumper like his brothers and father he knows that his job could be a a game changer once they start getting to know each other he discovers her fears and goals he’s determined that she’s the one he wants, now to convince her of this.
It was quite easy to fall in love with Willa and Grady and to root for them both. Grady’s bogus workarounds for circumventing Willa’s two-date rule made me smile – especially when Willa didn’t put up all that much of a fight. 🙂
I also adored the supporting cast, Willa’s and Grady’s friends and family – especially Grady’s parents – and I loved how Kayla and Aislin always had Willa’s back, even if that included some tough love.
While the story exhibits Tawna Fenske’s trademark humor and had me grinning or snort-laughing quite often, it is also dealing with more serious issues like substance abuse or mental illness. My heart broke for Willa (I never thought a game of Monopoly would bring me to tears, but there you have it…), and it was gratifying to see her take on her challenges.
I loved how it all came together in the end, and I’m looking forward to reading more in the series (I’m looking at you, Kayla!).
5/5 heart-melting stars
Willa Frank is a woman of simple means, growing up the way she did taught her to not let material things hold too much weight in her life. She always made do with what she had, and somewhere along the line it made her a little more frugal than most, and she is more than okay with that. It also taught her to work hard for the things she wanted, and she always dreamed of owning her own business. Now that she has it she doesn’t plan on letting anything, or anyone, derail her dream… which means no distractions and rules to keep herself on task.
But an unexpected interaction with a handsome smokejumper spawns a few dates, and suddenly she starts to question her two date rule!
Nothing says pure entertainment quite like a determined woman with strict rules about love and a gorgeous smokejumper doing all he can to tempt her to reexamine her stance… The Two-Date Rule was absolute literary magic! With Willa having her two-date rule and Grady with his no-attachments policy you would think they would have an easy time avoiding getting attached, but their rules were no match for love. Watching these two love birds try to skate around their feelings and keep things in the friendly zone was quite entertaining, their interactions spawned many laughs and swoons. I absolutely adored these two, their perfectly penned love connection delighted on all fronts! Highly recommend!!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, via NetGalley request, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.