Blog Tour and Review: The Dare, by Rachel Van Dyken

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Synopsis

From #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Rachel Van Dyken, comes the third and final book in the New York Time's Bestselling Bet Series...

Boring Beth Lynn has always lived up to her nickname... until she wakes up in a hotel bed next to a sexy as sin state senator she re-connected with at a wedding the previous night.


The biggest problem? She can't seem to remember anything about the night before except for crying into a box of cookies, and she's pretty sure Grandma Nadine slipped something in her drink. And what should have been a one night stand turns into a six day adventure when Grandma whisks them off to Hawaii to save them from the ensuing media firestorm.


Jace isn't looking for commitment -- he believes he made that clear when he left the wedding with Beth. Then again, he can't remember much of anything other than the way her skin felt beneath his hands. Now he's stuck with her at some lame couple's retreat and trying his hardest to fight the attraction only a woman like Beth could invoke.


He doesn't think it can get any worse.


But one spider attack... A donkey ride from hell... And an unfortunate episode with Viagra tea -- and there's one thing Jace knows for sure: He should never have agreed to Grandma Nadine's suggestion in the first place.

Because if this isn't paradise, and it isn't a vacation -- that only leaves one option.


Survival.


But to make it through alive... they might lose their hearts in the process.

(Romantic Comedy, Friends to lovers, Vacation Romance, New Adult Romance, Funny Stand Alone, Bargain Books, Humorous Romance)

Excerpt

 “Beth!” Jace knocked on the door. “If you’re done freaking out, we need to go.” “Right.” I wiped my wet cheeks and clenched the dress in my hands. It wasn’t magic. If anything, it was just a reminder that I was exactly where I’d been when I’d graduated in 2000. A loser. A loser with a small rack who preferred math and science to Facebook. “Beth, I’m serious. It’s not looking good.” “Keep your pants on!” I yelled, irritated that he was making me hurry. With a curse, I pulled on the dress, put my wet hair in a quick pony tail, and opened the bathroom door. “What’s the big hurry?” Jace held up his phone. It said Grandma Nadine. “Hello!” a loud voice yelled. “Jace! Beth! Hurry! Grandma has this all figured out.” “Famous last words.” Jace nodded. “But we have no choice.” “No choice?” I repeated. “What? Is the mafia after us or

something?” “Worse.” “I highly doubt that.” “Look.” He pointed to the TV. Reporters were in front of a hotel, looking excited as hell. “The news?” I asked. “Why is that worse than—” “Special reports say the senator took a prostitute back to his room at midnight last night and has yet to check out! Which raises the question, has the senator truly put his murky past behind him? Sources close to the senator’s ex-fiancée say the cheating scandal from two years ago nearly destroyed him. One more scandal won’t bode well for the youngest senator in state history. Could a trust issue in his personal life have a reflection on his public one?” “That’s enough.” I grabbed the remote from Jace’s frozen hand and threw it onto the bed. Great. So not only had I lost my virginity to a politician, but now I was a prostitute. I reached for his cell phone and growled into it. “We’ll have words later.” Grandma snorted. “But get us out of here first.” “Say the magic words.” “Uh, please?” I nudged Jace out of his paralyzed state. “Not those words.” I closed my eyes and allowed visions of my calm and sterile office to bring back the peace into my body. That didn’t work. I needed to think about Vampire Diaries. Damon Salvatore. Damon Salvatore. Damon Salvatore. And happy place found! “I can’t read minds. What words do you want me to say?” Grandma chuckled. “Why, thank you, of course!” “For?” “How was he?” She giggled like a school girl. “Men with power seem to have a special type of—” “Thank you!” I all but shouted. “Now get us out of here.” “Roger.” The phone went dead. I looked to Jace for help, but he seemed to be fighting a losing battle with his tie as he tried to pull it from his neck. “Stop.” I swatted his hands away. “You’re going to hang yourself if you keep doing that.” He shrugged. “What?” I loosened the tie. “No snappy retort?”

“Not feeling snappy,” he said dryly. I slapped him. I never said I was good with emotions. “What the hell was that for?” “Singing Katy Perry.” I grinned. “Now snap to it, Mr. Senator. We’ve gotta make it out of this hotel without that skinny bitch reporting it on the evening news.” “Grandma?” “The reporter.” “You understand my confusion,” he added, just as someone knocked on the door. “Stay here.” “It feels like a bad movie,” I whispered to myself as I chewed the nail polish off my thumb. “Shit.” Jace looked through the peephole and then said shit about five more times before slowly opening the door. Why was he so upset? Why the hell would… “Aw, shit.” I repeated. Because there really wasn’t any other word that existed in the English language that would fit as well. So I repeated it again. As did Jace. Grandma shrugged and pulled off her sunglasses. “Let the fun begin!”

Review

4.5 out of 5 stars

I adore Rachel Van Dyken and could not wait to get my hands on The Dare.  The Bet and The Wager are some of the funniest, wittiest and best books I have ever read, and we're on my top books of 2013 list!  If you haven't read those don't worry The Dare can be read as a stand alone, however if you've read the other two first I think it makes the experience with this one even better!

The Dare picks up just where we left Grandma Nadine at the end of The Wager, accompanying her two grandsons and their new wives on their honeymoon, with Beth and Jace!  Of course at the time we couldn't help but ask ourselves what crazy Grandma Nadine stunt landed Beth and Jace into the mix.  Maybe it was because it had been so long since I read The Wager, but I was a little lost and found myself re-reading the first couple of pages trying to get a better grasp as to what exactly was going on with Beth and Jace.  Eventually I realized The Dare begins just before the airport in a hotel room.  Once I was back on track, I found myself loving every minute of this hysterical story!  Grandma Nadine is up to her matchmaking antics again for Beth and Jace and she is full steam ahead!  

This book is a little different as neither Beth or Jace are her grandchildren, but she refers to them and loves them as such and therefore has just as many schemes for them as she did Travis and Jake.  Jace is the youngest Senator the state of Oregon has ever seen and his life revolves around his career.  He once believed in true love but that was before betrayal shattered it, now not only is it the furthest thing from his mind he's convinced himself his heart will never again welcome the opportunity.  Throw his history with Beth into the mix and it's the perfect recipe to see how one moment, perhaps seeming insignificant, can truly impact and change lives forever.

There's no doubt Jace is attracted to Beth and there's also no doubt he is holding back because of fear.  What was my favorite feature of Jace?  Having Beth describe and nickname him as Thor.  Can I just say...Chris Hemsworth anyone?  Ummm hello! That by itself would be enough for me to go along with Grandma!  In the end though, will Jace finally give in to what he knows in his heart is the best?

Beth, who we know only as Char's sister, has always labeled herself the smart nerdy one.  One encounter with the good-looking, football star high school bully ends with her already low self image impossibly lower, something she still continues to struggle overcoming.  Not only does Beth believe she is doomed to be some crazy cat lady, she has also fully accepted this meek life plan.  "Boring Beth" completely broke my heart because she isn't able to see what the rest of us do.  Beth is so full of life, she's beautiful both inside and out not to mention she's witty and not at all ashamed of her intelligence.  So when Grandma Nadine sets her crazy plan in motion Beth decides to grab ahold of living a real life fairy tale even if it's only for a short period of time.

This story/series would not be complete without Grandma Nadine.  She is without a doubt one of my all time favorite characters.  And when I found out she was based on Rachel's actual grandmother I fell in love a bit more!  What I wouldn't give to spend a day with her!  From her dress to her meddling I love every single thing about her and she without a doubt makes this series special, bringing a sense of flair and outrageousness these stories wouldn't be compete without.

So do I recommend this book, this series???  Yes without a doubt!  Rachel has a phenomenal writing style that sucks you into the characters and storyline immediately!  Honestly, since The Bet, my first RVD book, I've been a woman on a mission trying to read as many of stories as I could get my hand on.  And the best part, I have yet to be disappointed.  It's no doubt she deserves the title of one of my most favorite authors.  Now, on to the release of Elicit!  I am dying to read all about Tex!

I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.