Blind Date (Back in the Game Book 1) by [Doherty, Kay]

A blind date, a second chance, a forever happiness...but not all necessarily with the same person. Dekker Callan is up for auction, for a good cause of course, and he wants nothing to do with the spotlight. But when his blind date has the sexiest voice he's ever heard, he's willing to change his mind. When Slade Gannon turns out to be the kind of man he can see forever with he thinks his lonely streak is about to end. Except nothing is ever that simple. Dekker and Slade have a bit of a bumpy road to earn their forever and not everyone is happy with what they could have. It's jealousy and a bit of mania that push someone to violently voice that opinion and if Slade and Dekker can't stand together against the drama, they may not survive to be together at all.

I enjoyed Dekker's shyness and reserved attitude. It's kind of a favorite theme of mine to have someone be very physically attractive but either not realize it or act like it. Dekker objectively knows he's good looking but he doesn't use it as a tool nor does he even really acknowledge the extent of that attractiveness. That attitude carries into the way he approaches relationships. He gives everything of himself without playing games or holding anything back. When he sets his sights on Slade despite the circumstances I was rooting for him all the way. Even when things took a dramatic turn I felt that he was mature and saw the bigger picture framed around all his battered heart's yearnings and wouldn't accept a future that didn't include the man he knows is just right for him.

Slade, on the other hand, started off strong. Yes, he put himself in a less-than-ideal situation but he was trying to maintain his morals while struggling with his intense draw to Dekker. Once the date came to a close, though, I was shocked at how he reacted. What he did at the club after Slade left was completely opposite to what he said he was about during his date and in his inner thoughts. And then when he left the club? Even worse. I get that he was in a relationship with George but to do what he did while knowing his heart and mind are being pulled in a different direction was childish, immature, and frankly, appalling. I lost respect for him at such an early stage in the story that it was nearly impossible to recover. He never did make it all the way back for me, sadly. He avoided confrontation of almost every kind, especially the kind that meant he'd need to really sort through his feelings and thoughts to make the best and right choice.

In terms of the story as a whole, it would have been much better if it was focused on the building of a relationship between Dekker and Slade. We get nothing for the weeks of separation, hot and intense moments when they meet up, hints of more of Slade's sexual activity with his boyfriend while Dekker makes his pining very clear, and a whole lot of unnecessary drama. Dekker's pursuit of Slade should have taken up most of the story along with Slade's shedding of his blinders and fears. What we get, however, is not nearly enough to cement a forever kind of happiness between them and a huge dramatic confrontation that was completely unessential. The event didn't do anything to draw the characters closer together nor did it make them see what life would be like without the other. And the emotional fall-out wasn't actually dealt with either. I'm not sure if I can properly convey my frustration over this needless addition and the lack of focus on what would have made Dekker and Slade solid as individuals and as a couple.

Despite that little rant about stuff that shouldn't have been in the story and the stuff that should have been included instead, I thought this had a really great premise and a lot of promise. I really enjoyed Dekker and the side characters. I loved the ending and thought the reunion and epilogue were fantastic. Overall this wasn't a bad story at all, just needed some streamlining and a lot of focus on what really mattered.

*$3.99 on Amazon!

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Meet the Author

Kay lives in Colorado with her husband and their animal children. Family is important to her, so there are weekly visits to her parents and frequent text messages with her brothers. She has a severe addiction to coffee and Mexican food. Kay loves to read and write and can easily become consumed by it for hours, much to the dismay of the husband and dogs. On occasion she can even be convinced to venture out into world of the living.