Best Dating Rules

by Tamie Dearen

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A kiss is just a kiss . . . unless it's your first one and no one knows.

Spencer Marshall can't risk his reputation by admitting he's been waiting for "the right woman" for his first kiss. His pride won't let him admit the truth, even when his "reputation" stands between him and the girl of his dreams. Emily Best.

Emily Best went to work for her stepfather, and now she's on a mission to prove she's the right woman for the job. There's no time for romance in her life. Not now, and especially not with a womanizer like Spencer. She's been hurt once, and she won't let it happen again.

In the end, Spencer has to choose. Will he admit the humiliating truth in front of friends and family or risk losing Emily forever.

But even if he tells her, will she believe him?

If you love heartwarming romance that will make you laugh and cry and leave you with a smile, you'll love this sweet, friends-to-lovers romance by USA Today bestselling author Tamie Dearen. Get your HEA now!

BOOKS BY TAMIE DEAREN

Contemporary Romance

The Best Girls Series:

Her Best Match (Anne and Steven)

Best Dating Rules (Emily and Spencer)

Best Foot Forward (Grace and Brad)

Best Laid Plans (Charlie and Josh)

Best Intentions (Olivia and Collin)

Sweet Adventure (Prequel to Her Best Match) (Katie and Gary)

Billionaire Romance

Limitless Series

The Billionaire's Secret Marriage (Bran and Steph)

The Billionaire's Reckless Marriage (Finn and Laurie)

The Billionaire's Temporary Marriage (Cole and Brooke)

The Billionaire’s Alternate Marriage (Jarrett and Rylie)

The Billionaire's Bodyguard (Mack and Mariah)

The Billionaire’s Practice Marriage (Logan and Ellery)

The Billionaire's Fortunate Blizzard (Liam and Carly)

Romantic Comedy

Underground Granny Matchmakers

I Love Rock and Roll (Harmony and West)

Carry On Wayward Son (April and Race)

Jingle Bell Rock (Marki and Drake)

Looking for a Cowboy (Joy and Matt)

Contemporary Romance

Rescued for Christmas (Amy and Max)

A Rose in Bloom (Elyssa and Jaxon)

Restoring Romance (Ash and Adam)

Cherished by the Cowboy (Jessica and Cord)

Sweet Adventure (Katie and Gary)

Christian Romance

Promise of Love (Noelle and David)

Promise of Hope (Haley and Gavin)

Promise of Faith (Shara and James)

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Book Details

Genre

Contemporary Romance

Subgenre

Office / Workplace

Series

The Best Girls • Book 1

Audience

Adult

Bell Peppers

🫑

Profanity

1 None

Violence

2 Mild

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco

2 Mild

Publication Date

January 20, 2014

Language Versions

English

Fiction Form

Novel

Sensitive Themes

Medical procedures/hospitalization, Pregnancy/childbirth on-page, Stalking or harassment

A perfect beach read

A nice follow up to Her Perfect Match. In this book Anne and Steven are married and enjoying each other at their corporation and home. Quite a nice surprise awaits the couple something neither anticipated.

On the romantic front, Anne’s daughter Emily - newly employed by Steven’s company- has met Spenser. Both work at the company and are fast friends - could it develop into something more? Is Spenser the man about town as Emily suspects or does one woman make waves with her future in mind?

We meet a host of new characters- each interesting in their own right- and old favorites from the first installment.

An easy read, perfect for the beach or a lazy afternoon.

A Rolicking Good Romance

Emily Best is learning fast that her new stepfather, Steven Gherring, is as much of a “force of nature” as her mother, Anne, who is always trying to find her and her sister (and every other unattached person) a spouse. He talks her into leaving a perfectly good job in Fort Worth to mve to New York to work for Gherring Inc. instead.

As if that isn’t enough, he first day at work reunites her with Spencer Marshall, who has been texting, Skyping and emailing her ever since she’d met him a year ago on a previous trip to New York to visit her mother. Admittedly, she did think he was amazingly handsome, and she certainly had no quarrel with his personality. But, she had heard he was a player, and she had no intention of becoming involved in a dating relationship with someone like him. Especially since he always unsettled her, she couldn’t think straight around him, and it disturbed her immensely.

Spencer, however, adores Emily and they agree to be “friends.” As they grow closer, Emily clings to the Best Dating Rules which she and her sister, Charlie, invented. The rules state, among other things, that it’s not a date unless one party pays for the other, or they kiss. Poor Spencer is as clueless about these rules as Emily is about the fact that not only is Spencer not a player, but he has never even kissed a girl.

If you enjoy a rollicking good romance story, you’ll love Best dating Rules as much as I did. I definitely recommend it.

An Engaging Read

This is a light-hearted story with plenty of unnerving complications. It also has some solid insights, such as: “If you find yourself changing or doing things you wouldn’t do normally to please a guy, take a step back and analyze the situation. Ask yourself this . . . is he helping you grow and be a better person, or are you changing in a bad way?”

Some of the action takes place in a rock-climbing setting (outdoors or at a gym), which, for me, adds to the story’s appeal. The point-of-view switches are smoothly done and they keep everything moving while the plot line splits into subplots that have an amusing twist.

I enjoyed the characters with their clever dialog and sisterly interaction—it all rings true. And then there are the RULES. Don’t miss them!

dating rules

This was a fun book. People you would want to meet or have as neighbors. No serial killers, no torture and good fun. I liked the characters though wonder where all the billionaires that seem to populate books. What’s wrong with a millionaire or someone financially comfortable
Good read

3.2 stars: Best Dating Rules by Tamie Dearen

Emily moves to NYC and takes a job in her stepdad's company, just a few desks down from Spencer, and their relationship progresses through some seriously dramatic ups and downs; all while her mom is having health issues, and her sister Charlie is being even more stubborn than Emily about trusting the man who loves her.

(Though reviews are inherently subjective, I prefer to provide some organization to my opinions through the use of a personal rubric. The following notes may contain spoilers.)

Plot and Setting: 3 -- Plot mixes cliche/overly convenient with unique/interesting. Includes a handful of scenes that pull away from the main focus. Plot points in sub-plots are dropped or not resolved. Setting (including timeline) is somewhat unclear or inconsistent. There's too much going on in this one. Not only is this about Emily and Spencer's relationship, but we also have a continuation of Anne and Steven's story, plus the introduction of several other romances that will apparently be wrapped up in books 3 and 4. And while there are interesting and enjoyable aspects to all these stories, the end result is a book that feels unfocused and messy. We also now have 3 romances that are variations on the same theme: trying to decide whether to trust a man with a reputation (deserved or not) for being a player. The lack of variety is disappointing. And the timeline is super vague throughout, and sometimes contradictory.

Characters: 3 -- Main characters are only partially relatable, realistic, interesting, and/or dynamic. Some minor characters have depth, while others may be slightly stereotyped or simplified. Relationships between characters are not especially well developed, but what is there is generally good. I didn't really connect with any of the characters in this one. There are just a lot of bizarre or outright stupid decisions going around. Emily makes several especially poor decisions, several of which could have ended up killing her. I like Spencer, but his choice to let pride keep him from correcting Emily's misconception of him is plain foolish. There's a range of minor characters, including some definite stereotypes. I did enjoy the bits about Anne and Steven, though.

Mechanics and Writing: 3.6 -- A handful of typos, punctuation issues, or word errors. (<16/100 pgs) Some of the errors are mildly confusing. Good use of POV. Generally skillful writing. Errors include: compound word and/or homophone confusion (most often mixing up any more and anymore), mild punctuation or formatting issues, some awkward or inconsistent phrases. POV is all 3rd person, but switches between quite a few different perspectives: Emily and Spencer, Anne and Steven, Charlie, etc. It's a big change from all-Anne book 1, and I prefer the other way.

Redeeming Value: 3.6 -- Partially focused uplifting themes or lessons. Drugs, alcohol, violence, etc, are not glorified. No explicit sex scenes, but plenty of emphasis on physical attraction. Implied moral guidelines for behavior. As with book 1, the characters set some clear sexual boundaries, but lots of time is devoted to describing them ogling each other and kissing. Lessons perhaps include honesty, and being wise, not just innocent.

Personal Enjoyment: 3 -- I liked it. It was enjoyable and entertaining. I wouldn’t mind re-reading it someday, but it’s not a priority.