The Twelve Dates of Christmas: Dates 1 and 2

by Lisa Dickenson

The first part in this very funny six-part digital romantic comedy.

Claudia is a girl in a rut. At 30, her life is stale and the romance with long-term boyfriend, Seth, has disappeared. Determined to inject some festive spark back into their love life, Claudia and Seth go on their first date in a very long time to the Royal Opera House. But when the night ends in disaster, Claudia suddenly finds herself facing life - and Christmas - alone.

Life alone is exciting, scary and full of soon-forgotten exercise regimes and ill-advised attempts at crafting sexy underwear. It's also filling up with dates, surprisingly. With best friends Penny and Nick at her side, a surplus of festive markets, mulled wine and Christmas tunes, Claudia attempts to face all this change with gusto. One thing's for certain: this year, Christmas is going to be very different...

This is the story of Claudia and her twelve dates of Christmas. Hilarious, uplifting and romantic, it's a story about losing love, about finding love, and about discovering what's been there all along. Expect a whole heap of Christmas sparkle, butterflies-in-your-stomach romance and a lot of very funny moments in The Twelve Dates of Christmas.

Genres: Romance

60 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 10, 2013

About the author

Hello!
I wrote The Twelve Dates of Christmas, You Had Me at Merlot and Catch Me If You Cannes. Hope you like them. You look super-nice today.
L xx

Oh, here's the official bio:

Lisa Dickenson was born in the wrong body. She was definitely meant to be Beyonce. Despite this hardship, she grew up in Devon attempting to write her own, completely copyright-infringing versions of Sweet Valley High, before giving Wales a go for university, and then London a go for the celeb-spotting potential. She's now back in Devon, living beside the seaside with her husband and forcing cream teas down the mouths of anyone who'll visit. She is sadly still not Beyonce.

Reviews

[Bookevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hand on heart, The Twelve Dates of Christmas is definitely the most fun, romantic and adorable Christmas love story I've ever read. I literally devoured all six parts of the novel - bite-sized, yummy goodness! Just like strawberry cream chocolates you find in a tin of Quality Street. Pop one in your mouth and you get the delectable taste which will leave you with a smile on your face!

The Twelve Dates of Christmas follows the story of Claudia, a 30-year-old singleton who is in a "dead" relationship with her boyfriend of five years, Seth. To spice things up, every now and then, she'd suggest dates, which all fail to rekindle their romance. After another disastrous date, Claudia is left broken-hearted and alone. All in time for Christmas in a few weeks, bummer. In comes best friends, Nick and Penny! Could they help mend Claudia's broken heart and see to it that she has a merry Christmas?

Can I please do a happy jig? I really ought to do it. The Twelve Dates of Christmas definitely deserves that. I mean, right from the start, you know it would be a delight. Come on, the opening line was: "Claudia’s underwear was evil & it was going to ruin everything". Talk about making an impression! I adored the heroine, Claudia and the rest of the gang in the book. Credits to Lisa Dickenson for writing such fabulous, hearty characters you would love to have around during the festive season. Scrap that, any time! I love reading about the witty banter and flirting between Claudia and Nick - absolute dialogue gold, I tell you. I laughed, I giggled, I gasped. I really LOL-ed.

The Twelve Dates of Christmas is filled with sweet romance, clever and hilarious dialogue and a heroine you'd definitely want to root for. A fabulously written Christmas read you wouldn't want to miss. Ooh, ooh! Not to forget the utterly charming and "the most perfect guy" hero, Nick. Guess what? He's the amazeballs and very mine. *cues the "Mine. Mine. Mine" scene from Finding Nemo* Ask Lisa and she'll tell you the same thing! Hilarious, charming and absolutely delightful, you will definitely want to treat yourself to The Twelve Dates of Christmas!

Rating: 10/10

[Kin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before actually read the book, I thought its about Claudia's date with her boyfriend before they broke up (this is not a spoiler). But then, hey, it's not! I'm that person who read a book halfway if I find the plot too cliche or predictable. But this book isn't and i finished reading it for about a week or so.

If you're lonely or want to spice things up for your date, read this and you might get an idea or two.

[Jenny T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This read encompasses the first 2 dates of Claudia, an Enlish girl who finds herself facing the end of a relationship with her boyfriend, Seth. Although a lot of the time was spent in a pity party, there was some good cheer provided by Claudia's 2 good friends, Penny & Nick. A cute introduction to some Christmas themed reading for the season.

[Pat Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I warmed to Claudia straight away, laughed at her Royal Opera house experience and felt for her on the drinking and exercise front.
This was a quick read, but very enjoyable. I'm definitely reading the rest in the series, when a book makes me smile, as this one did.

[Mishy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick easy read. One of a series so I think you will need to read the rest of the series to follow the characters & find the end plot. Maybe it would've been better if they put the whole series together rather then having to pay different amounts for each section.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I had it on my 'to read' list for ages and finally got around to reading it as part of the full novel - I can honestly say I wish I'd read this sooner. Its funny, quirky, the main characters are brilliant and it make me laugh. Looking forward to the next dates already.

[Marcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

really like this ;)