Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Date Shark #1

Date Shark

Rate this book
Life as the marketing director for a popular fashion boutique is overwhelming for Leila Sparrow, to say the least.

She’s not sure what ever possessed her to add revamping her dating life to her already hectic schedule. Calling in renowned Date Shark, Eli Walsh seemed like a good idea until she actually met with him…

Date Shark was only meant to be a side-enterprise to his thriving couple’s therapy practice, but Eli Walsh knows it’s become more of an obsession.

At least, it was until he agreed to take on Leila. Somehow she has stolen his entire focus. He wants to admit his fascination with her and growing romantic interest, but he knows coming on too strong will scare her away.

His plan to convince her that she is worth any man’s interest by first being her friend is challenged when his tips start to pay off and Leila begins dating Luke.

Will his friendship with Leila mean the end to any romantic pursuit?

414 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 8, 2014

20 people are currently reading
379 people want to read

About the author

DelSheree Gladden

48 books447 followers
DelSheree Gladden was one of those shy, quiet kids who spent more time reading than talking. Literally. She didn't speak a single word for the first three months of preschool. Her fascination with reading led to many hours spent in the library and bookstores, and eventually to writing. She wrote her first novel when she was sixteen years old, but spent ten years rewriting it before having it published.

Native to New Mexico, DelSheree and her family spent several years in Colorado for college and work before moving back home to be near family. When not writing novels, you can find DelSheree reading, painting, sewing, and working with other authors.

DelSheree has several bestselling young adult series and has hit the USA Today Bestseller list twice as part of box sets. DelSheree also has contemporary romance, cozy mystery, and paranormal new adult series. Her writing is as varied as her reading interests.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
81 (37%)
4 stars
80 (36%)
3 stars
40 (18%)
2 stars
9 (4%)
1 star
8 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
Profile Image for DelSheree.
Author 48 books447 followers
May 10, 2014
My first book for adults!! I'm so excited to share it with everyone :)
Profile Image for Aimee .
3,072 reviews298 followers
May 22, 2014
3.5 stars rounding up

I liked the premise of this book. I liked the friendship between Leila and Eli, how it progressed and how real that felt even though they both had feelings for each other. Loved the ending and the character development.

There is no sexual content, but there are some sexual discussions and a make out session that stops before it goes that far. Leila considers moving in with a boyfriend and makes a reference to not being a virgin.
Profile Image for Eccentric  Editions.
492 reviews16 followers
March 20, 2018
This book is amaaazing!!!! I'm in love with Eli and Leila. Another awesome book by Delsheree Gladden.
I loved to be inside Eli's head. He made me laugh and cry. I loved it was from both character's point of view, I was able to know what they both were thinking. Other characters as Anna the Mamma bear, she was so protective of Liela getting hurt by Eli, I just loved her.
What else could you do, Eli? Are you going to give up the date shark thing? You'd have to, of course. No woman would stand for her boyfriend acting gigolo on the weekends.
Other character were also nice; Conrad and Vance supporting Eli. I didn't like Luke, there was nothing wrong with him but I was Team Eli. Eli Walsh the most notorious date shark is just sweet.
And that only backs up my third reason, I can't tell her, not until she sees herself as someone who is good enough to land any guy she wants. She's such an amazing person, I don't want to convince her she should be with me.
When she decided she had made decision who she is gonna chose between Eli or Luke, I was like she better chose Eli or I would just get in my laptop and shake some sense into her, because it totally seemed like she was gonna choose Luke, which she didn't of course.
And the slap Leila printed on Eli's face was; well Eli was grinning so was I. Eli's gift to Liela in the end was perfect ending.
"Because when I saw this dress, all I could picture was you walking down the aisle in it. Walking to me. I couldn't bear having this dress worn by anyone but you, anywhere but at our wedding."
Turning in his arm slowly, Liela gazed up at him with bright eyes. " Are you...proposing to me?"
Eli grinned, "Well,I..."
"Yes" she blurted out

That was awesome. It's a must read. I thoroughly enjoyed it from the beginning of the book till the end. Now I'm off to read the second book in the series. Whooo!!!
Thank you! DelSheree Gladden to give me the opportunity to read the book. I loved it. This is my honest review.
Profile Image for Gina.
42 reviews8 followers
May 29, 2014
Okay, so you might be wondering if this one is worth your time and money. When I got my hands on a copy, I was eager to see if it would be a fun as I hoped it would be.

IT WAS!

It's almost too sweet for me, but that's a good thing. Because when I start a book and I can tell it's going to tank and turn all raunchysmuttysmexyprono on me, I'm deflated. And trust me, I've picked up my fair share of New Adult that leave me thinking the genre's nothing but a new dig on open sexuality and erotica for the younger crowd. Cause that's just what society needs.

I want there to be a real plot, FUN CHARACTERS! Good dialogue! and this one's got that. GOOD JOB DELSHEREE! YAY! It's got plenty of angst and plenty of temptation and I like Eli. A LOT. So right there, you've got baby.


I laughed and wanted them to kiss more times than I can count, and that just tickles and fancies my romance streak just right.

Clean and Fun, and a delightful read. I can HIGHLY recommend it! ♥♥♥
Profile Image for Amazeballs Book Addicts.
2,811 reviews243 followers
July 18, 2014
Date Shark is a good read. It has a fresh and interesting storyline.

Eli Walsh is a Psychiatrist. On the side he is a Date Shark. He goes on a date with women and in return to tell the them why they are having dating problems.

Leila Sparrow has a hectic life and wants to get help in the dating world. Leila's boss and friend Anna recommends Eli. For Eli, Leila is different but he's not sure if she is worth giving up his Date Shark business for.

At first, Leila doesn't know Eli is treating her any different than any other client but Anna knows. Anna doesn't allow Eli to come to their fashion show because she doesn't want Leila's heart hurt by Eli. Eli gives himself 6 month (which is when the next fashion show is) to determine if Leila is worth giving up the Date Shark business to date her.

Eli ends up helping Leila date. Leila starts dating Luke. I loved Luke, he pushes Leila to come out of his shell. I kind of felt a little bad for him.

It's a great read because as we read we get both Eli and Leila's prospective. Leila is clueless about Eli wanting more than a friendship which make it so much fun to read.

Eli has issues that involves his mother and they are kind of hinted about. The truth about Eli's mother comes out and it explains his behavior a little bit.

This was one book that when I finished I thought, wow this book would make a good movie.
Profile Image for Brittany | BookRamblings.
292 reviews36 followers
February 10, 2015
4.5* This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review!

I'm really disappointed...

Both in myself and Ms Gladden. I swore that I would never again lock myself away and refuse to speak to anyone just for a book. However, I just couldn't help it!!

This is a really well-written clean romance book with a nice take to dating. Leila is a character that anyone can relate to; she's self-conscious, too modest, and soon decides to go out with the recommended 'date shark' Eli to see why her date life is so bad.

Leila is unlike any client Eli has helped out with, and he is determined to keep in touch, whether that means going against his usual rules. Soon his advice leads Leila to start going out with adventurous and exciting Luke. I'm not going to carry on because I would be here forever... you'll just have to find out yourself :)

A thoroughly heart-warming story with some more of Delsheree awesome characters. Overall it was a fun, light read, unlike anything I have ever read but just what a chick lit should be! The only reason I marked down slightly was due to the several typing errors I found, but not even they ruined the story or took away from the awesomeness that is this book. That was just me being a picky reader :) Happy reading everyone!
Profile Image for Rosalyn Eves.
Author 8 books711 followers
June 8, 2014
3.5 stars

Date Shark, DelSheree Gladden's first adult novel, has a cute premise: Eli is a date shark, a psychologist who gives date advice to struggling women. But when he meets Leila, he's perplexed. Not only is there no obvious reason for Leila's dating struggles, Eli is strongly drawn to her--to the point where he gives her his phone number, something he never does with clients.

For her part, Leila is also interested in Eli, but she's convinced his interest is professional/friendly. As she begins to date Luke, she finds her friendship with Eli flourishing on the side. Ultimately, she has to make a choice about what she really wants.

The story took a little for me to get into it--I couldn't understand why Leila had such a low self-esteem, when to all appearances she is lovely, intelligent, and likeable. In fact, if I had an issue with the book, it's that the characters all seem a little too good to be true. But for a clean, escapist romance, that might not be a bad thing.

I was given a copy by the author to review.
Profile Image for Melanie's.
566 reviews29 followers
May 27, 2014
*This Book Was Given To Me By The Author In Exchange For An Honest Review*

This is an extremely well written "clean" contemporary romance book and I don't mean that in a negative way in the least.

It has everything you could want from a CR novel without all the details that often you could do without. The characters are vibrant and easy to relate to with just enough twists and turns in there to keep you asking questions and turning pages.

Well paced and a fun, easy, what I like to call "beach" read (which could also easily translate to a curl up by the fire in a blanket read). A great book to relax with and I would definitely recommend romance lovers pick it up IMMEDIATELY!!!

I especially love the dedication at the beginning ....... the wording was exquisite ;)

V""V


***Review has been done in conjunction with Nerd Girl Official.
For more information regarding our reviews please visit our Fansite: www.facebook.com/NerdGirl.ng ***
Profile Image for Rebecca.
160 reviews17 followers
July 22, 2014
I was thrilled to receive a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, even though I don't read a lot of romance without some kind of paranormal bent to it. Even so, I found the book to be a lot of fun!

Eli Walsh is a professional. He's a psychiatrist and he runs a dating service on the side, which he calls date sharking. As a date shark, he takes out women clients and evaluates them after the date in hopes that he will be able to tell them where they are going wrong in the world of dating. He likes his job and he's good at it. But when he meets with Leila Sparrow, he can't find a single thing wrong with her. Except that she just might be the one for him.

DATE SHARK is fun, sweet, and romantic with believable characters. For once, I didn't find myself ticked off with the female protagonist!! I felt for her and rooted for her all the way!
Profile Image for BooksandBeyondFiftyShades.
1,350 reviews157 followers
June 4, 2014
This book was a good read and should really be added to everyone’s Summer Reading list. You will absolutely fall in love with Leila and Eli. At the beginning I had no idea where the book would take me but then I found the groove of it.

Poor Leila has no idea what she’s in for when she first meets our man Eli. She takes the information he is providing and puts it to use. We meet Luke and at a point as a reader you are like aww… Luke is so adorable, but…

I will admit I needed to keep reading I needed to see what DelSheree was going to do with the men and Leila. I needed to know what was going to happen and I LOVE books like that. I don’t want to put a book down, I want to read it, chew it and then swallow it; like a fine meal and I got that from this book.

The book is a sweet romance that I think all will enjoy. Yes, the hot sex is good but seriously, we can leave things to the imagination. Delsheree, has a good book here and she kept it clean and sweet. A book I think a mom can lend an older teen after she’s done with it.

Life as the marketing director for a popular fashion boutique is overwhelming for Leila Sparrow, to say the least.

She’s not sure what ever possessed her to add revamping her dating life to her already hectic schedule. Calling in renowned Date Shark, Eli Walsh seemed like a good idea until she actually met with him…

Date Shark was only meant to be a side-enterprise to his thriving couple’s therapy practice, but Eli Walsh knows it’s become more of an obsession.

At least, it was until he agreed to take on Leila. Somehow she has stolen his entire focus. He wants to admit his fascination with her and growing romantic interest, but he knows coming on too strong will scare her away.

His plan to convince her that she is worth any man’s interest by first being her friend is challenged when his tips start to pay off and Leila begins dating Luke.

Will his friendship with Leila mean the end to any romantic pursuit?
Profile Image for Mylissa Demeyere.
Author 8 books335 followers
July 1, 2014
I received a free copy in return for an honest review.
This is a story about Leila Sparrow who is a beautiful young lady unlucky in the dating department. She decides to enlist the help of “Date Shark” Eli to take her out on a date and confront her with what she is doing wrong so she can find her prince charming.
Leila is such a loveable character as she is so complex, yet so sincere and kind, you can’t help but root for her.
Eli is drop dead gorgeous, but not in the ‘I know it and I use it to my advantage’ type of way. He genuinely wants to help these women, as he is a psychiatrist.
Leila’s date with Eli goes off rather well, yet Eli can’t find any real fault in her. She is quite upset about it “there must be something I’m doing to chase them away”. Eli can’t help but be smitten by her endearing presence.
They decide to be “friends” as she really values his opinion on her decisions, and he just isn’t ready to say goodbye.
Soon after Leila meets Luke, a fun, risk-taking photographer who is really eager to show her how fun life can be when you try new things.
Will Leila be convinced life is so much better with Luke, or is she falling for her “friend” Eli?
This book has everything a contemporary romance should have! There is great romantic tension between the characters, toe curling scenes without anything graphic!!! There were fun LOL moments, there were serious moments, and it left you guessing until the end.
This book is by far the best book I have read in a very long time in this genre. I could not put it down, and ended up finishing it in 2 days.
My compliment to you Miss Gladden!! You did an excellent job on this book!! I can’t wait to read the next one.
Profile Image for Book Junky Girls.
840 reviews33 followers
June 24, 2014
Leila just wants to know why all the guys she goes out with are duds not wanting a second date with her. A date shark is the last thing she wanted, but she's decided to take control and see what he has to say. Eli knows within the first five minutes what's wrong with a woman, but when he meets Leila something sparks within him. There's nothing wrong with her, but getting her to see that will be the toughest thing he's ever done. He wants her, but by the time he figures out if she's ready someone else has come along and swept her off her feet. Stuck between friendship and wanting more can he help her see herself as more and him as more than just the guy with the advice?

Leila doesn't have confidence in spades, she's not a pushover but she has a hard time seeing the good in herself.

Eli is a good guy with sadness from his past that keeps him from looking for love, but when he sees how amazing Leila is he does what it takes to get close to her even if he botches it at times. The two are a constant push and pull neither strong enough to meet in the middle and admit their feeling, but as the story goes on you see it'll blow up in both their faces eventually and you hope they'll both find happiness when the dust has settled.
Profile Image for Kristy Hamilton.
111 reviews5 followers
July 1, 2014
Leila is a woman that is trying to get her career off the ground, but also wants to find someone to share her life with. Her boss and friend introduced her Eli Walsh who has a dating service to help woman find a special man.
The first date with Eli is disaster. Leila tries to look sophisticated and tries the first thing that was suggested to her off the menu. She is so nervous that is she is unsure if she should continue with this.
Throughout the book Eli and Leila are drawn closer to each other.
This book is so well written. Sometimes I could actually feel the unease that Leila was feeling on her dates.
This is just a super cute must read book. It is an adult novel, but it could be read y almost any age. DelSheree has a descriptive writing style. The characters get close and the sex scenes are not overpowering, just very well written.
The best part of this book (well the whole book is absolutely awesome!) is there is a second one planned! She is getting ready to make the final edits on book 2 and I can't wait to read it.
Profile Image for Ciarra  Walker.
70 reviews5 followers
July 17, 2014
I enjoyed this book much more then I thought I would. It is nothing like you think it is going to be. Leila is tired of dating Mr.Wrong and wants to figure out what is wrong with her. So she does the only thing she thinks she can, she goes out with a date shark.

Eli is the best at his job, he knows what is wrong with a women within the first few minutes of meeting them so when he goes out with Leila he is absolutely confused when he can't find anything wrong with her but even worse then that he finds himself intrigued with her and not wanting to follow his own rules when it comes to her. So what else is he to do but help her while trying to see if she is ready for something serious.

But the funny thing about being put in the friend zone and trying to wait for someone to be ready.....you might get passed up or set aside as someone else jumps in for the role. Can Leila and Eli get on the same page or will Eli have to sit back and watch Leila fall in love with someone else?? READ IT AND FIND OUT LOL!
Author 52 books86 followers
May 30, 2014
Date Shark by Delsheree Gladden was a breath of fresh air. If you are looking for a light-hearted romance, without the intensity of sexual situations, then this is the book for you. I loved how the storyline flowed along and how the characters developed as the story progressed. Leila was an overworked young woman who didn’t realize her own beauty. She barely had time for anything, except to make others feel beautiful about themselves. Thus, she hired a dating coach, Eli, who by chance became an important part of her love life. I thought there would have been more of love triangle when Luke was introduced, but I guess when someone captures your heart there is no denying who you want to be with. Will Eli be too late in declaring his love for Leila? Will there be a chance for this couple or will another sweep her off her feet? I would recommend this read for everybody, you will truly discover another author for which you will want to follow.
2 reviews2 followers
June 8, 2014
Date Shark is a quick, fun read. The main character, Leila, is charming and relatable. It was a bit predictable, but when I pick up a light romance, it's what I'm looking for. This book was well-written-- most importantly, the characters had depth. They were believable, flawed and genuine. We are subtly clued in bit by bit on 'who' our characters and you realize either you are exactly like one of them or you know someone exactly like one of them.

I love the premise of a psychiatrist (Eli) who moonlights as a dating coach. One of his clients sorely underestimates herself and she becomes his project. Eli makes clear from the beginning that he likes her. What ensues is a lot of 'will they, won't they.' You know that ultimately, they will have their happy ending, but can't before they each learn and grow into the people that can make the other happy.

Add this to your summer reading list--great beach read.
Profile Image for Rachel.
Author 2 books43 followers
May 19, 2014
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

Solid romance. Easy read. Cute premise.

I had a little trouble getting into the story at first, because I thought Eli's instant attraction to Leila was a little hard to believe - there wasn't much opportunity to see their chemistry - but as the book progressed, I liked the friendship they fell into. I actually found myself sort of rooting for Luke in certain parts of the book, just because I didn't want Leila's decision to be too easy!

Gladden did a great job developing the backstories of the main characters and revealing little bits and pieces here and there to help the reader understand who the characters are now.

I've heard a spoiler for the next in the series, that I won't mention, but I'm excited about it!
Profile Image for Claire.
9 reviews1 follower
June 30, 2014
*This Book Was Given To Me By The Author In Exchange For An Honest Review*

If you are interested in my full thoughts and review of this book you can check out my review on my blog here - Date Shark by DelSheree Gladden review

Overall I really loved this book. The plot is an interesting concept. I hadn't actually heard the term date shark before reading this book! I loved the developing romance between the two characters. Rather than being lustful and full of passion I thought that the relationship throughout the novel developed well and realistically.

I would totally recommend this book!

Claire
Profile Image for Samreen Ahsan.
Author 8 books167 followers
March 6, 2017
I'm so glad to be the first one to review the book. Thank you so much, DelSheree for providing me an ARC copy.

Leila Sparrow is a sweet girl, yet an accomplished marketing director for a fashion house. She is beautiful but apparently she doesn't know. She meets Eli Walsh who "was" supposed to be her date coach but he couldn't as he was unable to resist the innocent beauty. I don't wanna put more details here to spoil the story but as a reader, you'll keep on wondering what would Leila choose.

Overall, it's a very good read for contemporary romance readers. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think it's a perfect fit for a light motion picture romance.
Profile Image for For the Love of Books.
755 reviews28 followers
July 11, 2014
I would have loved to have had the help of a Date Shark when I was going through my dating days, especially if the Date Shark was quite certain Mr. Eli Walsh. This book is a lovely read for someone wanting a 'clean' read but with passion and romance in spades. Leila is a timid young woman who wants more for herself and with the help of Eli's services she gets it. The story becomes something of a love triangle and who Leila eventually ends up with is for you to read and discover. But what I can say is that both men have positive attributes and both help and Love Leila in different ways. Overall this book definitely have me the 'feel good factor' and I would definitely recommend it.
Profile Image for Philomena Callan Cheekypee.
4,007 reviews431 followers
September 15, 2014
This is the first adult book this author has written and what a great story it is too. I'd certainly recommend this as a beach read.

Leila has a successful job. The only thing lacking is dates. So she signs up the Date Shark i.e. Eli. He's a dating coach. Eli is a wonderful character. You really need to 1-click this book to see what happens between these two.

This is a really great clean read. It's one of them kinda reads you could recommend to your teenage daughter & chat about it afterwards.
This book reminds me of the film Hitch. However my imagination much prefers Eli :)
42 reviews1 follower
July 6, 2014
I love this book! I do not read romances, chic lit, usually at all, I read horror, paranormal, murder mysteries, etc. But I love this book, although I must admit to being a little frustrated throughout it, wanting to shake some sense into Eli and Leila to stop being so obscure. I read the last 30% of the book in a frenzy, had to force myself to go to bed and awoke to sit reading the end in the garden at 7am! Thank you for letting me read this Delsheree, I can't wait to read book two!
Profile Image for Michelle.
265 reviews10 followers
August 1, 2014
I just realized that I never wrote a review for this. In my defense, this was not up on goodreads at the time. I received an ARC from the author (many months ago) in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this story. I adored the characters. And I'd say I can't wait to read the next one but I already have. The second book is even better!! Gladden is one of my favorite authors. I love all of her stories.
13 reviews
July 1, 2014
*I received a copy from the writer ..

I loved the book . It was simply really awesome . I didnt even know there were Date sharks until i read this book . Curiosity killed the cat therefore I read the whole book within a day . It was fun to read about Leila and Eli . I really loved Eli in this . He seems really understanding and supportive kind of guy .
Looking forward for next book .
Profile Image for OonaReads.
696 reviews238 followers
November 7, 2016
3.5 stars

Hmm, I don't really know how I feel. On one hand I really liked the way the main couples relationship evolved, and how they were really good friends before anything else, but on the other hand this book was too long by about 100 pages. There were events that could've been edited out, but weren't and this made the book kind of boring.
Profile Image for T..
Author 13 books572 followers
August 12, 2016
This was what I consider a sweet romance, not quite as edgy as other works by this author, but a nice story with a unique plot. Well written with good character development-- worth a read, but Date Shark doesn't have the unpredictability of Gladden's other works (Wicked and Aerling series).
55 reviews1 follower
July 23, 2014
Great book!!! I loved the characters....especialy the lady with the little jar (you know who you are). Loved the romance :)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.