Third Date

by Kylie Keene

At 23, Morgan is a little behind other women her age when it comes to dating and relationships. More specifically, she’s a virgin. Dating wasn’t a priority in high school and college, but now that Morgan has a job and her own apartment, she’s ready to jump back into the dating scene.

When Morgan’s friends at work inform her that most men expect sex on the third date, she panics. She’s convinced her lack of experience will be a total turn-off for guys and make for a really awkward third date. Her friends tell her to just do it with a random guy to get it over with, but Morgan isn’t sure that’s what she wants.

When she meets a guy she’s certain is her dream man, she’s ready to lose it on their third date. But doing so isn’t as easy as she thought. And then there’s the fact that she can’t get another guy out of her head.

Through a series of mishaps and misunderstandings, Morgan eventually finds herself at a place she wasn’t expecting, but the place she wanted to be all along.

Genres: New Adult, Romance, Contemporary

255 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 20, 2014

Reviews

[Didi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really, really good! I loved how sweet this was. Morgan is a 23 year old virgin. The book gets into why and it's very believable. But anyways, she's ready to date and become social. Problem is her friends tell her that guys expect sex on the third date, so along with her anxiety about meeting men is her fear about having to do something she's never done and isn't comfortable doing with just anyone. She meets Grant through work and things start looking up, but a conference in Boston brings an unexpected surprise. Brad Fletcher, the popular and all around superstar from her high school days is there and interested in catching up.

This may sound like a love triangle, but I didn't really feel that vibe. Morgan always had feelings all along for one particular guy but her fears held her back. This was very cute at times but serious too. Morgan took time realizing things about herself and wading through the world of dating. The story treaded perfectly between what Morgan really wanted and the obstacles it took to get her there. She was very hesitant about Brad, and understandably, but it was obvious he felt deeply for her and was a different guy than he was in high school. I loved him! He was patient and kind, sexy and smart, never pushy but always waiting for Morgan to finally admit what he's known all along---they were special together. Morgan being the socially inept girl growing up, was believable as the cautious and hesitant woman. It was obvious she didn't know what guys expected and I liked seeing that consistency in her character.
This was a short and to-the-point book. There was zero filler and I loved that. A woman ready for love meets the man eager to give to her, although Morgan didn't make it easy, but all worth it in the end.
I love finding low angsty books that just make you feel good, and this fit the bill, loved it.

[N Swaffar · Rating 5 out of 5]

*****I rate this book 5 Brad stars.*****

Brad himself left me with a book hangover, I just love the man. He is everything a woman could need and want.

This book starts out with 23 yr old Morgan, being set up on dates by her two closest friends. Crazy outgoing Kayla and sweet married Paige. At first Morgan refuses being set up, but after finding out her dad was moving away to start his new life with his future wife.. She figured, she should live her life too. Just like her dad and dating is where she's starting. After agreeing to be set-up, Kayla tells Morgan about the 3rd date rule. Which is when guys expect sex, Morgan being a virgin, starts to panic. Sex is not something she's ready for. Yes, she needs to get out there and date, but sex is far from her mind..until Kayla puts in there of course.

Morgan spends a lot of her time in this book, figuring herself out and trying to find the perfect guy. Will she go out with a guy she doesn't even know and have sex with him, just to get it over with? Or will she wait for that guy she really wants?



One day she finally meets her "dream guy", a really sweet, very tidy guy name Grant. After going on a date with him, she figured he's the guy she's been waiting for. Until faith brought her to a job conference and met her high school acquaintance Brad. Brad, who was a high school jock and the guy every girl wanted. After spending time with him, she gets to know him better and finds that Brad had grown a lot. He is super sweet, gentleman and interested in here. She starts to fall for him hard.

Is Morgan going to end up with Brad? or will she be content with Grant?
Read the book and find out, you won't regret it. I love this book, the story is super sweet and I just fell in love with the characters. Of course with Brad, my newest book boyfriend. Believe me, once you meet Brad you will love him too.

Another great book from Allie Everhart, under pen name Kylie Keene. My new favorite. <3

[Sylvia Beard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story

This book has a really cute story. I liked the characters and their chemistry. This was a quick read and I was very entertained the whole time. I couldn’t put this book down.

[ysar · Rating 4 out of 5]

At twenty-three, Morgan’s never really done the dating thing. She hasn’t really done the guy thing at all, and it’s time she crawl out of her cat lady cave and see what’s out there. But dating is a lot harder than she expected, with two blind dates, a maybe date, and a run-in with an old high school classmate at a business convention. Her blind dates are both duds, one being a complete jerk while the other is simply too nice. And her maybe date is drop dead gorgeous, seemingly her perfect man, but she can’t get clear read on him for a while. And then there’s the old classmate, who professes to have had a crush on her in school, though his popular jock life was so far removed from hers that they only ever spoke a few words, and she never realized he even knew her name.

But... According to my Kindle, I was 40% through the story before I felt a real connection. Prior to that, I was interested enough to keep reading, but I was beginning to wonder if I’d feel disconnected throughout the whole book. The secondary characters, the dialog with her friends, the narration… It all felt more like I was being told about something than actually seeing it in my mind. I’m not sure if it was just my mood at the time or a flaw in the writing, so I’m curious to see what others who’ve read the book think.

The Verdict: Well, this was only supposed to be a spotlight, but I noticed the book on sale for a steal of a price, and since the synopsis was intriguing, I went ahead and grabbed it. It took me a bit longer than usual to really get into this story, but once I was in, I wasn’t coming out until I’d read every last page of it.

From the synopsis, I had it in my head that that Morgan was going to be unbelievably naive, but she really surprised me. Morgan is a twenty-something-year-old virgin, and for the first time in her life, she’s opened herself up to dating. When Morgan’s friends tell her that most guys expect the third date to lead to be, she’s not so much scandalized as she is concerned. She’s never made it to the third date before, and she doesn’t know where to start, much less how not to appear completely inept in the bedroom.

But she’s not really that attached to keeping her virginity, either, and she even considers giving it up just to get it out of the way. She thinks Grant just may be the perfect guy for her, and when they seem to hit it off, a comfortable relationship begins. But then there’s Brad, the guy who got all the girls in high school and is paying attention to her now when they unexpectedly run into each other at a business convention. But Brad’s moving to Portland, and his attention and attraction to her, the perpetually shy girl, doesn’t really make sense to her.

Her inability to clearly see the two makes perfect sense. After all, we all have an idea of what the perfect man should be, and that’s a hard image to let go of, even when things don’t end up being perfect. Instead of giving up on him, Morgan compensates and concedes, striving to compromise instead of walking away over little things. She can’t get Brad out of her mind, though, and having seen their brief and casual fling, I certainly can’t blame her.

Third Date is a really fun romance complete with all the usual getting-to-know-you issues that couples have to navigate, and despite the unusual circumstance of being a twenty-something year old virgin, Morgan is very believable and easy to relate to. Grant and Brad are also both easy to love, though completely different, and even though I now know who she chose and see the wisdom in it, it was great to read a story that really required a choice instead of throwing in some crazy drama to force a move.

[Kirke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Morgan has finally decided to start living a bit more adventurous, which just means going out more and try new things. It's been ten years since her mom died and Morgan closed herself off from the outside world. She's now 23 and never had really a boyfriend let alone some action between the sheets. It's not that she never wanted to, her mind just wasn't on it. That is all about to change though, until she finds out guys expect a certain something at the end of the third date. All this putting herself out there and start taking some risks, scare the bejeezus out of her.

Doing it with some stranger she doesn't know, is not what she wants, but she also doesn't want to make a very big deal about it. She just wants to find a decent guy, date him for a while and get it over with. The only problem seemed to be to find such a guy. Luckily she runs into Grant pretty quickly, he ticks off all of her boxes and things slowly progress between them.

Which is all good except for the fact that Morgan also ran into this other guy from high school. Nothing then ever happened between them, but it's kind of hard to deny the chemistry between them and Morgan has trouble keeping him out of her head. It takes a while to get to this point in the story, which for me could have come sooner, because I have the feeling it would've created more drama.

I was afraid Morgan would be this very naive virgin girl and I'm glad that wasn't the case. She knows things have changed since the 50's and that guys expect certain things. Morgan would also like those things, her fear is more of disappointing them because of her inexperience. I find that she has a very clear view on life, about what she wants to achieve without it being unattainable. She's very down to earth, has no huge complexes and believes that she worth of a great guy. These things might be obvious, but it's so refreshing to find a heroine like that.

Of course she makes some mistakes and bad decisions. It only shows that she is not perfect, but also gives her the ability to learn from that. Now she just had to figure it all out when it comes to the guys in her life.

Overall a very sweet romantic story. You can see that ending coming from miles away, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. The guys certainly each have their qualities, though I do have a favourite. Morgan was a very likeable character and I easily got swept in her hunt.

[Agnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sweet romance was a highly entertaining read, especially that scene at the gift shop. Imagine a virginal heroine (Morgan) venturing into the dating scene at the ripe age of 23-year-old and freaking out when friends at work inform her that most men expect sex on the third date.

Convinced that her lack of experience will be a total turn-off for guys she was ready to lose it to the "dream man from work" on their third date. But doing so proved more challenging than she thought. And then there’s Brad, the jock from high school whom she bumped into at a conference, who somehow ended up as her colleague and neighbour, who she can’t stop thinking about.

Through a series of hilarious mishaps and misunderstandings, Morgan eventually finds her happy ending.The journey Morgan took the reader on was every bit as humourous and heart-warming.

[Paula Bothwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

R - Reader Beware. Descriptive sexual activity (regardless of the euphemisms like the "strip of fabric on bikini bottoms")
I prefer my h's to be strong women, or at least to go from milquetoast to strong during the course of my reading. I had just read *The Lost Art* and was ready to see another strong woman take charge of her self and her choices, but this book was sorely disappointing in that regard. Our h was batted back and forth by the winds of change and public opinion regarding her own sexuality. Blech. She just happened into a couple of men who were relatively moral and respectful of her, but relative is the key word, since she, herself was like "whatever!" This is a big pass and a definite return.

[DCT · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 What a sweet little story! I've been on a sweet romantic reading marathon this weekend, and this one was a good way to wrap it up. How refreshing to see young woman like Morgan taking their time when it comes to matters of the heart and intimacy. Even though the writing was on the wall, it is often human nature to try to second guess and manipulate things the way logic tells us to. But the interesting and magical thing about the heart, is that it wants what it wants! Morgan was eventually able to see that, and was happy that she listened and followed her heart!

[Lesley Koke DeWig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Morgan has spent the majority of her life taking care of others. She's decides that she's ready for a change. She confesses to her friends about her lack of experience in the romance to department. What ensues is a series of unforgettable dates. When Morgan least expects it she finds herself falling for someone she was sure never gave her a second glance. Truly enjoyable read!

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story. Wtf was up with her not realizing that she was wearing granny panties?? My mom already had the underwear conversation with me before I was 13- right about at the first period mark... Plus, the language she used to describe sex was very juvenile. I didn't buy that she was 23 and a college graduate.

I liked brad though. It was overall, very sweet.

[Kimberly Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

I absolutely loved this book. Filled with humor and wit the author had me from the very beginning. I was so invested in these characters I couldn't wait to turn the page to find out what happened next.

[Sara Russo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not enjoy this book at all. To me it felt like the so called adults in the book were very childish...

[Sonja Vikan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boring!!!!

[Lia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fun read.

[Shidah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was sweet and fun

[Nina Camarillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story line, like the characters

[Deborah Skroch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story that is a nice change of pace from all the "alpha male" romance story lines. More "real life" and less "fairytale" which isn't going to be every reader's cup of tea.

[Baileys79 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars cute and sweet. Missed brad's pov though.

[Andrea Fleury · Rating 5 out of 5]

So sweet

So sweet

Great read. Loved it. story flowed. I couldn't put it down.would read this author s books again and again. 10 stars

[Angie Hemmings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I did like this book, at times I felt like the main character questioned herself to death but in the end it was a good read.

[Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put it down

the love story is realistic and very true to the three date rule. if you love a good love story here ya go!

[Sheetal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay

Not bad, could be much better. Premise, story was good but lacked in storytelling. Seemed more of a chapter-wise listing of things done or happened.

[Iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet 'short' story. But obvious from beginning about who is the one.
Although not from beginning, maybe halfway or so.
As always in such books there are some hidden messages.