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Pride, Oregon #1

A Dash of Love

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It wasn't hard to fall in love with Parker.Sara Jordan has finally been given the chance to run The Golden Oar, a restaurant that’s been in her family for generations. But the sexy know-it-all carpenter that her uncle hired to make some changes, keeps getting in her way. She’ll have to use all her skills just to prove that she’s up to the task. Parker was hired to bring new life to the old building, but he hadn’t expected sparks to fly from the owner’s niece. As a series of mysterious accidents start to plague the job site, he finds himself working one-on-one with the temptress to avoid losing everything.

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 7, 2018

1084 people are currently reading
1171 people want to read

About the author

Jill Sanders

196 books2,098 followers
Jill Sanders is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of Sweet Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Western Romance, and Paranormal Romance novels. With 100 books in eleven series, translations into several different languages, and audiobooks there’s plenty to choose from. Look for Jill’s bestselling stories wherever romance books are sold or visit her at jillsanders.com


Jill comes from a large family with six siblings, including an identical twin. She was raised in the Pacific Northwest and later relocated to Colorado for college and a successful IT career before discovering her talent for writing sweet and sexy page-turners. After Colorado, she decided to move south, living in Texas and now making her home along the Emerald Coast of Florida. You will find that the settings of several of her series are inspired by her time spent living in these areas. She has two sons and off-set the testosterone in her house by adopting three furry little ladies that provide her company while she’s locked in her writing cave. She enjoys heading to the beach, hiking, swimming, wine-tasting, and pickleball with her husband, and of course writing. If you have read any of her books, you may also notice that there is a love of food, especially sweets! She has been blamed for a few added pounds by her assistant, editor, and fans… donuts or pie anyone?

https://www.tiktok.com/@jillsandersau...

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5 stars
1,224 (54%)
4 stars
659 (29%)
3 stars
278 (12%)
2 stars
59 (2%)
1 star
27 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews
Profile Image for Syndi.
3,712 reviews1,040 followers
January 6, 2023
I wrote a review for this book, saved it and when I looked at it again, my review is gone. I am quite upset because I do not remember well about the story.

I remember that I enjoyed this book. I think I like the banter and the flow of the story. I can not remember if the chemistry is explosive. I remember the emotional connection is tender and sweet. That is all I remember.

4 stars
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews132 followers
Want to read
August 27, 2025
🎁 FREE on Amazon & on iBooks today (3/2/2019)! 🎁

Profile Image for Sakshi *the bookish romantic*.
41 reviews38 followers
July 29, 2018
A Dash of Love is the first book in the Pride, Oregon Series by Jill Sanders. Known for her sweet, charming and funny characters and equally good plots, Jill Sanders is definitely an author I don’t ever miss. However, this particular book was not a hit for me. While the prologue was mysterious enough to have piqued my curiosity, chapters following it washed off any traces of interest I had in the book.

Tall, tan, dark and sexy as hell, Parker Clark is headed towards the small of Pride in need of needed of a fresh start. He pretty soon meets Sarah Jordan and they have that insta love thing...something I am not a huge fan of. This might work in some cases if the characters are strong enough to carry the flame forward but here it fell flat for me. One moment they are making introductions and small talks and the next thing we know is that Sarah is plastered against Parker to piss off her soon to be ex boyfriend. Now, this method flipping the bird is new to me and I sure as hell don’t find willing sexpots walking on the streets. But meh..who am I talk.
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Although Parker claims to be done with the dating scene, he sure as hell jumped in the love wagon too fast. One meeting, one date that ends up in groping each other and they are so onto phone sex, that might have worked if it was even lukewarm. The author just told us it is supposed to be hot and we had to just go by it. She even orgasmed by the fifth line, that's rocket fast. I can't remember the last time I read sex that was this dull. Somewhere in between, there were moments like "beg for me" and "watch me touch myself" that made me question if it was some weird imitation of those crazy hot erotica heroes. Nonetheless, it didn't fit or suit here.

Mind you, Parker has his heart broken thrice before (one of that was in third grade, now I know I wasted my childhood in silly nothings) and 15 minutes into meeting our girl he is convinced this won't be another disaster and she is different and the guy is wondering about marriage and kids. Quite the judge of character he is. I wish I had such spot on skills.

Meanwhile, I spent a good deal of time looking out my window at the beautiful weather, checking if my phone was dead or the rest of the world because apparently everyone had forgotten about me, and ate chocolate (that’s one good thing) in between reading the book. It was that interesting.
description

After the initial fiasco, the author did try to steer it on a somewhat interesting path by adding a "dash" of mystery and drama to the plot. A little tampering with the equipment, sabotaging the workplace and home and threats to life, which turned the characters into our very own James Bond (minus the gadgets and the sex appeal), somewhat saved the sinking book. It also took off my mind from the doomed love story.

There was no character development and I could not feel any connection with the lead characters. This book did not do any wonders for me. But that's just me as it did work for so many others out there.
Profile Image for Kade Gulluscio.
975 reviews64 followers
January 25, 2023
Let me start by saying this isn't my normal go-to style of romance. I typically learn towards dark / forbidden / taboo romance... so these more "wholesome" romance books are a tad bit slower to me.
With that said, I did enjoy A Dash Of Love. It WAS slow at times for me, and I had to power through a few chapters here and there. But i'm glad I did.
The storyline was super cute. The world building in this book was fantastic. And the character development was great. I really did enjoy the main characters, and even liked most of the secondary characters!
Sara Jordan is our main character. We meet her as she takes over The Golden Oar restaurant that'ss been in her family for ages. It's there that she meets the stubborn, know-it-all carpenter Parker that eventually wins her heart.
Neither were looking for love, but they certainly found it!

I'll be trying out book two in the series too!
Profile Image for Cali Jewel.
5,249 reviews39 followers
April 7, 2018
Sweetly sexy, charming, fun, exciting and emotional romantic adventure with a twist of mystery thrown in. Loved coming back to Pride in this highly entertaining journey.

Sara Jordan is sweet, sexy and finally has the chance to run The Golden Oar that she has longed for. Parker is a charming, strong and the sexy know it all carpenter that was hired by Sara's uncle to update the old building. Sparks fly and tempers flair as accidents start to happen on the job site. Real page turner from beginning to end. Can not wait to revisit Pride again.
Profile Image for Amor y otras ficciones.
56 reviews17 followers
October 11, 2018
A Dash of Love is such an easy and fun reading. It's a romantic novel, with a touch of mystery, that will keep you glued to the book.

Sara and Parker are nice, adorable people (as a couple and individually). Their love story was the cutest, and the way they look after each other is admirable.

description

Pride, Oregon, where the story takes place, is like the idyllic small town. It would be the perfect place to visit, or even to live, full of welcoming people.

This book is a real page-turner. If I would have had the time, I would have read it in one sitting! I'm looking forward to read more books of this series to know a little bit more about the amazing town of Pride and its lovely people.

description
Profile Image for Micky Cox.
2,317 reviews38 followers
March 21, 2018
This book brings us back to the Pride, Oregon series that was how I first discovered this author. It is still one of my favorite series and this book brings back all the old characters as their children now take center stage in the stories. I absolutely love the town of Pride Oregon and truly wish it were a real town that I could visit or move to as well! The characters are well developed and bring depth to these entertaining stories. The plot of this one in particular brings a bit of mystery and intrigue as someone is definitely out to destroy the life that Parker is trying to build for himself. I can't wait to read more of these stories so I certainly hope that the author brings us more of the books so we can spend more time in Pride!
Profile Image for Kirstie Ibrahim.
1,865 reviews20 followers
March 10, 2018
It was so good to return to Pride and find out that they story had moved on to the next generation. All the original people were still there, just in the background. It was nice to see how life had progressed. One of Prides most popular haunts, The Golden Oar, is getting a new look and refurbishment however things don't go smoothly. This story had a bit of everything - romance, mystery and a few twists and turns along the way. This held my interest the entire time. I am really looking forward to reading the next stories.
Profile Image for Julia David.
2,497 reviews25 followers
April 7, 2018
It is so good to catch up with some of the citizens of Pride. I really like Sara and Parker. Parker has gone through so much in his life and he thinks things might be settling down. Then he literally runs into Sara and the grocery store. Sara and Parker hit is off immediately, but there is trouble. Is it because of someone is Sara's or Parker's past. As they try to figure out who is causing all the trouble, they grow closer. I like the little surprise at the end.
Profile Image for Sherry.
1,006 reviews71 followers
April 5, 2018
Another wonderful sexy story with great characters, mystery, suspense, and romance based in Pride, Oregon. I loved Sara and Parker together in this small town romance where everyone knows everyone and secrets are hard to keep. It wasn't hard to fall in love with Parker.......sexy, hot, loyal, good with his hands, and a great cook! Loved it from beginning to end!
Profile Image for Suzie Quint.
Author 12 books149 followers
July 25, 2019
DNFing at 11% because who plans to take off for a month and have their restaurant remodeled while they're gone, but doesn't share any of that with the niece who will be running things until just days before they leave?

Not for me.
Profile Image for Jacqueline.
1,717 reviews161 followers
September 11, 2018
A sweet and fairly undemanding read set in a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business.

Unusually, the romance plot was very straightforward, with all of the drama - and wow was there lots and lots of drama - coming from a pseudo jeopardy sub plot. I must say that didn't really do much for me; I wasn't too interested in solving the whodunit and it didn't feel dark or threatening enough to keep me feeling edge of my seat nervous. By about the fourth time something happened it started to feel a little samey tbh, although I enjoyed opportunity it offered the alpha H to get all growly protective. I don't care how many times I read it, that never gets old.

It was sweet enough and the smut was decent but I don't think I'd rush out to read any more from this series based on this one.

Complete story, standalone but part of a series.

**Thanks to the publisher via netgalley for the arc.*
Profile Image for poppy.
4,589 reviews28 followers
October 4, 2018
This is a really sweet romance and is just perfect to curl up with for the evening. Sara and Parker meet when she is in charge of the family restaurant while her family is away on holiday he has been hired to remodel the restaurant even though they disagree with each other the attraction between them is there right from the start and as they get to know each other it keeps growing. This was a really good sweet read and I really liked it.
Profile Image for Terri.
2,361 reviews52 followers
March 17, 2019
This is a contemporary romance with a little mystery thrown in. It is quick reading and leaves you with a good feeling. The characters are likable, even if Sara didn't like Parker to start with. Parker more than made up for it with his attraction to her. A little romance, a little mystery, family complications, a restaurant and a sexy hero. The romance was balanced with some good steamy scenes. It's a go for me!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley.
1,626 reviews6 followers
May 27, 2018
GREAT READ!

Absolutely loved this start of a new series. Parker and Sara were so great together. Lots of suspense and the beginning of a HEA and an additional family member, Palmer.❤️❤️
Profile Image for ZETTER.
1,157 reviews23 followers
April 26, 2018
Sweetest Encounter!!!

Sara Jordan, daughter of Todd and Megan ( FINDING PRIDE ) was finally given the chance to run the family's restaurant, The Colden Oar that had been in her family for generations. But never expected for the sexy as sin carpenter her uncle hired to make some changes, Parker Clark to tilt her world on its axis.

Parker Clark, a new contractor and owner of Clark's Construction was hired to make some changes to the Jordans' family restaurant, the Golden Oar. But he never expected to butt heads with his boss' niece....the beautiful and sassy Sara Jordan.

They grew closer, they were already attracted to each other from their first encounter at the grocery store. They shared things with one another that they never did with their loved ones. As they worked together to figured why there were so many incidents happening at the job site. Things got serious and they both wanted the future they always dreamed about.

Awe what a delightful treat it was to be back in Pride and reconnecting with old characters. It felt great to catch up with the Jordans, their friends and to meet new people.

Loved the bond between the young Jordans, they reminded me of how close their parents still are. Parker being there for Sara when the latter found herself in peril and vice versa was well done. Turned out the culprit was someone from Parker's past.

The lovebirds were equals, they got their HEA. Parker sure made an impression on Todd, Megan and Matt ;). Loved the unexpected surprise Sara and Parker received.

A DASH OF LOVE is the first book in Jill Sanders' newest series, PRIDE OREGON . It was beautiful, fun and mesmerizing. Exquisite job by Jill Sanders! 5++++
Profile Image for Donna Ferriola.
405 reviews1 follower
April 10, 2018
A Dash of Love

This is an amazing beginning to the Pride Oregon series of books with non stop action, suspense and romance as Sara finds the love of her life with Palmer, the contractor hired to refurbish and remodel the family owned restaurant the Golden Oar. Someone is out to kill Sara when they lock her in a freezer but Palmer saved her by stopping by at 12:00 at night to pick her up. This all started after they started seeing each other and the incidents kept escalating with messages painted in red paint. It seems Palmer's past is catching up to him with relatives he did not know existed and they are out to kill him and Sara. It is exciting how they catch these people before they get to follow through with their deadly consequences. It is amazing how they get their happily ever after with Sara's whole family approving of such a good man. This series is a continuation of the previous Pride books now centering on the family's grown children and their love lives. I cannot wait to read the next release hopefully about Matt, Sara's brother who helped Palmer and became his friend.
Profile Image for Dayse Dantas.
Author 3 books88 followers
July 19, 2021
bem chatinho, o romance. instalove e superficial. por um segundo achei que teria uma trama de suspense interessante, mas foi chatinha também.
Profile Image for Becca.
625 reviews6 followers
April 13, 2018
Dash of Love

It was a bit like coming home, seeing familiar characters. But not necessary because this story has its own appeal. Love and a mystery, always great combination. I was hooked!
Profile Image for Sabrina.
683 reviews4 followers
April 9, 2018
Fun read

Just my second Pride book to read , but I will be going back and reading all of them .
26 reviews
April 26, 2018
I love the book it was hard to put it down
5 reviews
April 22, 2018
Loved it!

What a great sweet story about a love that many of us wish to experience once in life. Beautifully written.
Profile Image for Sandra.
671 reviews26 followers
May 22, 2023
As someone else pointed out in their review, the blurb for this book is misleading, there is no conflict between Sara and Parker as the blurb suggests, they basically jump straight into a relationship.
The mystery over the culprit for the vandalism etc at least had a little bit of surprise element by throwing Parker's father into the mix. But seriously how did he not recognize the guy? Even given he didn't know he was his father he knew him as his mother's boyfriend.
Then there was the unbelievable plot moment when his father waits for a young fit guy (Parker) to come around so he can have the cliche "if it weren't for you meddling kids" villain monologue, before attempting to kill him. Come on, you'd just chuck him over the cliff when he was unconscious wouldn't you?
Also mention must be made of the awkward moment the author couldn't seem to call a spade a spade and described a water blaster and what it did without calling it a water blaster.
I also felt sorry for the dog in the story, it seemed to spend long hours alone, and it was mentioned that he was crate trained, so long hours alone in a crate. Yes I know the dog is fictional but honestly it's better not to give the character a dog if it's treatment is just going to put a reader off.
To be honest this was close to a DNF for me but since it was reasonable enough to get to the end it earns a two star.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
434 reviews11 followers
April 7, 2018
I can’t tell you how excited I was for this book!

What’s better way to rediscover Pride than with Todd and Megan’s daughter Sara? Sara is working at the Golden Oar with her uncle Iian, she’s itching to take over. Parker is a contractor who moved to Pride for a new adventure and pace of life. Sara and Parker begins to work together to update the restaurant and wonderful, suspenseful, exciting, and dangerous events ensued.

A great fast paced read. The new characters to the series are wonderful and well developed. A major bonus is you are able to revisit your favorite characters from Pride. Well done!

Merged review:

Fantastic

I can’t tell you how excited I was for this book!

What’s better way to rediscover Pride than with Todd and Megan’s daughter Sara? Sara is working at the Golden Oar with her uncle Iian, she’s itching to take over. Parker is a contractor who moved to Pride for a new adventure and pace of life. Sara and Parker begins to work together to update the restaurant and wonderful, suspenseful, exciting, and dangerous events ensued.

A great fast paced read. The new characters to the series are wonderful and well developed. A major bonus is you are able to revisit your favorite characters from Pride. Well done!
Profile Image for Suzanne.
817 reviews5 followers
April 28, 2018
It was lovely to return to the town of Pride with new resident Parker Clark. He wanted and needed a fresh start. Why not Pride? It's a beautiful small town, where everyone knows one another, and the perfect place to start his construction company - it was needed here. His first big opportunity was to refurbish the town's restaurant The Golden Oar where he meets Sara, the niece of the owner Iian.

This is second generation Pride, we get to meet some of the children of the original characters, who also get mention.

Parker was raised by his grandmother and in return he now takes care of her, hiding her away from his terrible mother. As usual, lots of twists and turns in the story, love, hurt and drama all feature.
Profile Image for Bev Sten.
277 reviews1 follower
April 7, 2018
It was such a joy to return to Pride! This series never fails to offer an awesome small town romance with hot sexy characters. Sarah and Parker's story doesn't disappoint. Sarah is finally going to get a chance to run the family restaurant while her Uncle is traveling. Parker was hired to revamp the same restaurant. Their chemistry is crazy. But somebody is trying to mess things up, so Sarah and Parker work together to keep things on track. Like I said, Jill's Pride series never disappoints! Totally worth the read!
228 reviews1 follower
April 10, 2018
Sara Jordan is sweet, sexy and finally has the chance to run The Golden Oar that she has longed for. Parker is a charming, strong and the sexy it all carpenter that was hired by Sara's uncle to update the old building. Sparks fly and tempers flair as accidents start to happen on the job site. I was totally surprised by where the trouble was coming from. I loved how Parker loved and protected his grandmother. It was really great hoe he formed a relationship with his brother. Can not wait to revisit Pride again.
I received a ARC of this book.
Profile Image for Becky Burciaga.
1,530 reviews19 followers
October 6, 2018
An uncomplicated read, even with evil machinations in play, the story doesn’t have much depth to it. The characters fell flat for me, lacking the type of dimension that creates the necessary connection to form attachments and investments in the story’s outcome. Sadly I lost interest in the goings-on in Pride, OR as the story just didn’t pick up enough steam with any type of emotional dynamics to capture and keep my attention.

This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher and NetGalley. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews

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