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Man's Best Friend #1
Blind Date Bet
Never say never…
After loving and losing a soldier once, Isabella Knowles made a vow: No more military men. She’s rebuilt her life and has a classroom full of fifth graders to love, which is more than enough even though her father doesn’t agree. When he sets her up on a blind date, she only goes to humor him – never dreaming that the man she meets will tempt her to break her one rule.
In theory, Ethan Masters is not opposed to the wife, kids and house with a white picket fence. But he loves his career as a K-9 handler in the air force, and a dream promotion dangles before him like dog tags. While contemplating his future, he accepts a drunken bet for a blind date, never dreaming that the captivating woman fits perfectly into his ideal, all-American dream. Only one problem. She's gun-shy about all things military.
Can Ethan prove to Isabella love is worth the risk?
After loving and losing a soldier once, Isabella Knowles made a vow: No more military men. She’s rebuilt her life and has a classroom full of fifth graders to love, which is more than enough even though her father doesn’t agree. When he sets her up on a blind date, she only goes to humor him – never dreaming that the man she meets will tempt her to break her one rule.
In theory, Ethan Masters is not opposed to the wife, kids and house with a white picket fence. But he loves his career as a K-9 handler in the air force, and a dream promotion dangles before him like dog tags. While contemplating his future, he accepts a drunken bet for a blind date, never dreaming that the captivating woman fits perfectly into his ideal, all-American dream. Only one problem. She's gun-shy about all things military.
Can Ethan prove to Isabella love is worth the risk?
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 22, 2019
871 people are currently reading
610 people want to read
About the author
Nicole Flockton
114 books505 followersUSA Today Bestselling author Nicole Flockton writes sexy contemporary romances, seducing you one kiss at a time as you turn the pages. Nicole likes nothing better than taking characters and creating unique situations where they fight to find their true love.
On her first school report her teacher noted "Nicole likes to tell her own stories". It wasn’t until after the birth of her first child and after having fun on a romance community forum that she finally decided to take the plunge and write a book.
Apart from writing Nicole is busy looking after her very own hero – her wonderfully supportive husband, and two fabulous kids. She also enjoys watching sports and, of course, reading.
VISIT ME ON FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/NicoleFlockton/
VISIT MY AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE:
https://www.amazon.com/Nicole-Flockton/e/B009MQPJNG
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER:
https://twitter.com/NicoleFlockton
Also, stop by and check out my Reader Group: Nicole's Ninjas on Facebook!
On her first school report her teacher noted "Nicole likes to tell her own stories". It wasn’t until after the birth of her first child and after having fun on a romance community forum that she finally decided to take the plunge and write a book.
Apart from writing Nicole is busy looking after her very own hero – her wonderfully supportive husband, and two fabulous kids. She also enjoys watching sports and, of course, reading.
VISIT ME ON FACEBOOK:
https://www.facebook.com/NicoleFlockton/
VISIT MY AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE:
https://www.amazon.com/Nicole-Flockton/e/B009MQPJNG
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER:
https://twitter.com/NicoleFlockton
Also, stop by and check out my Reader Group: Nicole's Ninjas on Facebook!
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 180 reviews
December 30, 2018
I have to say I flew through this book as I couldn't put it down . It was a fast paced, warm hearted story, with lovable characters.
A well written, enjoyable read .
I will read more books from Nicole Flockton.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A well written, enjoyable read .
I will read more books from Nicole Flockton.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
January 26, 2019
DNF@30%
Life is too short to fight my way through books I don’t enjoy. This one sounded cute and made me believe there would be a dog in it.
It wasn’t cute. It was slow, the dialogue was painful and Isabella got on my nerves. She has an excellent reason for not dating a military guy, but she changes her mind because her dad dares her. Seriously? How old is she? Twelve? If you don’t want to date the guy, don’t. If you do, get over yourself.
I stopped reading when their second (third?) date meandered into a conversation about the fact that holidays aren’t really holidays for teachers, you know, because they still have to work and make lesson plans and… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Show me the dog. Give me the dog and all will be forgiven.
No dog, no dice. I’m done.
(ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.)
Life is too short to fight my way through books I don’t enjoy. This one sounded cute and made me believe there would be a dog in it.
It wasn’t cute. It was slow, the dialogue was painful and Isabella got on my nerves. She has an excellent reason for not dating a military guy, but she changes her mind because her dad dares her. Seriously? How old is she? Twelve? If you don’t want to date the guy, don’t. If you do, get over yourself.
I stopped reading when their second (third?) date meandered into a conversation about the fact that holidays aren’t really holidays for teachers, you know, because they still have to work and make lesson plans and… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Show me the dog. Give me the dog and all will be forgiven.
No dog, no dice. I’m done.
(ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.)
January 11, 2023
Eh. I grew tired of Isabella getting scared at the barest mention of Ethan's military career pretty fast. There's only so many times one can push away a man willing to do the work over the same reason all throughout the book. It was so repetitive I got bored first, then upset with the female character. Besides, the lack of apparent chemistry between them and very much cookie cutter formula didn't help me catch feelings.
There wasn't much character's growth and I wished there had been real discussions between them about Isabella's fears. Instead everything was so stilted and surface and so damn repetitive!
I also expected more from the meet cute from the beginning but nothing truly came of it.
The ending with the whole surprise baby was more cringe than cute for me.
I love a man in a uniform so I could be tempted to try another one in this series but I'd have to dig deep into reviews to make sure it's different from this one.
(This book is currently free on amz)
There wasn't much character's growth and I wished there had been real discussions between them about Isabella's fears. Instead everything was so stilted and surface and so damn repetitive!
I also expected more from the meet cute from the beginning but nothing truly came of it.
The ending with the whole surprise baby was more cringe than cute for me.
I love a man in a uniform so I could be tempted to try another one in this series but I'd have to dig deep into reviews to make sure it's different from this one.
(This book is currently free on amz)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2018
4.5 stars
January 22, 2019
Isabella Knowles is the daughter of a military man and the widow of a military man, she has vowed never to date a man in the military. But then not only does she run into Ethan Masters when he is evacuating a shopping centre but her father dares her to go on a date with a military man who turns out to be none other than Ethan Masters. Despite their obvious attraction to one another Isabella keeps pulling away as everything Ethan does triggers a deep rooted fear. Can she learn to love again?
Oh dear, where do I start? First, I think the cover is a misdirect because although Ethan is a K9 handler we never get to see him at work frankly I think we only see his dog Sam once and that was in a social situation where he didn't do anything. Secondly, we saw nothing about Ethan's career, we hear "he got deployed", "he was on a training exercise" but nothing more, other of course than how sad he is being away from Izzy yadda yadda. Honestly he could have been a used car salesman or a hockey player for all the story we got about his career. Third, Isabella was frankly irritating, she yo-yo'd backwards and forwards with Ethan, going on dates, then storming off, apologising and then asking him to leave. Ethan on the other hand had 'protective' instincts which seemed to consist of insisting on checking that Izzy's doors and windows were properly locked before she went out. Fair enough but does he do it to his male friends and family? My guess is not, it's a sexist belief that women (even his mother who was career military) can't lock a door properly, gah! But mostly my beef with this novel was that it was all about Ethan and Izzy's feelings, nothing really happened, there was no big emergency just page after page of Izzy moping around because she loves him (but won't admit it) but can't face him being in the military. My final criticism is that this was an odd mixture of frequent sex combined with fade to black - some might say all left to the imagination but I just found it odd.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Oh dear, where do I start? First, I think the cover is a misdirect because although Ethan is a K9 handler we never get to see him at work frankly I think we only see his dog Sam once and that was in a social situation where he didn't do anything. Secondly, we saw nothing about Ethan's career, we hear "he got deployed", "he was on a training exercise" but nothing more, other of course than how sad he is being away from Izzy yadda yadda. Honestly he could have been a used car salesman or a hockey player for all the story we got about his career. Third, Isabella was frankly irritating, she yo-yo'd backwards and forwards with Ethan, going on dates, then storming off, apologising and then asking him to leave. Ethan on the other hand had 'protective' instincts which seemed to consist of insisting on checking that Izzy's doors and windows were properly locked before she went out. Fair enough but does he do it to his male friends and family? My guess is not, it's a sexist belief that women (even his mother who was career military) can't lock a door properly, gah! But mostly my beef with this novel was that it was all about Ethan and Izzy's feelings, nothing really happened, there was no big emergency just page after page of Izzy moping around because she loves him (but won't admit it) but can't face him being in the military. My final criticism is that this was an odd mixture of frequent sex combined with fade to black - some might say all left to the imagination but I just found it odd.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
January 24, 2021
Lovely story.
December 31, 2018
The premise of this book is one that interested me, with a military hero and his K9 partner. I especially love when there’s an animal as a secondary character. The writing is skilled and the editing flawless, which is becoming more scarce, especially in advanced copies, so I always appreciate an author who cares enough about her craft to put forth the best possible published work. That goes a long way with me.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t negate the issues I had with this book. First of all, there was very little of the dog, Sam, in the book, with several mentions but only one or two scenes in which Sam played only a minor part. My other issue was with the heroine, Isabella. I initially connected with her, and the fact that she had lost her military husband early in her marriage garnered sympathy. While I appreciate the author’s attempt to perpetuate feminist ideals, Isabella came off as petulant and whiny, devolving into several temper tantrums, and in my opinion did more harm than good with what should have been a strong, independent female. Fortunately, Isabella's friend, Meredith, was there to set her straight in time for a predictable, Hallmark ending. This one just got more and more difficult for me to get through. I usually read a book per day, but these sixteen chapters took me three days to finish.
On the other hand, I adored the hero, Ethan, and I appreciated the growth in the relationship between Isabella and her father. Because I’m impressed with the author's writing ability, I’ll check out some of her other work and hopefully find both a hero and heroine I can connect with who have me eager to take their journey to forever with them. And if you’re already a fan of this author, I imagine you'll enjoy this one.
*I reviewed an advance copy of this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t negate the issues I had with this book. First of all, there was very little of the dog, Sam, in the book, with several mentions but only one or two scenes in which Sam played only a minor part. My other issue was with the heroine, Isabella. I initially connected with her, and the fact that she had lost her military husband early in her marriage garnered sympathy. While I appreciate the author’s attempt to perpetuate feminist ideals, Isabella came off as petulant and whiny, devolving into several temper tantrums, and in my opinion did more harm than good with what should have been a strong, independent female. Fortunately, Isabella's friend, Meredith, was there to set her straight in time for a predictable, Hallmark ending. This one just got more and more difficult for me to get through. I usually read a book per day, but these sixteen chapters took me three days to finish.
On the other hand, I adored the hero, Ethan, and I appreciated the growth in the relationship between Isabella and her father. Because I’m impressed with the author's writing ability, I’ll check out some of her other work and hopefully find both a hero and heroine I can connect with who have me eager to take their journey to forever with them. And if you’re already a fan of this author, I imagine you'll enjoy this one.
*I reviewed an advance copy of this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.
April 25, 2022
Blind Date Bet is book 1 in the Man's Best Friend series by Nicole Flockton. Isabella Knowles vowed never to fall in love with military men and build a happy life around her teaching career. However, her father was worried about her and organised a blind date with a colleague Ethan Masters. Straightway Ethan Masters realised that Isabella was against dating a military man. However, for Ethan Masters, Isabella fits perfectly into his ideal for his perfect partner. The readers of Blind Date Bet will continue to follow Ethan and Isabella to find out what happens.
Blind Date Bet is the first book I have read by Nicole Flockton, and I will read another book by this author. I had no trouble engaging with the plot and the characters of this book from the first page. I love Nicole Flockton's portrayal of her characters and the way they intertwine with each other throughout this book. Blind Date Bet was well written and researched by Nicole Flockton. I like Nicole Flockton's description of the settings of Blind Date Bet complimented the book's plot.
The Readers of Blind Date Bet will understand the problems everyone has when they are involved in military life. Also, the readers of Blind Date Bet will learn about STEP promotion in The USA Air Force.
I recommend this book.
Blind Date Bet is the first book I have read by Nicole Flockton, and I will read another book by this author. I had no trouble engaging with the plot and the characters of this book from the first page. I love Nicole Flockton's portrayal of her characters and the way they intertwine with each other throughout this book. Blind Date Bet was well written and researched by Nicole Flockton. I like Nicole Flockton's description of the settings of Blind Date Bet complimented the book's plot.
The Readers of Blind Date Bet will understand the problems everyone has when they are involved in military life. Also, the readers of Blind Date Bet will learn about STEP promotion in The USA Air Force.
I recommend this book.
April 4, 2019
It’s been a while since I’ve read a romance based on a blind date so when I saw the synopsis for Nicole Flockton’s Blind Date Bet, the first story in her Man’s Best Friend series, I was intrigued. It’s about a widowed teacher whose dad sets her up on a blind date – and it’s a bust. And yet, there is enough curiosity there for the couple to try, and try again. How they overcome their issues and make their way to a real life happy ending is captured in a thoughtful and thoroughly enjoyable romance that I’m happy to recommend to all of those who believe in second chances.
Isabella Knowles doesn’t think much of the clearly militarily enthused (and okay, very handsome) man shepherding mall patrons out after a bomb scare. So when she ends up with the same guy on a blind date arranged by her dad, she’s not impressed and upon learning that he’s active military, she calls it off before the coffee is even cold. Upon reflection, and a discussion with her best friend, not to mention the fact that this guy is really cute, she contacts him with an apology and an overture to give it another go.
Ethan Masters is intrigued by Isabella despite their rocky start. As a dedicated career military man, his job is everything, enough so that he’s put plans for a wife and kids on hold while moving up the ladder. He has a special attachment to his dog Sam who serves with him on his K9 unit, and he’s up for re-enlistment and a possible promotion. Clearly Isabella is interested in him, yet she has reservations and until he can figure out what those are, they are destined to keep their dating on a superficial level. As they get to know each other, they find that their attraction is leading them into something deeper. But can Isabella trust Ethan enough to let him into her heart?
The obstacles facing this couple are clear. Isabella’s experience with the military has not been good. Her father was a career officer and her mother left them when Isabella was a teenager. She relied on the kindness of military families to get her through while her dad was away on active duty, and eventually she married a soldier who died on a training exercise. She’s has a strained relationship with her father and is definitely not thrilled that he’s set her up on a date with the type of man she’s sworn not to get involved with again. She doesn’t tell Ethan all her concerns right away, thinking that it’s best if they just don’t see each other at all. But her best friend convinces her to give him a chance, and Isabella a chance to lay the past to rest. And she can’t deny that she’s attracted to Ethan as a person, career choices notwithstanding.
Ethan comes across as a patient and kind man, willing to give Isabella the space she needs to decide whether a second or third date are on the cards for them. When she finally shares her past experiences with him, it encourages him to really take things slow, especially in terms of sexual advances. Even when Isabella expresses a willingness to take the next step together, he’s determined that she be really sure. I really respect this attitude in a hero – consent is one thing, but understanding the emotional complexities that sex can involve for a heroine, especially one with Isabella’s past make the chances of their future success much higher. Plus, you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their pets, in this case Ethan’s service dog Sam. He brings Sam with him to Isabella’s so she can meet him, and he’s as much a partner to Ethan as a person would be.
In developing feelings for Ethan, Isabella is also forced to acknowledge that she could do more to fix the relationship with her father, who has always wanted the best for her. It’s not surprising that she’s looked at her mother’s abandonment as being partly her father’s fault, when in truth her mother was never cut out for the role of military wife, or even motherhood. Their reconciliation is slow but meaningful and goes a long way towards enabling Isabella to let go of the past and think about a future with Ethan.
There’s a lot to enjoy about this slow-burn romance. The characters feel authentic and they have to own up to their choices, sometimes requiring apologies and forgiveness. The attraction between Ethan and Isabella leads to some sexy and emotional love scenes, and their happy ending comes with a few tears, some compromises, and the belief that their relationship will be a strong and satisfying one. I’m looking forward to continuing this series.
This review also appears at All About Romance: https://allaboutromance.com/book-revi...
A copy of this story was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review.
Isabella Knowles doesn’t think much of the clearly militarily enthused (and okay, very handsome) man shepherding mall patrons out after a bomb scare. So when she ends up with the same guy on a blind date arranged by her dad, she’s not impressed and upon learning that he’s active military, she calls it off before the coffee is even cold. Upon reflection, and a discussion with her best friend, not to mention the fact that this guy is really cute, she contacts him with an apology and an overture to give it another go.
Ethan Masters is intrigued by Isabella despite their rocky start. As a dedicated career military man, his job is everything, enough so that he’s put plans for a wife and kids on hold while moving up the ladder. He has a special attachment to his dog Sam who serves with him on his K9 unit, and he’s up for re-enlistment and a possible promotion. Clearly Isabella is interested in him, yet she has reservations and until he can figure out what those are, they are destined to keep their dating on a superficial level. As they get to know each other, they find that their attraction is leading them into something deeper. But can Isabella trust Ethan enough to let him into her heart?
The obstacles facing this couple are clear. Isabella’s experience with the military has not been good. Her father was a career officer and her mother left them when Isabella was a teenager. She relied on the kindness of military families to get her through while her dad was away on active duty, and eventually she married a soldier who died on a training exercise. She’s has a strained relationship with her father and is definitely not thrilled that he’s set her up on a date with the type of man she’s sworn not to get involved with again. She doesn’t tell Ethan all her concerns right away, thinking that it’s best if they just don’t see each other at all. But her best friend convinces her to give him a chance, and Isabella a chance to lay the past to rest. And she can’t deny that she’s attracted to Ethan as a person, career choices notwithstanding.
Ethan comes across as a patient and kind man, willing to give Isabella the space she needs to decide whether a second or third date are on the cards for them. When she finally shares her past experiences with him, it encourages him to really take things slow, especially in terms of sexual advances. Even when Isabella expresses a willingness to take the next step together, he’s determined that she be really sure. I really respect this attitude in a hero – consent is one thing, but understanding the emotional complexities that sex can involve for a heroine, especially one with Isabella’s past make the chances of their future success much higher. Plus, you can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their pets, in this case Ethan’s service dog Sam. He brings Sam with him to Isabella’s so she can meet him, and he’s as much a partner to Ethan as a person would be.
In developing feelings for Ethan, Isabella is also forced to acknowledge that she could do more to fix the relationship with her father, who has always wanted the best for her. It’s not surprising that she’s looked at her mother’s abandonment as being partly her father’s fault, when in truth her mother was never cut out for the role of military wife, or even motherhood. Their reconciliation is slow but meaningful and goes a long way towards enabling Isabella to let go of the past and think about a future with Ethan.
There’s a lot to enjoy about this slow-burn romance. The characters feel authentic and they have to own up to their choices, sometimes requiring apologies and forgiveness. The attraction between Ethan and Isabella leads to some sexy and emotional love scenes, and their happy ending comes with a few tears, some compromises, and the belief that their relationship will be a strong and satisfying one. I’m looking forward to continuing this series.
This review also appears at All About Romance: https://allaboutromance.com/book-revi...
A copy of this story was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review.
January 22, 2019
Isabella has sworn off military men after losing her husband to a freak accident. She’s convinced herself she’s content with her safe, albeit boring life, teaching her kindergarteners and staying single. Who knew a blind date would give her an eye opener?
Ethan has struck out more times than he cares to count in the dating world. A blind date is the last thing he really wants to do, but he gave his word and intends to keep it. Meeting Isabella and their feeling their instant chemistry revs all his buttons, but the hot and cold signals she’s sending him keeps him in a tailspin!
What detracted from a full five star review was the incessant hot and cold reactions Izzy kept throwing at Ethan! I understood her reluctance to get involved with the military, but Izzy had more double standards then anyone else in the book. She was quick to judge and jump on excuses with absolute disregard to the emotional wrecking ball she was leaving Ethan to deal with. When it was pointed out, she would immediately rush back to apologize and take blame, but good gravy, Izzy was a lesson on absolute frustration!
On a positive, when they clicked, Izzy and Ethan had chemistry in spades. Their tumultuous relationship was a battlefield of emotion that did drive me nuts, but it also kept me glued to the final outcome. I also liked how Flockton touched on some of the highs and lows of military life with Ethan and Izzy’s relationship issues. Whether it was the one being deployed or the one being left behind, there was a decent range of expression to sift through and was dealt with in a caring manner.
This book has a good formula. A heroine who’s going through the motions of life without realizing she’s locked herself away and the sexy, protective airman with a sweet K-9 partner. A tight knit, supportive group of military guys and their spouses plus a super supportive best friend who doesn’t hesitate to knock some sense when it’s needed most. Overall, I liked the read and would continue with the series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Ethan has struck out more times than he cares to count in the dating world. A blind date is the last thing he really wants to do, but he gave his word and intends to keep it. Meeting Isabella and their feeling their instant chemistry revs all his buttons, but the hot and cold signals she’s sending him keeps him in a tailspin!
What detracted from a full five star review was the incessant hot and cold reactions Izzy kept throwing at Ethan! I understood her reluctance to get involved with the military, but Izzy had more double standards then anyone else in the book. She was quick to judge and jump on excuses with absolute disregard to the emotional wrecking ball she was leaving Ethan to deal with. When it was pointed out, she would immediately rush back to apologize and take blame, but good gravy, Izzy was a lesson on absolute frustration!
On a positive, when they clicked, Izzy and Ethan had chemistry in spades. Their tumultuous relationship was a battlefield of emotion that did drive me nuts, but it also kept me glued to the final outcome. I also liked how Flockton touched on some of the highs and lows of military life with Ethan and Izzy’s relationship issues. Whether it was the one being deployed or the one being left behind, there was a decent range of expression to sift through and was dealt with in a caring manner.
This book has a good formula. A heroine who’s going through the motions of life without realizing she’s locked herself away and the sexy, protective airman with a sweet K-9 partner. A tight knit, supportive group of military guys and their spouses plus a super supportive best friend who doesn’t hesitate to knock some sense when it’s needed most. Overall, I liked the read and would continue with the series.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
January 22, 2019
So K-9 romances are my catnip, which means Ethan, the Air Force hero of this story, and his service dog Sam should be right up my alley. Problem is that Sam appears in exactly one scene in this book, since all the action takes place off base and military service dogs live in kennels rather than with their handlers. Apart from that one scene, it really doesn't matter what Ethan does in the armed forces, only that he's a serviceman, because Isabella, the heroine, has vowed never to get involved with a military man.
Honestly, I'm afraid I got very impatient with Isabella. She blew hot and cold constantly with poor Ethan, changed her own mind all the time, and blamed her own hangups on everyone but herself, mostly her father, who seemed only guilty of trying to do his best for her. For example, she blamed him for not telling her about an old friend's death, but she's a woman of almost 30. Why was it up to her father to keep her informed and why couldn't she stay in touch herself with someone she claimed to care about?
Ethan had some annoying issues himself including massively overprotective instincts, which Isabella quite rightly called him on (no, you do not get to tell your new girlfriend to wait while you check her house is safe for her to enter) but then Isabella was annoying herself. Thinking that the need to compromise was key to a relationship is fair enough, but in the end she was the only one who made any compromises and she failed to notice that.
At the end of the day, I was mainly disappointed because this is part of a series called Man's Best Friends, and with a K-9 on the cover this isn't what I expected, so I felt let down. There were more issues with the story than just misleading marketing, however, and because of these I'm afraid this is only getting two stars from me.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.
Honestly, I'm afraid I got very impatient with Isabella. She blew hot and cold constantly with poor Ethan, changed her own mind all the time, and blamed her own hangups on everyone but herself, mostly her father, who seemed only guilty of trying to do his best for her. For example, she blamed him for not telling her about an old friend's death, but she's a woman of almost 30. Why was it up to her father to keep her informed and why couldn't she stay in touch herself with someone she claimed to care about?
Ethan had some annoying issues himself including massively overprotective instincts, which Isabella quite rightly called him on (no, you do not get to tell your new girlfriend to wait while you check her house is safe for her to enter) but then Isabella was annoying herself. Thinking that the need to compromise was key to a relationship is fair enough, but in the end she was the only one who made any compromises and she failed to notice that.
At the end of the day, I was mainly disappointed because this is part of a series called Man's Best Friends, and with a K-9 on the cover this isn't what I expected, so I felt let down. There were more issues with the story than just misleading marketing, however, and because of these I'm afraid this is only getting two stars from me.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.
December 8, 2018
Isabella grew up in a military home, had her mom leave her with her dad at a young age because she couldn’t handle the military life, and still decided she wanted to be a military wife. At 18, she married her high school sweetheart who had enlisted. He was killed not long after in a freak training accident. She decided to never get involved with another military man. It’s ten years later, she’s a fifth grade teacher, and still avoiding any kind of commitment.
Ethan grew up with both parents, and almost his entire extended family, in the military. He knew he would be a career military man too. He is currently a K9 officer and he loves what he does. He’s had relationships, but nothing that felt long term.
Ethan and Isabella meet on a blind date. Both are attracted, but of course, Isabella tucks tail and runs. Poor Ethan is clueless and Isabella isn’t filling in the blanks. Ethan is very patient but also very frustrated. Just when he thinks he’s made some headway, she sends him packing again.
Is it formulaic and predictable? Yes. Did I want to smack Isabella a couple times? Yes. But it was a pleasant enough read to pass a few hours. I am definitely intrigued by Caleb.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.
Ethan grew up with both parents, and almost his entire extended family, in the military. He knew he would be a career military man too. He is currently a K9 officer and he loves what he does. He’s had relationships, but nothing that felt long term.
Ethan and Isabella meet on a blind date. Both are attracted, but of course, Isabella tucks tail and runs. Poor Ethan is clueless and Isabella isn’t filling in the blanks. Ethan is very patient but also very frustrated. Just when he thinks he’s made some headway, she sends him packing again.
Is it formulaic and predictable? Yes. Did I want to smack Isabella a couple times? Yes. But it was a pleasant enough read to pass a few hours. I am definitely intrigued by Caleb.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher.
June 30, 2019
The Blind Date Bet is truly a book about a girl who has issues with the military. Because of this, they're CONSTANTLY talking military and she's constantly pushing Ethan away. Which was so frustrating. Also, there definitely wasn't enough doggos.
December 1, 2018
**I received a copy of Blind Date Net from Tule Publishing and Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review** The opinions below are mine and no solicited.
Blind Date Net by Nicole Flockton is hands down a fantastic book and I loved it. I've read Ms. Flockton's Kindle Worlds novellas before so I knew to expect a fantastic story with this book. With Ethan and Izzy's story you'll find out how it really is to be a military wife and the fear that your loved one may not come home one day. But it will be Isabella and her dad trying to mend the rift and become a family once again. I loved how Sam Ethan's K-9 partner knew when Izzy's needed her comfort the most. When he introduces her to his team mates wives at a BBQ that will give Izzy a sense of family she craves the most.
Isabella Knowles grew up as a Army brat while her dad ascended the ranks as a Special Ops soldier but when her mother left things changed between them leading to an estrangement between the two of them. But when she fell in love with Travis Knowles her high school boyfriend they were married very briefly when he killed during a training. Izzy becomes a teacher but when her dad fixes her up with a blind date (Loved the red Fedora they both were asked to wear!) it doesn't go very well. With her fear of dating a military man and the walls around her heart it will take quite a few dates before Ethan's able to break down her walls. But when he keeps his impending deployment from her it will take her best friend Meredith and Anna to show her that Ethan is worth waiting for and they can have their happily ever after.
Ethan Masters shocked his Army parents by joining the Air Force and becoming a K-9 handler going in before his unit to search for weapon and IED's. But when he makes a bet with his team mate little does he know that Isabella will be everything to him. It will take a few dates to convince her that they can be more than friends. But when he doesn't tell her about his deployment things will go from worse to very bad quickly. Will Izzy wait for him to come back in six months? Can they work through all their issues to find their happily ever after?
Blind Date Net by Nicole Flockton is hands down a fantastic book and I loved it. I've read Ms. Flockton's Kindle Worlds novellas before so I knew to expect a fantastic story with this book. With Ethan and Izzy's story you'll find out how it really is to be a military wife and the fear that your loved one may not come home one day. But it will be Isabella and her dad trying to mend the rift and become a family once again. I loved how Sam Ethan's K-9 partner knew when Izzy's needed her comfort the most. When he introduces her to his team mates wives at a BBQ that will give Izzy a sense of family she craves the most.
Isabella Knowles grew up as a Army brat while her dad ascended the ranks as a Special Ops soldier but when her mother left things changed between them leading to an estrangement between the two of them. But when she fell in love with Travis Knowles her high school boyfriend they were married very briefly when he killed during a training. Izzy becomes a teacher but when her dad fixes her up with a blind date (Loved the red Fedora they both were asked to wear!) it doesn't go very well. With her fear of dating a military man and the walls around her heart it will take quite a few dates before Ethan's able to break down her walls. But when he keeps his impending deployment from her it will take her best friend Meredith and Anna to show her that Ethan is worth waiting for and they can have their happily ever after.
Ethan Masters shocked his Army parents by joining the Air Force and becoming a K-9 handler going in before his unit to search for weapon and IED's. But when he makes a bet with his team mate little does he know that Isabella will be everything to him. It will take a few dates to convince her that they can be more than friends. But when he doesn't tell her about his deployment things will go from worse to very bad quickly. Will Izzy wait for him to come back in six months? Can they work through all their issues to find their happily ever after?
December 15, 2018
This is my first book by this author and I have to say I was really impressed. This book made me feel so many emotions and sometimes I felt more then one emotion at a time. It had my laughing, crying and even at times I was so frustrated I wanted to throw my kindle across the room. This book is about Isabella and Ethan. Isabella had once been married to Travis who enlisted in the army and he had died during a training exercise. Isabella never got over the heartbreak that she felt and has closed herself off from love and from ever getting involved with a military man again. Her dad sets her up on a blind date with Ethan. Sparks fly when they meet but once Isabella figures out he is in the military she runs. Problem is she cannot out run how he makes her feel. Ethan is not only hot but he is supper sweet and an amazing catch. He wants Isabella so bad but he is not sure what he can do to make that happen. This book kept me up until the wee hours of the morning. I am an anxiously waiting the next book in this series. I hope in it we get a sneak peak at what Isabella and Ethan are up too. Thanks Net Galley. I voluntarily reviewed this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 6, 2019
Rating: 3.5/5
Isabella Knowles is a teacher who has vowed to have nothing more to do with military men after her husband was killed whilst training. Her father dares her to go on a blind date, she could never resist a dare, but the man she meets is, you’ve guessed it, a military man! Ethan Master is a K-9 handler in the Air Force and his friend has set him up with a blind date after they had a drunken bet which Ethan lost. There’s definitely attraction between them but Isabella is obviously torn between following her heart or her head and blows hot and cold. Ethan is so considerate, her complete antithesis in how he relates to her and gives her space and time. Can he prove he’s worth breaking her vow and win her love?
I actually enjoyed this book but was still disappointed in it because the series title and cover both implied that a dog would have a prominent role in the romance and, whilst Sam does get mentions and is involved in one scene that’s about it. The camaraderie with the military families is heartwarming and there are plenty of great characters in this angst filled romance. The development of a relationship between Isabella and her ex-military father was also a key element to this story and was brilliantly portrayed. However, I never really warmed to Isabella as she was judgemental, didn’t want to listen but then discovered she was wrong – again -and apologised, this happened so many times you’d really think she’d have learnt better! Poor Ethan really didn’t deserve how he was treated but I was very glad his resilience and fortitude was rewarded in the end.
I requested and was given a copy of this book, via NetGalley. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.
Isabella Knowles is a teacher who has vowed to have nothing more to do with military men after her husband was killed whilst training. Her father dares her to go on a blind date, she could never resist a dare, but the man she meets is, you’ve guessed it, a military man! Ethan Master is a K-9 handler in the Air Force and his friend has set him up with a blind date after they had a drunken bet which Ethan lost. There’s definitely attraction between them but Isabella is obviously torn between following her heart or her head and blows hot and cold. Ethan is so considerate, her complete antithesis in how he relates to her and gives her space and time. Can he prove he’s worth breaking her vow and win her love?
I actually enjoyed this book but was still disappointed in it because the series title and cover both implied that a dog would have a prominent role in the romance and, whilst Sam does get mentions and is involved in one scene that’s about it. The camaraderie with the military families is heartwarming and there are plenty of great characters in this angst filled romance. The development of a relationship between Isabella and her ex-military father was also a key element to this story and was brilliantly portrayed. However, I never really warmed to Isabella as she was judgemental, didn’t want to listen but then discovered she was wrong – again -and apologised, this happened so many times you’d really think she’d have learnt better! Poor Ethan really didn’t deserve how he was treated but I was very glad his resilience and fortitude was rewarded in the end.
I requested and was given a copy of this book, via NetGalley. This is my honest review of the book after choosing to read it.
February 7, 2023
Terrible Values
The female in this romance is a self-centered, immature baby and the man is a fool for loving such a weak, helpless woman. In today's world, anyone with an IQ over 7 has heard of therapy, and health insurance almost always covers at least 20 weeks. Not only the woman, but none of the other characters mentions therapy as a way to move forward after trauma. What a great message to readers: suffer in silence for years. Do not take active steps to overcome your issues, moan and complain and remain mired in your misery until Mr. Right comes along. Then you will miraculously overcome your issues so you can move on to a wonderful life. If this sounds like a good plan to you, you might also enjoy a lovely piece of ocean-front property in Nevada that I have for sale.
The female in this romance is a self-centered, immature baby and the man is a fool for loving such a weak, helpless woman. In today's world, anyone with an IQ over 7 has heard of therapy, and health insurance almost always covers at least 20 weeks. Not only the woman, but none of the other characters mentions therapy as a way to move forward after trauma. What a great message to readers: suffer in silence for years. Do not take active steps to overcome your issues, moan and complain and remain mired in your misery until Mr. Right comes along. Then you will miraculously overcome your issues so you can move on to a wonderful life. If this sounds like a good plan to you, you might also enjoy a lovely piece of ocean-front property in Nevada that I have for sale.
January 19, 2023
This week for my reading challenge I'm doing a new author. I've been looking for new authors to try. Sadly this review is going to be a mix of good and bad. I find these reviews to be the hardest to write.
The reason I picked this one is the great cover. I love stories with animals that play a role in them. They like babies often give the characters someone to talk to without really talking and to quickly fix a problem. A wonderful way for us to become involved.
The story starts off with an alarm going off in a mall. I get that it would make a great way to meet but what was weird is the heroine. She's just, I don't know how to explain it. Her reactions are just...different. The next thing you know she's on a blind date with the guy who had just in her opinion treated her rudely.
Still all good but then you find out she doesn't date anyone in the military. You're not totally sure why but you figure she must have a reason. Hey, if you can't go out with someone for whatever reason you shouldn't do it. Why would you make yourself uncomfortable? All that is fine. What's not fine is that she lets her father dare her to go out with him again.
This just came off a bit childish, but I guess the whole idea of the book is. So going against what she feels she goes out with him and then spends the rest of the book whining. Okay, maybe not the whole book but that's kinda how it felt to me. It's not that I didn't like her I just got a bit tired of her after a while.
I will say that I really liked Ethan but didn't feel like I really got to know him because of all that I mentioned. I also was a little disappointed that I felt like we didn't get much of his work and felt that the cover made you think that the dog would be in the story a lot more after all the series is called Man's Best Friend.
As a whole, the story isn't horrible but not exactly the one I loved either. I might try the next book in the series and see if I like those characters more. If not sadly I will be done with this author.
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March 6, 2023
This book is the first in the “Man’s Best Friend” series, and I feel ripped off. Where was the dog? There’s supposed to be a dog in this series. Sam is the name of the main protagonist’s canine partner and while Master Staff Sergeant Ethan Masters thinks about Sam a lot, we get to meet her once, in a social situation, then she’s whisked off to doggie-limbo. [Note: Ethan Masters is called Staff Sergeant Masters by his superior officer in chapter 7, and he calls himself Master Sergeant Masters in chapter 13.]
Isabella Knowles is Ethan’s love interest. I think the horrible things that happen to them when he first tries to get her to go out with him are meant to be funny, but they fall flat. And all the mishaps, missteps, and miscues get old fast. It took too much work for these two to keep dating. It was awkward and uncomfortable reading about them.
So…Isabella is, without a doubt, one of the most whiney heroines ever written. She is out of touch with reality, her dad, her dead husband, her feelings about…well…everything. She’s got huge trust issues and blows her top at a moment’s notice, generally about things that need discussion, not anger.
Isabella lost her husband, who was her high school sweetheart, in a training accident when he was in the military. It was a freak accident, it happened ten years ago, and she can’t get over it. She had military benefits. She had been married to a man in the military, and her father was retired military, so why didn’t she seek out help? Even her father mentioned services that were available to all military families and still, she didn’t get therapy for the emotional scars that flavor her entire life. Her best friend didn’t suggest it. Her father didn’t suggest it. Ethan didn’t suggest it. Wow. I’m sure therapy and counseling would have been offered by the military reach-out programs when her husband was killed, but she apparently didn’t take advantage of any of it. For Isabella, it was more productive to ignore unpleasant things and damp down any interest in people or things outside her safe little cocoon-world.
What made me want to hurl my poor Kindle across the room (I didn’t, but it was a powerful urge), was their last fight where Isabella told Ethan to take a hike for, I don’t know, the fourth or fifth time, maybe? She was outraged that Ethan had kept his upcoming reenlistment and possible promotion from her. Really? She knew his three-to-six-month deployment was coming up and she has been deflecting every time Ethan tries to discuss it. She behaves irrationally, or else buries her head in the sand, when anything unpleasant appears in front of her. Why on earth would Ethan want to discuss anything that would make her fly off the handle? And of course, when she finds out, she goes ballistic. She orders Ethan out the door and out of her life.
Naturally, she is miserable for the weeks up to his deployment date. We all know what’s coming. A huge reunion, tears, apologies, forgiveness, and then everything is peachy. He’s deployed and they work out their relationship issues by skyping while he’s gone for six months. Again…what?
AND, Isabella, in true hypocritical fashion, keeps secrets from him during his deployment. And that’s just fine. He doesn’t blow up or get angry; he not only accepts her big secret, but he’s also happy about it.
The pace of the book is annoying. It is so…slow…and…repetitive until the Epilogue, which isn’t an epilogue at all, it’s really just another chapter which introduces new events and ends the book. After the long, drawn-out plot, the end passes us by in moments.
There are errors. For example:
“… [Isabella’s skirt] reminded him of leaves swirling on a gust of wind in the dessert, fierce and free.” This made me laugh. If leaves swirled all over my dessert, I’d brush them off before eating it. I believe the writer meant “desert.” It should read, “…on a gust of wind in the desert.”
I believe the wrong word was used in the following sentence: “Isabella should’ve known Meredith would brush off her comment as nothing.” Actually, Meredith did the opposite and forced Isabella to examine her comment. I think that sentence should read, “Isabella should’ve known Meredith wouldn’t brush off her comment as nothing.”
There’s an incorrect tense used in this sentence: “They’d been eating takeout.” No, they hadn’t. Ethan and Isabella hadn’t eaten anything at all. Isabella was fixing dinner and worrying about dropping the main dish. If she had, “They’d be eating takeout.”
“Retirement for Ethan wasn’t on the cards….” The expression is “in the cards,” not on them.
There is an awkward jumble of tenses in this sentence: “She hadn’t had the door shut in his face.” Isabella answered the door when Ethan arrived unexpectedly, without calling first. I think the writer is telling us that “She didn’t close the door in his face.”
“Ultimately, they’re relationship wasn’t any of her business.” It’s the wrong homophone and the sentence should read, “Ultimately, their relationship wasn’t any of her business.”
The writer selected a storyline that is already overused in the military romance genre. Instead of offering some insights into the very real problems of worry over a deployed spouse, feelings of intense loneliness when a spouse is deployed, and the tight bond shared by those left behind by the deploying spouses, we get a redigested plot that offers nothing unique or special to the field.
I rated this book 2 stars because it didn’t showcase a K9, despite the implication in the series’ title, and because it was a retold tale, glossing over important issues without offering any thoughtful insights. The chemistry between the main characters wasn’t there, despite the writer telling us all about it. The story seemed a bit lackluster, and I found myself unable to believe in the characters. This book was published in 2018, five years ago, so the writer had not fully developed her style and literary teeth. I have read another book by her, published in 2021 and it was much better. It was the second book in the SEAL Team Tango series, Saving Penni. The writer’s stories have definitely improved, IMHO.
Isabella Knowles is Ethan’s love interest. I think the horrible things that happen to them when he first tries to get her to go out with him are meant to be funny, but they fall flat. And all the mishaps, missteps, and miscues get old fast. It took too much work for these two to keep dating. It was awkward and uncomfortable reading about them.
So…Isabella is, without a doubt, one of the most whiney heroines ever written. She is out of touch with reality, her dad, her dead husband, her feelings about…well…everything. She’s got huge trust issues and blows her top at a moment’s notice, generally about things that need discussion, not anger.
Isabella lost her husband, who was her high school sweetheart, in a training accident when he was in the military. It was a freak accident, it happened ten years ago, and she can’t get over it. She had military benefits. She had been married to a man in the military, and her father was retired military, so why didn’t she seek out help? Even her father mentioned services that were available to all military families and still, she didn’t get therapy for the emotional scars that flavor her entire life. Her best friend didn’t suggest it. Her father didn’t suggest it. Ethan didn’t suggest it. Wow. I’m sure therapy and counseling would have been offered by the military reach-out programs when her husband was killed, but she apparently didn’t take advantage of any of it. For Isabella, it was more productive to ignore unpleasant things and damp down any interest in people or things outside her safe little cocoon-world.
What made me want to hurl my poor Kindle across the room (I didn’t, but it was a powerful urge), was their last fight where Isabella told Ethan to take a hike for, I don’t know, the fourth or fifth time, maybe? She was outraged that Ethan had kept his upcoming reenlistment and possible promotion from her. Really? She knew his three-to-six-month deployment was coming up and she has been deflecting every time Ethan tries to discuss it. She behaves irrationally, or else buries her head in the sand, when anything unpleasant appears in front of her. Why on earth would Ethan want to discuss anything that would make her fly off the handle? And of course, when she finds out, she goes ballistic. She orders Ethan out the door and out of her life.
Naturally, she is miserable for the weeks up to his deployment date. We all know what’s coming. A huge reunion, tears, apologies, forgiveness, and then everything is peachy. He’s deployed and they work out their relationship issues by skyping while he’s gone for six months. Again…what?
AND, Isabella, in true hypocritical fashion, keeps secrets from him during his deployment. And that’s just fine. He doesn’t blow up or get angry; he not only accepts her big secret, but he’s also happy about it.
The pace of the book is annoying. It is so…slow…and…repetitive until the Epilogue, which isn’t an epilogue at all, it’s really just another chapter which introduces new events and ends the book. After the long, drawn-out plot, the end passes us by in moments.
There are errors. For example:
“… [Isabella’s skirt] reminded him of leaves swirling on a gust of wind in the dessert, fierce and free.” This made me laugh. If leaves swirled all over my dessert, I’d brush them off before eating it. I believe the writer meant “desert.” It should read, “…on a gust of wind in the desert.”
I believe the wrong word was used in the following sentence: “Isabella should’ve known Meredith would brush off her comment as nothing.” Actually, Meredith did the opposite and forced Isabella to examine her comment. I think that sentence should read, “Isabella should’ve known Meredith wouldn’t brush off her comment as nothing.”
There’s an incorrect tense used in this sentence: “They’d been eating takeout.” No, they hadn’t. Ethan and Isabella hadn’t eaten anything at all. Isabella was fixing dinner and worrying about dropping the main dish. If she had, “They’d be eating takeout.”
“Retirement for Ethan wasn’t on the cards….” The expression is “in the cards,” not on them.
There is an awkward jumble of tenses in this sentence: “She hadn’t had the door shut in his face.” Isabella answered the door when Ethan arrived unexpectedly, without calling first. I think the writer is telling us that “She didn’t close the door in his face.”
“Ultimately, they’re relationship wasn’t any of her business.” It’s the wrong homophone and the sentence should read, “Ultimately, their relationship wasn’t any of her business.”
The writer selected a storyline that is already overused in the military romance genre. Instead of offering some insights into the very real problems of worry over a deployed spouse, feelings of intense loneliness when a spouse is deployed, and the tight bond shared by those left behind by the deploying spouses, we get a redigested plot that offers nothing unique or special to the field.
I rated this book 2 stars because it didn’t showcase a K9, despite the implication in the series’ title, and because it was a retold tale, glossing over important issues without offering any thoughtful insights. The chemistry between the main characters wasn’t there, despite the writer telling us all about it. The story seemed a bit lackluster, and I found myself unable to believe in the characters. This book was published in 2018, five years ago, so the writer had not fully developed her style and literary teeth. I have read another book by her, published in 2021 and it was much better. It was the second book in the SEAL Team Tango series, Saving Penni. The writer’s stories have definitely improved, IMHO.
July 1, 2019
While I was hoping the dog would play a bigger role in this story I still enjoyed Isabella and Ethan's story. I was hard getting into the constant stop and start of their relationship but could understand her hesitation after losing her first husband to a training accident.
Overall good read, character development, the group bond of the military families, and how it all worked out. I am now reading the second book.
Overall good read, character development, the group bond of the military families, and how it all worked out. I am now reading the second book.
January 24, 2019
I love to read books with men in uniforms, add k-9 to that and I am hooked. I finished the book in one day I had to see what is in the next chapter. Ethan is a great character but Isabella who was sworn of military men complicated their chemistry from their first encounter in the mall. All in all I had nice time reading while outside is a crappy weather
July 7, 2025
It was good, the FMC kind of drove me insane with the back and forths. It reminded me of purple hearts movie in a way with how they end up falling in love. The ending was very fast. I really enjoyed it other then the FMC honestly. Was a cute read
February 9, 2019
2.5 stars. Meh it was safe but a completely snooze fest
January 21, 2019
In ‘Blind Date Bet’ we meet Isabella. Isabella was married once to a military guy, but she lost him after being married only for a very short time. After that heartbreak Isabella decided never to date another military man again. But when she goes on a blind date she meets Ethan. And Ethan is everything she could ever want in a guy. Unfortunately he is in the military and has no desire to quit anytime soon.
This book was nice enough to read, but unfortunately not as great as I would have liked. The first thing that I didn’t really like about this book was the main character Isabella. I really didn’t like her character, and I don’t even have a really good reason for it other than I just didn’t like how she acted. For starters she was definitely very unkind to Ethan for a lot of the time, secondly she was just a little to hot one moment and cold the next. I couldn’t really get her.
Ethan’s character on the other hand was one I liked. I enjoyed how kind he was and how focused on his job. Sure he fell in love with Isabella rather quickly, but he wasn’t about to end his career for her and I loved him for it. He also didn’t just take Isabella’s crap which made me love him even more.
The romance between Isabella and Ethan was one I didn’t really feel. In my opinion there just wasn’t any real chemistry between them. And that whole military thing, with the wives taking care of each other.. I didn’t get that. And I think one reason for that was the way this book just felt a little rushed. It lacked details and time to really get the characters.
Overall this book was okay, but not really for me. I was also a little disappointed the whole dog a.k.a. Man’s best friend had such a little role in this book.
This book was nice enough to read, but unfortunately not as great as I would have liked. The first thing that I didn’t really like about this book was the main character Isabella. I really didn’t like her character, and I don’t even have a really good reason for it other than I just didn’t like how she acted. For starters she was definitely very unkind to Ethan for a lot of the time, secondly she was just a little to hot one moment and cold the next. I couldn’t really get her.
Ethan’s character on the other hand was one I liked. I enjoyed how kind he was and how focused on his job. Sure he fell in love with Isabella rather quickly, but he wasn’t about to end his career for her and I loved him for it. He also didn’t just take Isabella’s crap which made me love him even more.
The romance between Isabella and Ethan was one I didn’t really feel. In my opinion there just wasn’t any real chemistry between them. And that whole military thing, with the wives taking care of each other.. I didn’t get that. And I think one reason for that was the way this book just felt a little rushed. It lacked details and time to really get the characters.
Overall this book was okay, but not really for me. I was also a little disappointed the whole dog a.k.a. Man’s best friend had such a little role in this book.
January 1, 2019
I am giving the story 2 1/2 stars due to the fact the Author series is called Mans best friend and from the cover you expect the dog to play a huge part in the book but really it is used for what you expect the guy figures out something is wrong because the dog won't leave the woman he care fors.
The story has a gun shire Isabella who doesn't seem to want to like Ethan K9 handler but after so many stops and starts she finally confesses her reason why.
The story starts off with a ok lets see where this story goes to finishing and wondering why I even read it. The story is disconnected in many places. The side story of her father is only used to egg her on to ask out Ethan after she turned him down. Which she comes off little nutty for even the most patience guy.
The story feels like it was written in pieces and the author threw it all together leaving his disjointed in many areas.
Thank you to Netgalley and The publisher Tule Publishing for the advance copy of Nicole Flockton Blind Date Bet.
The story has a gun shire Isabella who doesn't seem to want to like Ethan K9 handler but after so many stops and starts she finally confesses her reason why.
The story starts off with a ok lets see where this story goes to finishing and wondering why I even read it. The story is disconnected in many places. The side story of her father is only used to egg her on to ask out Ethan after she turned him down. Which she comes off little nutty for even the most patience guy.
The story feels like it was written in pieces and the author threw it all together leaving his disjointed in many areas.
Thank you to Netgalley and The publisher Tule Publishing for the advance copy of Nicole Flockton Blind Date Bet.
February 9, 2019
Review posted at HarlequinJunkie.com
After losing her husband to a freak accident, Isabella Knowles swore off military men. However, when she’s set up on a blind date with Ethan Masters, she finds herself torn between the promise she made to herself and finally moving on with someone new, especially since Ethan is a very intriguing man she realizes she’d like to get to know better. Will Isabella take a chance or will she walk away? Read More
December 10, 2018
I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I struggled to finish this book. I found it difficult to like the heroine, Isabella. I understand that she was hurt after losing a loved one in the war. However, she held it against Ethan to the point where she was just irrational and unlikable. And Ethan really hung in there with her. Part of me was rooting for him to dump her and go find someone else. Some of the scenes were cheesy--like both wearing matching red fedoras on the first date. And some made no sense--like how Isabella went back into the shopping mall during a bomb threat because she thought she saw one of her elementary school students only to abandon looking for the child.
January 20, 2019
Fantastic book that I thoroughly enjoyed. My only complaint is that I would have liked Sam, Ethan's K=9 companion, to have more of a role in the story but his lack of mention doesn't take away from the story so that's no biggie. Ethan and Isabella are terrific together and I wanted this to work out for them right from the start. The have obstacles to overcome. Major ones! Yet you can't help but hope they find their way. The book is wonderfully written with a nice easy pace and characters that will win your heart. I definitely recommend this one.
January 25, 2019
Probably a 3.5* on the Goodreads scale because I'm not a big military romance fan. Your mileage may vary.
Isabella and Ethan are set up on a blind date by her father, and one of Ethan's friends. What neither of them took into account, and failed to inform Ethan, is that after losing her soldier husband in a training accident when she was only eighteen, she has sworn never to get involved with a military man ever again. This is exacerbated by her own experience with a military father whose marriage broke up.
And this is where we start. Ethan is adorable. He is a K9 handler in the airforce so he and his dog's job is to be first into a place to ensure no bombs or enemy personnel. Nice dangerous job and he is waiting on his next overseas deployment.
The relationship is very push-me-pull-you, with Izzie attracted to Ethan but trying to convince herself that it wasn't worth the risk. Poor Ethan must have felt his head spinning after the first couple of dates. It was a very sweet romance but Izzie did get a little irritating at times because she often had kneejerk reactions.
Overall, a well written, nice little romance. We needed to see more of Sam who features on the cover but doesn't feature on the page nearly enough. A sad reality in that K9 dogs are not usually allowed to run rampant around civilian territory.
I believe the next in the series features a member of Ethan's unit but the dog is not military so we might get to see more dog action in it. I look forward to reading it.
Isabella and Ethan are set up on a blind date by her father, and one of Ethan's friends. What neither of them took into account, and failed to inform Ethan, is that after losing her soldier husband in a training accident when she was only eighteen, she has sworn never to get involved with a military man ever again. This is exacerbated by her own experience with a military father whose marriage broke up.
And this is where we start. Ethan is adorable. He is a K9 handler in the airforce so he and his dog's job is to be first into a place to ensure no bombs or enemy personnel. Nice dangerous job and he is waiting on his next overseas deployment.
The relationship is very push-me-pull-you, with Izzie attracted to Ethan but trying to convince herself that it wasn't worth the risk. Poor Ethan must have felt his head spinning after the first couple of dates. It was a very sweet romance but Izzie did get a little irritating at times because she often had kneejerk reactions.
Overall, a well written, nice little romance. We needed to see more of Sam who features on the cover but doesn't feature on the page nearly enough. A sad reality in that K9 dogs are not usually allowed to run rampant around civilian territory.
I believe the next in the series features a member of Ethan's unit but the dog is not military so we might get to see more dog action in it. I look forward to reading it.
April 12, 2019
I enjoyed this story very much, and easy read about two people with military backgrounds, Isabella has been hurt before and is very wary about getting involved with another man in the military, but Ethan is a caring hero, one who anyone would find it hard not to fall for.
Isabelle Knowles has a military father and mother who ran from that life when she was a young teenager, but military life was what she wanted and at the age of eighteen she married her soldier her school sweetheart only to lose him and so getting involved with military men is a no go, but then a blind date organized by her father starts a new journey that she struggles with.
Ethan Masters grew up in military family as well, so going into the military is what he wants air force K-9 for Ethan and he is a gentleman and caring man, when his friend sets him up on a blind date, he is stunned at the beautiful lady that is there to meet him, but their first date does not work out well, nor their second, he is finding it hard to get her to open up, but when he does the pull between them grows as well.
Isabella has a lot of thinking to do and feelings to get over before she can finally commit to love and Ethan, she is a strong heroine and does not like to be pushed around, but Ethan is one of the most caring heroes I have met and although their journey to a HEA is a very up and down battle, there is no denying the sensual pull between them, I do recommend this one to readers of military romance.
Isabelle Knowles has a military father and mother who ran from that life when she was a young teenager, but military life was what she wanted and at the age of eighteen she married her soldier her school sweetheart only to lose him and so getting involved with military men is a no go, but then a blind date organized by her father starts a new journey that she struggles with.
Ethan Masters grew up in military family as well, so going into the military is what he wants air force K-9 for Ethan and he is a gentleman and caring man, when his friend sets him up on a blind date, he is stunned at the beautiful lady that is there to meet him, but their first date does not work out well, nor their second, he is finding it hard to get her to open up, but when he does the pull between them grows as well.
Isabella has a lot of thinking to do and feelings to get over before she can finally commit to love and Ethan, she is a strong heroine and does not like to be pushed around, but Ethan is one of the most caring heroes I have met and although their journey to a HEA is a very up and down battle, there is no denying the sensual pull between them, I do recommend this one to readers of military romance.
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