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Writer Friends #4
Not Another Bad Date
What does a gal have to do to get a good date in this town?
Adele Harris can't even begin to answer that question. She's had so many lousy dates that she's sure she's cursed. Why else would every man she goes out with suddenly act like he's lost his mind—and his manners? Adele thought life couldn't get any more confusing . . . until she learns the marriage of her seemingly Miss Perfect sister is on the rocks. So she goes back to their hometown to give her a shoulder to cry on, only to run smack into Zach Zemaitis . . . the one who got away.
Texans love God, family, and football, though not always in that order.
Zach, a former pro star, knows all about football. As for the other two, well, he's doing his best. But when Adele comes charging back into his life—still all lush curves and beautiful, big blue eyes—he wonders if his best is good enough. After all, he did her wrong. Can a woman with her track record ever really believe that he's serious this time . . . or is he destined to be another bad date?
Adele Harris can't even begin to answer that question. She's had so many lousy dates that she's sure she's cursed. Why else would every man she goes out with suddenly act like he's lost his mind—and his manners? Adele thought life couldn't get any more confusing . . . until she learns the marriage of her seemingly Miss Perfect sister is on the rocks. So she goes back to their hometown to give her a shoulder to cry on, only to run smack into Zach Zemaitis . . . the one who got away.
Texans love God, family, and football, though not always in that order.
Zach, a former pro star, knows all about football. As for the other two, well, he's doing his best. But when Adele comes charging back into his life—still all lush curves and beautiful, big blue eyes—he wonders if his best is good enough. After all, he did her wrong. Can a woman with her track record ever really believe that he's serious this time . . . or is he destined to be another bad date?
1 pages, Audio CD
First published May 27, 2008
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About the author
Rachel Gibson
70 books5,353 followersRachel Gibson is a New York times and USAToday bestselling author of 22 books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 471 reviews
July 29, 2009
Heavy on narration.
Light on dialogue.
A few hot scenes.
Very little humor.
No good one-liners worth quoting this time.
The overall storyline was pretty good, even if it wasn't the most original. Fantasy writer, Adele Harris, is convinced someone has cursed her with a slew of bad dates. All of her dates end in the most bizarre ways. Little does she know that the bitch who tormented her in high school (Devon) and then stole the only man she ever loved (football star Zach Zematis) placed a curse on her following her death in a car accident. Apparently said bitch must right the wrong she did to Adele by helping her to find her HEA with Zach.
Adele is summoned to her hometown in Texas to care for her 13-year-old niece after her pregnant sister's husband is busted for cheating. Adele's niece becomes friends with Zach's daughter and, consequently, the two are conveniently thrown into circumstances where they must spend time together.
There were two weird things that threw me out of this book: 1) The baby is born prematurely in one chapter, but shortly thereafter the sister is pregnant still waiting for the arrival of the baby (apparently I'm not the only one who noticed this odd mistake); and 2) The book reads weird. Really weird. Not like Gibson's older books which read more smoothly to me. I'm not sure how to explain it, but basically we are given the blow-by-blow of the main characters. Example: Adele moved into the living room. She turned on the lights. She put her keys on the table and moved into the hallway. Example: Zach flushed the toilet. He pulled his boxers up. He switched off the light and moved into the hallway. (Not direct quotes) Yes, the author said "moved" over and over and over again. It drove me nuts! I'm still thinking about compiling a list of appropriate nouns and emailing it to her for future use. And yes, there are a unnecessary scenes involving flushing toilets.
Not to sound too snarky, but I expected so much more from the finale of RG's writer series. 'Specially since it just received the 2009 RITA award. If the book didn't have the heaven storyline and had a little more insight into the characters, I probably would've enjoyed it more. As it was, I felt like I never really got to know the characters. Totally disappointing fluff for me.
Light on dialogue.
A few hot scenes.
Very little humor.
No good one-liners worth quoting this time.
The overall storyline was pretty good, even if it wasn't the most original. Fantasy writer, Adele Harris, is convinced someone has cursed her with a slew of bad dates. All of her dates end in the most bizarre ways. Little does she know that the bitch who tormented her in high school (Devon) and then stole the only man she ever loved (football star Zach Zematis) placed a curse on her following her death in a car accident. Apparently said bitch must right the wrong she did to Adele by helping her to find her HEA with Zach.
Adele is summoned to her hometown in Texas to care for her 13-year-old niece after her pregnant sister's husband is busted for cheating. Adele's niece becomes friends with Zach's daughter and, consequently, the two are conveniently thrown into circumstances where they must spend time together.
There were two weird things that threw me out of this book: 1) The baby is born prematurely in one chapter, but shortly thereafter the sister is pregnant still waiting for the arrival of the baby (apparently I'm not the only one who noticed this odd mistake); and 2) The book reads weird. Really weird. Not like Gibson's older books which read more smoothly to me. I'm not sure how to explain it, but basically we are given the blow-by-blow of the main characters. Example: Adele moved into the living room. She turned on the lights. She put her keys on the table and moved into the hallway. Example: Zach flushed the toilet. He pulled his boxers up. He switched off the light and moved into the hallway. (Not direct quotes) Yes, the author said "moved" over and over and over again. It drove me nuts! I'm still thinking about compiling a list of appropriate nouns and emailing it to her for future use. And yes, there are a unnecessary scenes involving flushing toilets.
Not to sound too snarky, but I expected so much more from the finale of RG's writer series. 'Specially since it just received the 2009 RITA award. If the book didn't have the heaven storyline and had a little more insight into the characters, I probably would've enjoyed it more. As it was, I felt like I never really got to know the characters. Totally disappointing fluff for me.
April 11, 2020
This is the fourth and last of the Writer Friends series. You don't really need to read the others, but you might as well read the first two because they're actually good. Unlike this one.
Yeah, the series peters out something fierce. I had such high hopes for the fantasy author of the group, but Gibson seriously dropped the ball, here. This is a second-chance love story and it has the exact same problem as Gibson's other second-chance story does: sex as a stand-in for working out legitimate issues of the past trainwreck. I mean, Adele is all "Get away from me, I don't trust you" and Zach is all "You want me, baby". The beginning of their "relationship" only avoided non-consent tripwires because it turns out he was right that she didn't mean it when she said no.
Which was bad enough, but then Gibson seemed inclined to raid the island of lost plot elements and promise them a home in her novel. Here's a semi-comprehensive list:
The problem is that the sheer quantity of issues meant that none of them were very deep. This is most visibly problematic in Zach's daughter. This story really needed Adele to bond with her and that never progressed beyond the surface because there was just so much else up in the air.
And that's before you get to the really weird paranormal crap that starts the novel. This happens right up front when we learn that apparently God gives selfish jerks the ability to curse really nice people out of spite (cursed to have only really bad dates). And then mid-novel she gets the chance to unleash another curse because the results of the first one "weren't all bad". This is played for laughs with the hateful Devon serving a sentence in the hell of Wal-Mart shopping but that just didn't work for me when the effect was so devastating on Adele (not to mention the guys she dates who God apparently forces to end dates with Adele in boorish and insulting and completely out-of-character ways). I just didn't find it funny and it is too omnipresent a background element to ignore or even rewrite in my head (I know! I didn't know I had limitations on that superpower!).
I really should have stopped reading somewhere in the middle. I was so disgusted by that I very nearly stopped in anger there. I really should have as it only went downhill from that point. Someone explain to me how this won a RITA? I can't say I've paid much attention to that award and now I'm going to have trouble changing that.
A note about Steamy: There were some explicit sex scenes. I was so hung up on the "sexual healing" vibe (overcoming all relationship issues by having some good, good, lovin') that I'm afraid I didn't count. Two or three, anyway, and the middle of my steam tolerance.
Yeah, the series peters out something fierce. I had such high hopes for the fantasy author of the group, but Gibson seriously dropped the ball, here. This is a second-chance love story and it has the exact same problem as Gibson's other second-chance story does: sex as a stand-in for working out legitimate issues of the past trainwreck. I mean, Adele is all "Get away from me, I don't trust you" and Zach is all "You want me, baby". The beginning of their "relationship" only avoided non-consent tripwires because it turns out he was right that she didn't mean it when she said no.
Which was bad enough, but then Gibson seemed inclined to raid the island of lost plot elements and promise them a home in her novel. Here's a semi-comprehensive list:
The problem is that the sheer quantity of issues meant that none of them were very deep. This is most visibly problematic in Zach's daughter. This story really needed Adele to bond with her and that never progressed beyond the surface because there was just so much else up in the air.
And that's before you get to the really weird paranormal crap that starts the novel. This happens right up front when we learn that apparently God gives selfish jerks the ability to curse really nice people out of spite (cursed to have only really bad dates). And then mid-novel she gets the chance to unleash another curse because the results of the first one "weren't all bad". This is played for laughs with the hateful Devon serving a sentence in the hell of Wal-Mart shopping but that just didn't work for me when the effect was so devastating on Adele (not to mention the guys she dates who God apparently forces to end dates with Adele in boorish and insulting and completely out-of-character ways). I just didn't find it funny and it is too omnipresent a background element to ignore or even rewrite in my head (I know! I didn't know I had limitations on that superpower!).
I really should have stopped reading somewhere in the middle. I was so disgusted by that I very nearly stopped in anger there. I really should have as it only went downhill from that point. Someone explain to me how this won a RITA? I can't say I've paid much attention to that award and now I'm going to have trouble changing that.
A note about Steamy: There were some explicit sex scenes. I was so hung up on the "sexual healing" vibe (overcoming all relationship issues by having some good, good, lovin') that I'm afraid I didn't count. Two or three, anyway, and the middle of my steam tolerance.
December 17, 2020
This book had a lot of really funny parts. I laughed out loud quite often. Sometimes the characters didn’t quite hit their potential which is why I held back a star. But it was still an excellent book.
So, it seems that mean girls get the power to continue their torment from purgatory. This mean girl got pg on purpose to trap the college football star. At the time he had turned his affections to the quiet bookworm the mean girl had tortured all through high school. He marries the mean girl, dumps the bookworm who then flees Texas for Idaho.
Fourteen years later the mean girl dies in car accident with garbage truck. At St. Peter’s gates she is given the chance to right the one big wrong in her past and decides to curse the bookworm instead. For the next three years every date the bookworm goes on ends badly. Funny but badly.
Finally Fate puts the bookworm back in the orbit of the football star turned high school coach. He has been raising his daughter alone.
Good story. Very nice HEA. But here’s where some of my disappointments in the characters happen. The football star took forever to even lightly acknowledged that he broke the bookworm’s heart. He just wants to pick up their romance from where they left off. He expected her to melt at his feet with her previous devotion. She holds out against his abundance of charms until ‘click’ no more holding out. 🤷🏼♀️
Meanwhile, in Purgatory, or Walmart, the mean girl gets the chance to drop another curse on the bookworm. This gets her sent to Sears, in the automotive department. (I kinda figured Purgatory would be the mall. Makes perfect sense)
Anyway, cute story. Great concept. I plan on reading more in the series. 😊
So, it seems that mean girls get the power to continue their torment from purgatory. This mean girl got pg on purpose to trap the college football star. At the time he had turned his affections to the quiet bookworm the mean girl had tortured all through high school. He marries the mean girl, dumps the bookworm who then flees Texas for Idaho.
Fourteen years later the mean girl dies in car accident with garbage truck. At St. Peter’s gates she is given the chance to right the one big wrong in her past and decides to curse the bookworm instead. For the next three years every date the bookworm goes on ends badly. Funny but badly.
Finally Fate puts the bookworm back in the orbit of the football star turned high school coach. He has been raising his daughter alone.
Good story. Very nice HEA. But here’s where some of my disappointments in the characters happen. The football star took forever to even lightly acknowledged that he broke the bookworm’s heart. He just wants to pick up their romance from where they left off. He expected her to melt at his feet with her previous devotion. She holds out against his abundance of charms until ‘click’ no more holding out. 🤷🏼♀️
Meanwhile, in Purgatory, or Walmart, the mean girl gets the chance to drop another curse on the bookworm. This gets her sent to Sears, in the automotive department. (I kinda figured Purgatory would be the mall. Makes perfect sense)
Anyway, cute story. Great concept. I plan on reading more in the series. 😊
January 2, 2012
How does she do it? Yet another winner from Rachel Gibson! Being less than bowled over from my last RG read (I'm In No Mood For Love) after a string of consecutive winners, I was a little hesitant to pick up another one. But what was I worried about? I just finished the first in what I hope will be a new string of can't-put-down/ somehow-made-me-cry reads for 2012.
This one is a reunion romance. A reunion 14 years later between former college lovers Adele Harris and Zach Zemaitis. Big, blond, brown-eyed sexy college football hunk Zach was the curly blonde-haired, turquoise eyed, generous butt Adele's first lover, and he rocked her world. But then Zach . Now 14 years later, retired (after too many concussions) NFL quarterback Zach is back in Cedar Creek, Texas coaching high school football and being a single parent to his 13-year-old daughter Tiffany after Devon (the bane of Adele's existence growing up) has died in a car accident. And guess who's also back in town after being gone for years? That's right, successful romantic fantasy writer Adele is back in town, coming to the aid of her pregnant sister. Adele's sister . Adele's sister ends up having to be hospitalized due to complications with her pregnancy, and needs Adele to care for her 13 year old daughter Kendra. And Kendra just happens to be BFF with Tiffany, Zach's daughter. Guess who's bound to meet up with her old flame...?
Zach...
Adele...
Can't gush enough about this one. It has all the elements for a light, funny, sexy read. It breezes along at a good clip, with sprinkles of humor (Adele has been cursed (by a vengeful Devon) with bad dates--something always goes wrong with the men she goes out with--they say or do inexplicable things) that had me smiling as I turned the pages. Some of my favorite lines:
After a date with one of the coaches at the high school went particularly well, and Adele thought the curse might be over...
"I imagine you have some good-lookin' girlfriends."
She thought of her friends in Boise. "Yes."
"It's not even ten. Why don't you call 'em up, and we can all party at my house. I'm in the mood for a skin sandwich." He rocked back on his heels, and said, "I'll provide the meat."
And this conversation with Zach...
"I have something for you, and I don't want to pull it out right here."
Her mouth dropped open. "If you reach for your fly, I swear to God I'm calling the cops."
So yes, plenty of Ms. Gibson's trademark witty conversations between the H/h, and lots of getting inside the characters' heads to know what they're really thinking. Lots and lots of building heat between Adele and Zach (you just know they're going to do it, you just don't know when...or how). No complaints in that department, the steam practically comes off the pages! Tack on a bit of a clichéd (who cares?) ending that had me tearing up, and you have another winner by one of my favorite contemporary romance writers. I loved Adele, I loved Zach (even if he did have an ass**** moment), I loved Zach and Adele together, I even loved the humorous bits about Devon in "shopping purgatory" A book that has me staying up at night to read when I should be sleeping is always a winner in my book, and this one ranks right up there with my other RG favorites (See Jane Score, Nothing But Trouble, The Trouble With Valentine's Day, True Confessions). Another 5 big stars!
This one is a reunion romance. A reunion 14 years later between former college lovers Adele Harris and Zach Zemaitis. Big, blond, brown-eyed sexy college football hunk Zach was the curly blonde-haired, turquoise eyed, generous butt Adele's first lover, and he rocked her world. But then Zach . Now 14 years later, retired (after too many concussions) NFL quarterback Zach is back in Cedar Creek, Texas coaching high school football and being a single parent to his 13-year-old daughter Tiffany after Devon (the bane of Adele's existence growing up) has died in a car accident. And guess who's also back in town after being gone for years? That's right, successful romantic fantasy writer Adele is back in town, coming to the aid of her pregnant sister. Adele's sister . Adele's sister ends up having to be hospitalized due to complications with her pregnancy, and needs Adele to care for her 13 year old daughter Kendra. And Kendra just happens to be BFF with Tiffany, Zach's daughter. Guess who's bound to meet up with her old flame...?
Zach...
Adele...
Can't gush enough about this one. It has all the elements for a light, funny, sexy read. It breezes along at a good clip, with sprinkles of humor (Adele has been cursed (by a vengeful Devon) with bad dates--something always goes wrong with the men she goes out with--they say or do inexplicable things) that had me smiling as I turned the pages. Some of my favorite lines:
After a date with one of the coaches at the high school went particularly well, and Adele thought the curse might be over...
"I imagine you have some good-lookin' girlfriends."
She thought of her friends in Boise. "Yes."
"It's not even ten. Why don't you call 'em up, and we can all party at my house. I'm in the mood for a skin sandwich." He rocked back on his heels, and said, "I'll provide the meat."
And this conversation with Zach...
"I have something for you, and I don't want to pull it out right here."
Her mouth dropped open. "If you reach for your fly, I swear to God I'm calling the cops."
So yes, plenty of Ms. Gibson's trademark witty conversations between the H/h, and lots of getting inside the characters' heads to know what they're really thinking. Lots and lots of building heat between Adele and Zach (you just know they're going to do it, you just don't know when...or how). No complaints in that department, the steam practically comes off the pages! Tack on a bit of a clichéd (who cares?) ending that had me tearing up, and you have another winner by one of my favorite contemporary romance writers. I loved Adele, I loved Zach (even if he did have an ass**** moment), I loved Zach and Adele together, I even loved the humorous bits about Devon in "shopping purgatory" A book that has me staying up at night to read when I should be sleeping is always a winner in my book, and this one ranks right up there with my other RG favorites (See Jane Score, Nothing But Trouble, The Trouble With Valentine's Day, True Confessions). Another 5 big stars!
May 11, 2019
She’d fallen in love for the second time with the same man who didn’t love her. Only this time it was worse. Two times worse.
This one kept me interested, but didn't wow me like some of her others. I didn't really fall for the hero this time, something about his exaggerated southern drawl and his overall lack of substance. Yes at least he did the right thing in the end, but honestly, he didn't do much more than that. I thought Adele deserved better.
April 23, 2008
When I pick up a Rachel Gibson novel, I know that I am in for a treat! Her characters are always funny and heartfelt, and quite honestly she writes about people that I would like to be friends with. Not Another Bad Date is no exception! It starts off with a bang and never let up throughout the novel. I literally devoured it in one day. I put off housework and lazed around the house, until I finished it from cover to cover.
Devon Hamilton-Zemaitis is having a beautiful funeral. Buried in her expensive, stylish suit and perfectly coiffed hair, she is dismayed when instead of going straight to Heaven, she must endure a purgatory of sorts, to make right some wrongs she has done in her life. She is asked to give a wish to help one person she has wronged. But, when Devon is shown she must help Adele; whom she has always gone out of her way to torment throughout high school and college, Devon spitefully wishes that all of Adele’s dates end badly.
Adele doesn’t understand why perfectly nice men end up saying the strangest things to her on dates. From offers of a threesome, to telling her she has a big butt, she doesn’t understand why suddenly she brings out the worst in men. When Adele’s pregnant sister becomes hospitalized, Adele is asked to stay with her teenage niece. Reluctantly she returns to her hometown in Texas, where she discovers her first love Zach Zemaitis, Ex-Professional Football star, is now coaching high school football. Horrified, she tries to avoid Zach at all costs, but when her niece and Zach’s daughter become friends and on the same dance team, she finds herself in Zach’s company several times a week. As they are forced into each other’s company, they discover that the feelings they once had for one another is still there. But, will Devon ever let go of her hatred for Adele and let them find happiness?
I love a great reunion/lost love story! I found myself wanting to strangle Devon at times! I rooted for Zach and Adele, and got an interesting take on Devon’s afterlife. I thoroughly enjoyed watching all of the characters evolve in this book. From Zach’s mistrust of women to Adele’s leeriness of getting involved with Zach again. Even Devon comes around to doing the right thing! It was so much fun to read! In Not Another Bad Date, Rachel Gibson tells a heartfelt, sweet story that you won’t be able to put down. I know I didn’t.
September 21, 2023
Writer Adele Harris leaves Idaho to return to her hometown in Texas to help care for her pregnant sister and her 13-year-old niece. She needs a change of scenery after a slew of bad dates and hopes to have better luck in Texas. But the first guy she meets is the guy who broke her heart in college. Zach Zemaitis shattered Adele's heart when he broke off their relationship to marry Adele's nemesis, Devon. Now Devon is dead and Zach is raising his teenage daughter while coaching high school football. Adele is still attracted to Zach but is determined to keep her distance from him. But his daughter being friends with her niece keeps throwing them together at various events. Zach wants to start up where they left off many years ago; but he'll have to convince Adele to give him a chance.
This is the final book in Gibson's Writer Friends series. Both Adele and Zach were likeable characters, but I thought the story was just "ok". This story had a lot of the same tropes that we've seen in so many contemporary romances. Zach never loved his wife and has thought about Adele for the past fourteen years. Adele's dating life is awful until she is back with the love of her life. Zach doesn't want more kids, so of course Adele ends up pregnant and he believes she trapped him. Maybe it's just the fact that lately I have been bored with this genre, but I thought the story could have been better. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
This is the final book in Gibson's Writer Friends series. Both Adele and Zach were likeable characters, but I thought the story was just "ok". This story had a lot of the same tropes that we've seen in so many contemporary romances. Zach never loved his wife and has thought about Adele for the past fourteen years. Adele's dating life is awful until she is back with the love of her life. Zach doesn't want more kids, so of course Adele ends up pregnant and he believes she trapped him. Maybe it's just the fact that lately I have been bored with this genre, but I thought the story could have been better. My rating: 3.5 Stars.
July 9, 2015
Not Another Bad Date has a reunion of lovers and broken hearts in the past theme. It has ghosts too and it's the reason behind all Adele's jinxed dates for the past three years. Those dates provide the only a bit of humour here.
To be honest it was kind of boring. I mean, after all those hints in previous three books about Adele's love life, you get this. Add an annoying teenager, almost no grovelling after some harsh statements, cheese-fest in the end and it's no wonder I could hardly wait to finish this. Plus I am not into sports. At all.
Still, there was a bit of humour and a happy ending so it can count as a light summer read.
To be honest it was kind of boring. I mean, after all those hints in previous three books about Adele's love life, you get this. Add an annoying teenager, almost no grovelling after some harsh statements, cheese-fest in the end and it's no wonder I could hardly wait to finish this. Plus I am not into sports. At all.
Still, there was a bit of humour and a happy ending so it can count as a light summer read.
December 28, 2013
What does a gal have to do to get a good date in this town?
Well, this was the final instalment in the “Writers” series from Rachel Gibson. Probably my least favourite = why? Not sure. Maybe I should take a break between reading books in a series and read some different stuff in between. Saying that it was a good, enough 3.5 stars read for me.
He is a High School football coach, she is an author, visiting her sister to take care of her 13 year old niece. They had a past connection but had not seen each other for years. Actually did not “get” the whole “dead wife” thing = added nothing to the story for me.
OMG, maybe this book was not even 3.5 stars if I cannot even muster up some energy to search for some more images or gifs. Need something totally different now and as I said the reviews will be a bit more detailed when I get back to work.
“He lifted his face and came up for air. "I couldn't stay away.”
Well, this was the final instalment in the “Writers” series from Rachel Gibson. Probably my least favourite = why? Not sure. Maybe I should take a break between reading books in a series and read some different stuff in between. Saying that it was a good, enough 3.5 stars read for me.
He is a High School football coach, she is an author, visiting her sister to take care of her 13 year old niece. They had a past connection but had not seen each other for years. Actually did not “get” the whole “dead wife” thing = added nothing to the story for me.
OMG, maybe this book was not even 3.5 stars if I cannot even muster up some energy to search for some more images or gifs. Need something totally different now and as I said the reviews will be a bit more detailed when I get back to work.
“He lifted his face and came up for air. "I couldn't stay away.”
May 30, 2008
Reviewed for Avon Books (Harper Collins)
Ok, a show of hands...How many of us can relate to the title of this book? WOW! That's a lot of hands. But I least I never felt like I was cursed...yet that's exactly what's happened to the lead character from Rachel Gibson's latest novel "Not Another Bad Date". I always enjoy reading Ms. Gibson's books since I know I can count on her to deliver a sexy romance with a heavy helping of humor (how's that for alliteration?) and interesting characters. She certainly came through for me this time.
Adele really is cursed, well kinda. For some reason, for the past three years all her dates seem to go wacko at the end of the evening! They morph from perfectly nice guys to insult-slingers and sex maniacs. It's enough to drive a girl batty. When she receives an SOS from her sister, she decides to give dating a break and heads back to her hometown...only to run into "the one that got away".
Zach has a very comfortable life. He's financially secure, has a job he loves, and is growing closer to his daughter after his estranged wife's death. He certainly doesn't want, or have time for, a serious relationship. Been there, done that, lesson learned. Then he meets his daughter's new best friend's aunt...
These two certainly had their work cut out for them. Zach would have been very easy to dislike. He's a jock, he's handsome and knows it, he wasn't faithful to his wife...UGH! Right? Well, the more I learned about Zach, the more I understood his back story. I ended up liking him in spite of myself! And Adele, well Adele was someone I would like to have as my friend. She's loyal and reliable, yet would still be great to sit with while trashing men.
There are some truly memorable moments in this book. Rachel Gibson's pacing and dialogue will have you zooming through the pages. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say...sex in a high school bathroom? the phrase "skin sandwich"? a naughty angel?
If any of these things sound interesting, you'll just have to get "Not Another Bad Date" and read it yourself. Gibson's talent for contemporary romantic stories shines through in every chapter. This is one you don't want to miss.
Ok, a show of hands...How many of us can relate to the title of this book? WOW! That's a lot of hands. But I least I never felt like I was cursed...yet that's exactly what's happened to the lead character from Rachel Gibson's latest novel "Not Another Bad Date". I always enjoy reading Ms. Gibson's books since I know I can count on her to deliver a sexy romance with a heavy helping of humor (how's that for alliteration?) and interesting characters. She certainly came through for me this time.
Adele really is cursed, well kinda. For some reason, for the past three years all her dates seem to go wacko at the end of the evening! They morph from perfectly nice guys to insult-slingers and sex maniacs. It's enough to drive a girl batty. When she receives an SOS from her sister, she decides to give dating a break and heads back to her hometown...only to run into "the one that got away".
Zach has a very comfortable life. He's financially secure, has a job he loves, and is growing closer to his daughter after his estranged wife's death. He certainly doesn't want, or have time for, a serious relationship. Been there, done that, lesson learned. Then he meets his daughter's new best friend's aunt...
These two certainly had their work cut out for them. Zach would have been very easy to dislike. He's a jock, he's handsome and knows it, he wasn't faithful to his wife...UGH! Right? Well, the more I learned about Zach, the more I understood his back story. I ended up liking him in spite of myself! And Adele, well Adele was someone I would like to have as my friend. She's loyal and reliable, yet would still be great to sit with while trashing men.
There are some truly memorable moments in this book. Rachel Gibson's pacing and dialogue will have you zooming through the pages. I don't want to give anything away, but I will say...sex in a high school bathroom? the phrase "skin sandwich"? a naughty angel?
If any of these things sound interesting, you'll just have to get "Not Another Bad Date" and read it yourself. Gibson's talent for contemporary romantic stories shines through in every chapter. This is one you don't want to miss.
February 1, 2022
Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson is a second-chance themed romance set in Texas. 25 year old Adele Harris believes herself to be cursed when it comes to love, and with good reason; she has not had a good date or decent sex in years. Having been in love twice in her life, the last time being three years back, it is however her first love that she still recalls with clarity because of the intensity that it had been.
14 years since they briefly dated, Adele once again comes across Zachary James Zemaitis, the man who broke her heart all those years ago. Widowed and a single father now, Zach coaches high-school ball and is determined that he would do right when it comes to his daughter Tiffany, as his career as an NFL quarterback had meant missing out on a lot for the first ten years of her life.
When circumstances force Adele to move back to Cedar Creek for a couple of months, she is more than shocked to find out of the untimely demise of Zach’s wife, for whom Zach had walked away from Adele all those years ago. Once bitten, twice as shy, Adele is determined that she would keep Zach at arm’s distance, but then again, the lazy charm that Zach had won her over with back then, not to mention the blistering sexual heat that is between them which seems to be more pronounced than even before, is a tough mix to walk away from.
Not Another Bad Date is a story that while I enjoyed, I believe could have been better. Perhaps it is because the story did not turn out as I exactly thought it would be, with the ghost of Zach’s wife being the catalyst that kick-starts the current chain of events, that particularly did not work for me. I believe Zach and Adele would have gotten there even without the dead wife being part of the picture. While Zach has his own baggage from how he was forced to get married, the disillusionment that had caught up with him a couple of years later; all that and more makes Zach reluctant to start something that could lead to a permanent situation.
Enjoyable in its way, Not Another Bad Date is recommended for fans of Rachel Gibson and for those who love second-chance romances!
Final Verdict: When fate intervenes, resistance is futile – that is what Zachary and Adele finds out as these two find their way back to each other!
Rating = 3.75/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
14 years since they briefly dated, Adele once again comes across Zachary James Zemaitis, the man who broke her heart all those years ago. Widowed and a single father now, Zach coaches high-school ball and is determined that he would do right when it comes to his daughter Tiffany, as his career as an NFL quarterback had meant missing out on a lot for the first ten years of her life.
When circumstances force Adele to move back to Cedar Creek for a couple of months, she is more than shocked to find out of the untimely demise of Zach’s wife, for whom Zach had walked away from Adele all those years ago. Once bitten, twice as shy, Adele is determined that she would keep Zach at arm’s distance, but then again, the lazy charm that Zach had won her over with back then, not to mention the blistering sexual heat that is between them which seems to be more pronounced than even before, is a tough mix to walk away from.
Not Another Bad Date is a story that while I enjoyed, I believe could have been better. Perhaps it is because the story did not turn out as I exactly thought it would be, with the ghost of Zach’s wife being the catalyst that kick-starts the current chain of events, that particularly did not work for me. I believe Zach and Adele would have gotten there even without the dead wife being part of the picture. While Zach has his own baggage from how he was forced to get married, the disillusionment that had caught up with him a couple of years later; all that and more makes Zach reluctant to start something that could lead to a permanent situation.
Enjoyable in its way, Not Another Bad Date is recommended for fans of Rachel Gibson and for those who love second-chance romances!
Final Verdict: When fate intervenes, resistance is futile – that is what Zachary and Adele finds out as these two find their way back to each other!
Rating = 3.75/5
For more reviews and quotes, please visit A Maldivian's Passion for Romance
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May 15, 2012
4 Stars
Again, another really nice read from Rachel Gibson. I'm getting very close to having read all her books. They are quick reads, some are really fun, but all will touch your heart just bit. I just love this author. I've said it over and again. Every one of her books are "read agains". I just love them.
This book is about a women who has pretty bad luck dating. Her sister calls her needing her to come to TX to help her with her teen-ager. The sister is pregnant and the pregnancy isn't going well. She has a teen-ager and just needs a bit of help. She heads to her home town, where she runs into the man who was her first love - a former pro-football player, now coaching the high school team. Nothing is easy for these two, which makes this story a really good read.
The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the foray into paranormal with a ghost/angel thing with the coaches dead wife who also happened to be our lovely ladies nemesis.
Overall, a very good, fun read.
Happy Reading!
Again, another really nice read from Rachel Gibson. I'm getting very close to having read all her books. They are quick reads, some are really fun, but all will touch your heart just bit. I just love this author. I've said it over and again. Every one of her books are "read agains". I just love them.
This book is about a women who has pretty bad luck dating. Her sister calls her needing her to come to TX to help her with her teen-ager. The sister is pregnant and the pregnancy isn't going well. She has a teen-ager and just needs a bit of help. She heads to her home town, where she runs into the man who was her first love - a former pro-football player, now coaching the high school team. Nothing is easy for these two, which makes this story a really good read.
The only thing I wasn't crazy about was the foray into paranormal with a ghost/angel thing with the coaches dead wife who also happened to be our lovely ladies nemesis.
Overall, a very good, fun read.
Happy Reading!
November 14, 2017
ayyyy el ultimo libro de la serie...que pena...he disfrutado muchísimo cada uno de los cuatro que la componen, me han encantado.
December 14, 2017
Rachel Gibson is one of my go to authors when I want a light, witty and sexy romance. "Not Another Bad Date" is all that and more. This is a second chance romance and the H/h have it rough not only due to the circumstances of their breakup, but also due to the circumstances of their reunion. There is also a little meddling going on from the hereafter.
Adele Harris has had three years of nothing but absolutely lousy dates. She must be cursed, or crazy, or both. Now she has to move home in order to take care of her sister and 13 year old niece and the men there aren't any better, well, one is but Adele refuses to even consider him.
After a successful career as a pro football player, Zach Zemaitis is now a full time dad to a 13 year old daughter and the head coach of the local high school football team and he hasn't had sex in three years. As a college senior Zach loved and left Adele, now she is back in his life and he wants to pick up where they left off. No problem, right?
Not only does Adele not want a trip down memory lane, she does not want a repeat of her experience with Zack. But, since she is cursed won't Zack turn into a jerk when she dates him? That would solve anything - except, Zack is immune to the curse and Adele is falling for him, again.
Adele Harris has had three years of nothing but absolutely lousy dates. She must be cursed, or crazy, or both. Now she has to move home in order to take care of her sister and 13 year old niece and the men there aren't any better, well, one is but Adele refuses to even consider him.
After a successful career as a pro football player, Zach Zemaitis is now a full time dad to a 13 year old daughter and the head coach of the local high school football team and he hasn't had sex in three years. As a college senior Zach loved and left Adele, now she is back in his life and he wants to pick up where they left off. No problem, right?
Not only does Adele not want a trip down memory lane, she does not want a repeat of her experience with Zack. But, since she is cursed won't Zack turn into a jerk when she dates him? That would solve anything - except, Zack is immune to the curse and Adele is falling for him, again.
January 31, 2020
Ugh this revisiting of a favorite author has not gone well. It was full of awful stereotypes, misogyny, un-PC (offensively so), and I didn't like the characters. It didn't even benefit from the previous books narration (which wasn't bad but definitely not enough to make this bearable).
June 10, 2013
In Not Another Bad Date, Adele Harris- (the last of her writer friends to be married)- is forced to move back home when her brother-in-law ditches her sister. Her usually squared away sister, pregnant and rasing a 13 yr old daughter, desperately needs Adele to help her keep it together. Adele of course cannot refuse- despite the fact Cedar Creek, Texas is the last place she'd ever want to live again.
When arriving home she runs smack into- you guessed it- her first love, (first everything), football legend Zach Zemaitis. Obviously still in love with his dead wife, the same woman who made Adele's life miserable for most of her childhood, Adele can't believe she stumbled into his life again- especially after the pain of losing him to her narcissitic arch- nemisis.
But, of course, things aren’t what they seem concerning that marriage, and the attraction between Zach and Adele, once so strong, is still there.
Despite her best efforts, Adele finds herself back in Zach's arms again, but will she be able to separate the great sex he still knows how to lay down on her, from her heart this time, preserving her from the pain sure to come?
Having been stuck with one woman who tricked him into marriage Zach isnt sure he knows what love is, but he's sure of one thing- He can't stop thinking about the sexy blond who once rocked his world.
Naturally what neither of them know is that two hands of Fate are at work in their lives and one them doesnt want them together- ever. Who will win?
Fun, fast read, if formulaic. Still, I enjoyed it for the fluff that it is. 3.5 stars for me.
When arriving home she runs smack into- you guessed it- her first love, (first everything), football legend Zach Zemaitis. Obviously still in love with his dead wife, the same woman who made Adele's life miserable for most of her childhood, Adele can't believe she stumbled into his life again- especially after the pain of losing him to her narcissitic arch- nemisis.
But, of course, things aren’t what they seem concerning that marriage, and the attraction between Zach and Adele, once so strong, is still there.
Despite her best efforts, Adele finds herself back in Zach's arms again, but will she be able to separate the great sex he still knows how to lay down on her, from her heart this time, preserving her from the pain sure to come?
Having been stuck with one woman who tricked him into marriage Zach isnt sure he knows what love is, but he's sure of one thing- He can't stop thinking about the sexy blond who once rocked his world.
Naturally what neither of them know is that two hands of Fate are at work in their lives and one them doesnt want them together- ever. Who will win?
Fun, fast read, if formulaic. Still, I enjoyed it for the fluff that it is. 3.5 stars for me.
April 19, 2015
Predictable but sweet second chance at love romance.
This book was ok even though it was quite simple. It made for a decent light read. I wish there had been more character and plot development but if you are looking for an easy read this will do the trick.
This book was ok even though it was quite simple. It made for a decent light read. I wish there had been more character and plot development but if you are looking for an easy read this will do the trick.
May 29, 2015
The 4th in the series by Rachel Gibson. I loved it! Thanks Daisiemae! Rachel Gibson is quickly becoming one of my fave authors with her brand of light and witty romances.
July 26, 2019
Segundo intento de escribir esta review, esperemos que esta vez salga bien.
Punto número uno. Este libro es una relectura. Punto número dos. Creo que el mejor libro de Gibson es Jane Juega y Gana (See Jane Score) por lo que lo uso como referencia de cualquier otro libro de esta autora. Y punto tres. Le he puesto 4 estrellas, la nota real sería un 3 y medio.
La primera vez que leí este libro recuerdo que me gustó, no al nivel de Jane, pero sí lo suficiente para dedicarle una segunda lectura cierto tiempo después y ahora una tercera, por lo que creo que puedo dar una opinión bastante meditada.
A la Gibson se le dan bien, muy bien, los Deportistas, o por lo menos a mí sus libros alejados de esta temática siempre me han parecido un poco meh! Así que este es el único libro de esta saga que me he leído, corresponde al Cuarteto de Escritoras, pero el resto no me llama demasiado.
Porque aquí tenemos un sporty melofó de lo más apañado. Zach Zemaitis es un ex quarterback de la NFL reconvertido en entrenador de Instituto local y a Adele Harris una escritora especializada en Fantasía que regresa a su pueblo natal por amor a su familia, y tras sufrir una larga serie de malas citas, ya no cree en el amor. O al menos que le pueda pasar a ella.
Zach y Adele se conocieron unos 15 años atrás cuando estudiaban juntos en la Universidad de Texas, pero lo que podría haber tenido un final feliz se vio truncado por la intervención de una Mean Girl de manual, Devon vieja conocida de Adele, estudiaron en el mismo instituto pero viviendo en universos completamente separados. Y es que Devon estaba dispuesta a lo que fuera con tal de atrapar al pez mas grande Del Mar, en este caso Zach y para ello empleará el truco mas viejo del mundo. Quedarse embarazada.
Así que cuando Adele y Zach se reencuentran, se han convertido en dos personas descreídas del amor. Zach lleva varios años viudo y ejerciendo de padre soltero, y viendo como las mujeres lo miran como un premio gordo a la espera de ser cobrado, mientras que la traición que Adele vio en el hecho de que él la abandonara para casarse con su novia preñada y las anteriormente nombradas malas citas, no ha mejorado demasiado la opinion que tiene sobre los hombres. Si a esto le sumamos que el motivo de su vuelta al pueblo es ayudar a su hermana embarazada y a la que su marido acaba de abandonar por una higienista dental con nombre de stripper pues tenemos un combo bastante interesante.
Como en Jane tenemos adolescentes correteando por la trama por un lado la hija de Zach Tiffany y por otro a la sobrina mayor de Adele, Kendra, que para colmo son amigas. Mientras que Kendra es un cría mas o menos normal y soportable Tiffany es, en determinados momentos, digna hija de su fallecida madre y otros un angel encantador. Por lo que empatizar con ella se torna complicado.
Ojo que vienen Spoilers.
Si el libro fuera solamente esto, el reencuentro de dos antiguos amantes el libro para mí sería de 4 estrellas. Mi problema viene con la parte “paranormal” de la trama. Y es que desde la introducción ya nos cuentan que la fallecida Devon para poder entrar en el Cielo debe arreglar sus malas acciones contra Adele, empezando por haber roto su relación con Zach. Mientras tanto debe vivir en una especie de infierno - purgatorio con forma de Target y JC Penney. El horror para una pija como ella a la que enterraron con su traje de Chanel como mortaja.
Y es que cada aparición de Devon es un desastre a la espera, aunque al final todos se acaban volviendo en su contra, pero que deja a los personajes principales reaccionando como adolescente enfados, pese a que la edad del pavo ya les queda lejana.
Pese a todo es un libro entretenido, en el que si entras en el juego del destino con forma de bruja en el purgatorio es disfrutable y que en mi caso aguanta unas cuántas re lecturas. No es perfecto, pero es un Guilty Pleasure perfecto para un par de tardes de desconexión.
Punto número uno. Este libro es una relectura. Punto número dos. Creo que el mejor libro de Gibson es Jane Juega y Gana (See Jane Score) por lo que lo uso como referencia de cualquier otro libro de esta autora. Y punto tres. Le he puesto 4 estrellas, la nota real sería un 3 y medio.
La primera vez que leí este libro recuerdo que me gustó, no al nivel de Jane, pero sí lo suficiente para dedicarle una segunda lectura cierto tiempo después y ahora una tercera, por lo que creo que puedo dar una opinión bastante meditada.
A la Gibson se le dan bien, muy bien, los Deportistas, o por lo menos a mí sus libros alejados de esta temática siempre me han parecido un poco meh! Así que este es el único libro de esta saga que me he leído, corresponde al Cuarteto de Escritoras, pero el resto no me llama demasiado.
Porque aquí tenemos un sporty melofó de lo más apañado. Zach Zemaitis es un ex quarterback de la NFL reconvertido en entrenador de Instituto local y a Adele Harris una escritora especializada en Fantasía que regresa a su pueblo natal por amor a su familia, y tras sufrir una larga serie de malas citas, ya no cree en el amor. O al menos que le pueda pasar a ella.
Zach y Adele se conocieron unos 15 años atrás cuando estudiaban juntos en la Universidad de Texas, pero lo que podría haber tenido un final feliz se vio truncado por la intervención de una Mean Girl de manual, Devon vieja conocida de Adele, estudiaron en el mismo instituto pero viviendo en universos completamente separados. Y es que Devon estaba dispuesta a lo que fuera con tal de atrapar al pez mas grande Del Mar, en este caso Zach y para ello empleará el truco mas viejo del mundo. Quedarse embarazada.
Así que cuando Adele y Zach se reencuentran, se han convertido en dos personas descreídas del amor. Zach lleva varios años viudo y ejerciendo de padre soltero, y viendo como las mujeres lo miran como un premio gordo a la espera de ser cobrado, mientras que la traición que Adele vio en el hecho de que él la abandonara para casarse con su novia preñada y las anteriormente nombradas malas citas, no ha mejorado demasiado la opinion que tiene sobre los hombres. Si a esto le sumamos que el motivo de su vuelta al pueblo es ayudar a su hermana embarazada y a la que su marido acaba de abandonar por una higienista dental con nombre de stripper pues tenemos un combo bastante interesante.
Como en Jane tenemos adolescentes correteando por la trama por un lado la hija de Zach Tiffany y por otro a la sobrina mayor de Adele, Kendra, que para colmo son amigas. Mientras que Kendra es un cría mas o menos normal y soportable Tiffany es, en determinados momentos, digna hija de su fallecida madre y otros un angel encantador. Por lo que empatizar con ella se torna complicado.
Ojo que vienen Spoilers.
Si el libro fuera solamente esto, el reencuentro de dos antiguos amantes el libro para mí sería de 4 estrellas. Mi problema viene con la parte “paranormal” de la trama. Y es que desde la introducción ya nos cuentan que la fallecida Devon para poder entrar en el Cielo debe arreglar sus malas acciones contra Adele, empezando por haber roto su relación con Zach. Mientras tanto debe vivir en una especie de infierno - purgatorio con forma de Target y JC Penney. El horror para una pija como ella a la que enterraron con su traje de Chanel como mortaja.
Y es que cada aparición de Devon es un desastre a la espera, aunque al final todos se acaban volviendo en su contra, pero que deja a los personajes principales reaccionando como adolescente enfados, pese a que la edad del pavo ya les queda lejana.
Pese a todo es un libro entretenido, en el que si entras en el juego del destino con forma de bruja en el purgatorio es disfrutable y que en mi caso aguanta unas cuántas re lecturas. No es perfecto, pero es un Guilty Pleasure perfecto para un par de tardes de desconexión.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2021
3.5 Stars for me!
My rating range of this story... 2 - 4 Stars
If significant, why?
Main Character Ratings...
H = 2/10
h = 6/10
Narrator Rating(s)
M = n/a
F = 7/10
If below 5/10,why?
Was cheating involved? Not by the MCs in this relationship.
Any major triggers to be aware of? No
Angst Level? Heavy at times
Light, Moderate, Heavy or Please Stop
Scenes with heat... Yes
Heat Rating... 7/10
Clean or Fade to Black - 1 or 2
Normal to Descriptive 3-5
Detailed Descriptive Sex - 6-7
Um, Wow, Beyond Descriptive Sex - 8 or above
Was there so much sex or unrealistic sex that you rolled your eyes and/or skipped forward? No
The back story... The h returns to her hometown to help her sister through a difficult pregnancy after her husband dumped her for a 21 year old. The H, after a 10 year career, takes a job coaching high school football in the same town. He and the h dated in college where he ended up breaking it off after his previous girlfriend found out that she was pregnant.
The Romance... This one does build well but it felt like a facade as the H would act like a 4 year spoiled child when something rubbed him the wrong way.
The drama explosion... The h is given life changing news
Did it feel Real, OK or contrived? Awful
Was it OTT? 1 million percent
Separation involved? Short
Was it resolved properly or rushed? Ok
Final Notes... The H had two horrible tantrums that would have had me running the other way. The h just let it go and gave in both times without holding the H accountable. Yes there was a ghost involved but the H is responsible for his own actions.
HEA or HFN? HFN but I see a divorce and restraining order in their future.
My rating range of this story... 2 - 4 Stars
If significant, why?
Main Character Ratings...
H = 2/10
h = 6/10
Narrator Rating(s)
M = n/a
F = 7/10
If below 5/10,why?
Was cheating involved? Not by the MCs in this relationship.
Any major triggers to be aware of? No
Angst Level? Heavy at times
Light, Moderate, Heavy or Please Stop
Scenes with heat... Yes
Heat Rating... 7/10
Clean or Fade to Black - 1 or 2
Normal to Descriptive 3-5
Detailed Descriptive Sex - 6-7
Um, Wow, Beyond Descriptive Sex - 8 or above
Was there so much sex or unrealistic sex that you rolled your eyes and/or skipped forward? No
The back story... The h returns to her hometown to help her sister through a difficult pregnancy after her husband dumped her for a 21 year old. The H, after a 10 year career, takes a job coaching high school football in the same town. He and the h dated in college where he ended up breaking it off after his previous girlfriend found out that she was pregnant.
The Romance... This one does build well but it felt like a facade as the H would act like a 4 year spoiled child when something rubbed him the wrong way.
The drama explosion... The h is given life changing news
Did it feel Real, OK or contrived? Awful
Was it OTT? 1 million percent
Separation involved? Short
Was it resolved properly or rushed? Ok
Final Notes... The H had two horrible tantrums that would have had me running the other way. The h just let it go and gave in both times without holding the H accountable. Yes there was a ghost involved but the H is responsible for his own actions.
HEA or HFN? HFN but I see a divorce and restraining order in their future.
April 14, 2017
Adele and Zach used to date, then they broke up and honestly, the reason why?! Why do you doom yourself to a life of miserable? Honor, ok. Sure, do the honorable thing and spend a life in misery, I am sure that makes every happy. So yes I did not like the reason they broke up. It was honorable, but in the end so stupid.
Adele and Zach meet again. He is a widower with a kid. He used to be a professional football player. He is a total hunk. While Adele is there to care for her sister and niece. And NOT meet him again.
But meet they do. She wants nothing to do with him. He thinks she is still hot.
There was a ghost too, I did not care for that aspect. It was weird.
They talk, they flirt, slowly things start to happen. It was light and funny. Though he did act like an ass at times. I get you got issues man but sheesh!
Cute
Adele and Zach meet again. He is a widower with a kid. He used to be a professional football player. He is a total hunk. While Adele is there to care for her sister and niece. And NOT meet him again.
But meet they do. She wants nothing to do with him. He thinks she is still hot.
There was a ghost too, I did not care for that aspect. It was weird.
They talk, they flirt, slowly things start to happen. It was light and funny. Though he did act like an ass at times. I get you got issues man but sheesh!
Cute
June 25, 2022
A second chances rom com with wit and lots of steam! Very entertaining audiobook! I really enjoyed the entire series, but wish there was just a bit more of a wrap up at the end of this book which is the last in the series. That said, it was a fun series to listen to and delightfully funny to enjoy! Only 4 books in the series, but I'd recommend them if you like fun rom coms with a bit of steamy bedroom aerobics!
December 12, 2009
I can't say this was a must-read book in romance but it wasn't a time waster either. Basically, this book was just another fun and fast read by Rachel Gibson.
Adele Harris is a beautiful and successful 35 year-old writer who has been unlucky in love for the past 3 years. Lousy date after lousy date, she is begining to wonder if there is something wrong with her which turns normal nice guys into losers.
Then, a family matter occurs and she has to go back to her hometown in Texas to help her sister for a couple of months. Going back home brings back the memories of the reason she left there in the first place; a gorgeous 6'4" football player who was her first love and broke her heart into pieces 14 years ago at college.
Zach Zemaitis; a former NFL quarterback, now a high school football coach has lived an unhappy marriage. He has been away from his daughter for most of her life and he finds himself as a full-time dad when his wife dies 3 years ago. When he runs into Adele one day, he remembers the beautiful and sweet girl he once dated at college. He cannot resist the attraction between them but Adele doesn't want to make the same mistake twice, if only she can tell this to her treacherous heart.
I love it when the leading characters have a past together and how it binds them together later on in their relationship. Also, I like the fact that what the characters have together isn't like a cotton candy perfect love (as in all other Rachel Gibson books) their relationship is realistic enough to wonder how they finally will end up with each other.
The humor made me giggle, the Texan love of football intrigued me enough to learn about it more and the existence of true love once again melt my heart. Still, I can't help but wonder why the need of a dead character that served no real purpose to the story, and why bother with curses either? Couldn't she simply have bad dates without the paranormal interference?
Adele Harris is a beautiful and successful 35 year-old writer who has been unlucky in love for the past 3 years. Lousy date after lousy date, she is begining to wonder if there is something wrong with her which turns normal nice guys into losers.
Then, a family matter occurs and she has to go back to her hometown in Texas to help her sister for a couple of months. Going back home brings back the memories of the reason she left there in the first place; a gorgeous 6'4" football player who was her first love and broke her heart into pieces 14 years ago at college.
Zach Zemaitis; a former NFL quarterback, now a high school football coach has lived an unhappy marriage. He has been away from his daughter for most of her life and he finds himself as a full-time dad when his wife dies 3 years ago. When he runs into Adele one day, he remembers the beautiful and sweet girl he once dated at college. He cannot resist the attraction between them but Adele doesn't want to make the same mistake twice, if only she can tell this to her treacherous heart.
I love it when the leading characters have a past together and how it binds them together later on in their relationship. Also, I like the fact that what the characters have together isn't like a cotton candy perfect love (as in all other Rachel Gibson books) their relationship is realistic enough to wonder how they finally will end up with each other.
The humor made me giggle, the Texan love of football intrigued me enough to learn about it more and the existence of true love once again melt my heart. Still, I can't help but wonder why the need of a dead character that served no real purpose to the story, and why bother with curses either? Couldn't she simply have bad dates without the paranormal interference?
May 14, 2019
Adele, the last single writer friend of the quartet, finally gets her happy ending.
Adele finds herself returning to her hometown in order to help her pregnant sister who's going through a divorce. There, she bumps into Zach, her college boyfriend who broke her heart. He was the popular jock who found nerdy young Adele attractive but .
Now Adele is back and for some reason all her dates turn crazy, making her think she's cursed. .
Zack never expected to see Adele again, but when she re-enters his life, he is determined to get her to give him another chance. The two start a relationship that they both know has an expiration date, since she plans to leave after her sister has her baby.
Feelings develop and things get complicated, with Zach's daughter getting upset when she finds out about them and then .
A second chance at love that ends in a happily ever after.
Previous book reviews:
✦ Tangled Up In You (Truly Idaho, #2; Writer Friends, #3)
✦ I'm in No Mood for Love (Writer Friends, #2)
✦ Sex, Lies, and Online Dating (Writer Friends, #1)
Adele finds herself returning to her hometown in order to help her pregnant sister who's going through a divorce. There, she bumps into Zach, her college boyfriend who broke her heart. He was the popular jock who found nerdy young Adele attractive but .
Now Adele is back and for some reason all her dates turn crazy, making her think she's cursed. .
Zack never expected to see Adele again, but when she re-enters his life, he is determined to get her to give him another chance. The two start a relationship that they both know has an expiration date, since she plans to leave after her sister has her baby.
Feelings develop and things get complicated, with Zach's daughter getting upset when she finds out about them and then .
A second chance at love that ends in a happily ever after.
Previous book reviews:
✦ Tangled Up In You (Truly Idaho, #2; Writer Friends, #3)
✦ I'm in No Mood for Love (Writer Friends, #2)
✦ Sex, Lies, and Online Dating (Writer Friends, #1)
July 7, 2008
Adele Harris doesn't just feel like all of her dates for the past three years have been cursed - they really have been - by deceased Devon, the girl who not only tormented Adele throughout their school years, but also got pregnant and married the man Adele loved. Adele is back in her home town in Texas taking care of her niece while her sister spends the last months of her pregnancy in the hospital. Adele is horrified to run into Zach Zemaitis, her first love, after all these years. Unfortunately, because of the friendship of her niece and Zach's daughter, Adele is forced to spend time with Zach. Before long, Zach and Adele are drawn into a relationship. Devon's spitefulness even after death causes the feelings that are developing between the couple to be threatened.
This was another great Rachel Gibson book. The story of Adele Harris completed the series about four friends who are writers. This book was quick and easy to read, and was thoroughly enjoyable.
This was another great Rachel Gibson book. The story of Adele Harris completed the series about four friends who are writers. This book was quick and easy to read, and was thoroughly enjoyable.
April 14, 2016
Not Another Bad Date
5 Stars
Adele Harris has been plagued by a string of terrible dates and has given up on the opposite sex. But her vow to stay away from men is put to the test when she returns to her hometown and comes face to face with Zack Zemaitis, the one who not only got away but broke her heart in the process. Can Adele and Zack put aside their differences and regain the passion they once shared?
A wonderful conclusion to an excellent series that has got me back into reading contemporary romances after a long break.
Adele and Zach's second chances romance is fantastic. Their chemistry oozes off the pages and there is no angst at all as they are open and honest with each other about their issues.
My one small nitpick is the excessive football descriptions. However, as the sports genre is not a favorite of mine that would make sense and readers who do enjoy this theme will probably love it.
All in all, an excellent series and this is the best one in it.
5 Stars
Adele Harris has been plagued by a string of terrible dates and has given up on the opposite sex. But her vow to stay away from men is put to the test when she returns to her hometown and comes face to face with Zack Zemaitis, the one who not only got away but broke her heart in the process. Can Adele and Zack put aside their differences and regain the passion they once shared?
A wonderful conclusion to an excellent series that has got me back into reading contemporary romances after a long break.
Adele and Zach's second chances romance is fantastic. Their chemistry oozes off the pages and there is no angst at all as they are open and honest with each other about their issues.
My one small nitpick is the excessive football descriptions. However, as the sports genre is not a favorite of mine that would make sense and readers who do enjoy this theme will probably love it.
All in all, an excellent series and this is the best one in it.
January 12, 2026
😊 ¡Qué bien lo he pasado leyendo este libro! Contemporánea, tercera persona, del año 2008. Adele y Zach (35) se enamoraron de jovencitos, pero él se casó con otra, y Adele se fue a Boise (Idaho). Cuando regresa a Tejas para ayudar a su hermana, se reencuentra a Zach, ahora viudo y con una nena de 13 años. Pero tan sexy como siempre. Y aunque ella no quiere que le rompa el ❤️, se dice que a nadie le amarga un 🥞. ¿Por qué no darse una alegría al cuerpo antes de volver a 🏡 y no verle nunca más de nuevo?
Al fin y al cabo, mientras no tengan una cita-cita, no le alcanzará la «maldición de las citas» que padece desde hace tres años.
Los momentos sexis, estupendos... al estilo de hace tres lustros, o sea, explícito pero sin chorreos. Y toques graciosos algo paranormales a cuenta de la ex de Zach, sí, la que está muerta.
Crítica más extensa, en mi blog.
Al fin y al cabo, mientras no tengan una cita-cita, no le alcanzará la «maldición de las citas» que padece desde hace tres años.
Los momentos sexis, estupendos... al estilo de hace tres lustros, o sea, explícito pero sin chorreos. Y toques graciosos algo paranormales a cuenta de la ex de Zach, sí, la que está muerta.
Crítica más extensa, en mi blog.
March 28, 2009
Reviewed for Avon Books.
I loved this book!!! For the author to live in Idaho she really knows what goes on on Friday nights in Texas, High School football. As a born and raised Texan she decribes it perfectly!!! The storyline is well thought out and the characters are well developed. I loved the scenes with Devon and the Angel, Mrs. Harbarger. Just too funny!! I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a feel good story. I guess I am going to have to find the 3 previous books in this series.
I loved this book!!! For the author to live in Idaho she really knows what goes on on Friday nights in Texas, High School football. As a born and raised Texan she decribes it perfectly!!! The storyline is well thought out and the characters are well developed. I loved the scenes with Devon and the Angel, Mrs. Harbarger. Just too funny!! I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a feel good story. I guess I am going to have to find the 3 previous books in this series.
nope
July 26, 2020Apparently I own a copy of this too. The synopsis and storyline is way too similar to Truly Madly Yours which I just recently read and it wasn't a good experience. So this is a no-go for me and going straight to the donation pile. I'm done with Rachel Gibson books.
October 20, 2008
I was disappointed with this book. The way Zach treats Adele during a couple crucial scenes was horrible and how Adele ran back to him was even worse.
I could have done with out the levels of Heaven part.
I could have done with out the levels of Heaven part.
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