Iris Kelly Doesn't Date

August 21, 2023
Blake’s third and final Bright Falls romance (after Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail) sends the series out on a high note with more spicy sex and genuine emotion. Iris Kelly is a romance novelist who doesn’t do relationships—but she does agree to an (awkward) one-night stand with eventual love interest Stevie Scott. With Iris struggling with writer’s block and Stevie hoping to become less anxious around sex, the pair decide on a mutually beneficial fake-dating scheme made less typical by the extents to which they take the ruse, including rehearsed pet names and steamy practice dates. Though there’s something a little after-school-special about the presentation of Stevie’s anxiety—“Stevie’s struggles with Generalized Anxiety Disorder were very real” comes four pages after the character is introduced—the anxiety itself is portrayed realistically, and the comfort Iris gives Stevie, as well as the balance Stevie gives to Iris, is appealingly sweet. Blake also does an admirable job of wrapping up the series, bringing all the past couples together one last time in a touching finale. This is a treat. Agent: Rebecca Podos, Rees Literary.

September 15, 2023
In this fun and frothy queer romance concluding the popular Bright Falls trilogy (Delilah Green Doesn't Care, 2022), romance writer Iris and struggling actor Stevie meet on a night out. They've each had a terrible day: Iris is feeling pressure from her family to settle down (but she doesn't think that she's cut out for a relationship), and Stevie has had an uncomfortable encounter with her ex. They each decide that a one-night stand is the perfect solution to their problems. They head home for what should be a sexy hook-up until Stevie's anxiety gets the better of her and the night ends disastrously. However, after a series of believable misunderstandings, and Iris trying out for the community play that Stevie is acting in, they decide to fake-date. Through this "relationship" they face down the very different barriers to dating they each have. Filled with steamy sex scenes while also tackling emotional issues, this book will delight fans of the previous books in the series and will appeal to other rom-com readers as well.

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September 1, 2023

The latest in Blake's "Bright Falls" series, after Astrid Parker Doesn't Fail, returns readers to their favorite characters. This time, Iris is the star, and she is struggling while watching her friends live out their romantic fantasies. In previous titles, readers saw bisexual Iris dating men and women, but now Iris is alone and feels at a loss. In an attempt to make herself feel better, she goes out on the town in Portland one evening, ending with a disastrous one-night stand with a woman named Stefania. Iris, who is also a romance novelist, feels incredibly stuck in her writing due to her current romantic situation, so she decides to join a play in hopes of breaking through her writer's block as well as her love block. Whom she finds there is unexpected: Stefania, a.k.a. Stevie. When Stevie asks her to fake-date, Iris is immediately wary, but figures it will help her write her next book, although things won't be as simple as she expected. VERDICT Blake continues to write compelling and lovable characters with engaging and empathetic storylines. Readers will love this foray back into Bright Falls.--Tegan Beese

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2023
A bisexual romance author burned by love and an anxious actress fake-date in hope of keeping their meddling friends at bay. Iris Kelly is happily single, though her friends and family in Portland, Oregon, would have her believe otherwise. While she'd be perfectly fine entertaining one-night-stands at Lush, her favorite queer bar, those closest to her can't seem to stop intervening in her love life. Iris is the middle child of an Irish Catholic family, squished between picture-perfect married siblings and a mother who constantly sets her up with both men and women. After her latest relationship ended with her girlfriend's wife showing up, Iris is no longer in a happily-ever-after mood...to the detriment of her second romance novel, which has a deadline coming up. Stevie Scott is in a similar predicament; her best friend/ex-girlfriend Adri is now dating her other best friend, and they're all working together on the same gender-bent production of Much Ado About Nothing at a local theater. Stevie, who battles anxiety, fears she will never get back in the dating game--not that her friends ever let her forget it. Feigning confidence, Stevie tries her hand at Lush and meets free-wheeling Iris, though the date doesn't quite end in fireworks. But when Iris unknowingly shows up to audition for Stevie's play, they realize they can teach each other a few things about romance and sex while appeasing their nosy friends for a couple of months. As they coach each other through the ins and outs of casual dating and wooing, Iris and Stevie begin to find it difficult to keep their ruse strictly educational. The third and final installment of Blake's Bright Falls series features an eclectic and diverse, albeit overbearing, cast of friends. Iris and Stevie's attraction to each other is palpable, and Blake masterfully weaves a tale of growth where friendship, confidence, and passion ensue. A treat for fake-dating fans and happily-ever-after lovers alike.

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