Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date: A swoon-worthy, laugh-out-loud queer romcom
£5.20
A fake relationship with a one-night stand is anything but an act in this witty and heartfelt new romantic comedy that is perfect for fans of Alexandria Bellefleur, Casey McQuiston and Rosie Danan.
—
Everyone around Iris Kelly is in love.
And she’s happy for all of them, truly. So what if she misses her friends and family, who are busy with their perfectly paired partners. At least she has her brand-new career writing romance novels (the irony), right?
Wrong. She is completely out of ideas after having spent all of her romantic energy on her debut.
Perfectly happy to ignore her problems as usual, Iris goes to a Portland bar. But a night of dancing with a sexy stranger named Stefania turns into the worst one-night stand Iris has had in her life (vomit and crying are regretfully involved).
To get her mind off everything, Iris tries out for a local play only to come face-to-face with Stefania-or, Stevie, her real name. When Stevie desperately asks Iris to play along as her girlfriend, Iris is shocked but goes along with it in a bid to get her creative juices flowing.
As the two women play the part of a couple, they turn into a constant state of hot-and-bothered and soon it just comes down to who will make the real first move . . .
Why readers love Ashley Herring Blake . . .
‘A hot, frothy romcom with a relatable heart beating at its centre. I can’t wait for the rest of the series!’ Talia Hibbert
‘A truly exquisite romance . . . I’m wildly in love with this book’ Rachel Lynn Solomon
‘A swoon-worthy, laugh-out-loud romp of a romance’ Kosoko Jackson
‘Snappy banter and seriously scorching chemistry; you’ll need a very cold shower after this read!’ Lana Harper
‘Charming and entertaining . . . Blake’s masterful blend of sexual tension and growing affection will have readers swooning’ Karelia Stetz-Waters
‘Snarky, steamy, and swoony in equal measure, I never wanted this book to end’ Meryl Wilsner
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Additional information
| Publisher | Piatkus (24 Oct. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 2769 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 418 pages |
| Page numbers source ISBN | 0593550579 |
by Kindle Customer
A beautiful ending to my favorite collection of books.
by Red Dragon
I really enjoyed this book from the first chapter to the epilogue. On the surface we have two MC’s – one confident, out going and lives life to the full, the other has serious anxiety issues which can disappear when she brings her ‘professional’ persona into play!
The dialogue is fast paced, with very funny scenes. It also has serious notes regarding the ‘issues’ the MC’s have which come between them. There is a great supporting cast of characters from two previous books – which are now on my tbr list!
All in all a cracker of a book.
Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for the ARC. This review is my honest opinion.
by Lizzy
Loved it. Gutted it’s the last one in the series.
by Ginny
This book is so cute I loved the book it was easy to read. I loved the romance and the spice in this book. This book was cute and a lot of banter. I loved it it’s a queer romance novel loved it recommend.
by read_with_charl
I am feeling very raw after saying goodbye to Bright Falls and the characters I have fallen in love with throughout the series.
I must start by saying that this is a very biased review because for me Ashely Herring Blake can do no wrong and this was proven by the final book in the series, Iris Kelly doesn’t Date. It’s been such a pleasure to observe Ashley’s writing go from strength to strength. One of my favourite features is the vulnerability of her characters and the depth in which she writes. Her character development for both love interests always leaves the reader with a thorough understanding of each character.
Iris Kelly and Stevie Scott, I adore you both. After a disastrous first hook up, Iris and Stevie reach a fake dating agreement. Iris will give Stevie intimacy lessons and Stevie will give-starved romance author- Iris the romance she needs for her next book and my god does she deliver; the hot air balloon date was just perfect.
I loved the split setting between Bright Falls and Portland, as well as the introduction of Stevie’s friends: Ren, Vanessa and Adri (although I liked her the least), and that Simon-although still a supporting character- had a bigger role in Iris’s story. The Empress Theatre and the queer adaption of Shakespeare’s classic, Much Ado about Nothing was just superb.
The slow burn built up was something else and my goodness this was Ashely’s steamiest book yet. I loved the sentimental value of the epilogue- ending with how the series started with Claire and Delilah’s HEA.
Ashley Herring Blake, I can’t thank you enough for creating this wonderful series.
Read if you enjoy:
•Sapphic Romance
•Small Town Setting
•Fake Dating
•Opposites Attract
by Jess
I really enjoyed Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date. There’s a lot of fun to be had within these pages, and some great spicy scenes, but also some very real reflection and thought. Lots of the characters had aspects that truly resonated with me – and the description of Stevie’s GAD was very accurate (in my opinion). I hadn’t read the other installments of the Bright Falls series before going into this – and it works well as a standalone – however, I’m immediately going to go back and read the others too!
by Ellie Sear
The best day of my week was receiving the approved request for this gorgeous book from NetGalley. Blake has already written two glorious sapphic romance books, and my god, she did not disappoint with the third and final instalment.
We meet Stevie who wants to learn how to be able to carry out casual relationships and Iris who is willing to be her fake girlfriend to help. Stevie is here for romance and wants to help Iris with her writers block.
This leads us on a gorgeous journey of two people learning what it takes to be in a healthy relationship despite their previous heartache and perceptions of themselves.
There were time where I wanted to shake them and just tell them to get their acts together, but honestly, there isn’t one thing I would change about this book. I got through it quickly because I didn’t want to be in the dark. I need to know they were okay.
I cannot wait to read Blake’s next romance book, regardless of whether it is set in bright falls or not.
by D. W. Morgan
…tears of joy. Fabulous final instalment of the ‘Bright Falls’ trilogy of novels by Ashley Herring Blake – wonderful, believable characters, new & old, with just the right amount of spice, and for me this book is the equal of ‘Delilah Green…’ in its portrayal of a love that was meant to be despite the many obstacles the protagonists have to overcome. I didn’t think I would ever care as much about a fictional couple as I did about Delilah & Claire in the first book, but by the end of this I was equally enthralled by Iris & Stevie’s dance to romance. And yes, my eyes really were blurred by happy tears as I read through chapter 37. I’ve consumed a lot of sapphic fiction these past few months by many different authors and the resolution in this book to the obligatory 3rd act breakup is by far the most satisfactory out of all the stories I’ve read to date. Iris & Stevie’s emotional hang ups were totally believable & somewhat relatable, I know when you’ve had you’re heart sliced up into tiny pieces by someone you thought had loved you, it can take a long time regain trust in yourself as much as in others. Anyway, can’t recommend this trilogy of novels highly enough and although it seems a shame we won’t be returning to Bright Falls and this mesmerising cast for any further romantic adventures I’ll keep a keen eye on any future work by Ashley Herring Blake, who doesn’t care & doesn’t fail to make me cry & that’s a date!