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IRIS KELLY DOESN'T DATE by Ashley Herring Blake

IRIS KELLY DOESN'T DATE

by Ashley Herring Blake

Pub Date: Oct. 24th, 2023
ISBN: 9780593550571
Publisher: Berkley

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.