Dare Me

Well written but shallow story.

ARC for honest review with no compensation Received from Valentine PR Dare Me is book 1 in the Donovan’s series by Samantha Chase and a really great start to this series! First up is Arianna Donovan and Will Jameson who meet after Arianna is dared to walk up and introduce herself to a stranger. What begins as a 24 hour meet, greet and leave end up with more time when they end up on a plane headed to the east coast. Sparks fly, exchange numbers, long distance relationship ends when Will ghosts her. Now a year later, dinner at her parents and her brother who’s exited the service brings a buddy home and it’s Will?..what happens next will keep you glued to the book..second chance, push, pull, sexy times, secrets and so much more! Can’t wait for the next Donovan to find their HEA!

Four and a half stars Dare Me is the first in Samantha Chase’s new Donovans series. Arianna Donovan and Will Jameson meet on a dare and spend a memorable day together. But circumstances and Arianna’s well-intentioned but meddlesome family intervene and they don’t have any contact for more than a year. Samantha Chase brings the lively and loving Donovan family to life, and Arianna and her siblings and parents feel real and funny and frustrating and so entertaining, as those big, loving families tend to. Thankfully Will and Arianna figure out what they want and determine their path to their happiness, changing some minds and hearts along the way. Looking forward to the rest of the Donovans too!

WOW! Samantha Chase has done it again! I absolutely loved Dare Me, the first book in her new The Donovans series! I can truly say that Dare Me is an incredible love story, which filled me with a rollercoaster of emotions, and was impossible to put down. I loved every moment on every page. Samantha Chase continues to deliver incredibly written love stories that I LOVE to read. I love this incredible second chance love story, the Laurel Bay, Maine setting, and the amazing characters, they feel like family! Samantha Chase definitely does not disappoint her readers with all the feels in Dare Me and has once again delivered an amazing story filled with everything that I have come to love about and expect from her books. Who does not love hot sexy men, strong, passionate females, big loving families, and caring friends, who always support each other? I love how Samantha develops her characters in such a way that you fall in love with them and care about them much like a good friend. I love how Samantha Chase always manages to create the "perfect" heroine, who is a strong, sassy woman on her own, to balance out the sexy, swoon worthy man. Samantha Chase continues to deliver all that and so much more. I am not sure how she does it, but Samantha Chase has once again given her readers another remarkable book. Dare Me is filled with all the heartbreaking and heartwarming moments and plot twists, that I have come to love and expect in a Samantha Chase love story, I especially loved the poignant and bittersweet moments that filled this page turner. Samantha Chase continues to prove that she is an incredible storyteller. I love that she writes her stories from the perspective of the main characters. I love getting inside their minds and knowing their thoughts and how they really feel. My favorite moments in Dare Me are the lighter moments where I found myself smiling and laughing aloud. I also love the parts that pull at my heartstrings and cause me to sigh, as I read the heartbreaking moments. Dare Me is filled with such moments and so much more. Dare Me is a second chance love story between Arianna Donovan, a radiation therapist and youngest member of the Donovan family and Will Jameson, retired Marine. Arianna and Will meet in San Francisco one year prior, where Arianna finished her internship and Will settled his late mother’s estate. On a dare from her friends, Arianna approached Will and they spent a memorable day together, and they ended up sitting next to each other on the first leg of their flights home. Unbeknownst to Arianna, at the end of the flight Will realized that Arianna is the little sister of his best friend, Liam, who is overprotective of his sisters. Will ghosts Arianna until he shows up Sunday family dinner at the Donovans, following his and Liam’s retirement from the Marines. Liam and Will have decided to go into business together in Laurel Bay. Meanwhile, Arianna is looking for a job at a hospital in a bigger city. As Arianna and Will begin to spend more time together, things change between them and quickly heat up. They keep their relationship a secret, because Arianna’s mother Kate, is trying to set Will up with her sister Ryleigh because of the age difference between Arianna and Will. Conversation between Will and Arianna flows so easily, I love the chemistry between them. My favorite part is how Arianna and Will play truth or dare throughout the book. I love the ways that Will and Arianna spend time together and open up to one another about their renewed feelings. An unexpected plot twist puts their relationship in jeopardy. I love the changes that Arianna made in her life and how she stands up for herself against her family to be able to have a life with Will. So glad that Will and Liam’s partnership is taking off and that Will’s future is in Laurel Bay. Another favorite part is the epilogue and Will’s proposal and the location of the proposal. Dare Me was an amazing love story; I am so glad that Arianna and Will got the happily ever after. I loved all the surprises that filled the pages of this love story. I love all the characters in this series, even though are very overprotective of Arianna. I enjoy all the interactions among the Donovan siblings, it feels like real family love and makes me laugh at their teasing and the descriptions of the Laurel Bay in Dare Me. Who does not love family and friends that always have each other’s backs? I loved every moment. I cannot wait to read the other books in the series. Highly recommend this beautifully written story.

One of my favorite games as a child but this story takes it to a new level and it was GREAT!! Will and Arianna’s relationship is fun, romantic, chaotic at times and I really enjoyed getting to know them. A great start to a new series! Can’t wait for more!

Dare Me is Book 1 of The Donavans Series which can be read as a stand alone. If you want to get the full story of how Ari and Will met I’d recommend you read Call Me which is the prequel to this love story. This is a perfect love at first sight, second chance, age gap, small town, brothers best friend, and ex military story. A small town, a twist of fate and big metaling family makes Will step away previously but are they strong enough to fight for what they want. this story is sweet, sassy, with lots of banter, and sexy. I love Will and Ari’s chemistry off the bat.Nothing like a good game of truth or dare to help you find your possible forever love. Fantastic read! I highly recommend. Can’t wait to read Tempt Me. The next book in the series!

3 Stars! This was a really cute second chance romance and brothers best friend romance type of book. Arianna and Will are the main characters and I loved them from the beginning. This is the first book in ‘The Donovan’s’ series, can be read as a standalone and wraps up with an HEA ending. A few sexy times scenes that were the right amount of heat and didn’t get too detailed which is how I like it. Arianna’s family? I get that they love her but could they be any more annoying, even in a loving sort of way? No wonder she wanted to move away. I’m just thankful my own family doesn’t put this much pressure on me to settle down and pop out some babies. I also didn’t see a huge age difference so I wasn’t sure what the family was so against. As much as I liked this book, it was a bit slow for my tastes and tended to drag on. Still an entertaining book. *I received this at no charge & I voluntarily left this review.*

So, I have a lot of feelings about this book. I loved the premise...girl meets boy through a dare, spends a wonderful 24 hours together, with the hopes of continuing at least a long-distance friendship, if not a full-blown relationship. Circumstances cause the boy to ghost the girl and they don't see or speak to each other for a year. That I don't love, but sort of understand? Maybe? Much is made of the 9 year age gap between 23-year-old Adrianna and her brother's best friend, Will. But considering the way Will just cut her out of his life, I'd say he was the immature one in this duo. Adrianna went away to school, did an internship across the country from her family and has a great job now. But still her family...oy, that family...treats her like a child. And yes, occasionally she might act a bit immature, but it's in direct response to those who try to run her life. Sometimes family, no matter how loving, isn't all it's cracked up to be, know what I mean? I liked Adrianna, even when she might have been "whiny". She's lived on her own for 5+ years, and now her mom is trying to get her married and popping out babies. Excuse me? She just wants to live her life as the adult she is. Age doesn't guarantee maturity. If it did, 32-year-old Will would pull on his big boy underwear and tell his bff that he wants to date his sister. Not the older one Momma Donovan tried to push on his but Adrianna. I know, it sounds like I hated this book...but I promise, I really liked it! But that's not to say it didn't frustrate me, lol. Pushy family members, especially moms, drive me batty! It's a hot button for me (my mother is wonderful, and I hope my girls think I am as well. Think in-law...lol) But it makes for great conflict, right? Samantha Chase definitely gave readers something to cheer against as they cheer for Will and Adrianna to find their HEA. They both grew as the story went along and became stronger for it. And the sneaking around...just made the fun that much steamier, even while the real "hot stuff" is behind closed doors. I'm bracing myself to see what kind of road blocks the Donovan family, okay, "momster", throw up in the path of the next couple's relationship, but I'm excited to read it. Even if it frustrates me. Because a great book causes the reader to feel. And Dare Me gave me lots and lots of feels :)

A year ago, Arianna Donovan and Will Jameson met on a “dare” from her friends the day before she traveled home. It was their most memorable day ever and a twenty four hours they would always remember. “Fate” happen again, but was quickly lost and their connection disappeared. Arianna thought after a year had passed that she had moved on. When “fate” occurred again and she reconnected with Will and her oldest brother at a family dinner, their connection started to “sizzle” once again. Family interference, overprotective older brothers, a mother who constantly infers she knows “best”, makes Arianna and Will’s life miserable. The challenges and secrets keep increasing, the meddling doesn’t stop, plus emotions run high. It’s a wonderful story and an enjoyable book to start the new series. The book can be read as a standalone. Loved it!