Jack is no 007.  She cashiers at Forever 21, for heaven's sake!  Still, when Agent Damon Wade asks her to help with the case of a local woman who went missing after meeting several men from Eter-knit-ty, Jack can't say no.  Scoping out potential killers is way more exciting than writing essays for English lit—even if she doesn't get to drive a sleek Bondmobile.  Jack's survived countless bad dates.  What's a few more?  Especially if her sacrifice helps the FBI find out what happened to Natalie Paul.  At the very least she'll get some free food out of the deal.  

As Jack meets with the men who also asked Natalie out, she realizes just how desperate the singles scene in Utah Valley really is.  She's been bored to death, groped by a human octopus, suffered the side effects of a major sugar coma, and still, she's no closer to finding out what happened to Natalie.  Sure, Damon's annoying, buttoned-up personality is growing on her, but that's a relationship that's clearly going nowhere.  

Jack's convinced the mission's a total bust until she, herself, is threatened.  With the FBI now determined to pull her off the case, Jack has to up her spy game and find Natalie before she, too, vanishes off the face of the earth.  If she wasn't convinced before, now she's certain—dating can be murder.  

You've probably noticed by now that LDS romantic suspense does not top my list of favorite genres.  Despite the number of such novels that are published every year, I've yet to come across one that feels even a little bit realistic.  Too often, they're not just ridiculously far-fetched but terribly written as well.  Biased as I am, I wasn't expecting a whole lot from A Date With Danger, a debut novel by Kari Iroz.  The generic Sandra Bullock-y cover didn't bode well for what was inside.  And yet, I was pleasantly surprised by the story.  Not because the tale is super realistic (it isn't) but because it's light, funny, and more entertaining than I expected it to be.  The novel doesn't take itself too seriously—it's more rom-com than mystery/thriller.  Unapologetic about it, too.  I liked that as well as the lighthearted fun-poking at LDS dating culture (which, thankfully, I never had to suffer much through).  These things make the novel entertaining, even when Jack and her adventures get a little too absurd.  Sure, I saw the big reveal coming from several miles away, but still, A Date With Danger remained a fun, satisfying read throughout.  To my great surprise, I quite enjoyed it.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence and mild sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of A Date With Danger from the generous folks at Covenant Communications.  Thank you!

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Want more opinions about A Date With Danger?  Check out the other stops on the book's blog tour:

June 27th: http://katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com/, http://ldswritermom.blogspot.com/

June 28th: http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/, http://www.rockinbookreviews.com/, http://bonnieharris.blogspot.com/

June 29th: http://www.singinglibrarianbooks.com/index.html, http://heidi-reads.blogspot.com/, http://www.wishfulendings.com/

June 30th: http://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/, http://literarytimeout.blogspot.com/, http://melsshelves.blogspot.com/, http://empowermoms.net/

July 1st: http://mybookaday.blogspot.com/, http://littlelightdesigncollective.com/, http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/, http://booksaresanity.blogspot.com/

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(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Staggering under the debt of the fancy wedding she financed, but never got, 23-year-old Pepper Spicer has come back home to lick her wounds.  There's nothing glamorous about the life she's living now—she's sleeping under her parents' roof, bunking with a 7-year-old, and working a dead-end job at a sandwich shop.  She's got no social life, no romantic life, no life at all.  Pepper's got plenty to complain about.  And she does.  Loudly.  Constantly.  Exhaustingly.  It's wearing her—and everyone around her—out.  

It's not until Pepper's therapist father suggests she start expressing a little gratitude that Pepper realizes her life might not be a complete waste.  Through the weekly thank you notes she writes (at the insistence of Dr. Dad), she begins to see the truth:  Pepper Spicer might not be quite as pathetic as she seems to be.  She's got connections, a support system, maybe even some prospects for a brighter future.  With that little glimmer of hope leading her on, she starts taking chances, praying they'll lead to something better than Handy's Dandy Sandwiches.  

Before too long, Pepper's traded in her hairnet for a writing job in the city.  It's a dream position at a start-up online magazine, something that doesn't pay a whole lot, but has enormous career-making possibilities.  There's only one problem—she has to work her way up by producing a column on her experiences with online dating.  By actually experiencing it.  It's not an ideal assignment for someone as jilted and jaded as Pepper, but her snarky outlook on the whole thing strikes a chord with Salt Lake's similarly frustrated single crowd.   Pepper's pleased with her popular column, even if she doesn't feel right about deceiving her dates.  But, when she finally finds a man who's actually worth dating, her dubious job may be the one thing that stands in the way of Pepper getting what she really wants—true happiness.  

Like The List, Melanie Jacobson's debut LDS novel, Not My Type offers a fun, lighthearted story about a girl struggling to understand who she really is and what she really wants.  Unlike the former, the latter gives us a much more likable heroine, someone who's self-deprecating and sympathetic, with a focus that extends beyond just herself.  The warmth and humor that has become Jacobson's trademark writing too, comes through loud and clear with this one, making Not My Type a quick, enjoyable read with a lesson about gratitude that's difficult to ignore.  The story did get a bit contrived, with some bits that were difficult to believe (How does Tanner not realize Pepper's really Indie Girl?), but all in all, it's a happy book that's clean, uplifting and, unlike other LDS romances, not totally nauseating.  As a matter of fact, I quite enjoyed it. 

(Readalikes:  Reminded me a little of The List by Melanie Jacobson and My Ridiculous, Romantic Obsessions by Becca Wilhite)

Grade:  B

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG for mild sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I bought Not My Type from Deseret Book with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.