[Review] The Perfect Date - Evelyn Lozada; Holly Lorincz

Summary: Angel Gomez has never lived by the book. A Bronx-based unwed mother by the time she was sixteen, Angel’s personal mission has always been to show the world that a Puerto Rican girl is not to be messed with—especially by a man. The only thing that matters to Angel, now, is providing for her son and earning enough tips at the club to complete her nursing degree along the way. Love is nowhere on her agenda.

Caleb “The Duke” Lewis is a star pitcher for the Bronx Bolts whose romantic escapades make delicious fodder for gossip columns. But lately he’s been trying to keep a lower profile—so much so that when he meets Angel, first while she’s in her nurse uniform and the next time behind the bar, she has no idea who Duke is, fails to fall for his obvious charm, and ends up throwing a drink in his face! She is the perfect woman for Duke...to fool the tabloids into thinking he’s finally settling down. But what begins as a charade soon has Duke and Angel hurtling into a full-blown romance that rocks each of their worlds and begs the question: Is this the real deal—or are some love stories just too good to be true? (Pub Date: Jun 11, 2019)


Narrated from the POV's of both main characters, I found it to be a better than average as far as romances go. There are some memorable aspects of it and even a small mystery (Duke was in the scene of a murder but they never found the culprit), as well as real life drama (Angel's son has asthma and she has no money for his medication, plus other things).

In all, I'm sure the authors spent a long time trying to fill this story, make it credible and they managed to do it without overdoing it. The two are in a super difficult situation in their lives but they don't spend a thousand pages commiserating. It's not sugar you'll find in this book.

On the other side, the romance itself wasn't exciting enough. It's not lack of chemistry, it's just that there wasn't a single moment I felt my heart racing. I understand Duke is a big catch and I don't doubt it but I didn't feel it. I think that's a big thing when we're talking about romance, which is obviously the main genre in this book.

Additionally, I'm not so sure of the motivations for the ex-girlfriend to be that much of a b*. It was like she was randomly evil? I did get it that she likes money but it didn't seem to be all, unless she's literally crazy?

In sum, this is just a little bit above average, but not enough to earn 4 stars. I think lovers of romances that are cute but not too sugary should enjoy this nonetheless.

Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

Rating: 3 out of 5.