Blind Date with a Blue-Collar Billionaire (Blind Date Disasters Book 1)

Here's the dirt. The cover is dirtier than the book. Well, perhaps aside from one date, but I'll let you read the book to find out what that means ;-) I love how this author blends together a romance story so seamlessly with Christian values and talk of faith. It doesn't seem preachy or holier-than-thou. I can relate to it and I feel inspired when I am done with the last page. Which stays with me for days because of the sweetness of the story. I enjoyed the circumstances that Lindsey and Grey found themselves facing together. They were hilarious, embarrassing, and frustrating, yet they culminated to a beautifully written happily ever after. This sweet romance was only made more enjoyable by the sprinkling of fun metaphors (“Rejection was no joke. It felt like someone had flattened me and pushed me through a paper shredder”), and uplifting words of wisdom (“Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth”). On a steaminess level I would rate this a hot PG. Just the right amount of passion. This read is definitely worthy of a repeat! I had received a copy of this book, but after reading it I bought it because I enjoyed it so much.

This book was a price-point buy, free. I knew nothing about Evangeline Kelly or her philosophy of Christian book writing. After looking her up, I found myself pleased with her writing philosophy, especially the statement, “my stories not only entertain, but encourage, and most of all, that they bring glory and honor to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” Although I liked what I read, I still felt the book would be a benign, easy, fluff vacation read. And in fact, it was an easy and fast read at only one hundred and fifty-six pages, but the solid Christian fiction philosophy kicked in, which turned this book into a more focused, theme driven, short read. This was an attention-grabbing group of characters, some being nice & sincere, others nice and directive, some were conniving and troubled, and others were conniving and wicked. I have to say that the hero, Gray was compelling and likeable all the way through the story, whereas the heroine, Lindsey was always compelling, but at times annoying and frustrating, wishy-washy and lacked fortitude. Allen and Brittany were out for themselves from the first page to the last, and Destiny was a predictable conniver, but at the end seemed to have real contrition and change. In relationship to their faith and practice, both had need of growth and that growth happened. Trust is a universal issue that all people face. Lindsey really struggled with trusting people, especially people close to her, such as her cousin and past boyfriends, which entrenched her in this lack of faith and trust, both in God and man. Finally, after saturating herself in her Bible and with the incredible integrity and tenacity of Gray, Lindsey sees real change. At the end of the book Gray and Lindsey have a HEA. Some Things I Wasn’t Excited About: • The trip to Rome was over the top, but really so is meeting a billionaire for that matter. • The back and forth between Gray and Lindsey with the first person POV. • Lindsey’s chronic meltdown because of her Insecurities. • The way Destiny’s parents didn’t seem to given her more boundaries in an effort to help her mature and grow in her Christian life. • I don’t purchase books because of their covers, but I still thought the cover choice was odd as Gray was a 35-year-old and the man on the cover looked much older. All-in-all, if you are looking for an easy vacation read that is anchored in biblical faith and practice, this book will do.

This story was wonderfully entertaining. Yet, in some moments, the characters demonstrated conflict management with integrity, while having natural human concerns and insecurities. I loved that there were trusted people in her circle to whom she turned for counsel. Some of the challenges she faced hit close to home, and I was able to take to heart the encouraging perspective and messages. I am a Christian Romance enthusiast, and this story delivered.

This book is part of the Blind Date Disasters series, and the first date in this story is hilariously horrible!!! NO ONE would ever expect the mishaps nightmare of a date to ever lead to even a second date, but somehow, this pair looked beyond the chaos and found something of value. Each are hoping to find someone they can not only love, but trust. Lindsey Clarke is tired of taking a backseat to her bubbly, beautiful cousin, Destiny. Grayson Hall is looking for a woman who sees beyond his bank account. With both of them having valid trust issues, it is going to take a lot of faith in God and in one another to help them look to the future with hope and not hurt. Thankfully, they have people in their lives who offer them a safe place to express their fears and have their hearts redirected when they need it. I have read several of the Blind Date Disasters books and this is one of my favorites. Evangeline has once again written a story with relatable characters and interesting situations that draw in the reader for an unforgettable journey.

Gray and Lindsey were meant for each other. However, it took a while to convince them both of that. Get this book now to enjoy every minute of their romance.

I am not gonna lie, I did ALOT of skipping around in this book. Mostly because i was having issues with so many folks hitting Gray and Lindsey with anger and jealousy. The writing is good. I didn’t see editing issues as often happens in ebooks and it flowed well. I may try a different plot of this author now. I will also say, since the loss of Family Christian Stores and the small selection of Christian material in other bookstores, this IS a good Christian romance as it says in description. If you have been looking for an author who definitely would have been on FCS shelves, I believe this is an author to fit that bill.

I really enjoyed this story! Gray was a wonderful hero. There are some powerful truths wrapped up in this fictional story too. Forgiveness, the danger of parents comparing their children to others who they think are better than their own children and trying so hard to please others you lose the dreams God has given you. Finding healing for our hurts at the feet of Jesus was in there too, yet none of it is done in a preachy way. Beautiful ending. Another winner from this gifted author!

I'm reading this series out of order; I wasn't drawn to buy this book at first because the model on the cover seemed a good bit older (like late 40's or early 50's) than your typical young love story. The story concerns a 35 year old man and a 30 year old woman whose romance happens due to a set up by a mutual friend after both have been hurt by past relationships. They've both just about given up on finding the love they had hoped for. I loved the quote shared in the book by that mutual friend: "Your value doesn’t decrease based on someone’s inability to see your worth." There were several painful moments in the book that brought tears to my eyes but my favorite part of the book was the recounting of the couple's dreadful first date. I was reading it at night after my husband had fallen asleep and I could hardly keep from laughing out loud--the bed was shaking as I tried to suppress the laughter caused by the hilarity of that section in the book! I found this book to be very appealing and I highly recommend it!

A hilariously awful first date, opens the door to an authentic connection that is about she is on the inside. This story reminds the us how important it is to be true to yourself and to believe your worth in God's eyes rather than accept others opinions. A lovely clean romance with a strong Christian faith focus.

The cover of this one caught my eye. It was such a fun read. I loved the characters, the plot, the ending. Well worth reading.

Blind date diaster to a forever love. Lindsay feels second best to her cousin. Lindsay is 30 and still single. When another guy she is dating falls for her cousin, she is ready to give up dating. But agrees to go on a blind date with Grayson. He is a billionaire but takes her on a blind date where it goes from awkward to worse thing that can happen on a date. He feels so bad he sends her to an expensive spa with a friend and sends a room full of flowers. Meanwhile Lindsay relationship with her cousin hits rock bottom due to mostly her cousin but also due to Lindsay's feelings of second best. Things get better between Grayson and Lindsay but then a guy he knows girlfriend makes up stories that she and Grayson are interested in each other. Will Lindsay see past the lies and feelings of not being good enough or let go of something amazing?

The premise behind this story is refreshingly different. It covers family squabbles and a romance that includes the resolution of misunderstandings and lies. The references to religion are appropriate and lend depth to the story. Ms Kelly has a great way with words. I highly recommend this modern romance to all readers of this genre.

Lindsey has a severe case of low esteem, she's also is a people pleaser, even if it stops her doing what she wants. Gray seems to have limitless patience with her. The blind date was amusing.