Take a Number
by Amy Daws
My Review:
‘Take a Number’ is the latest book in the Wait For Me series by Amy Daws, but it is a complete stand-alone. If you haven’t read the others though, at some point you really should because they’re all great. This story centers on Norah and Dean, and characters from this series make appearances within it.
Norah is intensely focused on opening a second bakery and launching a franchise featuring her signature baked good, the Croinut. (Let me pause a minute in say that these treats sound so good it’s very frustrating that I can’t buy them anywhere!) She is a super organized, list making, successful businesswoman with no time for dating. Her parents have been happily married for a long time and her mother is oblivious that her success because she thanks of Norah’s a single status as being failure. Dean, on the other hand, is the extremely stylish king of meaningless dating. His parents had a toxic relationship and a disastrous marriage, which is something he is determined to never repeat. His two loyal best friends are women and we know he’s a good guy at heart, but he shows the world an image that is as shallow as a kiddie pool.
As you know from the book blurb, these 2 characters enter into a fake relationship. She needs to get her mother off her back, and he needs to get his friends off his back, because they are both being hassled about dates they each need for upcoming social events. The way their relationship grows is as sweet and delicious as one of Norah’s bakery creations. There were times I wanted to shake Dean because he was so fearful of romantic love that he said cringeworthy things. The fact that he is still so likeable is amazing. Norah is so strong, capable and determined to reach her goals, but she ends up repeatedly surprising herself. There are gnomes, minty oil, velvet suit jackets, bike races, champagne, Foreigner, steamy moments, and lots of feelings. There is a delicious terrific HEA for Norah and Dean. By the way, I think other readers will agree Max needs a book of his own. I would even like Nate to get somebody special in his life, because he became quite likable after all.