Definitely Not Dating

Christi Barth

May 2021 · Love Lottery Book 2 · Tule Publishing

About this ebook

It's a chance to start over for both of them...

Everleigh Girard always dates the wrong men at the worst times. The last debacle cost her a job and an apartment. But thanks to a crazy lottery win, she and her friends have a fresh start restoring a historic inn. Determined to make it a success, Everleigh swears off the dangers of dating entirely. Except…the town’s police chief is distractingly hot. So how much trouble could friends with benefits really cause?

Police chief Matt Halliday always puts protecting his town first. He’s blindsided when his house mysteriously burns down, and grateful his friends rent him a room at their inn while they finish renovations. It’s a great deal. Mostly. It’s hard to resist the very beautiful Everleigh. Love is permanently off the table for him—but lust is definitely on. 

After their first red-hot kiss, keeping it casual is impossible. Can Everleigh teach Matt to trust again—especially when he’s keeping a secret that may put him and his new friends at risk?

Ratings and reviews

Everleigh and Matt’s story in Definitely Not Dating by Christi Barth, book two in her Love Lottery series, is a wonderful, heartwarming, and enjoyable tale. Everleigh Girard dates the wrong men, some of them even costing her jobs and apartments. Winning that crazy lottery gave her and her friends a fresh start restoring a historic inn. New location, new jobs, and they are all determined to make it a success. Everleigh has sworn off dating, no distractions, at least until the inn is opened and running smoothly. Police chief Matt Halliday has always put protecting his town before anything else. Matt is shocked when his house mysteriously burns down and grateful when his friends rent him a room at their inn, even while they are finishing renovations. It’s a great deal and convenient, except he is struggling to resist the beautiful Everleigh. Matt has decided to never love again, but he could do attraction and lust. Everleigh has tried so hard to resist Matt and keep to her promise of no men, but friends with benefits with Matt is quite tempting. When their first kiss is steamy, as is the second, and third, having a causal relationship is going to be impossible. After all Matt has been through, Everleigh wonders if Matt will ever trust another woman, and if she could be the one. When Everleigh discovers that Matt is keeping a secret that would not only put him at risk but also her, her friends and the inn, she wonders if she can trust him. Ms. Barth wrote a wonderful story filled with sizzling chemistry, magnetism, wonderful dialogue, and endearing characters giving Everleigh and Matt a chance for love. I recommend Definitely Not Dating to other readers. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Christi Barth’s second book, Definitely Not Dating, in the Love Lottery series has the quintessential humor, quick wit and banter, and rapid dialogue and repartee that I’ve come to love from this author. From the opening prologue…which very nicely recaps the start to the series with the four friends/family’s lottery win…I was once again immersed in the trials, tribulations, and sheer joy that this series have brought me. With Matt’s stark and near tragic emergence on the scene, I was immediately drawn to his larger than life persona and sense of fairness. He and Everleigh captivated my heart with their yin/yang personalities and chemistry. With the added suspense and tension that was woven into the story’s premise, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough just to get to the “who done it”…which came as a total surprise. As the the initial four, Alex, Amelia, Everleigh, and Teague settle into small town life, and their group of friends, and chosen family continues to grow, so does my emotional attachment to the entire group, and their stories. I’m looking forward to see what Ms Barth has in store for Teague and Amelia. This ARC book was complimentary, provided by the Publisher. I am voluntarily providing my honest review.

This is an entertaining book that I just loved. I fell in love with the characters - especially Ever, who I'm sure most women can relate to, as she tries to overcome her history of picking out losers to date. We've all done it, but Ever has done it in a way that effectively blew up her life. When they win a hotel lottery, she, along with her friends, sees it as a way to get a fresh start. Matt is the local police chief, and a friend of Ever and her friends. When his house burns down, he takes a room in the inn. While Ever and Matt have been attracted to each other, being under the same room proves to be too much temptation. They are committed to not dating and their non-dating relationship begins. I loved the way Matt and Ever were together, but mostly, I loved how Ever found a way to overcome her past and recreate a better version of herself. Along the way, Matt helped her, while also overcoming his own past. Their relationship was sexy and sweet. and made me fall in love with them. If you enjoy the genre, you will love this book. The author is on my must read authors' list.