Three Last First Dates by Kate O'Keeffe

Today I’m excited to share a excerpt from Kate O’Keeffe’s latest book, ‘Three Last First Dates’. Thank you to Karan Eleni for coordinating the tour and letting me be a part of the celebration!

About the Book

Title: Three Last First Dates

Author: Kate O’Keeffe

Series: Cozy Cottage Cafe Book 3

Standalone: While this is the third book in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone or as part of the series. The protagonist is different from books one and two, although all lead female characters appear in each of the books.

Release Date: October 31, 2017

Genres: Romantic Comedy, Chick Lit

Publisher: Wild Lime Books

Book Blurb: From Amazon Bestselling Author, Kate O’Keeffe comes this new title in the Cozy Cottage Café Series.

When it comes to men, Marissa Jones is totally committed to not being committed.

So, when she agrees to a pact with her friends to marry the next guy she dates, Marissa isn’t going to take any chances.

For her, it’s a numbers game, and she likes the math. She decides to go on three dates with three very different guys, all on the same day. That way she can avoid putting all her eggs in one basket, even if those baskets are so very manly . . .

But with Marissa’s famous fussiness, can any of these men live up to her high standards and actually manage to woo her? And why is Marissa so fussy and such a commitment-phobe, anyway? Her friends have managed to find love, so why can’t she?

Despite initial dating speed wobbles, Marissa finds the guy she thinks may be The One. But then, the ex she never got over turns up, throwing a large, handsome spanner into the works.

In the end, do you choose love or does love choose you?

Book Links: Goodreads | Amazon

Kate O’Keeffe – Excerpt, Three Last First Dates, Chapter 1

MY NAME IS MARISSA Jones, and I’m totally committed to not being committed.

There, I said it. It was out there.

In fact, I had a long and impressive history of avoiding commitment. I was the Commitment Phobia Queen, if you will. I was good at it, really good. If you looked “commitmentphobe” up in a dictionary, I wouldn’t have been at all surprised if you’d have found a photo of me, running away from some bewildered-looking guy as quickly as my feet could carry me.

That was why, when it came to dating, I was fussier than an OCD patient off their meds. And why not? A girl had to have standards, right? I never expected to “settle” for someone, and nor did I want to. No way. No one but Mr. Absolutely Right would do for me.

Only problem was, I was having a hard time finding him.

That’s why I agreed to a pact with my best friends to marry the next guy I dated. Which in hindsight, for a commitmentphobe like me, was an off-the-charts crazy thing to do. Certifiable. I had really only agreed to the pact because I was sick of dating—that and the large amount of chardonnay I had imbibed that evening.

To be perfectly honest, I hadn’t really taken it all that seriously at the time.

And then “the thing” happened and I knew I had to find him, I had to find The One. There was simply no more time to waste.

But, instead of going on a regular old date with some random guy, I decided to go on three dates in one day. I liked the math: one of me, three of them. It more than worked in my favor.

Not only that, I had thoroughly vetted each of the three guys before I even threw on my outfit for the first date. If this was going to work—and I really, really wanted it to—I needed to go in with my eyes wide open.

“I still can’t believe you’re doing this,” Paige said, shaking her head and smiling at me over our cups of coffee, what was left of our slices of cake in crumbs on our plates. “Three dates in one day? You’re brave.”

“Why not? You and Cassie put all your eggs in one basket, and I don’t want to do that. I mean, I know you ended up with the right guys in the end, but they weren’t the men you went on your Last First Dates with, right?” They nodded. “Well, I figured going out with three different guys has to improve the odds.”

“You’re right about that.” Paige nodded, her eyebrows raised. “Can you give us the lowdown on who these guys are? We need all the details, right, Cassie?”

“Oh, yes. Especially how good they look with their shirts off,” Cassie added with a wicked grin.

“Well, I’m hardly going to find that out on a first date, but”—I raised my hand in the Girl Guides’ salute—“I do solemnly swear to report all important details to you as they transpire.”

About the Author – Kate O’Keeffe

Meet Kate

Kate O’Keeffe is an award-nominated author of fun, feel-good romantic comedies. She lives and loves in beautiful New Zealand with her family, two scruffy dogs, and a cat who thinks he’s a scruffy dog too. He’s not: he’s a cat.

To date, Kate’s written the chick lit series, the Wellywood Romantic Comedy Series, and the new Cozy Cottage Café Series.