Pete Sortwell

4/5

Dating In The Dark: sometimes love just pretends to be blind

Amazon.com
Amazon.UK

The cover was bright and fun looking and that and the title reinforced what the blurb said: a romance. 

Though the blurb read a little too slap-stick and I wasn't impressed, but the book has good reviews with people saying how funny it is, and I'm in need of a giggle . . .

As soon as I begin to read I don't think the book should have been pink--it's a bloke's book. It's very unPC and I don't like the main character, Jason, at all. He's a mini Jim Davidson. But I push on, as you do when you've spent 97p. 

As the blurb says Jason wants a girlfriend or as he insinuates, a shag that stays around and so thinks up a plan of joining a dating agency--for disabled people. He meets and instantly falls in love with blind Emma or so he says, (there is no romance at all in the book) we just have to take his word for it.

The author tries to inject some sympathy for the character by killing off his mum and making him regret his blindness pretence, but doesn't pull it off. The character really isn't a very nice person. He's very self-serving, and depressed or not, I couldn't like him. I also never had a clue as to why Emma liked him, especially as he made a pig's ear out of their only date!

The book was short, and in my opinion, undeveloped.  It was classed as a romance but if the comedy was spread out a little, more romance injected (at least another date or two with Emma)  and have Jason punished (by Emma) for being such a tosser, this book would be amazing.

For comedy and one-liners I give this book a five (the author's an awesome comic), but for romance it's a two. It's very near the knuckle and slightly derogatory towards women. Also, midgets, blind people and guide dogs. But you have been warned. Bottom line: it made me laugh A LOT.

Blurb: Jason isn’t a midget, he’s an inch and a half off. He’s too short for the police and too tall for the pantomime. He’s also single and has been for all of his 32 years. It’s depressing. But not as depressing as being told by his mother that he looks like Humpty Dumpty – after the accident. So with a face not even his own mother can love, it’s hardly surprising that he’ll try anything to get a woman to go out with him, even if it’s only for a single date.

With little interest in anything other than his quest for a woman and a nice bit of cod and chips, Jason needs to think outside the box if he’s going to find someone who’ll give him a chance.

Along with Barry — his best mate — Jason comes up with the only thing he thinks will work: dating a blind woman. However, to do that, he needs to pretend he’s blind himself, which is a lot harder than you might think … especially when guide dogs are so hard to come by.

Eventually Jason’s efforts pay off and he meets Emma, a pretty professional with a host of friends. When he takes her out, they instantly hit it off. But will Jason be able to fool both Emma and her best friend Jerry into thinking he’s blind?

With everything to play for, Jason faces the biggest challenge of his life, and nobody — especially not him — can see how it’ll all turn out.

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