Official Review: The Dating Policy by Suzanne Eglington

Post by **bookowlie** » 25 Oct 2018, 12:53

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Dating Policy" by Suzanne Eglington.]

2 out of 4 stars

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The Dating Policy by Suzanne Eglington is a romance novel with a heavy dose of erotica. Mallory Kennedy has never really been in love before. That is, until Todd Duvall starts working as a quality control manager at Shelborn Building Supply, where she is a senior sales advisor. In her mind, he is the perfect man, although he is viewed as an arrogant jerk by her colleagues. Besides, there is a strict no-dating policy at the firm. When Todd pursues Mallory, the plot thickens.

Mallory’s character is fleshed out well, but Todd is fairly flat and one-dimensional. There is almost no set-up to the development of their romance; his moves on her seem to sprout out of thin air without any prior flirtation. It’s not like their jobs intersected; Todd’s office is in a different part of the building and, at his level, he deals with Mallory’s boss Ned. I found it hard to relate to either of the main characters. Mallory starts off as a likable person, but she becomes less so once her romance with Todd heats up. It’s as if his arrogance rubbed off on her.

The romance scenes quickly turn sexually graphic and are overdone with “dirty talk”-style dialogue. There are so many detailed erotic passages that it sometimes felt like I was reading porn. These scenes are long and slow paced.

Some key details add depth to the story. The author does a good job of having Todd leave, sometimes abruptly, with mysterious plans after their get-togethers. This is woven through the storyline in a subtle way. Also, there is a major plot twist about halfway through the story and things become less predictable after that. Although the latter sections include a few surprising turns, the ending has a busy, rushed feel.

The supporting characters are interesting with clear backstories, and I actually liked them more than the main characters. Ned is not only Mallory’s supervisor, but her brother’s closest friend. Since her brother is away on a military deployment, Ned serves a big brother role and adds a dose of family-style warmth to the story. Although Angela is the stereotypical best friend/confidante, her friendship with Mallory is fun and relatable.

There are numerous errors scattered throughout the book; I noticed approximately twenty-five mistakes and probably missed a few. The errors include missing words, incorrect words (neither the less instead of nevertheless), and missing punctuation (missing possessive apostrophes, commas, and periods). As a result, the writing lacks polish.

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. Unfortunately, I cannot award a higher rating due to the aforementioned issues. That being said, the story is a light diversion from more serious fare. Readers who enjoy erotic, beach-style reads might like this one, as long as they don’t mind foul language.

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The Dating Policy
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Post by **Kibet Hillary** » 29 Oct 2018, 00:38

Thanks for the review. It is wonderful. This is not a book for me. I will skip this one.

Debjani Ghosh · Post by **Debjani Ghosh** » 29 Oct 2018, 00:48

This does not seem like a book I will pick up. Thanks for the honest review!

gali · Post by **gali** » 29 Oct 2018, 09:09

Erotic romance novel revolving around a romance in the office sounds nice. Too bad about the one-dimensional character, the sleazy dialogues, and the lack of editing. I am not fond of overdone graphic content, so I don't think it is for me. Great review as always!

Post by **bookowlie** » 29 Oct 2018, 09:15

Thanks everyone for the feedback! Gali - I agree that the premise of the story sounded good.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 29 Oct 2018, 10:12

I'm sure this will appeal to the correct audience, but that's definitely not me. It sounds more like a quickly-put-together erotic story rather than a true novel with detailed characters and a true plot. I'm sorry this one wasn't to your liking. I'm going to avoid this one.

Post by **bookowlie** » 29 Oct 2018, 10:16

kandscreeley wrote: ↑29 Oct 2018, 10:12 I'm sure this will appeal to the correct audience, but that's definitely not me. It sounds more like a quickly-put-together erotic story rather than a true novel with detailed characters and a true plot. I'm sorry this one wasn't to your liking. I'm going to avoid this one.

The story actually had a true plot and some interesting twists. I also liked Mallory, the main character, a lot in the beginning. However, as the story progressed, she became a bit sarcastic and arrogant toward certain people and her reactions didn't ring true. It's as if she became a jerk after getting involved with Todd.

Alicia09 · Post by **Alicia09** » 29 Oct 2018, 10:55

"There are so many detailed erotic passages that it sometimes felt like I was reading porn" That sounds awesome. I'll have to check this story out.

Aside from that, I can understand why the author would have a flat one dimensional character. It could be that this story was more porn focused than anything else. When it comes to porn, details about a person really don't matter. In fact, sometimes the more mysterious and abrupt someone's behavior is, the more exciting of a character they are considered to be.

At the same time, I can also understand why this story would fall flat to so many readers. It could be that this story is different from most other erotic stories because it does not describe characters motivations in much detail. Yet again, it depends on the audience that is reading this book. I would imagine that there would be some readers who simply want hot detailed passages full of porn. So I appreciate you for writing this review. It gives potential readers an idea of what to expect.

Sicily Joy · Post by **Sicily Joy** » 29 Oct 2018, 14:17

I also don't like sex scenes that are overblown and unromantic. Your review was quite detailed and enjoyable to read.

gen_g · Post by **gen_g** » 29 Oct 2018, 22:14

It's a pity that the supporting characters shine more than the main characters themselves. Then again, I think this would not be for me. Thank you for the review still!

wendos · Post by **wendos** » 30 Oct 2018, 12:23

Romance is not my thing, so i will have to skip this one. nice review though.

fredrick otieno · Post by **fredrick otieno** » 31 Oct 2018, 12:19

A writer always have the right reason for putting sexual content in his or her book, but when its over done until it sounds or reads like porn, then the book might lose some audience like me. Anyway thanks for the great review.

Amy+++ · Post by **Amy+++** » 01 Nov 2018, 12:00

The arrogantance of both characters is a turn off for me. I appreciate the review. Great job, but this doesn't sound like a book I would want to read.

kfwilson6 · Post by **kfwilson6** » 03 Nov 2018, 16:16

A beach-style office romance type story would normally be quite appealing to me. However, the porn-like nature of this story and the one-dimensional main character are a definite NO for me! Great review, definitely passing on this book though.