Greek for Beginners

by Jackie Braun

Alpha, beta, gamma, delta…

That's just about the extent of Darcie Hayes's Greek before she touches down in Athens, ready to put her troubles behind her and indulge in a little sun, sea, sightseeing and…er…flirtation! But when Nick Costas, modern-day Adonis, saves her from a con man, she begins to think there might be more to Greece than meets the eye….

Nick is perfectly happy with his single status, but meeting Darcie makes him wonder if falling in love really would be the worst thing in the world. Is Nick actually considering pushing this thing with Darcie past the Beginners' stage and on to Advanced?

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Harlequin

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Jackie writes sweet, low-heat contemporary romances. She is a three-time RITA Award finalist and four-time National Readers' Choice Award finalist. RT Magazine named her Series Storyteller of the Year in 2005. She has written 35 traditionally published books, most of which are still in print somewhere in the world. Since surviving two-bone marrow transplants for blood cancer, she has turned her attention to self-publishing. She loves to hear from readers. Email her at authorjackiebraun@gmail.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Reviews

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greek for Beginners was a cute little audiobook to listen to. In it, you will meet Darcie and Nick. They are now newly single - Nick forever a bachelor and Darcie just got un-engaged? Wait is that a word? Eh - going with it.

Anyhoo, she took her honeymoon vacation anyways. So yeah - suck it ex-fiancé! While in Athens, she runs into Nick and it kind of seems like fate for these two. Nick's family is hounding him to get engaged/married and he just wants his family off of his back. Enter a fake relationship - ugh, those make me laugh because they ALWAYS end up real.

Throughout the book, they are developing feelings for one another. Doesn't hurt that his family adores her. It also doesn't help that her family just wants her to stop being selfish and come back home. They want her with her ex-fiancé who is just a douche. Ugh, I absolutely hated him.

Overall, Darcie's family sucks ass and she deserves Nick. They were super cute together and their whole relationship just made me smile.

[Chadi Raheb]

This is NOT a book for learning Greek! :|

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

quick, easy, cute romance read. some humor.
Darcie was a relatable character.

it just "hit the spot". i needed something light in b/w the thrillers I'm reading and this was entertaining.

and yes, it is a little corny but that's the brand. (HQ Kiss)

i was reminded of one my fave books "It's all greek to me" by Katie MacAllister which i would recommend if you liked this one. even though it's longer, it's much funnier & moves at a quick pace.

[Monica Gearhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book by this author and I loved it. I did not want to put it down. Can’t wait to read more by her.

[Sabina Alilovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Nick is not the alpha male, but he is gentle and kind and I like it how he and Darcy slowly develop their relationship.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually we have greeks as total Alphas with sheer dominance in characters, Nick here is a man comfortable in his own skin, he gets what he wants, but only if he has worked for it. Darcie is his complimentary other half. Both have a sense of humor that has one enjoying thoroughly and we get to laugh over their witty conversations. Their journey in this book is a journey one would want to go through themselves.

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really fun. Humorous with some drama and emotional twists. I really enjoyed the characters. Nick and Darcie were both well developed and easy to root for. And the ending was very satisfying, too.

[Sofia Lazaridou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Greece and romance. How can I not like a book after that?

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is fun and quite dumb. The entire situation is unrealistic, but I suppose that’s not the point to this kind of book. The thing that concerned me most is the beginning was filled with negative Greek stereotypes, which were unnecessary and uncalled for. Fortunately, those stereotypes were only at the beginning and it portrayed a more positive light on the Greek characters and their culture, though still stereotypical. The audiobook narrator’s Greek accent was not great, sounded more Russian than Greek.

[Jennifer Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick romance read. This was recommended to me by my sister because she said once you got into it, you couldn't put it down. She was right! The words were so easy that you had read like 30 pages before you noticed!

I liked the chemistry between the two main characters and the little life lesson about being in love no matter the length of the relationship.

I got this as a read and return at the library without knowing who she was and will now definitely read more by this author!

[Macy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable! Perfectly light sweet listen while on a long hike with the dogs!! Lovely narration.

[Narayan · Rating 3 out of 5]

was in line for a flight to Athens, thought this was genuinely a book to learn Greek. Pleasantly surprised

[June · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!

The honeymoon from hell. When Darcie arrives in Greece for her honeymoon trip by herself, her life continues to crumble. She called off the wedding two weeks previous, and while her ex got the condo and the 'Satan's spawn' cat, she got the cheap honeymoon trip. Although she's supposed to be met at the airport by the tour guide, she is only met by a sexy guys stare across the crowd and then everyone leaves but her.

Turns out her tour guide is somewhere wearing off last nights party and not good for any of the non-refundable money. Lucky for Darcie, sexy stranger appears at her side a little later and rescues her from a bad situation.

Nick is in Athens for his brothers wedding. The brother who is marrying the girl that Nick thought he would marry one day. Needless to say there are hurt feelings and forgiveness is not in the picture. But as Nick spends time with Darcie, taking things slow because she is so newly unengaged, he finds that she starts to mean more to him than he planned on. And he learns a few things about his brother and their relationship in the mean time. I really enjoyed this book.

Although they did eventually get around to having a sexual relationship, it was way at the end and it was not what the whole story was about! I enjoyed how this one played out. Plan on not putting this one down until you are finished with it!

[Megan Hodgson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a cute book! I really needed a light and fun book to distract me from my huge amount of homework I have this weekend… and found exactly what I was looking for in Greek for Beginners.

Although the story wasn’t anything special, and some of the sentences made me laugh out loud and how cheesy they were, this book was pretty good. It was perfect for the kind of book I need during heavy homework weeks- easy to read, quick to finish, and like a chick flick.

The characters were pretty sweet, although nothing too out of the ordinary.

I liked that it took place in Greece, and gave the book a little bit of a wanderlust fix as well. Although there wasn’t a huge push of Greek culture outside of Nick’s family, the fact that the characters spent a bit of time near the ocean made me want to go to a waterfront myself.

I will give this book a 3.5/5. It was cute, and exactly what I needed, but nothing special or extraordinary.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the closest thing to sipping a glass of chilled white wine by the Aegean Sea and watching the boats stir. I have not picked up a Harlequin novel in nearly half a decade, and this book was exactly the fun, light read that I was seeking.

“That is the point of a vacation, yes? To relax, rejuvenate one’s spirit.”

Darcie Hayes, recently dis-engaged and working an unsatisfying job as a fact-checker, rather than pursuing her dream of becoming a journalist in New York City, re-discovers herself on the trip to Greece that would have been her honeymoon. With local Nick Costas by her side as a tour guide, confidante, and potential lover, she begins to blossom into the woman she was always meant to be. Not only does her confidence bloom, but she helps Nick find peace with his family.

My wanderlust feels refreshed after reading this, and I certainly wouldn’t mind eating baklava with an ocean view right now. Perhaps Yiayia can lend me a recipe?

[Kai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again Harlequin Kiss has given me an image of a perfect yet fictional man in the figure of Nick Costas.

I love how Jackie Braun was able to develop Darcie's and Nick's premise but the solution mostly went to Nick. I wanted more from Darcie's side of the six months back in America. I wouldn't have minded the wait in reading too since I would get the satisfaction of reading the moments when her mom will finally shut the fuck up and Tad getting beaten to a pulp or at least be eaten by hounds who were not fed for seven days (I'm still not over the Battle of the Bastards episode).

With that said, I'm still very much satisfied with Nick's turnout and how he just swallowed his pride even. I do understand the whole girl between brother's thing but all that aside, men taking that stick out of their asses is still so satisfying. I'm giving this a 3.5/5 stars.

[Midniteillusion · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this lighthearted book. The characters were fun, and I could sympathize with the heroine about realizing that you've given up on your dreams and just settled. I also enjoyed that the heroine was in her 30's and not just early 20's like in so many romance novels. It's the perfect books for a light summer/vacation read. I did feel it was slightly anticlimactic or perhaps a little rushed at the end but overall a very enjoyable book and I would recommend it.

[Bungluna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice, sweet story that takes its time building an actual relationship instead of relying on the oh, so popular insta-lust. I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading more from this author.

[Myra Wardhana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the setting and story line, but would prefer more passion to be written down in the book. It's Greece, one of the destination that I always want to go... Could have been more intense, really.

[stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

easy read but good and fairly clean sorry of a woman who travels abroad and meets a guy.

[Tracy Zullo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet old time romance. A fun quick read.