Definitely (Maybe) Dating

The Eastons #2

by Marina Adair

All is fair in love and war . . .

From New York Times bestselling author Marina Adair, comes a laugh out loud, tender and heartfelt opposites attract romantic comedy that fans of Christina Lauren, Sarah Morgan, and Jill Shalvis will adore.

As far as Piper Lewis is concerned, happily ever after was about as realistic as finding Prince Charming riding a unicorn, but since street art doesn’t pay the bills she accepts a job as the resident photographer for Portland’s most popular historic wedding venue. Her role as the Ansel Adams of Love is nearly cut short when she has car troubles and her tall, dark and delicious driver-for-hire, takes one look at her mud-soaked clothes and tries to flee. Except years on the streets made Piper’s reflexes faster than his four-hundred horsepower, and with one calculated move she’s in the backseat, telling him exactly where she’ll shove his tip. Only he isn’t a driver at all, he’s the Best Man. And while he might not be a prince, he still manages to charm her into a kiss, but that’s all she’s open to.

Josh Easton goes toe to toe with some of the toughest criminals on the streets every day. There isn’t a fight he won’t take on, which is why he’s running to be the Portland District Attorney. So when the mayor promises Josh an endorsement in exchange for a small favor, he doesn’t hesitate to help with the Ladies Auxiliary League annual fundraiser. He never imagines that a bunch of Portland socialites could land him in hot water—and up the conflict, with the intoxicating artist whose lips made a lasting impression.

Genres: Romance, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary Romance, Fake Dating, Contemporary, Audiobook, Rom Com

310 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 8, 2021

About the author

Marina Adair is a New York Times author whose fun, flirty contemporary romances have sold over a million copies. She has hit #1 overall in Amazon Kindle Paid and her St. Helena Vineyard series was optioned and made into the original Hallmark Channel Vineyard movies: Autumn in the Vineyard, Summer in the Vineyard, and Valentines in the Vineyard. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She holds a MFA from San Jose University and currently lives in Northern California with her husband, daughter, and two neurotic cats. Please visit her online at MarinaAdair.com and sign up for her newsletter at www.MarinaAdair.com/newsletter.

TikTok: Tiktok.com/@marinaadair

Instagram: instagram.com/authormarinaadair

Facebook: facebook.com/marinaadairaauthor

BookBub: bookbub.com/authors/marina-adair

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This narrative style was all over the place. Also men are meant to grovel and sir did not.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am such a big fan of Adair but confess this latest book fell somewhat flat. Perhaps it was the third person narration, but I never felt much of a connection to the romantic relationship between Piper and Josh. However, I adored the family/brother aspect of the Eastons.

Even though this is marketed as a stand alone, it is the second book featuring the Easton Brothers. While you do not have to read Chasing I Do, there will be spoilers if you skip.

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Series: The Eastons, #2
Narrated by Piper Goodeve. Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
Release date: 12-21-21

This was Josh Easton and Piper Lewis's story. The beginning wasn't bad but at some point it went downhill. I felt like the story was all over the place and lacked clear focus. Just when I managed to get into Piper's story, author switched to Josh's POV and I had to refocus but I didn't want to.

There were so many issues and baggage - Piper's troubled childhood, ending up on the streets, then discovering photography. Josh still grieving for his father, at the same time trying to cope with her bossy mother and interfering brothers. So much seemed to be going on but at the same time not much seemed to happen and I didn't really feel the emotions as I was told, not shown. There's not much character development and in the end I didn't really care if they get together or not...

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun story about two vastly different people. Piper Campagna is a woman who grew up without the love and support of her family. Josh Easton, Portland’s Assistant District Attorney, came from a local, wealthy, celebrity family, a family with all the love and support anyone could ask for. They meet at the engagement party of Josh’s brother where Piper is the photographer. Although this is their story, it is more than just a romance. Josh is running for District Attorney. Piper is involved with Urban Soul, a safe haven for homeless women in Portland. Josh soon learns that Piper’s heart is opened to helping others who are in a position she is all too familiar with from her own life experiences. She steps in to help when one of the young women gets into legal trouble. Will that be too much for Josh and his campaign? This is a heartwarming story that reminds us of the needs of others in our communities. I enjoyed the book, a great summer read, and I recommend it to others who enjoy romance with strong women as heroes.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Margo strikes again

That’s two books in a row where the mother is written as completely evil and there are zero consequences. The first book, she traumatized her grandchild by reporting her mother as unfit, on top of how she treated Darcy re her son. Now, she has a teenager girl and Piper arrested over a charity auction. It’s just too outlandish and frustrating to see these actions go completely unaddressed.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great summer read. The story is delightful and there’s plenty of angst, emotion, and drama. Piper and Josh are a great couple and the chemistry between them is palpable. I laughed, I cried, I loved the book. I can always count on Marina Adair for a fun and entertaining read.

[Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

bad editing

intriguing storyline (a little cliche, but still good) but the copy editing was so poor I had a hard time pushing through.

[Alyssa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off cute and quirky but then went downhill about halfway through. The ending was abrupt. The whole book was leading up to the event and the actual event only lasted 2 pages.

[Patti Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marina Adair has done it again and has given her readers another incredible romantic comedy! I absolutely LOVED Definitely (Maybe) Dating the second book her The Eastons series. It was an incredible story and I loved reading every moment on every page and could not put it down. She provided her readers with the amazing characters, that I loved, who feel like close friends! Marina Adair continues to show with Definitely (Maybe) Dating that she is an incredible storyteller. One of my favorite things that I love about Definitely (Maybe) Dating is how Marina Adair incorporates the title of the book into the love story. Who doesn't love hot sexy men, strong females, loving families and friends, who always support one another, they are all such wonderful characters? Her characters in Definitely (Maybe) Dating are so believable and charming, they share great chemistry, lots of laughs, and steamy romance. Definitely (Maybe) Dating delivers all those things that I love most about Marina Adair’s romantic comedies. I love that Marina Adair writes from the perspective of the two main characters. I enjoy getting to see things from the viewpoints of both of the main characters. Definitely (Maybe) Dating is filled with heartbreaking and heartwarming moments. I love the lighter moments where I find myself smiling and laughing out loud. My favorite moments are the ones that pull at my heartstrings that cause me to sigh, as I read the heartbreaking moments. Definitely (Maybe) Dating is filled with all those things that I have come to love in a romantic comedy love story, especially the poignant and bittersweet moments that filled this page turner. Definitely (Maybe) Dating is opposites attract, love at first sight story about Josh Easton, an Assistant District Attorney and the oldest Easton son, who is running for District Attorney and Piper Campagna, photographer who her friend, Darcy Kincaid hired to be the official photographer for her newly renovated Belle Mont Manor. Who does not love a love at first sight love story, that is mixed in with opposites attract? Josh and Piper meet when Piper experiences car trouble on the way to Belle Mont Manor for her first assignment, to photograph Darcy and Gage’s engagement party, in a case of mistaken identity, where Piper assumes that Josh is the rideshare driver that Jillian is sending her way. On account of a wardrobe malfunction Piper needs to change out of her dress in the backseat of Josh’s car while he offers assistance with the zipper. Once they arrive at the venue, Piper realizes her mistake and that Josh is Gage’s brother and not the driver. I love Piper and Josh’s interactions in the car and how she tips Josh. I love the chemistry between Piper and Josh. Piper was a teenage runaway, who relied on the help and kindness of Skye, to become the woman she is today and Josh comes from and upper middle class loving family. Piper asked Josh for assistance with a permit to have an art show with art created by the at-risk teenage girls that Skye helps. Skye is behind in paying her real estate tax and therefore could lose her home. Piper wants to help Skye raise money and create college funds for the girls. As Josh and Piper spend more time together, and things begin to change between them. I love all the things that Josh does for Piper, even though Piper has issues with promises and trust. I love that both Piper shares secrets with Josh that she has not told anyone before, especially the bittersweet story behind the tattoo that Josh kept guessing the meaning of. I love Josh and Piper’s love story, and how Piper shows her vulnerable side to Josh. Then a unexpected plot twist changes things between them and truly shows Piper’s vulnerable side, and all that Josh is willing to do for Piper to prove his love and that he will put her first. I love the amazing chemistry between Piper and Josh, and that it was more than chemistry, it was love. My favorite part of the story were all the amusing nicknames that Josh creates for Piper, and the nicknames that Piper has for Josh and his mother, Margo. I love the characters and the family dynamic in Definitely (Maybe) Dating, the characters feel like family and friends. I enjoyed all the interactions between the Easton brothers, it feels like real family love and makes me laugh at their teasing. I also loved the friendship between Darcy, Jillian, and Piper, they proved to Piper that she could count on them. Who doesn’t love family and friends that always have each other’s backs? Definitely (Maybe) Dating is filled with all those things that I love in a romantic comedy, incredible characters, amazing story, light, poignant and bittersweet moments, and surprise plot twists. Marina Adair did not disappoint in her delivery of those things. I love how she resolved the surprise plot twist; it was truly a heartwarming moment. My favorite part of the book was the epilogue, I truly love how it went above and beyond the happily ever after. I am so looking forward to reading the other books in the series, and will start with reading the first book in the series, Chasing I Do. It was an amazing story and I highly recommend it.

[Essie · Rating 3 out of 5]

the mother annoyed me but alas, what can you do?

[Britt · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Quick romance! I had been listening to a lot of books with heavy topics, this is a nice no-brainer. It still has issues addressed and it was set in Oregon making me miss a place I love. Although the reader did miss pronounce Willamette..can’t be perfect!

[cami · Rating 3 out of 5]

hermanas es re tierno este libro😭
me enganché desde el principio y ya de por sí se me hizo bastante entretenido y gracioso. el desarrollo de los personajes es perfecto, haciéndonos conocer sobre el pasado de piper y cómo eso afecta las decisiones que toma en el presente. también su relación con josh😭💘💘💘💘💘 es impactada por mucho de lo que vivió piper y vamos viendo a través del libro como va abriéndose y dejando que josh entre en su vida.

[Jann Rigell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking, Funny, Sweet, and Sexy Rolled into one enjoyable read!

Marina Adair has a knack for pulling you into her stories so completely, that you forget that you’re not actually in the friend groups of her characters! Definitely (Maybe) Dating is the next installment in her Eastons series that will make you wish that you lived in this book-verse! This is a flirty yet sweet story between two people with an immediate, electric connection that they try to downplay as just opposites attracting temporarily but later realize that they are exactly what the other needs for their true happiness.

Piper is a former street kid that grew up into an artist/photographer that continues to try and pay forward the support that she finally found in her late teens to get herself together. Because of her tough upbringing, she has armored herself from the world emotionally to protect herself from the consistent disappointment that she knows first hand that the world can deliver.

Josh is the handsome lawyer from a large, close knit family that suffered their own tragedies. Because of those tragedies, Josh stopped trying to live his dream and started living up to his self-imposed responsibilities as the first-born son. He often feels the weight of the world on his shoulders to solve everyone’s problems around him and it’s suffocating him.

When Piper literally crashes into his life, he finally feels like he can breathe again and those suffocating problems vanish into the ether. When Piper sees Josh, she starts to wonder if she can actually open up and be vulnerable again without breaking.

Their sweet and playful banter will warm your heart, have you smiling brightly, and laughing out loud as you watch their story unfold. Grab your tissues as you tuck in with Piper and Josh and their friends and family. You may also learn something about the life of at-risk teens that move you to re-think some of your ideas about street art and homelessness.

Don’t miss this summer read!

[Perrin Larton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Misunderstandings abound in this laugh-out-loud second installment of The Eastons.

Well-to-do family, meddling mother, handsome son, combined with a down on her luck photographer who seems to always be 'just this close' to success when something happens.

Although the first part of the book was a bit slow for me, it was full of back story and as the book went on, it was needed! I enjoyed the banter between the Easton brothers, how they cared for their mom and loved her, even though sometimes they didn't like her too much!

Piper didn't grow up with anyone. One of the saddest statements in the book was when she said when she was little, she just wanted to be safe. She is a woman who wants other young women and girls to have what she didn't.

Josh and Piper, although they have nothing in common, their mutual attraction shines through!! Ms. Adair did a fabulous job showing both of these people at their best and worst, and how love can work it's magic no matter what.


I hadn't read the first book in this series...but now it's purchased and downloaded! I loved this story and I can't wait for the rest of the Easton men to get their happily ever afters!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marina Adair’s second installment of the Eastons doesn’t disappoint. I so enjoyed the first book and was eagerly awaiting more of the four Easton brothers as they each find their HEA. This is Josh’s story, the oldest brother who stepped into the role of being the man of the family when their father passed away. After years of being responsible, he throws caution to the wind when Piper crashes into his life. She’s the opposite of the women he’s usually attracted to, and their chemistry is off-the-charts from their meet cute at his brother’s engagement party. Piper has had a tough childhood, which has caused her to put up lots of walls, and we get to see a Josh break them down. Their flirty banter is so well written, as is the brotherly love and budding friendships between Piper and the heroine of the first Easton story. Marina Adair writes with such heart, you feel like part of this circle of friends and family. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

[Kimberly Breitbarth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Be better

This book was very difficult for me to enjoy because of the overwhelming stereotyping. As a society, we have recognized our need to be better about not crossing the street to avoid the tattooed kid covered in a hoodie at 1 in the afternoon. So do we need to stop conveying that every runaway is emotionally unavailable.... distrustful of all humanity, and incapable of relationships. That mantra is conveyed through action and word throughout Definitely Maybe Dating. When a book maintains that every interaction with a wealthy society involved mother of the hero is critical, arrogant, and oppressive, we climb right back into judgemental stereotyping. Be better at representing our fellow humans. Josh would have been an idiot to align himself with someone so incapable of being a supportive committed partner. Heck she couldn't even commit to being friends with the two normal women in the book. Not even close to a comedy.

[Susan McClintock · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Easton series by this author. The first book introduced the Easton family, with matriarch Margo and the five brothers. Josh is the oldest Easton and became the de facto head of the family after his father died. He is an ADA for the city of Portland, is running for district attorney and trying to keep his family together. He has a meet cute with Piper at his brothers engagement party. Piper is nothing like the usual women Josh has dated in the past. But these opposites definitely attract. I read the first book in the series when it came out in 2016, and have been eagerly awaiting the next brother’s story. This book did not disappoint. I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the author for my honest review.

[Princess Thuy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Marina Adair has done it again. Definitely (Maybe) Dating was such an emotional love story. Between the opposites attract and crazy chemistry between Josh and Piper and the cute and funny moments between Josh and his brothers, this story had it all. Piper with her backstory, trust issues and dedication to help others really pulled at my heart strings. Then her and Josh together. He was so patient with her. I absolutely loved him. This story made me smile and laugh as well as shed some emotional tears. What a great summer or any time read for sure.

*I voluntarily read an advance copy of this book*

[Macy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I do like an opposites attract story, but this one didn’t work for me. Piper most certainly had a lot of issues and baggage, but was well intentioned, even when things didn’t go as planned. Josh, though well intentioned kept trying to make everyone happy and just came off as spineless. The mother, well no, just no. Though of course there is the inevitable HEA, when I got there I didn’t care all that much and was just glad it was over.

[Suzie loves to read · Rating 2 out of 5]

Needs a serious editing overhaul

This is possibly the worst edited book I’ve ever read, but the story was relatively enjoyable, so I’ll give it two stars.

[Gabrielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

for me

This was soooooo disappointing. This book was so hyped and it’s wasn’t that good. I hated the main guy. He made it seem like he was only being nice to the Mc to get laid. Then magically it was about more than that. But basically the entire book he was making comments about wanting to get load and how he needs to do this or he won’t get laid. Also I though like him being a lawyer wasn’t his dream and he was going to realize that he still wanted to work with tech start ups. But no he’s a lawyer. I hated his character. I tired to like him and besides the getting laid I started to and then it all went down. I’m so disappointed I want to cry, like that’s how much I am disappointed. The hype for this is crazy and it doesn’t deliver. Is there like two or three good scenes… yes but as a whole hell no. The man is shit. Like at the end hes okay but not really. Now the MC made mistake yes but the man literally chose his mom over and over. His mom is completely not okay. Like they whole book they were saying how she doesn’t respect boundaries but instead of telling her to stop they just let her. So many times they say they did to do something but they don’t. They just blame it on her grief which isn’t an excuse. It doesn’t give you an excuse to be horrible. The entire family especially the MMC enable her. It was ridiculous. I was hoping so bad but knew it wouldn’t happen that the girl wouldn’t get with the guy but whatever. I would not recommend this book. It was disappointing. The mom was horrible and man was horrible and the plot was kind of all over the place and kind of boring. I am so saddened by how disappointing this was. I wanted to like it because people hyped it so hard but it’s a no. Wish I never read it so I didn’t know how disappointing it was. I was going to read the other books when I first started reading this one but now that I’ve read it I don’t think I can. Also laugh out loud in the title is so wrong. Like I did not laugh at all. I would not call it a comedy at all. So disappointed and not worth it. 2/5

[Ashley Montes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book hit a spot in me.
The main female character Piper has a lot of the same mentally as I do and also a lot of the same fears. This book gave me all the feels and then some.
All the side characters were great and they did not overwhelm the story and I loved that. I loved the flow and the side plots with Piper and Josh and how the author showed their lives as well instead of focusing solely on the love interest between the two. I found that very refreshing.

Yes, God, I would like to order a large helping of Josh Easton!
This man had my heart from the very start. I could not get over this man if I wanted to. He was so kind to Piper and so understanding. I hope I find a man like that some day. Someone who understands my demons and helps me battle them instead of trying to fix me. I love how he never pushed Piper and just was there for her.

Piper.
Kickass sweetheart who never have up on her dreams or anyone else. I adored her and her determination. She never backed down and she was always there when Sky needed her and the girls.

This book had so many powerful messages behind it. The main is this, never judge anyone or anything without know the full story and all the facts because you never know why people do what they do.

This book will be close to my heart forever.

[Tiffany Bumgardner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started Great, Rushed Ending

Pacing was an issue for this book, everything is moving super fast but mostly just jumping between dialogue to unimportant information to plot and then rushes through a romance, and ends.

The plot of this was never truly wrapped up, and the climax was just meh 🫤. Sorry but someone with the fmc background isn’t going to forgive someone who broke his promise choose his mother first, thought the worst of a teen who immolates the fmc past and nearly ruined her attempt to save the first place she ever called home without him even truly apologizing or stepping up and proving himself multiple times.

Idk I liked how it started but middle ground and end were just eh the book lost momentum as it went and didn’t live up to its full potential. Characters started strong but seemed to go in reverse as the book went too. (I cared about the main characters in the beginning but by the end no growth and I just did not care at all, about them or rest of the cast you know will each get their own books.)

It’s a fine short read but nothing I am a fan of. Doubtful I will ever read this author again.

[FLOSS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Piper and Josh

I really liked this book. I thought that it was nice how patient Josh was with Piper and overcoming her trauma of being left. It was nice to see how Piper slowly trusted Josh and how he valued and saw her. However, I feel like this book had a lot of plot holes. There were so many other characters that were briefly introduced and I wanted to know more about their backstory. I also wanted to see Piper and Josh’s mom resolve their differences but they never did. It frustrated me how Josh’s mom was such a complicated character and how she seemed to support Piper but on the next page, completely turned on her. I feel like there was so much beef between them which should have put Josh in an awkward position because he has such a close relationship with his mom and he just kinda left her behind? in a way. It just felt unresolved to me.

[Natasha Allen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sorry but how has this book got 4⭐️???

I really was expecting something great from this after reading the reviews and I feel I’ve just wasted 5.5 hours. This story really could have been great. The idea and thoughts behind it could have really worked but everything fell short.

Piper who I actually liked at the beginning of the book just got on my nerves the more the story went on.

I liked josh. I actually felt sorry for him. His family take him for granted. Up until the end I actually liked how his and Pipers dynamics worked. But then it felt like he was being made out to be this horrible monster when i felt his actions weren’t as bad as they had made out.

Overall I just feel disappointed

[Maddie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could’ve been such a good read but something about it I just wasn’t clicking with. It could be the third person writing but I just never got fully drawn in and found myself skimming a lot of it. But it was a sweet story and Josh was very loveable. I found Piper to be rather irritating at times, I appreciate her background and this clearly lends to how she acts but at times it was annoying to see her pushing back at so many things. Also the mother, the typical rich snooty ruins everything woman was just painful to read and made me want to stop reading every time she was on the page. So thus my 2 stars are exclusively for Josh being a sweetheart and the one scene where Piper pitched the event to the rich snooty woman’s club and she stood her ground.

[Amaya Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

What's her problem ?!

Margo has some nerve acting the way she does towards people and she needs to get checked for it. I wish the author went into more detail on how Josh handled the Rebecca situation with her after Piper left because the relationship she has with her all of her sons is toxic! I mean she literally was about to ruin a SIXTEEN year olds life because her son finally had someone to love like girl you need to reevaluate because this is unacceptable. I love how the author shows how Piper is still struggling and relating to Rebecca with how she was abandoned on the streets because that is real life and how that trauma can follow you even years after you get into a better situation.

[Melenareads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited to see Marina Adair return to the Easton's series with this engaging and fun read!

Piper and Josh are opposites, but that doesn't mean they can't be great together. The connection between them was easy to see from the beginning, and I liked how their relationship developed. They both had concerns and struggles, but opened up as they spent more time together.

The story was nicely paced and I really like Marina's writing style. If you are looking for a sweet, fun, and entertaining book, I highly recommend picking this one up!

Thank you to the author for providing an ARC for an honest review.

[Lindy Dierks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful book written by Marina Adair. She’s the absolute best at drawing the reader in from the first page to the last. This book was rich and heartfelt—oozing with the best kind of conflict. I love the witty dialogue between not only the hero and heroine but between the Easton clan.
Piper was strong and independent with loads of grit while Josh was a swoon worthy hero. Both characters had flaws and issues from their past to overcome. That’s what makes Marina’s characters lovable and the reader enjoying the ride to their happily ever after. As always, this book was very well written and hit me with all the feels.

[Asia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall this book wasn’t bad. As expected there was plenty of angst, emotion, and drama. I do quite like the pairing of Piper and Josh, as individuals they’re at the very least both likeable characters; as a couple they work surprisingly well and the chemistry between them is palpable. However I have to say I was left disappointed with the story as a whole by the time I reached the end. I really do feel as though the main conflict was handled rather poorly. I love a happy ending and by all means believe that the two main characters deserved a happy ending, but I think there was more of a story to explore before the abrupt ending.