Flirting with Forever

By: Claire Kingsley

Narrated by: Stephen Dexter, Vanessa Edwin

He’ll break all her rules.

Nora Lakes is sophisticated, successful, and happily single. Career problems aside, her life is fine the way it is, thank you very much. Sure, her best friends are all moving into a new season of life—full of husbands and babies and white picket fences. But that’s not what Nora wants.

Neither is the gruff, tattooed guy next door. Tattoo artist Dex St. James has enough trouble on his hands without the distractingly beautiful woman next door. Being a single dad to a teenage girl is no joke. The last thing he needs is a flirtatious new neighbor who makes his blood run hot.

He’ll just avoid her. She’s not his type anyway. But Nora and Dex can’t seem to stay out of each other’s way. Between a pesky nocturnal visitor, Nora’s blossoming friendship with Dex’s daughter, and their undeniable chemistry, that up-against-the-wall, brain-melting kiss was probably inevitable.

Nora has rules when it comes to men, and she has her reasons. Dex threatens to break every last one of them. She doesn’t want forever. He won’t settle for anything less. But when these two collide, the result is fire.

And maybe even forever.

Author’s note: Opposites attract in this fun, swoony single-dad rom-com. A smart, sassy woman meets a rough-around-the-edges tattoo artist with a heart of gold. Daddy/daughter moments, all the banter, neighborly shenanigans, a meddling family, badass lady friendships, and a hero who’s determined to fight the heat between them—until he falls first.

Flirting with Forever can be enjoyed as a stand-alone.

©2023 Claire Kingsley (P)2023 Claire Kingsley

Fantastic!!

So to start this audio has 2 of my favorite narrators so of course I had to listen. Stephen Dexter and Vanessa Edwin killed it! They brought Dex and Nora to life while showing us all how they met...how they fell and how they overcame the obstacles that were between them. This story was fantastic when I read it but was even better brought to life! 5 star performance all the way!

Dex and Nora are perfection!

What a fabulous wrap-up of the phenomenal Dirty Martini Running Club series!
Nora is the “last woman standing”, after her 3 best friends found their happily ever afters; and she decides to buy a house and move out of the city as she’s entering the next chapter of her life.
Enter Dex, the handsome next door neighbor, single Dad to an adorable 13 year old daughter and a tattoo artist with a huge meddling family, and Nora doesn’t stand a chance!
I absolutely loved this heartwarming story, read it in one sitting - it was simply unputdownable!
I enjoyed visiting with beloved characters from Claire’s literary world, Nora’s best friends, and their husbands - The Husband Gang.

“Seems that I’m special, since I warranted a visit from the husband gang.”

The author has masterfully brought the series home with captivating story line, relatable and remarkably well developed characters and just the right amount of swoon, steam and laugh out loud fun!
The narrators made the book come alive, and Steven Dexter as Dex was simply perfection!
I definitely recommend Flirting with Forever to all romcom enthusiasts!

Smart funny and wildly appealing

I loved, loved Dex, Nora and Riley’s single dad, never going to get married romance. The story was well written and included witty dialogue, three dimensional characters who grow, and an engaging storyline and will give you all the feels - laughing, crying, swooning, cringing, teeth gritting, knuckle biting, and cheering. Nora is an empowered happily single woman who has just purchased her own home in the suburbs. Dex is a never been married, dad to a teenage daughter, Riley, tattoo artist who is now Nora’s neighbor. There is instant attraction and connection between them but their pasts make them both anti-relationship. As they spend more time together, mainly because of Riley, the deeper their connection becomes and the closer they get to embracing their HEA and what a fun, heart warming and emotional journey it is. Before they get there, they must each deal with their pasts because they continue to negatively impact and limit their lives in the present. The book has a little bit of everything - sweet moments, strong family bonds, steamy times, real life issues, imperfect characters, misunderstandings, painful pasts, and so much love. I especially loved that Riley was a wonderful and integral character in the story rather than a flimsy story prop. The story would not have been as rich and well rounded without the full development and inclusion of her character. I have loved this series and am sad to see it end.

Stephen Dexter and Vanessa Edwin did a phenomenal job narrating the story and characters into life with enough change of inflection, tone and cadence to voice multiple characters quite convincingly. Their narrating enriches the enjoyment of the story.

Dex and Nora- Perfection

Story: 5/5🌟
Spice level - 3.5/5 🌶🌶🌶
Re-read/re-listen: Yes!! All of Claire's books are re-read level
Recommend: Yes!!!! 100%
Trope: Neighbors, single dad. Opposites attract
Narrators: 5/5 🌟. Stephen Dexter and Vanessa Edwin

Story:
The wait for Nora was totally worth it! This book made me beyond happy and giddy!I loved that Dex was her opposite! Loved it! Loved that they fit so freaking well together! I love this girl crew so much!! Riley!! Oh, that sweet girl, and the interaction her and Nora had was so sweet.
This book was just amazing!
I started and ended this book in one day. I couldn't stop listening. It was a fun, easy read. Full of laughs, heat, heart, and sass from Nora. I mean, she is Nora Freaking Lakes.
I am sad to say goodbye to this series, but this series has been so fun! Nora's book was the perfect conclusion, and I love her HEA. My words simply can not do this book

Narrators:
Stephen Dexter and Vanessa Edwin were fan freaking tastic!!! I loved them both!! They did so well at bringing these characters to life.

Nora and Dex are the perfect finale

What can I say about this book other than it's a perfect heart-warming romantic comedy to lift your mood, make you laugh, and make you wish you could sit down and have drinks with the whole Dirty Martini Running Club yourself. Nora and Dex are the perfect high note to close out this series.

Nora has always proven that she could be a fierce mama bear when it came to her friends, as we saw in all the previous books in this series. It was obvious to the reader that she'd be a wonder wife and mom that day, even though she did not believe that herself at all. So when single dad, Dex, and his soulful and sweet daughter, Riley, came into her life, OF COURSE Nora got attached despite her best efforts not to. I absolutely loved how they formed a family way before they realized they formed a family. Dex and Riley sort of sneak-attacked Nora into commitment even though she may as well have had "commitmentphobe" tattooed on her butt.

Stellar writing, as always, by Claire Kingsley. Very few authors can make you care about their characters so thoroughly that you need their happily-ever-after to happen, and you will gladly wait two years for the book to drop. From the first book in this series to the last, Nora was always complicated, fierce and protective. Claire made us care about Nora from when she first appeared as Everly's snarky, wild, flirty friend. I couldn't think of a better HEA for her than Dex and Riley.

The audio, narrated by Vanessa Edwin and Stephen Dexter, is such a great way to experience this book. These two talented voice actors brought so much heart to Nora and Dex that you can't help but fall in love along with them. This is the kind of listen that you'll come back to repeatedly when you need to fall in love with love again.

Sweet & Sexy

The narration was amazing. Stephen Dexter and Vanessa Edwin worked so well for Dex & Nora!

This is the long awaited fourth book in the Dirty Martini Running Club and not a single word disappointed. I’ve always loved Nora as a side character in the other books and loved her getting her own story. Dex is the sexy tattoo artist next door neighbor. The chemistry is amazing. They are a perfect mix! ❤️

Loved it!!

This book was a great listen. Loved all the characters, especially Dex. Both narrators did a fantastic job. Highly recommend!

Perfect series ending!

The final book in the Dirty Martini Running Club was imperfectly perfect.

Worldly wise, impeccably poised, self-sufficient Nora moving out of the city into the suburbs was the first surprise. Always refined and polished, we watch as love causes to Nora to re-evaluate what is important to her and, more importantly, what is not.

Single dad Dex is almost overly protective of both his daughter and his heart. Determined to be the best parent he can be, Dex is suspicious of Nora’s motives when she is welcoming and friendly with his teenaged daughter. But he can’t deny his attraction to Nora no matter how much each of them tries to fight it.

This book felt very real. The struggles of a single parent…the heartbreak of a child whose non-custodial parent continually over-promises and under-delivers…the workplace politics that cause unnecessary drama. All of this was present. And so was the sexual tension between the new neighbors.

When the passion ignited, it was incendiary! Quite a lot of the “hook ups” happened off the page. But there was enough action to keep this reader invested in the outcome.

It was wonderful to revisit the other Dirty Martini ladies and the husband gang and get updates on their lives together. The realness in how protective they were of one another and the same can be said of Dex’s family. And I loved the brief visits by Nora’s brother Jensen.

Stephen Dexter was perfect as Dex. He voiced Dex’s confusion, protectiveness, and pure heart beautifully. Vanessa Edwin was wonderful as Nora - giving her the perfect combination of cynical edge and inherent sweetness.

I’m sad to see the last of this group of friends but thankful to be part of their world for a while.

Dex & Nora

I had been waiting for Nora's story. I did enjoy it. I have loved Everly, Hazel and Sophie's stories. but I can't help feeling a little let down. I've always like Nora's characters in all the books. I think I expected more. The whole article fiasco I would have liked Nora with more angst with her boss and Talla, and Dex eating more crow. I took a Star for some areas thay could have used more back story on some of the scenes. a little more groveling, Nora more pissed at his accusations. Loved Riley and Jenson and of course the girls and the Husband gang.

Who doesn't love a sexy single dad?

I absolutely loved Flirting with Forever. This book is a perfect blend of humor, heart, and steamy romance that had me hooked from the very first page.

Nora is a successful and independent woman who has her life all figured out, while Dex is a gruff and tattooed single dad who has his hands full raising his teenage daughter. Watching these two very different people come together and navigate their attraction to each other was an absolute joy.

The chemistry between Nora and Dex is off-the-charts, and their banter is hilarious. I found myself laughing out loud at their interactions, but also swooning at their sweet moments together. I loved the dynamic between Dex and his daughter, which added another layer of heart to the story. Claire Kingsley has once again delivered a fantastic book that left me wanting more.