In Another Life: A Dating Lessons Romance

Rhiannon James is a romance novelist who has never experienced romance herself. Her anxiety makes dating difficult, preventing her from pursuing the relationships she writes about. On the advice of her therapist, Rhia commits to going on five first dates as exposure therapy. Her dates prove increasingly disastrous until she meets Cole, a bartender at Marty's Tavern who befriends her and offers support. When Cole asks her out to fulfill her challenge, their date becomes the best night of her life. However, Rhia believes Cole is a casual dater uninterested in serious commitment, so she dismisses the connection. Cole, however, is determined to show Rhia that dating can be fulfilling and to work through his own personal struggles. As their relationship develops, the novel explores whether two very different people can find lasting fulfillment together, or if such a connection exists only in imagination. The book contains strong language and sexual content. It addresses anxiety including panic attacks, C-PTSD, past poverty, past parental death, past house fire, pyrophobia, unexpected pregnancy (not the main character), and allusions to abortion and miscarriage.