The Love Dare

Can a dare made at Notting Hill Carnival turn into true love? He’s All That meets How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days in this trope-filled sizzling summer romance, perfect for fans of Joya Goffney and Lynn Painter.   Popular girl Eva Òjó is used to boys falling for her without her even trying. So when her friend dares her to dance with a random guy at Notting Hill Carnival, she meets Saint. Comic obsessed Saint Rowe-Falade thinks Eva is cute, but he's not interested in her in that way. He’d rather get lost in stories than look for romance. When Eva’s birthday party gets out of control and causes damage to her dad’s beloved car, her friends set the ultimate dare: get Saint to take her on one date and they’ll help her pay to fix her dad’s car. Operation fall-in-love-with-Eva is set in motion and Eva makes it her mission to make Saint fall head over heels. But just as Saint starts to warm to Eva, and her own feelings towards him grow, Saint finds out about the dare. Can Eva convince Saint she’s truly into him, or has she lost him for good? PRAISE FOR ABIOLA BELLO'S LOVE IN WINTER WONDERLAND: ‘A screen-worthy holiday romance.’ Joya Goffney, author of Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry ‘Gorgeous writing, witty dialogue, a magical setting and two characters you'll fall head over heels for.’ Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places   ‘I devoured this delicious YA rom-com. A treat to read any time of year.’ Katherine Webber, author of Twin Crowns   ‘A wonderfully warm love story.’ Candice Brathwaite, author of Cuts Both Ways ‘A warm and cosy read that pulls you into the perfect winter romance. Abiola has given us all a gift to swoon over.’ Benjamin Dean, author of The King is Dead

Abiola Bello is a Nigerian-British, prize-winning, bestselling children’s and YA author who was born and raised in London. She is an advocate for diversity in books for young people. She’s the author of the award-winning fantasy series Emily Knight and was nominated for the CILIP’s Carnegie Award, won London’s BIG Read 2019, and was a finalist for the People’s Book Prize Best Children’s Book. Abiola contributed to The Very Merry Murder Club, a collection of mysteries from thirteen exciting and diverse children’s writers which published in October 2021 and was selected as Waterstones Children’s Book of the Month. Her debut YA, Love in Winter Wonderland, published in November 2022 and was an Amazon’s Editor’s Choice and was featured in The Guardian’s Children’s and Teens Best New Novels. Only for the Holidays published in October 2023 and was The Bookseller One To Watch, one of Waterstones Best Paperbacks of 2023 and was featured in The Guardian’s Children’s and Teens Best New Novels. Abiola won The Black British Business Awards 2023 for Arts and Media and The London Book Fair Trailblazer Awards 2018. She is the co-founder of Hashtag Press, Hashtag BLAK, The Diverse Book Awards and ink! She has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Female First Magazine, The Mirror, BBC1XTRA to name a few. As well as being a writer, Abiola is a professional dancer. She performed for more than a decade in prestigious venues including The Royal Opera House, The Barbican, Sadler's Wells, Hammersmith Apollo and Unicorn Theatre. Abiola has also appeared on BBC's The Apprentice, Got To Dance and Street Dance AllStars The Movie.