The Kiss Test by Shannon McKelden
Contemporary Romance
October 11, 2010
E-Book
Carina Press

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote:”…if he knew how mad I was, he’d think twice about exposing to me the family jewels necessary for creating his hypothetical children”

Margo has it all. A fab job DJ-ing at a country music radio station, a boyfriend who agrees with her no marriage/no kids edict, and she just found out she won Country DJ of the year. What more could she ask for?

But when it rains it pours and with in one week she loses her job, her boyfriend, and her home.

So left with nothing but her love of all things Elvis she heads to her best friend Chris’s house to crash until she figures her life out. Chris and Margo have been bff’s since grade school. Sexy, smart, and dangerous, Chris has never had a problem with the opposite sex, you just have to past his “Kiss Test.”

When she has an accident that leaves her unable to be alone, Chris decides that she needs to attend her mom’s wedding and agrees to drive her cross country with a few stops in between.

As Chris and Margo embark on their road trip, a lifetime worth of memories surface and Margo learns a lot about life, love, and herself.

Set in the first person, The Kiss Test is a funny, cute, snarky contemporary that is perfect reading for a lazy afternoon. Told from Margo’s point of view in the present tense, we experience with Margo her life as it happens. Very independent to the point of “my way or the highway”, Margo has a hard time letting go of the reins and opening her heart. I enjoyed how Ms. McKeldon uses the road trip and Chris to force Margo to deal with her past in order to move forward. At times I felt she was a little selfish and dense but once you are given the background story, you can sympathize with her.

Chris, her bff, comes off rather self absorbed at times but his actions show through out the book that he has and will always be there for Margo. He doesn’t let her run all over him and gives as good as he gets. He shows Margo that he truly does know her best and doesn’t hesitate to give her advice when he feels she needs it.

The story reads fast and smooth with some hilarious scenes and one liners that had me laughing out loud. I did at times wish we would have had Chris’s POV to add to the romantic aspects of the book-but it actually comes off more believable just hearing Margo’s. The smexy scenes are far and few between but that actually makes the story better. This story is a revelation in the making and an over abundance of make out time would have negated the main story line.

There is an enjoyable array of secondary characters that are just enough stereotypical behavior to be entertaining without crossing the line into annoying.

The ending was a little surprising and I have to say I wanted to slap Margo upside the head and tell her to grow up. But Ms. McKelton and Chris save the day and we even get a little peek into their future that had me issuing a happy sigh.

Rating: 3/5

Recent Reviews:
The Geeky Book Worm – 2/5
Books, According to Nicole – 2/5
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