Kismet by Carly Phillips (Serendipity #1.5)
November 2011
E-book, Novella

Lissa Gardelli has lived in the small town of Serendipity all her life. Growing up on the “wrong” side of the tracks gave her life lessons that have helped her get through the tough times in life but they have also made her the strong, successful woman she is today. Her biggest life lesson; money does not buy you happiness.

Trevor Dane also grew up in Serendipity and lived on the “wrong” side of the tracks. He’d always thought that Lissa was beautiful and he’d had a crush on her forever. But Lissa was dating Bradley Banks-quarterback, popular, rich; how could he compete with that.

When Lissa and Bradley break up, Trevor decides it’s now or never and he makes his move. He’s surprised and thrilled when Lissa accepts and they begin dating. Their relationship quickly blossoms and they fall in love. Their love is real and true and they spend lots of time together making plans for their future. But Trevor worries too much about the things he can’t provide or give to Lissa, even though she’s never asked for anything. His self imposed feelings of inadequacy start a silly teenaged argument and Lissa and Trevor break up-sending Lissa back into the arms of Bradley Banks.

Unfortunately, Lissa and Bradley’s little comfort session results in a pregnancy and because it was the right thing to do, Lissa and Bradley got married and had their daughter, Olivia. But there was no love. It was a marriage in name only. Lissa put up with ten years of a loveless marriage for her daughter’s sake until she couldn’t take it anymore and finally divorced Bradley.

Now, on her own with a new career thanks to her exclusive article featuring Faith Harrington, Lissa is working for The News Journal and has been tasked with doing a series of interviews on successful entrepreneurial men who’ve had success before the age of thirty. First up on the list is Trevor Dane.

Trevor left Serendipity, went to college and moved to Manhattan. He’s made a name for himself there in the financial world and is an “up and comer”. He’s single, works way too many hours, and really has no personal life to speak of. He visits Serendipity on occasion and while he gets regular updates from his mom and sister, they’ve learned to steer clear of any subject that might include Lissa Gardelli.

So, he is completely unprepared when Lissa walks into his office to interview him for her article. Obviously rattled, he doesn’t know what to say to her. As they make small talk, Lissa reveals that she’s now divorced and that the marriage was a complete mistake. Trevor is flooded with feelings that he’s struggled with most of his adult life. He decides that this might just be the perfect opportunity to finally get Lissa out of his system.

Ten years of separation did nothing to cool the feelings between Trevor and Lissa and they wasted no time in picking up where they left off. But while they both realize that they have something special, it comes down to one thing: are they willing to make the sacrifices necessary in order to make the relationship work. Lissa has a new job and her daughter to consider and Trevor is at the height of his career. Big changes at this time could have negative ramifications. Is their love worth it?

Kismet is a story of love lost then found. It is proof that true love exists and when a love is meant to be it will overcome all obstacles in its path. I enjoyed the additional back story on Lissa who we met in book one, Serendipity (September 2011). Initially, I didn’t like Lissa, but this story put her attitude and personality into perspective for me. I totally enjoyed the premise of second chance love, especially for Lissa who endured so much because she thought she was “doing the right thing.” This is a delightful short and I look forward to Destiny, out in January 2012.

Rating: B

Recent Reviews:
The Book Pushers – A
Hanging With Bells – 4.5/5
Lush Book Reviews
Goodreads

Author’s Website l Series Listing

Kindle l Nook