Happy Thursday everyone. Since Monday, I have been counting down the days till Friday and the weekend. In my town, it’s the annual Art & Wine festival. Beer, wine, food and vendors selling their wares. I look forward to walking around and running into friends I used to see everyday but don’t anymore now that my kids are out of school. The weather should be good and it’ll be nice to be outside after being cooped up at work for the week.
One Perfect Kiss by Jaci Burton (Hope #8)
Contemporary Romance
Released: September 4, 2018
Berkley
I’ve been reading this series since the beginning, but when I picked up this arc, I realized I was very behind…3 books behind. Knowing I didn’t have the time to catch up, I dove into One Perfect Kiss and hoped for the best.
Josie and Zach are both teachers at Hope High School. They’ve known each other for a while now and have the same friends. They see each other socially in group settings all the time, but it’s not long before they are both thinking that spending time together without the group would be a good thing. They have a date or two and take their friendship to the next level. Josie wants to keep it light, to just have fun, and not get serious. But Zach is not only attracted to Josie, he feels a real connection and wants more.
I had a bit of trouble with this heroine. Josie definitely had a tough childhood growing up with an addict mother. She learned early on that she couldn’t rely on people who were said they loved and then and then weren’t there for her. So she worked hard, went to college and made sure that she wouldn’t end up like her mother. I could understand why Josie was cautious when it came to relationships, but I didn’t think Zach did anything to warrant her treating him the way she did. In fact, on several occasions his actions prove that he is kind, honest, compassionate and a person who you can count on to stand by you.
I continued to struggle with Josie after the following scene when Zach surprises Josie with a weekend getaway. He picks her up, drives her to the airport, but doesn’t go the domestic route, he takes her to the private plane area. She learns that Zach has chartered a plane to take them to their destination. Josie seems taken aback by this and makes a point of bringing up the fact that money isn’t important to her.
“Josie says […]”uh-huh. So you’re some kind of multimillionaire disguised as a high school teacher?”
“Something like that.” [Zach]
She’d been joking. Apparently, he wasn’t. She blinked, not sure what to make of that. She’d had no idea Zach had money.”
Seriously, is this woman for real? Yes, Zach is currently a high school teacher and football coach; but he is also an ex NFL football player. She’s been to his home, which is a very nice part of town, down a long drive so you can’t see the house from the road, and Zach’s house is huge for just one person. Clearly he’s not living on his teacher’s salary. Add to that the fact that Zach mentions on a more than one occasion that his family is in the oil business and it doesn’t take a genius to connect the dots and realize Zach is loaded. Josie then says…
“Uh, okay. But just so you know, money means nothing to me. I grew up without it, and all I need is a roof over my head and food on my table. And an occasional nice bottle of wine.”
Arrrgghh! Easy to say when you’re already on the private plane heading to Vegas! I felt her comments took away from the fact that Zach just wanted to surprise Josie with something over the top. I honestly would have like Josie better if she squealed in delight and surprise with excitement over riding in a private jet for the first time. I honestly didn’t get her need to point this at and this particular point in the story.
The story goes off in some predictable tangents and the inevitable argument that breaks Josie and Zach up for a while takes place. I was thrilled that Zach didn’t engage her and attempt to woo Josie further, but let her come to him in her own time.
I enjoyed catching up with previous couples, and meeting the new ones. I liked Zach’s character and enjoyed all the high school references to football and the prom. Not my favorite of this series, but I’ll probably go back and read the ones that I missed.
Kirby by Samantha Anne
Contemporary Romance
Released: July 2, 2018
Self Published
Favorite Quote: If he can’t handle being with you at your worst, then he sure as hell doesn’t deserve you at your best.
I just finished this story today and I have to admit I am a little unsure as to how to review. I did enjoy this story. I liked the scene setting of the publishing house, the girl power, the nasty junior editor, and I really liked Rachel and Joe. But the use of coincidence that occurs over and over, one after the other, to put Rachel in the path of Joe–well there were just too many. I can’t even go on and on about them because they would definitely be considered spoilery.
In fact, I’d completely ruin the story by mentioning any aspect of these coincidences. The story plays a bit on the theme of mistaken or false identity, when Rachel takes a job as a phone sex operator and her alter ego, Kirby, picks up a call from a man who Rachel/Kirby instantly knows is Joe. Of course the right thing to do would have been to come clean, but as Kirby she would always know exactly how Joe felt about her. Not cool, I know- I also knew that this would end up being the cause of this couple questioning their relationship.
I wish the secondary story arc involving Rachel’s boss Michelle could have been expanded. I found myself really looking forward to scenes where Michelle and Rachel interact. The reader knows that Michelle is worthless and had to have come by her position because of previous assistants who made her look good. But Rachel wasn’t in it to make Michelle look good, she wanted to prove herself. Ultimately, Michelle’s actions instigate her own demise.
Predictable and full of coincidences, but a cute enjoyable story with a sweet HEA.
Up next: (what was I thinking with the Christmas books)
Kiss The Girl by Tara Sivec
The Magic of Christmas Tree Farm by Erin Greet
A Firefighter’s Christmas Gift by Vivian Arend
Hmm. I’m in the middle of One Perfect Kiss now. I’m not loving it. I don’t like Josie really. I do like Zach. Now I’m wondering if I should quit while I’m ahead. I read and liked the first two in this series. Hmm.
Hi Norma, hmmm yea I’m with you on Josie. I powered through because I did like Zach. I agree with you that the first few were pretty good. Then there were a few duds. I’m behind but I’ll probably go back and read them. Josie does get her head together before it’s too late, if it helps you at all.