When love drives you crazy . . .
When sexy Joe Malone never calls after their explosive kiss, Kylie shoves him out of her mind. Until she needs a favor, and it’s a doozy. Something precious to her has been stolen and there’s only one person with unique finder-and-fixer skills that can help—Joe. It means swallowing her pride and somehow trying to avoid the temptation to throttle him—or seduce him.
the best thing to do . . .
No, Joe didn’t call after the kiss. He’s the fun time guy, not the forever guy. And Kylie, after all she’s been through, deserves a good man who will stay. But everything about Kylie makes it damned hard to focus, and though his brain knows what he has to do, his heart isn’t getting the memo.
… is enjoy the ride.
As Kylie and Joe go on the scavenger hunt of their lives, they discover surprising things about each other. Now, the best way for them to get over “that kiss” might just be to replace it with a hundred more.
Review:
After devouring Holiday Wishes and Chasing Christmas Eve this past fall, About That Kiss was incredibly high on my January 2018 wish list. I couldn't wait to see what romance would swoop through Heartbreaker Bay next.
What I Liked:
1. The Characters - I loved Kylie and Joe in the past books so I was beyond excited to have an entire book focused on them. Kylie is sweet, lovable, and incredibly loyal - she's someone you'd want on your side for sure! I also appreciated that she was by no means a pushover. She knew what she wanted, and she'd do anything to achieve it. Joe, on the other hand, is aloof and headstrong. He's used to doing things his way; however, Kylie knocks him on his feet in that regard. I loved seeing Joe's sweeter side come out as the book progressed. He was quite the sweetheart deep down, and I admired his dedication in helping Kylie find her lost penguin.2. The Romance - The romance starts with a hot, steamy kiss in a back alley and then fizzles into a mess of mixed signals and complicated feelings....and I LOVED seeing Joe and Kylie bounce back from that. It was easy to tell that they were perfect for each other. The only problem? They were too stubborn to admit it. I loved the banter between the two as well as the chemistry. It was always fun to see Kylie refuse to take the lead on the investigation - she insisted on being part too!
3. The Mystery - About That Kiss features a mystery, and as an avid mystery lover, I was super excited about that aspect. In the beginning of the book, Kylie has one of her most prized possessions (a wooden penguin from her late grandfather) stolen from her, and while some may think a wooden penguin would be a silly thing to be upset about, Kylie is determined to get it back even if it means recruiting Joe for help. At first, I thought the mystery would be easy to solve. How many people would want a wooden penguin? However, I was wrong. Joe and Kylie go on an exciting hunt to find it, and given the surplus of quirky suspects and mysterious, threatening letters, it was a ton of fun to read about!
4. The Family - Just like with Jill Shalvis's past books, About That Kiss has a strong family feel. I loved learning more about Joe's family life, and I especially loved seeing him interact with his father and sister. Those two definitely kept Joe on his toes! I also enjoyed seeing Kylie become part of the family as well. Kylie, on the other hand, has always had a complicated family life: her grandfather raised her while her mother did her own thing. It's incredibly easy to see how much Kylie loved her grandfather, and my heart broke that she felt guilt over his sudden death. I just wanted to give her a hug! I also liked how Kylie began to mend fences with her mother over the course of the book.
What I Didn't Like:
1. The Pacing - It took me a while to get fully invested in About That Kiss because of the pacing. It started off slightly slow and took a while to build up. Not the biggest problem overall; however, I wish there had been a tad bit more zazz in the beginning.The overall result? Just as swoony and charming as its predecessors, About That Kiss is yet another must read from Jill Shalvis!
4 stars!!
About that Kiss is now out!
Source: eARC provided by publicist
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New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website, www.jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
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This sound soo good Lauren! I need to read it and soon.
ReplyDeleteI am so happy you enjoyed this one, Lauren. I thought Joe and Kylie were great together and the mystery was very well done. This series has been really good so far. Great review!
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