Kissing Lessons

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary copy of Kissing Lessons by Stefanie London for the purpose of reading and reviewing prior to publication. My opinions are my own, and no one has influenced them. Kissing Lessons is an emotionally charged romance with compelling characters and a great plot. The pacing kept me engaged from the first page to the last. There’s a true message of sacrifice for one’s family in this lovely story. Audrey Miller’s character is one of sacrifice and courage, of determination to protect her siblings. I found her an amazing character with a huge heart. My heart ached for her and her self-esteem issues, and for her fear of letting the hero in because of what she believes will cause her heartbreak when he leaves her to further his career. Ronan Walsh is an engaging hero. He’s far from the typical male lead. He fits the professor arche type down to the patches on his sports jacket. He has baggage from his past which makes him leery of having a relationship, yet he’s unable to resist Audrey. He’s not only physically attracted to her, her keen mind draws him even more. He a goner from their first meeting, but it just takes him a while to realize she’s all he will ever need in his life. The romance between Audrey and Ronan flames to life from their first meeting and only grows stronger as the story progresses. I thoroughly enjoyed the well written sexual scenes, which surprised me since I’m usually not fond of explicit lovemaking. Ms. London does an amazing job in using all the senses, so they enhanced their love story a great deal. If you enjoy contemporary romances with a strong heroine determined to do it all, then you will love Kissing Lessons as much as I did. This is the first book I’ve read by Ms. London, but it will not be the last. Happy reading!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it. This was a delightful story of how two people overcome some invisible walls that they unknowingly erected against relationships. This is because of the way they grew up. Audrey had to grow up fast to look after the family and Ronan was because his mother basically abandoned him and his younger sister. This was written in my favorite dual POV format. I love this format as I can really get to "know" the characters and connect to them better. Audrey Miller is basically raising her younger siblings after her mother passed away and her father became an unemployed drunk. The second oldest has already flown the coup and attending college. Audrey works at the local coffee cafe and her aunt's store. Audrey has one passion in life and that is learning. Even though she didn't finish high school to take care of her brother and sisters, Audrey attends one night college course. She isn't working for a degree just the knowledge to improve her mind. One morning while she is working as a barista, in walks a very handsome man. Audrey has never seen him before and just minutes before she is informed that some people are taking advantage of their college workers' discount. Ronan Walsh is just back from years living and working in the UK. He wants to be closer to his family in Boston so he came to this unassuming college for the next year. These two immediately feel the attraction. Reading about these two and how they come together and strike sparks off of each other was so entertaining. Their banter and trivia questions to each other was very informing for me the reader as well. I even had to show my husband several trivia lines. There are several sexy scenes in this story so I can only in good conscience recommend this to someone over the age of 18 as I wouldn't want to offend anyone. If you are over 18 and LOVE a wonderful rom-com, then you really need to give this a try.

Audrey has had a really rough life. Losing her mom at 15yrs old, having to pitch in and help raise her siblings because her dad is so bogged down with grief...But to Audrey, family is EVERYTHING! She makes the ultimate sacrifice when putting her life on hold in order to keep her family together. She does have one “selfish” indulgence-she takes one class per semester at the community college. She‘s not taking classes working towards a degree, but because she truly enjoys learning. But she begins to wonder what she may be missing out on when she meets the handsome, new college professor. Ronan loves teaching! When his grandma suffers a health crisis, Ronan decides to temporarily move back to the Boston area, to Kissing Creek. Ronan accepts a job as a professor at the area community college where he can continue to teach and work on his book. Although his family (sister and grandma) are important to him, his work is his LIFE. Ronan has no intentions of EVER settling down. HIs flighty mom all but guaranteed that. Until he stops by for coffee and meets Audrey... Love, loss, and life....This story had all the feels. I laughed, cried, and wanted to strangle a few people along the way. The quirky facts were AWESOME. I loved that education was highly valued! Ronan’s support of Audrey and her dreams was endearing. I also enjoyed that Audrey wasn’t your typical “skinny, perfect girl”. She was NORMAL and was very accepting of herself. Ronan’s grandma was gruff, but a softy too. This was a feel good, huggable story with forgiveness being key in moving towards happiness. I read a gifted copy and all opinions stated are my own.