Kissing Lessons

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.

I admit, I’m a fan of Stefanie London’s writing, so I’m not sure my review will be all that impartial. Stefanie’s books, for me, always have the right dose of heart, humor and heat, and “Kissing Lessons” is no exception. Both main characters, Audrey and Ronan, come to the relationship with baggage. Audrey has dedicated her life to raising her brothers and sisters, while Ronan watched his mother walk out on him as a child. It doesn’t help that their first meeting is less than ideal, too. I’m not very keen on discussing plot in a review, only because it seems so many other reviewers do and it becomes tedious. Instead I’ll say that I really connected with the characters and felt particular empathy for Audrey. There were moments of laughter, sadness and hope. “Kissing Lessons” was sweet and sexy and a great read. It was a wonderful world to get lost in for a few hours, and I’m looking forward to more visits to Kissing Creek in the future. I highly recommend it. (Note: My gratitude to the author and publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.)

Wow, I loved this book. Ronan has moved to Kissing Creek for a year contract at the local University. When he walks into the local coffee shop, Kisspresso, he has a meet cute with Audrey. Audrey quit High School ten years ago and works two jobs to support her siblings. She allows herself one indulgence, one night class at the local college. Of course, the one night class she signs up for is Ronan’s class. While this sounds like a typical small town romance, both characters are complicated. Ronan and Audrey were both abandoned by a parental figure and deals with it in different ways. Ronan has kept people at arms length and focused on his career, to keep his heart safe. Audrey has made her siblings her life, and assumes that just existing is all she can expect. These are truly two good people that are afraid to open themselves up to love. Be sure to keep a tissue handy, as I teamed up several times. I really cannot wait to read the next book in this series. I received an ARC of this book from the author and Publisher for my honest review.

What do you get when you cross an Ivy League educated professor that’s worked at Cambridge with a small town barista?! Kissing Lessons by Stefanie London, of course! Audrey is a small town girl that has taken on the role of mother to her younger siblings when her own mother passed away. When Ronan steps into the coffee shop he turns her world upside down, in the best way. The story shows they both have such strong characters with brains for days. I found myself sharing so many quotes from this book and to me, that’s a sign of a great book! This was my first book by Stefanie London that I received as an ARC and I am so excited to read more of her books!

This story was filled with as much tension as romance. It made for an interesting, thought provoking read. Audrey and Ronan come from very different worlds, yet both suffered through childhood loss and pain. Both had siblings to care for, but Ro had a tough and loving Grandma’s support while Audrey assumed the entire responsibility for her family. Their lives collide in the small college town of Kissing Creek. Lots of Interesting dialogue on positive vs negative influences and the effect they have on goals and how we see ourselves and our future. This is my honest review of this advance reader copy and I have not been compensated in any way

Kissing Lessons is a cute, small town story about an older sibling who stepped up to take care of her 4 other siblings when their mother died and their father lost his way. It has a serious side to it due to her responsibilities with her family, but the romance with the hero was just so cute. I loved getting to see these two meet and get to know each other. They are both adorably brainy. I have to say I learned a lot of really cool fun facts from this book.