Martha Keyes

Absolutely loved Kissing for Keeps! I’ve enjoyed reading Martha Keyes’ historical romances, but haven’t read any of her contemporary until now. Wow! She can definitely write amazing contemporary romances. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and this book delivers a funny, romantic, second chance romance sizzling with delicious tension and witty banter.

After a disastrous political election, Siena’s looking to redeem herself after believing her mistakes as a campaign manager led to her boss’ defeat. She’s hoping by managing her best friend’s dreamy French wedding, she can prove her capabilities. But, organizing a wedding in France by herself is a huge undertaking. It’s going to take all her ingenuity to pull it all off especially when Madi’s flirt of a brother shows up. She’s never forgotten what happened between them all those years ago, but nothing like that can happen again, especially on the heels of Madi’s wedding.

Filling his dad’s shoes after his death seemed impossible, so Jack hasn’t really tried, afraid of disappointing everyone. Now with Madi getting married, he wants his sister to have the most beautiful day possible. It doesn’t hurt that he gets to see Siena again. But, his history with Madi’s friends has led to a lot of hurt feelings when things don’t work out and they drop Madi as a friend. Despite the attraction between them, Jack’s got to keep things strictly platonic even though they’re staying at a gorgeous chateau in the most romantic city in the world.

I loved Siena and Jack, Just Jack. Jack is just the cutest, flirtiest guy! He’s determined to play the playboy even though he’s really got a big, loyal heart. I loved the banter between him and Siena. It’s clear they’re totally attracted to each other, but both try to fight it big time. I love how she calls him variations of Jack and he calls her by her last name. I loved all the sights they visit trying to find the perfect wedding favors. The truffle scene had me laughing out loud! I also enjoyed how the author periodically shares incidents from the past so we have a clear understanding of what happened between them.

This is definitely one swoony, funny, romantic, clean romcom you need to add to your TBR list! I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. I received an advanced complimentary copy from NetGalley but also purchased a copy from Kindle Unlimited. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided.… (mer)

I really liked that although this was inspired by Much Ado About Nothing, it wasn't a blow-by-blow retelling of the exact plot. Instead, it treats the reader to a couple of recognizably adapted scenes, and then moves on to become its own thing. This frees the story up and gives you the enjoyable reading experience of knowing what needs to happen but not being sure of how you're going to get there.

In this story, Elias and Edith are notorious for their arguments, to the point that when their friends feel compelled to play a prank on them, they decide to convince each that the other is in love. So far so good. But, fairly early on, Elias and Edith discover the joke and determine to turn the tables on their friends by pretend eloping. What could possibly go wrong?

This is a sweet and compelling read that also examines why someone might hesitate to believe in love even when it's offered (although you still might get a little impatient with Edith... I know I did!).… (mer)