Krista Nelson is a paediatric nurse. Her best friend Noah Sawyer is the captain of a fishing boat for his family's seafood business. Krista is a homebody, she can't wait to get married, start a family and get a house with a white picket fence. She'd like that to be with Noah but she knows he hates commitment, heck he even lives on a houseboat because he can't commit to living in a house on solid ground.

But one night after one too many beers in the local pub, after Noah escorts Krista home she kisses him - and suddenly friends doesn't seem enough any more.

I'll be honest, I feel like the Grinch at the moment, this is two books in two days by authors I like that I just feel meh. I couldn't like Krista, she was just too nice, too one-dimensional. In fact, I think I would say that Noah was a bit one-dimensional as well. I'm not really a fan of women whose sole reason for living seems to be getting married and having babies and I found Krista's attitude towards her boss Karen and the potential promotion a bit contradictory. Finally, and this is possibly a first, I both found that there was too much sex but also a feeling of fade to black every time they got to the bedroom.

Maybe my downer is because I wanted Sam and Abby's story, I don't know.

I would classify this as a low angst, sweet but with some sex, friends to lovers romance. I just didn't feel that it brought anything new to the genre, I'd read it all before.

Cute read about friends to lovers. Krista and Noah were very likable. What I didn't understand was if they were such close friends that grew up together why didn't they communicate better? The story revolves around them getting together and has some funny parts. First read for me by this author and I will pick up more. I received a free ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The second book in the Blushing Bay series, this one focuses on Noah and Krista.

I love series like this that give you glimpses of characters from past books and hunts about what is to come in future ones.

Noah and Krista's journey from friends to possibly more was well crafted and I enjoyed learning some about how they became friends growing up and their differing views of events that happened in their lives.

While at its core this is definitely a romance, the author did a nice job integrating other parts of Noah and Krista's lives so they were more well-rounded characters.

I am looking forward to book three!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Stolen Kisses is the second romance in the Blushing Bay series written by author Annie Rains. Good storyline with likeable characters. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Loveswept for the advance copy.

Geez, why don't you just say she's too mannish for you to date, Noah.

I get where Karen is coming from, because what if a kid dies. But why not let the kid have a friend in the lonely hospital?

His mother dying wasn't his fault.

Why does Noah think he would screw up a relationship?

Should someone with a kidney transplant be drinking that much?

Boy, Abby isn't letting up on Sam. Hide the knives. What the heck did he do, anyway?

Dr. Dale is a boring, chauvinistic douche.

Buying anyone a sex toy is creepy.

Oy, she's practically planned the wedding, while he hasn't come up with a date idea that involves other people.

Sam did what? Shoot, I'd leave him, too.

Fish on Thanksgiving?

Her family sounds like a bunch of wet blankets.

She should at least talk to him. The poor man has no idea why she broke up with him.

Well, everything was resolved very quickly.