This was the first book I've read by Emily March and I really enjoyed it. Great love story that keeps you reading through the night.

Home. This very first word of Chapter One describes how I feel each time I pick up an Eternity Springs book – like I have come home.

This is my 14th visit to the little Colorado town of Eternity Springs. I love this town and always look forward to the opportunity to visit again. The First Kiss of Spring is an excellent addition to the series and is Josh and Caitlin’s story. Readers of previous books in the series will remember Josh from A Stardance Summer (book #13) and Caitlin as Ali and Mac Timberlake’s daughter.

If you haven’t read the previous books of the series, have no fear, you can start here without feeling lost. The First Kiss of Spring brings updates on some of the residents we’ve gotten to know through the rest of the series, but not everyone. I think you’ll be left with the strong urge to go back and read the rest of the series after finishing this one, which I highly recommend you do.

As I mentioned above, A Stardance Summer, briefly introduced us to Josh. In this book, Ms. March uses journal entries to give us a deeper look at his past. I LOVED this approach to getting to know Josh! It made Josh’s story very personal, very believable, very heart breaking and hard to read. His life has not been easy, but I enjoyed seeing Eternity Springs use its healing powers once more on another resident. We don't get to know Caitlin as well as we do Josh, but her character is developed nicely and I enjoyed her.

The romance between Josh and Caitlin is believable, hot and grin inducing as the blurb below will prove :) Josh is a mechanic so this exchange made me giggle ;)

“You must be a fabulous mechanic,” she murmured when her feet touched the ground.
“Hmmm?” His hand skimmed up and down her spine. “Why’s that?”
A little embarrassed by the corny truth of what she was about to say, she peered at him from beneath her eyelashes and confessed, “You have my engine humming.”
He chuckled softly then moved his thumb to the pulse point on her wrist. “Might be skipping a little. Professional pride makes me want to hear it purr.”
“In that case, maybe you should take me out for a spin.”
“Maybe I should,” he murmured. “Maybe I will.”

Friends, I’ll leave you with this – go buy this book and see what Eternity Springs is all about! You won’t regret it! I can't wait to see what happens next in Eternity Springs!

A trip to Eternity Springs is a must at least once a year. Josh and Caitlin were terrific together and I loved the twists in this story. The little town did not disappoint and is a good read.

The First Kiss of Spring brings us back to the magical small Colorado town of Eternity Springs, where broken hearts and lives can heal. I love this town! In this installment Caitlin Timberlake moves back from a great job in NYC that just didn’t fulfill her. Josh Tarkington is the town’s ace mechanic who is very troubled by his past, which he keeps to himself. They meet by chance and become “friends with benefits” because he can’t commit. Ready for the wedding, house and family, Caitlin jumps in hoping to change his mind. Their journey to love and trust is at times very heart wrenching, but beautiful. Emily March has done it again, a wonderful story with all of the familiar characters from previous books.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

"The First Kiss of Spring" by Emily March
I received a copy of the book from the publisher St. Martin’s Press through Netgalley.
This is a book in the series Eternity Springs. Even though this is part of a series it can be read alone. I have read every book in the Eternity Springs series. I love them all for their uplifting stories. Josh and Caitlin's story like the other stories in the series show that everyone has issues and that we can overcome and that we are not alone. Be prepared to get emotionally involved in the characters.
I recommend this book & the entire series.

Josh Tarkington is a man on a mission to not feel anything remotely like love for a woman or a child again. He has reinvented himself from a tragic past and has no intentions of falling for a woman again. He is compassionate, successful and hiding some secrets. His journal entries were disturbing. His personal battles were not for the faint of heart. I did feel like he suffered quite a bit in this book. While I applauded his struggle, some of it was skirted over.

Caitlin is in town for a friend's wedding and bumps into Josh and his disabled dog, Penny and finds herself captivated. She has decided to make some changes in her life and knows that returning to Eternity Springs is now a certainty. She is a 29-year-old woman who still stomps around like a teenager while in the presence of her parents. Their dynamic was a bit choppy and I didn't feel much warmth from any of them. All of them told lies and kept secrets from each other, some worse than others.

Caitlin decides to pursue Josh, even though he is quite clear that he has no interest in any permanent. She bulldozes her way into his life and then acts surprised when things don't pan out the way she wanted them to right away. Her character was difficult for me to relate to. She would make decisions that had no basis in reality, just what she wanted. She would get mad and then had a tantrum that reminded me of a toddler. Stomping her feet and carrying on didn't not endear her to me. Her constant whining and inability to act like an adult had me ready to stop reading this a time or too. For someone who was supposed to be trying to run a new business, she sure wasn't at work all that much. I applauded her in trying to take care of Josh, but instead of leaving him for a bit when he was grumpy, she would whine to someone about it. Her real fear of him not wanting her back if she left was extreme. Her inability to see that his present to her was real was kind of unbelievable.

Josh and Caitlin are very much aware that her father, Mac, does not approve of Josh. His character was hard to like and I found him overbearing at best. Her mother was all over the place. I guess since I haven't read any other books in this series that maybe that detracted from this book for me.

I will say this book deals with drug abuse, sexual abuse and alcohol abuse. It is done in an in your face way and the treatment was glossed over. There were some things that were never really dealt with and I had a hard time figuring out why they weren't. I had no issue with Josh trying to bury his past and Caitlin didn't seem to get that. She decided that he was there for nefarious reasons and came to her own conclusions just like her dad did.

Overall it was an okay read. I was hoping for more romance and less outside issues taking precedence. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

I was often confused with the characters in this book. The characters seem to act differently from what I expected from page to page. Josh seemed sophisticated and yet, almost sleazy at first but then it turns out he was a really good guy battling some serious demons. Caitlin seems strong and determined but also a hopeless romantic. I often pictured this book set in a historical romance and not modern times. The use of some foul and unexpected language was awkward and seemed out of place with these characters. I liked the story, I was interested in it and I wanted to know what happened next, but I probably wouldn’t read it again or buy it and it’s not at all likely that I would recommend it to people I know.

Also, what’s up with the encounter with the cab driver or Uber driver in the beginning? Did anyone not think she’d call him and ask him to the wedding?

This is the first book I've read in the series and I wasn't lost as you can sometimes be when you start in the middle.
First, the journal entries were confusing until midway through the book, but that could just be me. The writing was top notch! These characters come across as real, someone you could actually meet in small town USA. Even the supporting characters such as Celeste are well rounded and developed.
Josh is trying to overcome so much that life has thrown at him. Totally understand why he feels the need to isolate himself from relationships. Absolutely love Caitlin, she doesn't pull her punches or take no for an answer. She comes across as vibrant and willing to take on the world.
Don't be surprised if you laugh and cry at some point during your time reading this book. You may not be able to put out down and honestly if I hadn't been working twelve hours days I'm pretty sure I could have finished this in one sitting.

This story starts out light and airy. I thought it was going to be a sweet little love story. But then it took an ugly turn. The ugly part goes on for quite awhile. And then we abruptly bounce back to light and airy romance to end the story. I found the changes from sweet, to ugly, and then back to sweet unsettling.
Throughout the book we get exposed to Josh's childhood through entries in his journal. I found these confusing and unnecessary. They are never ecplained.

"The First Kiss of Spring" by Emily March
Josh and Caitlin's story and that magical town of Eternity Springs, CO. I do believe I have read every Eternity Springs story and have loved each one the very best. I whole-heartedly recommend this story to anyone who loves a good contemporary romance story. I was lucky enough to be gifted an ARC copy by the publisher via NetGalley. And I am feeling very blessed for having this opportunity to share my review. Be warned if you are a reader that gets emotionally involved in your story... be sure to have your tissues handy.. you probably will have need of them, but you also will have your smiles and chuckles, too. Happy Reading !!

Heart-breaking romance. Many issues for all the characters involved. Past, present and future are filled with sadness. Occasionally the tale gets a little too talky. Overall it is a sweet romance about overcoming one's past problems.

I know this is the 14th book in the series but it can be read as a standalone because while the books are connected and characters thread through all of them, each book focuses on a different couple. Josh has had difficulties in his past while Caitlin has lived a charmed life. You know that these two are going to go through ups and downs and then, well, you know what's going to happen. If I have one quibble it's that Caitlin would move to a small town in Colorado from New York to pursue a relationship with a man she barely knows. No judgment on the town, just on total life change. Nonetheless, is a fast, romantic (with a little steam) read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I’ve not read much Emily March but this book was…good. It wasn’t great because it dragged in points and it didn’t need to be as long as it was. But it was an enjoyable read. Caitlin and Josh have a very cute first meeting, with his adorable handicapped dog Penny. First Kiss of Spring was good in its simplicity. There were fun dates, laughs, steam galore, and a heaping level of frustration at how stubborn Josh was being.

„The First Kiss of Spring“ is part of a series (Eternity Springs) which I did not know before. I never read anything from Emily March before.

Now I would recommend to read the other books in advance because sometimes I had the feeling I was missing some connections between the people in this book.

While the love story was nice written I never really „connected“ with Josh and Caitlin. I found their lovestory lukewarm and even during the hot scenes the storyline seemed forced – not real.
I cannot explain – but this was not my cup of tea. The story itself developped very slow – but at the end it felt rushed – as if the author feared to miss her deadline.

This book is another story from Eternity Springs, Colorado. I received an advanced copy from the publisher for an honest review. I have read all of the previous Eternity Springs books but it is not necessary to have done so. “Eternity Springs is where broken hearts come to heal.” The story begins with an “electric moment in Telluride” when Caitlin Timberlake met Josh Tarkington and his dog, Penny. Penny is a dachshund that broke her back in a jump off the couch and is now partially paralyzed. She is able to get around with a two-wheeled wheelchair attached to her back quarters. A sure chick magnet. After getting to know each other a little better, Caitlin decides that Josh is THE ONE. Both Josh and Caitlin have secrets that they are slow to share. Josh is never averse to a “canoodle” now and then but he is not interested in forever after. People say that Celeste Blessing is wise beyond measure and any advice she gives should be followed. Josh finally goes to Celeste and asks for her advice. He really wants to earn one of her angel necklaces. It is a wonderful story about families, friends, and friends who become family. I will continue to look for any Emily March book available.

The First Kiss of Spring may be the 14th book in the Eternity Springs series by Emily March but it's the first book that I've read by this author.
This book tells the story of Josh Tarkington, a man running from the pain of his past, determined never to fall in love again and Caitlin Timberlake, a woman who takes one look at Josh and falls in love with him and is determined to make him fall in love with her too.
This is a sweet, romantic tale about learning to trust in love again and confronting the past.
Fans of Jaci Burton's Hope Series, Brenda Novak's Silver Springs series, Jill Shalvis Lucky Harbor series or Kelly Elliott's Cowboys and Angels series may enjoy books in the Eternity Springs series by Emily March

I received a copy of this book from St. Martin's Press via Netgalley

This is the first book I have read by Emily, but know that I know there are other books in this series, you can bet that I will be reading them all!

This is the story of Josh and Caitlin. Even though there are books before this story, it can be easily read as a stand alone. From their first meeting, through their time together was magical.

Caitlin is my hero! She is independent, strong and when she sees what she wants, she goes after it with grit and determination. She knows when she meets Josh, he is her future, her happily ever after and she will fight for it!

Oh Josh, your back story wrecked me. And when you read this book it will hit you too. He has been beaten down by bad luck and circumstances, but he is strong and he perceivers through adversity.

The thing that really gutted me with this book is the "Journal Entries" between every chapter. When you read the first one, you aren't quite sure who the writer is, but as you move through the story, you realize who is the writer and it makes you want to grab this person and hug them hard!

This book was phenomenal and I will be reading more from Emily! Thank you for your words and your wonderful world of Eternity Springs.

A sweet heartfelt romantic read that is perfect for anyone who loves a good romance story!

I will not restate the plot nor reveal any spoilers in this review.
Emily March has written another fabulous book! I have read all of her books and have never been disappointed. She has written another winner in First Kiss Of Spring. It is written in an unusual way....a journal entry from an unnamed person followed by a chapter of events featuring Eternity Springs, Colorado. The author gives her characters great depth and does not whitewash their flaws. She addresses some serious issues and delivers a hope for spring. She relies on her gift of words instead of f-bombs and explicit sex scenes. A clean read with a lot of heart. Thank you Emily March for a quality story that leaves you with a HEA ending!

I'm always willing to try out a new author or publisher. This one sounded good, thought I'd give it a try.

It's not for me. First of all, way too explicit. It has a really odd feel to it. You have some really devout church going characters, even quotes scripture and then follows a very trashy, lustful relationship. In other parts it borders on classy. It doesn't gel. Second despite the appeal of this ideal mountain small town near Telluride, CO - everyone is leading these unrealistic lives. Everyone's uber successful. Despite some dialogue between Caitlin's father, Mac & Josh later in the book there is no explanation for his massive initial dislike. He's a product of the foster system too? That automatically qualifies someone as screwed up. I don't like the implication. Second it goes way too far in descriptiveness of the drug and alcohol abuse, and let's just say other things Josh experienced as a child. Last year I read a fabulous book, that though a little heavier than I like addressed drug abuse in a careful manner and raises awareness, while being realistic and remaining true to the struggle it is. Ensured empathy, concern and a reason for hope. The journal entries were just plain disturbing - and I wondered just what genre this book falls under! Some things can be understood without full on in your face. I won't pick up another by this author or the publisher.

I received this eARC from Netgalley and this is my honest review.