This is my first Jaci Burton book. Going by the blurb itself, I thought this was going to be a cute light hearted read, but it wasn't. Josie had some baggage in her past and honestly I didn't warm up to her character especially in the beginning. It lagged for me at times and to whole storyline throughout the book was just okay. I heard some say this is a great series, but maybe the earlier ones are better? Idk, but I might be willing to check those out.

I am a huge fan of Jaci Burton and the Hope Series! And I loved Josie and Zach.

Josie is new in town and starting to finally feels a little sense of home. She didn't have it growing up with her drug-addicted mother and the one person she thought might possibly give her what she was looking for, was not the person she thought. So moving to Hope meant new beginnings. New friends. New love?

Zach is the high school football coach and after a knee injury that took him out of his dream job as an NFL player, he was perfectly happy with his life in Hope. And he was drawn to the new English teacher, even if she was always putting his players on probation. The two of them are drawn to each other, but there is something that Josie is holding back and when things get serious between the two of them - Will Zach be able to show her that he's not like the people of her past?

The chemistry between Josie and Zach was smoking hot. Both come from families that didn't really care for them the way they should have. Josie is stubborn and independent as is Zach so letting their guards down was a long and at time turbulent road. I loved Wilson, Zach's dog who stole the show in the pet department.

A really great read!!

I wasn't in love with this book, but it's not a terrible read. I have not read any of the other books in this series and I didn't think I missed anything by not reading the other books first. Josie came across as a little immature and indecisive, while Zach was the much stronger and interesting character. owever, overall

A little ho-hum for me. Two high school teachers with a little baggage each go from friends to lovers. A perfectly OK read, but I just didn't feel the passion in this one.
Probably my least favorite one from a pretty solid series.

What could be better than a hot football coach, combined with an adorable rescue dog, a ferocious rescue kitty and a rescued blind bunny?

One Perfect Kiss is an entertaining read about Josie, a teacher with trust issues, the town where she's making a home and thhe tight-knit circle of new friends she's acquired. The bug question - will Josie be able to overcome her trust issues and commitment phobia to find her happy ever after?

I would recommend this title to anyone looking for a light, entertaining, fluffy read.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free digital copy of this title to review from Net Galley.

#OnePerfectKiss#NetGalley

I liked this book. I also like this author. I found it to be a bit long for the subject but I liked that it was the guy who waited things out. Liked the happy ending too.

One Perfect Kiss is a sweet friends to lovers romp through Hope. With visits from all our friends and a sneak peek at some other relationships, everything is perfect in Hope.

Everything except self doubt and a past that troubles our heroine. It's a good thing the coach doesn't give up too easily. He has his work cut out for him.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the eighth book in the Hope series but can be enjoyed as a standalone too. You would get more of the background of the town and its inhabitants if you had read them all, but I reckon you could go back and catch up afterwards if you wanted.

Before Josie arrived in Hope, she had a bad relationship which has made her very resistant to any emotional entanglements. So when Zach is clearly interested in her, she decides that a fun time would be great; however, ‘no desire to be tied to someone’ remains her mantra. In the meantime, she is adopting needy pets to satisfy that need for love, not realising the irony of this.

Zach had to put his football career behind him due to injury, but is making a new life as a high school teacher and football coach. He is ready to settle down as he sees his friends all begin families of their own. He has long wanted that to be with Josie, but as he gets to know her better, he really doesn’t understand her reluctance, or lack of trust.

Given that many romances hinge on the man being reluctant and nervous of commitment, this gives an interesting twist. The fact that there are some super cute pets involved too is an added bonus!


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
To me, the town of Hope seems to be a place where second chances can be found along with life-long friends. A small town where everyone knows everyone else and looks out for each other.

To Josie, it’s a dream come true. Moving to Hope is a way for her to be closer to her mother yet far enough away from her daily drama. Zach returned to Hope after his football career ended and did something that most people didn't expect: became the high school football coach. For Zach, it’s one way to give back to his hometown and still be a part of the sport he loves so much.

When he meets Josie, there's something about her that calls to him. It’s a like a piece of himself has found a home. Josie feels the same, but she has a hard time believing a former football star would want to date her.

I really enjoyed this book and am ready for the next book in the series.

I really enjoyed One Perfect Kiss by Jaci Burton. It is the eighth book in her sweet romance series that takes place in Hope, Oklahoma. With One Perfect Kiss, we get Josie Barnes's story.

Josie Barnes didn't have the easiest life growing up. Her mom wasn't really there for her and cared more about her drug addition than she did her own daughter. Josie had major trust issues when it comes to love because of her past, yet is one of the best friends to her friends a person could ask for. I knew she would need a really great guy to make her risk her heart again and it appears that Zach Powers was just the man for the job.

Zach Powers is a former professional football play turned high school coach. He loves the sport, but really does love and want what is best for his players more. He is pretty much your perfect hero for a romance novel. He is hot, a great teacher and coach, a wonderful friend, and even ends up adopting a 3 legged dog when he goes to the shelter with Josie, who had planned to adopt the dog. I won't lie; I totally fell in love with Zach when he adopted Wilson.

Zach and Josie were a really great couple. Their romance was more on the sweet side, but that didn't take away from them having really great chemistry. I only had one problem with this story and it was Josie's flip-flopping about their relationship through so much of the book. Yes she had trust issues thanks to her mom, but Zach never gave her any reason to believe he was anything but honest with her. It about broke my heart to see Josie run away from someone who so clearly loved her. I loved that Josie did finally realize how much she really loved Zach and was so glad they both found a way to make their relationship work for them both.

One Perfect Kiss was a wonderful sweet romance. The reader will meet many of the couples from prior books since all the characters are friends in a relatively small town. I love reading books in a series where I get to visit with past characters. Jaci Burton once again delivered an emotional romance and I highly recommend it.

Rating: 4 Stars (B+)

Boring. I quit about 1/3 in. No plot, no drama, and not enough chemistry. The banter is OK, but some authors, like Jill Shalvis, are much more enjoyable and humorous.

Zach Powers used to be a professional football player and now he's a high school football coach. He's hot, rich, and single in a small town. But he only has eyes for teacher Josie Barnes.
Josie isn't really interested in dating. She just wants to live her life. But Zach sure pushes her buttons. And on top of that, he's really interested in her and her life, even when her mother (not the greatest) comes to town. And he's not a jerk when she benches his players, because it's deserved.
A fine Burton addition to the Hope series, I wish we had seen a bit more of both Josie and Zach but overall a nice read.

Three stars
This book came out September 4
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

3 1/2 STARS!

Sweet, subtle and satisfying! Seeing several of the past couples from previous books in this series is always a fun update. Josie and Zach had a lot of potential, but somehow they just fell flat. More depth to their relationship was needed to really grab my attention and make me become ingrained in their story. Still an entertaining read, just not awe inspiring.

Teacher Josie Barnes has finally found a slice of happiness in Hope, Oklahoma. She has a job she enjoys, a house of her own and a really great group of friends. She's overcome many obstacles to get to where she is today and she's finally satisfied. What's she's missing though, is the hottie she flirts with on occasion at friendly get togethers! If she could find a way to add him to her list of achievements, she'd be complete.

Former football player Zach Powers might have had his journey cut short with an injury, but he's loving life as a teacher and football coach in Hope. A great group of friends and a homey town makes for a great setting. He can't deny he has eyes on the pretty language arts teacher though ... if only he could get her to stop benching his players for their grades in her class. She's driving him crazy ... in more ways than one!

This book was okay. The thing that annoyed me the most about this book is that the heroine coerced the hero into getting a pet. That is just super frustrating to me. Don't do that people. And yes, he ended up loving the dog. But you don't just force a dog on someone. Perfectly fine story.

Moving to Hope is a way for Josie to be near her mother. Don’t be mistaken in the fact that this is tedious for Josie. With a mother who struggles to stay clean, Josie is always at the beck and call of her mother’s whims. More often than not, Josie’s mother will ask for money. A way to fuel her addiction. Determined not to let it get her down, Josie finds a way to hold her head high in the face of her troubled family drama.



As the high school football coach, Zach moved to Hope after an injury crushed his professional career. Small town life is just what Zach needs to focus on to help others that long for that football dream. When Josie joins Zach’s medley of friends, she immediately caused Zach’s radar to ‘ding’. Everything about Josie was a bag of mixed signals, giving Zach the information he needed to realize that Josie’s past had a lot to do with her reaction to him. A little patience and honesty goes a long way, and Zach is determined to wait Josie out for the duration of her emotional turmoil.



One Perfect Kiss is the latest installment from Jaci Burton within the Hope series. While I am always a HUGE Burton fan, this novel just didn’t ‘wow’ me like others have in the past. Don’t get me wrong….One Perfect Kiss was ‘good’….just not what I expect from the author after such a successful series. The back and forth between the two main characters lacked the build up that one expects in a romance. The feeling of that lack of chemistry shadowed my thoughts about the book.



There was plenty of angsty moments, but the believability factor was absent for me. Very little meat and potatoes but a whole lot of fluff in the cake. The other point that took away from the story was the way the story has ‘repeating’ information from the characters. So much of it that I found it taking away from my attention to the story. Was this a book I would ignore if I had the chance? No….I just would save it for a lazy beach day when I am not worried about a ‘meat and potatoes’ type of book.

* CANNOT SUBMIT LINKS DUE TO NETGALLEY GLITCH

Review: ONE PERFECT KISS (A Hope Novel) by Jaci Burton https://wp.me/p3d0RZ-aSu
Publication Date: September 4, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Reviewed by: Reading in Pajamas/ Donna
Rated 4 Stars

Zach and Josie were real people in real lives, so relatable that I was able to slide right into their world and go for the ride. It was a sweet and sexy little romance that brought me back to small town life and high school football games. There wasn’t a lot going on, but I liked this gentle little story.

*Review copy provided by Pengiun in exchange for an honest review.

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Kindle http://amzn.to/2FWy8HR

This was a fine read. I haven’t read the previous books in the series but I had no trouble reading One Perfect Kiss. It can be read as a standalone. This was a good friends-to-lovers story. Josie and Zach were teachers at the high school, had friends in common, and would see each other a lot. While the attraction was there, there was no action being done. But it seems that is all about to change. What will happen between these two? It was fascinating to find out how it would play out. One Perfect Kiss was a light read about two friends trying to find their way to love. The characters and the storyline were pleasant. I enjoyed it enough to keep on reading to see what will happen. This was a nice easy read that will leave you satisfied by the end.

I enjoyed this book. It was cute, a quick read, and fans of Jaci will enjoy it. It was a bit less steamy than her other reads, but still a good addition to the series.

This is a story about trust. Can Josie Barnes learn to trust after being let down so many times. Maybe Zach is the one to change her mind. This is the first time I have read a book by Jack Burton. While she tells a good story I found her style to be to chatty for me. I guess if you had read the entire series all the meet and greet would let you see characters from other books. For me all the talk about what you were wearing and what you had just done got old fast.

Ex-NFL player Zach is now the football coach and teacher at Hope High. He has settled into life in Hope and made friends with several people and couples including fellow teacher Josie. Josie has noticed Zach for a while and definitely likes what she sees. After two of his players skirt with academic probation due to missing assignments in Josie's class, Zach starts to spend more time with Josie and finds a lot to like about her. They are surrounded by a bunch of loved-up couples which adds to the feeling that maybe they should give it a go.
Both Josie and Zach have had issues with their families that make it hard for them to trust in the idea of long lasting love. Josie's mother is an addict and Josie's first serious relationship ended when she discovered he was a cheater. Jake parents were all about appearances and his choosing football as a career pretty much ended his relationship with his parents.
I found it intriguing that Ms. Burton wrote these two characters as relatively whole adults despite their lack of family support. Josie, in particular, is a little more skeptical about love and romance and she is reluctant to believe she will ever feel safe loving someone again but she doesn't let it stop her from having a close relationship with Zach...at first. Zach is much more open to love and definitely sees a future for them both.
I loved these two as a couple and their chemistry is super hot. I enjoyed their being a couple and also being part of a tight group of common friends who loved to stick their noses in Josie and Zach's relationship. Add three quirky but cute furbabies and this book had it all for me. Great read and a great addition to a very enjoyable series.

ONE PERFECT KISS is the eighth book in Jaci Burton's Hope series about romance in a small town. When history teacher and football coach hottie Zach Powers and English teacher Josie Barnes lock eyes, their chemistry is explosive. Hope, Oklahoma is a quaint and generally fabulous small town. Zach and Josie are two of the last remaining singles in their group of friends. As they keep getting thrown together, they eventually decide to give in to their attraction. Zach is quick to see how good a long-term relationship could be between them, but Josie has been burned before and wants to take things slow. Once again, Jaci Burton delivers a great character-driven romance with a few ridiculously cute pets thrown in.

Love has not done right by Josie Barnes. In her early years, Josie had to fend for herself most of the time since her dad was not in the picture and her mom was a junkie. In later years, a love affair gone sour had her faith in her ability to pick a trustworthy partner devastatingly shaken. After these disappointments, Josie is fearful rather than bitter. Jaci Burton does a good job of creating a heroine who is cautious without being unreasonably so. When Zach appears on the horizon Josie just wants a little fun and no drama. What this heroine gets is a guy who won't give up on them and is in it to win it. Zach is a strong guy who is confident without being obnoxious, and his relationship with Josie develops very organically. Even though her faith in love, as it pertains to humans, is virtually non-existent, Josie has a big heart when it comes to animals who need extra special care. I think it's fabulous how Josie is able to share her love of animals with Zach, and that it becomes something they bond over.

ONE PERFECT KISS is equal parts sweet and sexy with top-notch characters. The tight friendships in ONE PERFECT KISS ring true and are a wonderful source of support for the two main characters. The pets in ONE PERFECT KISS add a dose of adorable and a little humor to the story. I look forward to Jaci Burton's next inevitably amazing romance.