No Kissing under the Boardwalk by Kate Angell was a surprise because it is a book in two parts , Zane and Tori’s early relationship then their relationship many years later. It was an unusual type of story compared to the ones I had read by Kate Angell. It has all of her witty style and wonderful storytelling that she does so well. However, this story also has tragedy, heartache, dreams shattered into a million pieces while also giving new dreams of hope and love.

I guess Zane and Tori would say that life would have been different especially for Tori because choices might have been made differently, “If only, one had known.” Rarely does life go as planned but Tori seems so very unhappy years later in the second part of the story. I read wanting to see how this would change for her as well as how Zane would be part of it. Also, the story has a major subplot with Race and Blu, who have their struggles too. The romance is real but so are the problems and situations that cause so much heartache for these characters.

No Kissing under the Boardwalk is a fun, totally entertaining, serious read but also the most realistic romance story I have read by Kate Angell.

The first half of this book was great, and the whole thing was skillfully written and well edited. I loved the idea of two very different people having a chance at love. Zane comes from a large, wealthy extended family with several generations who have made a touristy, Florida beachside community home. Tori’s parents have moved from place to place, eking out an existence. In spite of their differences, Zane and Tori fall in love but delay any marriage plans until after college – interior design school for her and Air Force Academy for him. That all changes the night of their senior prom when Tori's parents are killed and she’s left with the responsibility of caring for her infirmed grandmother. Not having heard back from the academy, Zane asks Tori to marry him, and although they're young, they're very much in love and blissfully happy. For all of one week, until Zane gets his acceptance into the academy and they get divorced, because married applicants aren’t accepted.

The advance copy I read of this book is my first by this author and I’m on the fence about trying her other work. This plot may have been easier to accept if we hadn’t been given great detail about the blissful before that took up half of the book. To experience Tori's everyday challenges, to have her parents die and her become responsible for her grandmother, and then for Zane to leave her? That’s not the choice or action of a person in love. He goes off and fulfills his dream of flying planes and chasing hurricanes and leaves Tori utterly devastated and completely broken. For eighteen years!! He blissfully lives his life and she stays stuck in her devastation, barely existing. Then he waltzes back in and has the nerve to expect she'll give him a second chance. Sorry, but no. Just no.

Then there were minor things that didn’t add up. Zane’s dog is a puppy when they first meet, which would put the age of the Dalmatian at around nineteen years old when Zane returns home for good. It’s slightly possible but largely improbable. Then there's Tori's car. She buys a used 2000 Camaro in 2000, and living paycheck to paycheck as a high school senior working at a pizza place it’s highly unlikely, if not impossible, that she could have afforded it. There's also her friendship with Blu, who is as close as a sister. Blu is there for Tori, moves in with her after Tori's divorce to help with the rent and is wonderfully supportive. When Blu gets her own place again, Tori works her interior decorating magic on the place. We’ll it turns out Blu has purchased a vegetarian restaurant with all the tips she saved working at the pizza place. If they’re such great friends, why didn’t Blu offer Tori a decent job at her restaurant so Tori wouldn’t have to work seventy hours a week to barely scrape by? This book has some quality writing with heart and emotion and held my interest well enough, but there was too many things just didn’t work for me.

*I reviewed this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.

Will Zane and Tori make it in this second chance romance? And what about their friends Race and Blue? Zane and Tori married young, divorced young, but never forgot one another. Now that Zane is back in town, can they overcome their differences? I would have liked this better, I think, if there had more emphasis on the adult relationships but it was a fast, entertaining read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

struggled with this book. Not so much in reading it (I finished it in an evening), but with the rating of it. I’d argue that at least 70% of this story takes place over a year where Tori and Zane are 17 and 18 years old. Which is fine, but I prefer romances where the characters are adults. Because I am an adult, and reading sex scenes between minors is weird. Which they are in the other 30% of this book. After a week long marriage at 18, Zane goes off to follow his dreams of being an Air Force pilot and then hurricane chaser (*rolls eyes*), leaving Tori behind RIGHT AFTER HER PARENTS DIED IN A PLANE CRASH to take care of her grandma, their dog, and a crappy job. Then, 18 years later, he shows back up for a second chance, and doesn’t seem to quite understand why Tori basically gives him the middle finger and tells him to f*ck off. He then tells her he’ll accept her answer, but only after she spends a weekend with him at a marriage counseling retreat in the woods. That’s how horror movies start, y’all. Add in a ridiculous romance between two side characters that also spans the same time frame and takes up a large part of the plot, and this book was just UGH.

This was my first book by Kate Angell, but it definitely won't be the last. I've already put the first six books on my TBR list. The setup of the book was interesting. I expected, from the blurb, that the early part of Tori and Zane's romance would be covered in a chapter or two, with the larger part of the book devoted to them getting back together. Instead, it was evenly divided between the two. While I thoroughly enjoyed seeing them fall in love, I would have liked a bit more time and depth to their reconciliation. This was especially noticeable because Zane and Tori shared page time with their friends Race and Blu.

Be that as it may, I loved the relationship between the young Zane and Tori. He is practically town royalty, descended from the town's founders. He's handsome, charming, and a really nice guy. He has big plans for his life - go to the Air Force Academy, become a fighter pilot, then a hurricane hunter, before retiring back to Barefoot William. Tori is new to town, the daughter of vagabond parents, with big dreams of her own. She wants to be an interior designer and works hard to earn both the grades and the money needed to attend the school of her choice. Their meeting was adorable, facilitated by a mischievous dalmatian dog who stole Tori's bikini top while she snoozed on the beach. Zane was cute with his teasing as he returned it, and flirted with the girl he'd noticed in school but hadn't yet met. I loved his pursuit of her, as he hung out at the pizza place where she worked, just to be close to her. Their connection was quick and deep; they could and did talk about anything and everything. Zane's big heart was also obvious in the way he acted toward Tori's grandmother. I loved watching her bloom under his attention.

Zane and Tori's lives were turned upside down at the end of their senior year when Tori's parents were killed in a plane crash, leaving her alone except for her grandmother. I cried for Tori as she gave up her dreams to stay home and care for her grandmother. I loved how Zane was there for her, a rock she could lean on. Zane's own dreams were falling apart as he waited in vain for his appointment to the Academy. Instead, he takes a different path, marrying Tori and providing a home for her and her grandmother. I smiled at their sweet, young love as they settled into married life. But fate wasn't done with them. One short week into their marriage, a late acceptance arrives for Zane. But cadets can't be married, leaving Zane and Tori with a difficult decision to make. I ached for them both. Zane doesn't want to leave Tori, but he's spent his whole life dreaming of that moment. Tori doesn't want to let him go, but she can't stand the idea of killing his dreams. So they divorced, with Zane having every intention of remarrying Tori after graduation.

Fast forward eighteen years. Tori still works at the pizza place, takes care of her grandmother, and barely makes ends meet. She's bitter about the way her life has turned out. She has seen Zane occasionally on his visits home but wants nothing to do with him. Then Zane returns to Barefoot William for good. He's retired from the Air Force and is ready for the next stage of his life. And part of that stage is trying to win back Tori. He has never stopped loving her. I ached for him as he tried and tried to get her to talk to him. He could see the changes in her, and they made his heart hurt. I ached for Tori also. She had never forgotten Zane, but she has spent years nursing her anger and hurt. Having him back in town scares her because she can tell that her feelings for him are still there, but she won't risk trusting him with her heart again. It's harder and harder for her to resist him, as he tries to show her that he never stopped loving her.

Zane's last ditch effort was a suggestion for counseling. I ached for him on the drive there, as Tori's attitude was so negative. I wanted to shake her because of it, and tell her to open her eyes and see how much he cared. I felt like the attempt could go either way. I loved seeing them open up to each other, with Zane finally seeing just how much he had hurt Tori. I also loved seeing Tori finally let go of the past and consider the future. That scene between Zane and Tori was heart-wrenching, but also sweet as Zane helped Tori through it. I loved seeing them actually communicate with each other about their hopes and dreams for the future. The final scene of the book was sweet, romantic, and very satisfying.

A big part of the book was also spent on the relationship between Zane's cousin and friend, Race, and Tori's friend, Blu. In the first half of the book, we saw the young Race - handsome, charming, flirtatious, and determined to pursue Blu. He's quite brash in his attitude, and he treats her as if a relationship is a matter of when not if. Blu is two years older than Race and recovering from another relationship. She isn't about to get involved with a flirt like Race. Their relationship is pretty funny, as Blu shoots down every attempt that Race makes to get to know her and Race refuses to be discouraged. This adversarial relationship continues for years, as Race pursues Blu whenever he comes home on leave. In the second half of the book, their relationship begins to change. Blu's reasons for resisting come out, as do Race's motivations for some of his actions. It was interesting to see Blu finally say yes to a date with him, then panic and sabotage the date. I ached for Race at that point, because he was truly into her and didn't understand what was happening. I loved the aftermath of that date and seeing them make progress in understanding each other.

I also loved the dog, Ozzie. His mischievousness brought Tori and Zane together. I also loved the way the dog took to Tori's grandmother. His protectiveness and devotion to her were awesome. I was amazed by the way he brought her out of her shell. I loved how Zane was sweet enough to leave Ozzie with Tori and her grandmother when he left, and laughed at his "visitations" when he was home on leave.

I really loved the first part of this book. Boy meets girl, boy really likes girl and pursues her relentlessly, girl is very skittish and keeps him at arms length, boy is too sweet to resist, boy eventually gets girl and becomes her anchor in the storm that is her life. Boy marries girl and promises to always be there. All great so far. Then......

..........comes the part I had issues with. Boy gets admitted into the air force academy and drops girl like she's hot. Boy comes back years later after achieving all his dreams and girl's life is virtually the same as when he left her, - why though? why is he allowed to grow so much and she has virtually no growth at all? - boy pursues girl relentlessly - again *eye roll* - and in the end they ride off into the sunset.

Like I said, first part was great.

This book was a wonderful romance of young love and how life choices can change a couples life. It was heartfelt and enjoyable. The Dalmatian in this story is a wonderful example of unconditional love.

Although I did enjoy reading this book it felt like there was to much if the back story and the ending was too quick.

No Kissing is a well written romance. I enjoyed the plot, characters, setting and the author's writing. Fans of romance novels will enjoy this book.

I haven't read any other books by Kate Angell and honestly after trying to read this one I highly doubt I will try any others. I just couldn't get into the story or the characters and unfortunately the blurb about the book content gives away the story. So no thanks on this one.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bad dog!

I feel bad for her.

That's a lot of qualifications to be willing to die for your country. I had no idea.

Stalker behavior.

I can't imagine having a parking lot just for your family.

He sounds spoiled.

A prom to remember, but not in a good way.

It's like she's his mother.

She is very creative. This will be a beautiful cottage.

They're going to have sex in the same house as her grandmother?

I guess an offer is an offer.

At least her grandma is doing better?

You're eighteen years too late, buster.

She's stuck in time. This is so not healthy.

Shaye's idea sounds strange to me, but okay.

That was a depressing date, Blu. Too bad you blew the effect by going out again, haha!

It sounds like Blu's house is one giant portfolio for Tori, not to mention the cottage.

They are having fun, unlike the other couples.

I fell in love with Kate Angell's Richmond Rogues series and I haven't stopped! I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read this one.

Zane and Tori we're a great couple. A little naive in the beginning, but they were still in highschool. Race and Blu were ok. I just thought Blu could use some work. It took 18 years for her to finally say yes and then she sabotaged it because she was scared? Not a fan of her story.

A romantic tale of second chances and true love.
Tori Rollins and Zane Cates fell in love at first sight, when his dalmatian stole her top at the beach when they were in high school.
Both from totally separate worlds, they still grew very close while waiting for their college acceptances. ...but then tragedy struck and she lost her parents. A quick marriage was undone even more quickly when his Air Force Academy late acceptance precluded being married.
Life went on, but neither dated, heart broken over the necessary divorce.
Many years later, their second chance came, he was determined, she was terrified of having her heart broken again. His persistence paid off when she agreed to counseling.
Emotional, heartrendingly sad at points, but with a sweet uplifting end. I highly recommend it.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC, quite frankly because I could not wait for the publishing date.

“I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy. I loved this book! This is the first book that I have read by Kate Angell. Tori is a quiet mousey girl, Zane is the rich, popular jock. They meet in high school and fall in love. Both have big dreams for the future. Zane has always dreamed of attending the Air Force Academy. When they graduate from high school, it looks like neither of their dreams are going to happen so they decide to get married and start new dreams. One week after their "I do"s" their lives take a major turn. Zane gets notified that he has been granted late acceptance into the Air Force Academy. But as a married man, he cannot go. He and Torie decide to divorce. Torie then becomes bitter over the cards that she has been dealt in live. Fifteen years go by and now Zane is back in town and wants to pick up where he and Torie left off. Sparks fly, but Torie is resisting every chance she gets! True love finally wins! This was a great quick read! I cannot wait to read more from this author.

I am a fan of Kate Angell and was super excited to read this book. It's been awhile since I've read one of her books and was looking forward to a nice, quick romance read. I have to say I have very mixed feelings about this one. On the positive side, I liked seeing how Zane and Tori's relationship began and Angell does a great job making you like both of them since the inevitable separation is coming. The first half of the novel is devoted to them in their younger years which I actually do like, however I think by focusing on their younger selves for so long, makes the 2nd half the novel, which takes place 18 years later, feel rushed. When the novel moves to the characters as adult, I started enjoying the book less. This is mainly because Tori really frustrated me. I understand the emotional impact of the losses she experienced in such a short time, but as you discover more of what happened in the years between their separation and Zane's return, I was incredibly frustrated with her. There is a specific line that she says when they are discussing Zane leaving that I just rolled my eyes at since it's the typical "I shouldn't have to say it" school of thought. I feel like the reader needed more time with them as adults to really root for them to overcome their issues to get together.

Another thing that I liked, but again, as a whole did a disservice to the book was Race and Blu's relationship. They probably should have had their own book. Angell's decision to put their and Zane and Tori's relationship in the same book limits her ability to really delve deeply into Zane and Tori's relationship as the years progressed. You only get snippets that inform the reader Zane wanted to remarry her after he graduated and that he came home on his breaks and she ignored him. It would've been better if she had devoted a couple of small chapters to those visits.

All in all, this is an okay read for me. It served as a good buffer book for me since I have some dense reads coming up. I just wish that I enjoyed it more.

I thoroughly enjoyed this touching tale of first love, heartbreak, and second chances. Tori suffered more heartache than one person should ever have to endure in such a short time and my heart broke for her. Zane - sweet, reliant, protective Zane - became her rock during the storm, but when his dream of being accepted to the Air Force Academy came true, he had a tough decision to make. Follow his dream or his heart.

I wanted to wring his neck for leaving her behind. But at the same time I understood that this was an opportunity that he couldn't pass up. He was being handed his dream. And it gutted me that he had such an enormous decision to make at such a young age - one that would impact not just his life, but Tori's too.

I felt Tori's pain deeply. My heart broke not only for her losses but in giving up her dream. While Zane was off chasing his dream, she was dealing with the cards that life dealt her. She had to shoulder so much responsibility at such a young age but she endured and I admire her strength and tenacity.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. Oswald was adorable and it warmed my heart that he took to Nana Aubrey. And Blu and Racer were a fun and sassy side plot.

This was a cute, quick read but did not feel rushed at all and things were wrapped up nicely. I liked how you could feel the pain and hurt Tori endured and yet you could see the love Zane carried For a Tori even years later. I even loved the side characters love story Race was funny and harming and Blu was witty and fun. I enjoyed this read and recommend especially a beach read.

It's been too long since I read a book by Kate Angell. She's a wonderful author who's really great at combining gut-punching feels with fun sexy times. Her books are always a lovely pick me up, and this one in particular makes for a lovely beach-read!

BUT

I do have some issues with this one. Mostly the pacing. This is basically a story about two couples, Zane and Tori, and their respective best friends Race and Blu. They've know each other since high school, Zane and Tori being high school sweethearts and later husband and wife, while Race and Blue bicker and fight their feelings until later in life. But instead of giving us their early history as a short prologue, the initial relationship and Zane and Tori's wedding take up the first 52% of the story. The first half ends with Tori and Zane getting a divorce.. My main problem with that is that we get little information about what happens during their separation. Apparently, Zane frequently comes home whenever he is on leave, but they are definitely over for that time. Though not for lack of trying on Zane's part apparently.
So after Zane comes back for good after having retired from the Air Force, he decided to finally win back his first and only love. While Race and Blue also work through their issues, he convinces Tori to go to couples counselling, which takes all of two days. This only takes up half the book unfortunately. I would have preferred more time for them to work through their issues than two days, it just felt a bit rushed to me to be honest.

BUT

Kate Angell is really good at giving you all the feels. So while both couples had very little time to work through their issues, those pages were packed with emotions! The first half was all sweet and fun, capturing the joy of that first crush and love, while the second half had all the regrets and more mature feelings that come with time and experience.
Unfortunately, it took me a while to get into the story, and I only got into it in the second half. Part of the problem is that the synopsis already tells you that they end up divorced, so I thought the focus would be on the second-chance part of their story.

Still, I enjoyed this story very much. It was a good mix of fun and feelings!

It's a tale of two halves for me in No Kissing Under the Boardwalk. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book. Zane and Tori have a meet cute on the beach (involving an adorable dog) when they're 17. The story follows them throughout parts of their senior year. They were such a cute couple and when something bad happens in Tori's life Zane is 100% there for her. Zane was awesome, including her Nana in future plans. They got married young and were only a week into when Zane's late acceptance to the Air Force Academy came in. We didn't get to see their discussions about what to do, but we know the result was a divorce and Zane leaving. First part of the book: ****

The second part focused on Zane and Tori's reconnection 18 years later. I struggled with this part. Zane comes back and he is aggressively pursuing Tori, despite her dismissive attitude and saying things are never going to happen. He keeps popping up everywhere, it was just a little much for me. He finally convinced Tori to go on a couples counseling retreat to work on their issues, and whatever she decides he'll accept after that (how nice of him). With that little weekend that worked out everything and got together again to live happily ever after. I just felt that it happened to quick for all the issues they had to work through (Tori never left Barefoot WIlliam, was still working at the same place, his life away, etc).

Not related to the book, but a logistical issue. Tori was driving the same car she was in high school. Driving the same car for 18 years seems a bit of a stretch, but buyable, until you find out that it's a 2000 model, which means that she would have bought it new at 18, which she couldn't have afforded.

"Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review."

Loved this book very much. It had just enough comedy & sweet romance and the storyline was great! I highly recommend!