Good start, get a bit draggy in the middle.

Kissing Creek is a small town with thematic shops about romance, where Audrey Miller works at the Café near the college and in another shop; she is 26 years old, dropped the school at 15 to take charge of her 4 younger siblings. Her mother died and her father has been unemployed ever since. So she is determined to get her siblings out there regardless of the cost.

Ronan Walsh is a professor who has just arrived from Harvard to teach a course at the local university, being the closest place to Boston and his sick grandmother who brought him back. He is 34 years old and has lived fleeing from any relationship or attachment, always independent.


It made him think of himself and Keira and their grandmother, how tough they all were and yet how separate. They each had their own lives, and they held survival and achievement in the highest regard—higher, even, than being together as a group.



They both have bad experiences with their families, but the way to deal with it is quite different.

When Audrey and Ronan meet, chemistry emerges and then they meet in the course he does, where she is a free student (his only 'selfish extravaganza') and they still get along. And although Audrey tells herself that this has no future because she is someone without a future tied to the town and her family; and he is a man who is used to always moving forward, without looking back, towards his academic excellence, with nothing to lose. Deep down they are both afraid of abandonment.

The author does well to get into the inner motivations of the couple. Although when it comes to highlighting how intelligent they are both, she gets a little over the top and gets a bit tiresome.

And, although I understand that Audrey's character continues to cover her dad, the resolution is very rushed in just one sentence. And she never faces the fact that she is not doing her siblings any good by tolerating the mental abuse from her father and even when he bruises her and Audrey keeps saying "She is fine." No, it's not fine.


“I’m fine,” she said, placing a reassuring hand on Nicole’s arm. “It was a one-off incident, and I provoked him. I know he’s not perfect, but he doesn’t get physical with us.”
Usually.



Another thing that bothers me is that Audrey talks like an older person while she is in her 20s, but Deanna who is 14 years old seems much younger because how she behaves, like she is 9 years old. And why can't her 17-year-old siblings work to help her?

Well, it's a good book (Although a little over emotional). I like the style of writing. So I'll see if there is another book by this author later.


+Digital ARC genly provided by Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review+

{Ahora en Castellano:}

Buen comienzo, ponte un poco lento en el medio.

Kissing Creek es una pequeña ciudad con tiendas temáticas de besos y romance, donde Audrey Miller trabaja en el Café cerca de la universidad y además en otra tienda; tiene 26 años, dejó la escuela a los 15 para hacerse cargo de sus 4 hermanos menores. Su madre murió y su padre está desempleado desde entonces. Así que está decidida a sacar a sus hermanos sin importar el costo.

Ronan Walsh es un profesor que acaba de llegar de Harvard para impartir un curso en la universidad local, siendo el lugar más cercano a Boston y su abuela enferma que lo trajo de regreso. Tiene 34 años y ha vivido huyendo de cualquier relación o apego, siempre independiente.

Ambos tienen malas experiencias con sus familias, pero la forma de lidiar con ellas es bastante diferente.

Cuando Audrey y Ronan se encuentran, surge la química y luego se encuentran en el curso que él hace, donde ella es una estudiante libre (su única 'extravagancia egoísta') y todavía se llevan bien. Y aunque Audrey se dice a sí misma que esto no tiene futuro porque es alguien sin futuro atada al pueblo y su familia; y él es un hombre acostumbrado a avanzar siempre, sin mirar atrás, hacia su excelencia académica, sin nada que perder. En el fondo, ambos tienen miedo al abandono.

El autor hace bien en adentrarse en las motivaciones internas de la pareja. Aunque cuando se trata de resaltar lo inteligentes que son ambos, ella se excede un poco y cansa un poco.

Y, aunque entiendo que el personaje de Audrey sigue cubriendo a su papá, la resolución es muy apresurada en apenas una frase. Y nunca enfrenta el hecho de que no les está haciendo ningún bien a sus hermanos al tolerar el abuso mental de su padre e incluso cuando él la deja moretones por un apreton y Audrey sigue diciendo "Está bien". No, no está bien.

Otra cosa que me irrita es que Audrey habla como una persona mayor aun cuando tiene 20 años, pero Deanna, que tiene 14 años, parece mucho más joven porque se comporta como si tuviera 9 años. ¿Y por qué no pueden trabajar sus hermanos de 17 años para ayudarla?

Bueno, es un buen libro (aunque un poco sobre emocional). Me gusta el estilo de escritura. Asi que veré si hay otro libro de este autor más adelante.

I might try and give this book another try at some point in the future, but right now I have to DNF 🙈 It’s just too cheesy and over the top at the moment, and every other sentence I find my focus drifting off somewhere else. If you’re in the mood for an over the top cutesy cheesy romance this will probably be perfect for you, but I just can’t get into it right now.

Super cute and easy read. Hopefully will be released in mass paperback, as this is one many of our customers would enjoy. Not overly steamy, so can reach a wide range of ages and audience. Always a delight to read this author!

I ended up not being able to read and review this in time because I had switched departments at work and mental exhaustion. I will try to read and review this in the future but thank you Netgalley and publishers for the chance to review this. I am intending on being active in 2020.

How do I start with this book? Love the author, have read a few of her books in the past, so when the opportunity came up to read another one, I jumped at the chance. This story was full of surprises. Heart breaking situations, humor to keep you laughing through the difficult parts, two characters who couldn't be anymore different from each other, and strong, well written content that made this a very quick read. I loved Ronan and Audrey, these two very complicated characters in their own right gave such a twist to this amazing story I'm still trying to process the dynamics. Loved the phrase of the day, loved how complicated Ronan's classes and discussions were, loved Audrey's strong sense of family and love of learning, and definitely loved when these two characters finally got together. Dayum, this author knows how to write some pretty steamy and meaningful scenes. Honestly, the only thing I disliked about this book was Audrey's father, but it definitely made me want to read faster to find out how this incredible story ended. This book definitely makes the reader stop and think, very well worth the read!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book.

This was a very enjoyable read. Audrey and Ronan's story was funny, cute and emotional. I thought the storyline was well crafted and read smoothly. I absolutely loved Audrey and Ronan. I must admit that I felt a very strong emotional connection to Audrey. I could see a lot of myself in this character and that made it very easy to become attached to her. Bothe characters were relatable and easy to feel for. There is plenty of baggage in play as the story unfolds and romance begins to blossom for this couple. A truly wonderful romance and a excellent way to start this intriguing and fun new series.

Kissing Lessons by Stefanie London is a contemporary romance. Audrey Miller doesn’t believe in happily-ever-after, so she is definitely living in the wrong town. But she’s never getting out of Kissing Creek, because playing pseudo-mom for her younger siblings doesn’t leave time for much else. She’ll do anything to make sure they don’t end up stuck like she is, working as a barista in a college town, serving Pink Passion mochas with Chocolate Smooch donuts. Then Ronan Walsh, a new young professor and walking cliché, right down to the elbow patches on his blazer, steps in for a coffee and into her life. She knows his type—intelligent and charming, yet sweet as a cinnamon roll, the sort of man she’s inevitably attracted to but is always out of her league. So why does someone like him have any interest in a worker bee with no future? Her bland-as-oatmeal existence has nothing to offer, but Ronan’s temporary teaching position is only a stepping stone on his way to somewhere else. He isn’t here to put down roots, Audrey’s roots are firmly planted—neither of them is looking for love. And maybe that’s just perfect.

Kissing Lessons is a book that had some ups and downs for me. I liked the complexities of both Audrey and Ronan as characters, their challenging families and their awareness of how it impacts them in more than the obvious ways. I liked the small town wackiness, particularly the llama, and the verbal sparing between Ronan and Audrey was well done. The secondary characters were well built as well, and there was a nice combination of support system in the friends and family for the major players, even when they were unable to admit or accept their help. For me I found that the book ran a little long. I kept waiting for something big to happen, and felt like things were drawn out a little longer than it needed to be. There were mild character introductions that had me expecting them to pop up again and be a source of conflict, only to find they were never to be seen again. The book was good, it just did not keep me an engaged as I had hoped.

Kissing Lessons is a solid small town romance and I think fans of the author will really enjoy it.

Kissing Lessons is a very very sweet Rom-Com. I loved that it featured a big girl heroine who is absolutely fierce, smart and beautiful. The hero is an absolute swoon fest professor with elbow patches (what a nerd... I LOVE IT).

Their relationship in this small town setting was wonderfully to watch (read) unfold slowly. This story is as sweet as it is hot and of course, it has the most wonderful of HEA's.

A wonderful story! It was very cute and I really enjoyed the premise. And honestly all love stories should start with the heroine calling the love interest a sex robot. This book was funny and heartfelt and brought together two wonderful characters. Can't wait to read more from Stefanie London!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Kissing Lessons by Stefanie London is a cute romantic comedy that I enjoyed. Audrey Miller has been raising her younger siblings for years, and always puts them first. Audrey feels that she is stuck in her little town of Kissing Creek, and is too busy to think of dating. When a young professor notices her, while she is working as a barista, sparks fly. I love that Audrey is plus size, and the professor still was attracted to her. If you enjoy sweet romances, I recommend this book
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a pretty sweet, sexy, funny romance. I liked the characters and the writing was good. Audrey and Ronan were both very well developed characters and I liked the chemistry between them. I thought the relationship development was realistic, especially since they both had their own issues to deal with.  I really liked Audrey, I thought she was realistic and relatable and I liked how she found her HEA. This was a very enjoyable read.

I received a copy of KISSING LESSONS by STEFANI LONDON. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Four Stars and here’s why:

I’m a fan of Stefani London’s stories and was excited to read KISSING LESSONS because it had a plus-sized heroine, which sparked my interest. Audrey and Ronan have chemistry in spades, and Ms. London is a rockstar storyteller. I read the story in one day – the author is a master in getting you hooked right into the story so that it’s hard to put the book down.

I gave this book four out of five stars because I expected KISSING LESSONS to be a lighthearted ROM-COM based on the cover and blurb, but in reality, there was so much family drama dealing with serious issues that I didn’t anticipate.

If you like fantastic storytelling with savvy women and sexy guys with heart, then this book is for you. Highly recommend.

Audrey has had a rough life since the passing of her mother. It has been her duty to take care of her four younger siblings and she essentially put her life on hold including dropping out of high school to make sure none of them have to do the same. I was really irked by this at first but then when we get to see her father and his behavior, it made perfect sense. He was easy to dislike with the way he acted like Audrey was failing when he was the one who wouldn’t work.

Ronan was charming but his outlook on life was bleak. Coming from a broken home where his mom basically abandoned his sister and him, it was easy to see why. I really enjoyed getting to read his story and how he grew as the story developed.

I felt that Audrey and Ronan couldn’t have been more perfect for each other. Neither of them really tried to hide their feelings, but Audrey was scared of holding Ronan back. I thought it was sweet to see them blossom around each other and really enjoyed this book.

Stefani London is one of my favorite romance authors and she did a great job with Kissing Lessons. She writes small town romances in a way that makes you wish you could visit these towns and see the whimsical side of each one and Kissing Creek is no exception. I really enjoyed reading about all the quirky things the town does to embrace their name.

Rating: 4.5 stars

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

Ronan and Audrey were pretty cute and funny as they both were captivated by each other and that led to them being flustered. But, they seemed to be on different paths and it was hard to see how they could reach a HEA.

I agree with Audrey's friend, Nicole, that she was too forgiving of her father and let him demand way too much of her. Yes, it was great that she took over for her siblings and raised them but when he got upset about her class, I really wanted her to stand up more for herself. And maybe after so many years, it was more of a process for her to get there.

The book was fun to read and had lots of cute and funny parts, sad parts, and parts that lead to forgiving a long held wrong. I was really laughing so much at one point that I had to explain about when Audrey threw a muffin and instead of making Lily the llama leave, it whacked Lily's owner in the face.....sounds funny when you are reading the book!

I really enjoyed this small town romance! Audrey is stuck in Kissing Creek, taking care of her siblings as her alcoholic father, still grieving the loss of his wife, has abdicated his duty to them. It's not that she doesn't enjoy her job at a local cafe, but it's not exactly her career goal. In her spare time she takes night classes at the local college to pursue her dream of higher education, and wouldn't you know that the handsome guy she flirted with at the cafe turns out to be her professor.

Ronan has taken on a term at the college so that he can be close to his grandmother who's getting on in years and has suffered some health problems. She's the one who raised him and his sister as his mother was an absentee parent, too involved in her art to take care of her children. Ronan is quite taken with Audrey, finding her interesting, intelligent, sexy and funny. The fact that she's his student is a complication that does get dealt with in reasonable fashion leaving Ronan and Audrey the chance to pursue a relationship. They bond over parental problems and there are some bumps in the road on the way to their HEA but it is worthwhile. I love a nice guy hero and Ronan fulfills that roll, a cinnamon role type who is supportive and caring and wants to do anything he can to help Audrey fulfill her dreams. Luckily, that dream comes to include him. Bonus points to the author and publisher for accurately portraying the characters on the cover - it's about time we see some normal sized women getting their due as cover models!

I had to stop around the middle of this book. I have enjpyed previous romances by Stephanie London but this one was not working for me.
I had hard time taking the heroine seriously when she wokred multiple jobs to support her family but took a college class just for fun. Wouldn't it be mor elogical if she tried to graduate high school instead and try to have better career options/even college degreee?
I couldn't take the way she allowed her father to treat her like she is 16, not 26. He abused her verbally and even physically and she kept making excuses for him. This behaviour didn;t fit with her otherwise strong and capable personality.

I still want to read more books by this author, this one just was not for me

It was a cute book about two opposites attract or more like two people from different walks of life. We have Ronan a professor and who was instantly attracted to Audrey. Audrey is a barista and peddler of spiritual things. Both come from a difficult parentage, but Ronan luckily had a grandmother that helped him and his sister out and encouraged him to further his education. Now Audrey was pretty much bringing up her family and I did find that to be commendable, however she needed to put her foot down way sooner than she did. All in all a cute story.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and I am voluntarily reviewing it.

This was a delightful story of how two people overcome some invisible walls that they unknowingly erected against relationships. This is because of the way they grew up. Audrey had to grow up fast to look after the family and Ronan was because his mother basically abandoned him and his younger sister. This was written in my favorite dual POV format. I love this format as I can really get to "know" the characters and connect to them better.

Audrey Miller is basically raising her younger siblings after her mother passed away and her father became an unemployed drunk. The second oldest has already flown the coup and attending college. Audrey works at the local coffee cafe and her aunt's store. Audrey has one passion in life and that is learning. Even though she didn't finish high school to take care of her brother and sisters, Audrey attends one night college course. She isn't working for a degree just the knowledge to improve her mind. One morning while she is working as a barista, in walks a very handsome man. Audrey has never seen him before and just minutes before she is informed that some people are taking advantage of their college workers' discount. Ronan Walsh is just back from years living and working in the UK. He wants to be closer to his family in Boston so he came to this unassuming college for the next year. These two immediately feel the attraction.

Reading about these two and how they come together and strike sparks off of each other was so entertaining. Their banter and trivia questions to each other was very informing for me the reader as well. I even had to show my husband several trivia lines.

There are several sexy scenes in this story so I can only in good conscience recommend this to someone over the age of 18 as I wouldn't want to offend anyone. If you are over 18 and LOVE a wonderful rom-com, then you really need to give this a try.

This was a DNF for me. I wanted to enjoy it and was even willing to see how London did the Professor/Student dynamic. I had to nope out when Audrey talked about how she took one class per semester "for fun". This is so unrealistic and infuriating to me- I was a single parent who struggled to take a couple of classes at a time and I was wracked with guilt over the money and time spent away. Plus all the work that went in to getting me in to school.
I know she wasn't the primary care giver for her siblings but it was so unbelievable to me that I just could not continue reading it.

Unfortunately I'm really struggling with Kissing Lessons. It's a cute premise, but I'm not buying certain aspects of the story and that is really pulling me away. Mostly I'm struggling with the fact that Audrey is taking college classes without a high school diploma and the fact that Ronan is her professor. Must have missed that last one in the description.