Kissing Creek sounds like an ideal place to find romance- but not for Audrey. She's stuck in the small town, working two jobs trying to keep her family afloat- and she can't see what her future will look like. She is so busy trying to make everyone else's lives pretty and safe, that she puts herself far down on the totem pole. Her one vice is knowledge- she takes one class a semester at the local college and loves learning. Another plus? Her professor this semester is hella attractive. And smart. And sweet. And interesting. She didn't know it, but that was her total package. Ronan came to town to be closer to family, but he didn't know what Kissing Creek had in store for him- a whip smart, curvy blonde that made him believe in love. They have their ups and downs and they both have to take some time to figure themselves out, but if this is what Kissing Creek does for couples, you can find me on the next plane there!

I really enjoyed this book. I loved how positive Audrey was even while giving everything up to raise her younger siblings. You felt that her mother must have been special to make Audrey so wonderful I loved Ronan and Audrey's relationship. I loved their banter. I felt for them. I wanted them to connect and last. I did not like Audrey's father one bit. I feel that this book showed how forgiveness is more about you than the person who has hurt you.


Thank you to Entangled Publishing, LLC and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Audrey believes there is no room for love in her busy life but can Ronan prove her wrong?

Generally, internal conflict is not something I enjoy in romances, in this book it really worked for me. While my circumstances are not exactly the same as Audrey's, I could really relate to her feelings of guilt when doing something, anything, for herself. Audrey's devotion to her siblings tugged at my heartstrings and I could feel her anxiety at being pulled in two directions. Ronan was the perfect love interest. He was clearly attracted to Audrey from their first adorably embarrassing introduction, to their Happily Ever After. He was a little too pushy for Audrey's comfort but he really just wanted her to have everything she'd ever dreamed of and I was rooting for him the whole time.

While this book does have some serious themes, they were handled with a deft touch, making it a very fun and quick-reading romance.

E-arc provided by NetGalley/Entangled/Amara in exchange for honest review. My thoughts on this book are entirely my own.

4.5 Stars ⭐️

Not gonna lie, a huge part of me wanted to read this book based solely on its sexy cover and blurb. Whatever the reason, I am so very glad that I did.

Kissing Lessons was an enjoyable and oftentimes emotional read. Filled with witty banter, saucy exchanges, smoldering stares and sizzling chemistry. Ronan and Audrey’s instant chemistry lept off the page and you just knew that they were going to take you on one heck of a journey.

Audrey is a strong, family oriented, curvaceous woman. Forced to grow up fast when her mother dies and her deadbeat father shows little to no interest in his family, she steps in and provides for and raises her 3 younger siblings. Barely getting by, but proud AF, Audrey remains positive and will do anything for her family including putting her personal happiness on the back burner.

Ronan is a sexy, elbow patch wearing, hot as sin, Professor. Living and working abroad, kept him busy and conveniently away from the drama that is his family. A crisis forces him to reevaluate his choices and move closer to home. He lives a solitary existence and has zero desire to be in a relationship or any type of commitment.

Audrey and Ronan prove to be the exception to each other’s no commitment rule as they try and fail to resist the attraction between them. An attraction that is not just physical but emotional as well. Watching them fall slowly and hesitantly in love made me start and finish this book in just one day. I enjoyed every last romantic minute of it and absolutely loved the trivia knowledge and llama sightings interspersed within its pages.

Kissing Lessons gets the judy.ann.loves.books stamp of approval. TBR and Enjoy!

Wow!

I went into this one expecting rom-com and it's so much more than that. There are definitely some hilarious moments between Ronan & Audrey (Lily the llama, lol) but there is so much more depth to this story.

Both characters are dealing with abandonment issues, in totally opposite ways. It takes time and the brief loss of each other for them both to realize that they need to change; need to be more like the other, in order to move forward and be happy together. And that together, nothing can hold them back.

What do you get when you cross an Ivy League educated professor that’s worked at Cambridge with a small town barista?! Kissing Lessons by Stefanie London, of course! Audrey is a small town girl that has taken on the role of mother to her younger siblings when her own mother passed away. When Ronan steps into the coffee shop he turns her world upside down, in the best way. The story shows they both have such strong characters with brains for days. I found myself sharing so many quotes from this book and to me, that’s a sign of a great book! This was my first book by Stefanie London that I received as an ARC and I am so excited to read more of her books!

This is such a fun, enjoyable small-town read. I loved Ronan and Audrey's relationship, it was sweet and romantic. But what I loved is how Ronan is very understanding of her family situation. He is very sweet for what he did for them. I would've loved it more if there are interactions between Ronan and Audrey's family, not just towards the end.

This is a light-hearted read with lots of romance and family moments.

I requested and received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a new adult type romance that deals with a ton of farming drama that keeps two wonderful young people from truly enjoying their lives! Audrey and Ronan both had to grow up before their time and never trusted that they could have true unconditional love - or was it that they thought they weren’t worthy of it.

Well of course they both figure it out and come to realize that they are better together and can actually live their lives for themselves and each other and not for their parents!

*Will be posted on my blog and Instagram on November 3*

Hello Fellow Reader,

I was ready for a quick and quirky romance but once again I was surprised at what I got. This book covers a lot themes such as grief, sacrifice, self-confidence and abuse. First of all Audrey was great, having become a surrogate mother to her younger siblings, sacrificing her time, money and education to make sure her siblings get the life they deserve. My heart hurt for her.

Secondly, the relationship between Audrey and Ronan felt so authentic. While attraction was immediate it took a while for the relationship to start, so the two were able to get to know each other. Third, like most romances there was a fight that split the couple up, however the reasoning for this in Kissing Lessons was realistic and something I can see happening to a non-fictional couple.

I also really loved the side characters and their support of Audrey, telling her the hard to deal truths and supporting her decision. While I loved the book, the ending did feel rushed and I was a bit disappointed that London seemed to gloss over a certain confrontation. While I'm not typically interested in romances that have a age gap, this one was only by 8 years which isn't so bad.

Overall, a surprisingly emotionally dense romance must read.

Who doesn’t love a good rom com with real life characters set in a charming small town? Audrey and Ronan make a sweet couple that we should all thrive to emulate. They both have a hard past that helped shape them to the adults they are now. Audrey’s past placed her into a parental role for 4 siblings before she was 18 while Ronan felt the same responsibilities for his sister until his gran was able to help. The love these two have for their families makes them the perfect fit for each other.

I loved how the author wove random trivia facts into each chapter and presented you that fact before the chapter began. The warm and inviting writing style led me to a 24 hour quick read. I couldn’t put it down! Hats off to Stefanie London for a sultry love story that rocked my world!

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. #netgalley #KissingLessons

I love this story. Audrey had the weight of the world on her shoulders and she is strong enough to handle all that is in front of her. She takes care of her family and finally when she meets Ronan finds a way to take care of herself. Ronan is looking for something and does not know what that is until he finds Audrey. Together they find what they are looking for thru true love and acceptance. This is a true romance story with real people. If I could give this story more stars I would - just a delightful read.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled for the eARC I received in exchange for an honest review.*

This book was freaking adorable!

Audrey was a sweet woman, who has put her dreams and education on hold to assist her younger siblings after her mom died. She left high school and works too many jobs in her small town to help mitigate the weight on her father and ensure that her siblings get the education she doesn't have.

She meet Ronan on his day of work when he stops into her coffee shop. She accidentally calls him a "sex robot" OUT LOUD, and accuses him of trying to get a faculty discount fraudulently. And he just so happens to be the professor of the class she is taking on Wednesday nights.

This isn't a typical student/teacher age gap or anything. She only takes the one class, because she loves learning so much and she is mid-twenties and he is early 30s. So its not that kind of story. Its an adorable friends with benefits/we are pretending we are NOT falling deeply in love with each other.

There were lots of fun random facts and many sugary baked goods.

Oh, also! Audrey is a curvy girl and I adored how it was used in the story. As in mentioned as how much Ronan is freaking infatuated with her curves and breasts and all the good things.

I just really loved this. It was missing some extra "oomf" so I am giving it a 4 star, but I had a great time.

Meh, I made it through, but I didn’t love it. I actually ended up skimming large portions. For me there was just a lot of inner turmoil that felt very repetitive. I was actually pretty frustrated with Audrey by the half way point. And I felt the end was way too quick and easy of a resolution, especially the family drama.

Kissing Lessons is the first story in Stephanie London's new series about the people in a town where everything is romance themed. I was a little concerned that it would be too formulaic and too reliant on the town being related to romance, a bit like Susan Mallory's Happily, Inc. series (not awful, but pretty fluffy). However, the author does not fall into that trap at all.

The story follows Audrey and Ronan. Audrey has been taking care of her four younger siblings since her mother died when Audrey was just 15. Her father's in the picture, but he's a deadbeat dad. Ronan (who also has family issues) is a visiting professor at a small local college who's in town for a year only. He and Audrey are quickly attracted to each other, but their romance develops gradually for various reasons.

Some reviews say that the book dragged, but I finished it in less than a day. I loved the characters, and the story kept my attention. I do think one or two secondary plot issues could have been resolved better, but they didn't detract from the main storyline at all. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this story. Audrey is such a wonderful character. She’s sacrificed her dreams to raise her siblings and make sure that they achieve their goals. But she doesn’t complain. Instead she just puts her head down and gets on with things. There’s so much to her than her sacrifices as she pursues learning just for the sake of learning and expanding her mind. She meets Ronan, a visiting professor who is immediately attracted to her. He finds her plus-size beauty entrancing and he notices right away how smart she is. But he doesn’t want to stay in this little town and she doesn’t want to leave.

The characters were so likable and I just kept reading because I wanted to see how they were going to resolve their differences to find their HEA.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

I loved every word of this amazing book! It’s not your typical rom com - it pulled at my heartstrings. The ties to family. The ties to your own life expectations. This one is touching and heart warming. By far this is my favorite book by Stefanie!

#KissingLessons #NetGalley
Thank you, Entangled, for the opportunity to read the E-arc of Kissing Lessons for my honest review.
Kissing Lessons is my first Stefanie London's book, and the truth is I liked the writing and the relationship between Audrey & Ronan.
Audrey is such a wonderful main character. I really enjoyed seeing the growth and development that was exhibited. She struggles to find a balance between personal and family life. Ronan has had his share of setbacks but has also kept going. Their chemistry is amazing, and watching each of them navigate their relationship, and their personal affairs were such a joy.
Looking forward to reading more books by the author and continue with The Kissing Creek series.

This book had so many checkmarks in the plus column for me! Charming small town atmosphere, sassy and witty leading lady with curves, deep family commitment, passion, crazy animal interactions, thought provoking mind and self care experiments, and awesome trivia!

Like all of Stefanie's characters, I felt a deep connection with Audrey and Ronan immediately. Her books always suck me in and I love how I feel what the characters feel. While this one starts out light-hearted it does delve deeper and tugs at your emotions. I can not wait for the next books in the series!

I received an ARC from the publisher and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was an enjoyable and easy read.

The relationship that develops between Audrey and Ronan felt natural and realistic. The other characters were all distinct and believable as well. The dialogue of the teenagers (not always easy to capture for authors) was dead on in this book.

I loved that Audrey is an unabashed fat character, although I didn't like that she was stereotypically "curvy and pretty". Fat people of all shapes and sizes and appearances deserve love as much as the "pretty people". I especially loved that when Audrey was doubting her relationship with Ronan it was never once - to my recollection - about her appearance. When Audrey said she had accepted her weight it was 100% true.

She was an absolute rock for her family, and that is an admirable quality for me. Her relationship with her father was a little heartbreaking because it was just so realistic. Knowing that he became totally self-centred because of his grief, while she focussed on everyone else to deal with hers, was painfully believable.

And Ronan had had an equally hard childhood, just different. It was good to see them connection through their childhoods, but also their intellect. His relationships with his younger sister and grandmother were nice to see, though the mention of the ex-wife for the first time at 45% of the way into the story threw me. It seemed to be added as an afterthought.

In was great to see each of them grow together and individually. In fact the only problems I had were that the town is touted as having punny names, but we don't have any evidence of that. And the relationships with the parents at the end was too quick to be believable.

Overall, though. This was a solid effort by the author and I look forward to her next story with much anticipation.

Kissing Lessons is the first book in the Kissing Creek series, where Professor Ronan Walsh comes for a temporary teaching position and meets Audrey Miller. Working two jobs and caring for her siblings leaves Audrey little time and money for herself but meeting Ronan makes her want things which she knows are well beyond her reach.

This book is a wonderful read with all the feels and I loved the small town setting. Both Ronan and Audrey are the sweetest characters with very real emotional burdens and the way they both help each other discover themselves and explore the chemistry between them made this such an enjoyable read. There are plenty of thought provoking moments, sweet and poignant moments and some super hot moments too.

There are some really cool fun facts in this book which made me laugh and there's also a crazy llama which was completed unexpected and hilarious. I'd definitely give this book a re read and I look forward to meeting more of Kissing Creek's residents and reading their stories.