Member Reviews

DNFed at 11%

I did not like at all the way this book talked about other women at a College party. I could tell this author was born, raised and educated in Utah.

I got an e-arc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I've read several of this author's historical romances but this is my first contemporary romance by her. Enemies to love is one of my favorite tropes along with second chance romances and this book kind of blends them together.

Siena is determined to excel in her maid of honor duties for her best friend Madi. You can feel the pressure to make everything perfect and the added complication of Jack, Madi's brother and Siena's past fling, only amps up her anxiety. Their banter and the unresolved tension between them are both entertaining and endearing, making it easy to root for them despite their messy history.

Jack is on a mission to redeem himself as a brother. His genuine desire to help Siena, along with his natural teasing and flirtatious nature, adds a layer of charm to his character. The chemistry between Siena and Jack is undeniable, and their interactions are a highlight of the book.

Kissing for Keeps is a charming romance that will leave you with a smile on your face. The characters are easy to love and the plot will keep you turning the pages. Whether you’re a fan of second-chance romances or just looking for a feel-good read, this book is a great pick.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.
This was a wonderful book and I'll be purchasing it for the library!

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Siena is a MOH helping her friend Madi plan her wedding in France. Well, that’s a stretch - its basically Siena doing all the work.
But, at least she has some assistance from Madi's hot brother Jack - someone Siena has a slightly complicated history with.
A cute easy read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this arc. All views are my own.

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A very fun and sweet read!

As maid of honor, Siena is fully invested in planning her best friend's wedding in French. She could use help, but when her friend's brother, Jack, offers, she has to refuse. Things between then have always been...complicated, and she can't afford to be distracted. But Jack doesn't agree with that, and since he's trying to be a better brother and really wants to help, he flies to France with her. But he can't help teasing her. And Sienna can't help enjoying it a little too much. But history CANNOT repeat itself...

I had a lot of fun reading this book. It's a very sweet friends to lovers romance that stole my heart from the first pages. I loved the vibe, the story, the characters. It was an amazing slow burn, and the jumps in the past to know exactly what had already transpired between Jack and Siena was really intriguing and sweet. The mariage vibe, the French château, the romance, everything was really swoon-worthy and fun to read. The writing was addictive and soft, just ideal for the characters, and I loved seeing their feelings grow more and more, the small gestures and marks of affections they did for one another, until finally they couldn't hold anything back. It was a beautiful story!

I recommend if you like slow burn romcoms!

"I am ready. I want to be kissed for keeps."

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Super super super cute! We know how I feel about closed-door romances, and I feel like to have a "sibling" relationship that turns romantic, you have to have some spice otherwise it can feel odd.

The writing was fun and flirty, the banter was quick witted and sharp, and the setting was flawless.

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I love this author's historicals and was really hopeful a contemporary from her would work for me while curious about her voice in a first person point of view in present tense. Sadly, I won't be finishing this one. Lots of bookish friends loved it and, from what I did read, there were clever quips and the prospect of traveling to France I'm sure is a draw, so it's highly probable fans of romcom will too. I personally was a bit jarred by what felt too much like info dumping and, as I started getting a sense that the main obstacle would be about not dating his sister's friend (even with blurb hints, I was hopeful the set up revealed more internal conflict) that doesn't grab me enough to continue.

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When Siena agrees to help her best friend, Madi, with the final preparations for her wedding, Siena expects to sort some small things out in France and then enjoy her vacation. When one of the groomsmen has to shirk his duties, and Siena agrees to pick them up, the last thing is to expect to have Madi's brother, Jack, agree to help her out, especially as she is trying to hide from Madi her history with Jack. When Jack agrees to help Siena and flies out to France with her early, unexpected feelings resurface and threaten to ruin her best friend's special day. This was an entertaining best friend's brother romance.

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This book made me laugh out loud numerous times, made me smile, swoon, and keep reading way longer than I should've when I needed to sleep. It was so good. If you love romcoms with well-developed characters, amazing dialogue, and happy endings, this book is for you.

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I really like Siena and Jack's relationship! It was sweet and had the great makings of a best friends brother trope. HOWEVER, it did bug me a little bit that the bride and groom really had nothing to do with the wedding prep and kind of allowed Siena to take everything on. Everything else though was perfection! France was the perfect location for this!

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This was a fun read; it had all the spice and will she wouldn't she? There were moments that I laughed out loud, which if story can make laugh, it is winner in my book. Jack and Siena were so cute together, if had thing with your best friend's brother this is the story for you.

Siena and Jack are all grown up now and both trying to prove to one person that they can be the best maid of honor and brother. Can they work together with together and move past the that one time many moons ago? They need to pull off the perfect wedding in and try to put these new mature feelings aside.

Thank you to NetGalley and ebook for a copy for my honest review.

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I love Siena and Jack!! This was so good and so adorable! It is a second chance, best friends brother, destination wedding setting. And I was so vested! I will definitely get a hard copy if this to reread!! 5 stars!!
I just reviewed Kissing for Keeps by Martha Keyes. #KissingforKeeps #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

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I loved this book and I know I'm late by reviewing it but I love how the romance between the two characters clicked! It had the humour I liked and the steam was there alright! But j do wanna say that it was quite draggy but I still loved it! Thank you so much for letting me review it^^

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Adorable!!! And funny!!! And yes, it's a sweet and clean romance so there were lots of great scenes full of chemistry and cuteness and swoony moments.

Siena is a bit stressed out! Enter Jack. And no, that didn't calm her stress levels down. It only increased them. ;-)

These two are just adorably cute together. They had me giggling and shaking my head at some of their moments together. Especially driving a minivan in Paris. And trying to park said minivan. *grimaces* But Siena had me giggling during that scene. Poor girl! But Jack saved the day and didn't make her feel bad about it at all. Such a gentleman.

If you're ready for a bookcation to Paris, this one will have you experiencing all of the charm of being in Paris without actually being there. And low stress since you aren't the one planning and putting on a wedding. Just Siena is for her bestie Madi. And Madi's brother Jack is going to be the best brother ever in helping out too. But there are a few small snags in their plans. It'll all be alright though, true love will save the day.

Dive in for a fun read and swoony moments between the bride and groom as well as the main characters, Siena and Jack! Oh la la!!!

Content: Clean. Some kisses but nothing further. The main couple have to share a cottage together but have separate sleeping areas.

I received a copy from the publisher, Paradigm Press, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

Happy Reading!!!

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Love a good forbidden romance with the best friends brother but feel like he gave more to the relationship then she did.

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This was such a fun, comfy, cozy, rom-com. I’d recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fun romance read. The main characters are easy to relate to and love, and there isn’t any of the stereotypical miscommunication tropes or anything like that in this one. I absolutely loved the story and the writing.

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Siena and Jack have history that they bury and pretend to forget. When they come together for Jack’s sister’s wedding who is also Siena’s best friend, then the buried sparks start to shoot off again.

A dreamy setting with plenty of romcom to make a fun story with all the happy sighs. I loved the characters and the depth we get to see. And there is kissing. For keeps.

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I’ve really enjoyed reading this book, it was such a lighthearted, fun and enjoyable read! The scenery is perfect, I really could imagine being in a romantic chateau in France and I’ve loved the meet cute. The chemistry and the tension between the two main characters is on point… Plus, I’m a sucker for the best friend’s brother trope!
This was the first book I’ve ever read by this author and I really wasn’t disappointed at all.
Overall it was such a great read, I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a sweet rom-com!

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Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing NetGalley Co-Op for the chance to read this book.

This is the first book in a series featuring the Sheppard siblings. It's an easy to read forbidden love type story. The characters are likeable, and although predictable, the story flows at a great pace and is witty and amusing. I'm looking forward to continuing the series.

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Absolutely loved Kissing for Keeps! I’ve enjoyed reading Martha Keyes’ historical romances, but haven’t read any of her contemporary until now. Wow! She can definitely write amazing contemporary romances. Enemies to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and this book delivers a funny, romantic, second chance romance sizzling with delicious tension and witty banter.

After a disastrous political election, Siena’s looking to redeem herself after believing her mistakes as a campaign manager led to her boss’ defeat. She’s hoping by managing her best friend’s dreamy French wedding, she can prove her capabilities. But, organizing a wedding in France by herself is a huge undertaking. It’s going to take all her ingenuity to pull it all off especially when Madi’s flirt of a brother shows up. She’s never forgotten what happened between them all those years ago, but nothing like that can happen again, especially on the heels of Madi’s wedding.

Filling his dad’s shoes after his death seemed impossible, so Jack hasn’t really tried, afraid of disappointing everyone. Now with Madi getting married, he wants his sister to have the most beautiful day possible. It doesn’t hurt that he gets to see Siena again. But, his history with Madi’s friends has led to a lot of hurt feelings when things don’t work out and they drop Madi as a friend. Despite the attraction between them, Jack’s got to keep things strictly platonic even though they’re staying at a gorgeous chateau in the most romantic city in the world.

I loved Siena and Jack, Just Jack. Jack is just the cutest, flirtiest guy! He’s determined to play the playboy even though he’s really got a big, loyal heart. I loved the banter between him and Siena. It’s clear they’re totally attracted to each other, but both try to fight it big time. I love how she calls him variations of Jack and he calls her by her last name. I loved all the sights they visit trying to find the perfect wedding favors. The truffle scene had me laughing out loud! I also enjoyed how the author periodically shares incidents from the past so we have a clear understanding of what happened between them.

This is definitely one swoony, funny, romantic, clean romcom you need to add to your TBR list! I can’t wait to read the next book in the series. I received an advanced complimentary copy from NetGalley but also purchased a copy from Kindle Unlimited. All opinions are my own and voluntarily provided.

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