Member Reviews

I LOVED this story! It had all the feels that I crave in a romance novel. It’s emotional, raw, funny and at times intense. Avery Adams and Tyson Donovan are my favorite fictional couple so far this year! They are just so cute together and the chemistry was off the charts. Avery is the sweetest with her heart of gold and Ty is a seriously sexy man out to save the world. I loved not only the characters but especially the small town in which the story takes place. The details and descriptions of everything going on really brought the story to life and I felt as though I was right there in the story witnessing the most amazing love grow and family bonds that had grown weak get stronger.

It Started With a Kiss is an amazing start to Marina Adair’s new Sequoia Lake series and I can’t wait to dive into the next installment. This was a seriously good read and one that I would recommend to anyone in search of an awesome romance story. It started with a kiss, but ended with so much more!!!

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I really loved this book! It is the first in the Sequoia Lake series, a new one from Marina Adair. Just like with her other series, of which I am a huge fan, she has created such wonderful characters that it makes you want to get to know all of them much better. Tyson (Ty) and Avery are definitely two such characters. This book pulled me in from the beginning and I became fully invested in the outcome. I really loved Avery. She is a such a strong person and incredibly sweet. She has been through so much and now wants nothing more than to help others and "live loud". Ty is an amazing man. He too has been through so much but in a different way than her and now spends his life rescuing others. In this case I think meeting Avery rescues him.
I just love them together! Neither is without some flaws but they are perfect for each other.
One of my favorite lines from the book is when Ty says to Avery, "When love is real and true, it could never lead to regret."
This is an awesome start to a new series! I will definitely be reading it all!!

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Beautiful!! That one word says it all about this story! Avery, is a young woman who has had some really difficult times to deal with but such a wonderful outlook on living, I learned some real life lessons myself from her to incorporate into my own life. Ty is an alpha with a HUGH heart but just doesn't know how to express it. He also carries a heavy guilt deep within him. Avery shows Ty what it means to be all in when it comes to living. The way their love unfolds throughout the book is overwhelming and sooo hearfelt, the only thing that came to mind is BEAUTIFUL!!

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It Started with a Kiss is a great kick off to a new series. Avery and Ty are sweet and their story is very enjoyable and heart felt. I look forward to reading more in this series.
Received a copy via Netgalley for an honest review

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This one so heartwarmingly cute! I can't wait to read about her 2 girlfriends!

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What a wonderful book . Heartwarming, funny. I laughed, I cried. It was wonderful the way Avery kept a memory book for others but not herself. I enjoyed Ty learning to love and to forgive himself. I can't wait for the next book in this series and I hope Avery and Ty are part of the next book .

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I discovered Marina Adair's books a couple months ago and have devoured every one that I could get my hands on! It Started with a Kiss does not disappoint! Avery and Ty make such a cute couple and I could wait to keep reading about their story!

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I loved this story! It was sweet, heartwarming, and very well written. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

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**Advanced copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review**

This was my first foray into reading Marina Adair's work and at the moment I'm sitting here asking myself why?! The writing was great, the story fantastic and the characters were fun and easy to relate to. I'm very happy I took a chance on this new to me author!

In the first book of the Sequoia Lake series, we meet Avery Adams, who has new lease on life following a kidney transplant and she wants to make sure she takes advantage of it. Her goal is to not only "live loud", but to help those that she's encountered throughout her treatment to fulfill goals and wishes they may not be able to fulfill themselves. The biggest goal is one for herself though, be able to summit a certain mountain peak and in order to do that, she needs training; enter her getting a job with the local adventure lodge.

Learning that his family's adventure company is struggling and close to failing the required safety inspections, Sequoia Elite Mountain Rescue team member Tyson Donovan returns home to help - a place he hasn't been in nearly 15 years. Ty isn't sure how he's going to be received, but he knows he needs to be there. What he doesn't expect is to encounter a beautiful stranger who ends up having more effect on his life than he could ever imagine both personally and professionally.

As Ty and Avery work together both on the safety inspection and the wishes, the two grow closer, but they both know there is an expiration date on the relationship since Ty isn't planning to stay. But will other circumstances change his decision? Will something from Ty's past make him reevaluate where he really wants to be?

I really enjoyed this story and the characters involved. The secondary characters were great as well and I have no doubt that the next book, which is Liv's, should be just as great and entertaining!

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I'm always excited to start a new book by Marina Adair and this first book in her new Sequoia Lake series definitely has me looking forward to future books in this series.

One of my favorite parts in the book was how Avery Adams and Ty Donovan meet for the first time. It had me laughing out loud and I just knew I was going to love these two characters.

After surviving a kidney transplant, Avery is ready to live life to the fullest. She's not going to let fear or anyone stop her from making her dreams come true. Wanting some adventure in her life and to fulfill a dream of reaching the top of Sierra Point Mountain, she gets a job at the local Adventure lodge as an adventure coordinator.

Ty Donovan, head of the swift water rescue team, returns home to save the adventure lodge from losing their annual Search and Rescue intensive training hosting after hearing his father wasn't prepared for the upcoming event and had also failed the first inspections. He's got a lot to fix to get ready for the event and also figure out what's going on with his father's health. This won't be easy considering him and his father have been estranged since a tragic family accident 15 years ago.

This story had me feeling so many emotions. I loved the development of Ty and Avery's relationship. It's never an easy road for Marina's characters, but I love the journey. The scenes between Ty and his father were heartbreaking at times, but this is a story of hope, love, forgiveness and living life to the fullest.

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I loved this author’s Heroes of St. Helena series. And this is a great start to a new series.

Avery Adams is kickass. She’s compassionate, passionate, caring, and has a zest for living life to the fullest on her terms. She has been through the ringer and come out on top. She had a kidney transplant not quite a year ago. She spent a lot of time in the hospital between her mom’s kidney disease and her own. I loved her living memory book. In her new quest for experiencing life to its fullest, she is now the adventure coordinator for Sequoia Lake Lodge.

Tyson Donovan grew up in the mountains. His family owns Sequoia Lake Lodge, an adventure resort. Ty lost his brother Garrett when he was 17 when their adventure went awry. That loss shaped his life. He became an expert in water retrieval search and rescue. He comes home to help get the business back on track only to discover his dad is showing signs of early dementia or Alzheimer’s.

I loved the initial meeting of these two. I knew then it was going to be a roller coaster ride watching these two fall and work it out, and I wasn’t disappointed! There is some seriously hot chemistry between these two. Mix in the turmoil of Ty coming to terms with his guilt over Garrett, dealing with his dad and the lodge.

Living for Love is an awesome group of women with purpose. The supporting cast of characters add so much to the story. This book had some great laugh out loud moments as well as moments that brought tears to my eyes.

I want Harris’ story. I’m also hoping Paul Bunyan is Harris! Can’t wait for the next one!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley.

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