Christmas Kisses and Cookies

Love on Kissing Bridge Mountain #1

by Linda West

Christmas kisses, second chances and a very serious Christmas Eve cookie bake-off make for one funny holiday in the enchanted small town of Kissing Bridge mountain!

A sweet romance in a snow-town setting.

"All in all, it will remain my favorite Christmas book for a very long time. I laughed, I cried, I had fun and my only regret was that I got it as an ebook and not a paperback, because I would definitely love to have it on my shelf." Vaire 5 Stars Christmas, cookie contests, and a magical recipe! An Adorable Small Town Second Chance Romance!Funny and full of Christmas spirit. Grab a cocoa and a blanket and get ready to feel the warmth of the season in this delightful romp through a snow town and one woman's efforts to grab a second chance at true love. A snow town second chance romance! The perfect Christmas fiction for the whole family! Summer Landers is a supermodel who seemingly has it all. She travels the world, makes tons of money and has a movie star boyfriend. But her true dream of a true family of her own is light-years away, back in Kissing Bridge where she left all her hopes and dreams, along with the love of her life. When disaster hits on the mountain, Summer is forced to return home to Vermont and help her mother reclaim her rightful honor as the blue ribbon winning Cookie Queen of the Silver Bell’s fair. There is mayhem afoot, and magic too, but miracles can happen at Christmas, and they most often do - just so long as Summer can dodge her family curse.Clean, Wholesome, Small Town, Rural, Snow Town, Second Chance Romance, Christmas 2018

Genres: Christmas, Romance, Book Club, Chick Lit, Holiday, Contemporary, Fiction

158 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 16, 2015

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rarely DNF a book, but I couldn't get past 19%. This was simply the worst. The grammar and spelling mistakes were so prevalent that they completely distracted from the writing. The narration felt like I was talking to reading writing from a teenager who failed creative writing. There were entire pages of "one sentence paragraphs". The deal breaker was the "dashhound" who was going to eat the gummy cat toy. What exactly is a dashhound?

I wish I could take back the time I wasted reading this. Get an editor!!!!

[Heidi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was terrible. I hated it from the very first page. I don't think I've ever hated a book from the very first page before. But after all what is a sensitive, environmental supermodel to do but open a can of organic gluten free cat food and keep pushing forward with this farce. The conflict was weak and unmotivating, the characters were just as weak an uncompelling. Everything was flat and shallow.

[rayna ♥ · Rating 1 out of 5]

this was one of the worst books i have ever read in my life. i genuinely cannot believe something this poorly written has been published & people paid money to read it. shoutout to amazon’s free books for giving me this hourlong joke

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book club choice. It was like a children's book for adults.

[Misti]

This was our book club pick for December and I'm afraid it was quite honestly the worst thing I have ever read. Thankfully it was a very quick read; at least I only wasted a couple hours of my day. I really want my 99 cents back. And I refuse to give it any stars.

[Becky · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a ridiculous pile of nonsense! No one and nothing in this book makes sense and it's full of the most banal cliches. You know that trope where someone hears/sees something incriminating about the person they love and they leave without any attempt to reconcile. You know, that trope that has been done to death and never made sense in the first place? Yeah, that's what this book is about. Add to that a nonsensical plot and a main character that is obviously mentally damaged and you have a book that is insulting to women on every level.

Here are a couple of my "favorite" moments...

A busty stewardess wants to catch the attention of the hunky airline pilot, so she reaches into her shirt, grabs her boobs (the author's word choice, not mine), and shoves them up and forward, creating cleavage to her chin. Instead of recoiling in shock and disgust at behavior never seen outside of a brothel, he's intrigued and asks her out. She later decides they're engaged - just a day or two later.

The main character, a wealthy supermodel who only wants to have a litter of kiddies and be a loving housewife, has a couple of glasses of wine and passes out on the bar. When her mother and aunt tell her that she's an alcoholic, she decides that's great - it answers all of her problems - and she runs off to AA. She's devastated when she's told that she's not an alcoholic, she's a "normie."

The main character, stuck on a ski lift with her ex, gets so upset after a few lines of dialog that she jumps off the ski lift when it's nowhere near the top of the mountain. The ex jumps off after her even though the fall is potentially deadly, he is unharmed and she has a slight sprain.

I could go on and on but I've already wasted more of my life than this drivel deserves. This book should never have made it to the public. It belonged in the drawer of the teenager who surely must have written it. Because only a teenager (or an alien, that's always a possibility, right) could have written something so devoid of sense and knowledge of human behavior.

[Kim Dennis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I normally reserve one star for books with offensive content, but I decided to make an exception for this book since I'm not going to finish it. I admit, I went into it with a bit of skepticism since my sister had read it earlier and hadn't really enjoyed it, but given the circumstances when she read it, I decided to give it a try. I should have trusted her judgment more than that.

As near as I can tell, Summer was going to get back together with Brad and I have no earthly idea why. At least in the first half of the book there was nothing redeeming about him. He seemed like a jerk and a player. The rest of it was just too over the top. The cookie competition = dire circumstances (Umm...does she have any idea what is going on in the world)? Her aunt has a "talent" for eavesdropping"? (Although she did have some issues with it, which I'm sure is what led to Summer and Brad breaking up.) Summer has a "talent" for lucky seat picking? She was excited to be told she was an alcoholic and disappointed when told she wasn't one? At that point I was about half way done and had rolled my eyes so many times I wondered if they were going to stick to the back of my head. I wasn't enjoying it at all and I asked myself why I was finishing the book. The only reason I could come up with is because I had started it. I decided that unless it's a classic I'm reading, finishing a book just because I started it isn't a good enough reason to waste my time since I have many other books to read so I decided to stop. Thus the one star.

My sister did like the Magical Christmas Do Over better (she'd read that one first), so I might give that one a try, but I might also just be done with Kissing Bridge Mountain.

[Lacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was our book club choice for December 2016. I was okay with a light romantic comedy for the holiday season. I have recently really been enjoying reading holiday themed books around each holiday.

This book was just strange though. It definitely was not funny, as the description so proclaimed. I didn't laugh or even giggle once, but there was a lot of eye rolling. The only thing I even remotely found funny was that Donald Trump, yes that Trump, was a secondary character. Is that a thing in writing now? Writing as many celebrities as possible in to a book as vague secondary characters? I hope not. It doesn't work, doesn't come off as real, and is highly irritating. The girl is rich and lives in New York....well her boyfriend must be friends with Donald Trump then. She enters cookie competitions with her family....well there must be a battle between Martha Stewart, a gothic Top Chef winner, and Wolfang Puck....right?!

Very glad this one was short. It really was just so unbelievable and strange. A great premise, but the story was a huge let down.

I would not recommend.

[Deborah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry but bad bad bad!

No where in this "book" did I find anything fabulously funny. I wanted to stop reading while in the first chapter but hoped it would get better...didn't happen it only took me an hour to read the whole thing. Characters were horrible and the whole story was a chopped up mess. Do not waste even 99 cents on this

[Bron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute, quick, lighthearted read - good for reading in one sitting (preferably under the Christmas tree with a cookie or two!)

[K.M. Lowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't like me, I'll be honest, I love christmas books. I just struggled with this one. The writing was so fast paced a lot of the story was missed, which then made me lose connection with the characters. The premise for the story is there, it is just lacking charisma and that cozy factor I expected to get. I struggled to get through this one.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

1 1/2 stars. Didn't really enjoy this book, but I did finish it. I started it last year and couldn't finish it. I chalked it up to my mood last year. I thought I'd try it again this year because I liked a different Kissing Bridge Christmas book (Magical Christmas Do Over) enough to try this one.

This book didn't even feel like the same author. The characters names were the same but their personalities were entirely different. It was meant to be funny, but the humor was over-the-top sarcasm and was way too much for my taste.

[Raksha Bhat · Rating 3 out of 5]

It takes a while for me to enjoy a light read. This was definitely one, a perfect feel good Christmas story, a cup of hot cocoa and Fran Sinatra music in the background with this book will do wonders :-)

[Lisa Castaneda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written

In not sure why I finished reading this book. Storyline was uninspiring and uninteresting. Lots of typos and grammatical errors, which I find so distracting. At one point the author refers to Aunt Carol as Aunt Clara! How do you forget the name of a character?

[Annette O'Keefe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas Kisses and Cookies by Linda West

A terrific feel good story any time of the year. Full of variety, love, mystery and a terrific sweet ending with love conquers. Definite must read ☺

[Janet Morey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas kisses and cookies

I chose this rating because I love Christmas and all of it's magical dreams. This kind of book puts me in the Christmas spirit. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Christmas.

[Kristin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book and I am an 'easy grader'. The plot and writing was too stilted and the characters were not developed.

[Elizabeth Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it...

Easy read...good for your heart. Fun loving storyline, happy ending and a bonus recipe for Christmas cookies!!! Perfect Christmas love story.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute

This was a quick cute book to read. Everyone loves a little romance, jealousy and something yummy to eat. Great recipe at back of book

[Sandy Forman-Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

cute story, easy read

[Mary Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars

Cute, warm and humorous. Very enjoyable read for the season. ( Wolfgang Puck over Martha Stewart anytime!!!! ) Sometimes going home is the right thing to do.

[Adora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas Kisses & Cookies

Such a cute & lighthearted holiday love story. A real joy to read, you will not be disappointed! Merry Christmas

[Amy Brantley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday and I adore romantic comedies and holiday romances. I was so happy to get the chance to read this book through Kindle Unlimited. I noticed that a lot of readers complained about the editing and that's something I don't understand. I saw two tiny mistakes in the entire book. Heck, I've seen mistakes in books from mega authors, like Stephen King. It happens. No editor is perfect. With that said, two mistakes should hardly deter you from this book. If it does, you're really missing out.

There are so many wonderful things to say about this book. First of all, I love Summer Landers. She had a terrible experience that left her feeling melancholy at Christmas for the past decade. In turn, it's led to a career that she doesn't enjoy and living in a place that doesn't do up Christmas the way it should be - Los Angeles. When a freak snowstorm leaves her stranded, she chooses to head home for the holidays, despite the heartache it will cause.

Brad Anderson is living his dream life (almost) as a commercial pilot with lots of beautiful women. It's every man's dream, right? Maybe not. When he runs into his long-lost flame, Summer Landers, he can't help but have mixed emotions.

The author keeps you on the edge of your seat as you try to figure out what happened to the couple so many years ago.

Can their be a happy ending? Will the Landers women win the coveted cookie competition? Or are broken hearts and the evil Martha Stewart going to win again this Christmas?

If you love holiday romance and romantic comedies, I highly recommend this book!

[Karla Renee Goforth Abreu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christmas novels are often like sweet little Christmas rom-com movies, Hallmark style. Debbie Macomber is the queen of these Christmas reads. This book seemed like a Macomber wanna-be and falls miserably short. While these warm and fuzzy Christmas romances are not deep, or exquisitely written, this book seems as if it was written by a 5th grade English student, maybe younger.
The premise is kind of cute: west coast supermodel unexpectedly returns home to the east coast as a blizzard rolls in. Everyone is gearing up for a huge tradition: the holiday Christmas eve fair, of which the cookie competition is the main show. Supermodel runs into ex high school boyfriend, of four years. It is ten years later.
The story idea is shot in the execution of telling it! The writing is short, choppy, narrated by someone the reader has no clue of. The plot twists are ridiculous and not because they are predictable, this genre is almost always predictable.
I finished the book because I started it and continued in the hopes that it would progress a bit better. If you want to read Christmas romance books instead of watching the movies, I suggest going with a different one.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. A sweet story with a romantic twist. I wouldn't really call this a romance because Summer and Brad don't actually spend much time together, as a couple or otherwise. It is about Summer being disillusioned with her present life, going home for Christmas and find it with problems and trying to fix them. Along the way a long time miscommunication gets fixed but there wasn't much time telling of them as a couple when they were ten years younger and not much time now as a couple ten years later when they would have changed. Everyone does. Instead, they just say, oh, I made a terrible mistake, forgive me and lets live the rest of our lives together, forget the ten years in between. When I'm looking for a romance, I'm looking for a bit more romance.

But it is a sweet story. I enjoyed reading it. There funny parts and tender moments. The characters are quirky but relate-able. It is full of Christmas spirit and good cheer. Oh, and there is drama at the end as you wait with the Landers to see if they have won the Christmas Cookie competition once again.

[Shelly Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a whole lot of reviews for you to check out on this book so I'll try and keep mine brief.
This is a good Christmas story set in an adorable little town. It's filled with a bunch of quirky characters that win you over rather quickly. When Summer's gets a bit derailed she finds herself heading home for Christmas. When she gets there she learns a secret her mother has been keeping from her about the very important yearly Christmas cookie contest. After that, she learns a few more and from there she teams up with her family to make the cookie to win it all! There is also a romance blooming in the background as well. This one is a nice light-hearted story that keeps the romance there but not really the in-your-face main aspect of it all. There's the cookie contest after all and the fact that all the women in Summer's family have a little "magic power".
This book is really fun for a quick Christmassy happy mood book!

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book mainly focuses on Summer Landers a supermodel whom most people thinks has it all. Great job travel all over the world and a rich famous fiancée. The only thing is Summer is not happy.

As the snow is coming down and everything is shutting down the only plane going out is going to Kissing Bridge Summers hometown. She has not been back in ten years when her world was turned upside down.

Summer decides to go back to Kissing Bridge and help out with the annual Silver Bells cookie competition which is a big deal in her family. Their only problem is their main competitor is getting help from Marta Stewart. How can you compete against that.

If Summer isn’t under enough pressure helping her mom and Aunt Carol find the right cookie recipe Brad Anderson the boy the boy who ripped her heart out in high school has returned.

If you want a good feel good fun book this is it.

[Jacque · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Christmas! I love everything about it, the joy, love, laughter and family. This year has been much more difficult for me and I am having to deal with grief and sadness. I decided to take a chance on this short holiday book. Low and behold I fell in love with this town, the people and the joy! I immediately purchased the 2nd book, loved and finished it, and then went back and bought the bundle. These stories are just what I needed to help me get through a difficult holiday season for me. The stories and people in them are fun, light hearted and you can't help but want to be a part of their community. I will be reading each book and smiling all the way through. Thank you Linda West for making Kissing Bridge Mountain the best medicine this lady could take during a time when I thought the joy might not shine through me this year. Merry Christmas!

[casey cays · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy read and very lighthearted, but lacked a tremendous amount of creativity I was left craving for. The idea of aunt Carol's "talent" being that she can eavesdrop is not a talent and I thought out of everything this was the worst part of the book. I understand that it lent to the plot of the story, but again I'm craving that creativity. As a person who loves to write and an avid reader I find the lack of effort in this unforgivable. I appreciated the obsession with Christmas and baking though and that's what kept me Interested.

[Kylie Hood · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Evil Martha Stewart”. I’m not done yet but this is the most cliche bunch of bull. Too many good Christmas books to pick this turd. “Miss big boobs?” Seriously?? I’m bored and it’s the damn dumbest book I have ever read. I will torture my ears for the last hour of audio. If there were negative stars I would give it. Sick of these horrible books getting on book club lists. My iq lowered 40 points.