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Marie Harte Seattle Contemporary Romance #18
The Kissing Game
"I bet you a kiss you can't resist me."
Game on.
Rena Jackson is ready. She's worked her tail off to open up her own hair salon, and she's almost ready to quit her job at the dive bar. Rena's also a diehard romantic, and she's had her eye on Axel Heller for a while. He's got that tall-brooding-and-handsome thing going big-time. Problem is, he's got that buttoned-up Germanic ice man thing going as well. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, Rena's about ready to give up on Axel and find some other Mr. Right.
At six foot six, Axel knows he intimidates most people. He's been crushing on the gorgeous waitress for months. But the muscled mechanic is no romantic, and his heart is buried so deep, he has no idea how to show Rena what he feels. He knows he's way out of his depth and she's slipping away. So, he makes one crazy, desperate play...
She's only one kiss away from finding Mr. Right!
Game on.
Rena Jackson is ready. She's worked her tail off to open up her own hair salon, and she's almost ready to quit her job at the dive bar. Rena's also a diehard romantic, and she's had her eye on Axel Heller for a while. He's got that tall-brooding-and-handsome thing going big-time. Problem is, he's got that buttoned-up Germanic ice man thing going as well. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, Rena's about ready to give up on Axel and find some other Mr. Right.
At six foot six, Axel knows he intimidates most people. He's been crushing on the gorgeous waitress for months. But the muscled mechanic is no romantic, and his heart is buried so deep, he has no idea how to show Rena what he feels. He knows he's way out of his depth and she's slipping away. So, he makes one crazy, desperate play...
She's only one kiss away from finding Mr. Right!
320 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2020
348 people are currently reading
5766 people want to read
About the author
Marie Harte
199 books2,403 followersImportant:: Marie Harte is NOT active on GoodReads, so to contact her, please use her website at marieharte.com.
Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Marie Harte has over 100 books published with more constantly on the way. She’s a confessed bibliophile and devotee of action movies. Whether hiking in Central Oregon, biking around town, or hanging at the local tea shop, she’s constantly plotting to give everyone a happily ever after. Visit http://marieharte.com and fall in love.
Caffeine addict, boy referee, and romance aficionado, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Marie Harte has over 100 books published with more constantly on the way. She’s a confessed bibliophile and devotee of action movies. Whether hiking in Central Oregon, biking around town, or hanging at the local tea shop, she’s constantly plotting to give everyone a happily ever after. Visit http://marieharte.com and fall in love.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 539 reviews
July 1, 2020
I literally danced, screamed and somersaulted (at least five times) with the positive energy to get an Arc Copy of romance story. But as soon as I gave a second glimpse to the blurb and read loudly about the definition of our hero: tall-dark-handsome with pale skin and blonde hair German, I rubbed my eyes several times and I thought maybe I over exaggerated my wine o’clock time but no it is still 5 p.m and I was still nursing my sixth cup of coffee (Yes! Sooner I was about to tear my clothes and turn into Hulk, jumping around the room with extra caffeine loading) and yes, words were real. I was not hallucinating.
I skipped the blurb and started my reading my brain started to send me the messages:
SORRY THE HEROINE YOU WANT TO CONNECT WITH CANNOT BE FOUND AT THIS MOMENT!
POOR YOU, THE LOVE STORY AND CHEMISTRY YOU YEARN FOR CANNOT BE FOUND IN THIS BOOK, TOO!
SORRY, THE BOOK BOYFRIEND YOU DREAMED OF AND FOUND LATELY at “The worst best man” (Yes, I’m talking about Max) CANNOT BE FOUND, TOO.
I truly love diversity stories and see the emotionally reserved people’s changing when they hopelessly fall in love. I also like sweet and sexy dialogues and of course I adore undeniable chemistry of the characters. But sorry, I couldn’t relate with any of them and I couldn’t find anything to love this book.
I rounded my 2.5 stars. It was dull and tasteless reading but not so horrible and dissatisfying one like I had when I read the last book of L.J. Shen. So let’s round up the stars to 3 and finish this review.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for sharing this ARC COPY in exchange my honest review.
I skipped the blurb and started my reading my brain started to send me the messages:
SORRY THE HEROINE YOU WANT TO CONNECT WITH CANNOT BE FOUND AT THIS MOMENT!
POOR YOU, THE LOVE STORY AND CHEMISTRY YOU YEARN FOR CANNOT BE FOUND IN THIS BOOK, TOO!
SORRY, THE BOOK BOYFRIEND YOU DREAMED OF AND FOUND LATELY at “The worst best man” (Yes, I’m talking about Max) CANNOT BE FOUND, TOO.
I truly love diversity stories and see the emotionally reserved people’s changing when they hopelessly fall in love. I also like sweet and sexy dialogues and of course I adore undeniable chemistry of the characters. But sorry, I couldn’t relate with any of them and I couldn’t find anything to love this book.
I rounded my 2.5 stars. It was dull and tasteless reading but not so horrible and dissatisfying one like I had when I read the last book of L.J. Shen. So let’s round up the stars to 3 and finish this review.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for sharing this ARC COPY in exchange my honest review.
Want to read
August 20, 2019I can't BELIEVE this book synopsis called this dude "tall dark and handsome" with pale skin and blonde hair. Where is this dark you speak of? Where is it??
did-not-finish
February 6, 2020DNF @ 20%: Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I really didn't like either of the characters and I found the writing to be extremely cringey and unrealistic. This was just very much not for me.
November 28, 2019
This book tries to jump on the “diversity” bandwagon and fails in every sense. It’s a textbook case of white people trying to write POC and flailing. This book needed a sensitivity reader.
March 27, 2020
https://youtu.be/ArZM18y690A
𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 1.5/5 STARS
𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: Rena
𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: the white supremacists
𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗔𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗦: The chemistry between the characters and trying to woo her.
LEAST FAVOURITE 𝗔𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗦: The rest of the book. The heroine was being terrorized by actual white supremacists who were also actively trying to recruit her blond haired, blue eyes love interest. To make matters worse, we discovered, the ring leader of the racist group has some kind of weird fetish thing for the heroine.
There is racism and then there’s white supremacist racism. Honesty every person involved in publishing this book should be ashamed. There is no reason this should still be sold It highlights one of the many reasons I have trust issues reading interracial romance, or any kind of multicultural book, written by white people. The lack of cultural awareness is appalling. Using white supremacists as a backdrop with no real repercussion is disturbing. Shame on Marie Harte and her entire time.
𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗦: Rena and Axel
𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥: Racists and people with black women fetishes. Everyone else, know that I read this so you don’t have to suffer.
𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: 1.5/5 STARS
𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: Rena
𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: the white supremacists
𝗙𝗔𝗩𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗘 𝗔𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗦: The chemistry between the characters and trying to woo her.
LEAST FAVOURITE 𝗔𝗦𝗣𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗦: The rest of the book. The heroine was being terrorized by actual white supremacists who were also actively trying to recruit her blond haired, blue eyes love interest. To make matters worse, we discovered, the ring leader of the racist group has some kind of weird fetish thing for the heroine.
There is racism and then there’s white supremacist racism. Honesty every person involved in publishing this book should be ashamed. There is no reason this should still be sold It highlights one of the many reasons I have trust issues reading interracial romance, or any kind of multicultural book, written by white people. The lack of cultural awareness is appalling. Using white supremacists as a backdrop with no real repercussion is disturbing. Shame on Marie Harte and her entire time.
𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗦: Rena and Axel
𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗗 𝗙𝗢𝗥: Racists and people with black women fetishes. Everyone else, know that I read this so you don’t have to suffer.
February 5, 2020
DNF at 36%
I got sucked in by that adorable cover and the synopsis promising a fun sounding, banter filled story. Sadly it didn’t come close to delivering.
I didn’t care for either of the characters. Rena and Axel both waiver so much and often to the extreme. She will be enjoying a conversation with him and then immediately think about how she wants kids and decides he’s not The One. This was on the first date. He’s prone to saying random words in German and storming off. Together there’s absolutely no chemistry. Oh, and he’s often referenced as “tall, dark, and handsome” when it’s stated that he’s blond with fair skin.
Plot wise, it was a hot mess. There are loads and loads and loads of characters and I found out from other reviews that this book is a companion to another series....which is why it made sense that it immediately felt like I was dropped into the middle of the story. Tons of push and pull and an obsession with Valentine’s Day made this a struggle to keep reading.
I did get to 36% and then skipped around, skimming for anything that would interest me. I found some violence, hate slang words, and talks of domestic violence. I didn’t read any of the racism and hate crime scenes, but I’ve seen other reviews mention it.
Overall, it was a cute cover, but the story definitely didn’t match.
**Huge thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing the arc free of charge**
I got sucked in by that adorable cover and the synopsis promising a fun sounding, banter filled story. Sadly it didn’t come close to delivering.
I didn’t care for either of the characters. Rena and Axel both waiver so much and often to the extreme. She will be enjoying a conversation with him and then immediately think about how she wants kids and decides he’s not The One. This was on the first date. He’s prone to saying random words in German and storming off. Together there’s absolutely no chemistry. Oh, and he’s often referenced as “tall, dark, and handsome” when it’s stated that he’s blond with fair skin.
Plot wise, it was a hot mess. There are loads and loads and loads of characters and I found out from other reviews that this book is a companion to another series....which is why it made sense that it immediately felt like I was dropped into the middle of the story. Tons of push and pull and an obsession with Valentine’s Day made this a struggle to keep reading.
I did get to 36% and then skipped around, skimming for anything that would interest me. I found some violence, hate slang words, and talks of domestic violence. I didn’t read any of the racism and hate crime scenes, but I’ve seen other reviews mention it.
Overall, it was a cute cover, but the story definitely didn’t match.
**Huge thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca for providing the arc free of charge**
February 2, 2020
the stray cat and dog were the best part of this book
i don't even know where to start. first of all, this came with zero indication, until i started it, that this was set in the same world as other books by this author, because it was immediately clear upon the many, many, (so many i could not keep up) family/friends of the main characters we are introduced to that these are characters already met in other books. it didn't make the book unreadable, just the sense of missing out on something and trouble keeping all the different people straight. i liked the camaraderie, but i was just ready for the book to focus on the main two.
and then it did that and i realized i had already read the best part of the book and i did not, in fact, want it to focus on the main two.
the characters were one dimensional, the drama was like a really bad lifetime movie, the writing was Not It, and it was all so horridly cheesy. there was no good angst between the characters, their was barely any build up in their romance, the so called "kissing game" was maybe about 5% of the book, and it was just BAD. i don't know why i even finished it quite frankly.
i also didn't like how this book took on racism. it took something that is very real and alive and made it into this side "drama" that you can tell was only included to allow the male love interest to beat dudes up and ~fight for his woman. plus the way everything was handled was done almost cartoonishly? that could be said for just about everything in this book, though.
basically the first 33% made me think this might be something all right if not what i expected, and the rest just got worse and worse. i had no idea what the time line was through most of it, some parts would contradict others, and over all this was way more like a rough draft than a finished product. don't be fooled by the cute cover and the description. the marketing team is clearly trying to salvage something, but it's complete false advertising.
i don't even know where to start. first of all, this came with zero indication, until i started it, that this was set in the same world as other books by this author, because it was immediately clear upon the many, many, (so many i could not keep up) family/friends of the main characters we are introduced to that these are characters already met in other books. it didn't make the book unreadable, just the sense of missing out on something and trouble keeping all the different people straight. i liked the camaraderie, but i was just ready for the book to focus on the main two.
and then it did that and i realized i had already read the best part of the book and i did not, in fact, want it to focus on the main two.
the characters were one dimensional, the drama was like a really bad lifetime movie, the writing was Not It, and it was all so horridly cheesy. there was no good angst between the characters, their was barely any build up in their romance, the so called "kissing game" was maybe about 5% of the book, and it was just BAD. i don't know why i even finished it quite frankly.
i also didn't like how this book took on racism. it took something that is very real and alive and made it into this side "drama" that you can tell was only included to allow the male love interest to beat dudes up and ~fight for his woman. plus the way everything was handled was done almost cartoonishly? that could be said for just about everything in this book, though.
basically the first 33% made me think this might be something all right if not what i expected, and the rest just got worse and worse. i had no idea what the time line was through most of it, some parts would contradict others, and over all this was way more like a rough draft than a finished product. don't be fooled by the cute cover and the description. the marketing team is clearly trying to salvage something, but it's complete false advertising.
January 18, 2020
And the award for the most falsely advertised novel of the year goes to... The Kissing Game!
The cover says chick lit and implies diversity so, I'll tackle those two things first.
This is not chick lit. If you want a better idea of the type of ‘romance’ the book is, check out Harte’s other title covers. They all suit. This book doesn’t say it’s part of Body Shop Bad Boy or Power Up! series (oh dear) but, apparently, the same characters appear and they’re all the series are connected somewhere along the line.
The characters do ramble on about the fact the heroine reads lots of romance books. This apparently makes her intelligent and a true romantic (huh?). However, there’s no cute pop culture references throughout (or even any mention of what books are the heroine's favourites), so it’s hardly an exciting plot point or characterisation which might get the book included on a chick lit tag. In fact it seemed irrelevant and more something for the hero to say, ‘omg that makes her even hotter’ about.
So, why did the publisher/author opt for this cover this time around? Sales, I assume.
Which, I assume, might be the same reason Harte decided to also play the diversity card with her heroine. Yes, the heroine is introduced as a POC (in passing really) but any racism or topical issues which might have been included because of her heritage certainly weren't evident by the time I tossed the book onto my DNF pile. Meanwhile the hero is German and we know this because Harte throws in an annoying amount of basic German words to demonstrate this (*rolls eyes*).
The blurb was also false advertising. It promises an original sweet and sassy romantic idea and even erroneously calls the hero ‘tall dark and handsome’. When the publisher can’t even get that smallest detail right, we know we're off to a bad start.
Yes, yes, I suppose there’s nothing technically wrong with this type of book. If characters being attracted physically to each other but barely saying two words to each other and therefore, having nothing in common personality-wise is your thing, go for it. (In fact, until I stopped reading, most of the conversations the two leads had were with other people who must have been characters from previous books, meaning I got to read how those characters found their respective partners physically attractive too. *yawn*)
For me though, there’s nothing interesting about two people having thinky thoughts about how hot someone of the opposite sex is for chapters on end.
There was definitely no real plot conflict by the time I gave up. Oh, the hero is apparently quiet and not very romantic (case in point was that he asks her out for coffee for their first date instead of a full-on romantic dinner... w.t.f.) and probably doesn't want a serious relationship (I couldn't quite work out how the heroine came to this conclusion) but none of these things does a conflict make.
Even the label of hot romance was falsely advertised. I hadn’t gotten to any sex scenes yet but I reckon I probably dodged a bullet because the leads had zero chemistry. Truly, for someone with such a large back catalogue of romance books, Harte’s attempt at sexual chemistry and her descriptions of kissing (which I did get to) fell flat and weren’t very good overall.
The final moment of false advertising is the book's price. Okay, okay… If (big if) you had some free time, this book might be okay (but I have a zillion things to read, so I’m opting out). I’m sure (considering how many books Harte seems to sell) some people will think this type of romance is right up their alley. But, given the interchangeable characters and basic plot and overly coarse tone, I think a couple of bucks would be more realistic a price to pay and not the RRP of around $16.
1 out of 5 DNF
The cover says chick lit and implies diversity so, I'll tackle those two things first.
This is not chick lit. If you want a better idea of the type of ‘romance’ the book is, check out Harte’s other title covers. They all suit. This book doesn’t say it’s part of Body Shop Bad Boy or Power Up! series (oh dear) but, apparently, the same characters appear and they’re all the series are connected somewhere along the line.
The characters do ramble on about the fact the heroine reads lots of romance books. This apparently makes her intelligent and a true romantic (huh?). However, there’s no cute pop culture references throughout (or even any mention of what books are the heroine's favourites), so it’s hardly an exciting plot point or characterisation which might get the book included on a chick lit tag. In fact it seemed irrelevant and more something for the hero to say, ‘omg that makes her even hotter’ about.
So, why did the publisher/author opt for this cover this time around? Sales, I assume.
Which, I assume, might be the same reason Harte decided to also play the diversity card with her heroine. Yes, the heroine is introduced as a POC (in passing really) but any racism or topical issues which might have been included because of her heritage certainly weren't evident by the time I tossed the book onto my DNF pile. Meanwhile the hero is German and we know this because Harte throws in an annoying amount of basic German words to demonstrate this (*rolls eyes*).
The blurb was also false advertising. It promises an original sweet and sassy romantic idea and even erroneously calls the hero ‘tall dark and handsome’. When the publisher can’t even get that smallest detail right, we know we're off to a bad start.
Yes, yes, I suppose there’s nothing technically wrong with this type of book. If characters being attracted physically to each other but barely saying two words to each other and therefore, having nothing in common personality-wise is your thing, go for it. (In fact, until I stopped reading, most of the conversations the two leads had were with other people who must have been characters from previous books, meaning I got to read how those characters found their respective partners physically attractive too. *yawn*)
For me though, there’s nothing interesting about two people having thinky thoughts about how hot someone of the opposite sex is for chapters on end.
There was definitely no real plot conflict by the time I gave up. Oh, the hero is apparently quiet and not very romantic (case in point was that he asks her out for coffee for their first date instead of a full-on romantic dinner... w.t.f.) and probably doesn't want a serious relationship (I couldn't quite work out how the heroine came to this conclusion) but none of these things does a conflict make.
Even the label of hot romance was falsely advertised. I hadn’t gotten to any sex scenes yet but I reckon I probably dodged a bullet because the leads had zero chemistry. Truly, for someone with such a large back catalogue of romance books, Harte’s attempt at sexual chemistry and her descriptions of kissing (which I did get to) fell flat and weren’t very good overall.
The final moment of false advertising is the book's price. Okay, okay… If (big if) you had some free time, this book might be okay (but I have a zillion things to read, so I’m opting out). I’m sure (considering how many books Harte seems to sell) some people will think this type of romance is right up their alley. But, given the interchangeable characters and basic plot and overly coarse tone, I think a couple of bucks would be more realistic a price to pay and not the RRP of around $16.
1 out of 5 DNF
March 1, 2020
DNF @32% / 1 Stars / 0 Steam Fans
DUMPSTER FIRE TRASH!! Why was this book even released! The author did zero research, had zero cultural sensitivity readers, and is living in a bubble of WHITE PRIVILEGE. I took an entire week to think about what I wanted to say in this review, and I am still speechless by how much I hated this book. Rena and Axel have a secret attraction, but they are both fighting getting together because they feel they are two different from each other.
Video review available in Week 9 Feb 23 – 29 weekly book reviews.
For other video book reviews, check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.
DUMPSTER FIRE TRASH!! Why was this book even released! The author did zero research, had zero cultural sensitivity readers, and is living in a bubble of WHITE PRIVILEGE. I took an entire week to think about what I wanted to say in this review, and I am still speechless by how much I hated this book. Rena and Axel have a secret attraction, but they are both fighting getting together because they feel they are two different from each other.
Video review available in Week 9 Feb 23 – 29 weekly book reviews.
For other video book reviews, check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.
February 10, 2020
TW: Rape (briefly mentioned), sexual harassment, and racism.
Sometimes clown energy catches up to me and I read books without checking out GR ratings. I wish I had known about this book before being lead astray by the cute cover.
My main issue with this book (and there are plenty) is that it was deemed appropriate to include white supremacists as the main issue involving a Black woman and a German man!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT????? Rena is Black and has to deal with a white supremacist coming into her shop and on top of that, she has to give him a haircut. Her shop is pretty much burned down because the leader of the white supremacist group wants her for himself in a physical way and I just can't. Who approved this nonsense?? Axel on the other hand is a German dude who is asked to join the supremacist group and my inner history nerd is screaming. No one and I mean NO ONE thought this would be a bad idea?
If that's not bad enough, Axel is constantly getting into physical fights throughout the book. In his POV, he states that he does not look for the fights and while this is true, there was one baffling turn of events. Axel is haunted by the fact that he hit his mom once. Yes, he was young and he didn't mean to hit her but she ended up in the hospital from a broken cheek. WHAT?? This is the romance lead? An aggressive guy who obviously needs help? (He goes to therapy at the end so yay?). Towards the end, Axel and a group of other guys capture one of the white supremacists and Axel asks Rena what she wants him to do with the captured guy. Making him disappear was floated as one of the options and suddenly it became a mafia book??
The romance between the two of them was meh at best. It ran hot and cold within the same sentence and the whiplash alone was exhausting. They had zero chemistry and if I read one more time that Axel, the 6'6" German with light skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes, is "tall, dark, and handsome" I will start screaming.
Sometimes clown energy catches up to me and I read books without checking out GR ratings. I wish I had known about this book before being lead astray by the cute cover.
My main issue with this book (and there are plenty) is that it was deemed appropriate to include white supremacists as the main issue involving a Black woman and a German man!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT????? Rena is Black and has to deal with a white supremacist coming into her shop and on top of that, she has to give him a haircut. Her shop is pretty much burned down because the leader of the white supremacist group wants her for himself in a physical way and I just can't. Who approved this nonsense?? Axel on the other hand is a German dude who is asked to join the supremacist group and my inner history nerd is screaming. No one and I mean NO ONE thought this would be a bad idea?
If that's not bad enough, Axel is constantly getting into physical fights throughout the book. In his POV, he states that he does not look for the fights and while this is true, there was one baffling turn of events. Axel is haunted by the fact that he hit his mom once. Yes, he was young and he didn't mean to hit her but she ended up in the hospital from a broken cheek. WHAT?? This is the romance lead? An aggressive guy who obviously needs help? (He goes to therapy at the end so yay?). Towards the end, Axel and a group of other guys capture one of the white supremacists and Axel asks Rena what she wants him to do with the captured guy. Making him disappear was floated as one of the options and suddenly it became a mafia book??
The romance between the two of them was meh at best. It ran hot and cold within the same sentence and the whiplash alone was exhausting. They had zero chemistry and if I read one more time that Axel, the 6'6" German with light skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes, is "tall, dark, and handsome" I will start screaming.
February 28, 2020
I have read this book as a standalone ( Without reading any of Marie Hart previous books ) , Maybe that's the reason , I actually didn't enjoy this story at all , I was super confused most of the time.
There weren't many character explanation, even for the main characters .
If you haven't read the previous books in the series , personally , I don't recommend reading this one alone .
Axel and Rena love story was OK , not fascinating , didn't enjoy their scenes that much .
For Me , The best thing about this novel was the writing style of Marie Hart .
I couldn't connect with this book at all .
There weren't many character explanation, even for the main characters .
If you haven't read the previous books in the series , personally , I don't recommend reading this one alone .
Axel and Rena love story was OK , not fascinating , didn't enjoy their scenes that much .
For Me , The best thing about this novel was the writing style of Marie Hart .
I couldn't connect with this book at all .
December 24, 2019
This really wasn't it for me. I didn't like the set up or way they went into this relationship. I really couldn't get with the writing. The diversity seemed forced, inauthentic, and clearly written by someone that isn't actually ... aware of the represented communities. I found this utterly forgettable which is unfortunate
January 31, 2020
I've been following along with these families and friends for a while now. I'm the kind of reader who loves when characters constantly show up in book after book, so I can easily say that I really enjoyed seeing everyone again.
I've gotten to know both Rena and Axel as side characters. I'm always amazed how different a side character from a previous book can be once they become a main character. Axel was a very good surprise. I adored him in this book.
You get a lot of Axel's pov. The way he feels about Rena was something that just melted me into a puddle. The fact that he is this big, Viking-like guy who doesn't talk that much and can come off a bit scary, could show that shy, crush-like personality just slayed me. I loved him.
The problem with me loving Axel so much, is that I really wanted to knock Rena in the head. A lot. All I can say is if I had this Viking God courting me, I would die a happy woman. Despite wanting to shake Rena a few times, I did truly enjoy this book and seeing all my favorite side characters again.
I've gotten to know both Rena and Axel as side characters. I'm always amazed how different a side character from a previous book can be once they become a main character. Axel was a very good surprise. I adored him in this book.
You get a lot of Axel's pov. The way he feels about Rena was something that just melted me into a puddle. The fact that he is this big, Viking-like guy who doesn't talk that much and can come off a bit scary, could show that shy, crush-like personality just slayed me. I loved him.
The problem with me loving Axel so much, is that I really wanted to knock Rena in the head. A lot. All I can say is if I had this Viking God courting me, I would die a happy woman. Despite wanting to shake Rena a few times, I did truly enjoy this book and seeing all my favorite side characters again.
February 14, 2020
3.5 stars
If you have read Marie Harte’s McCauley Brothers and Body Shop Bad Boys series, then you know that this book is a long time coming. Readers have been begging for Rena to get a book and now that she finally got one, I couldn’t be happier.
I had some high expectations with this book because I was such a big fan of the original McCauley Brothers series. I really felt like Harte was able to capture a lot of the same elements of that series, but also give Rena her own story that was unique to her.
The hero, Axel, turned out to be a little different than what I expected him to be. He was alpha but also quite gentle at the same time. And in terms of the level of heat compared to the other series, this one seemed a bit more toned down.
There is also something else that I wanted to note. The cover is very different from what we normally see from this author. I guess that the publisher was going for the trend that’s quite popular right now, but I do definitely prefer her original covers. I think it matches the book a bit better. However, I can totally understand that they wanted to give Rena a special cover because of how unique she was.
Nevertheless, it was fun to read this book. I would suggest starting with the McCauley Brothers series if you plan on reading this one, just so you can experience Rena’s story from all angles before you finally read from her POV
Read my alternate review at Fresh Fiction
If you have read Marie Harte’s McCauley Brothers and Body Shop Bad Boys series, then you know that this book is a long time coming. Readers have been begging for Rena to get a book and now that she finally got one, I couldn’t be happier.
I had some high expectations with this book because I was such a big fan of the original McCauley Brothers series. I really felt like Harte was able to capture a lot of the same elements of that series, but also give Rena her own story that was unique to her.
The hero, Axel, turned out to be a little different than what I expected him to be. He was alpha but also quite gentle at the same time. And in terms of the level of heat compared to the other series, this one seemed a bit more toned down.
There is also something else that I wanted to note. The cover is very different from what we normally see from this author. I guess that the publisher was going for the trend that’s quite popular right now, but I do definitely prefer her original covers. I think it matches the book a bit better. However, I can totally understand that they wanted to give Rena a special cover because of how unique she was.
Nevertheless, it was fun to read this book. I would suggest starting with the McCauley Brothers series if you plan on reading this one, just so you can experience Rena’s story from all angles before you finally read from her POV
Read my alternate review at Fresh Fiction
December 30, 2019
'The Kissing Game' just didn't work out for me at all, made all the more so disappointing because of a lively blurb and a promising plot of two pining individuals who just couldn't quite get their game up.
But it was precisely this that got the ball rolling too slowly, with German phrases tucked neatly into every conversation Axel had with people and we're talking a hell lot of supporting cast members, their names and their relations and their quirks to grace the pages from the very start.
It was a lot to take in, certainly, and got overwhelming quickly, more so because I couldn't keep up with anything and used up all of my tinted glasses just trying to see the chemistry between Rena and Axel without really understanding the context or their (lack of) past history.
This was strangely hard to read for me; maybe 'The Kissing Game' is probably better left for others who would appreciate Marie Harte's style in this one.
*ARC by the publisher via Netgalley
But it was precisely this that got the ball rolling too slowly, with German phrases tucked neatly into every conversation Axel had with people and we're talking a hell lot of supporting cast members, their names and their relations and their quirks to grace the pages from the very start.
It was a lot to take in, certainly, and got overwhelming quickly, more so because I couldn't keep up with anything and used up all of my tinted glasses just trying to see the chemistry between Rena and Axel without really understanding the context or their (lack of) past history.
This was strangely hard to read for me; maybe 'The Kissing Game' is probably better left for others who would appreciate Marie Harte's style in this one.
*ARC by the publisher via Netgalley
dnf
February 10, 2020Unfortunately, this is a tale of a blurb gone wrong. I'm all for the nerdylove vibes. I'm all for awkward hero crushing on heroine. But the book that I actually read? Did not match this at all. Between the physical descriptions being off (way off) and a story that centers on racism yet advertised as a rom-com, and doing it all poorly, it just fell flat.
I had heard that the blurb didn't match the book, but in the interest of due diligence and looking into it myself, I did read to about 30% or so. I had to give up, so I'm not really rating this, just marking it as DNF.
While I'm a proponent of all authors writing diverse characters, if you're going to do it, take care, do it well or just don't. Sadly, this is a case of just don't. Also, it's clearly a story that's part of an ongoing series, and the amount of secondary characters bouncing around and getting page-time just put me off beyond the main narrative issues. It's a no, no, nope.
I had heard that the blurb didn't match the book, but in the interest of due diligence and looking into it myself, I did read to about 30% or so. I had to give up, so I'm not really rating this, just marking it as DNF.
While I'm a proponent of all authors writing diverse characters, if you're going to do it, take care, do it well or just don't. Sadly, this is a case of just don't. Also, it's clearly a story that's part of an ongoing series, and the amount of secondary characters bouncing around and getting page-time just put me off beyond the main narrative issues. It's a no, no, nope.
February 7, 2020
"I bet you a kiss you can’t resist me.”
I really adored the start of this! It was super cute, but the second half kinda let me down. I was expecting more to the actual kissing game, but it was such a tiny part of the book.
Our heroine, Rena is a romance lover and is dreaming of her happily ever after, so she pushes Axel away because she doesn't think he's serious about her. Axel is this big, scary german guy who is not great at comminicating and has been crushing on Rena for nearly a year, so he tries to win her over by the kissing game where he kisses her to prove that she can't resist him.
My favourite part was the cute note Axel wrote Rena and all the gifts he sent her, even though his gifts were wierd, the gesture was sweet.
The only complaint I have is that for the amount of problems going on in this book, they all seemed to resolve too easily.
The author did try to add diversity, with the heroine being a POC, but it just felt really forced and like the racism was only there to create drama, and to show that the hero would beat guys up for the heroine.
I would still recommend though if you're after a quick romance read.
Breakdown:
Hero: 3/5
Heroine: 2.5/5
Plot: 2/5
Enjoyment: 3.5/5
POV: Rena and Axel's
Standalone, no epilogue
Thank you Netgalley for providing an ARC
I really adored the start of this! It was super cute, but the second half kinda let me down. I was expecting more to the actual kissing game, but it was such a tiny part of the book.
Our heroine, Rena is a romance lover and is dreaming of her happily ever after, so she pushes Axel away because she doesn't think he's serious about her. Axel is this big, scary german guy who is not great at comminicating and has been crushing on Rena for nearly a year, so he tries to win her over by the kissing game where he kisses her to prove that she can't resist him.
My favourite part was the cute note Axel wrote Rena and all the gifts he sent her, even though his gifts were wierd, the gesture was sweet.
The only complaint I have is that for the amount of problems going on in this book, they all seemed to resolve too easily.
The author did try to add diversity, with the heroine being a POC, but it just felt really forced and like the racism was only there to create drama, and to show that the hero would beat guys up for the heroine.
I would still recommend though if you're after a quick romance read.
Breakdown:
Hero: 3/5
Heroine: 2.5/5
Plot: 2/5
Enjoyment: 3.5/5
POV: Rena and Axel's
Standalone, no epilogue
Thank you Netgalley for providing an ARC
May 17, 2020
This book is advertized as being a standalone, but I quickly realized it had to be a sequel of sorts, because it referred to a whole cast of characters as if they'd already been introduced. This was very confusing at first and it made it a little difficult to get into the book. As a rule, I try not to read series out of order, so I didn't appreciate this.
While there were aspects of this book that I enjoyed, the interactions between the two MCs just filled me with secondhand embarrassment, they felt so forced and awkward. Which is the last thing a romance novel should achieve.
And if these were my only problems, this book would still have been an okay read. Not a new favourite, but not a terrible book either. But honestly, I had a slew of other problems, some small, some bigger, and the book was a hot mess.
While there were aspects of this book that I enjoyed, the interactions between the two MCs just filled me with secondhand embarrassment, they felt so forced and awkward. Which is the last thing a romance novel should achieve.
And if these were my only problems, this book would still have been an okay read. Not a new favourite, but not a terrible book either. But honestly, I had a slew of other problems, some small, some bigger, and the book was a hot mess.
January 26, 2020
Have you ever just wanted to write a one-word review? I often wonder if my conscience would allow me to do it. If it did, my review for The Kissing Game would be: meh.
I had no preconceived notions going into this cute-covered romance. It's my first by this author, so I had no idea what to expect or what I'd be getting into.
Turns out, although the premise was entirely appealing, the actual story was less than it had the potential to be. However, if you are looking for a quick, VDay-themed, sexy-infused romance - or if you're just really into sexy German men - then don't count this one out.
I had no preconceived notions going into this cute-covered romance. It's my first by this author, so I had no idea what to expect or what I'd be getting into.
Turns out, although the premise was entirely appealing, the actual story was less than it had the potential to be. However, if you are looking for a quick, VDay-themed, sexy-infused romance - or if you're just really into sexy German men - then don't count this one out.
March 2, 2020
The writing was so awkward and the characters not likable. I found myself wincing at a lot of the things that came out of Axel's mouth. No thank you.
nope
March 28, 2020Note to avoid this title as it’s a white author writing an interracial romance that focuses on racism and black pain, that’s being sold as a Romantic Comedy. Ugh!
February 4, 2020
Rena Jackson and Axel Heller have been dancing around there attraction for close to a year but during that time Axel lost his beloved mother and Rena has been working to over her own hair salon, but Axel is back and determined to win Rena over. Problem is Rena has decided she wants a man who is in it for the long haul; she wants marriage, babies, and a happily ever after and she doesn’t think Axel wants that in his life.
I’ll admit as one of Ms. Harte’s long time readers I’ve wanted this story to come to fruition, there was something about the way Axel protected Rena even though they’d never dated that was sweet and it made me wonder about what made him tick knowing he always seemed to be spoiling for a fight. Rena has always been a bit sassy and smart, but in this book she almost came off as entitled in her relationship with Axel. I felt that Axel was doing all the work to make their relationship work and while he seemed to enjoy it even though his choices of woo were a bit off, the relationship seemed a bit one sided. Sure one can argue that Axel was closed off and made it hard for her, but IMHO that shouldn’t have stopped her. That being said as time went on it was evident she cared and worried about him, but I just wanted more for him.
There was a bit of a suspense/hate crime angle in this book something that has been brewing for awhile, but it all just felt forced and “off” and I was disappointed that this book that was supposed to be a romance centered around this angle when there were so many other conflicts that could have been tackled such as their family relationships both of which were strained and brought into this already muddled romance.
While I was extremely happy to see so many of the characters from Ms. Harte’s other series make an appearance, this also made for a very character full book all of which took time away from showing the main characters grow as the relationship progressed.
I was satisfied that Axel and Rena finally got their HEA, however I wanted happier times and less drama.
Reviewer’s note and opinion: It really pains me to say, but this book didn’t work for me for several reasons, but I’ll start with the obvious ones. First off I appreciate that publishers have a right to make covers like they want but this cover in NO WAY represents the characters of this story and in NO WAY represents the brand of this author, period. It is a disservice to the author, her brands, and most importantly her readers. The next thing is stating this book as a standalone, it is not. Sure the story is, but if someone picks this book up and hasn’t read Ms. Harte’s series connected to this book, they are going to be a bit lost because there are way too many characters from those series in this book and for someone who has never read them they’re going to be lost with the ins and outs of the friendships, the issues that have been brewing at Ray’s Bar, and even more important the interactions between the hero and heroine in previous books.
Review copy provided for a voluntary review.
I’ll admit as one of Ms. Harte’s long time readers I’ve wanted this story to come to fruition, there was something about the way Axel protected Rena even though they’d never dated that was sweet and it made me wonder about what made him tick knowing he always seemed to be spoiling for a fight. Rena has always been a bit sassy and smart, but in this book she almost came off as entitled in her relationship with Axel. I felt that Axel was doing all the work to make their relationship work and while he seemed to enjoy it even though his choices of woo were a bit off, the relationship seemed a bit one sided. Sure one can argue that Axel was closed off and made it hard for her, but IMHO that shouldn’t have stopped her. That being said as time went on it was evident she cared and worried about him, but I just wanted more for him.
There was a bit of a suspense/hate crime angle in this book something that has been brewing for awhile, but it all just felt forced and “off” and I was disappointed that this book that was supposed to be a romance centered around this angle when there were so many other conflicts that could have been tackled such as their family relationships both of which were strained and brought into this already muddled romance.
While I was extremely happy to see so many of the characters from Ms. Harte’s other series make an appearance, this also made for a very character full book all of which took time away from showing the main characters grow as the relationship progressed.
I was satisfied that Axel and Rena finally got their HEA, however I wanted happier times and less drama.
Reviewer’s note and opinion: It really pains me to say, but this book didn’t work for me for several reasons, but I’ll start with the obvious ones. First off I appreciate that publishers have a right to make covers like they want but this cover in NO WAY represents the characters of this story and in NO WAY represents the brand of this author, period. It is a disservice to the author, her brands, and most importantly her readers. The next thing is stating this book as a standalone, it is not. Sure the story is, but if someone picks this book up and hasn’t read Ms. Harte’s series connected to this book, they are going to be a bit lost because there are way too many characters from those series in this book and for someone who has never read them they’re going to be lost with the ins and outs of the friendships, the issues that have been brewing at Ray’s Bar, and even more important the interactions between the hero and heroine in previous books.
Review copy provided for a voluntary review.
February 4, 2020
Don't read if you don't want SPOILERS.
So, lots of issues at play here.
This is marketed as a standalone, yet around 15 characters from previous novels (I haven't read but I checked) appear and act like I should already know them.
The heroine is a "romantic" because she has stacks of romance books and Valentine's Day is her favorite holiday ever *sigh*. She can't understand why she can't find love, yet she is offended that the hero only asks her for coffee as a first date.
The heroine is also the token POC in a very white town. She is written in a way that is POC in name only and the author chooses to make racism a big conflict. I'm going to come out and say it. This feels like a jumping-on-the-diversity-bandwagon book.
Enter the white-savior hero to brawl with all of the white supremacists on her behalf. He's also German. How do we know this? He frequently tacks on "Ja", "Nein", and "Gut" to every conversation.
There's so many weird choices (Charley Brown porn - I'm not kidding) that it pained me to finish this (I only did so because this was an ARC). Especially since the heroine excuses his rage-filled outbursts and hand-waves a confession about putting his own mother in the hospital.
Great marketing for a really problematic book...
So, lots of issues at play here.
This is marketed as a standalone, yet around 15 characters from previous novels (I haven't read but I checked) appear and act like I should already know them.
The heroine is a "romantic" because she has stacks of romance books and Valentine's Day is her favorite holiday ever *sigh*. She can't understand why she can't find love, yet she is offended that the hero only asks her for coffee as a first date.
The heroine is also the token POC in a very white town. She is written in a way that is POC in name only and the author chooses to make racism a big conflict. I'm going to come out and say it. This feels like a jumping-on-the-diversity-bandwagon book.
Enter the white-savior hero to brawl with all of the white supremacists on her behalf. He's also German. How do we know this? He frequently tacks on "Ja", "Nein", and "Gut" to every conversation.
There's so many weird choices (Charley Brown porn - I'm not kidding) that it pained me to finish this (I only did so because this was an ARC). Especially since the heroine excuses his rage-filled outbursts and hand-waves a confession about putting his own mother in the hospital.
Great marketing for a really problematic book...
June 17, 2020
4.65
This book was cute and entertaining! I love the romance dynamic and the spicy parts are VERY SPICY!!!!
The characters were adorable and it was an entertaining book to read.
This book was cute and entertaining! I love the romance dynamic and the spicy parts are VERY SPICY!!!!
The characters were adorable and it was an entertaining book to read.
April 19, 2020
The thing that surprised me the most prior to starting the book was the amount of bad reviews. Did you all read the same book I did? Are you sure? Usually I am sitting here having to write: "why on earth did you all like that?". I am SO EXCITED to be able to the opposite for once :) The Kissing Game was adorable! Perfect? nope. But who cares? I would read it again!
First of all we got the Giant, the Ice-Viking, the Prince Charming of my dreams, Alex Heller! The guy is not easy to love or to understand at first. But boy I dare you not to love him or at least sympathize with him by the end. He knows he has issues, he does no cower from them, and when faced with the reality he could lose Rena if he doesn't at least try to fix things he goes to find help. Perfection.
Rena has a big family. Friends that are loud and on your business the whole time. The kind of family you say you hate but could not imagine life without. She is also very sure of herself. I liked that about her. I thought she was a little silly giving Axel the cold shoulder to start, but he proved himself and she accepted that.
There was also some tension with a racist group that brought another dimension to the story. It helped expose exactly how dangerous Axel could be if not in check.
More on this book and other at glimpsesofmybooks.com
First of all we got the Giant, the Ice-Viking, the Prince Charming of my dreams, Alex Heller! The guy is not easy to love or to understand at first. But boy I dare you not to love him or at least sympathize with him by the end. He knows he has issues, he does no cower from them, and when faced with the reality he could lose Rena if he doesn't at least try to fix things he goes to find help. Perfection.
Rena has a big family. Friends that are loud and on your business the whole time. The kind of family you say you hate but could not imagine life without. She is also very sure of herself. I liked that about her. I thought she was a little silly giving Axel the cold shoulder to start, but he proved himself and she accepted that.
There was also some tension with a racist group that brought another dimension to the story. It helped expose exactly how dangerous Axel could be if not in check.
More on this book and other at glimpsesofmybooks.com
July 30, 2020
It's been a while since I read a book that portrays family bonds soooo well. I love the fact that this book wasn't just simply a 'romance', and not 100% centered around our two MCs. The secondary characters were amazing, the friendships in here were so enjoyable, the romance itself was so cute.
Though my only problem was the whole Valentine's day thing. It was kind of throwing me off a little bit. I just didn't feel it was a necessity in the book and it was just there for the sole purpose of fulfilling Rena's dream of book-inspired love life.
I'm not saying it was bad, I just feel like the story could've gone without it. I also would've liked to see more development to Axel and Maksim's bond.
Needless to say, I was swooning and fangirling all the way through.
(and the touch of German??? I died. Pretty happy because I do understand a bit of German and Axel talking in German WAS JUST WHAT MY HEART DESIRED)
*Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with this ARC in exchange of an honest review
Though my only problem was the whole Valentine's day thing. It was kind of throwing me off a little bit. I just didn't feel it was a necessity in the book and it was just there for the sole purpose of fulfilling Rena's dream of book-inspired love life.
I'm not saying it was bad, I just feel like the story could've gone without it. I also would've liked to see more development to Axel and Maksim's bond.
Needless to say, I was swooning and fangirling all the way through.
(and the touch of German??? I died. Pretty happy because I do understand a bit of German and Axel talking in German WAS JUST WHAT MY HEART DESIRED)
*Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with this ARC in exchange of an honest review
June 13, 2020
DNF at 42%.
Sickly sweet heroine who works in a rough biker bar to save money for her own business, desperate to get married. German mechanic who looks like a viking and doesn't speak much. Crushing on each other but neither of them able to make the first move.
I detested Rena, sappy, marriage-obsessed, jumps to conclusions, makes ridiculous rules about what must or must not happen.
I gave it the old college try but I just had no interest in reading any more.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Sickly sweet heroine who works in a rough biker bar to save money for her own business, desperate to get married. German mechanic who looks like a viking and doesn't speak much. Crushing on each other but neither of them able to make the first move.
I detested Rena, sappy, marriage-obsessed, jumps to conclusions, makes ridiculous rules about what must or must not happen.
I gave it the old college try but I just had no interest in reading any more.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
December 19, 2021
2 stars. this one was just like. not good…
Definitely for you if you enjoy:
- Steamy scenes
- Fun banter between big friends
- Found family, sorta
Rena is looking for her happily ever after and after finally opening her salon, she’s ready to start dating again. Despite having a crush on Axel, the stoic German who throws glares at everyone but her, he hasn’t made any moves. It’s all fine, she’ll just move on. At her goodbye party from the bar she’s been working at, Axel pulls her aside and wagers a bet: I bet you a kiss you can’t resist me.
After the kiss, Rena decides she’ll give him some dates and move on because she really has no time to lose if she wants a husband, kids and family as soon as possible. He shows her romance and good sex and she has to decide if his romance and sweet words can make up for his confusing actions.
📚
I bought this one on a whim at the bookstore and it…just wasn’t great. The plot was nothing amazing and all the characters jam packed made it very confusing. It’s the 5th in a series but can be read as a stand alone but jt didnt feel like it. I feel like you could shaved it down so much without all the extra details about the other characters. I felt like I was missing a crucial part not knowing these characters and this book didn’t move me enough to seek them out either.
Axel seemed loveable but he was confusing and Rena wasn’t my favorite lead. Some of the issues she had with Axel seemed so childish and I just wasn’t into it.
On top of that, the other characters and the general vibe of the book felt very… hm… sexist. There were so many “You’re a woman, let me take care of you” on top of some slut shaming and bad/weird name calling and boundaries that were crossed in my opinion. I just frankly would not wanna be friends with these people or wanna read about them.
On to the next!
Definitely for you if you enjoy:
- Steamy scenes
- Fun banter between big friends
- Found family, sorta
Rena is looking for her happily ever after and after finally opening her salon, she’s ready to start dating again. Despite having a crush on Axel, the stoic German who throws glares at everyone but her, he hasn’t made any moves. It’s all fine, she’ll just move on. At her goodbye party from the bar she’s been working at, Axel pulls her aside and wagers a bet: I bet you a kiss you can’t resist me.
After the kiss, Rena decides she’ll give him some dates and move on because she really has no time to lose if she wants a husband, kids and family as soon as possible. He shows her romance and good sex and she has to decide if his romance and sweet words can make up for his confusing actions.
📚
I bought this one on a whim at the bookstore and it…just wasn’t great. The plot was nothing amazing and all the characters jam packed made it very confusing. It’s the 5th in a series but can be read as a stand alone but jt didnt feel like it. I feel like you could shaved it down so much without all the extra details about the other characters. I felt like I was missing a crucial part not knowing these characters and this book didn’t move me enough to seek them out either.
Axel seemed loveable but he was confusing and Rena wasn’t my favorite lead. Some of the issues she had with Axel seemed so childish and I just wasn’t into it.
On top of that, the other characters and the general vibe of the book felt very… hm… sexist. There were so many “You’re a woman, let me take care of you” on top of some slut shaming and bad/weird name calling and boundaries that were crossed in my opinion. I just frankly would not wanna be friends with these people or wanna read about them.
On to the next!
December 31, 2021
Read my full review and others like it here on my blog
I'm reading The Kissing Game, amongst others, for a vlog of me reading a handful of popular romance releases. This was the first book I read for the vlog and I have to say... we're not off to a good start. The Kissing Game follows Rena, a dive bar employee nearing her last day to open her own hair salon, and Axel, a regular who Rena's been waiting to ask her out for about a year.
I would first like to point out that after finishing this book, I have no idea what the kissing game was?? Unless it was the two-second bet that they "bet" each other to say that they liked each other? It was very odd, and definitely not even a plot point, and not title worthy. I've enjoyed Marie Harte's books in the past, and this cover is completely different from her past cover, which I think is indicative of her feeling pressured to enter the "rom-com" subgenre that's so popular right now. The description, the cover and the title are all very cute and lovely, but they don't match the story.
I would also like to mention that this is not a standalone book. This is a kind of crossover between two different series that she's written, and it was immensely obvious as we started the book, and it felt like we were dropped in the middle of a story, with the - 20? - side characters that were immediately in the story and interacting. It was completely overwhelming 😨 The writing was just very disjointed, and that hasn't been her writing style in the past. Disappointing.
I'm a very character-driven reader, which was part of the reason this book was such a miss for more. Not that there was much plot to tie me in, either... but Axel, the hero, was the "big, dumb oaf" German stereotype. AND YES WE GET IT, he looks like a Viking. Please end the endless references. He was so, so, so sweet (he often blushed) and very shy! But also acted in that #bookboyfriend alpha-asshole way. And don't get me wrong... I love the alpha type. But he was just so un-genuine in this that it felt very tacky and gross. He worked his ass off to earn Rena. He read manuals on hair to impress her, censored his words so that she wouldn't get the wrong idea of him, and spend so much money! on giving her a gift every. single. day. Bad gifts! Like a gift card to Claire's. To a grown-ass woman. But he spent so much money and she just didn't say anything about the horrible gifts?? Plus, his working so hard and disingenuous woo-ing was never brought up. Like, be yourself, man. I think you're (mostly) great, if a bit blank.
Rena was portrayed in the blurb as fierce and sassy, but instead, I found her to be flighty, judgemental, naive and entitled. She rubbed me the wrong way for most of the book. First, she was supposed to be a huge reader and therefore a huge romantic. But we never heard about any of her favorite books or heard anything more about it. So clearly this was just meant to make her seem Different and Intelligent. Second, she wanted kids and marriage NOW and wrote off Axel as a possibility because he waited so long to ask her out (six months after his mother died, how rude!!) and then asked her for coffee on her first date. Apparently, that's not a romantic choice...? But despite the fact that she wanted to settle NOW, she was skittish at any kind of long-term commitment Axel mentioned.
But there was just no chemistry. No banter. Hardly any conversations between the hero and the heroine. And so much miss-placed common sense? Her business is on fire, and she's talking to the firemen about fostering cats, Axel got a custom paint job order from another fireman and just a whole lot of stuff that doesn't happen while you're in front of your burning business!
They never fixed any of the problems in their relationship, either. With Axel suppressing himself / always being conscious of the end-goal: winning Rena by Valentine's Day (what was with the obsession with Valentine's Day???), with Axel not wanting Rena to be part of any of his family problems... and just a whole lot of odd stuff that just made me wince. Like when Rena left her dog at Axel's while they were fighting, so she just went to go buy a new dog. Or when Axel suddenly turned into a mafia guy when he asked Rena if she wanted some guy's throat slit. Or when Axel put Rena's mom in his lap to soothe her while she was crying. Ummmm???
Overall... this was a huge miss for me. I didn't connect to the characters or the storyline, especially the very odd white supremacy sub-plotline that popped up? It was handled in such an odd way!! I didn't mention, Rena is African-American, and Goodreads reviews are quite critical of the portrayal of this interracial relationship and that the way that it is handled. I appreciate the diversity effort, but not sure that it was followed through in the best way. Especially with the white-supremacy thing. That was just handled so weird. I could have not picked this one up again after 50 percent of the book, and I had a serious conversation with myself about DNFing at 75 percent. But I pushed through, and don't recommend this one. Pick up Ms. Harte's other books instead, because they're much better ✨This review was originally posted on Kate, a Dreamer
I'm reading The Kissing Game, amongst others, for a vlog of me reading a handful of popular romance releases. This was the first book I read for the vlog and I have to say... we're not off to a good start. The Kissing Game follows Rena, a dive bar employee nearing her last day to open her own hair salon, and Axel, a regular who Rena's been waiting to ask her out for about a year.
I would first like to point out that after finishing this book, I have no idea what the kissing game was?? Unless it was the two-second bet that they "bet" each other to say that they liked each other? It was very odd, and definitely not even a plot point, and not title worthy. I've enjoyed Marie Harte's books in the past, and this cover is completely different from her past cover, which I think is indicative of her feeling pressured to enter the "rom-com" subgenre that's so popular right now. The description, the cover and the title are all very cute and lovely, but they don't match the story.
I would also like to mention that this is not a standalone book. This is a kind of crossover between two different series that she's written, and it was immensely obvious as we started the book, and it felt like we were dropped in the middle of a story, with the - 20? - side characters that were immediately in the story and interacting. It was completely overwhelming 😨 The writing was just very disjointed, and that hasn't been her writing style in the past. Disappointing.
"I bet you a kiss you can't resist me."
I'm a very character-driven reader, which was part of the reason this book was such a miss for more. Not that there was much plot to tie me in, either... but Axel, the hero, was the "big, dumb oaf" German stereotype. AND YES WE GET IT, he looks like a Viking. Please end the endless references. He was so, so, so sweet (he often blushed) and very shy! But also acted in that #bookboyfriend alpha-asshole way. And don't get me wrong... I love the alpha type. But he was just so un-genuine in this that it felt very tacky and gross. He worked his ass off to earn Rena. He read manuals on hair to impress her, censored his words so that she wouldn't get the wrong idea of him, and spend so much money! on giving her a gift every. single. day. Bad gifts! Like a gift card to Claire's. To a grown-ass woman. But he spent so much money and she just didn't say anything about the horrible gifts?? Plus, his working so hard and disingenuous woo-ing was never brought up. Like, be yourself, man. I think you're (mostly) great, if a bit blank.
Rena was portrayed in the blurb as fierce and sassy, but instead, I found her to be flighty, judgemental, naive and entitled. She rubbed me the wrong way for most of the book. First, she was supposed to be a huge reader and therefore a huge romantic. But we never heard about any of her favorite books or heard anything more about it. So clearly this was just meant to make her seem Different and Intelligent. Second, she wanted kids and marriage NOW and wrote off Axel as a possibility because he waited so long to ask her out (six months after his mother died, how rude!!) and then asked her for coffee on her first date. Apparently, that's not a romantic choice...? But despite the fact that she wanted to settle NOW, she was skittish at any kind of long-term commitment Axel mentioned.
Rena could melt him with a smile.
If only she'd give him one.
But there was just no chemistry. No banter. Hardly any conversations between the hero and the heroine. And so much miss-placed common sense? Her business is on fire, and she's talking to the firemen about fostering cats, Axel got a custom paint job order from another fireman and just a whole lot of stuff that doesn't happen while you're in front of your burning business!
They never fixed any of the problems in their relationship, either. With Axel suppressing himself / always being conscious of the end-goal: winning Rena by Valentine's Day (what was with the obsession with Valentine's Day???), with Axel not wanting Rena to be part of any of his family problems... and just a whole lot of odd stuff that just made me wince. Like when Rena left her dog at Axel's while they were fighting, so she just went to go buy a new dog. Or when Axel suddenly turned into a mafia guy when he asked Rena if she wanted some guy's throat slit. Or when Axel put Rena's mom in his lap to soothe her while she was crying. Ummmm???
Overall... this was a huge miss for me. I didn't connect to the characters or the storyline, especially the very odd white supremacy sub-plotline that popped up? It was handled in such an odd way!! I didn't mention, Rena is African-American, and Goodreads reviews are quite critical of the portrayal of this interracial relationship and that the way that it is handled. I appreciate the diversity effort, but not sure that it was followed through in the best way. Especially with the white-supremacy thing. That was just handled so weird. I could have not picked this one up again after 50 percent of the book, and I had a serious conversation with myself about DNFing at 75 percent. But I pushed through, and don't recommend this one. Pick up Ms. Harte's other books instead, because they're much better ✨This review was originally posted on Kate, a Dreamer
February 12, 2020
I honestly am having a hard time with my review for this book. While the Kissing Game managed to make me laugh, I wasn't able to connect with any of the characters. They all appeared very one dimensional, and because of that- it essentially fell a bit flat for me. The author also dabbled in POCs and racism. I didn't like how it was written, but I can appreciate the thought the author put in for that. Overall, a super quick steamy romance read.
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