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It Started with a Kiss

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Ari


It was supposed to be a fun, easygoing bachelorette party. But it turned out to be so much more.
They dared me to kiss the next guy to buy me a drink. And I agreed. It was just a kiss, right?


And then it happened... I saw Grey and felt something instant. 
I tried to back out of that kiss even though I wanted it desperately.


But he didn’t let me stop it. He kissed me until my toes curled and my heart raced. He kissed me until I knew I wanted more.


So when I left him standing there staring at me, I knew it was all kinds of wrong to leave. 

Grey


It started with a dare.


It ended with a kiss.


And for weeks after she walked out of my life, I searched for her, doing anything and everything in my power to find a morsel of information about the first woman to make my heart stop and my future flash before my eyes.


And when I finally found her, I was going to show Ari that I’d known she was mine from the very beginning.
And that I wasn’t letting her go a second time.

162 pages, Unknown Binding

First published August 14, 2019

442 people are currently reading
702 people want to read

About the author

Jenika Snow

433 books8,797 followers
Jenika Snow is a USA Today Bestselling Author, and has been a published writer since 2009.

She can be found at:

www.jenikasnow.com
FB: www.facebook.com/jenikasnow
Twitter: twitter.com/jenikasnow
Email: Jenika_Snow@yahoo.com

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5 stars
335 (33%)
4 stars
292 (29%)
3 stars
247 (24%)
2 stars
84 (8%)
1 star
36 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
Profile Image for ♡Tonya♡.
2,062 reviews568 followers
August 20, 2019
3.5 stars

I absolutely adored Ari and Gray! This books started off on a very high note with me. A damn near perfect hero who was not a manwhore, who had integrity and was mature enough to think long term and wait for the women he wanted to spend his life with. While he was not a virgin, he didn’t sleep around and was long celibate. A sweet heroine who was a perfect match for Grey.

-no cheating
-zero ow/om drama
-no violence
-no pushing away
-steam - honestly, when they finally had sex (almost 80%) it had steam, it was 3 chapters of one sex scene. A lot of buildup, asking each other what they wanted, were they sure, etc. I think a lot of that was excess and could have been cut down. So it was not overly steamy IMO
-ok epilogue 5 years out. Could have had more info of their HEA
Profile Image for Nova.
2,710 reviews102 followers
August 25, 2019
This book was steamy, sweet and adorable, you can’t help but love Ari and Grey.

Ari is the quintessential bookworm but the night of one of her best friends bachelorette party she agrees to a dare to kiss the next man to buy her a drink. That kiss turns her world upside down but before she can find out more about this man who stole her breath and heart she’s dragged away by her friends. Did she really just lose the man meant for her and how can she find him again?

Grey wanted her from the minute she walked in the club and after overhearing the dare there is no way he will pass on the opportunity to taste the woman meant for him but before he can ask her name she’s gone. But Grey has only just started claiming Ari and whether she knows it or not she belongs to him. Now all he needs to do is find her!

Quick read with no drama and safe. Perfect weekend read.
Profile Image for Fiona Fog.
1,461 reviews86 followers
August 17, 2019
One Determined Male!

A harmless dare, a hens night out and it changed everything for Ari.

The quiet shy librarian was knocked for a loop the moment her lips met Greys. Was this even real she wondered? But before she could do anything more her friends were sweeping her up and out of the bar. Away from him. Grey.

Grey knew the instant Ari walked into the bar she was special. Something about her called to him. Not much for socialising Grey was content with his life. He’d spent so much of the last few years devoted to his business time seemed to have gotten away.

Seeing Ari though he could see a future with her. After listening to her friends dare her into kissing the next guy who bought her a drink. He knew then she was going to be his.

But after the most spectacular kiss of his life Ari is gone. Grey has no clue of how he’s going to find her but he will. Even it’s doing it illegally.

Super sweet drama free romance. Explicitly hot! Like it’s getting HOT in here HOT.
Profile Image for Darlene I read WAY to many books.
3,669 reviews2,412 followers
August 11, 2019
3.5 ⭐

I got this as a Arc for a honest review.. this was pretty fast pace very easy read.

When your celebrating your friends bachelorette party and have a dare from your besties to kiss the next guy who buys you a drink.. lord when that mysterious guy kisses you melt like the 4th of July. Cuz thats how this MC meets but Ari friends pull her away so they don't know eachother beside their first name. Grey is obsessed and a true alpha trying to find Ari he even has his buddy try to "hack" and find her.. like i love that he was that true alpha male ;). Ari has been day dreaming of Grey wondering if she'll ever see him again and when he shows up at her apartment a week later she is alittle freaked but she wants to date him.. but i was glad she called him out for being tiny but obsessed lol

Very fun, sweet steamy between the two... no drama at all.

No ow/om drama, No cheating , secondary chara , sexy time, Virgin gal and celebite guy no manwhore

Recommend- yes
Cover-⭐⭐⭐⭐

Instalove/lust
Older/younger couple
Seperation (1 week)
Safe
Hea
Epilogue 5 years later
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Rochelle.
1,641 reviews
August 14, 2019
Another hit by Jennica. Ari is at a bar with her friends for a bachelorette party and she is dared to kiss the next guy who buys her a drink. Grey overhears this and he makes sure he is the next. He only knows her first name but that doesn’t stop him from finding out who she is. He can’t get her out of his mind and Ari is feeling the same way about him. He is able to finally find her and let’s just say, it is a great meeting between the two. I loved the chemistry between the two characters. You can feel the attraction coming off the pages. I loved how well the characters and the story was written. This was a quick read that was fun, sweet and sexy and it will leave you wanting more.

I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Profile Image for Sandy.
1,214 reviews4 followers
August 9, 2019
Great story of Ari and Grey. They meet in a bar on a dare. It’s sweet and steamy times from there on. This is a quick read with a new spin on the insta-love meeting. Super sweet epilogue!
Profile Image for Anne OK.
4,084 reviews550 followers
August 21, 2019
That was the fastest 162 pages I think I've ever read -- really felt more like a novella or an outline to a book. There wasn't much plotline to the story. Just insta-love -- and bam! Happily-ever-after. Lots of heated passion -- sizzling hot and cuteness, too, between a virgin librarian and an alpha male. Think fairytale and that sums it up except it wasn't a pair of glass slippers that brought them together, but a dare and a single kiss.
Profile Image for Rhonda.
3,755 reviews63 followers
August 12, 2019
When Ari goes out with her girlfriends to a bar and gets dared to kiss the first guy to who buys her a drink, Grey is nearby and is determined to be the one that gets that kiss. They are both instantly attracted to each other but don't actually get back together until several days later. This was a quick but super hot read. It's sweet and hot at the same time and I loved it!
Profile Image for Amanda.
619 reviews13 followers
September 2, 2019
This is a sexy fun read. The story of Ari and Grey did start with a kiss. Ari was at her best friends bachelorette party when she was dared to kiss the next man that bought her a drink. This wasn't Ari's personality but why not, this party was meant to be fun.
Grey was watching Ari from his booth and had been since she had walked in. She was beautiful but in her own way and that's what attracted him to her. He could overhear their conversation from where he sat and when he heard them dare Ari he knew then that was his chance. As Ari walked over to him he couldn't believe his luck, she was everything he wanted in a woman and he knew this kiss would show her that.
The kiss was magical and Ari wanted more. Just as quickly as the kiss happened it stopped and her friends were dragging her out of the bar. Whatever was she going to do she only knew his first name. As days passed all they thought of was each other but wasn't sure how to find each other. Grey had a friend and he wanted him to hack into whatever was necessary to find Ari and he did. After two agonizing days he was knocking on Ari's door and she couldn't believe her eyes when she answered the door. He was her everything and she was his and they both had found their happily ever after.
This is a good book but then again I am a huge fan of Jenika Snow's books.
Profile Image for Fiona Fog.
1,461 reviews86 followers
August 20, 2019
One Determined Male!

A harmless dare, a hens night out and it changed everything for Ari.

The quiet shy librarian was knocked for a loop the moment her lips met Greys. Was this even real she wondered? But before she could do anything more her friends were sweeping her up and out of the bar. Away from him. Grey.

Grey knew the instant Ari walked into the bar she was special. Something about her called to him. Not much for socialising Grey was content with his life. He’d spent so much of the last few years devoted to his business time seemed to have gotten away.

Seeing Ari though he could see a future with her. After listening to her friends dare her into kissing the next guy who bought her a drink. He knew then she was going to be his.

But after the most spectacular kiss of his life Ari is gone. Grey has no clue of how he’s going to find her but he will. Even it’s doing it illegally.

Super sweet drama free romance. Explicitly hot! Like it’s getting HOT in here HOT.
Profile Image for Michelle Claypot_Reads.
2,510 reviews61 followers
August 15, 2019
I seriously loved this one! Starts with a dare & ends with a HEA.
Crazy insta love storyline will just the right amount of heat and sweet.
322 reviews1 follower
August 15, 2019
Swoon!!! Grey and Ari’s story was sooo good! He is the ultimate alpha-male, obsessed with his lady after just one kiss. She is shy, innocent and an actual freaking librarian who is equally obsessed after a magical kiss with a stranger. Grey and Ari are opposite in every way but they come together so perfectly in their feelings for each other. I really enjoyed this book by one of my favorite authors. Jenika Snow knows how to write a novella that satisfies like a full-length novel. I am eager to see what she comes up with next!
I received this book as an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Harim.
1,202 reviews76 followers
August 9, 2019
Pretty effing cute, actually.

The tropes with quiet,shy girl and oh so alpha guy already have a special place in my heart and this one was totally adorable.

Ari and Grey were poles apart yet couldn't be more meant to be together. Some of you guys will absolutely love it if you like insta OTT stories. The hero goes overboard because he's restless in his quest to find his girl after that one small yet ultra encounter.


ARC received for review
Profile Image for Sydney M Neblett.
2,660 reviews26 followers
August 14, 2019
Dare me more
When your friends dare you, do you take the dare? This book is another of the author’s fabulous insta-love stories. The author put such an adorable spin to it with the dare aspect and then threw in the separation that follows. Lucky for her, he never gives up after that brief taste of joy. I’m looking forward to the next book.
Profile Image for Sarah085.
115 reviews7 followers
August 9, 2019
Arc received for honest review. Ari and greys story is insta love over the top alpha wrapped up in all the the naughty that Jenikas readers expect. Quick read with a HEA.
Profile Image for The Bosnian.
1,388 reviews333 followers
August 16, 2019
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Not my first read by author, and I want to address that right after the Blurb got me THAT. COVER. my god, that smirk *sigh* okay, I'm okay now!!

This right away starts off AMAZING! I am already loving the librarian type ARI and the eavesdropping LITTLE BANDIT Grey!! I love how they met, love how both of them are two strangers that share the same spark and feeling for one another, or at least the BOOM they feel for one another!! It was very sweet and uber-sexy because Grey has a deep manly voice and looks like a tall dark and handsome drink!!

It's a consuming and craving type of chase, passion and love. 162 pages of fast and somewhat irrational but totally understanding type of love. The type you try and capture when it's still zipping around you. I really wish there was more of Grey and Ari,I loved them together, their chemistry and all.

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Grey is a responsible, sexy and smart man, worked him way of building him empire so to say and has a straight head on his shoulder, that is until he kisses Ari because that consumption was magical!! Ari is the responsible and innocent Librarian, who's friends dared to kiss the first guy that buys her a drink one night out, only turned out to be more beautiful than anything. I can't say I had dislikes, it's more about the hero and heroine which I don't mind, it is a shorter one after-all. Fun, sexy and consuming!!

MY FULL BLOG REVIEW CLICK HERE

A MUST READ!
Rating: ★★★★★
Steamy: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 🔥
Recommended: ☑ HIGHLY!
⇨ H A P P Y – R E A D I N G ⇦
Profile Image for Sandy.
1,214 reviews4 followers
August 14, 2019

Review Great story of Ari and Grey. They meet in a bar on a dare. It’s sweet and steamy times from there on. This is a quick read with a new spin on the insta-love meeting. Super sweet epilogue!
Profile Image for Leslee.
2,635 reviews76 followers
August 8, 2019
Ari is a quiet girl, a librarian out at a bar for a bachelorette party. She takes a dare from her friends to kiss the next guy who buys her a drink. Grey just came in for a drink after work and in a flash his world is turned upside down. Overhearing the dare and completely gone for this gorgeous, sweet woman, he buys her a beer and has the best kiss of his whole entire life. But suddenly she is out the door with her friends and he is left stunned. Now he has to find her or his whole life will be empty. Ari can't stop thinking about the gorgeous man who rocked her world with his kiss. How will she find him when she only knows his first name?

These two characters are the absolute cutest ever. Grey for all his big manly appearance is unsure and nervous but determined to have her in his life. Ari knows that what she feels for Grey is a once in a lifetime feeling. The heat these two create together could power a small city and give you all the feels of a sweet romance but still HOT! I just don't know how Jenika Snow manages to make this magic every single time she writes a book but I'm so grateful she shares them with us. All the love for Ari and Grey!
Profile Image for Stacy J..
1,345 reviews12 followers
August 9, 2019
There was many things I liked about this book. I loved the instant attraction these two had. The chemistry was off the charts from the first time they met. The playful banter these two had throughout the whole book was also fun to read.

Ari is a librarian who has a grumpy cat and finds herself out with her best friends for a bachelorette party. One dare puts her in the sights of Grey. A man who finds himself attracted to her in a way he can't explain from the moment he sets sight on her.

My only issue with this book was Grey is written as a alpha, growly dominate man so when he meets Ari and he stutters through the whole second conversation it just seemed so out of character. It was an awkward conversation but yet it seemed like a total personality switch. He found his game again and then he was back to Grey from the bar.
Profile Image for Mary Murphy.
502 reviews5 followers
August 12, 2019
Received as an ARC for an honest review.
Ari is at her friends bachelorette party. She is dared that to kiss the next guy that buys her a drink. Grey was taken by her from the moment he sees her walk through the door. When he hears this dare, he makes sure that he is that person. They are both attracted to each other but are separated after sharing that one kiss. Both of them can't get the other out of their mind. Once they find each other, they barely spend any free time apart. Loved how Grey would do anything to find her. He is protective and possessive of her. This is a sweet story about a couple finding their one.
Profile Image for Elysian Fields.
2,179 reviews37 followers
August 10, 2019
This is a really cute story with an amazingly adorable meet cute. I loved the dynamics between the two main characters and their dichotomy. It is a very steamy, quick read that is nothing short of enjoyable. I liked the story and thought it was well written, I might have liked a bit more as it felt too short; but that might just be because I likee it so much.

The characters are so fun to read and they are so perfect for each other that I was rooting for them the entire time. The plot was fun and fresh. If you are new to this author, this would a great story to start with! The dialogue was great and the HEA was awesome! I received an ARC and I am heaving an honest review. 3.75 stars.
Profile Image for Ashley Carr, LSoR.
4,974 reviews62 followers
August 13, 2019
I love the concept of Ari and Grey’s story! She was dared to kiss somebody and Grey made sure he won that kiss. They didn’t know the lasting impact that kiss made on both of them. They are opposites in every way but they are both impacted by the kiss they shared. Ari disappears into the night and Grey is determined to track her down and once he finds her he is never letting her go again. This author knows how to write a novella that has the most impact. I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next!
Profile Image for Mari (Mystics & Metaphysics Book Blog).
7,751 reviews170 followers
August 13, 2019
Oh gosh, Ari and Grey are one of my favorite characters of Jenika now. That one kiss was all it took. I felt like if I was actually there witnessing it. Their obsession with each other was cute and hot and I swear I was sweating a little. I love the sweet, innocent girl and the possessive alpha roles. The way Jenika writes the story, it takes you on their ride and you feel every emotion.
7,152 reviews33 followers
August 13, 2019
An entertaining read. The sotry about finding that right person and not stopping till make them yours. The story was a sweet romance, the character were enjoyable and with great chemistry. It will keep you interestered till the end.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Claire Powell.
116 reviews
August 9, 2019
Grey; the man you want to have forever, the man who will be joined with your soul for eternity. He's that man you daydream of one day being yours, the fantasies created by you for you with him in the delicious sexy creamy centre.
Then I snapped back to reality and realised I'm no long Ari but I want to be, as she's not cynical,jaded or tainted because of the type of world we live in. They're an exciting couple to read about,easy to relate with. Jenika Snow is firmly in my top 5 authors and I highly recommend you read her books, preferably where you won't get strange looks from those around you because you've morphed into these characters.
1,292 reviews15 followers
August 13, 2019
"My first,My last and Everything "

Omg this novella from its perfect cover to the wonderful words had me completely hooked from the first chapter.
Can we just take a minute to appreciate the cover please (swoon)
Grey and Ari's story is so sugary sweet and incredibly tasty.
These two are not just lovers their 100% soul mates.
This story takes you on a journey that will give you all the feels and leave you grinning from ear to ear.
You really need to buy/borrow this novella asap and get swept up in all the romance even if it did start off a bit stalkerish.
I'm 100% behind that though as I'd be the same.
Profile Image for Iva Krazalkovičová.
896 reviews
August 11, 2019
I always love Jenika´s books.
Read it at one go. Grey is at the bar, just relaxing after work day, when Ari walks in. He has his sight on her whole night and when he overheard the dare she is put in, he arrange it so he is the winner. And the prize is a kiss. Kiss that will mark them both.
Kiss that will lead to Grey search for her every way he has to. He will find her and claim her as his woman. His mate.
You need to read this story.

Profile Image for Gladys.
13.9k reviews162 followers
August 11, 2019
This was a very enjoyable read. Ari and Grey's story is built off the simple and cute concept of being dared to kiss a stranger. This light hearted read offers up plenty of heat, sweetness and swoon worthy emotions. It is a perfect palate cleanser and mood lifter read. This is my frank, freely posted review.
Profile Image for Syd Springer.
4,017 reviews6 followers
August 13, 2019
Ari and Grey are swoon-worthy! Jenika Snow did a great job with insta-love story! I read this in one sitting! Highly recommended! Must read!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
1,562 reviews7 followers
August 13, 2019
I really enjoyed this insta love story between Ari and Grey. The looks these two shared are hot enough to burn you. A definite one click book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews

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