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The Brighthead Running Club Romances #1
A 5K and a Kiss
Welcome to Brighthead, Maine, a coastal town where the winters are cold and the hearts are warm.
Still reeling after her sister’s sudden death, Aileen Duncan gets an offer from the Brighthead Running Club. They’re holding a 5K race in Kelty’s honor, and they promise running it will help heal Aileen’s heart. Aileen thinks a three-mile race sounds like the furthest thing from healing, but then they offer to train her—and by “they” we mean “Trey,” a cute guy who’s always up for an adventure. He’s her opposite in so many ways, but maybe that’s just what she needs.
Trey has never held much to schedules. Life’s too short not to have fun with it. He’d love to take away Aileen’s pain, and running together is the best way he knows. She enjoys herself when she’s with him. If it leads to more, he’s all-in.
The more miles they run together, the less they can deny the attraction. With her life upended, though, Aileen craves security. Whereas with Trey, there’s always something unexpected around the bend.
A 5K and a Kiss brings together an unlikely pair racing to find love somewhere between the start and the finish line.
Love isn’t a sprint—it’s a long run.
Maddie Evans is a runner and biker. She lives in New England with her family and tropical fish, and she’s always thought warm hearts are the perfect antidote to cold winters.
Still reeling after her sister’s sudden death, Aileen Duncan gets an offer from the Brighthead Running Club. They’re holding a 5K race in Kelty’s honor, and they promise running it will help heal Aileen’s heart. Aileen thinks a three-mile race sounds like the furthest thing from healing, but then they offer to train her—and by “they” we mean “Trey,” a cute guy who’s always up for an adventure. He’s her opposite in so many ways, but maybe that’s just what she needs.
Trey has never held much to schedules. Life’s too short not to have fun with it. He’d love to take away Aileen’s pain, and running together is the best way he knows. She enjoys herself when she’s with him. If it leads to more, he’s all-in.
The more miles they run together, the less they can deny the attraction. With her life upended, though, Aileen craves security. Whereas with Trey, there’s always something unexpected around the bend.
A 5K and a Kiss brings together an unlikely pair racing to find love somewhere between the start and the finish line.
Love isn’t a sprint—it’s a long run.
Maddie Evans is a runner and biker. She lives in New England with her family and tropical fish, and she’s always thought warm hearts are the perfect antidote to cold winters.
Kindle Edition
Published March 1, 2021
80 people are currently reading
187 people want to read
About the author
Maddie Evans
28 books241 followersMaddie Evans is a runner and biker. She lives in New England with her family and tropical fish, and she’s always thought warm hearts are the perfect antidote to cold winters.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
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July 24, 2021First book in the Brighthead Running Club romances. Fun and sweet and clean.
August 1, 2019
I can hear you say "it's a romance, of course its about love". But unlike most romancs, this is about all sorts of love. It's love of a sibling, love of parents for their children, love of youtr career and even love of a hobby, as well as romantic love. It's also about grief - what it is, what causes it and how we cope with it. It's also abut callenging yourself.
And a skunk.
This first book from Maddie Evans is a great introduction to her as a writer, and is well written and is well paced with real characters with real strengths and weaknesses. A picture is painted in small town Maine with all its flaws as well as the beauty of the area. The story feels like it unfolds naturally over the course of the book and nothing feels forced.
A gret read and a great first nvel for this writer.
And a skunk.
This first book from Maddie Evans is a great introduction to her as a writer, and is well written and is well paced with real characters with real strengths and weaknesses. A picture is painted in small town Maine with all its flaws as well as the beauty of the area. The story feels like it unfolds naturally over the course of the book and nothing feels forced.
A gret read and a great first nvel for this writer.
July 23, 2019
At its heart, I think A 5k and a Kiss is about facing the challenges of life, accepting responsibility for your actions, and the people who help you along the way. Against the background of a memorial 5k race, the characters deal with difficult circumstances, juxtaposed with some humorous and touching moments. Overall, it’s an engaging, well-rounded story, and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series!
May 9, 2021
Running on
The story - apparently a freshman effort - gets off to a slow start, but having read & enjoyed the author's Castleton books, I was confident that it would pick up, & it did.
Aileen & Trey present an interesting dichotomy. Their approaches to life - and death - are so different. And I love that, while we get to see the negative effects of each on the other, we also get to see the positive. Trey gets a lot right.
Aileen is a little too uptight, sensitive & kinda rigid, but most of us can relate to her to at least some extent. Which means that Trey's flexibility & spontaneity is a lot more difficult to understand & appreciate.
About halfway thru the book, there's a little insight into Trey's thinking where he finds himself coming up with possible reasons that might justify or excuse Aileen's dad's totally inexcusable behavior which gives the reader a glimpse & a hint of how Trey survived his childhood & why he sees nothing wrong with his impulsive lifestyle.
The romance in the story is pretty low key & as other reviewers have stated, I would have liked to see a little of what follows from their reconciliation, but hopefully, we'll get to see some of that in the succeeding installments of the series
*Romance level: sweet kisses, nothing graphic
The story - apparently a freshman effort - gets off to a slow start, but having read & enjoyed the author's Castleton books, I was confident that it would pick up, & it did.
Aileen & Trey present an interesting dichotomy. Their approaches to life - and death - are so different. And I love that, while we get to see the negative effects of each on the other, we also get to see the positive. Trey gets a lot right.
Aileen is a little too uptight, sensitive & kinda rigid, but most of us can relate to her to at least some extent. Which means that Trey's flexibility & spontaneity is a lot more difficult to understand & appreciate.
About halfway thru the book, there's a little insight into Trey's thinking where he finds himself coming up with possible reasons that might justify or excuse Aileen's dad's totally inexcusable behavior which gives the reader a glimpse & a hint of how Trey survived his childhood & why he sees nothing wrong with his impulsive lifestyle.
The romance in the story is pretty low key & as other reviewers have stated, I would have liked to see a little of what follows from their reconciliation, but hopefully, we'll get to see some of that in the succeeding installments of the series
*Romance level: sweet kisses, nothing graphic
October 5, 2021
3.5 stars. I wanted to love this book because I'm a runner and I like to read about it. But I couldn't warm to Aileen at all. I get that the passing of her sister was traumatic for her, but I didn't like the way she treated Trey. Trey had his own issues to deal with and I thought he was especially accommodating to Aileen, yet she was mad at him when he didn't turn up to the court date. The fact that he even offered to go was generous, considering they weren't exactly dating. Also, it would've been nice if she'd found some empathy for the driver from her sister's accident, otherwise I doubt she would ever move on.
September 25, 2021
It was a cute story. Not epic, nor was it life changing, but it was entertaining, and a little informative. Did it make me wish I could get out there and run? Yes. Will I? Probably not unless I grow new knees. What this book did do, besides entertain was show how quickly someone's life can be ruined by a distracted driver - something I am guilty of being. So thank you very much for that lesson Maddie Evans, and thank you for the fun read.
August 3, 2024
Aileen and Trey are opposites in how they handle life. She's a librarian and very much “by the book.” He's more... relaxed.
It appears that this is going to be a cute little romance story about opposites, but then the story deepens. Oh my. We see why they see things as they do, and both main characters have an awesome growth arc.
Tissues will come in handy in parts, but also expect to laugh.
It appears that this is going to be a cute little romance story about opposites, but then the story deepens. Oh my. We see why they see things as they do, and both main characters have an awesome growth arc.
Tissues will come in handy in parts, but also expect to laugh.
February 6, 2021
This book deals with a lot of tragedy: vehicular manslaughter, grief, alcoholism, and depression to name a few. The author dealt with each of these subjects in such a way that I feel I grew in knowledge along with the characters. I love that the author showed that forgiveness and change are possible and she used some great humor to keep the story from being weighty. Wonderful!
January 9, 2021
Kelty's Race
After Kelty was killed by a distracted driver, her sister, Ailene, was encouraged to run in a 5K race in her memory, something she'd never done. The running club changed her life and lead to her new love.
After Kelty was killed by a distracted driver, her sister, Ailene, was encouraged to run in a 5K race in her memory, something she'd never done. The running club changed her life and lead to her new love.
September 16, 2021
Sweet Romance
This story was great for helping me remember how much I love running! I loved how although he was a flake, she was willing and able to forgive him after he apologized! A fabulous sweet romance!
This story was great for helping me remember how much I love running! I loved how although he was a flake, she was willing and able to forgive him after he apologized! A fabulous sweet romance!
March 25, 2022
real writing
I thought this would be a quick mindless sweet romance. But it was good and real. It kept me interested with its unpredictable scenarios. I loved it. And I don’t say that very often.
I thought this would be a quick mindless sweet romance. But it was good and real. It kept me interested with its unpredictable scenarios. I loved it. And I don’t say that very often.
January 24, 2021
You're gonna love it!
Witty dialog. Great character development. Sensitive treatment of a tough subject. Touching love story, but SO much more. You're gonna love it!
Witty dialog. Great character development. Sensitive treatment of a tough subject. Touching love story, but SO much more. You're gonna love it!
October 10, 2021
The story line was okay. The book seemed to drag and was hard to stay focused on.
November 18, 2019
With wit and heart, Maddie Evans takes us to Brighthead, ME. The story is two-fold; Aileen's grief and her growth. They are, as is often true, an intertwined path.
I so appreciate a book like this where the characters have standards. The book doesn't have to be about sex to be good.
While Aileen learns a lot about herself, so do others. The running group rallies around Aileen and her mother, and warns her about the cute pitfall that is kinda unreliable.
There's also a subplot about addiction and family. The whole issue added to the heart of the book. I can't wait to read the next one!
I so appreciate a book like this where the characters have standards. The book doesn't have to be about sex to be good.
While Aileen learns a lot about herself, so do others. The running group rallies around Aileen and her mother, and warns her about the cute pitfall that is kinda unreliable.
There's also a subplot about addiction and family. The whole issue added to the heart of the book. I can't wait to read the next one!
October 29, 2019
I really hate leaving bad reviews, but, there are just some things I have to get off my chest about this book.
Sentence structure, grammar and editing needed some extra attention. Quotation marks ran amuck in this one, MAJOR over use. My personal opinion which also makes books easier to read; thoughts in italics, text messages in bold and spoken conversations in quotation marks.
I think Aileen did grow some, but she was too mousy when it came to Trey. Speaking of Trey, I liked him in the beginning but then, I couldn't believe he turned into such a jerk.
There were good, tender and sometimes funny parts, but on a whole, this book just did not gel for me and the ending felt incomplete.
Sentence structure, grammar and editing needed some extra attention. Quotation marks ran amuck in this one, MAJOR over use. My personal opinion which also makes books easier to read; thoughts in italics, text messages in bold and spoken conversations in quotation marks.
I think Aileen did grow some, but she was too mousy when it came to Trey. Speaking of Trey, I liked him in the beginning but then, I couldn't believe he turned into such a jerk.
There were good, tender and sometimes funny parts, but on a whole, this book just did not gel for me and the ending felt incomplete.
August 30, 2019
You don't have to be a runner to enjoy this novel - all you need is an appreciation for well-written banter and likable characters. Maddie Evans doesn't put her characters in unrealistic situations: There are no billionaires, no 25-year-olds with their own thriving business bankrolled by their parents' cash. These people struggle, and their struggles are what the books are about. In this story, Aileen finds help as she grieves the loss of her sister in an unlikely place: the local running club. This is more than a sweet romance - it's a friendship story, too.
July 24, 2019
Running and Tragedy. Ok, so with a title like this you've gotta be expecting a romance and some running, right? Because if you're not, you're in the wrong place - that is exactly what you're getting here. Evans does an excellent job of showing her characters experiencing real pain in the midst of tragedy, and she does an excellent job of showing the journey of a beginner runner going into her first 5K. Excellent book, very much recommended - and this reader can't wait for the next one. :)
September 11, 2019
I almost didn't give this book a chance. Bad boy is fixed through the power of love is not believable.
This isn't that book. It's a realistic look at why some people have trouble adulting, and we watch Trey take another step in the right direction.
It's also a description of how to do hard things, by yourself and with help, and what to do when the help doesn't stick around.
This isn't that book. It's a realistic look at why some people have trouble adulting, and we watch Trey take another step in the right direction.
It's also a description of how to do hard things, by yourself and with help, and what to do when the help doesn't stick around.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews