Series: Topica Bay #1
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Release Date: July 14th, 2022
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CW: mentions of infidelity (not leads), oppressive and controlling family members
What’s a girl to do when her stepfather cuts her off from the family finances?
Accept an offer to room with a sexy—albeit grumpy—divorcé, of course. Damon Carlisle just might have it all. He’s a senior developer of one of the hottest dating apps in the country for starters, and he’s got that whole twelve-years-older-than-me, broody-loner thing going for him. But going through a breakup means I’m in need of a solo vacation, and I won’t be giving in to temptation where Damon’s concerned. This heart of mine is closed for the summer, and no amount of fake dating is going to fix it.
When it rains, it pours.
Not always a bad thing, right? I’m on a two-week beach vacation—away from my cheating ex-wife—and soaking up the sun. Bonus, I’m set to accept an award for the countless hours and dedication I’ve given to my team. But while I should be elated… I feel utterly empty.
When Kate dances her way into what’s supposed to be my chance at a little R & R, something dormant inside my soul awakens. Having fun with her isn’t part of our agreement, and kissing her certainly isn’t either. But I can’t help myself. I can’t get enough of Miss Katelynn Harris, and she just might ruin me.
After reading and loving the Betting on Love series by Loren Beeson, I was beyond excited to know that she had a new book (and series) coming. So you bet your ass I wanted to read it and devour it and just soak up all of what Loren has to offer. It’s a nice change from her romantic suspense series with a vacation romance and it’s got everything that we love about Loren’s books, which only makes it that much more special.
One More Kiss has…
✨ a sassy curvy heroine
✨ a sexy dominant hero
✨ delicious vacation romance vibes
✨ PRAISE KINK
✨ a bit fake dating
✨ a 12 year age gap
✨ great friends
✨ sexy times on a yacht
✨ sexy times in a tent
✨ incredible chemistry!
While Loren has written a contemporary romance novel before, this is my first without the element of suspense and I absolutely loved it. I loved the characters, the setting, the secondary characters and the wild friendships. I desperately want Brandi and Chuck’s story, Loren! Because those two were such a riot. I think they might be my favourite secondary characters in a romance novel yet! I also loved the destination of Topica Bay and the world building was great! One More Kiss was a quick and sexy read, so you know that once you sit down to read, you’re going to be sucked into it instantly.
“I could have you a thousand more times, and still, I would crave you.”
As a flight attendant, Kate has been able to travel to lots of places, but she’s never really had the chance to experience what lies beyond the airports. So when things at home—her family is the worst—take a turn for bad, Kate decides to go on a solo vacation and chooses Topica Bay. The plan is to unwind, relax and have a good time, but more importantly not have anything to do with men. But when her family cuts her off and she’s forced to stay in a run down motel with rats for company, Kate settles for wallowing in margaritas. She’s such a brilliant character. I love how strong and badass she is, plus, she’s not going to let something like this mess with her family bring her down. I enjoyed seeing her do things that she’s never been able to do before and experiencing all of the things that her mother would consider rebellious or uncouth. To see Kate live her life to the fullest, even though it takes her time to get there, was definitely a big part of the book and I loved it.
Then there’s Damon. As an app developer, Damon is married to his job. So much so that his actual marriage fell apart when he caught his ex cheating on him. Damon’s 35, he’s fine with being married to his job. He’s happy to work his ass off to develop apps. Especially when they earn him rewards and awards. Which is what brings him—and his best friends Chuck and Brandi—to Topica Bay. It’s part escape from LA, part work trip, part award show; and he’s doing it all with a forced smile on his face. Damon’s not your typical tightly buttoned up dominant hero. Yes, he’s cautious and he’s aloof, but he’s also quite laid back. I love that we get to see different sides of him from the moment he appears on the page till the last time we see him in the book. He’s got everything down perfectly and between his charm and sex appeal, it would be hard to ignore him. I liked that he was able to let his guard down around Kate and I absolutely loved his friendship with Chuck and Brandi, because those three could have an entire book and I would read it.
“He confessed that I was the reason he believed in the magic of this island, and I’m starting to believe he’s the reason I do too.”
Can you tell that I loved these characters a whole lot? But that’s why their relationship worked so well for me. There was great banter and the chemistry was explosive. I liked that they brought out different sides of each other. I loved that Damon uncovered Kate’s praise kink even before she did. I enjoyed watching them toy with each other before taking what they wanted. There’s something so amazing about two people who are confident and sure of themselves that when they come together finally, it feels complete. I liked that even though Kate was so physically drawn to Damon, she wouldn’t let him woo her with fancy things and money and that she made him work for it a little. But eventually, like anyone with a platinum card that someone else has to deal with, Kate makes the most of it.
Ah, the steam! There’s some public sex, there’s some naughtiness and most of all, there’s a whole lot of being unable to stop teasing each other. I loved the way their relationship evolved and while a little faster than I would have liked, I still enjoyed it. I think part of the reason their relationship worked and flowed so smoothly was because of the little things they did together and I loved how romantic Damon was, even though he’d been hurt and was slightly jaded by the idea of love or romance. They just made me so happy together!
Thanks to Loren Beeson for generously providing me with an advance copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
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