Book Review: It Started with a Kiss by Clare Lydon

Format: ebook
Release Date: June 10th, 2022
Age: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Goodreads

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Skye is not having a good day. Not after the announcement her ex-wife – the head chief at the hotel Skye works at – is getting remarried, at the same hotel. Looking to drown her sorrows, she meets Gemma at a bar, and the two share a passionate kiss between strangers. They don’t expect to see each other again. But days later, Skye walks into Gemma’s Surrey vineyard, and Skye’s well-meaning friend puts her forward for a job. Gemma has rules against workplace romances, but the pair can only deny their attraction to one another for so long.

I liked this book, and I liked the relationship between Gemma and Skye, but there were parts that just felt like they dragged on for too long, and could have done with cutting out. I get Gemma’s hesitancy over getting into a relationship, but it really felt like all the ‘issues’ keeping them apart were firstly stretched out, then resolved so quickly it felt almost like wasted time?

The best parts were definitely when the pair were together, and when Gemma was teaching the Skye the ropes about running a vineyard. It was really interesting, and someone who isn’t totally into wine, I still enjoyed learning about it, and seeing some of the things Skye put in place coming to fruition.

One of the things I think is incredibly hard to pull off in Romances is whatever obstacles are keeping the pair apart – it needs to feel reasonable, not get too out of hand, and come off as realistic. Unfortunately, that doesn’t quite happen here, and it got to the point where I almost wanted Skye to just storm off for good because Gemma was going to be so stubborn. Maybe it would have been more effective if Skye was also feeling hesitant after her last workplace romance, but that aspect didn’t really come into play.

This was a fun, light read anyway, that could have been a bit better but is still fairly decent. It’s clear Lyndon knows how to write characters that sizzle when they’re together, but unfortunately lacks in ways to keep them apart.