REVIEW: The Kissing Season by Rachael Johns

In The Kissing Season by Rachael Johns, Matteo Della Bosca is back in his hometown of Wildwood Point, Australia, for the holidays. Keeping his mum’s mind off the recent passing of her husband, his step-father, is first and foremost on his list. While Matt is doing some Christmas shopping in town, he comes across a beautiful salesclerk, Hannah, who steals his attention. But keeping her from stealing his heart will be the trick as Matt falls fast for the sassy lady.

‘He thought she sounded adventurous–a girl who wanted to escape the constrictions of small-town life and just happened to get unlucky.’

Hannah Elliot will admit she’s made some mistakes in her life. And telling her family about her most recent debacle will not be easy. She’s already confessed to having a quickie marriage in Vegas that ended abruptly. But there’s one more thing they don’t know–that she’s also pregnant. So Hannah’s intent is to focus on becoming a mother and being responsible. That does not include a stunningly handsome Italian hunk with whom she has an instant attraction. Although she sure wishes he could be the focus for the rest of her life…

‘She didn’t know if she could just have sex with Matt. With him, she feared she wouldn’t simply be handing over her body for a couple of hours; she might be inadvertently handing over her heart.’

What a lovely holiday novella we have with The Kissing Season. Equal parts fun and touching, Matt and Hannah’s romance was definitely worth reading.

I have become a huge fan of Rachael Johns over the past couple of years. So what fun I had with this reissued Christmas story. I mean, look at that gorgeous new cover! This romance had everything I’ve come to expect from Ms. John’s writing: genuine characters, solid plot, loads of flirty bantering, and incredible sexual tension between the protagonists. I thought the pacing of the story was perfect and didn’t feel rushed, which can be an issue sometimes with novellas. My only complaint? I didn’t want their story to end. 😉

As for Hannah and Matt? Well, I pretty much instantly like them both. Hannah was a lot of fun, even while facing such a huge change in her life. She handled it with strength and fierce protectiveness over the new life inside her. Matt seemed like a player at first, which he kinda was, but Hannah changed all that for him and made him start thinking about forever instead of one night stands. I loved that they were so drawn to each other, like magnets. There was no way they could deny their chemistry. And the scene where they first met was one of the sexiest and most flirtatious “meet-cutes” I’ve read in quite a while. Seriously hot.

I hope romance fans will enjoy this tender story. What better way to celebrate the holidays than with a love story where two people are destined to be together?

Book Info:

Published October 1st 2014 by Harlequin HQN

Christmas novella set in rural Australia

Every family has a black sheep…and Hannah Elliot is it

It’s no surprise to anyone when Hannah Elliot makes the spontaneous decision to marry a stranger in Las Vegas. But when she finds herself pregnant and her new husband files for an annulment, she dreads having to tell her family.

Returning to her hometown of Wildwood Point, Hannah is determined to put her baby’s needs ahead of her own and become a devoted mom. She also wants to prove to her family she can actually be responsible, which will mean putting her wild past behind her and accepting a job in the family business…all while keeping her pregnancy under wraps.

But when gorgeous Italian Matteo Della Bosca walks through the shop door, Hannah finds her resolve slipping fast….

“Rachael Johns writes a beautiful romance, full of charm and emotion.” USA TODAY bestselling author Maisey Yates