Title: After the Kiss
Series: Sex, Love, and Stiletto’s Book #1
Author: Lauren Layne
Genre: Romance
Blurb: In the first book of a delightful new series from Lauren Layne, the star columnist of Stiletto magazine will do anything for a story. Anything . . . except fall in love.
Julie Greene loves flings. Loves steamy first dates, sizzling first kisses, and every now and then, that first sexy romp between the sheets. Comfy pants, sleepy Sundays, movie nights on the couch? Shudder. But when Julie gets assigned the hardest story of her career—a first-person account of that magical shift between dating and “I do”—she’ll need a man brave enough to give a total commitment-phobe a chance at more.
Normally, Mitchell Forbes would be exactly that man. A devastatingly hot workaholic who tends to stay in relationships for far too long, he should be the perfect subject for Julie’s “research.” But what Julie doesn’t know is that Mitchell is looking to cut loose for once in his life. And the leggy journalist notorious for avoiding love is exactly the type of no-strings fling he’s looking for. In other words, Mitchell is the polar opposite of what Julie needs right now. And, at the same time, he’s exactly what she wants.
Thoughts: This book wasn’t quite what I was expecting. For some reason I had the impression that the characters knew of each other prior to the article assignment, though I’m not sure why I thought that. Which is not the case. But I also had the book pegged as sort of book version of the movie “How to Lose A Guy In Ten Days”. Which it is for the most part.
There are elusive wisps of déjà vu as you read it. But even though it has a tone to it that is reminiscent of the movie, the author does a wonderful job making this book stand out all by itself. The characters can be a bit hard to warm up to at first, but once you get past their first meet and greet, it all starts flowing more smoothly – and you start becoming more invested in the characters.
And even though the book is a build up for a series about the girls (known as Dating, Love, and Sex in their writing circle), the focus stays where it belongs – on Julie and Mitchell. The other characters are included of course, especially when Julie needs to vent or gain some perspective, but they don’t push their way into Julie’s story – which I think is good. You get an impression of who they are, and learn enough that you want to read their own books, but not enough that it detracts from this story and it’s plotline. Which seems to be the trend these days.
Overall, if you’re looking for a light, romantic comedy – you can’t go wrong with this one!
Rate: B+
