Review: Left me with a smile on my face
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 11, 2013
My rating: 4 of 5 starsAfter the Kiss by Lauren Layne is a Random House/Loveswept publication. This book was published in August 2013.  This is the first book in a new series. Julie Greene works for Stiletto magazine. The magazine features stories on dating, sex, romance, and relationships. Julie was only twenty-two when she started working for Stiletto.  She carved out a niche for herself by writing columns about the first time your eyes met his across a crowded room, the first kiss, the first date- you get the picture. But, after Julie gets them lured in, well, she moved on before the dreaded "movie night" and before she finds herself washing some guy's boxer shorts. But, her boss assigns her a new story where she must write about what comes after the kiss. Julie does not want that story. She tries to pass it off to one of the other writers. But, her boss insist Julie is the one that has to do it. While at a social gathering, Julie sees Mitchell Forbes and decides he's the guy she's going to write her story about. But, Mitchell has just broken up with his long time fiancé and his good friend is telling him he should consider having a fling. In fact, the two buddies place a bet that Mitchell won't be able to pull off a casual fling.  Julie Greene's reputation at Stiletto makes her the perfect choice for Mitchell. So, when Mitchell and Julie go out, she's looking for a relationship an he's looking for a fling. This hilarious set up, of course has some really funny moments as Julie attempts to reel Mitchell in and Mitchell tries to keep the relationship casual.Sooner or later though someone is bound to find out that Julie was only doing research for her story and Mitchell was trying to win a bet. Not the best atmosphere for a potential relationship to blossom in. So, of course, lots of drama ensues. This is a short contemporary romance with elements of chick lit or romantic comedy. This is Julie's first attempt at actually sticking it out with one guy for the long haul. She learns that there's a lot of really nice things about being in a relationship and Mitchell is awesome. He comes through big time for Julie. I read this in the car while on a short trip with my husband. I had just finished it when he asked me "What are you smiling about?" So, if you close out a book with a smile on your face, then it had to be pretty good. Overall an A-