Review: Doesn't quite live up to the rest of the series...
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 18, 2014
3.5 StarsI've read all of the books in the "Kisses" series so far so I was looking forward to this one. Unfortunately it doesn't quite live up to the others. Holt and Izzy don't ooze the chemistry of Bryson and Baya or the witty banter like Ryder and Laney (aside from a few brief moments preceding their love scenes).Izzy's character is largely part of the problem.  She has an unhealthy relationship with both of her parents--enabling her mother's trashy behaviors and idolizing a father who walked out on them.  This leaves her unnecessarily guilting herself into a lifestyle that denies her own happiness. It is also hard to believe a 27 year old woman who runs a dance studio and was a former popular cheerleader in high school has such limited romantic/sexual experiences (never even slow danced with a boy, etc.) Of course there is the whole drawn out reveal of what happened "that night," the night of her "eighteenth birthday." Honestly, I thought if I heard those phrases on more time I'd scream. You could make a drinking game out of it. Take a shot of whiskey every time Izzy or Holt alludes to the big mystery.Holt has his issues too, but they aren't quite so overbearing on the story.  There is far more angst and less humor in this one than the others. There are some funny scenes, however. Holt's late night arrival at Izzy's mom's house was funny, and Izzy's blind date with the podiatrist was laugh out loud. But it would have made more sense (characterization wise) if it was her mom setting her up than Laney. Speaking of the supporting cast from the previous books, they felt like caricatures of themselves. Laney and Bryson, at times, come off out of touch with their siblings, sometimes to the point of being pretentious and demeaning, and that is certainly not how they've been characterized in previous books where they were very likable. Laney, particularly, was hard to like in this book even though I liked her in the other books. Newly introduced character like the parents seems to flip flop personality wise. In one scene (all be it a funnier scene) Holt's dad is a total jerk about love and life. Later he calmly accepts responsibility for his past indiscretions. Izzy's mom hints at distain for Holt in the beginning; then later makes him feel at home. Nothing happens in between these incidents that would explain the characters' change/enlightenment.On the positive side, there is no cheating; no sexcapades between the main pair and other partners; and there is a HEA.All in all, if you haven't read the other "Kisses" books, definitely start there. This one is not the best representation of the series.