Kiss Me (The Donovans: Laurel Bay) by Samantha Chase-review tour
Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Google Play / Chapters Indigo /
Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3V4oDMZ
ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 18, 2023
Saying “I Do” to her boss seemed like a harmless solution to a potentially harmful problem.
But the only problem now is that she wants the marriage to be real.
When Marissa Barrett finds herself in a dangerous situation with her family, she needs help. Fast. Normally the queen of problem solving, this is one instance where she just can’t seem to find a solution on her own. All she wanted from her boss was help finding an attorney. But before she knows exactly how it’s happened, they’re standing in front of a justice of the peace.
Patrick Donovan would do anything to help Marissa. After all, she’s been helping him run his business for years. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t wildly attracted to her, but there was no way he would ever act on it. Plus, with his meddling family looking to see him settle down, the last thing he needed was any kind of romantic relationship. But when Marissa turns to him for help, suddenly he sees a way to do it that benefits them both.
One year of marriage. That was the agreement.
But everything’s negotiable, right?
•••••
REVIEW:KISS ME is the fifth instalment in Samantha Chase’s contemporary, adult THE DONOVANS romance series. This is real estate investor Patrick Donovan, and his assistant Marissa Barrett’s story line. KISS ME can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary..
Told from omniscient dual third person perspectives (Patrick and Marissa) KISS ME follows the building romance and relationship between . Marissa and Patrick are friends but Marissa’s personal life is spiralling out of control, and in an effort to protect his employee and his friend, Patrick offers up a marriage of convenience, a marriage in which our couple has set an expiry date. Patrick Donovan never thought he would ever marry or fall in love but living with Marissa makes their ‘fake marriage’ seem all too real, a reality that Marissa struggles to accept. What ensues is the building romance and relationship between Marissa and Patrick , and the potential fall-out as misunderstanding threatens the growing love between our story line couple.
The world building continues to focus on the Donovan clan, and their pushy albeit determined mother who wants to see all of her children married and happy. Marissa and Patrick’s spontaneous wedding is a bit of a black mark for the matriarch to accept; and Marissa battles between head and heart knowing their fake arrangement feels all too real.
The relationship between Marissa and Patrick is a friends to lovers; a marriage of convenience in which Patrick is hoping to protect the woman with whom he is falling in love. Keeping separate rooms and lives is nearly impossible, and falling for one another was ultimately in the cards. There are no $ex scenes-everything is implied.
Once again, there is a large ensemble cast of colorful secondary and supporting characters including all of Patrick’s siblings, their significant others, as well as cousins; Patrick’s parents Kate and Shane Donovan, and uncle Ronan. We are introduced to Marissa’s brother Daren. When the Donovan clan gets together, everything is a little frenetic and frantic.
KISS ME is a story of family, relationships, greed and addiction, acceptance and love. The fast paced, character driven premise is heart breaking and engaging; the characters are numerous and dynamic; the romance, once again, is subtle and sweet.
Reading Order and previous reviews
Dare Me
Tempt Me
Save Me
Charm Me
Copy supplied by Netgalley
Reviewed by Sandy
FOLLOW: Goodreads / Twitter / Website / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Bookbub /
Samantha Chase is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller of contemporary romance that’s hotter than sweet, sweeter than hot. She released her debut novel in 2011 and currently has more than seventy titles under her belt – including THE CHRISTMAS COTTAGE which was a Hallmark Christmas movie in 2017! She’s a Disney enthusiast who still happily listens to 80’s rock. When she’s not working on a new story, she spends her time reading romances, playing way too many games of Solitaire on Facebook, wearing a tiara while playing with her sassy pug Maylene…oh, and spending time with her husband of 30 years and their two sons in Wake Forest, North Carolina.
