ARC for honest review with no compensation received from NetGalley

The First Kiss of Spring is a wonderful addition to the series Eternity Springs by Emily March and you don't want to miss it! We find Caitlin Timberlake grew up in Eternity Springs but left for the bright lights of New York City. Now years later she decides to come back home to build a new life which she hope consists of a family, new business and an everlasting love with the mechanic in town...but Josh Tarkington has lots of secrets and has worked so hard to overcome his past but knows that at some point it will come back so having a fling with Caitlin is all he has to offer..no forever love...

Can Caitlin show Josh how to overcome his past and heal so they can find their forever love together??

3.5 stars rounded low.

This was my first visit to Eternity Springs and I have mixed feelings about it. I liked certain parts, strongly disliked others.

I liked the fact that it can stand alone despite being part of a long series. I liked that the recap of secondary characters' stories was brief and interesting enough for a newbie to want to go back and read them. I liked that even though there were a lot of characters, they were all distinct and nobody overshadowed the hero and heroine. I liked the beginning of Josh and Caitlin's romance. Their meet-cute was light and fun. The rest of it was problematic for me. Somehow they lost the chemistry and it all became Caitlin taking care of Josh.

Keeping a secret almost the entire length of the book annoys me, although the hero had legitimate reasons for it. What didn't work for me were the journal entries after each chapter. At one point, I was not looking forward to reading them. I also find it uncomfortable as a reader to know so much more than the heroine. It made the long explanation at the end redundant for the reader even though it was only the first time Caitlin heard it.

Although I understood Josh's reasons for his reluctance not to commit fully to Caitlin, I wasn't liking him one bit when he was being mean and pushing her away.

It could also have benefited from brevity. Around 15-20% of the novel should have been cut.

I received an advanced copy of of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. This is part of the Eternity Springs series, but you can read it as a stand-alone, like I did, and not be lost. This is the story of Caitlin Timberlake and Josh Tarkington. She is from Eternity Springs, he is a newcomer. They meet while in Telluride, not in her hometown. Sparks fly! They go their separate ways. Weeks later they see each other again in Eternity Springs and start a “friendship”. She wants more, he is scared and won’t give her more than stolen nights together in each other’s homes. Things go okay for a while, until an incident happens and changes everything. There are secrets that Josh is hiding about his life before he landed in Eternity Springs. This was a great read and definitely made me want to read more of the series! Definitely one to pick up!

I really enjoyed this emotion-packed love story. Josh has been so hurt by tragedies in the past that he swears he'll never commit to another relationship, while Caitlyn has made it equally clear that she has set her cap for him and believes that their happily ever after is just around the corner. But then the secrets start to be revealed, and the past comes back to haunt Josh when another calamity derails his plans, again.

This is a beautiful story of patience, redemption, faith, and of course, love. There's lots of humor, heartfelt drama, and excellent character development. Eternity Springs is a wonderful town to visit, and after this book you'll want to move there forever. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided through NetGalley.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I loved it! Caitlin comes back to her hometown after resigning from her very successful job. She has plans of a new career, unbeknownst to her family. Upon arriving in town, she meets Josh who is the local mechanic. While attracted to each other, neither of them is looking for a relationship. As their friendship unfolds, there are sporadic journal entries yhat provide a clue to Josh’s mysterious past. A lovely heartwarming story!!!

This is my first book by Emily March. While I enjoyed Caitlin and Josh’s romance, there are a lot of secondary characters. I did see that this is book fourteen in the series, so that explains so many people in Eternity Springs mentioned in the book. I found that since I was not being able to sit and read this start to finish in one setting, I did get a little lost on the who’s and whys. I did really enjoy the story, the writing, and the town so I did make a note to look into getting the previous books, so that’s a plus for me and the author!
This is definitely a roller coaster ride. So many topics touched upon with Josh’s past, Caitlin’s family, their romance, life decisions, etc. There are so many layers to this book that touch on so many emotions, I was caught up in the story and hated every time I was pulled away from reading. This is a really good book that helps to prove that you can overcome anything.
**I requested and received an advanced copy, provided by NetGalley and the publisher, and I am voluntarily providing an honest review**

"The First Kiss of Spring" (Eternity Springs Book 14) by Emily March is a fantastic read. I absolutely loved Josh and Caitlin's story. This is another wonderful addition to the Eternity Springs Series, packed with romance, passion, entertaining and interesting characters, humor, sadness, close friends and family, new beginnings, and more. I loved catching up with all the residents of Eternity Springs. I can not wait to see what happens next in Eternity Springs. Highly recommend to all fans of romance, small towns, entertaining characters, and series.

This is the very first Emily March book I have ever read, so when I picked up The First Kiss of Spring I was unsure just how I would like it, but I thought that I would give it a good opportunity, and just jump straight in! Big mistake! This book is apart of the Eternal Springs series, and naively I had assumed, that like with many other authors, you could just start anywhere, but I was wrong, I would state that Eternal Springs is a series that you should read from start to finish. And even though the author does give the backstory on the characters, it wasn't enough for me, and it just left me without a good connection.

Now don’t get me wrong, The First Kiss of Spring is a good story that is well written, and if you are familiar with the authors work, I would totally recommend that you read it, or if you are willing to read the series from the beginning, I would totally recommend this book, but for those you, who like me, are jumping in and reading the books out of order, you will struggle to relate to the characters. And for me, the main this was the “diary entries” that were are the beginning of the chapters, I struggled with the harshness and the imagery it spoke about, so I will admit, I skipped over some of those, as they were quite tough to read.

I give The First Kiss of Spring 3 stars.

This is the first book I have read in this series and I enjoyed it. I'll have to go back and read the others. This has a good storyline with, at times, hard subjects. I really enjoyed the characters. Caitlin wasn't afraid to go after what she wanted and she wanted Josh! And I felt so bad for Josh's character. My heart just broke for him! I recommend this book!

I loved the romantic town of Eternity Springs and their resident love guru, Celeste. She was such a sweet and adorable character, she definitely brought some humor to the story. I also liked Caitlin, she wasn’t a shy or fragile heroine, she makes up her mind about something (or in Josh’s case) someone and she goes after it full throttle. I liked that she was confident in her feelings and in her own skin to put herself out there so fearlessly.

Then there’s Josh. The glimpses of his past, his childhood and his family tore at my heart. I was not expecting that turn of events and with each snippet we got, I felt for him, more and more. Life certainly did not pull it’s punches when it came to Josh and I really wanted him to finally catch a break and be happy. With all the KOs he’s lived through, it’s no wonder he was running scared of the big bad l-o-v-e.

The story starts off fun and flirty and just hints at the more serious undercurrents of the characters. The pace picks up when Caitlin and Josh begin to see each other in a more permanent setting. Day to day interactions that start to reveal more and strengthens feelings too potent to deny for long.

Because I wasn’t expecting this to go down the route it took (the cover paints such a happy picture!) the intense emotional issues tackled between the MCs gave me more push/pull than I was looking for. Caitlin and Josh have a lot of obstacles to overcome and it isn’t always pretty. I loved these characters and was happy things worked out and I loved the hopefulness the MCs give off. There was no easy fix for the problems they faced but their positive outlook and love for each other nailed it.

Would I recommend?
Yes, if you like damaged heroes and strong heroines who don’t give up so easily, The First Kiss of Spring might be right up your alley.

A Girl Who Knows What & Who She Wants
Welcome to Eternity Springs! Meet Caitlin who is making a change and coming home to Eternity Springs from a corporate job in New York. Meet Josh who is a stranger to Eternity Springs but is fitting in quite well despite his secretive past. Caitlin and Josh first run into each other at a wedding and the sparks fly. What Caitlin doesn’t know when she first meets him, is that Josh lives in Eternity Springs. As the story continues Josh is trying hard not to fall for Caitlin, but Caitlin is very certain about her feelings for Josh. Will he give in to being pursued by this very persistent young lady? Can she help him face his past and put it behind him once and for all? Will the town of Eternity Spring see another happy ending?
Within a few pages of reading this book I knew that Emily March was quickly becoming a favourite author of mine. I love how she winds the lives of Caitlin and Josh together along with their families and friends. I also loved how she made Caitlin a strong willed female who was the pursuer in the relationship. I also felt as I read on that their story was not the first romance to happen in Eternity Springs and found out I was reading the 14th book in the series. The book was excellent as a standalone novel, but it didn’t take me long to go find book number one and order it. A beautiful story written by an amazing author. I was so graciously gifted this book from St. Martin’s Press for my unbiased review.

I just love the title of the new Eternity Springs Novel by Emily Marsh, The First Kiss of Spring. The subject matter of the book certainly goes along with this title since Josh’s life has been one of surviving the cold harsh realities of life for some children. No wonder he reaches adulthood with so much baggage.

Josh is likable in spite of his childhood along with now his pessimistic bad luck attitude. So is Caitlin Timberlake who is much more optimistic if impulsive and immature. I found their story to be one of hope when faced with aversity. Family relationships add to the drama galore going on in this story, but Eternity Springs has Celeste to help the weary, confused and wayward people of the town.

Even though the couple find their place together the dark issues that it covers are more in the women’s fiction genre. Having not read all the books in the long running series all the many town people was overwhelming but not overly so. It did not stop me from enjoying reading the book.

If I could rate this higher I would. I loved their story, the struggles that happened were so real. The dad's disease is what I have so that blew my mind when I read that. Very good book.

Reading an Emily March novel is like finally coming home after a long absence, returning to people and places that have carved out a place in my heart and will always be a part of me. This time we get Caitlin Timberlake's story, a character we've seen grow from a teenager to a self-assured, competent woman who will always be Ali and Mac's little girl, much to Caitlin's frustration. After living in New York she returns home to Eternity Springs to open a much needed daycare. She longs for a family of her own one day in the not too distant future, and she’s set her sights on Josh, much to her father's frustration.

Josh Tarkington has left his home and tragic past in Oklahoma and made his new home in Eternity Springs where his foster brother resides. He’s doing his best to put his difficult childhood and unfortunate genetics behind him, but the wounds linger and the damage is deep, overshadowing every aspect of his life, especially romantic relationships. There’s no one more in need of the healing and redemption that Celeste Blessing and Eternity Springs can bring about, if he'll only open himself to it. But that also means opening his heart to Caitlin, and he swore he would never love or be responsible for another person ever again.

I was fortunate to read an early copy of this book but of course I purchased it because it’s Emily March. She’s an author who is an absolute must read for me, and I get her new releases as soon as I can get my hands on them. Her books are everything that is wonderful about a small-town romance, and more. Each character is so carefully crafted, full of complexity and so realistic I feel as if I’m living along side them. The setting of Eternity Springs is so detailed, vivid and colorful, I feel like a part of the town. The storyline is always heartfelt, compelling, and emotional, with touching truths and wisdom and the perfect amount of humor sprinkled throughout. If you haven’t read Emily March, you’re really missing out, because nobody does small-town romance better! Eternity Springs is a magical place where miracles happen and hearts heal, and you’ll experience the peace and contentment it brings when you visit.

*I reviewed this book freely and voluntarily, having made no commitment to provide a review and receiving no compensation of any kind from any source for this review.

I have read every book in Ms. March’s Eternity Springs series. These books are auto-buy for me.

This book is about Caitlin, a fabric designer from New York, and Josh, a mechanic with a mysterious and very troubling past which was slowly revealed through journal entries. Caitlin is going home for a friend’s wedding. Josh operates a one-man garage from his home. They meet on a ride up the mountain and are attracted to each other. She asks him to attend the wedding as her date and he agrees. Josh figures this will be a pleasant weekend interlude. However, they run into Caitlin’s parents and Josh immediately backs away. He isn’t looking for a serious relationship and realizes Caitlin’s family is very protective of her. He lives in the same town as Caitlin’s family and doesn’t want his perfect but low key life to be damaged if he hurt Caitlin.

Caitlin actually is planning a move back home. She really likes Josh and would like to explore a serious relationship with him. She is purchasing a house next door to Josh and is planning to open a day care center. They have an explosive “meeting” and after much discussion, decide to just be friends with sex. No one needs to know they are even seeing each other. I love how Caitlin was absolutely positive that Josh was her HEA. Josh took some convincing, even though he knew he cared about Caitlin.

We do get to meet past characters which is part of the small town romance that I love. This was a fun and sweet romance. It had everything I look for in a romance. I highly recommend this book, and in fact the whole series.

**I did receive an early copy of this book from NetGalley; but gave my honest review of this book.**

I love visiting Eternity Springs and this is no exception. Caitlin has decided to return to Eternity Springs and leaving the corporate world behind her and follow her dreams of opening a daycare and hopefully starting a family of her own. She meets newcomer mechanic, Josh. Josh has a past with lots of secrets but they can't deny the chemistry that they share so they have a "friends affair". Caitlin still hopes for so much more.

Love this town with quirky residents that come together to open their hearts for people in need. A great romance that I could not put down. This book is part of series but can be read as a stand alone.

Oh lord i loved how they met and how funny it was with her family. I love the family dynamics and can't wait for another story so i can see them poke their heads up again

Caitlin Timberlake is a fashion designer from New York City. She grew up in Eternity Springs, but after college wanted to spread her wings. It’s been eight years and she is starting to feel the call of home and family. At a destination wedding in Telluride she shares a gondola ride with a handsome stranger and his special needs dog, there is an immediate spark. His name is Josh and he attends the wedding as her Plus One.......Caitlin decides that she wants more of this guy, but he turns and walks out of her life. At least he thinks he does.

Josh Tarkington has a lot of secrets and terrible luck. He refuses to become close with anyone, he doesn’t want any more trauma in his life. He runs a gas station/garage in Eternity Springs and considered quite the catch.
Although very attracted to Caitlin, he figures she is heading back to New York and the temptation is gone......WRONG!

Caitlin quits her job, moves back to Eternity Springs with a new plan for her life. She wants to open a day care center, and convince Josh they belong together. Her parents are skeptical and Josh is scared. But the people of the Springs, especially Celeste, the “guardian angel”of the town and people is on their side. His secrets and demons won’t let go of him. But Caitlin will never give up, unless she is forced to.

This charming story can be read as a stand-alone, but the previous books in the series are equally entertaining.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for allowing me to review.
Pat Fordyce

Will post at Romance Reviews Today in March.
http://romrevtoday.com/index.htm

THE FIRST KISS OF SPRING – Emily March
An Eternity Springs Novel
St. Martin’s
ISBN: 978-1-250-13170-6
March 20018
Contemporary Romance

Colorado – Present Day

Caitlin Timberlake is visiting Telluride for a wedding, and while playing tourist, she meets Josh Tarkington and the two hit it off. She soon learns he lives in Eternity Springs, where her parents currently live. Nothing happened between Caitlin and Josh beyond a few kisses but meeting him spurs her to change her career path. She quits her job in New York City and decides to move to Eternity Springs, where she’ll open a daycare. Oh, and pursue a romance with Josh. There’s just one problem: Josh isn’t interested in a committed relationship.

Josh settled down in Eternity Springs after an unsettled childhood and living through a tragedy in Oklahoma. While his auto repair business is doing well and he’s made friends with people in town, he’s managed to avoid romantic relationships. After Josh met Caitlin in Telluride, he never expects to see her again, and he’s surprised when she moves to town. She makes it clear that she wants him, and he can’t deny her, despite his reservations about relationships. Caitlin doesn’t ask for anything more from Josh beyond sex, but how will this play out if she’s hoping to have a future with him?

Caitlin Timberlake’s family is respected and well known in Eternity Springs, but she was raised in Denver. Caitlin had left Denver behind years ago to pursue her dreams in New York City. While she and Josh are getting to know one another in Telluride during their visit, they run into her parents, who are surprised to see her (she hadn’t told them she was there since it was a quick trip) and that she’s with Josh, who is fairly new to town. After Caitlin announces she’s moving to Eternity, her parents express concern over her plans, unaware that she is pursuing Josh. She might be nearly thirty, but they still think of her as their little girl. Can she make them understand that she’s a grown woman?

Josh rarely talks about his past. In THE FIRST KISS OF SPRING, each chapter begins with a journal entry that we soon learn is Josh’s from when he was younger. His words show the horror and heartbreak he witnessed, and readers will grow to care for him as the story unfolds. To those who know Josh now, he is honorable and hardworking, but inside he still suffers the emotional scars that were inflicted upon him. While Josh and Caitlin do end up in an affair, he never tells her that he loves her. How long will she endure a relationship where love is seemingly one-sided?

THE FIRST KISS OF SPRING is the latest tale in the long-running Eternity Springs series by Emily March, but like most of them, it can easily be read as a standalone. Readers who are familiar with the series will catch glimpses of characters from previous books and get caught up in who has children, etc. Above and beyond everything is the one central theme of each tale: Celeste Blessing is an angel in disguise. The wisdom she provides helps couples find their way to a happily-ever-after.

Josh’s past is grim, and he’s managed to make a life for himself, but the entrance of Caitlin into his life is a game changer for both. In THE FIRST KISS OF SPRING, the emotional journey of Josh and Caitlin will prove endearing to readers and makes for an enjoyable story.

Patti Fischer

Very sweet and heartwarming story. Felt very realistic. This is a book in a series, but easily reads alone. Perfect to curl up with and forget about chores. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review.