THE KISSING GAME marks a special release for Marie Harte as this has been a book that has been anticipated for a long while. Readers fell in love with Rena Jackson’s character and expressed their wish to have her get a happily ever after of her own, so I was thrilled to finally get to read the romance that Harte has come up with.

True to Harte’s style, she keeps things light and enjoyable, infusing the book with light banter and interesting dialogue. I always enjoy the heady dose of humor that her writing has and when it is mixed with the sexy alpha heroes, you really can’t help but fall in love with them. Axel Heller turned out to be a little different than I expected but he grew on me as the book progressed.

Perhaps because of the new style of cover, I did feel like THE KISSING GAME had a different tone to the other books in the series. While I definitely prefer the older style of covers, I can’t deny that I was happy to get Rena’s happily ever after.

This was okay.. just a very bland okay. I don’t know exactly how to sum up my thoughts on this book so I’ll just leave some bullet points below.

What I liked:
⭐️the rescue kitty and pup were my favorite characters!
⭐️a romance reading heroine
⭐️family drama added at least a little interest

What I didn’t:
⭐️the dialogue between Axel & Rena was so unrealistic and cringey
⭐️sooo many characters were introduced that did not add anything to the story
⭐️most of the other characters had more personality then Axel
⭐️the entire kissing bet premise was weak and I didn’t understand how that was enough to start a romance
⭐️the valentines gifts.. weird.

Overall it was just not the sweet funny romance I’d hoped.


*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by Netgalley & Sourcebooks Casablanca. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

THE KISSING GAME by Marie Harte at first looks like a fun and flirty multicultural romance, but ends up being a culturally insensitive. The author missed the mark on this one.

Such a cute story that I am currenlty rereading!
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for this ARC.

I really loved The Kissing Game. I have enjoyed Marie Harte's previous books and was so happy to finally read Rena and Axel's story. This did not disappoint and was fun, steamy read.

Unfortunately this book was a DNF for me. I couldn't connect with the characters and it just felt off.

I did not enjoy this novel and therefore I put it down as a dnf. I would say I got to about 20% before I realized it was not a good fit for me.

DNF at 42%.

Sickly sweet heroine who works in a rough biker bar to save money for her own business, desperate to get married. German mechanic who looks like a viking and doesn't speak much. Crushing on each other but neither of them able to make the first move.

I detested Rena, sappy, marriage-obsessed, jumps to conclusions, makes ridiculous rules about what must or must not happen.

I gave it the old college try but I just had no interest in reading any more.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I was quite disappointed with this book. The book didn't have a strong storyline and it was like any other basic romance novel. I had to force myself to finish it so that I could write a review for it.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish it. I think it's problematic that a white author is telling a Black person's struggle with racism. I would prefer to read that from a Black author.

I am so excited to finally get Rena’s book, and I am not disappointed! Of course anything by Marie Harte is a must read for me, but sometimes when you wait so long for a certain character ‘s story you are disappointed. This was not the case. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I will just say— read it today! You won’t be sorry!

The story was just okay - I didn't love it, I didn't hate it! BUT this one was VERY steamy. 5 out 5 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥!

I have been looking forward to this book and it did not disappoint! I can't wait for future books from this author!

***Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***
Not my type of book. Just didn't pull me in and keep me interested.

The book was just okay. The main characters did not immediately capture my interest nor was I rooting for them right at the beginning. Honestly, I did not finish the book though I thought it had a lot of promise.

This book just didn’t work for me. I wanted so badly to love it, but I had to end up not finishing the book.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this early copy!

Did not finish - I did not connect with the plot and writing and decided to put it down.

This was a cute idea but it was another case of not connecting with the characters and the story just being very unrealistic and cringy. I really couldn’t get into the story and I felt so detached from the story, I ended up dnfing this 40% through. I just don’t think this was the right book for me.

Sadly, I didn't really care for either of the protagonists of this story. It had such potential to be a fun romp, but I just never managed to care about any of the characters. I finished it because I felt like I had to write this review, but it didn't make me want to go back and read any of the other stories in this series.