I was drawn in by the premise of this story, but I quickly realized this fits within the larger world of characters created by the author. This will likely be enjoyed by fans of the author's previous books.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I haven't decide yet if I loved it if it was just ok.There were things I really enjoyed but I have problem with others that make me not enjoying it as much as I was hoping!It had great potentials but I was expected more.There was a bit of a suspense/hate crime angle in this book .

If you have read Marie Harte’s McCauley Brothers and Body Shop Bad Boys series, then you know that this book is a long time coming. Readers have been begging for Rena to get a book and now that she finally got one, I couldn’t be happier.

I had some high expectations with this book because I was such a big fan of the original McCauley Brothers series. I really felt like Harte was able to capture a lot of the same elements of that series, but also give Rena her own story that was unique to her.

The hero, Axel, turned out to be a little different than what I expected him to be. He was alpha but also quite gentle at the same time. And in terms of the level of heat compared to the other series, this one seemed a bit more toned down.

There is also something else that I wanted to note. The cover is very different from what we normally see from this author. I guess that the publisher was going for the trend that’s quite popular right now, but I do definitely prefer her original covers. I think it matches the book a bit better. However, I can totally understand that they wanted to give Rena a special cover because of how unique she was.

Nevertheless, it was fun to read this book. I would suggest starting with the McCauley Brothers series if you plan on reading this one, just so you can experience Rena’s story from all angles before you finally read from her POV.

3.5 Stars

1.5 stars

When I read the blurb I was sold, and then I started reading this story... definitely not what I expected.
I got confused by all the characters mentioned and it was only the beginning.
I was trying too hard to connect and to determine who was related to.
It didn't work for me.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was cute. It was a good story, but didn't exceed my expectations. I struggled a bit with the characters in this book. The truly felt fictional to me. I love when my characters feel realistic and these just seem to type casted for me.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

I struggled with liking the characters in this book. The heros German accent and broken English made him come off as a caricature. I liked the heroine but not with the hero. Their banter came off as immature at times. Same with the other cast of characters. Compared to the authors other books, I liked how this one was shorter in length and not as drawn out

DUMPSTER FIRE TRASH!! Why was this book even released! The author did zero research, had zero cultural sensitivity readers, and is living in a bubble of WHITE PRIVILEGE. I took an entire week to think about what I wanted to say in this review, and I am still speechless by how much I hated this book. Rena and Axel have a secret attraction, but they are both fighting getting together because they feel they are two different from each other.

Video review available in Week 9 Feb 23 – 29 weekly book reviews.

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Unfortunately this one wasn’t a homerun for me there were some final battle plot and characterization issues they got in the way of what I thought would be a really good story I’m not ready to give up on his offer yet but this book was a little lacking.

Marie Harte has written many series that take place in Seatle WA (The McCauley Brothers/Body Shop Bad Boys/The Donnigans/Veteran Movers) and it is common for them to have a bit of overlap with the characters."The Kissing Game" seems to do this to an extreme so if you haven't read those series keeping track of all the side characters might get confusing. If you have read them well then it might still get confusing.

I thought that the main couple was just meh. I couldn't connect with them at all and I didn't feel like they connected well with each other either. The true love story in this book was between Chi-Chi (a half-blind Chihuahua) and Queen (a pregnant cat). I wouldn't mind seeing what comes of Rylan and Smitty though.

I think this book may be more enjoyable for those who are already attached to the larger universe of characters.

An enjoyable read though can be a little confusing/overwhelming if you have not read previous stories in the arc - there were a lot of characters involved with little background information and as a new reader it was difficult to keep track of who was who and this detracted from the experience for me a little. That being said, the writing style was enjoyable and easy to read/take in and I imagine that had I read the previous books I would have enjoyed this story even more.

I thought this was a new series that was unrelated to other series by this author. But no, it's just an extension of two of her previou series. Because of that, there are so many characters with back stories that kept showing up. I felt like I should know them. I was also put off by the very cliche stereotypical way Axel (who is from Germany) was portrayed. Rena and Axel were also so boring. I really didn't care if they got together or not.

I was really excited to pick up The Kissing Game. The premise sounded so fun and like a book that I would enjoy.

But from the first page, it was a struggle for me to read. I didn't love the writing style and I could not connect with the characters. I felt like the author was trying too hard to push diversity in the novel and it just didn't work.

I pushed through for several weeks, hoping it would get better. This book just wasn't for me. I ended up DNFing it around 35%. I wish I could have read more and enjoyed it, but the writing wasn't great and I was thrown into a world where I was expected to know the characters (I guess some of them are from other books) but it was very very confusing, as this is promoted as a stand-alone novel. There were so many characters mentioned upfront but there were no introductions, no explanations. I hoped that as the book went along I'd figure out who everyone was, but that didn't happen by the time I was 35% in.

I knew that Rena wanted to get married and have kids and finally settle down. I knew that Axel had been attracted to her/in love with her for a while. But their whole relationship was a little confusing and not what I expected from the blurb of the book.

This one wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an e-arc of The Kissing Game. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

DNF this book entirly too many characters and I could not keep up with all of them. The romance got lost in the mix!

I liked the premise of this story, but The Kissing Game missed the mark for me overall for me. I struggled with the characters and the romance in parts. I love this author and this will not stop me reading more of her stories and I hope you will read and judge this one for yourself

I always enjoy Marie Harte’s books and this was no exception. The Kissing Game was such a fun romance. I loved Rena and absolutely adored Axel. This was the perfect romance for the month of February!

Axel stood in Hullers Paint and Auto Body and glared at his newest employee to the unfinished Escalade. Axel thought he didn't need this right now. Mateo and Smitty waited with the new guy ready to intervene if Axel’s famous temper flared out of control. Lately it didn’t take much to set him off. His mother's death still hurt it had only been six months. And his family…. Axel took a deep breath studying the idiot who couldn’t follow simple instructions. It didn’t help Axel had just ended a call with his father. As usual it had been filled with arguments and swearing in German. Axel was glad his father rarely came to the states. Axel had changed some plans and Rylan-the new guy- hadn’t listened. Then Axel told Rylan he had to come in the next day to fix his mistake. Rylan said he couldn’t do that. And Axel became furious and started speaking in german which meant Axel was ready to blow. Axel than told everyone to leave, he decided he would do the work the next day himself. He knew Rylan was trying to help but the guy kept messing up and putting them behind if Rylan wasn’t so skilled he would have been fired by now. Axel stared at his pride and joy, a part and auto body shop he’d put together without anybody’s help. Axel had been making constant trips to Germany to help his aunt and cousins and slacking off with his business. Axel thought about the one person in particular he found fascinating-rena Jackson. He’d fallen for the stubborn woman from the first. But she wanted nothing to do with him. He thought they'd become some kind of friends. He needed a break and decided one beer at Rays wouldn’t hurt. He ignored the secret hope that lingered and he might see Rena there. Axel took care of the racists butts who had already been kicked out of Rays. The leader was Fletcher and he told Axel he wouldn’t forget this. Then he realized rena had seen him and went inside to apologize. He wanted Rena to see him as more than a giant mauler. She said he fought too much. Everything about Rena captivated him. He would do anything to hold her close. When around her his problems faded and joy took their place. He had told his mother about Rena a month before she had died. The bartender reminded Axel tomorrow was Rena’s last night and asked if he was coming to the party. Axel said he’d be there. Del had married Mike and rena had been introduced to the McCairly clan. Rena smiled for Del and was happy for her but she was oh so envious . Tears were in her eyes she arrived solo as usual. Never with a plus one. In the past she had been busy getting her business together to have time for a man. She wanted one no question about that. Too bad the one she wanted moved at the speed of a glacier. He had time to fight but God forbid her ask her out, She might have asked him out but the rare moments they had at Rays lately, he turned mute or hid behind a menu or got sucked into a conversation with J T and friends. That night Axel tokke rena into a closet for privacy and kissed her and she kissed him back. Axel knew he was spoiled for anyone else but her.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved Axel and rena together. I really liked that he sent her gifts even oif they were a little odd. But it seemed like the problems in this story resolved too easily. I loved the family bond in this book. I would have liked to seen more development of Axles and Renas' growing relationship. I would have liked the sexual parts a little toned down. I also wish there were a few less secondary characters. It was hard keeping track of everyone. I liked that the author brought in abuse and and racism. I liked the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I recommend it.

This book was another one I had to dnf. The cover of this book is so beautiful and one of the main reasons I picked it up in the first place. I was expecting a whole romance blooming in this book but what I got was 2 characters who already had this whole thing going on between them. This book started out more like a sequel than a first book. I missed out on how these characters even noticed they liked eachother. They just start dating within the first few chapters. It was a ton of info dump and I didn't enjoy the story. I would have liked the book and continued it if the characters didn't already have this thing between them. Them dating happened too soon.

I want to thank Netgalley for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.


(Trigger warning: Racism, Sexual Harassment.)


Since I was in a romantic mood I decided to pick up this book. I had no idea that it was part of a series... or that it was a sequel of a series? Anyway, I picked it up because I was looking for that cute adult romance I’ve experienced before with The Unhoneymooners & The Hating Game.

We follow a POC character, Rena who’s a dreamer and loves to read romance books. & she really wants to find a man, HER man with whom she can have a serious and long-term relationship. Axel, on the other hand, is the big massive scary German dude who looks tough but is rather soft inside. He’s absolutely crushing on Rena but because he’s grieving the loss of his mother.... it takes him a year to finally ask her out.


Their relationship really kicks off with “the kissing game”. It was kind of a bet between them but honestly, it lasted only 5% of the book. Also, the racism felt a bit forced? The thing that bothered me with this book is how they’re describing the love interest in the synopsis... “tall dark handsome”. He’s clearly a blondie german, you can see it on the cover. I did not expect the steamy scenes... it’s very graphic and explicit. At the same time, I should’ve expected it? I just discovered with this book that I don’t like it when it’s too steamy honestly. Yes, I enjoy romance but I just feel weird when I read those parts. Also, I didn’t connect with the characters at ALL. I did not feel a thing about the romance either. I was more absorbed with the dog and the pregnant cat🤣😭 I hated how the author kept saying how big and massive Axel was.... like I get it, he’s a big man...


I want to finish on a good note because I don’t enjoy giving bad reviews on books. I liked that the characters were diverse. I loved that Rena was a reader....and that she had high expectations about a man because of all the romances she read. I really understood that because I do feel like I have exaggerated expectations towards men. I like that we get some background story about Axel & his anger issues. How he viewed his mom and how much he loved her. It was very sweet to hear his thoughts about her. Can I add that I loved his relationships with animals? He’s so gentle with them and he really cares about his pregnant cat.


Honestly, I think that you would enjoy this book if you’re looking for a quick steamy read or if you have read the past series.


Rating: 2,5⭐️

I really tried to like this book but I found the writing style to be a little choppy and it was distracting from the story. I was also struggling with the main female character, I found her to be a little inconsistent. I also was not expecting this to be a steamy read so be warned if your not into that. I decided to DNF at 41%. While I appreciate where the author was going with this one it was just ultimately not for me. Thank you Netgalley for giving me the chance to review this one.