I tried. I really did. But for some reason I’m just unable to get far into this book. I can’t fairly give it a rating, since I didn’t quite make it 10% into the book. But I will say that I’ve read other books by Marie Harte and enjoyed them. This one just isn’t for me.

the stray cat and dog were the best part of this book

i don't even know where to start. first of all, this came with zero indication, until i started it, that this was set in the same world as other books by this author, because it was immediately clear upon the many, many, (so many i could not keep up) family/friends of the main characters we are introduced to that these are characters already met in other books. it didn't make the book unreadable, just the sense of missing out on something and trouble keeping all the different people straight. i liked the camaraderie, but i was just ready for the book to focus on the main two.

and then it did that and i realized i had already read the best part of the book and i did not, in fact, want it to focus on the main two.

the characters were one dimensional, the drama was like a really bad lifetime movie, the writing was Not It, and it was all so horridly cheesy. there was no good angst between the characters, their was barely any build up in their romance, the so called "kissing game" was maybe about 5% of the book, and it was just BAD. i don't know why i even finished it quite frankly.

i also didn't like how this book took on racism. it took something that is very real and alive and made it into this side "drama" that you can tell was only included to allow the male love interest to beat dudes up and ~fight for his woman. plus the way everything was handled was done almost cartoonishly? that could be said for just about everything in this book, though.

basically the first 33% made me think this might be something all right if not what i expected, and the rest just got worse and worse. i had no idea what the time line was through most of it, some parts would contradict others, and over all this was way more like a rough draft than a finished product. don't be fooled by the cute cover and the description. the marketing team is clearly trying to salvage something, but it's complete false advertising.

Rena Jackson and Axel Heller have been dancing around there attraction for close to a year but during that time Axel lost his beloved mother and Rena has been working to over her own hair salon, but Axel is back and determined to win Rena over. Problem is Rena has decided she wants a man who is in it for the long haul; she wants marriage, babies, and a happily ever after and she doesn’t think Axel wants that in his life.
I’ll admit as one of Ms. Harte’s long time readers I’ve wanted this story to come to fruition, there was something about the way Axel protected Rena even though they’d never dated that was sweet and it made me wonder about what made him tick knowing he always seemed to be spoiling for a fight. Rena has always been a bit sassy and smart, but in this book she almost came off as entitled in her relationship with Axel. I felt that Axel was doing all the work to make their relationship work and while he seemed to enjoy it even though his choices of woo were a bit off, the relationship seemed a bit one sided. Sure one can argue that Axel was closed off and made it hard for her, but IMHO that shouldn’t have stopped her. That being said as time went on it was evident she cared and worried about him, but I just wanted more for him.
There was a bit of a suspense/hate crime angle in this book something that has been brewing for awhile, but it all just felt forced and “off” and I was disappointed that this book that was supposed to be a romance centered around this angle when there were so many other conflicts that could have been tackled such as their family relationships both of which were strained and brought into this already muddled romance.
While I was extremely happy to see so many of the characters from Ms. Harte’s other series make an appearance, this also made for a very character full book all of which took time away from showing the main characters grow as the relationship progressed.

I saw several negative reviews on this book before I started reading, so I went in skeptical but hopeful. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting, but I still would not recommend this book. First of all, there are SO MANY minor characters in this book. I could not keep them all straight. There were the main characters, then there were secondary characters, but then there were even more that were only mentioned a handful of times. It was difficult to follow at times.

The overall storyline was fine, just maybe not executed in the best way. The conflict between Axel and his family towards the end just felt kind of random. Like there needed to be another conflict, so let's throw this in here. I liked the bet at the beginning of the book, but I was under the impression that the betting game was going to continue throughout the rest of the book. I think it's interesting that the book has "Game" in the title, but the bet at the beginning of the book was really the only thing that was game related. The relationship between the main characters was fine, but I was not a fan of Axel's "dirty talk." I couldn't feel the chemistry between them through the writing. It just made me feel cringe-y and uncomfortable.

2.5 stars.
I received this book for free in return for an honest review.

I was hoping the fun illustrated cover would mean the style on this one was different from the other Marie Harte book I read and didn't really care for, but alas - earwax. Also, the male MC is described as tall-dark-and-handsome but he's this blond haired, blue eyes Germanic dude? Um, okay... DNF

AHH I thought this book was so cute. The dialogue between the main characters was humorous yet heartwarming. The diversity also made this book all the more unique as Rena is an African American and Axel is German. It causes a little confusion and a few misunderstandings. I loved following the story as the two of them learned how to draw closer together emotionally.

I'm sorry but this one was just plain bad. The way the female lead, Rena, is presented for reading romance novels is ridiculous. It's mentioned CONSTANTLY that she loves romance, and is a hard core romantic. She's mad that Axel hasn't made the first move for some reason. All of the conflict seemed forced and pointless.

I've been following along with these families and friends for a while now. I'm the kind of reader who loves when characters constantly show up in book after book, so I can easily say that I really enjoyed seeing everyone again.

I've gotten to know both Rena and Axel as side characters. I'm always amazed how different a side character from a previous book can be once they become a main character. Axel was a very good surprise. I adored him in this book.

You get a lot of Axel's pov. The way he feels about Rena was something that just melted me into a puddle. The fact that he is this big, Viking-like guy who doesn't talk that much and can come off a bit scary, could show that shy, crush-like personality just slayed me. I loved him.

The problem with me loving Axel so much, is that I really wanted to knock Rena in the head. A lot. All I can say is if I had this Viking God courting me, I would die a happy woman. Despite wanting to shake Rena a few times, I did truly enjoy this book and seeing all my favorite side characters again.

I was initially drawn in by the cute illustrated cover of Marie Harte’s The Kissing Game; I stayed for the grumpy hero/sunshiney heroine dynamic and the sizzling dirty talk.

Axel Heller is a German auto repair/auto paint shop owner who’s been in love with Rena Jackson for months but never acted on his feelings. He’s waited too long and Rena’s decided that she’s going to abandon her own crush. But just in time, the giant, sexy hero makes his move and he and Rena start a “game” by wagering a kiss and then dates and before they know it, they’re together…but pretty tenuously.

I wondered how Harte would sustain tension and suspense with this romance when both characters have heavy crushes/feelings from the opening pages…and those feelings seem fairly obvious to everyone but each other. Harte stokes the flames with a few different obstacles, including (1) the fact that neither character is that open about sharing their feelings with the other, especially Axel, who turns into a stoic statue whenever he’s the slightest bit upset with Rena; because (2) Axel’s never learned how to process his anger in a healthy way; and (3) his (in)ability to express his anger (and to communicate in general) is tested by the instances of racial discrimination and racism-related destruction of property perpetuated against Rena, who’s biracial, and some leftover trauma from his past.

So there’s kind of a lot going on here on the emotional front.

Where The Kissing Game shines is in the basic relationship between Axel and Rena. I just can’t get enough of the grumpy hero/sunshiney heroine thing and Harte does it well. Axel’s grumpy but so obviously mush when it comes to Rena and the creatures that they rescue. Rena, too, takes care of Axel and tries to help him work through his pain. I basically love how they care for one another…and how Axel—who so often has trouble articulating his secret, hidden pain—has a silver tongue when it comes to romantic and dirty talk.

Where the book falls short for me is that for so long in the beginning of the book, I don’t feel like I get to know Rena that well outside of her crush on Axel. There are also times when I don’t fully understand or connect with how (and why) Rena reacts to certain incidents in their relationship.

Those stress fractures in how Axel and Rena communicate are exacerbated by the race-related discrimination/harassment/destruction that Rena faces, and while I appreciate the depth it adds to the story—and how it relates to Axel’s ability to process anger—I don’t feel like it’s completely and smoothly integrated into the overall romance. Or that there’s enough emphasis placed on how Rena responds to those awful incidents.

Though The Kissing Game doesn’t feel fully cohesive to me, it has a lot of heart, and that’s what I most enjoyed about it.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Netgalley; all opinions provided are my own.

4.5 Stars, Rounded

Rena has a bunch of friends, a loud, comical and very protective extended family, a dream and shelves FULL of romance books. She wants the “dream” of a Prince Charming and his white steed, sharing and loving one another until the end of time. In addition to that, she’s working at a dive bar where fights and beers are doled out regularly, along with a dash of “white power” wanna-bes and their associated crap. But the bare is simply a stepping stone to opening her own salon, and she’s soon moving on to being a business owner with all of that. And still, the “Viking-Like” Axel attracts and confounds her regularly. German by birth, his long hair, moustache and beard and taciturn nature leave her uncomfortable – well that and his fights. He’s ALWAYS seeming to be fighting just when she’d hoped there was more.

Axel has yet to truly deal with his grief and guilt after his mother’s death. A successful body / paint shop with a few key employees, always trying to ‘draw’ him into more activities and life, a tension between he and Rena’s cousin Del and her shop, and a crush on Rena that leaves him tongue-tied and feeling unworthy of her affections leave him flummoxed. And getting from one-word responses and fists flailing to actually ‘getting the girl” is a path full of laughter, outright hysterics (I reference the “singing telegram” – you have to read it to believe it), and honor bound to ‘protect’ those he cares for. A bit intimidating, there’s a soft heart and lots to offer under the Viking-good looks and stone-faced expression. And it will take Rena, the entirety of her crazy, loud, devoted extended family, her friends and his, and several moments that steam the print off the page to get there.

I LOVE that Harte brought in ‘real world’ struggles to this couple – from the overt racism and threats to the battles Axel had with his brother and father, the rescued cat, the opening up of his shop to those who were “unemployable’ because of their criminal histories, and Rena’s determination to know “all” of him, good, bad and indifferent. And let’s face it – the daily presents that ranged from creepy and not quite right to outright laughable singing and dancing telegrams, troll dolls and a poorly chosen video from the guy down the street just played with my emotions in ways I never expected. From laughter to “aww so sweet” every move Axel makes, and several were heavy handed, was made with the intent to protect, and even when he was wrong in the delivery – his intentions are always clear. And Rena’s patience and determination that he understands the need to talk about his past, and share it all with her allowed them both the opportunity to grow beyond their issues coming into the relationship, as they work to grow together. A favorite for the family, the laughs, the heart and the characters – giving me a sense of the small section of the city they’ve made their own.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-aCk/”> <a> I am, Indeed </a>

I was underwhelmed with this romance, contemporary novel. It was an easy read, but it just didn't do much for me. I felt there were several main issues with the novel. Rena and Axel like each other, but neither has made the first move. Axel has some deep-seeded daddy issues and doesn't think he could be good enough for Rena - he gets into a lot of fights and can be violet. Real macho stuff here. Rena is your cliched "wants a Valentine and husband" girl and makes no secret of that. She worries Axel just wants a fun night and not to love her forever so they make a bet, Axel will win her over by Valentine's day (about a month away).

There is an audience for this book I am sure, but I wasn't it. Just not my cup of tea!

Unfortunately, this was not a story that lived up to the blurb and idea presented. I am sure the author will present something in the future that will connect better to me. I look forward to future works.

It took me two nights to finish one chapter. I just wasn't vibing with it as much as I wanted to. I think this is the case of going into a book with too high of expectations. This is so sad as I love reading romances but I don't want to force myself to read it. Maybe I'll try again another time but right now I'm putting it down.
Seeing all the other reviews and comments isn't helping me in wanting to pick this book up. From what I've heard I don't think I'd connect with the characters.

*Thank you NetGalley for an E-Arc in exchange from an honest review*

I've been seeing this book on Instagram lately and it's been getting some buzz, so of course, me being the romance book lover that I am had to put in a request. I'm very sad to say I was very underwhelmed. I did not enjoy this book, I DNF'D this book at 58%. I did not like the plot and most of the characts. Link to my FULL review on my blog will be posted soon.

The Kissing Game. By Marie Harte. 2020. Sourcebooks Casablanca. (eBook ARC).

As a fan of Marie Harte’s Just the Thing and Test Drive, I was looking forward to more of her contemporary romance titles. Unfortunately, this was a disappointing read for me. There was some of the sexiness that Harte does so well, but it wasn’t as engaging when I couldn’t get invested in Axel and Rena as a couple. I didn’t buy in that they were a good match for each other. Axel was likable, but with a character like him that needed some healing, there was very shallow growth. And Rena had no growth and I felt like she needed more of an overhaul then poor Axel did. To Axel, Rena is happiness, laughter and joy. Now while I can’t say I remember Rena from Test Drive I can say that I saw no proof of these qualities in this book. I found her surprisingly one-dimensional and never got around to liking her, nor her exacting standards which she apparently cobbled together from what she’s read in magazines and romance novels. The plotting and pacing seemed underdeveloped and rushed at the end, respectively. Half-way through there was a lot of noise all of the sudden with subplots that seemed harvested from stale mainstream media narratives just dropped in. It took away from Axel and Rena’s story than added to. And finally, the banter fell flat. Having a shared community with Harte’s other books, and the Body Shop Bad Boys in particular, I found the razing of the guys a bit more harsh than was established between the fellas and Test Drive’s Johnny.

I thoroughly enjoyed Rena and Axel's story. I have been waiting on it ever since reading the Body Shop Bad Boys series and seeing their attraction to each other.
I loved the family ( except Axel's) and friendship groups in this story. It epitomized how full life can feel when we have a strong foundation and support group to help us through challenging times.
Rena and Axel's relationship growth was sweet, and showed the ups and downs of merging your life with someone else.
This story was definitely worth the wait.

Ahhhh, I thought this book is something different. Firstly, the cover and the blurb gave me the impression that this is a great arc character love story but I am disappointed in many ways. I don’t mind steamy at all, but this there’s not much of the character growth or real story behind this relationship.
Unfortunately not a favourite book

A hair stylist and an auto body shop owner get together in this steamy romance.

Axel is a German immigrant. Everyone calls him a Viking— the Vikings were from Scandinavia. Also, the way he peppers German into his syntax is super annoying and not authentic to an English language learner.

Don’t let the on-trend modern graphic of a cover fool you. This is definitely a bodice-ripper, just set in the 21st century. And sex definitely takes precedence over the character growth. They have some dynamism, but it feels cheap. The only reason I’m not giving it one star is because of the positive mental health representation. And that’s it is a tough and tumble man who goes to therapy without much pushback.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for giving me the opportunity to read The Kissing Game by Marie Harte early! This was my first Marie Harte book and ahhh I didn’t realize how intense of a world/set of characters there were in this book/all of the books that lead up to this book, so a warning/heads up to anyone like me who is picking this up as their first Marie Harte book- you 100% can do that, but you’re going to get so much more out of the book if you either read the other books or at least read up on the other books so you know who the other players are because there are so many people and couples and things can definitely get a little confusing.

The Kissing Game 3/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads: Rena Jackson is ready. She's worked her tail off to open up her own hair salon, and she's almost ready to quit her job at the dive bar. Rena's also a diehard romantic, and she's had her eye on bar regular Axel Heller for a while. He's got that tall-dark-and-handsome thing going big time. Problem is, he's got that buttoned-up Germanic ice man thing going as well. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, Rena's about ready to give up on Axel and find her own Mr. Right.

At six foot six, Axel knows he intimidates most people. He's been crushing on the gorgeous waitress for months. But the muscled mechanic is no romantic, and his heart is buried so deep, he has no idea how to show Rena what he feels. He knows he's way out of his depth and she's slipping away. So, he makes one crazy, desperate play…

So let’s start with what I did like about this book- the general plot and premise were pretty cute- guy likes girl but he’s biding his time so he doesn’t scare her off, but he bides too long, so he needs to kick things up a notch- and that’s pretty much what the summary told us. That whole section was maybe the first ⅛ of the book or so? It barely scratches the surface of what actually happens in the book, so that’s what starts my annoyances.

First let’s get to the characters- Rena is fine. I didn’t think she was anything special, like she was an ok main-ish character and I could in general relate to her, but I also didn’t feel too tied to her in any way. Axel, our other main-ish character was the one I had a bigger problem with. He was supposed to be German, but like what kind of stereotypes was the author looking at/thinking about when she wrote him as a character? I know a lot of people from Germany and not one of them remind me of Axel at all. If I suspend my belief on reality completely, then I don’t mind the characterization as much, but it’s so hard when the characterizations were supposed to be based in an actual culture of people.

Overall, I thought that this was an interesting and cute romance novel. Was it my favorite book? No. Did it make me want to read more books by the author? Definitely! (And I’ve already read one!) The Kissing Game comes out on February 4th, so make sure to check it out when it’s released!

I didn't really feel like this was anything special. I liked that we got a peek into the McCauley's through Del, because I loved that series, but didn't realize this was another book in a "series". I didn't read her other series about the guys who worked in the garage/auto-shop, so a lot was over my head or confusing. Also, the fact they tried to get on the "rom-com" train with the cover instead of keeping to the author's regular style totally doesn't do anything for the book. Yeah, it's obviously nice to look at, but it's not right for the story.

Overall... fine.