YAY.... at last we got Alex & Rena’s story!! The Kissing Game was a great read.

I was over the moon when Marie Harte let us know their story was being written! This pair have been circling each other for books.... and I honestly wasn’t sure anything would happen with them, but I’m delighted that they finally got there....

Axel Heller, now I know the blurb says he’s ‘tall, dark and handsome’ and yeah, we are aware he’s a big blond Viking of a man, but I’m taking the ‘dark’ as alluding to the fact that he’s a hulking, brooding, giant who most folk can’t get a read on and who would most likely pound faces for fun - if it didn’t get him into trouble and put his freedom and business in jeopardy..... if only Rena didn’t keep seeing this side of him!!! The thing is, there is a lot more to our leading man than he lets people see, his concern now is that maybe he’s left things a little too late to convince Rena to give him a chance.

Rena Jackson, she’s a hard working sweetheart who friends, family and most of those she comes into contact with love (there’s part of the story that goes into that and sadly, it’s pretty relevant in these times we live in). Even though a bit of a smitten-kitten for the big, quiet German who watches her like prey, she’s about to throw in the towel where Axel is concerned..... how long does a girl have to wait for a guy to talk to her and maybe ask her out? Add to that the small matter of her finally getting her own hair salon up and running and her focus being on that and you can understand her hesitance in getting involved with Axel.

I loved that fact that Axel is all in when he sees the slightest hint of a chance from Rena, even if his gifts are interesting yeah, lets go with that!!) and his idea of romance is nothing like that of the heroes in his lady loves books.

There was humour, some angst, action, heat and steam all rolled into this story. We catch up with some of the guys and gals from previous series/books and I have to admit that I’ve got my fingers crossed that maybe, just maybe, we’ll get a further tale or two around the other guys in Axel’s body shop at some point in the future.

'The Kissing Game' just didn't work out for me at all, made all the more so disappointing because of a lively blurb and a promising plot of two pining individuals who just couldn't quite get their game up.

But it was precisely this that got the ball rolling too slowly, with German phrases tucked neatly into every conversation Axel had with people and we're talking a hell lot of supporting cast members, their names and their relations and their quirks to grace the pages from the very start.

It was a lot to take in, certainly, and got overwhelming quickly, more so because I couldn't keep up with anything and used up all of my tinted glasses just trying to see the chemistry between Rena and Axel without really understanding the context or their (lack of) past history.

This was strangely hard to read for me; maybe 'The Kissing Game' is probably better left for others who would appreciate Marie Harte's style in this one.

This was sadly a DNF for me at 28%. I was hoping for a cute rom-com based on the cover and synopsis, but I don’t think this was the right book for me. I couldn’t connect to the characters and I didn’t find the story as fun as I hoped.

This was a decent read. I think I may have enjoyed it more if I had read some of her previous books. It seems like a series. I found some of it a bit hokey, Axel in particular. I found the way his accent or poor English was written, a bit weird. Also, the inclusion of white supremacists was odd and could've been handled a lot better. Don't get me wrong, if you're looking for a steamy read, this is a good one for that, just don't try to find anything deeper.

Axel Heller, like Many of Harte's male leads, has a tragic past but has made a good life for himself despite that. He's in love with Rena Jackson but has been too scared to make a move. When he finally gets her to agree to a date, it's a struggle for both of them to move past their individual baggage and make their relationship work.

There was something off about their relationship, and I think it would have been a more interesting read if we had seen more of Heller's family or learned more about Rena's background and how these things shaped the characters. The plot with Rena's mom and her boyfriend felt like a weird afterthought - those pages would have been better used for the development of Rena or Heller.

It was a very surface romance, and I like my romances with a little more substance to them. This wasn't my favorite Marie Harte book; I'm not mad at it, but I did want a bit more depth.

I was not a fan of The Kissing Game. I didn't like the third person POV and any of the romance. It's written as if we should know more about these characters like it was second in a series. Everything from the romance to the diversity felt so forced.

I was pleasantly surprised how much I like this book! I wasn’t too sure with the cover I thought maybe it was a young adult book but no it was definitely hot LOL this is Rena and axel's book, Rena is working her butt off to Open her own hair salon! She’s ready to quit her job at the dive bar, she’s also had her I on a bar regular Axel! Axel is a huge brooding handsome German hottie! Axel is a 6 foot six muscled mechanic but doesn’t know the first thing about how to be romantic but he’s had his eye on the beautiful barmaid/hairstylist! He’s trying to make Rena his by Valentine’s Day but he’s way out of his depth and he can feel her slipping away! This book was definitely really funny, it had some heart ache a little bit of action definitely some drama but all around it was a great read I definitely enjoyed reading this one!! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

I literally danced, screamed and somersaulted (at least five times) with the positive energy to get an Arc Copy of romance story. But as soon as I gave a second glimpse to the blurb and read loudly about the definition of our hero: tall-dark-handsome with pale skin and blonde hair German, I rubbed my eyes several times and I thought maybe I over exaggerated my wine o’clock time but no it is still 5 p.m and I was still nursing my sixth cup of coffee (Yes! Sooner I was about to tear my clothes and turn into Hulk, jumping around the room with extra caffeine loading) and yes, words were real. I was not hallucinating.

I skipped the blurb and started my reading my brain started to send me the messages:

SORRY THE HEROINE YOU WANT TO CONNECT WITH CANNOT BE FOUND AT THIS MOMENT!

POOR YOU, THE LOVE STORY AND CHEMISTRY YOU YEARN FOR CANNOT BE FOUND IN THIS BOOK, TOO!

SORRY, THE BOOK BOYFRIEND YOU DREAMED OF AND FOUND LATELY at “The worst best man” (Yes, I’m talking about Max) CANNOT BE FOUND, TOO.

I truly love diversity stories and see the emotionally reserved people’s changing when they hopelessly fall in love. I also like sweet and sexy dialogues and of course I adore undeniable chemistry of the characters. But sorry, I couldn’t relate with any of them and I couldn’t find anything to love this book.

I rounded my 2.5 stars. It was dull and tasteless reading but not so horrible and dissatisfying one like I had when I read the last book of L.J. Shen. So let’s round up the stars to 3 and finish this review.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for sharing this ARC COPY in exchange my honest
review.

**Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.**

I wish I was more witty to come up with some pun about how I didn't like this game, but I'm not. Unfortunately, "The Kissing Game" is a hard pass for me.


PROS
+ Attempt at diversity???
+ Fun and cute book cover, but it doesn't help the story in any way.


CONS
+ Too many tropes (and I'm a sucker for most of the cliches)
+ Axel is described as tall, dark, and handsome, but he's blonde-haired and blue-eyed?
+ Again, they just accept that they're head-over-heels in love with each other. I didn't really see a point in the story because we know from the beginning that they like each other/ will end up together?


All-in-all, I had to DNF this book. I was not having fun nor was I engaged in the story.

So I was totally judging a book by its cover. I didn’t know much going into it, just what the synopsis and cover had to offer. But don’t let that fool you. This books is hard and rough.

Axel is tough. He’s an owner of a repair shop and has, on more than one occasion, been found outside of a bar most likely in a fight (even though his fighting is completely justified). So I’m scared of Axel. He’s portrayed to be one tough German who doesn’t take anybody’s crap. But what was surprising is that Axel has one soft spot which comes in the form of a beautiful women with the cutest dimples. Under his tough exterior and brooding complex he’s got a huge heart and such a sweet soul.

Rena sees herself has a future CLA (cat lady of America). She’s over being single and wants to be romanced. I love her spirit. She’s funny and kind, but I would totally be scared to cross her. At times I thought she was acting unreasonable with her expectations of love and relationships; that of plot elements of romance novels rather than real life.

I had a hard time connecting with this story. I didn’t really see Axel and Rena together or feel the chemistry of the characters. I felt that they were so completely different that they didn’t complement each other well.

One thing I didn’t enjoy were the multiple points of view. Two characters I can understand, but when your adding more than that and not indicating until you are deep in the paragraph who’s view it is, it makes it hard to keep track. Also having the book told in third person, when it should have been first, kept me from enjoying the story.

The family and friends were one of the best parts of this book. It was hard to keep track of everyone at times, but everyone had a shining moment that brought the story to life. They brought humor to mix with the serious tone and were fiercely devoted to the main characters. I found myself more invested in their story rather than Axel and Rena’s.

All in all I really wanted to love this story. I was rooting and fighting to connect with it, but in the end I don’t think this book was meant for a reader like me.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for this ARC.

I didn’t really like the opening... or the fighting. It did take me a little bit to get into the story itself because of that. I wasn’t a huge fan of how it was written. I think the idea behind the story is cute though.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This story is part of several series so it was one I had been waiting for and I really enjoyed it. It stars Axel who is friends with Del and the guys at her auto shop. We see Donnigans in this story and all the past characters from all the interconnected stories.

Mostly its a story about a girl, Rena who is one tough cookie, bartender and beauty salon owner. She is quitting the bartender and opening her own salon and Axel has a huge thing for her but not the confidence to think he is good enough for her. Rena has a thing for him too but she is tired of waiting for him.

On one hand Axel's mom has died, he is a BIg, buff, and sensitive fellow who also likes a good fight. Very rough around the edges but also very emotional after losing his mother. Rena comes from a good family, has many friends and family but is looking for that special someone and she thinks that might be Axel but she wants him to ask her out and pursue her.

I found Axel a little too prone to fighting but also a little too sensitive for me. That said I did nejoy the story and revisiting all my previous characters from the other books in the series I have read.

The story of Rena and Axel. They are both great characters and you want them to get together. I liked how it is told from both of their points of view so you can understand them more.

There was a bit too much violence in it for me!

This is a very fun romance. Rena is a romantic who has just opened up a salon, and Axel is the intimidating auto shop owner who has a crush on her. I didn't realize this was part of a series when I picked it up, but everything made sense and I still really enjoyed it. I'll have to go back and read the rest of the series now.

I was provided a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.