Blossoming recording artist Jordan Phelps watches her life go up in smoke when a candle tips over and lights a BDSM play club on fire. After losing her job, her lover, and her home, Jordan sets out across America to find a safe place. She lands in Boston, where an old college friend asks her to join their small lounge band. There she meets pianist Morgan Sparks, who lights another blaze, this time in Jordan’s heart.

But Morgan has a history that keeps her well away from relationships. Running away from the past is never easy, but when an abusive ex-lover finds her through her new band’s website, Morgan must face scars that never quite healed. The leather community helps Jordan and Morgan get back the respect and esteem they once had, but will love be enough to mend a broken heart?

I did not end up finishing this book, according to the blurb this book appeared to be something straight up my alley however the book moved too quickly for my liking and left me confused more often then not. Although this book did not mesh well with me i'm sure it will mesh with someone else, don't let my review stop you from reading this yourself and coming to your own conclusion.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me an arc in exchange for a honest review.

A novel based on love... based on erotica, always makes for a very entertaining and amusing novel of its genre. I found this novel to be fulfilling, and I was quite fulfilled and satisfied with the contents of this novel. It kept me interested every step of the way. The author is to be commended for such a great story line. As we all know a storyline is the backbone to any novel and as such this story line was executed nicely. Job well done, written nicely and with its audience in mind.

I read this book as very few books touch on BDSM and even then it’s rarely done well. Unfortunately this book really didn’t work for me and I gave up after reading two thirds of it. I couldn’t feel any spark between the two main characters, and couldn’t relate to Morgan at all as we had very little insight into her character. There were random chapters told in Robbie’s point of view which confused me. Jordan’s backstory was too far fetched to be believable, as were some of the sex scenes. There were various remarks throughout the book that were just really strange (like one of the characters commenting that her girlfriend is jealous of another woman because the woman’s breasts are bigger) and some of the references to the BDSM community felt outdated given the characters were in their 30s. Fiction is an escape from reality but I felt the characters and plot would have benefited from a dose of realism.

This is a story about the two main characters having secrets and history of having trauma in past relationships. Jordan. Is a popular singer who lives in California. Due to some horrendous situation she chooses to leave California and try to start her life over in Massachusetts where she meets Morgan, a piano player who is also the head of a local successful band. Morgan is also living with A painful past she’d rather forget.. despite their secrets, both women enter into the beginning of a relationship with one another, the attraction grew as Jordan became the lead singer in Morgan’s band. If the author would have taken A different approach and build the story around these two characters, perhaps the book would have been a bit more interesting. As it stands, it was hard to develop an attachment to either woman, there was so much not necessary and irrelevant information in the story from this point on that I lost any interest in the two main characters. While both characters have a history of engaging in BDSM, Morgan was quite clear she did not want to have any part of that again. Jordan. disregarded that wish and attempt to convince Morgan to get back into that scene. I found this part of the story upsetting. The story in this book had much potential but for me it missed the mark. That being said I think the author has some talent and I would certainly read more books from her.

I have read other books by this author and I am aware of her style and I like it. I like her characters and her challenging plotting. This is not formulaic lesfic romance. Far from it. This is damaged women finding a way through their emotional baggage to try and find happiness and a fulfilling relationship.

Jordan is a very talented singer and teacher on the verge of the big time when she accidentally sets fire to a BDSM club. No spoilers here. Although the owners know and love her and accept that it was a horrible accident, she loses her job, her girlfriend, and her big shot at stardom. She sets off across the country to visit old friends and forget. When she visits a friend in Boston, she gets a gig with her band and regularly meets with Morgan, the keyboard player, and there is a connection beyond their love of music.

Morgan isn’t into BDSM and is not looking for love. But somehow they fumble and fall and fail and manage to find a way to create incredible things. The relationship feels real and the ability to connect felt genuine. I liked the characters, including all the other band members but I did feel the end was a bit rushed and somewhat unsatisfying. Maybe Ms Barrett D'Arnuk tried to fit too much story in one book? I’m not sure but I will be seeking out her next book.

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review

I received a complimentary copy of Jordan's Kiss in exchange for an honest review. BDSM is not my usual genre, but it appeared from the book description that this wasn't a BDSM as much as a romance book so I decided to give it a shot. I really struggled with this book. There were way too many characters and the author just kept jumping back and forth between characters and different events. There were a few times I had to ask myself who this book was actually about, Jordan and Morgan were mediocre characters at best, and the music backdrop might have resonated to some readers, but was lost on me. I have to say this was a hard pass for me for so many reasons.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

Very fast paced storyline. It focuses on Jordan and Morgan. Both are healing from past trauma yet help each other push through. The main characters and cast will make you laugh, cry and sigh a lot. A good read.

I knew when I first asked for this book to review there would be a little and I mean little bit of BDSM. Not really my cup of tea, but I figured the main characters would at least be somewhat likable but neither MC or the rest of the cast came across as likable people. Needless to say I was disappointed. Made it as far as the 10th chapter. Had to stop. I just had to. Now you or other readers might enjoy reading this book and if you do I hope you find it much more than I have.
ARC via NetGalley/Bold Stroke Books

Jordan’s kiss premises were excellent, looking at trust in a BDSM relationship. And it started so promising with Jordan’s introduction to Morgan and the band. But the more I read the more confused I got. It jumped from Jordan and Morgan to Robin and Chelsea and back too quickly, and the relationships were so rushed.
For a BDSM book there wasn’t that much BDSM and the relationship between Jordan and Morgan could have been exploited so much more but it kind of fell flat. The biggest issue for me however were what I felt like judgemental passages. First was when the author suggested that Morgan height will compensate with Jordan being beautiful and continued with the saying that being androgynous will make someone less desirable. We then looked at fat shaming when we met Amy and ageism when Suzanne was introduced. And the big one for me, sub shaming. A few hints were dropped here and there that being a sub is somehow shameful, first when Amy suggested that being a sub is beneath Jordan and she should go ahead and be a domme and even the very last phrase of the book sounded off. I’m not entirely sure what was the author’s purpose with this book but it missed the mark for me.

Jordon's Kiss is a story that mainly focuses on trust. Jordon is an amazing singer who has lost the opportunity to sign a record deal after an unfortunately incident at a BDSM club. She relocates trying to run away from everything that been happening. She reconnect with an old friend and join her band. There she meets the pianist Morgan who is also a member of the band. Overtime their relationship develop and they discover quite a few things about each other.
I recommend4 stars.


Thank you Bold Stokes Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Trust is the underlying theme of this book, and while there are certain moments where you get a glimpse into the heart of the character, I found that a lot stayed very surface. I like really connecting to characters, and that didn't happen for me here. I liked the premise of the story of characters finding trust in each other but the plot fell flat for me.

2. stars

Jordans Kiss moved way too quickly for me and found it difficult to keep up. I found it difficult to like the characters and felt no real 'spark'. This story may be for someone else, but for me, I found it difficult to read.

.Blossoming recording artist Jordan Phelps watches her life go up in smoke when a candle tips over and lights a BDSM play club on fire. After losing her job, her lover, and her home, Jordan sets out across America to find a safe place. She lands in Boston, where an old college friend asks her to join their small lounge band. There she meets pianist Morgan Sparks, who lights another blaze, this time in Jordan’s heart.

But Morgan has a history that keeps her well away from relationships. Running away from the past is never easy, but when an abusive ex-lover finds her through her new band’s website, Morgan must face scars that never quite healed. The leather community helps Jordan and Morgan get back the respect and esteem they once had but will love to be enough to mend a broken heart?

Jordan Phelps had a good life in California with a girlfriend. a teaching job and a pending music deal for her band. Then one night everything came apart. She had been having Candle play with her girlfriend at a BDSM playclub when a candle tipped over and started a fire. The facility burned down and her girlfriends mother went to the police accusing her of trying to murder her daughter. Due to the publicity about her arrest, she lost her job as a teacher and the record company withdrew the offer with her band. The charges were eventually dropped but the damage was already done. She left town and ended up in Boston to visit a college friend. The friend got her to join a lounge band. At the lounge. she met Morgan and developed a relationship with her. I recommend this book.

Jordan's Kiss was not what I expected it to be. The story started out as an ode to big band musicals, and lounge singers in a club to Leather clubs out of California. The relationship between Morgan and Jordan was a slow burn romance with quite a few sexy scenes to keep it steamy. There were several different storylines throughout this book, but the main story was about Jordan and what she needed to go through in order to have the life that she wanted and the family and friends that she needed in order to heal and live a healthy life outside of the leather community she came from. I don't normally read bdsm books that often, but this was a well written interesting book. I would love to read more books by this author and look forward to what she writes next.

1.5/5

I’m not sure what originally drew me to this book, but something made me want to read it. I’ve never read anything by this author, but I decided to give her a chance. I was luckily able to receive an eARC from Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Jordan runs from her life when everything she knows goes up in flames. She loses her job, her lover, and her home in one fell swoop. She meets up with an old college friend and sings a song with her band. She meets their pianist, Morgan. Morgan has a well-hidden history that has left her holding out on relationships. There is an attraction between the two, but can they help each other heal?

I don’t really know what to say about this book. It just feels kind of “eh”. The characters weren’t too interesting to me. There wasn’t anything overly interesting to me and I just found that I didn’t really care about what was happening to all of them. Also, I don’t know why there were random parts (only a couple pages but still) focused on Robbie.

I found it hard to keep track of time in this book and that lead to confusion. At one point Jordan mentioned that it had been six months when I thought it had only been a couple of months at most.

I did like how Jordan explained a BDSM relationship to Morgan. Morgan was dealing with her own issues, but Jordan was able to explain it in a way that helped Morgan heal. It wasn’t an overly long section, but it gave enough information where people new to the BDSM community could get a glimpse at what a relationship would look like. Not overly in-depth, but not skipping over the important parts either.

There were a couple of small problems that really weren’t too bad. Sometimes the wording was a bit confusing, and it would take me out of the moment trying to figure out what was going on. Also, there were multiple times where the dialogue was missing an end quote and I learned that that’s a minor pet peeve for me. Neither of these were very bad and if it had been just that it would have been fine.

I have various other issues with this book, but I’m going to try to word them in the best way possible.

I feel like there was more that could have been done with the BDSM part of the book. Jordan is Leather, Morgan not really. It could have been an interesting dynamic between the two if it had been stretched through the entire book but instead it was touched on a couple of times and then nothing really.

I really did not like learning about Jordan’s first Mistress. That just made me feel off. <spoiler> Jordan was 18, in high school, and entered into a relationship of sorts with her teacher adjunct. That’s just not something I’m okay with. </spoiler>

My absolute biggest problem with this book was the pacing. Everything felt like it was moving very quickly. I mentioned before that I couldn’t keep track of time in this book, so I think that’s why everything felt fast. Also, a couple of plots felt like something that should have been explored more but instead had a chapter or two and then was mentioned in discussion between the characters.

I honestly think the best way I could describe how this book felt to me is this: a speedrun where everything and nothing happens. I just think that this book could have been amazing, but it just didn’t work for me.

Fascinating look under the cover of those that support the major music stars who have the musical ability and talent. There is real knowledge shared about how bands can start out and what makes things work and what doesn’t - along with the good and bad luck to make things swim along. The romance between Jordan and Morgan is sweet and seems almost a little too easy after the initial emotional barriers are knocked down. There is a whole band’s worth of romance and relationships to discover which is great although the peripheral romances may have been better as separate books as they take over a bit from the central characters themselves. The rush to get so many happy ever afters into the book mean that the last few pages are all unknotting of issues and proposals - lovely for the characters but a bit too much syrup for the book all at once.

Jordan looking for a fresh start after everything that happen in California even though it was accident the damage was done. She winds up in Boston where she met up with her college friend Robbie who in a band that plays at a lounge. Jordan joins the band and meets Morgan and instantly attracted to her.

Morgan is a great pianist but she doesn’t do relationship because after being in abusive one she doesn’t let anyone close but that changes when she meets Jordan although she tries to keep her at arm lengths she can’t and they both give into their attraction.

Morgan is still dealing with the scars her ex cause and she has to face them when her ex finds her while Jordan supports her their relationship grows. I enjoy this read I like the supporting characters Robbie Lori Chelsea Blaine Lacey as they help Morgan and Jordan. I like that Jordan explain what BDSM to Morgan really is because she always thought it was about control.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.