It Started With a Kiss by Marina Adair, two unlikely characters, band together to save a local adventure lodge. Avery Adams is the new guide for the lodge, but is really an office manager. She can't wait to start taking people out on trails and when one of the guides falls sick, she gets her wish...only her inexperience shows and right in front of the boss's Mountain Rescue son. Tyson Donovan is home to save the lodge but things are worse than they appear. His dad has some health issues going on and there are new employees who put the lodge at risk, but firing Avery isn't the answer, even though he's tried multiple times. Can they save the lodge together and maybe, find love?

Avery is a wonderful heroine and so full of life. With Avery, Tyson is able to move past his brother's death and find home again. Great characters, wonderful descriptions, and well-written words, makes It Started With a Kiss, a great read!

I received this as a Advanced Readers Copy, I love how the story of Avery and Ty was written and how it flowed from one page to another. I loved how they had to work through some hardships to get to their happy ever after. I really loved the letter from Avery's mother to her, it was so sweet and thoughtful., I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

It started with a kiss

I am a fan of Marina so I was super excited when I saw it a new book of hers on netgalley. I totally requested it without reading the description because I knew it would be good...... I was right!
This story is about Avery and Ty, she is sweet and he is stubborn. What a mix these two are but their chemistry is undeniable. And the other characters in this book were great... I can't wait to read whomever is next... I have some ideas but can't wait!
The storyline is this book was amazing. It has some major angst that kept me emotionally vested in the story. I also loved loved loved the epilogue! I love when I finish the last sentence of a book I loved and swipe and find an epilogue! 
I can't wait to read more in this series!!


.

It all started with a Big Bang, or in this case It Started with a Kiss, which technically still leads to a big bang. *wink* *wink* Kind of lame, I know, though don’t underestimate the power of a first kiss. I like Avery’s bucket list, she has her own adventures she wants to accomplish, and those of the people who no longer can, like kissing a stranger.

Though when Tyson turns out not to be a stranger, rather the son of her boss, things get a bit more complicated. Back after years of absence due to family drama, he’s there to help his ailing father bring their adventure lodge back to glory. Spirited Avery was not on that agenda, though she’s a force to be reckoned with.

I loved Avery, and her sense for adventure. She has always had to play it safe, though her endless optimism, and the support of a great group of women has kept her going all these years. Now she just has to convince grumpy Tyson that life is a lot more fun if you give people a chance.

Tyson had no idea what hit him when Avery kissed him. He’s convinced he’s not back forever, though when things with his father seems worse than he thought, and hanging out with little Miss Adventure is so much fun, maybe it was time to take a good look at his life. Moving back might be the best thing that ever happened to him.

It Started With A Kiss by Marina Adair was a pleasant read. Avery is a hoot, and Tyson is hot. I loved reading their interactions, and the chemistry was flying of the pages. The secondary characters, and the setting of the story were great as well. I definitely see the potential there for more stories. Read It Started With A Kiss if you like small town romances, quirky heroines, and charming heroes.

*I received a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

It Started With a Kiss is the first of what will hopefully be a long series by Marina Adair about Sterling Canyon and its inhabitants.  Avery is an amazing, unusual character, who underwent a long, serious illness in her teen years and literally has a new lease on life following a kidney transplant.  She has decided to live life to its fullest both for herself and for other people who died of their illnesses, leaving unfulfilled wishes that she has collected in a book.  She approaches Ty in order to make one of the wishes come true, and the kiss she plants on him turns out to affect her more than she expected.  It affects Ty as well, as does everything about Avery, to the point where he must face his own demons in order to find a way to be with this remarkable woman.

oh my goodness I have found a new book boyfriend! Ty Donovan is wonderful! This story will grab you from the beginning and keep you up late at night, continuing to read and enjoy this great story. Wonderful start to a new series by author Marina Adair.

It started With A Kiss touched the soul in SO MANY WAYS!!

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH! I have no idea how Marina Adair is able to make me feel so many different emotions, but her words touch my soul in so many different ways. Marina Adair works miracles with her words. You start reading the words, then all the sudden the words disappear and a beautiful story/movie plays in your head. Before you know it, you are crying, laughing out loud, swooning, falling in love, and completely LIVING a totally different life. One that is filled with brand new friends you feel like you have known forever.

Avery is used to sitting on the sidelines due to her health problems. Now that she is in the best shape of her life, she is ready to really live and take chances. When she meets Ty, she thinks he's the perfect guy to have a little fun with. Until she shows up at work and realizes Ty is her bosses son and he has come to help take over the company. Living Avery and Ty's love story is just SO MUCH FUN!!!

I absolutely recommend this book! It is my favorite "read" so far this year! I can not wait to see what Marina Adair comes up with next so I can fall into another beautiful story!!!

5 Stars – Audiobook Review

A splendid small town romance!

It Started With a Kiss is the first book in Marina Adair’s new Sequoia Lake series. Set in a small town in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, this book will splendidly satisfy romance readers everywhere who enjoy seeing love bloom surrounded by the great outdoors.

Having had a successful kidney transplant, Avery Adams is eager to climb a mountain. There’s a specific reason why she wants to hike up a particular mountain, and she’s not letting her inexperience get in the way. Avery is Sequoia Lake Lodge’s newest adventure coordinator and anxiously wants to be trained on the trails. Tyson Donovan has reluctantly returned to his hometown. He has painful reasons to stay away, but meeting Avery might make it difficult to leave after he helps out with the family business.

As an avid hiker, I connected quickly with both Avery and Tyson and their love for the outdoors. Avery has overcome some major obstacles in her life. Her zest-for-life attitude is adorably infectious. I think she enters Tyson’s life right at the perfect moment, as he’s in need to deal with some heavy things that have happened in his past. I was absolutely smitten with how their story played out. I also enjoyed getting to know all the secondary characters, and I’m very much looking forward to reading their stories in the next books in this series.

If it’s any indication how much I admired It Started With a Kiss, I listened to the audiobook immediately after reading the book. Renee Raudman narrates most of Marina Adair’s books, and I was delighted that she voices this particular one. I always find her narrations quite enjoyable, clear, and with just the right amount of emotion.

I’ve read all of Marina Adair’s romance books to date. I must say that It Started With a Kiss lands itself as one of my favorite books she’s ever written. Not only is the romance fun and engaging, but also the plot highlights relationships such as mother-daughter, father-son, and friendships that tug at your heart. You’ll be left feeling satisfied and hopeful!

Avery is determined to Live Life Large. After surviving a hereditary kidney disease and transplant, Avery has decided to LIVE! She no longer lets test results, aches, and possible heartache run her life. Avery is determined to live without a "net", as she would rather live and experience loss than to have not lived at all. So Avery makes major life changes. Avery quits her stuffy, inside job to work at an Adventure-based lodge.

Tyson, having loved and suffered great loss at the age of seventeen, decided long ago to run. He ran away from Sequoia Lake and the lodge and buried the pain in the past. He dedicated his life to becoming the best Search & Rescue River specialist around. That way, no one will have to experience the pain that tore his family apart.

When Dale, Tyson's dad, starts experiencing dementia-like symptoms things at the lodge start falling apart. When the lodge fails inspection of one of the biggest events they sponsor, Tyson is notified. Tyson takes vacation in order to come home and help get the lodge ready for a second inspection. On his way into town, he runs into Avery--on top of his truck, writing on the windshield with lipstick....

Tyson and Avery are EXTRAORDINARY together! Avery has a memory journal, where she goes about filling others wishes they can't fulfill because they've passed away or aren't physically able to do for themselves anymore. When Tyson helps fulfill a little girl's dream of becoming a princess before her BMT, I sobbed!!! This novel deals with real life issues: death, survivor's guilt, cancer, dementia, pride, kidney transplant, etc. I absolutely LOVED seeing life through Avery's eyes. It made me want to be a better person, more giving. It also made me realize that I needed to go out and LIVE without fear. If I could give this novel more than 5 Stars, I would!!! I read a gifted copy and all opinions stated are my own.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.
Avery is trying to live life to its fullest. She recently had a kidney transplant, and starts working at an adventure lodge. She gets stuck in her harness and tries to find a way out of it. She sees a truck with a a lot of tools and leaves a message to the owner when she drops and loses the screwdriver. 
Tyson is back in town to help his family's lodge. There is a boat load of tension between him and his father, who isn't doing so well. Tyson and Avery go for a drink and she gets the upper hand. 
They are wildly attracted to one another and end up kissing and then they realize that she works for him. They both try and stay away from each other because a relationship would be inappropriate and Tyson is planning on leaving in a few weeks. 
But, the best laid plans don't work out and they end up falling in love. Just when they decide to give. a relationship a try, Avery gets a message from her doctor and the news spins Tyson off his axis. 
Will Tyson be able to live knowing that Avery might have a relapse?  Will Avery be able to get Tyson to realize that you can't hold on to the past and live a full life?  Will Tyson and his dad ever talk about why their relationship is so strained?  Pick up, It Started With A Kiss today and find out.

RATING: READ IT {Beth} –

He tasted like chocolate, whipping cream, and the exciting start to a new chapter.

^^ Three things I love right there. Chocolate. Kisses. New chapters. 

Something else I love (aside from making these cheesy connections to a quote from the book I'm reviewing…)? Marina Adair’s sweetly charming new small-town series. 

It Started with a Kiss (Sequoia Lake Book 1) is just the beginning, and it's a very good one at that—filled as it is with likable characters, playful moments, quirky small-town shops and drinks and people. It was a book I anticipated, one I enjoyed and one that made me a very happy camper. Or if we’re sticking with the theme—a very happy adventurer. 

This was a simple and adorable story. Not taxing, not over the top, high on love, low on angst. That's not to say, of course, that there's no drama and no feeling here. The race to the ending was emotional; I loved seeing Ty + Avery in these tense moments, and will even own shedding a couple of tears. And the underlying story of Avery’s need to fulfill wishes and Ty’s need to keep running added just enough tension to the story to keep my attention, even if elements of the story came together a little too quickly and perfectly than I might have otherwise expected.  

Despite that (or maybe because of it?!), this book grabbed my attention. Kept my attention. And left me keen for more. More of Ty + Avery, who had a buzzing chemistry and some excellent banter. More of Harris (+ his little girl because SINGLE DADS). More of Liv. Of Grace. Of the lodge. Of the town. 

Of this series. I'm already looking forward to solving the comic book mystery and perhaps getting another glimpse of Avery + Ty in their loud, loving future. And I wouldn't mind some more chocolate flavored kisses and exciting new chapters, either. 

“I’d rather take the leap and fall than spend the rest of my life looking out windows.”

I loved this book! Absolutely loved it! Avery Adams recently had a kidney transplant and now she wants to live bold. Ty Donovan is part of the search and rescue team. He comes home to Sequoia Lake to help out with his family's business. Both Ty and Avery have tragedy in their pasts. Together they help each other heal. 

This is one of my favorite quotes.
"It was amazing. The kind of amazing that happened once in a lifetime, where timing and anticipation, and maybe even the f*cking stars, lined up to create a moment that couldn’t be matched."

You shouldn't miss this book!

I think really does start with a kiss! And a lost tool, a suggestive note written in lipstick...oh, and a flaming pigs ass! That got your attention, didn't it?
Avery and Ty's meet cute is funny and sexy, and they shared a very interesting connection that can either make or break a relationship. For while Avery has dug her roots into Sequoia Lake, Ty is just making a temporary visit to help the lodge his parents own...then he's back at his job of saving those in need. But first, he could use a little saving of his own, and Avery is just the gal for the job.
With great characters, a setting so beautifully describe I could almost smell the outdoors and some serious issues of health and guilt thrown in, there's something for everyone to love in book one of this great news series. Like all Adair's books, she grabs ahold of you on page one and brings you on a sweet and sexy magical ride to a happily ever after!

The story is solid, the characters are nicely developed, the build is gradual and at times a little slow but it doesn't interfere with the overall pace.   I went through an array of emotions.  Mad at Ty and Avery separately at on point, Happy, Sad, Confused, and at times emotionally drained because I know several people that have had lives much like Avery.  

While I enjoyed the story there was something missing for me.  I am not sure what it was and will re-read this to see if I can pin point it.   I am a fan of Marina and I would give it a try because she writes amazing stories.

This is a great start to a new series.  This book made me laugh and shed a few tears.  I am looking forward to reading more in this series.

It Started With a Kiss is the first book in the new Sequoia Lake series from Marina Adair and I felt like it was a great start to the new series.

Avery Adams was a completely refreshing heroine. Her goal following her kidney transplant is to live out loud and complete all the items in her memory journal in honor or in memory of the many friends and family she has known. I have to believe Avery has always been a strong woman, but following her kidney transplant, she is almost fearless now. I love that Avery had such a great attitude about life and wanted to live it to the fullest. So much so, that when she meets Ty, she totally lives in the moment and kisses him, completing the kiss a stranger page in her memory journal. 

Tyson Donovan didn't tell Avery she worked for his parents when they met and it made me chuckle just a bit that he kept that little tidbit from her. Ty and his dad haven't really been close since his brother died in an accident on the mountain while he was with Ty. Honestly, it broke my heart to see Ty and his dad together at times. I could tell Ty wanted to help his dad out, but the tension between them and the distance between them made it hard for them to even be in the same room without fighting. I found Avery understood them both and seemed to help the situation a bit when she was with them together to with each one separately. 

Even knowing Ty was only staying at the lodge long enough to get his dad through the inspection, he seemed to find it much easier to be there thanks to Avery. First of all, they had amazing chemistry and it only got stronger the more time they spent together. Ty seemed to get Avery and her need to stretch her wings in a way many others didn't. Yes he wanted to keep her safe and didn't want her to do anything to hurt herself, but he found a way to help her make each page of her memory book come true.  Ty also seemed to feel more at home the more time he spent with Avery. Although Ty and Avery were pretty different, I found myself totally falling for them as a couple.

It Started With a Kiss was a sweet, sexy romance filled with redemption, laughter, hope and forgiveness. I loved meeting Avery's and Ty's friends in It Started With a Kiss and can't wait to read more books from this series. I already have a few favorite secondary characters that I really hope get their own books in the future.

Rating: 4 Stars (B)

This book is the first in a new series by Marina Adair. I am a fan of her writing so I was willing to read an advance copy of the book and offer my honest review. I enjoyed the book and am definitely looking forward to more in the series. The book is set in a fictional town of Sequoia Lake and centers on the relationship between Ty and Avery.

As a survivor of kidney disease, Avery has decided to live her life to the fullest. She works as an administrative assistant as the lodge owned and run by Ty’s parents. Ty is a member of an elite search and rescue team and has come home to the lodge to help out his parents. He does not expect to find his father battling dementia, his mother in denial of the severity of his father’s condition and the lodge in serious disrepair.

Avery wants to be a guide to take guests out on hikes and she does everything in her power to prove she is up the challenge… in spite of never having had any kind of training or experience. Ty is intrigued by her tenacity and her free and giving spirit. They both have healing to do and the more time they spend together, the more Ty’s alpha personality and his "need to rescue" tendencies show themselves.

This is a touching story of family ties and of living life to the fullest. It caught my attention from the very beginning and I would recommend it highly.

I loved this book,  Marina Adair writes books that take you inside the story, as if you were right there with the characthers.  I cannot wait for book 2 in this series.  There was romance, tears , laughs.. something for everyone.. ;)
 highly recommend this book.  you will not be sorry for getting this book...

Holding Out for a Hero 

Where have all the good men gone....
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed?....
I need a hero 
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast....

Through the wind, and the chill, and the rain
And the storm, and the flood
I can feel his approach like a fire in my blood...

I'm not sure Marina Adair didn't lift the lyrics of this famous Footloose soundtrack song to mold the plot to the novel that kicks off her new Sequoia Lake series. Seriously, nearly every line of the song can be tied in some way to It Started With a Kiss. Tyson Donovan is certainly a new kind of hero. He's leads an elite mountain rescue squad, specializing in swift water recovery. That is exotic, at least to this Midwesterner, where water skiing on a river counts as an extreme sport. I found the mountain resort setting and the emphasis on elite rescue teams to be a refreshing setting for a hero-based story. Adair ups the ante by including serious health issues for heroine Avery and wrapping the story with how all the characters have to deal with early onset of Alzheimer's for the Donovan patriarch.

Adair is a formulaic writer, and although the setting is different than, say, St. Helena wine country (where the author has based two of her other series), she sticks to what works: small town, cheerful and upbeat heroine, interfering / matchmaking family and friends, the coffee klatch, and hunky heroes with problems of their own. However, she is the master at a meet-cute. The way in which Avery and Ty meet is no exception. The novel starts light and airy, in fact so much so, that I felt a little sugar-shock from the utterly selfless, too-good-to-be-true Avery. She is so caring of others that she made me feel bad about myself. However, Adair effortlessly slides us into deeper concerns for both characters, and I forgot about my aversion to overly sweet and began to see another side of Avery. Ty comments that she doesn't do subtle. Her response says everything: "Waste of time, and I would rather know where I stand than sit around wondering and second-guessing." She stays true to this mantra throughout the novel. She is also very centered, which has its own attraction for a man who has risked his life for years in the pursuit of assuaging his guilt.

Ty, on the other hand, is a little harder to pin down. He is there to help his father temporarily with the lodge, but their relationship has a rocky past. "Dale had a way of doing that, spinning Ty right off the planet with one well-placed comment." The father-son dynamic is a major part of the novel, and I appreciated that Adair didn't take the easy way out and solve it all easily and quickly. 

Relationships form the core of this novel. Since I love a good thrill, I was disappointed that Adair chose to skim the details of the actual "action" parts of the story. The book is firmly entrenched in the "contemporary romance" genre and all about the "feels." Avery knows what she needs, emotionally, yet weirdly there are noticeable holes in Avery's life - we don't get a sense of her space or other family. This leaves a bigger place for Ty to fill. The guy is a rock. He is Avery's hero "fresh from the fight." Yeah, I've got you humming that song now, don't I?

Book source: ARC from NetGalley.

3.5 stars

There is something about this book. I wish I could pinpoint the exact thing, but something really draws you in, hooks you and doesn't want to let go. I don't know if it is the likable characters, the small town, the imagery the author was able to convey flawlessly, the second chance at life mentality of the heroine, the rescue profession of the hero??? I enjoyed this story a lot. One thing that could have made it better was if the whole lot was beefed up with more...more details, more banter, more scenes. What can I say? I'm a greedy reader.