In It Started With a Kiss by Marina Adair, after sickness and heartbreak, Avery is now living her life to the fullest - and part of that is her job at an adventure lodge.  Another big part of that is her 'bucket list', and I think this part of Avery is what warmed me the most.  She's living dreams for not only herself, but for others who can't.  When she meets Tyson, and checks off part of her list, she has no idea who he is or how much things are going to change.  Tyson is back in his home town at the lodge his parents own...a place he's never felt at home in since a tragedy that rocked his family.  That tragedy defined so many things in his family's life, and there is a lot of unresolved feelings...hurt, anger, sadness.  He's only back for a short time to help turn the business around, and he never expects to meet someone like Avery.  But he's not there to stay, she's not leaving, and neither of them are looking for romance.  Sometimes things happen when you least expect it though, and moving forward in what direction is now uncertain for both of them...

I really enjoyed It Started With a Kiss.  Marina Adair brings so much feeling and life into the plot, making it not only about Avery and Tyson, but those around them too.  I liked the family connections and how they are explored in this book.  There is no easy fix and Tyson in particular grows so much as the plot progresses.  I liked Avery and Tyson as main characters, they both have so much in their backgrounds that brought them to where they are today.  I felt like I got to know them, and I felt for them both so much.  I really hoped that if they didn't work out as a couple, other aspects of their lives would work out.

I had such a good feeling reading It Started With a Kiss.  It is filled with emotional highs and lows, it's believable, and all of the characters are very likeable, each one bringing something special to the plot.

It Started With a Kiss was easy to fall into, and the flowing words, the characters, and the situations kept me there.  I'd recommend It Started With a Kiss to any romance reader!

With a kidney transplant behind her, Avery Adams is determined to channel her inner adventurer and explore everything life has to offer. Only problem is, the closest she’s ever come to a real-life adventure was sixth-grade science camp. So to seize the summer in her rustic Sierra Nevada town, she takes a job as a guide at the local adventure lodge. But Avery doesn’t realize her biggest challenge will register at six-plus feet of rugged good looks and alpha-male charm.

As a member of the Sequoia Elite Mountain Rescue team, Tyson Donovan has made a life out of cheating death and rescuing weekend warriors from the treacherous terrain. “The world is my home” is more than just a motto; it’s what scares off women who would otherwise try to tie him down. When his dad’s health lands the family’s adventure lodge in serious danger of going up in flames, he moves home—and quickly remembers why he left. Until he meets Avery, the irresistible new guide who makes him want to stay.

Tyson gives the inexperienced Avery a lesson in romance that her books could never teach her. And with her undeniable spirit for life, Avery shows Tyson the healing power of love. But with one misstep, everything comes crashing down, and they’ll both have to take the biggest leap of all—into the kind of adventure that lasts a lifetime.

I loved this book so much after reading a couple of books this weekend that left a less than stellar taste in my mouth.  This book had it...a quirky heroine and a hero who had a true "hero complex' and I liked it!!  It had some sex in it but it didn't really detract from the storyline because....guess what?  There was an actual storyline in this book! Thank you Jesus but there's a story and plot and not just sex on and sex off!!  I recommended this book to my mother and I bought her a copy as soon as I saw the Pre-Order button.  I was telling her all about it like they were real people and that is the test of a good book.  It's that test that I put all books through.  I truly enjoyed this book and fell in love with Avery and Ty.  I could have honestly read for another 100 pages and not gotten bored or skipped any of those pages.  I loved Harris, Dale and Irene and Avery's friends.  She was a great character to have fall in love with Ty.  I loved where she wrote on his truck in lipstick "I owe you a screw" and then her lipstick breaks and the whole time he's watching her because she dropped his screwdriver down the drain.  She's always doing stuff to surprise him and yet it's not a surprise.  He can only play off her mistakes and genuine flightiness.  Pick this book up and read it, gift it or keep it...you won't be disappointed.

I was given a copy of this ARC from the publisher on Netgalley for a honest review. All of the above comments are my express opinions and no one else's.

Feel Good Hometown Romance complete with real life heart-ship and emotionally charged pasts to overcome. The Author paints a picture with her words of a beautiful small town filled with outdoor adventure and hometown pride. I love the name of their support group "Living for Love" Avery is just so sweet, smart and a survivor just now learning to Live her Life out loud. I just admire her strength and persistence to be as happy as can be no matter what life troughs at her. Ty is so breathtakingly uber alpha hero with a soft side he tries so hard to hide. This couple was so entertaining and fantastically fun to read I could not stop reading. Looking forward to my next visit to Sequoia Lake.

OHHHH MAAAAAAAAAAN!  This book, you guys!  *swoon* This was the first book in Marina's new series and it was AAAAAMAZING!

Avery has had to be cautious most of her life. She is tired of playing it safe and wants to be daring. She finds that with Ty. Their first meeting is laugh out loud funny and it gets better from there! Ty is a search and rescue guy. His dangerous job saves others. However, there was one person in his life he couldn’t save.  Neither Ty nor Avery are looking to date anyone.  But due to their jobs, they were sort of tied to each other.  

It was hard for Ty to be home and be around his dad. He always felt his dad’s disappointment with him and they couldn’t get along.  Avery was hired to help run the office and keep an eye on Dale because things were starting to change.  Now that Ty was staying to help the lodge get ready for an inspection, things about his dad started coming to light. Avery was dealing with the loss of friends and learning to live through them and for them.  She had been learning what it was she wanted in life, was learning more about herself and she grabbed life by the horns. 
 
I enjoyed the realness of the characters and their situations.  There was guilt, sadness, loss, love and hope.  Their pasts were at times heartbreaking, but their stories were beautifully written and even made this girl tear up! This book has all the elements for a great book hangover and ALL.THE.FEELS. My heart is struggling to get through the feels and all that this book contained. I LOVED this book and highly recommend it!  I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I need it ASAP!

I really enjoyed the story Ms. Adair created. I will admit the first couple of chapters did not reach out and grab me, but I kept reading! It was well worth the effort. The story of Ty and Avery really touched me. Not to give away the story, but just all the trials both have faced and conquered to find their happily ever after! This book had a bit of humor, heat and great characters all around! This is my first book I have read by Marina Adair, but won't be the last! 

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

One moment this book was making me giggle about Avery scrawling unintentionally filthy invitations on cars with lipstick, the next it made me all teary over grief and loss and fighting to survive. But that’s a Marina Adair book for you. This might be a whole new series, but the hallmarks remain the same – emotion and humour and charm and romance and friendship and sheer enjoyment. This book has them all in spades.

Avery is a woman who wants to live large, fulfilling the wishes of women who aren’t able to finish them for themselves, especially since she herself has brushed closed to death on occasion. She’s giving and capable and funny and determined to be more adventurous than life has allowed her so far. She’s amazingly selfless as she does it too. In fact she’s amazing, especially as she continues to grow and change. I loved her and wanted all the best things for her throughout this book.

Ty made it a little harder to root for him at times. He’s big and bold and brave and charming, but he’s also grieving and hurt and a little too stubborn for his own good. Plus unwilling to always see what’s right in front of his face. I did, however, love how he was with Avery. There’s no denying the chemistry between them, but there were signs throughout of how good a couple they could be if he’d just let go a little.

Along with its recurring issues of grief and loss, plus Avery’s own kidney disease, this book also tackles dementia and parental woes. The plot itself involving the adventure centre didn’t grab me as much as I might have hoped, but things between Ty and his dad definitely held my interest alongside the romance. It was also nice to get to know a new community of characters, who I look forward to reading more about in the future.

Fun and emotional and romantic, this was everything I’d expect from an Adair book. Avery was wonderful, and the rest of the characters weren’t so bad either. In all, it's a good start to this new series and I look forward to reading more from Sequoia Lake soon.

Losing her mother at a very young age to kidney disease, Avery Adams, knows heartache. The years her mother waited in the transplant list, to never receive a new kidney, was heartbreaking. Inheriting the same deadly disease, Avery was fortunate to have gotten a transplant. Spending so much time in the hospital, made her stronger and hopeful for living life to the fullest. Now on the one year anniversary of her surgery, Avery wants to start taking adventures and logging them in her journal. Taking a job at the local adventure lodge in the Sierra Mountains, she needs to convince the owner, Dale, that she is healthy and ready to start learning to be a guide for the guests. 
Ty Donovan has been a member of the Sequoia Elite Mountain Rescue Team for years. Ever since losing his brother to a raging river, during a mountain trek, Ty rarely comes home anymore. The memories are too much for him to handle. When his father's health lands Ty back to the family adventure lodge, before it goes under, he must decide if coming home for a few weeks is enough time to get all the problems resolved.
The one thing Ty never expected was to meet feisty Avery, and the way she views life and takes it by the horns. The energy she emits is enough to make him view life in a different way and the feelings she evokes are all new to him. What starts out a serious flirting and lots sizzling kisses, makes him want start to think that staying could be a possibility.
This story was about getting second chances in life and appreciating them to the fullest. The characters had such great chemistry that you could feel it thru the pages. I enjoyed this new book from Marina Adair immensely.

I just finished this book. Ahhhhmazzing. I didn't want their story to end. Can you write a sequel please? I've got to know what happens in the future.

It Started With A Kiss is a charming romance between Avery, a girl who has a new lease on life, and Ty, a guy that has been running away from his past. Avery’s life has always been tame because of her illness, but after the success of her kidney transplant she creates a journal for those less fortunate than her and through their dreams finds the answers to her own. Ty has always blamed himself for the death of his younger brother and because of that his relationship with his father suffered. The family business is on the rocks and Ty comes home to help it get back on track and in doing so forgives himself and starts to mend the rocky relationship with his father. Two very complete storylines for the main characters in this book yet Marina Adair deftly intertwines them with a romance that was new, fun, sexy and sweet.

The challenges Avery has faced, being sick for so long and then getting a transplant, gives her a unique outlook on life.  She wants to bring happiness to those around her by fulfilling a wish, and by riding on the back of a motorcycle or becoming a princess for a day she is actually learning things about herself and making her own dreams come true. I really loved this character for her joie de vivre in the face of a still uncertain future.

When Avery meets Ty, he can’t help but be charmed by her. She fulfills a wish of a friend by kissing a handsome stranger and she not only fills that wish, but starts Ty on a journey of self discovery and in the process helps him heal past wounds and find a love that is unique and real. In some books I get frustrated when the hero spends too much time trying to overcome his feelings and work through his pain, but Marina Adair found the correct balance and flow to this storyline that kept it fresh and enlightening instead of dark and brooding. Also the romance between these two characters had a ton of chemistry which made it easy to root for the pair of them to find happiness.

This book is a refreshing, funny, sexy story that I think will appeal to all contemporary romance fans and I highly recommend you giving it a try.

"Don't go where life leads - lead in the direction you want to go"

Avery recently had a kidney transplant, and after coming through the other side of surgery and finally being well after her long road of dealing with her kidney disease, she wants to live life to the fullest. Her journal she carries with her as tribute to the friends she has met along the way is her guide to fulfilling the wishes that her friends will never get to fulfill.

Ty has been away from home since tragedy struck when he was a young man. He returns to help his parents sort through some issues they are having with their business and livelihood. Ty immediately runs in to Avery, who is in a slightly compromising position...

This was a very sweet, uplifting read. Marina Adair knows how to write an interesting, thought provoking and entertaining story. I loved Avery and Ty, and the entire town whom I think will be weaved into many more stories to come.  I received this book for free for my unbiased review.

Life, love and the power of the human spirit collide in Marina Adair's,  It Started With A Kiss.  The Sequoia Lake series arrives with a powerful message and heartwarming adventure into unexplored territory.  Avery has faced her own mortality and won.  Now she wants everyday to be a challenge in conquering her fears and taking risks.  Tyson is the biggest risk of her life.  He makes her crazy.  He pushes her out of her comfort zone while tempting her with his mere presence.  Obstacles are meant to be conquered and Tyson and Avery will have to decide if they have the staying power to succeed.  Ms. Adair is a favorite of mine because she knows that painful moments make for the most rewarding stories, but she levels the tears with laughs to break the fall.

This first installment of the Sequoia Lake series is one you just won't want to put down. I loved it all! Avery Adams has learned to live life to the fullest in every possible way. Tyson Donovan has come home to help his family and as a result make amends with his father for what happened in the past. This book has everything you could want in a book: humor, great characters, great story, all wrapped up with an HEA. I highly recommend this book, as well as all of Marina's books.

It Started with a Kiss is the first book I've read by Marina Adair and -- it was a little bit of a mixed bag for me. It got off to a very slow start as I felt dropped into the middle of Avery's story just as she was embracing a new lease on life and learning to "live loud". I didn't connect with her right away. I felt like maybe there was a lot of telling and not a lot of showing (which is not unusual for the first book in a new series) and I skimmed my way through a fair portion of the first half of the book. 

At that point, however, it picked up for me and I did wind up quite enjoying Avery's personality. While her exuberance grated on me at first, as the story moved along and I felt like I got to know her a little better she became a little less of a YOLO caricature and a little more real to me and I had an appreciation for her great big heart. I also really liked Tyson. I felt like he maybe rolled over and showed his soft underbelly a little to easily, but there was an intensity to their relationship that hooked me and I read the second half book with a lot more attention and excitement.

As a couple - I thought these two worked really well. There was definitely a ton of chemistry - physical and otherwise. They had some incredibly romantic, sweet moments - and some real life challenges that they had to work through. I loved how they interacted with each other. I loved that they didn't play games with each others feelings, and how respectfully they treated each other, even when times got tough. I loved their relationships with the secondary characters and I even loved the heartbreaking secondary storyline with Ty's dad and how beautifully that was wrapped up in the end. 

So, it's safe to say that my heart definitely got on board, and I genuinely enjoyed this story - even if it felt a bit uneven to me. I'm curious and interested to see where this new series goes next. There's a lot of potential here and I'm on the hook enough to want to explore it more!

Read from January 17 to 18, 2017

Book Info 
Paperback, 265 pages
Expected publication: January 31st 2017 by Montlake Romance
ISBN 1503939685 (ISBN13: 9781503939684)
Edition Language English
Series Sequoia Lake #1
Other Editions (3)
Source:Netgalley EARC

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BOOK BLURB


With a kidney transplant behind her, Avery Adams is determined to channel her inner adventurer and explore everything life has to offer. Only problem is, the closest she’s ever come to a real-life adventure was sixth-grade science camp. So to seize the summer in her rustic Sierra Nevada town, she takes a job as a guide at the local adventure lodge. But Avery doesn’t realize her biggest challenge will register at six-plus feet of rugged good looks and alpha-male charm.

As a member of the Sequoia Elite Mountain Rescue team, Tyson Donovan has made a life out of cheating death and rescuing weekend warriors from the treacherous terrain. “The world is my home” is more than just a motto; it’s what scares off women who would otherwise try to tie him down. When his dad’s health lands the family’s adventure lodge in serious danger of going up in flames, he moves home—and quickly remembers why he left. Until he meets Avery, the irresistible new guide who makes him want to stay.

Tyson gives the inexperienced Avery a lesson in romance that her books could never teach her. And with her undeniable spirit for life, Avery shows Tyson the healing power of love. But with one misstep, everything comes crashing down, and they’ll both have to take the biggest leap of all—into the kind of adventure that lasts a lifetime.

My Thoughts


Avery and Ty start off kind of shaky but as they grow to know each other their mental and physical compatibility gives them both sleepless nights.

Avery is joyfully embracing all that life has to offer. After going through losing her Mom to the same kidney disease that she herself managed to conquer, Avery finds her niche helping others fulfill their dreams of adventure while pining for one of her own.

Tyson Donovan left home after the devastating death of his younger brother, partly out of shameful guilt and partly out of self preservation. Now home to help turn the family business around after it is threatened with disaster he finds himself torn between wanting to run and wanting to stay forever. A concept that is foreign to the adrenaline junkie as well as terrifying in it’s intensity.

These two strangers find themselves working together with the common goal to bring the Donovan lodge back to it’s former glory and in doing so form a bond that overcomes both their reservations about getting too close to each other.

Who knew that living loud could turn into the best thing that ever happened to them both!

Another small town with a big heart setting, an emotionally exhilarating tale that embraces the best and worst part of love and loss.

New-to-me author whose ability to transport me into the story was a very pleasurable experience and would have to say that her characters she introduced so lovingly are some I have to revisit in future if given the chance.

[EArc from Netgalley in exchange for honest review]

I love the cover of the book, but as a new reader of Marina Adair's book, I'm not sure if I'm a fan yet. The book was Sweet and enjoyable, but I felt like it was missing something. The story went by fast, but I wanted more from the characters. I guess I needed more character depth, for me to really be pulled in this sweet story. So it was an ok book. I will however try her next release.

I was so lucky to get an advanced copy of the first book in Marina Adair's new series, Sequoia Lake. 

Avery, a survivor of a kidney transplant, wants to live life to the fullest. A kind heart, she wants to help make others dreams & wishes come true that can no longer happen. One of those wishes is to kiss a complete stranger.

Ty, a water rescue specialist, is back in town during the anniversary of his brother's passing. But things seem to be off at his family's Lodge. 

When Avery & Ty first meet, the chemistry is instant. But can they overcome all the internal and external challenges they each bring.

I really loved this new series. It sucked me in from the get go. I'm really looking forward to the next book in the series!

Avery Adams has been given a second chance at life and she fully intends to grab it with both hands, live it to the fullest, and squeeze every drop of adventure out of it while she can. She patiently waited after her transplant for her body to heal and for the time when doctors would tell her she was free to return to a normal life again outside the walls of the hospital, and the minute they did she was gone, armed with a list of adventures from fellow patients that she has every intention of completing. Her adventures take her to a local lodge where she takes a job as a guide, and before long she is crossing items off her list, and living the life she dreamed about... but the one thing she didn't account for is a man like Ty Donovan to walk into her life. The minute they meet the sparks start to fly, and they share a kiss that lights up her world, but things start to dim a little when she meets her new boss...

When his fathers health takes a turn for the worse, and the family lodges livelihood is at stake, Ty Donovan has no choice but to return home and get things under control. But it means returning to a past that he's not wanting to face, and the very demons that drove him away. He figures he'll get in there, fix what needs fixing and get out, but once there and he meets one of his families newest guides, he finds himself tempted to stay... and wanting to fix the wrongs of his past.

Avery and Ty's story is a touching read that warmed my heart, made me laugh, and had me swooning like a fool. Avery was a breath of fresh air, and never to cease to amaze me with her bravery, whit, and strength, she is truly an inspiring character for us all to look up to. And don't get me started with Ty, he was a dream come true, I mean what is not to love about a sexy, outdoorsy man armed with the skills to swoop in and save the day!! I loved spending my afternoon getting to know these two, and I cannot wait to make a return visit to this series and get better acquainted with more of these endearing folks! I think it is safe to say Ms. Adair has another bestselling series on her hands, definitely some of her best work to date!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this title.

Avery Adams is living life for today, after having  a kidney transplant. She does this by doing things that other people want to do but can't. Which is how she ends up kissing Ty in a bar and explains this  is for Bella.
Tyson moved away to join the Sequoia elite rescue team. now he is back to help get his families adventure lodge up to par. Meeting Avery is a nice surprise.
She just wants to live in the moment and he just wants to get back to his life. unfortunately what they want Is not what occurs. Between the people in this small town meddling, the sweet things Avery does, and the closure Ty will receives will give them the chance to become as one. Only they can make the decisions to determine where their future will lead.

This is the first book I've read by Marina Adair. I have others sitting on my bookshelves I just haven't gotten to them yet. When I saw It Started with a Kiss for review I knew it was time to try her. 

I have to say that I really love this cover it plays right into the title. 

I wasn't sure what I would say in this review because I wasn't sure what I thought about It Started with a Kiss. I didn't love it, nor did I hate it. To be honest, I'm really not sure what I think of it.  

I liked the characters and the story line. So they weren't the problem. I guess it was just the way the author wrote the story. At times I had to make myself continue to read it when all I wanted to do was put it aside. 

You'll really like Avery. She has been through so much and now all she wan't to do is live her life to the fullest. You'll want the best for her. She makes the story. 

I also liked Tyson, more then once he made me smile. A charmer! See, I told you I liked the characters. I think there are plenty of readers out there that will love this story. I might not be willing to read the next book in the series but I'm really glad that I've given her a try.

Wow. I'll start by saying this is the first Marina Adair book I've read. It definitely won't be the last!

Avery is enjoying a new lease on life, thanks to a kidney transplant. Thinking of others and giving back, she has a goal of helping others who may not have the same options realize something on their "bucket lists" while trying to reach a goal of her own: climb to the top of the mountain her parents fell in love on to read a letter from her mother, who died of the same kidney disease that required Avery to require surgery. She's hoping to gain the skills needed for the climb by working at the local Sequoia Lake lodge.
Ty is returning to the same lodge at the request of his mother, to help them meet safety requirements to host events again. What she doesn't tell him, and doesn't want to admit to herself, is that her husband Dale, a stubborn alpha man like his son, is showing signs of memory loss. Avery notices it as well, and has been picking up the slack in regards to keeping the lodge organized as a favor to his mother, who happens to be an old friend of her mother's.

We start off with a hilarious meet-cute, and just the right amount of tension between the Avery and Ty to make things hot and spicy throughout the novel. Adair uses both Avery's kidney disease/transplant and Dale's memory loss issues with care and subtlety; she doesn't use it on every page for the first few chapters like some authors have in the past, but she does use it to drive her plot forward in an engaging and entertaining manner without an agenda. She created bright characters, full of life and believable without being too sanctimonious.

All in all, an amazing read for a new series, and I cannot wait for the next one!  .